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Pronounced daily heterothermy in the White‑throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaea
No full textTorpor, a controlled reduction in metabolism and body temperature, reduces energy expenditure substantially. However, torpor expression in wild passerines is currently understudied. We show that skin temperature (Ts) of resting White-throated Treecreepers (N=4) fell by ~ 5 °C on average in both summer and winter, independent of ambient temperature, but we could not confrm torpor use (Ts reduction>5 °C). It is possible that roosting in tree hollows provides sufficient insulation to minimise energy loss, or torpor is used only during extreme conditions. Further studies are needed to characterise the physiological fexibilities of species and, therefore, their capability to cope with changing environmental conditions.5 °C). It is possible that roosting in tree hollows provides sufficient insulation to minimise energy loss, or torpor is used only during extreme conditions. Further studies are needed to characterise the physiological fexibilities of species and, therefore, their capability to cope with changing environmental conditions
Entoloma sequestratum, a new species from the rainforests of northern Thailand, and a worldwide key to the sequestrate taxa of Entoloma (Entolomataceae).
No full textBased on our study of the morphology and genetics of sporocarps collected in the mountains of northern Thailand, we herein describe Entoloma sequestratum as a new sequestrate member of the Entolomotaceae. This serves as the first report of a sequestrate member of the genus from Thailand. In addition, we provide a worldwide key to all of the described sequestrate members of the genus
Nocturnal basking in freshwater turtles: A global assessment
No full textDiurnal basking (“sunning”) is common in many ectotherms and is generally thought to be a behavioural mechanism for thermoregulation. Recent studies have reported the occurrence of nocturnal basking in a few distantly-related species of freshwater turtles, but the true extent of this behaviour is unknown, and it may be underreported due to sampling biases (e.g., not surveying for turtles at night). Therefore, we initiated a global, collaborative effort to systematically document and quantify basking activity (diurnal and nocturnal) across a wide range of freshwater turtle species and locations. We conducted camera trap or manual surveys in North America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Seychelles, and Australia. We collected 873,111 trail camera photographs (25,273 hrs of search effort) and obtained data on 29 freshwater turtle species from seven families. Nocturnal basking was documented in 13 species, representing six families (Chelidae, Emydidae, Geoemydidae, Kinosternidae, Pelomedusidae, and Trionychidae), including representatives in Central America, Trinidad and Tobago, Africa, the Seychelles, Asia, and Australia. Nocturnal basking was restricted to tropical and sub-tropical locations, suggesting that environmental temperature plays a role in this behaviour. However, the primary factors driving nocturnal basking are yet to be determined and may vary geographically and by species. The frequency and duration of nocturnal basking varied among species and seasons, but nocturnal basking events were often substantially longer than diurnal events. This is the first study to document a widespread occurrence of nocturnal basking, and our results suggest that nocturnal basking may be a common, although overlooked, aspect of many species’ ecology
Hypnotizability and placebo analgesia in waking and hypnosis as modulators of auditory startle responses in healthy women: An ERP study
No full textWe evaluated the influence of hypnotizability, pain expectation, placebo analgesia in waking and hypnosis on tonic pain relief. We also investigated how placebo analgesia affects somatic responses (eye blink) and N100 and P200 waves of event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by auditory startle probes. Although expectation plays an important role in placebo and hypnotic analgesia, the neural mechanisms underlying these treatments are still poorly understood. We used the cold cup test (CCT) to induce tonic pain in 53 healthy women. Placebo analgesia was initially produced by manipulation, in which the intensity of pain induced by the CCT was surreptitiously reduced after the administration of a sham analgesic cream. Participants were then tested in waking and hypnosis under three treatments: (1) resting (Baseline); (2) CCT-alone (Pain); and (3) CCT plus placebo cream for pain relief (Placebo). For each painful treatment, we assessed pain and distress ratings, eye blink responses, N100 and P200 amplitudes. We used LORETA analysis of N100 and P200 waves, as elicited by auditory startle, to identify cortical regions sensitive to pain reduction through placebo and hypnotic analgesia. Higher pain expectation was associated with higher pain reductions. In highly hypnotizable participants placebo treatment produced significant reductions of pain and distress perception in both waking and hypnosis condition. P200 wave, during placebo analgesia, was larger in the frontal left hemisphere while placebo analgesia, during hypnosis, involved the activity of the left hemisphere including the occipital region. These findings demonstrate that hypnosis and placebo analgesia are different processes of top-down regulation. Pain reduction was associated with larger EMG startle amplitudes, N100 and P200 responses, and enhanced activity within the frontal, parietal, and anterior and posterior cingulate gyres. LORETA results showed that placebo analgesia modulated pain-responsive areas known to reflect the ongoing pain experience
The influence of discretionary accruals and corporate governance on cost of equity capital: using unbalanced panel data with a fixed effects regression model.
No full textThe main objective of this study is to analyze the influence of discretionary accruals and corporate governance on the cost of equity capital in Thai listed companies. Two groups of independent variable are comprised in this study: 1. discretionary accruals estimated from Performance matched discretionary accruals model and 2. corporate governance mechanisms included: board independence, board size, CEO-chair duality, audit committee financial expertise, audit opinion, managerial ownership and institutional shareholders. The dependent variable in this study is the cost of equity capital estimated from the capital assets pricing model (CAPM). Using unbalanced panel data with fixed effects model, this study reveals that companies with greater discretionary accruals and higher proportion of managerial ownership are likely to have higher cost of equity capital. In contrast, the companies with greater board independence, board size, audit committee financial expertise, and institutional shareholders are likely to experience lower cost of equity capital
Options for Forest Sector Participation in International Carbon Markets: Unlocking the Carbon Market Potential of Australia’s Forest Sector
No full textCarbon markets have emerged as a central component of international climate change policies. Within these markets, forest carbon offset projects have become a key nature-based solution due to their low cost, large scale, and co-benefits. However, despite Australia’s vast forest estate, forest sector-specific offsets remain nascent in the Australian Carbon Market, the ACCU Scheme. Only 3.27% of Australian Carbon Credit Units have been issued to forest sector projects. This limited participation can be attributed to several constraints within the ACCU Scheme, principally the limited number of methods available for the forest sector to engage in. As a result, less than 1% of Australia’s current forest estate, both plantation and native forests, is considered eligible to participate in the ACCU Scheme. This limited eligibility is further compounded by the complexity and cost of participation, which act as significant barriers for forest projects within the ACCU Scheme. This paper explores the potential to expand forest sector involvement in the Australian carbon market through a comprehensive literature review of forest sector involvement in international carbon markets. The review found extensive participation by the forest sector in international carbon markets, with various methods available across 20 markets, including the largest voluntary and compliance markets. These methods cover plantation forests, native forests, the bioeconomy, and the built environment. Key results indicate that revising existing methods, developing new ones through the ACCU Scheme’s proponentled method development process, and increasing participation in international voluntary methods could significantly expand the types of forest sector projects contributing to emissions reductions through carbon markets. Broader conclusions suggest that by embracing lessons from international practises and addressing current methodological constraints, Australia can realise this potential. Doing so would not only bolster the nation’s climate change mitigation efforts, but also unlock the co-benefits of biodiversity, water quality, soil productivity, and ecosystem resilience, ultimately contributing to a sustainable and resilient bioeconomy
Exceptional preservation and foot structure reveal ecological transitions and lifestyles of early theropod flyers
No full textMorphology of keratinised toe pads and foot scales, hinging of foot joints and claw shape and size all inform the grasping ability, cursoriality and feeding mode of living birds. Presented here is morphological evidence from the fossil feet of early theropod flyers. Foot soft tissues and joint articulations are qualitatively assessed using laser-stimulated fluorescence. Pedal claw shape and size are quantitatively analysed using traditional morphometrics. We interpret these foot data among existing evidence to better understand the evolutionary ecology of early theropod flyers. Jurassic flyers like Anchiornis and Archaeopteryx show adaptations suggestive of relatively ground-dwelling lifestyles. Early Cretaceous flyers then diversify into more aerial lifestyles, including generalists like Confuciusornis and specialists like the climbing Fortunguavis. Some early birds, like the Late Jurassic Berlin Archaeopteryx and Early Cretaceous Sapeornis, show complex ecologies seemingly unique among sampled modern birds. As a non-bird flyer, finding affinities of Microraptor to a more specialised raptorial lifestyle is unexpected. Its hawk-like characteristics are rare among known theropod flyers of the time suggesting that some non-bird flyers perform specialised roles filled by birds today. We demonstrate diverse ecological profiles among early theropod flyers, changing as flight developed, and some non-bird flyers have more complex ecological roles
Emdedded Large Scale Face Recognition in the Wild
No full textCameras have emerged as one of the most important tools to bring ubiquity to the Internet of Things (IoT) since its beginning and can be used to improve contextual accuracy substantially by using effective face recognition technology. The recent literature suggests that there is a large accuracy gap between today’s publicly available techniques and state-of-the-art private face recognition systems. This paper aims at bridging this gap by presenting the results of utilizing the OpenFace public library to perform face recognition in the wild. The key focus of this paper is to present a mechanism that guarantees higher accuracy with low training and less prediction time. In order to avoid the problem of reduced accuracy with the increase in the number of samples, this paper presents a strategy to keep up with low training time and high accuracy in comparison with a range of different recognition/classification techniques. A collection of large data samples of 245 different human faces was utilized to conduct this study, where the training was performed gradually starting from 5 classes to 245 distinct classes, incorporating a total of 7273 images to achieve reasonable accuracy. This paper also includes the details on how the classification was performed on live stream using webcams, where training and classification were done using the NVIDIA Jetson nano platform
Alternative Protein Products and the Legal Rules on Novel Foods
No full textAlternative protein products are needed to replace animal-based products that have high environmental footprints. Novel protein innovations may face some regulatory hurdles before they can be released to the market. We compare and discuss the legal rules on novel protein products in specific jurisdictions. Authorisations for various plant-based proteins, for example, for leghaemoglobin have been applied and received. In the United States and Singapore, cultured meat is already authorised, Australia is in the midst of authorisation, and the European Union is expecting an application soon. Several insect species have been authorised in the European Union, three (3) insects do not require authorisation in Australia, and the United States tolerates insects. With GMOs, the European Union has been the strictest, currently, the EU rules for gene-edited crops are changing. In relation to the labelling of plant-based alternative foods, the regulatory landscape is still developing in most areas, with regulations expected to be coherent in the coming years in the European Union, United States, and Australia
Regulator Theory, Natural Hazards, and Climate Change
No full textClimate change is increasing variability in environmental conditions and the frequency and severity of natural hazards such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. In this paper, we use general systems theory to describe how disaster management systems are composed of four types of system regulators (aggregation, passive, error control, and anticipation) that are deployed to provide protection from natural hazards. We argue that climate change, by changing causal relationships in the environment and thereby reducing the predictability of related hazards and altering exposure to them, is likely to require that disaster management systems be restructured by changing the combinations of system regulators that are employed to prevent or mitigate disasters. This leads to the conclusion that one of the keys to developing effective policies to support adaptation to climate change and to promote sustainability hinges on understanding how disaster management systems can be interpreted as mechanisms for regulating exposure and vulnerability to minimise the threats from natural hazards. Consequently, developing methods for interpreting and modelling system regulators in disaster management systems is an important next step