DataCat: The Research Data Catalogue (University of Liverpool)
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No evidence for trade-offs between bird diversity, yield and water table depth on oil palm smallholdings: implications for tropical peatland landscape restoration
No full textTropical peat swamp forests retain large carbon stocks and support unique biodiversity, but clearance and drainage for agriculture have resulted in fires, carbon emissions and biodiversity losses. Initiatives to re-wet cultivated peatlands may benefit biodiversity if this protects remaining forests from fire and agricultural encroachment, but there are concerns that re-wetting could reduce yields and damage livelihoods, as relationships between drainage, on-farm biodiversity, and crop yields have not been studied.
We examined oil palm fruit yields and bird diversity on 41 smallholder farms in Jambi (Sumatra, Indonesia), which varied in drainage intensity (12-month mean water table per plot from August 2018 to August 2019: -52 to -3 cm below ground). We also compared farm bird diversity with a neighbouring area of protected forest (11,000 ha, 21 plots; mean water table per plot -3 to +15 cm).
Bird species richness (3-18 species per plot), species composition, and oil palm yields (4.5-19.2 t fresh fruit bunch ha-1 yr-1) varied among farms, but were not detectably affected by water table depth, although ground-level vegetation was more complex on wetter farms. Bird richness in oil palm (mean = 10.3 species per plot) was <50% of that in forest (26 species per plot), and only three out of 35 conservation-priority species found in forest were recorded in oil palm.
Synthesis & Spplications: Tropical peatlands in Indonesia have been drained to allow farmer access and improve farm yields, but we found no trade-offs between drainage depth, yields or bird diversity on smallholder oil palm farms in our study landscape. Current restoration initiatives to re-wet peat may benefit farmers by reducing fire risk, without affecting yields. Wetter farms had increased understorey vegetation complexity, but this did not affect bird diversity, so we find no evidence that re-wetting improves on-farm biodiversity within the studied range of drainage depths. However, on-farm fire reduction efforts in cultivated peatlands, including re-wetting, will be vital for reducing the risk of fires escaping into nearby forests, which contain unique and diverse bird species assemblages. Protection of remaining peatland forests from fire and clearance is key for biodiversity conservation, and for providing a source of seed dispersers and genetic material for future forest and landscape restoration efforts. Restoration of more biodiversity-friendly land covers will improve landscape permeability and help conserve species and the ecosystem services they deliver
Data for: Condition monitoring system for in situ crack detection based on thermal emissions
No full textThe advent of packaged infra-red (IR) bolometer detectors has led to thermography-based techniques becoming popular for non-destructive evaluation of aerospace structures. These packaged bolometers are relatively compact and cost about 10% the price of high-resolution IR photovoltaic effect detectors. In this work, a condition monitoring system for in situ crack detection has been presented which utilises an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) microbolometer detector. The proposed system cost approximately 1% the price of a state-of-the-art photovoltaic effect detector system and has the potential to transform the use of IR imaging for condition monitoring in the aerospace industry and elsewhere. The proposed system performs crack detection based on the principles of thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA), which is a well-established non-destructive thermography technique. Proof-of-concept lab tests were performed on open-hole aluminium specimens to compare the performance of the proposed system against an IR photovoltaic effect detector system and demonstrate its potential application for in situ crack detection in industrial environments. It was demonstrated that crack detection is possible from loading waveform signals with frequencies as low as 0.3 Hz. This represents a significant advance in the viability of TSA-based crack detection in large-scale structural tests where loading frequencies are usually lower than 1 Hz
Mites of Drosophila cultures
No full textA photography collection of the mites that are commonly found in Drosophila stocks and in the wild. Part of a collection of photographs at Drosophoto.co
Campylobacter Positivity and Public Health Risks in Live Bird Markets, Busia, Kenya. A Value Chain Analysis
No full textIntroduction: Live bird markets (LBMs) are integral hubs in the poultry market chain. However, little is understood of the public health risks and emerging pathogens in LBMs serving small-holder farmers in sub-saharan Africa. We analysed such LBMs in Kenya for likely transmission of Campylobacter from poultry to humans.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 14 LBMs in a region with widespread backyard poultry systems. A pretested structured questionnaire was administered to all 186 live poultry traders (LPTs) having regular contacts with poultry to gather data on market characteristics. Campylobacter was detected in individual cloacal cultures and identified through PCR. A likert-scale rating for seven-item statements assessed traders’ risk information on campylobacteriosis. The median score obtained from the outcome of risk assessment dichotomized respondents into high and low risk categories. We performed logistic regression at 95% confidence interval (CI) to compare market characteristics and Campylobacter positivity to risk categories to identify LBM-associated public health risks.
Results: Markets had a median of 13 traders. Mean age; 46.3 ± 13.7 years. Majority 162/186 (87.1%) were males. Markets were supplied mostly from backyard poultry 146/186 (78.5%) and commercial breeds 23/186 (12.4%). Only 109/186 (58.6%) LPTs held bird-species separate. Campylobacter positivity in live-birds was 43/112 (38.4%, 95% CI: 29.4 – 48.1). Risk information on campylobacteriosis was low 54/186 (29%). Furthermore 156/186 (83.9%) traders reportedly accessed poultry information; 75/156 (48.1%) from fellow traders. Sanitary risks were related to LBM type, LPT category and accumulation of litter [adjusted prevalence odds ratio (aPOR): 13.32, 95% CI: 2.68–66.23]. Accessing hand-wash facilities (aPOR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.15–0.70) and access to information (aPOR: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.07–0.40) were protective.
Conclusion: Imperfect information and poor market hygiene increased sanitary risks. Campylobacter-infected poultry likely contaminated the environment posing a risk to other poultry and market actors. Behavioral change among market actors is recommended
An Optimized Method to Decellularize Human Trabecular Meshwork (XCT Data Files)
Get PDFThe data includes 3D reconstruction files of cellular and decellularized human trabecular meshwork tissue. The data is in Zeiss original .txm format. It is used to observe the tiny tissues intricate 3D structure void of cells to eventually extract structural informatio
Single-Molecule Conductance Data for a set of dithienophosphole and related bithiophene compounds
No full textAs in title - raw data from STMBJ experiments on dithienophosphole and bithiophene chemical compound
The generality of cryptic dietary niche differences in diverse large-herbivore assemblages
No full textEcological niche differences are necessary for stable species coexistence but are often difficult to discern. Models of dietary niche differentiation in large mammalian herbivores invoke the quality, quantity, and spatiotemporal distribution of plant tissues and growth-forms but are agnostic towards food-plant species identity. Empirical support for these models is variable, suggesting that additional mechanisms of resource partitioning may be important in sustaining large-herbivore diversity in African savannas. We used DNA metabarcoding to conduct a taxonomically explicit analysis of large-herbivore diets across southeastern Africa, analyzing ~4,000 fecal samples of 30 species from 10 sites in 7 countries over 6 years. We detected 893 food-plant taxa from 124 families, but just two families—grasses and legumes—accounted for the majority of herbivore diets. Nonetheless, herbivore species almost invariably partitioned food-plant taxa; diet composition differed significantly in 97% of pairwise comparisons between sympatric species, and dissimilarity was pronounced even between the strictest grazers (grass eaters), strictest browsers (non-grass eaters), and closest relatives at each site. Niche differentiation was weakest in an ecosystem recovering from catastrophic defaunation, indicating that food-plant partitioning is driven by species interactions, and stronger at low rainfall, as expected if interspecific competition is a predominant driver. Diets differed more between browsers than grazers, which predictably shaped community organization: grazer-dominated trophic networks had higher nestedness and lower modularity. That dietary differentiation is structured along taxonomic lines complements prior work on how herbivores partition plant parts and patches and suggests that common mechanisms govern herbivore coexistence and community assembly in savannas
Supporting data for the paper entitled "Charge transfer reactions between water isotopologues and Kr+ ions"
No full textThis dataset provides supporting data for the figures appearing in the manuscript published in ACS Physical Chemistry Au, "Charge transfer reactions between water isotopologues and Kr+ ions"
Drosophila takahashi
No full textA photography collection (lateral, ventral, and dorsal images) of Drosophila takahashi. Part of a collection of photographs at Drosophoto.co
Supporting data for: "Design and characterization of a cryogenic linear Paul ion trap for ion–neutral reaction studies"
No full textSupporting data for a manuscript entitled "Design and characterization of a cryogenic linear Paul ion trap for ion–neutral reaction studies", published in the journal Review of Scientific Instruments, DOI 10.1063/5.008045
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