Invasion of winter moth in New England: Effects of defoliation and site quality on tree mortality.

Abstract Widespread and prolonged defoliation by the European winter moth, Operophtera brumata L., has occurred in forests of eastern Massachusetts for more than a decade and populations of winter moth continue to invade new areas of New England. This study characterized the forests of eastern Massachusetts invaded by winter moth and related the duration of winter moth defoliation estimated using dendrochronology to observed levels of tree mortality and understory woody plant density. Quercus basal area mortality in mixed Quercus and mixed Quercus-Pinus strobus forests in eastern Massachusetts ranged from 0-30%; mortality of Quercus in these forests was related to site quality and the number of winter moth defoliation events. In addition, winter moth defoliation events lead to a subsequent increase in understory woody plant density. Our results indicate that winter moth defoliation has been an important disturbance in New England forests that may have lasting impacts

Development of a simulated round of golf

Purpose The aim of this study was to develop a laboratory-based treadmill simulation of the on-course physiological demands of an 18-hole round of golf and to identify the underlying physiological responses. Methods Eight amateur golfers completed a round of golf during which heart rate (HR), steps taken, and global positioning system (GPS) data were assessed. The GPS data were used to create a simulated discontinuous round on a treadmill. Steps taken and HR were recorded during the simulated round. Results During the on-course round, players covered a mean (±SD) of 8,251 ± 450 m, taking 12,766 ± 1,530 steps. The mean exercise intensity during the on-course round was 31.4 ± 9.3% of age-predicted heart rate reserve (%HRR) or 55.6 ± 4.4% of age-predicted maximum HR (%HRmax). There were no significant differences between the simulated round and the on-course round for %HRR (P = .537) or %HR max (P = .561) over the entire round or for each individual hole. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between the two rounds for steps taken. Typical error values for steps taken, HR, %HRmax, and %HRR were 1,083 steps, ±7.6 b·min?1, ±4.5%, and ±8.1%, respectively. Conclusion Overall, the simulated round of golf successfully recreated the demands of an on-course round. This simulated round could be used as a research tool to assess the extent of fatigue during a round of golf or the impact of various interventions on golfers

Method Effects and the Need for Cognition Scale

Individual differences in the need for cognition are typically assessed using the 18-item Need for cognition scale (NCS) developed by Cacioppo and Petty (1982). However, in contrast to the unidimensional model proposed by the scale developers, recent factor analyses have introduced two -and three- dimensional models of the scale. Confirmatory factor analyses were used in this study to evaluate different measurement models based on data provided by 590 (236 males, 354 females) young adult members of the general public. Although some alternative models showed promise, a single factor model with method effects associated with positively and negatively worded items provided best fit. Implications for the asses sment of need for cognition are considered

Estimating the Economic Value of Specific Characteristics Associated with Angus Bulls Sold at Auction

The genetic traits of a purebred bull convey the reproductive and economic value to buyers. This study examines and compares the value of actual production weights (birth, weaning, and yearling weight), production expected progeny differences (EPDs) (birth, weaning, milk, and yearling), and ultrasound EPDs (carcass quality predictors) for purebred Angus bulls sold at auction. One EPD, birth weight, was valued by buyers more than its corresponding actual weight, though both actual weights and EPDs significantly impact price. Predictors of carcass quality were important in determining price. Finally, several individual animal factors and sale characteristics were significant in determining price.Angus bulls, carcass characteristics, EPDs, marketing factors, production factors, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries, Q10, Q12,

ESTIMATING THE ECONOMIC VALUES ASSOCIATED WITH EPDS FOR ANGUS BULLS AT AUCTION

The genetic traits that an Angus bull possesses convey the reproductive and economic value of the animal to potential buyers. This paper examines and draws comparisons between the value of actual production weights and production EPDs, while also establishing values for ultrasound EPDs. Results indicate that only one EPD, birth weight, was valued by buyers more than its corresponding actual weight, though actual weights and EPDs significantly impacted price. Ultrasound EPDs were also found to be significant, suggesting buyers of Angus bulls consider carcass information when purchasing bulls.Angus Bulls, Birth Weight, Carcass, EPDs, Hedonic Model, Livestock Production/Industries,

Robustness of reserve selection procedures under temporal species turnover

Complementarity-based algorithms for the selection of reserve networks emphasize the need to represent biodiversity features efficiently, but this may not be sufficient to maintain those features in the long term. Here, we use data from the Common Birds Census in Britain as an exemplar data set to determine guidelines for the selection of reserve networks which are more robust to temporal turnover in features. The extinction patterns found over the 1981-1991 interval suggest that two such guidelines are to represent species in the best sites where they occur (higher local abundance) and to give priority to the rarer species. We tested five reserve selection strategies, one which finds the minimum representation set and others which incorporate the first or both guidelines proposed. Strategies were tested in terms of their efficiency (inversely related to the total area selected) and effectiveness (inversely related to the percentage of species lost) using data on eight pairs of ten-year intervals. The minimum set strategy was always the most efficient, but suffered higher species loss than the others, suggesting that there is a trade-off between efficiency and effectiveness. A desirable compromise can be achieved by embedding the concerns about the long-term maintenance of the biodiversity features of interest in the complementarity-based algorithms

Use of the Cyto-Mine for rapid generation of high-producing clonal cell lines

There is significant pressure in the biopharmaceutical industry to reduce timelines from DNA to IND, and a large portion of the timeline on the critical path is the cell line development process. Whether utilizing random integration or targeted integration for introducing genes into the genome, the regulatory requirement to address monoclonality requires a time and resource-intensive step in the process. In addition, a screen for productivity such as minipool titering or FACS analysis is typically included prior to the monoclonality stage in order to minimize the work involved. The Janssen R&D Cell Line Development (CLD) group has partnered with Sphere Fluidics to evaluate the utility of the Cyto-Mine, which is a high-throughput, microfluidic instrument developed specifically to address unmet needs in the monoclonality and productivity screening stages of the cell line development process. The Cyto-Mine takes a mixed population of cells that the user loads into the device and encapsulates individual cells in picodroplets. The machine analyzes each individual droplet for productivity using a FRET-based screen, and then images and dispenses the high productivity droplets in individual wells of microtitre plates. This entire process is performed on a single-use cartridge and is completely animal-component free. We have tested the Cyto-Mine and associated screening method with mAb and non-mAb projects and found that it can generate cell lines with high productivity, high viability, and a high assurance of monoclonality after a single round of screening. Thus, we have determined that by incorporating the Cyto-Mine into our cell line development process we can significantly shorten the overall cell line development timeline and reduce screening and resource requirements without compromising productivity or product quality in our production cell lines

So you want to get published? It’s all about theory, context and data

This paper offers guidance on writing for publication in peer-reviewed business and management journals. The approach outlined and illustrated within is the amalgamated result of many years of experience in academic writing, editing, and getting published. The paper is primarily aimed at doctoral students, tutors, and early career researchers, who will have plenty to gain from publication, but may be lacking in the relevant experience of submission and resubmission. The authors assert the importance of creating dedicated planning documents, subject to continual revision, with particular emphasis placed on articulating and addressing gaps in theory, method, context, and management practice.Keywords: Theory, context, data, publishing, ga

Using presence-absence data to establish reserve selection procedures that are robust to temporal species turnover

Previous studies suggest that a network of nature reserves with maximum efficiency (obtained by selecting the minimum area such that each species is represented once) is likely to be insufficient to maintain species in the network over time. Here, we test the performance of three selection strategies which require presence-absence data, two of them previously proposed (multiple representations and selecting an increasing percentage of each species' range) and a novel one based on selecting the site where each species has exhibited a higher permanence rate in the past. Multiple representations appear to be a safer strategy than selecting a percentage of range because the former gives priority to rarer species while the latter favours the most widespread. The most effective strategy was the one based on the permanence rate, indicating that the robustness of reserve networks can be improved by adopting reserve selection procedures that integrate information about the relative value of sites. This strategy was also very efficient, suggesting that the investment made in the monitoring schemes may be compensated for by a lower cost in reserve acquisition

Water availability influences arthropod water demand, hydration and community composition on urban trees

The drive for animals to regulate their water content can have significant consequences for food webs in xeric ecosystems. But the importance of animal water balance (gains vs losses) for mesic food webs has not been explored. Impervious surfaces in cities absorb and re-radiate solar radiation, raising local temperatures. Higher temperatures lead to greater rates of organismal water loss. Thus, urbanization of mesic regions may lead to greater likelihood of desiccation, with consequences for food webs. We tested the effects of animal water balance on a mesic urban food web by supplementing animal-available water (but not plant) within trees in a parking lot in Raleigh, NC, a mesic city with previously documented urban warming. We found that during dry periods, arthropods in control trees were desiccated (lower water content), with higher water demand behavior. This coincided with shifts in community composition during dry periods. Continuous experimental supplementation of animal-available water mostly reduced or erased these patterns. Thus, animal water balance may play a role in mediating food web dynamics in mesic cities