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ABSTRACT With around 6000 species and 200 genera worldwide, hoverflies (Syrphidae, Diptera) are important and a diverse group of pollinators, second to wild bees (Hymenoptera). Here, we studied the diversity of Syrphidae visiting flowers in low shrubland maquis environments of three compensation areas in the Ajaccio region (Corsica, France). A total of 138 hoverflies visiting flowers were sampled representing 27 species from 16 genera. The subfamily Syrphinae was the most diverse in comparison to Milesinae or Eristalinae. The syrphid communities were dominated at 67% by seven species (Eumerus barbarus, Sphaerophoria scripta, Chrysotoxum intermedium, Episyrphus balteatus, Syritta pipiens, Melanostoma mellinum and Melanostoma scalare). Most of data reported here are new for the Ajaccio region. Loretto stands out from the other two sites with both a greater species diversity and specimen abundance of hoverflies recorded visiting flowers. With regard to the daily activity, flower visits by syprhids occurred mainly during the morning at the three studied sites, and flowers of Asteraceae were the most visited. Finally, hoverflies showed a marked seasonality since most records of flower visits occurred in autumn (from September to November) when other floral visitors are rarer or absent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landfills are the most affordable and popular method for managing waste in many parts of the world, However, in most developing nations, including India, the infiltration of hazardous materials from improperly managed dumping site continues to be a significant environmental problem. Around the world, leachate is a significant point source of contamination in numerous environmental media, including soil, groundwater, and surface water. Soil is an important asset as it is the key factor for food production and has tremendous significance in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). The contaminants from soil enter into food chain and ultimately reach humans. So in order to prevent the adverse effects of toxic elements on humans, there is need to maintain the soil quality and to prevent deterioration. Keeping in view the consequences of unscientific management of waste, the goal of the experiment was to determine how landfill leachate from Achan landfill affected the soil quality in the temperate Himalayas. All four seasons of the year, viz Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, at four sites viz, Center of dumping site, inside, Outside and Control were monitored. Among sites center was found to have maximum value of EC (3.04 dS/m), Moisture content (42.51%), N (285.43 mg/kg), P (70.07 mg/kg), K (265.71 mg/kg), Ca (957.67 mg/kg), Mg(402.42 mg/kg), Zn (2.02 mg/kg), Fe (10.56 mg/kg), Cu (2.07 mg/kg), Mn (10.73 mg/kg), Pb (85.02 mg/kg), Cd (4.50 mg/kg), Ni (29.04 mg/kg), Cr (23.37 mg/kg), As (14.10 mg/kg). While as the lowest value of all parameters was reported at control site. From the study it is recommended that the waste generated is mostly organic (65–75%), thus can be segregated and treated at source. The waste can be treated at source using microbial consortium technology in order to transform the waste in to wealth in a sustainable way and to prevent the deterioration of soil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Blueberry flower buds cultivated in greenhouses develop during both autumn and spring, with floral induction being a critical process for flowering, influenced by environmental factors. This study aimed to clarify the regulatory mechanisms governing floral induction in greenhouse blueberries, focusing on the similarities and differences in flower bud differentiation between the spring and autumn seasons. Understanding these mechanisms is pivotal for enhancing blueberry production. In this study, we analysed the phenotypic characteristics associated with flower bud differentiation and observed that short photoperiods markedly affect the induction process. Transcriptomic analyses revealed distinct major metabolic pathways activated in autumn compared to spring. Seasonal variations in carbohydrate metabolism were also noted, with sucrose hydrolysis being prominent in autumn and sucrose synthesis prevailing in spring. The interplay between circadian rhythms and photosynthesis appeared to facilitate the allocation of sugars for bud development. Subsequent investigations underscored the sensitivity of VcCO3 to variations in photoperiod. Predominantly localised in the nucleus, VcCO3 facilitated floral induction in response to short photoperiods by activating the expression of downstream genes, including VcFT, VcLFY, VcAP3, and VcSOC1. Furthermore, VcCO3 exhibits a close association with the sugar metabolism gene VcSUS, promoting increased sucrose concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early 21st century, there was an increase in precipitation during the retreat period of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). This study aims to explore the precipitation changes and their possible causes in the context of climate change. The findings indicate that the increased precipitation primarily occurred in the Yellow—Huai River valley during the early autumn. This corresponds to a delayed retreat of the EASM with a northward shift of 0.9°N after 2002. Notably, this anomalous changes in the EASM are associated with the significant warming in two Asian dryland regions. The warming of the central Asian dryland strengthens the midlatitude high‐pressure belt and the anomaly anticyclone over northeast Asia, which restrains the development of wave troughs and westerly cold air activity. Similarly, the warming China‐Mongolia dryland enhances the anomaly anticyclone over northeast Asia through the dry soil moisture feedback and reduced latitudinal temperature gradient. These two Asian drylands thereby hold the northward shift of the westerly jet stream and the northwest extension of the Japan Sea high and the western Pacific subtropical high. These changes result in maintaining the northward EASM circulation and driving the northwest water vapor flux from the northwest Pacific, leading to moisture convergence in northern China. The China‐Mongolia dryland warming also increases the land‐sea thermal contrast, which induces a dipole pattern over East Asia and drives the northward water vapor flux from the South Sea. As a result, the rapidly warming drylands restrict westerly activity and EASM retreat, ultimately leading to increased precipitation. Plain Language Summary: Northern China is experiencing a climate that resembles summer and delayed autumn in September and October, accompanied by increased precipitation, precipitation extremes, and high temperature. We have investigated this phenomenon and found that it is related to delayed retreat of East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) with the northernmost margin of the EASM (EASM‐NM) shifted northward by 0.9° latitude after 2002, which has contributed to a rise in precipitation of 80 mm in the Yellow—Huai River valley during the early autumn. These changes are associated with the rapid warming of the middle‐latitude Asian drylands. The warming of both central Asian dryland and China‐Mongolia dryland strengthens northward westerly jet stream and creates a high‐pressure anomaly from northeast China to Japan Sea. This is achieved through westerly waves and reduced meridional temperature gradient. These changes further maintain the northward circulations of EASM and weaken westerly activity. Consequently, more northwest and southerly water vapor is transported to northern China, resulting in increased precipitation. Key Points: Increased autumn precipitation corresponds to delayed retreat of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) with a northward shift of 0.9°NThe warming Asian dryland delays the retreat of EASM that enhances precipitation in early autumn in northern ChinaThe warming Asian drylands drive northward westerly jet and westward Japan Sea high through westerly waves and zonal thermal contrast [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Regional cold winters have occurred frequently in Eurasia since the beginning of the 21st century, increasing the interannual variability in winter temperatures and increasing the difficulty of prediction. In this study, we evaluate the performance of Climate Forecast version 2 (CFSv2) of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) in predicting winter temperature anomalies over the Northern Hemisphere and find that CFSv2 has significantly lower temperature prediction ability for cold winters in the mid–high latitudes of Eurasia since the 21st century. This is mainly due to the stronger response to global warming and the weaker response to sea ice anomalies in the preceding autumn in CFSv2 than the in reanalysis. Accordingly, two targeted correction methods have been developed to improve the prediction ability, with the first method removing the linear temperature trend of CFSv2 predictions and the second method considering the effects of autumn Arctic Sea ice anomalies via a dynamical–statistical correction approach (DSCA). Both methods can effectively improve the prediction ability of winter temperature anomalies in the mid–high latitudes of Eurasia, especially in cold winters. The anomaly correlation coefficient (ACC) increased from −0.03 to 0.13 before and after the modification by the DSCA, and from −0.12 to 0.25 for cold winters. The DSCA significantly reduced the root mean square error (RMSE) of the CFSv2 predictions by approximately 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual transect counting of large‐bodied fish using artificial light at night in a shallow littoral zone (<1 m water depth) is introduced as a complementary survey method for fishes such as common bream Abramis brama and northern pike Esox lucius that are under‐represented in standard gillnet surveys. The results suggest that transect counting at night and applying necessary corrections for environmental variables could provide a simple and repeatable method to assess the presence and abundance of large‐bodied fishes in lakes with satisfactory water clarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hordeum spontaneum is a winter annual weed that reduces crop yields in Iran. The aim of this study was to quantitatively analyze the effects of burial on seed longevity and germinability and of water potential and temperature on germination. Seeds were placed in nylon‐mesh bags and buried in soil in a semi‐arid region on 1 July 2018 and exposed to natural temperature regimes. After 2 months of burial, seed viability started to decline with a slope of 0.0169%, and after 9 months all seeds were nonviable. Fresh seeds were dormant, but became non‐dormant during summer via dry after‐ripening. Thus, by late autumn (December) the seeds germinated to 100% in dark at 5 and 15°C. The base, optimum, and ceiling temperatures were 0.27, 17.5, and 25°C, respectively, at a water potential of 0 MPa. The hydrotime constant was 50.6–426.9 MPa h, base water potential −1.23 to −0.333 MPa and hydrothermal constant 1350.5 MPa °C h. These results can be used to predict timing and extent of weed emergence of H. spontaneum in crops and in planning for sustainable management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large‐scale declines in insect abundances and richness due to climate and land‐use change have been well documented during the past years. These changes are accompanied by shifts in insect phenology towards earlier appearance in spring and prolonged activity periods in late summer and autumn. The magnitude of these responses to climate change might be masked by intra‐ and inter‐specific variability in phenology and trait expression. Here, we used a large data set of museum records of butterflies from the northern Austrian Alps (380 m to >3000 m asl) and ask to which degree does intra‐ and inter‐specific variability in spring and autumn activity and in the numbers of generations affect the temporal trends in phenology during the last 30 years? For the 17 most abundant species, we found phenological variability to strongly differ among species, local habitats and study years. Ubiquitous mobile species were significantly more variable than habitat specialist and sedentary species. Intra‐specific variability was highest in ubiquitous habitat generalist species and increased during the study period. As consequence, seasonal appearance and composition of local butterfly communities are now less predictable than decades ago. It remains unclear whether this trend causes a rewiring of pollinator food webs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring China's carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is essential for formulating effective carbon cycle policies to achieve carbon peaking and neutrality. Despite insufficient satellite observation coverage, this study utilizes high-resolution spatiotemporal data from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2), supplemented with various auxiliary datasets, to estimate full-coverage, monthly, column-averaged carbon dioxide (XCO2) values across China from 2015 to 2022 at a spatial resolution of 0.05° via the deep forest model. The 10-fold cross-validation results indicate a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.95 and a determination coefficient (R²) of 0.90. Validation against ground-based station data yielded R values of 0.93, and R² values reached 0.81. Further validation from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service Reanalysis dataset (CAMS) produced R² values of 0.87 and 0.80, respectively. During the study period, CO2 concentrations in China were higher in spring and winter than in summer and autumn, indicating a clear annual increase. The estimates generated by this study could potentially support CO2 monitoring in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainability of the salmon farming industry is being challenged by increased mortality rates. Scotland's open-source salmon production data provides the possibility of developing an industry-wide mortality monitoring model, valuable for identifying and addressing unexpected increases in mortality without needing data sharing agreements across different companies. This study aimed to utilize these data to develop a hierarchical dynamic linear model (DLM) for monitoring monthly mortality of maricultured Atlantic salmon in Scotland. We evaluated whether considering the hierarchical structure present in the data (country, region, and site) would improve mortality predictions when compared to the production cycle level DLMs developed in a previous study. Our findings demonstrated that the hierarchical DLM outperformed the production cycle level DLMs, confirming the value of this more complex modelling approach. Nevertheless, the hierarchical model, like the production cycle level DLMs, exhibited some uncertainty in the mortality predictions. When mortality is higher than expected, site level warnings are generated, which can encourage producers and inspectors to further investigate the cause. Between 2015 and 2020, approximately 25% of the production cycles and 50% of the sites encountered at least one warning, with most warnings happening in the summer and autumn months. Additionally, the hierarchical model enabled monitoring mortality at multiple levels. This information is useful for various stakeholders as part of a monitoring system, offering insights into mortality trends at national, regional, and sites levels that may benefit from strategic resource management. Recommendations for model improvements include utilizing shorter data aggregation periods, such as weekly, which are not currently available as open-source data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distribution patterns of benthic dinoflagellates that are widely observed in tropical and temperate waters and have toxic potential are changing in response to ocean climate change. Although there have been no outbreaks associated with the genus Coolia affecting humans, it is crucial to understand their changing distribution and clearly identify the species in the study area to prepare for potential toxic events. In this study, five strains of Coolia species were isolated from macroalgae samples collected from Jeju Island and the eastern coastal waters of Korea. Through morphological and molecular analysis of these isolates, one strain was identified as Coolia palmyrensis , marking the first report of this species in Korea, and four strains as C. malayensis. One of the C. malayensis strains was isolated in Pohang on the eastern coast of Korea, where it had not been previously reported. From 2021 to 2023, monitoring of Jeju Island using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay revealed that C. palmyrensis cells occurred mostly in autumn, with a maximum density of 242 cells g-1, and overwintering populations were observed in 2023. However, C. malayensis cells were not observed in this area. Additionally, C. malayensis was observed in Pohang and Ulsan, located further north than Jeju Island with maximum cell densities of 537 and 201 cells g-1, respectively. These data and our decade of monitoring experience confirmed the introduction and establishment of C. palmyrensis and habitat shift of C. malayensis in Korean coastal waters. This study provides advances for understanding of the relationships between climate-driven alterations and biogeographic distribution of these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is difficult to estimate groundwater recharge (GWR) since it cannot be measured directly. Numerous physical and empirical models may be used to calculate the components of the groundwater (GW) balance of a given basin. This study's goal is to compute the annual and seasonal GWR rates in the upper Bilate catchment using the chloride mass‐balance (CMB) approach and water and energy transfer between soil, plants, and atmosphere under the quasi‐steady state (WetSpass)‐modular three‐dimensional finite‐difference groundwater flow model (MODFLOW). Grid maps were prepared as the input data for the model, and to reflect the catchment condition, the parameter attribute tables were arranged. The water balance (WB)'s constituents for each season and year were simulated by the WetSpass‐M model. As well, the CMB technique was applied; the samples were obtained from wells and around rain gauges of the study area, tested in the Arba Minch University water quality laboratory, and then chloride concentrations were evaluated. The recharge was calculated using the precipitation‐weighted average chlorine content in the rainfall and GW. The mean annual GWR values calculated by using WetSpass‐M and CMB were 157.6 and 147.69 mm, respectively, representing 12.7% and 11.91% of the mean precipitation received in the catchment, respectively. WetSpass‐M, the seasonal average recharge values in winter, spring, summer, and autumn were 29.39, 58.87, 1.92, and 56.28 mm; from the total annual recharge, 2.38%, 4.9%, 0.17%, and 4.55% occurred, respectively. CMB, during the dry and wet seasons are 24.08 and 52.16 mm/year, respectively. This result showed that the recharge estimated by the WetSpass‐M model was slightly higher as compared to the CMB method, and both were in a comparable range and both models are with good performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Anaerobic–anoxic–oxic (A2/O) and deoxidation ditch (DOD) processes are being increasingly preferred owing to their effectiveness in treating various wastes in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Considering seasonal variations is crucial in optimizing treatment processes, ensuring compliance with regulations, and maintaining the overall efficiency and effectiveness of WWTPs. This study aimed to determine the influence of seasonality on nitrogen removing microbes and functional genes within A2/O and DOD processes in the humid Wuhan and semi-arid Xi'an cities, China. Methods: The physicochemical parameters of water quality were determined, and molecular and bioinformatic analyses of the bacterial community and nitrogen metabolism functional genes in the two different treatment processes of two WWTPs were performed over four seasons. Results and discussion: Our analyses revealed a significant difference in all physicochemical parameters across all experimental groups (p < 0.05). At the genus level, the abundance of Dokdonella , one unidentified genus of Nitrospiraceae , Terrimonas , and one unidentified genus of Chloroflexi was the highest in all groups. Generally, warmer seasons exhibited higher biodiversity indices. The A2/O system exhibited higher values in terms of most nitrogen metabolism functional genes than those of the DOD sewage treatment system. In both WWTPs, the abundance of most genes in spring and summer were higher than that of autumn and winter seasons. Taken together, changes in temperature, caused by seasonal changes, may contribute to changes in abundance of nitrogen metabolic functional genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings of a mixed-method study exploring the self-reported negative impact on wellbeing of working in policing in England and Wales during the Covid-19 pandemic. For the first time, findings relating to the wellbeing of UK police and police staff are presented from two different points in time during the pandemic period – the initial ‘lockdown phase’ (March 2020) and Autumn 2021 as the UK began to return to pre-pandemic social behaviours. A first study presents data collected via electronic survey, completed in June 2021 by more than 500 UK police officers and staff, exploring how they felt initially about the Covid-19 pandemic and how they felt later in 2021. For example, how it affected their work and how they dealt with the changes in working practices. A second study presents an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of 18 interviews capturing the individual ‘life experiences’ of UK police officers and staff working in variety of policing roles during the pandemic. Key themes identified include the negative effects of working at home and the worry of spreading the disease to loved ones. Recommendations are made for how police forces can better support the wellbeing of officers and staff during pandemic scenarios and increase resilience. For example, by quickly identifying those officers and staff most vulnerable to the disease and/or most anxious generally at the start of a pandemic, to plan for how appropriate support can be provided, and acknowledge that police staff feel most isolated when working from home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are significant agricultural pests that can reduce maize yields. This study examines the prevalence, abundance, and diversity of PPNs in New Zealand maize fields, focusing on the effects of territory, soil orders, crop stages, and sampling times. Seven PPN genera were identified: Pratylenchus spp. (root-lesion), Helicotylenchus spp. (spiral), Meloidogyne spp. (root-knot), Heterodera spp. (cyst), Paratylenchus spp. (pin), Criconemella spp. (ring), and Tylenchus spp. PPNs were present in 98% of the samples, with Pratylenchus spp. being the most prevalent (91%), followed by Helicotylenchus spp. (38%). Compared to Waikato and Manawatu-Whanganui, Canterbury had the highest nematode populations, particularly of Pratylenchus spp. and Helicotylenchus spp. Brown and pallic soils supported higher PPN abundances. Sampling during the maize harvesting stage and late autumn resulted in the highest nematode populations and diversity indices. Pratylenchus spp. populations often exceeded the economic threshold of 500 Pratylenchus kg−1 of soil, suggesting a significant threat to maize yield in New Zealand. The findings highlight the need for further research to assess the impact of Pratylenchus spp. on maize yield and to develop effective management practices for maize cultivation in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The impact of extreme events in risk analysis depends on factors such as magnitude, duration, timing and whether the system recovers fully before the next event occurs. While previous studies have primarily examined the drivers and characteristics of individual extremes, less focus has been given to the concurrent or compounding nature of extremes across adjacent seasons. Thus, understanding the dynamics of such compound extremes, particularly dryness and wetness, is crucial. To address these concerns, a Multi Scalar Drought Index (MSDI) is formulated using precipitation and temperature data from three river basins (Brahmani, Baitarani and Cauvery) of eastern and southern India. The combinations of dryness and wetness, such as Dry‐Dry, Dry‐Wet, Wet‐Dry and Wet‐Wet, between consecutive seasons are analysed across four seasons (summer, rainy, autumn and winter). The prolonged dryness/wetness along with dry/wet year are evaluated from baseline (1979–2018) to projected COrdinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) future period (2020–2099). The spatio‐temporal variations in intra‐annual dry‐wet extremes are identified using the Mann–Kendall test. The results suggest that the eastern Indian river basins, particularly the Brahmani and Baitarani basins, experience more frequent occurrences of compounding dryness‐wetness compared to Cauvery river which is a southern Indian basin. Future scenarios indicate a trend towards dryness during the monsoon season in Brahmani and Baitarani basins, with frequent wet extremes in late autumn and winter. Abrupt transitions between dryness and wetness are prevalent during the Rainy‐Autumn and Autumn‐Winter seasons in Brahmani and Baitarani basins. The increased frequency of compound dry‐wet extremes poses significant socio‐economic risks, including reduced agricultural productivity, water management challenges and heightened vulnerability of local livelihoods dependent on consistent water availability. The results of this study provide a scientific reference for sustainable agriculture and water resource management to predict future seasonal dry and wet alternations and develop effective mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential influence of circadian rhythm, seasonal variations, and alterations in meteorological parameters has been studied across various vascular events. However, there is a lack of evidence on the potential chronobiological impacts on thromboembolic events related to the most common peripheral aneurysm, the popliteal artery aneurysm (PAA). Data was obtained from a German PAA registry and the German Meteorological Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst). In this observational cohort study seasonality and chronobiology as well as associations with meteorological parameters of symptomatic PAA were investigated. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, it was further analyzed whether meteorological parameters could distinguish asymptomatic from symptomatic patients in the registry. Of 1200 registered PAA, n = 142 PAA presented with acute limb ischemia between February 2011 and September 2022. More symptomatic patients (57.0%) presented to the hospital between January and June than in the second half of the year with a nadir in the fall season. Symptom onset was predominantly in the morning hours (39.5%). Atmospheric pressure and humidity values from the index dates diverged from a normal distribution showing a bimodal (“double-peak”) configuration. Most patients developed symptoms after a reduction in temperatures compared to 1 or 2 d prior to the index date. However, we found evidence for an interaction between age and temperature difference, where the effects of a decreasing temperature fade with increasing age. Facing the complexity of individual-environment interactions, further investigations are needed to determine whether meteorological parameters are true risk modifiers or surrogates for seasonal differences and altered behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies everyday bordering processes at the Finnish – Russian border during ‘times of stress’, specifically, following the COVID-19 pandemic and the onset of the war in Ukraine. The research is grounded in ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the summer and autumn of 2022 in four border cities (Imatra and Lappeenranta in Finland, and Svetogorsk and Vyborg in Russia). The study centres on visual and sensory observations made during the fieldwork, as well as discussions taking place in local newspapers and their social media channels. The Finnish – Russian borderland is approached as a ‘borderscape’ – a site where borders are constructed, deconstructed and reconstructed in everyday life by heterogeneous agents. The research illustrates that the political context shaped the Finnish – Russian borderscapes concerning the material border landscape, people’s experiences and imaginations. The study argues that visual and sensory ethnography can add deeper and more nuanced layers to the understanding of borderscapes as well as provide alternative ways of conveying research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huangjing is becoming a new generation of crop. Polygonatum kingianum var. grandifolium (XHJ) is a variant of P. kingianum (DHJ), and they are treated as Huangjing. Unlike other Polygonatum species, the rhizome bud of XHJ can germinate both in spring and autumn, which contributes to its high rhizome yield. However, the molecular mechanism of the autumn shooting of XHJ was still unknown. In the present study, cellular observation, comparative targeted metabolome of phytohormones, and transcriptome analysis between XHJ and DHJ in autumn were conducted. Interestingly, 'Diterpenoid biosynthesis' (ko00904) and 'Plant hormone signal transduction' (ko04075) were commonly enriched by differentially accumulated phytohormones (DAPs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in all tissues, which indicated the high auxin content, low cytokinin (CTK) content, and low abscisic acid/gibberellin (ABA/GA) ratio might contribute to the XHJ rhizome buds' differentiation and germination in autumn. Moreover, according to the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WCGNA), transcript factors (TFs) related to auxin, CTK, GA, and jasmonic acid (JA) metabolism were screened, such as AP2/ERFs , WRKY , and NAC , which deserve further research. In conclusion, we comprehensively illustrated the mechanism of XHJ natural autumn shooting through cytological, metabolic, and transcriptomic analysis, which improves our understanding of the high yield of XHJ rhizomes and the diversity of shooting mechanisms in Polygonatum to lay the foundation for the further development of the Huangjing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boxwood blight, caused by Calonectria pseudonaviculata, is a highly invasive emerging disease. Since the first US report in North Carolina and Connecticut in 2011, boxwood blight has spread to over 30 US states, risking more than 90% of boxwood production. Our study investigated the disease field epidemiology and evaluated the boxwood blight infection risk model's prediction by analysing weekly blight monitoring data collected on detector plants exposed to the prevailing environmental conditions at two different locations (western Virginia and North Carolina) from spring through fall of 2014 to 2017. Boxwood blight was recorded in 61 of 86 weeks, with the highest infected leaf counts recorded in late summer or early fall. Rainfall, high relative humidity outside rainy periods and optimal temperatures (13.6–22.7 °C) during prolonged leaf wetness (> 65 h per week) had a significant positive effect on boxwood blight development. Classification analyses showed that disease predictions from the model using leaf wetness estimated by leaf wetness sensor were more closely aligned with observations from the field than predictions based on algorithms. This study improved our understanding of disease field epidemiology, provided leads to improve the existing model, and generated essential knowledge for formulating effective strategies for blight mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is closely linked to human health, with its sources generally divided into local emissions and regional transport. This study combined concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) analysis with the HYSPLIT trajectory ensemble to obtain hourly-resolution pollutant source results. The Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model was then employed to simulate local emissions and ambient PM2.5 in Beijing from 2013 to 2020. The results revealed that clean air masses influencing the Beijing area mainly originated from the north and east regions, exhibiting a strong winter and weak summer pattern. Following the implementation of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (Action Plan) by the Chinese government in 2017, pollution in Beijing decreased significantly, with the most substantial reduction in regional transport pollution events occurring in the west region during summer. Regional transport pollution events were most frequent in spring, up to 1.8 times higher than in winter. Pollutants mainly originated from the west and south regions, while polluted air masses from the east showed the least reduction, and the proportion of pollution sources from this region is gradually increasing. From 2013 to 2020, local emissions were the main contributors of pollution events in Beijing. The Action Plan has more effectively reduced pollution caused by regional transport, particularly during autumn and winter. This finding underscores the importance of Beijing prioritizing local emission reduction while also considering potential contributions from the east region to effectively mitigate pollution events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examined the elevation-dependent warming (EDW) patterns of MODIS LST across different seasons in the Qinling-Daba Mountains, further investigate the connections between the EDW patterns of Land surface temperature (LST) and land surface albedo (ALB) as well as aerosol optical depth (AOD). The key findings include: (1) Our study reveals a robust correlation between LST and air temperature in the Qinling-Daba Mountains, suggesting the feasibility of using MODIS LST to predict the temperature trends (2) During the period from 2001 to 2010, MODIS LST shows a significant EDW trend, primarily in the spring season. In contrast, a negative EDW is observed in the period during 2011–2021, which is contrary to the earlier decade, particularly during the autumn and winter seasons. (3) EDW of MODIS LST is affected by the combination of ALB and AOD. The former has a negative influence on the change of LST, particularly above 2500 m in elevation. However, the latter is negatively correlated with the trend of MODIS LST, primarily at lower and middle altitudes (0–2500 m). This study gives a comprehensive explanation for the EDW of the temporal variations of LST in the Qinling-Daba Mountains to improve our understanding of the complex interactions and potential future climate scenarios in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter annual crops are sown in late summer or autumn and require chilling to promote flowering the following spring. Floral initiation begins in autumn and winter, and in winter oilseed rape (OSR), continued chilling during flower development is necessary for high yield potential. This can be a problem in areas where chilling is not guaranteed, or as a result of changing climates. Here, we used chilling disruption and low chilling to identify loci with the potential to increase chilling efficiency in winter OSR. We report that time to flowering and yield potential under low chill conditions are affected by variation at the PLANT HOMOLOGOUS TO PARAFIBROMIN gene, a component of the plant PAF1c complex. We show that increases in winter chilling given to developing flowers can improve seed yields and that loss of function of BnaPHP.A05 leads to early flowering in B. rapa and B. napus and an increase in seed set where chilling is limited. Because PHP is known to specifically target the FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) gene in Arabidopsis, we propose that variation at PHP is useful for breeding modifications to chilling responses in polyploid crops with multiple copies of the FLC gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instruments for air quality observations on geostationary satellites provide multiple observations per day and allow for the analysis of the diurnal variation in important air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The South Korean instrument GEMS (Geostationary Environmental Monitoring Spectrometer), launched in February 2020, is the first geostationary instrument that is able to observe the diurnal variation in NO2. The measurements have a spatial resolution of 3.5 km × 8 km and cover a large part of Asia. This study compares 1 year of tropospheric NO2 vertical column density (VCD) observations from the operational GEMS L2 product, the scientific GEMS IUP-UB (Institute of Environmental Physics at the University of Bremen) product, the operational TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) product, and ground-based differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) measurements in South Korea. The GEMS L2 tropospheric NO2 VCDs overestimate the ground-based tropospheric NO2 VCDs with a median relative difference of + 61 % and a correlation coefficient of 0.76. The median relative difference is - 2 % for the GEMS IUP-UB product and - 16 % for the TROPOMI product, with correlation coefficients of 0.83 and 0.89, respectively. The scatter in the GEMS products can be reduced when observations are limited to the TROPOMI overpass time. Diurnal variations in tropospheric NO2 VCDs differ by the pollution level of the analyzed site but with good agreement between the GEMS IUP-UB and ground-based observations. Low-pollution sites show weak or almost no diurnal variation. In summer, the polluted sites show a minimum around noon, indicating the large influence of photochemical loss. Most variation is seen in spring and autumn, with increasing NO2 in the morning, a maximum close to noon, and a decrease towards the afternoon. Winter observations show rather flat or slightly decreasing NO2 throughout the day. Winter observations under low-wind-speed conditions at high-pollution sites show enhancements of NO2 throughout the day. This indicates that under calm conditions, dilution and the less effective chemical loss in winter do not balance the accumulating emissions. Diurnal variation observed at a low-pollution site follows seasonal wind patterns. A weekday–weekend effect analysis shows good agreement between the different products. However, the GEMS L2 product, while agreeing with the other data sets on weekdays, shows significantly less reduction on weekends. The influence of the stratospheric contribution and the surface reflectivity product on the satellite tropospheric NO2 VCD products is investigated. While the TM5 model's stratospheric VCDs, used in the TROPOMI product, are too high, resulting in tropospheric NO2 VCDs that are too low and even negative, when used in the GEMS IUP-UB retrieval, the GEMS L2 stratospheric VCD is too low. Surface reflectivity comparisons indicate that the GEMS L2 reflectivity makes a large contribution to the observed overestimation and scatter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secretary William Davison (d. 1608) is best known for his involvement in the execution of Mary, queen of Scots, in 1587. This article explores Davison's earlier diplomatic career, specifically his mission to the Low Countries in autumn 1585. It argues, first, that Davison was an influential political actor prior to his elevation to the privy council, as he fulfilled significant diplomatic responsibilities and was highly regarded by his conciliar patrons; and second, that study of Davison's diplomatic career casts new light on familiar debates over mid-Elizabethan diplomacy, men of business and patron-client relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a high-value crop for irrigation districts in the low deserts of the USA Southwest. To ensure maximal crop quality, negligible soil salinity stress, minimal nutrient loss and reduced pathogen susceptibility, lettuce irrigation must meet, but not exceed, crop water use requirements. However, lettuce crop water use information is outdated in this region: prior studies were conducted at least four decades ago (1960–1980) and do not represent current varieties, management practices, and climate. To address this shortcoming, 12 commercial sites in Yuma, Arizona, USA were evaluated between 2016 and 2020 to update lettuce water use requirements and crop coefficients. The study measured crop evapotranspiration (ETc) using eddy covariance observations at eight iceberg and four romaine sites, where planting dates varied throughout the fall. Observed ETc and remote sensing data were used to model the daily soil water balance and derive crop coefficients: single (Kc), basal (Kcb), and soil evaporation (Ke). The analysis was supported by lettuce crop height estimates and fractional vegetative cover (fc) via remote sensing. Days to maturity averaged 75 ± 15 and 89 ± 12 days for romaine and iceberg, respectively, where season lengths increased as planting dates progressed from early fall to late winter. Average planting date for romaine sites was about 20 days earlier than average iceberg sites. When growing intervals are cast in heat units, dependence on crop type and time of planting was reduced. Average cumulative growing-degree-day and enhanced-degree-day metrics were 1133 ± 87 and 754 ± 48 °C-days, respectively. Seasonal lettuce ETc averaged 278 ± 24 mm. Cumulative irrigation applied, plus precipitation, averaged 355 ± 88 mm. Lettuce Kc for sites varied from 0.90 ± 0.13 to 1.19 ± 0.11 and Kcb from 0.20 ± 0.05 to 1.01 ± 0.11 for the initial and mid-season growth stages, respectively. These updates will help growers improve their irrigation efficiency for lettuce and provide important documentation needed by water managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) shows seasonal changes in body weight, activity level, and range use. However, there is little information available on these factors in individuals in the wild. We documented the body weights of free-ranging Asian black bears from spring to autumn, 2017 to 2019, in the Nikko-Ashio Mountains, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, by using a newly noninvasive body weighing system (NIBWS) that we developed. We also fitted Asian black bears with global positioning system (GPS) collars with built-in activity sensors to evaluate the relationship between body weight, behavioral factor, and activity level. Bears visited the NIBWS 88 times in 2017, 176 times in 2018, and 321 times in 2019. We recorded the body weights of 4 bears in 2017, 15 bears in 2018, and 11 bears in 2019. Specifically, we consecutively recorded the body weight of an adult female from 2017 to 2019 and collected GPS location data from 2017 to 2018. The adult female was solitary in 2017, and she was accompanied by 2 cubs in 2018 and the yearlings of those cubs in 2019. Her body weight was lowest in 2018, likely because she had spent a large amount of her energy expenditure on nursing her cubs, compared with the year when she was solitary or nursing her yearlings. The GPS data showed that no significant relationship was found between body weight and any behavioral factors. Although her activity level decreased drastically in late August, her body weight did not decrease accordingly. In contrast, a subadult female that we tracked in 2019 increased her body weight during May to August, likely because she was solitary and required high intake of energy and nutrition for growth. Although our results provide only a snapshot, we established NIBWS and this is the first record of body weight changes over multiple years in free-ranging Asian black bears to our knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese cabbage is rich in vitamins, fibre, and nutrients and is one of the primary vegetables consumed in autumn and winter in South Asia. 'Purple pak choi' sprouts are particularly rich in anthocyanins and are favoured by consumers. However, reports on the regulation of anthocyanin synthesis in purple pak choi sprouts do not exist. In this study, we examined the phenotypic development of purple pak choi sprouts after germination. The total anthocyanin content increased from 0.02 to 0.52 mg/g FW from days 0 to 6. RNA-seq data analysis revealed an increase in differentially expressed genes corresponding to the development of purple pak choi sprouts. Expression pattern analysis of genes associated with the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway revealed a significant upregulation of structural genes during the purple phase, suggesting that the transcription factors PAP2 and MYBL2 may play crucial regulatory roles. BraPAP2.A03, BraTT8.A09, and BraMYBL2.A07 exhibited strong interactions with key genes in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway, specifically BraDFR.A09. Furthermore, the expression of BraPAP2.A03 aligned with the expression patterns of most anthocyanin biosynthesis-related genes, whereas those of BraTT8.A09 and BraMYBL2.A07 corresponded with the expression pattern of BraDFR.A09. These results provide valuable insights into regulatory mechanisms underlying anthocyanin synthesis in purple pak choi sprouts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study has analyzed ozone pollution in Tianjin from 2013 to 2022, focusing on the relationships between ozone distribution, meteorological conditions, and precursor substances. A method for identifying high-value areas of ozone precursors using the Ozone Sensitivity Factor (FNR) has been introduced. Results show that the average ozone concentration in Tianjin has been 100.608 µg/m3, with an annual growth rate of 2.84 µg·m⁻3·yr⁻¹. Tianjin has ranked among the top provinces and urban agglomerations in China for both ozone concentration and growth rate. Ozone levels have peaked in summer, followed by spring, autumn, and winter, while the growth rate has been highest in spring. This indicates that ozone pollution extends from summer into spring and autumn. An analysis of six ozone pollution events reveals significant regional transmission impacts from northern Hebei and Inner Mongolia, contributing over 30%, with additional significant contributions from southern and southwestern Hebei and western Shandong. In terms of controlling ozone precursors, high-HCHO-value areas have been identified. The correlation between areas of high HCHO values and ground-level ozone concentrations was 0.56339 during the ozone season and 0.2214 during the non-ozone season, both of which improved identification accuracy to varying degrees, suggesting that targeting precursor emissions in these areas could enhance pollution mitigation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cull cows from dairy farms in the United States account for 10% of the beef market; however, few studies have evaluated the effects of crossbreeding on reasons for disposal and cull value of dairy cows. The objective of the study was to compare reasons for disposal and cull cow value of Holstein and crossbred cows (n = 1,292) in an experimental dairy herd at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center (Morris, MN). Cows were Holstein (n = 272), 1964 genetic control Holstein (n = 161), 3-breed crossbred cows (n = 538) composed of the Montbéliarde, Viking Red, and Holstein (MVH) breeds, and 3-breed crossbred cows (n = 321) composed of the Normande, Jersey, and Viking Red (NJV) breeds. The 1964 genetic control Holstein cows originated from a design initiated at the University of Minnesota for comparison of the 1964 Holstein and contemporary Holstein cows selected for production across time. Records spanned from January 2010 to December 2023. Reasons for disposal were recorded in PCDart Herd Management Software, and cull value and body weight were obtained from receipts from livestock cull markets. For all cows, the primary reasons for disposal were as follows: reproduction (44.4%), mastitis (18%), other reasons (14.6%), death (10.3%), dairy purposes (8.4%), and low production (4.3%). Independent variables for statistical analysis of cull value were the fixed effects of body weight at time of culling, DIM at culling (0–49 DIM, 50–99 DIM, 100–149 DIM, 150–199 DIM, 200–249 DIM, 250–299 DIM, 300–350 DIM, and >350 DIM), year (2010–2023), season (spring, summer, autumn, winter), parity (1, 2, 3, 4, 5+), primary reason for culling, breed group, and sire breed group nested within breed group. Least squares means for body weight at culling was 558 kg for Holsteins, 543 kg for 1964 Holsteins, 551 kg for MVH crossbred cows, and 499 kg for NJV crossbred cows. For the analysis across time, 2014 had the highest cull value ($1,126.98), and 2020 had the lowest gross cull value ($515.21). Cows culled at greater than 300 DIM had the highest cull value and cows culled at less than 50 DIM had the lowest cull value. Cows culled during the spring and summer had higher cull value compared with cows culled during the autumn and winter. The Holstein cows ($730.04) had lower gross value compared with 1964 Holsteins ($804.38) cows and MVH ($767.39) cows. The NJV ($771.39) cows were not different from crossbreds sired by Montbéliarde, Viking Red, and Holstein bulls. Results for comparisons of breed group are from one experimental herd, so inferences to the wider dairy cow population should be undertaken with caution. In summary, dairy producers may receive greater cull value from crossbred cows compared with Holstein cows. The list of standard abbreviations for JDS is available at adsa.org/jds-abbreviations-24. Nonstandard abbreviations are available in the Notes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the landfall intensity of tropical cyclones (TCs) affecting the Pacific coast of Japan and found that the proportion of strong typhoons increased significantly in the second 22 years from 1977 to 2020. With an objective cluster analysis of TC tracks, one could isolate a cluster of TCs originating from the southeastern part of the western North Pacific (WNP), which plays a dominant role in increasing landfalls of strong typhoons. These TCs are characterized by a long‐recurving track and could achieve significantly higher intensity and larger size. Further analysis of TC trajectories and the environmental steering flow show a greater tendency for TCs originating from the southeastern WNP to approach the Pacific coast of Japan, even though there was a dramatic decrease in TC genesis number during autumn. Meanwhile, a notable earlier onset of strong typhoons occurred within this cluster of TCs due to more favorable atmospheric and oceanic conditions in summer. The results of this study emphasize the impacts of TC track change and seasonal advance of strong typhoons on the variation of intensity and potential destructiveness of landfalling TCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research introduces a novel index for the South Atlantic High Pressure (SAHP) system to enhance understanding of regional climate variability and change. Subtropical highs significantly influence regional climates, yet comprehensive indices to measure their behaviours are lacking. Utilizing ERA5 reanalysis data from 1940 to 2023, the proposed index estimates a weighted centroid of the area surrounding the maximum sea level pressure within a 3 hPa range. This method ensures robustness and flexibility in contiguous area estimation specific to subtropical high events. Results showed the index effectively reflects the position and intensity of the SAHP. The study reveals that latitudinal variability of the SAHP has a strong unimodal structure, whereas longitudinal variability exhibits a bimodal structure. Seasonal patterns of the index show noticeable changes, with winter (JJA) and spring (SON) months having relatively high index values compared to summer (DJF) and autumn (MAM) months, underscoring the intra‐annual variability of the SAHP index. During ENSO events, the mean centroid position of the SAHP shifts significantly, moving westwards and polewards during El Niño and showing greater stability during La Niña. The index, with minimal computation requirements and flexibility, can be applied across diverse datasets, aiding in the assessment of future subtropical high changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertebrate scavengers represent important taphonomic agents that can act on a body, particularly when in an outdoor environment. Understanding the effects of these agents will direct how and where to search for human remains and influence the likelihood of discovery in a particular region. The current study aimed to identify the taphonomic impact of scavenger guilds in the peri‐urban and rural regions of southeastern British Columbia. Vertebrate scavenger activity on pig carcasses was recorded remotely using trail cameras and analyzed to determine temporal scavenging profiles. Both the peri‐urban and rural environments produced comparable scavenger guilds, namely: turkey vultures, American crows/northern ravens (classified as "corvids"), American black bears, and coyotes. Although the two locations had different study lengths due to variable degrees of scavenging, for the period that was common to both locations (summer to early fall), the black bear was the most frequent scavenger followed by coyote. However, the dispersal of remains by the mammalian scavengers was distinctly different between sites. Only 12%–33% of skeletal elements were recovered at the rural sites compared to 80%–90% recovered at the peri‐urban sites, even though the latter sites had a longer study timeframe. The extended timeframe of the peri‐urban sites confirmed that certain scavengers (e.g., turkey vultures and black bears) are only seasonally active in this region. These findings demonstrate the variability of scavenger behavior and the need to assign caution and local ecological knowledge when predicting scavenger trends. Such taphonomic information is relevant for human remains searches in regions with comparable scavenger guilds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concern to think about the place of caste as a conceptual category – within, and in relation to, broader sociological understandings of inequality – was the primary motivation of the British Sociological Association Presidential event on 'Caste and its Implications for Sociologies of Inequality' held at the London School of Economics in late autumn 2023. It sought not only to engage with caste sociologically but also to ask the question of what a consideration of caste could bring to sociological thinking more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of mineral pollutants, combined with bacterial contamination, has significantly impacted groundwater quality and led to various health-related issues in mining-impacted areas. Therefore, we measured the concentration of fluoride (F-), phosphate (PO43-), sulphate (SO42-), ammonium (NH4+), nitrate (NO3-), the total coliforms (TCs), and physiochemical characteristics in groundwater samples of South Khorasan, Eastern Iran. For this, we collected water samples from 100 wells in spring and autumn across this mining-impacted area. We then measured the concentrations of mineral pollutants and assessed their associated health risks to children and adults using the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) models and spatiotemporal zoning maps in ArcGIS. The concentrations of PO43-, NH4+, SO42-, NO3-, and F- were 0.70 ± 0.34, 0.82 ± 0.9, 175.45 ± 123, 15.26 ± 9.41, and 0.53 ± 0.68 mg/L in spring, and 0.71 ± 3.18, 4.68 ± 31, 306.72 ± 615.80, 19.30 ± 15.61, and 0.72 ± 0.65 mg/L in autumn, respectively. PO43-, NH4+, and SO42- exceeded both the World Health Organization (WHO) and EPA, but NO3- exceeded only EPA standards. TCs in both seasons exceeded the standards set by the EPA and WHO. The hazard quotient (HQ) values indicated non-carcinogenic risks for F⁻ and NO3⁻, while posing no risks NH4⁺ and PO43⁻ in both adults and children during autumn and spring.Hazard index (HI) was greater than 1 for all minerals in both children and adults in autumn and spring. No correlation was observed between mineral compounds and TCs in the study area, yet the water samples were highly contaminated by coliform with a significant risk to adults and children. In essence, both mineral pollutants and TCs potentially pose serious risks to human, and more efforts are required to improve the quality of water in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The hemovigilance system in Chongqing, China has been established, could provide representative regional data for the nation. • VVR showed a higher prevalence among young people, first-time, college students, and donors who donated in moving vehicles. • Among first-time whole blood donors, stratified analysis revealed seasonal and gender variation within a same age group. Vasovagal reactions (VVR) are the most common adverse reactions in blood donation. This study aimed to provide and analyze the data of the regional hemovigilance system in Chongqing, China from 2020 to 2022, report the prevalence and explore the risk factors of VVR. R software (version 4.2.3) was used for all statistical analyses. Frequency and composition rates were used to describe the data of total donation, as well as data on the different types of ADR. The Chi-square test was used to analyze risk factors for VVR and inter-group comparisons of VVR stratified by gender (female/male), age (18–22; 23–29; 30–39; 40–49; 50–60) and season(Spring (Mar.-May.); Summer (Jun.-Aug.); Autumn (sep.-Nov.); Winter (Dec.-Feb.)). The reported incidence rate of VVR was 8.69‰ during whole blood donations and 1.02‰ during platelet-apheresis donations.The stratified analysis revealed that female donors aged 18–22 years old and 30–39 years old were reported to have lower VVR rates than male donors, oppositely, higher in females in 50–60 years old. Statistically significant differences in the incidence rate of VVR were observed between winter and summer, and between winter and spring in 18–49 years old. No seasonal variation was found in 50–60 years old. The reported incidence rate of VVR related to blood donation was very low and varied from those calculated by other haemovigilance systems. The higher prevalence of VVR in young, first-time donors, college students, donating in mobile vehicles, males and in spring. Among first-time donors, the prevalence of VVR was higher in males than in females; and stratified analysis revealed there were seasonal variation and gender differences within a same age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, where dairy production leads globally, infrared thermography (IRT) and short milking tube thermography specifically are vital for managing mastitis. Therefore, the present study focuses on thermal imaging of the udder and short milking tube (SMT) of the milking machine during the peak milking process of Sahiwal cows and Murrah buffaloes during winter, summer, rainy and autumn seasons to identify sub-clinical (SCM) and clinical mastitis (CM) cases using the Darvi DTL007 camera. The udder health was assessed using the California Mastitis Test, Somatic Cell Count (SCC) and IRT throughout the year. Log10SCC and thermogram analysis revealed a difference (p < 0.01) between healthy, SCM, and CM cases during different seasons in both breeds. Further results showed an increase (p < 0.01) in SMT thermograms of SCM and CM cases compared to healthy quarters in Sahiwal cows during winter, summer, rainy, and autumn were 4.26 and 7.51, 2.37 and 4.47, 2.20 and 3.64, 2.90 and 4.94 ºC, respectively and for Murrah buffaloes were 3.56 and 5.55, 2.70 and 3.81, 1.72 and 3.10, 3.14 and 4.42ºC, respectively. The highest degree of increase in milking udder skin surface temperature and SMT of SCM and CM cases compared to healthy quarters was observed during the winter and the least during the rainy season. Thus, regardless of the seasons examined in this study, SMT thermograms effectively assessed SCM and CM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Dispersal and connectivity play important roles in shaping the population structure of giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, across the western coast of South America. Its high potential dispersal capacity suggests the existence of metapopulations, where discrete habitat patches or groups of patches form subpopulations that interact at some level. However, the dispersal patterns of giant kelp in this region have not been quantified. This study assesses the dispersal and settlement of Macrocystis pyrifera in the southeast Pacific, specifically focusing on the impact of environmental variables and ocean currents within the Humboldt Current System. Location: Southeast Pacific (coast of Chile and Peru). Time Period: 1997–2008. Major Taxa Studied: Macrocystis pyrifera (giant kelp). Methods: Using a combination of hydrodynamic and individual‐based models, we analysed kelp fragment movements over 12 years, with a particular emphasis on the effects of the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and seasonal changes. Results: Our results highlight a key settlement area in the southern Chilean region. We found that shorter travel distances of kelp fragments increased the likelihood of reaching a suitable habitat, underscoring the importance of local environmental conditions. We delineated intricate northward dispersal paths for kelp fragments, which appear to be governed by the interplay of wind and ocean current dynamics. Seasonal variations, notably in autumn and winter, favour the likelihood of reaching a settlement area due to favourable winds. Furthermore, ENSO events appear to influence dispersal distances, with fragments travelling the longest distances during El Niño phases. Main Conclusion: These findings are essential for informing kelp conservation strategies in the context of climate change, emphasizing the necessity of considering local and seasonal environmental factors alongside ENSO impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the importance of the Central Valley of California, USA, to shorebirds along the Pacific Flyway, conservation investments have been made in the area's agricultural fields and managed wetlands. Increasingly, landowner incentive programs are being used to deliver shorebird habitat, presenting opportunities to answer remaining questions about which implementation strategies and field management practices are most effective at attracting birds. To provide management guidance for these investments, we collected and analyzed 5 years of data (2014–2018) on shorebird abundance in flooded rice fields enrolled in a dynamic habitat incentive program. The program incentivized flooding in fallow and post‐harvest rice fields in seasons when habitat is relatively sparse, specifically the early fall and late spring. Across nearly 9,000 field observations over 5 years, we explored the relationship between abundance and density (birds/ha) of shorebirds and vegetation cover, soil clay, landscape‐level flooding, and local flood timing, duration, and depth. We observed more shorebirds in fields that were approximately 50% flooded, had water depths of 5–10 cm, and had minimal rice straw or stubble cover, with strong or very strong evidence for each of these relationships. We found that the timing of habitat provisioning was important, with moderate evidence that earlier fall flooding and strong evidence that the duration of fall flooding was associated with higher shorebird density. We observed lower shorebird densities in locations with ample flooded rice habitat in surrounding areas, potentially because shorebirds spread out across the landscape. We found very strong evidence that flooding consistency, either at a site that was continually flooded over many months or a site that had been flooded in previous years, was associated with higher shorebird density. Soil clay content was associated with decreased observed shorebird density, potentially through its influence on the ability of shorebirds to forage for invertebrate prey. These results suggest best practices for shorebird habitat creation in agricultural landscapes, providing important information for conservation and population recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Water Quality Index (WQI) provides comprehensive assessments in river systems; however, its calculation involves numerous water quality parameters, costly in sample collection and laboratory analysis. The study aimed to determine key water parameters and the most reliable models, considering seasonal variations in the water environment, to maximize the precision of WQI prediction by a minimal set of water parameters. Ten statistical or machine learning models were developed to predict the WQI over four seasons using water quality dataset collected in a coastal city adjacent to the Yellow Sea in China, based on which the key water parameters were identified and the variations were assessed by the Seasonal-Trend decomposition procedure based on Loess (STL). Results indicated that model performance generally improved with adding more input variables except Self-Organizing Map (SOM). Tree-based ensemble methods like Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) and Random Forest (RF) demonstrated the highest accuracy, particularly in winter. Nutrients (Ammonia Nitrogen (AN) and Total Phosphorus (TP)), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), and turbidity were determined as key water parameters, based on which, the prediction accuracy for Medium and Low grades was perfect while it was over 80% for the Good grade in spring and winter and dropped to around 70% in summer and autumn. Nutrient concentrations were higher at inland stations; however, it worsened at coastal stations, especially in summer. The study underscores the importance of reliable WQI prediction models in water quality assessment, especially when data is limited, which are crucial for managing water resources effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 900 event-based precipitation samples were collected in 2019–2021 in the Tien Shan and its foothills and analysed using cavity ring-down spectroscopy. δ D and δ18 O values were highest in summer and lowest in winter, and annual cycles of deuterium excess (d-excess) varied between sites, reflecting local conditions. The δ18 O and δ D values increased from north to south in all seasons except autumn, and latitude was a statistically significant predictor of δ18 O and δ D in the overall data set, along with elevation in winter and elevation and longitude in autumn. Elevation was a significant predictor of d-excess in all seasons, and local air temperature was a more important control over δ18 O and δ D than precipitation depth. Local meteoric water lines were derived using seven regression methods applied to non-weighted and weighted precipitation. Non-weighted ordinary least squares regression and reduced major axis regression methods are recommended overall, except for summer when the precipitation-weighted least squares regression should be used, particularly in the south. Atmospheric back-trajectory and mixing-model analyses were applied in combination to identify air mass source regions and their relative contribution to precipitation. Recycled moisture from irrigated land in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins and from the study catchments accounted for 29 %–71 % of precipitation, depending on the site and season. In the Chon Kyzyl-Suu catchment, local re-evaporation from Issyk-Kul accounted for up to 85 % of precipitation. These findings highlight the importance of moisture from terrestrial sources, especially irrigated land, for the formation of precipitation in the Tien Shan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study measured the atmospheric concentration and deposition flux of radiocesium in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, from November 2011 to October 2014. The results show synchronous seasonal change in atmospheric concentration and deposition flux of radiocesium, which is high during winter to early spring and low during summer to autumn. These seasonal variations are similar to those observed in Fukushima City but differ from those in Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture, comprising a larger contaminated forest area. The evaluation of the relationship between atmospheric 137Cs concentration or 137Cs specific activity in atmospheric particulate matter (PM) and deposition density of 137Cs in PM source area suggest that stronger winds blowing from areas with relatively large 137Cs deposition (west of Koriyama City) toward the study site affect the site's atmospheric 137Cs concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) is a widely recognized medicinal plant, often grown as an ornamental species in parks around the world. Its leaves change color from green in spring to yellow in autumn. In this study, we collected ginkgo leaves at seven developmental stages from May to November and measured chlorophylls, carotenoids, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. The total polyphenol content showed a significant increase from May to November, rising from 15.15 ± 0.14 mg GAE g−1 dw to 45.18 ± 0.42 mg GAE g−1 dw. The total flavonoid content reached its peak in August at 5.87 ± 0.18 mg GAE g−1 dw. In contrast, the highest concentrations of total polyphenolic acids (4.13 ± 0.16 mg CAE g−1 dw) and antioxidant activity (306.95 ± 3.47 µmol TE g−1) were recorded in May. We specifically focused on a less-studied group of dimeric flavonoids or biflavonoids—3′,8″-biflavones. We identified five 3′,8″-biflavones (amentoflavone, bilobetin, ginkgetin, isoginkgetin, and sciadopitysin) throughout all developmental stages. Sciadopitysin was the most abundant biflavonoid, with its concentration rising from 614.71 ± 5.49 µg g−1 dw in May to 2642.82 ± 47.47 µg g−1 dw in November. Alongside sciadopitysin, the content of other biflavonoids (excluding amentoflavone) generally increased over the same period. This trend is further highlighted by the total biflavonoid content, which grew from 1448.97 ± 6.63 µg g−1 dw in May to 6071.67 ± 97.15 µg g−1 dw in November. We observed a negative correlation between biflavonoid and chlorophyll content, which may indicate their involvement in leaf senescence. However, this hypothesis warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]