Reunion overseas: introduced wild boars and cultivated orange trees interact in the Brazilian Atlantic forest

Little is known concerning novel interactions between species that typically interact in their native range but, as a consequence of human activity, are also interacting out of their original distribution under new ecological conditions. Objective: We investigate the interaction between the orange tree and wild boar, both of which share Asian origins and have been introduced to the Americas (i.e. the overseas). Methods: Specifically, we assessed whether i) wild boars consume orange (Citrus sinensis) fruits and seeds in orchards adjacent to a remnant of the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, ii) the orange seeds are viable after passing through boar’s digestive tract and iii) whether the orange tree may naturalise in the forest remnant assisted by wild boars. Results: Our camera surveys indicated that wild boar was by far the most frequent consumer of orange fruits (40.5 % of camera trap-days). A considerable proportion of sown orange seeds extracted from fresh boar feces emerged seedlings (27.8 %, N = 386) under controlled greenhouse conditions. Further, 37.6 % of sown seeds (N = 500) in the forest remnant emerged seedlings in July 2015; however, after ~4 years (March 2019) only 9 seedlings survived (i.e. 4.8 %, N = 188). Finally, 52 sweet orange seedlings were found during surveys within the forest remnant which is intensively used by wild boars. This study indicates a high potential of boars to act as effective seed dispersers of the sweet orange. However, harsh competition with native vegetation and the incidence of lethal diseases, which quickly kill sweet orange trees under non-agricultural conditions, could seriously limit orange tree establishment in the forest. Conclusions: Our results have important implications not only because the wild boar could be a vector of potential invasive species, but also because they disperse seeds of some native species (e.g. the queen palm, Syagrus romanzofiana) in defaunated forests, where large native seed dispersers are missing; thus, wild boars could exert critical ecological functions lost due to human activityinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of a Web-based Performance Program for Wildland Firefighters

Peña Cueto, José M., M.S., Spring 2018 Health and Human Performance Evaluation of a web-based performance program for wildland firefighters Chairperson: Dr. Annie Sondag, PhD Introduction: In an effort to increase work capacity and reduce occupational injury rates and mortality rates among wildland firefighters, a web-based performance program named The Black was developed. The training program was designed to provide evidence-based training specific to wildland firefighters’ needs. Purpose: A formative and process evaluation of the program was conducted to study the user rates, and user’s attitudes and preferences regarding the program during the pilot of its first phase. Methodology: A sequential mixed-methods design was utilized for this evaluation. Qualitative interviews were conducted with firefighters who attended an introductory seminar. Interview data was utilized by program evaluators in the creation of a predominantly quantitative instrument to survey firefighters who were invited to participate in the first-year program pilot. Results: Nine firefighters were interviewed and thirty-six partially or fully completed survey responses were collected. Despite users’ positive attitudes toward the program’s content and high regard for the expertise of its developers, evaluation data brought to light issues with usability of the program’s online platform and other content delivery methods. Incompatibilities with, and lack of adaptability to the target population’s traditional practices and seasonal needs were also noted. Conclusions: The heterogeneity of the wildland firefighter population makes it a uniquely challenging population to provide a standardized training program for. Further segregation of content to address specific needs of sub-populations conveyed through compatible delivery methods, along with the application of concepts from Diffusion of Innovations Theory, may lead to the widespread utilization of The Black

Myopic Loss Aversion and House-Money Effect Overseas: an experimental approach

Recent literature has found two behavioral effects - house-money and myopic loss aversion (MLA) - in several experimental designs. We show that although we can find a house-money effect using survey methods this evidence disappears when we study investment decision within a multi-period investment experiment. Loss aversion is found to govern the risk-taking behavior of subjects in dynamic settings, overcoming the house-money effect. These results are robust to experiments conducted in two different countries, Spain and Brazil.

Procesos cognitivos distorsionados en la conducta agresiva y antisocial en adolescentes

ResumenEn el presente trabajo se realiza una revisión de diferentes aportaciones teóricas y empíricas que abordan la relación entre las conductas agresivas y antisociales en la adolescencia y un conjunto de procesos cognitivos distorsionados que interfieren en la percepción y comprensión de los eventos o experiencias sociales. A partir de las diferentes aproximaciones teóricas, en esta revisión se sugiere la necesidad de contar con una perspectiva más integradora que permita una mejor conceptualización y tipificación de estos procesos cognitivos distorsionados, a fin de clarificar la naturaleza y la función específica que cada uno de ellos desempeña en la explicación del comportamiento agresivo y antisocial en adolescentes.AbstractA review of different theoretical and empirical contributions about the relationship between antisocial behavior in adolescence and distorted cognitive processes, which interfere with the perception and understanding of social events or experiences, is presented in this study. According to different theoretical approaches, it is necessary to take into account a more comprehensive perspective that allows a better conceptualization and characterization of these distorted cognitive processes and, therefore, that clarifies the nature and specific function they play in the explanation of aggressive and antisocial behavior in adolescents

Reinstatement of rhipicephalus (Boophilus) australis (Acari: Ixodidae) with redescription of the adult and larval stages

Rhipicephalus australis Fuller, the Australian cattle tick, is reinstated and the adults and larvae redescribed from material collected in Australia. This long ignored boophilid was previously known as R. microplus Canestrini for specimens reported in Australia and New Caledonia. The adults of R. australis are easily recognized by a combination of characters, such as the ventro-medial spurs in the palpal segments of the male, and the abundant, plumose, pale white setae on the dorsum of the female. Other details, such as coxal and adanal shields are more variable among different populations and may lead to incorrect determinations. Larvae of R. australis are clearly smaller than those of R. microplus. The use of principal components analysis on body measurements leads to a clear separation of larvae of both taxa. A phylogenetic analysis based on 12S- and 16S-rDNA gene sequences supports the conspecificity of the neotype material on which the reinstatement of the species is proposed, and of the specimens used for previous interspecific crosses. R. australis is now known to be present in Australia, New Caledonia, the island of Borneo, Philippines, Sumatra, Java, New Guinea, Cambodia, and Tahiti. Both R. microplus and R. australis coexist in some countries in southeastern Asia. Given the extreme importance of these ticks for the cattle industry, field data on their distribution in the region are required to know the actual range of these species and to understand the evolution of the group.Fil: Estrada Peña, Agustín. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Venzal, José M.. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Nava, Santiago. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; ArgentinaFil: Mangold, Atilio Jose. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: Guglielmone, Alberto Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; ArgentinaFil: Labruna, Marcelo B.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: de la Fuente, José. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos; Españ

Asymptotics for a generalization of Hermie polynomials

We consider a generalization of the classical Hermite polynomials by the addition of terms involving derivatives in the inner product. This type of generalization has been studied in the literature from the point of view of the algebraic properties. Thus, our aim is to study the asymptotics of this sequence of nonstandard orthogonal polynomials. In fact, we obtain Mehler--Heine type formulas for these polynomials and, as a consequence, we prove that there exists an acceleration of the convergence of the smallest positive zeros of these generalized Hermite polynomials towards the origin

When do linear combinations of orthogonal polynomials yield new sequences of orthogonal polynomials?

7 pages, no figures.-- MSC2000 codes: 33C45; 42C05.-- Issue title: "Special Functions, Information Theory, and Mathematical Physics" (Special issue dedicated to Professor Jesús Sánchez Dehesa on the occasion of his 60th birthday).Given {Pn}n≥0 a sequence of monic orthogonal polynomials, we analyze their linear combinations with constant coefficients and fixed length, i.e.,Qn(x) = Pn(x) + a1Pn-1(x) + ... + akPn-k(x), ak0, n>k.Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for the orthogonality of the sequence {Qn}n≥0. An interesting interpretation in terms of the Jacobi matrices associated with {Pn}n≥0 and {Qn}n≥0 is shown.MA and MLR partially supported by Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC) of Spain under Grant MTM 2006-13000-C03-03 and Diputación General de Aragón (DGA) project E-64. FM partially supported by MEC of Spain under Grant MTM 2006-13000-C03-02 and INTAS Research Network NeCCA 03-51-6637. AP partially supported by MEC of Spain under Grants MTM 2004-03036 and MTM 2006-13000-C03-03 and DGA project E-64.Publicad

Sobolev orthogonal polynomials: balance and asymptotics

Let μ0 and μ1 be measures supported on an unbounded interval and Sn,λn the extremal varying Sobolev polynomial which minimizes _\lambda_n=\int P^2 d\mu_0+\lambda_n \int P'^2 d\mu_1, \lambda_n>0 in the class of all monic polynomials of degree n. The goal of this paper is twofold. On one hand, we discuss how to balance both terms of this inner product, that is, how to choose a sequence (λn) such that both measures μ0 and μ1 play a role in the asymptotics of (Sn,λn). On the other, we apply such ideas to the case when both μ0 and μ1 are Freud weights. Asymptotics for the corresponding Sn,λn are computed, illustrating the accuracy of the choice of λn

Actividades enzimáticas en Basidiomicetos formadores de ectomicorrizas en Pinus radiata D. Don.

La reproducción de enzimas extracelulares por las ectomicorrizas moviliza una fracción importante de los compuestos presentes en el suelo. Se presentan resultados de las actividades enzimáticas relacionadas con la movilización de nitrógeno y fósforo para cuatro especies de hongos formadores de ectomicorrizas, Suillus luteus (L.: Fr.) F. Gray, Xerocomus badius (Fr.:Fr.) Gilbert, Boletus pinicola (Vitt.) Venturi y Pisolithus tinctorius (Pers.) Coker & Couch. Se considera el valor potencial de las actividades enzimáticas como criterio en la selección de hongos inoculantes. Los valores altos suponen una mayor utilidad de los hongos corno inoculantes en condiciones de vivero.Extracellular enzyme production by ectomycorrhizae is able to movilize an important soil fraction. We report enzyme activities related with nitrogen and phosphorus movi I ization in four ectomycorriza-forming fungi: Suillus luteus (L.: Fr.) F. Gray, Xerocomus badius (Fr.:Fr.) Gilbert, Boletus pinicola (Vitt.) Venturi andPisolithus tinctorius (Pers.) Coker & Couch We examine the potential value of enzyme activity as a criterion for selecting inoculant fungi. High values are considered as profitable for inoculants under nursery conditions