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The article "Winter wonderlands" from Country Homes & Interiors highlights several stunning gardens across the country that transform into magical seasonal scenes during the winter months. From Studley Royal Water Garden in North Yorkshire to Aberglasney in Wales, these gardens offer a picturesque setting with icy waters, vibrant winter blooms, and ethereal beauty. Visitors can explore these gardens and enjoy the unique sights and scents of the winter landscape. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the trend of intimate dining experiences that allow patrons to watch the chefs at work. It highlights four restaurants in the United States that have embraced this concept, blurring the line between the dining room and the kitchen. These restaurants offer a front-row seat to the culinary action, with diners having a direct view of the culinary team. The article also mentions the importance of maintaining composure and professionalism in front of guests, emphasizing the need to defuse tension quickly and avoid confrontations. [Extracted from the article]

This article from TIME Magazine explores the art of fan-making in China, specifically focusing on the craftsmanship and techniques used to create folding fan ribs. The article highlights the importance of bamboo in fan-making, particularly a special type of bamboo called yu zhu or "jade bamboo," which is known for its smooth and sturdy qualities. The folding fan has deep cultural significance in China, symbolizing virtue and aesthetic sophistication. The article also discusses the influence of literati culture on fan-making and the historical reputation of Suzhou as a hub for skilled fan artisans. [Extracted from the article]

Spieden Island, also known as the "Safari Island of the San Juans," is a unique and historically significant island in Washington State's cruising grounds. It was once a private hunting park stocked with exotic animals from around the world, attracting wealthy guests who could hunt and stay in luxurious accommodations. However, the island's hunting operations were short-lived and it has since changed ownership multiple times. Today, the island remains privately held and the only shooting that takes place is from cameras, as visitors can observe the remaining exotic animals from their boats. [Extracted from the article]

Plants on Yakushima Island in Japan have evolved to be smaller in order to avoid being eaten by the island's high population of deer. Researchers from Tohoku University visited the island and found that the island's plants were a fraction of the size of their counterparts on the mainland. The team measured the dimensions of closely related plant species and found that 28 of the pairs were appetizing to deer. The researchers suggest that the appetite of the deer drove the plants' evolution into dwarves. This study provides evidence of herbivores influencing the evolution of many plant species. [Extracted from the article]

The article from Veterinary Week discusses a study conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences on the gut microbiota of wild sika deer in different regions. The research highlights how environmental factors, diet, and seasonal changes impact the composition and function of the gut microbiome in these animals. The study used various sequencing techniques and nutritional analyses to explore the relationships between forage plants, nutrient status, and the host gut microbiome. The findings suggest that the gut microbiome of wild animals adapts to changes in food composition and nutrition to help them cope with spatiotemporal variations in their living environment. [Extracted from the article]

A recent study conducted by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences examined the meat quality of Sika deer from different age and sex groups, focusing on the longissimus dorsi muscle. The research found that as the deer age, there is a decrease in moisture and drip loss, along with increases in ash, protein, fat, and cooking loss. Female deer were noted to be more tender, while males had higher amino acid content. Overall, the study suggests that Sika deer meat is a nutritious source of lean protein, with 3-year-old deer of both sexes having higher nutrient levels and tenderness compared to other age groups. [Extracted from the article]

Researchers at Jilin Agricultural University conducted a study on the effects of deer antler materials, specifically Cervus nippon antler, on mammary gland hyperplasia (MGH) in rats. The study found that CNA treatment reduced nipple diameter, improved organ index, and alleviated pathological hyperplasia in MGH rats by regulating sex hormone levels and receptor expression. The research suggests that CNA could be an effective treatment for MGH and warrants further exploration of its mechanisms and applications in breast disease. [Extracted from the article]

A study conducted at Jilin Agricultural University in Changchun, China, explored the potential therapeutic effects of 20 (S)-Protopanaxadiol, a compound found in Panax ginseng, on depression. The research focused on how this compound may alleviate mitochondrial dysfunction and depressive symptoms through the SIRT1/PGC-1a signaling pathway. The study found that 20 (S)-Protopanaxadiol showed promise in improving neuronal damage and depressive symptoms in both in vitro and in vivo models by modulating mitochondrial dynamics and apoptosis. This research sheds light on the potential neuroprotective and antidepressant effects of 20 (S)-Protopanaxadiol in treating depression. [Extracted from the article]

Overabundant ungulate populations have impacted forestry and agricultural systems, as well as natural ecosystems, worldwide. To effectively control the sika deer (Cervus nippon) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations, which are currently under limited hunting pressure in Japan, we evaluated the prefectures' past management experiences with 2 wildlife laws: a prefecture‐determined management system for relaxing hunting regulations implemented in 2000 and municipality‐determined damage control system for subsidized culling implemented in 2008. Time series data (1990–2014) of sika deer and wild boar harvest per hunter for each prefecture were grouped using dynamic time warping clustering analyses. All groups of both ungulates demonstrated significant increases in harvest per hunter after implementing both laws. The prefectures with the most experience in deer management could control sika deer populations through management planning, culling supported by subsidies, and enforcement of antlerless deer harvest. The strategies are likely ineffective for controlling wild boar populations because of the lack of effective selective harvesting and limited survey methods for population monitoring. Our findings suggest that prefectures' experience in hunting management influences the success of population reduction actions for sika deer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TEXAS DEER SLAM: This one's a long shot but it can be achieved. THE BIODIVERSITY OF TEXAS IS stunning. TEXAS GRAND SLAM: (aka Bay Slam) This is a fishing version that consists of a redf sh, speckled trout, and fiounder. [Extracted from the article]

The FTW has some incredible European mouflon rams that show these animals, which have been dispersed everywhere from Texas to Hawaii are a world- class trophy. EUROPEAN MOUFLON: Mouflon were one of the first exotics introduced into Texas and over the years, finding true mouflon stock has been challenging. Many sheep have been hybridized with others and are more "mouflon-type" sheep than true European mouflons. [Extracted from the article]

The taxonomy of ruminant Trypanosoma theileri and its relatives (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) is controversial, with recent phylogenetic studies segregating T. theileri in cattle and other ruminants worldwide into two major genetic lineages (the TthI and TthII clades) based on genetic markers. In the present study, T. theileri-like trypanosomes isolated from Honshu sika deer (Cervus nippon) in the western Japan (YMG isolate) were genetically characterized using a number of genetic markers. Sika deer trypanosomes of the YMG isolate were genetically different from the Trypanosoma sp. TSD1 isolate previously recorded from Hokkaido sika deer in northern Japan, with the former trypanosome isolate being genetically closer to European cervid trypanosomes and the bovine T. theileri TthII lineage. In contrast, the latter isolate exhibited greater relatedness to North American cervid trypanosomes and the bovine T. theileri TthI lineage, although a clear genetic distinction between these was apparent. Furthermore, trypanosomes in Honshu sika deer from the central part of Japan harboured additional genetic diversity and were closer to either TSD1 or YMG isolates, while distinct from known T. theileri-related genotypes. Importantly, cervids and wild ruminants worldwide might harbour divergent descendants of a T. theileri ancestor, which exhibit rigid host specificity to either bovines or cervid species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Push the Turbo a little and it replicates the handling characteristics we observed with its Turbo S sibling at the last Performance Car of the Year event, sniffing out traction but deploying that power with a slight diagonal porpoising effect. That didn't stop the 991 Turbo from winning our PCOTY award twice (in Turbo and Turbo S guises) so perhaps my personal viewpoint doesn't always tally with those of our historic judging panel, but in this year's competition where the 992 Turbo S finished second overall, only three cars out of the 10 gathered scored lower for X-factor. It'll get out of there, no problem", says Alastair Brook while casually adjusting the settings on his Canon. [Extracted from the article]

A recent study conducted in the Šumava National Park in the Czech Republic has found evidence of the rumen fluke, Calicophoron daubneyi, in red deer and sika deer. This is the first time C. daubneyi has been found in sika deer worldwide and in red deer in mainland Europe. The study suggests that the infections in deer are likely a result of the prevalent infection in cattle, indicating a pathogen spillover event from livestock into wildlife. This research adds to the growing number of reports on C. daubneyi in livestock in Europe. [Extracted from the article]

This work introduces new morphological and molecular information on the filaroid nematode Setaria cervi (Rudolphi, 1819) obtained from 13 infected game ungulates out of 96 dissected. The hosts comprised the following: a single moose (Alces alces), ten red deer (Cervus elaphus) and two sika deer (Cervus nippon) originating from the western and northern regions of the Czech Republic. Based on the complete sequences of the gene encoding mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1), all 20 females and four males belonged to the species S. cervi. We detected three developmental female stages (adult fertile females, juvenile L5 females and L4 female larvae) differing in size and some morphological traits as the subtle structure of peribuccal crown and shape and features of tail knob. Such differences were described in detail for the first time. The phylogenetic relationships within the family Onchocercidae have been evaluated using new information on the cox1 sequence of S. cervi (maximum likelihood method, GTR + I + G model). In accordance with the latest phylogenetic studies, the present analysis confirmed the ancient separation of the subclass Setariinae from the remaining two onchocercid lineages Dirofilariinae and Onchocerinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The indirect effects (risk effects) of hunting (e.g., lowered frequency of hunting site use by deer due to human predation risk) have received increasing attention in deer management programs. However, our understanding of the relationship between hunting time schedule and risk‐effect level remains limited. We investigated the relationships between hunting time schedule (the duration of the hunting operation and its execution interval) and the extent of sika deer (Cervus nippon) spatial displacement from hunting sites in hunting with and without driving (drive and stalk hunting, respectively) in the Tanzawa Mountains, Japan, 2016–2018. Driving in deer hunting means the action of making deer move by using dogs and/or hunters. We considered the probability of photographing deer with a camera trap after hunting operation per day (hazard) as an indicator of the extent of deer spatial displacement. Hazard was negatively associated with the duration of hunting operation in both drive and stalk hunting. In stalk hunting, hazard was also negatively associated with the number of days elapsed since the previous hunting operation in the same hunting site, whereas such an association was not observed in drive hunting. For drive hunting, in order to divert deer from hunting sites for a long time, hunting operations should be conducted throughout the day even if these operations are expected to end in a poor harvest. Conversely, for stalk hunting, short hunting‐operation time and short execution interval days between each operation are required to reduce deer spatial displacement. © 2020 The Wildlife Society. We investigated relationships between hunting time schedule (the duration of the hunting operation and its execution interval) and probability of photographing sika deer after hunting with and without driving (hazard, it was assumed to be an indicator of the extent of deer spatial displacement from hunting sites). We found that association of execution interval with the hazard differed between hunting methods, and therefore suggested that hunting with and without driving require different time scheduling strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home as graphic designers and plant aficionados, Michael Connors and his husband, Dean Hart, thought coming up with a vision for their Seattle backyard would happen naturally. MICHAEL CONNORS Broadhurst installed the patio at an angle so it would provide the best view of the surrounding plants. GROUNDCOVERS Planting groundcovers along patio edges and around hardscaping makes the space feel filled out and considered. [Extracted from the article]

Stretched out like a cape, an elastic membrane between the squirrel's forelegs and hind legs helps the tiny aviators soar from tree to tree. Many flying squirrel species have babies just once a year, but Siberian flying squirrels sometimes reproduce twice, once in the spring and again in summer. Mother squirrels often build nests in holes drilled by woodpeckers and fill them with bark from vines. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses invasive and non-native (alien) species by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). It also lists out non-indigenous species, including ring-necked pheasant which is referred as a beneficial “non-native species", red fox expansion in the U.S. and Sika deer which are originally from Japan but doing well in the U.S

But "prey naivety" seems critical too; red squirrels, which coevolved with pine martens, shun marten-scented areas, while gray squirrels ignore this unfamiliar scent. Martens are devouring rampant American gray squirrels, allowing native red squirrels - the martens' traditional prey - to recover from the gray squirrel invasion. Biological control of invasive vertebrates has often involved importing predators that have coevolved to prey upon the invasive species. [Extracted from the article]

ABSTRACT We present the retention rate of expandable radiocollars that can be used on juvenile cervids. These collars permit investigations into a previously understudied segment of cervid populations. We captured 60 male sika deer ( Cervus nippon) in Dorchester County, Maryland, USA, during their first winter (6-8 months of age; captured 2008 and 2009) and attached expandable radiocollars. Retention of collars differed between years. The first year, 85% of collars were retained for 1 year with a mean retention time of 532 days (SE = 27). After modifications, 100% of second-year collars were retained for the duration of the study or until the animal's death (max = 483 days). We used trail cameras to observe wear and fit of the collars 6-8 months after deployment. Our data suggest that the expandable collar design can be improved to last beyond an animal's dispersal and provide a useful tool for monitoring juvenile cervids. © 2014 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on Lynx UK Trust is submitting its second application to trial the reintroduction of this striking wild cat to a forest in central Scotland. Topics include the elusive Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) ending the night's hunt is a special experience most people will only ever know one has been near from footprints in the snow, and the secretive nocturnal predator is found in rugged, hard-to-reach and dense forests across Eurasia, from western Scandinavia to Eastern Russia.

Lice are obligate parasites of mammals and birds and have become an important model for studies of host-parasite co-evolution and co-phylogenetics. Population genetic and phylogeographic studies represent an important bridge between microevolution and co-phylogenetic patterns. We examine co-phylogeographic patterns in sika deer and their parasitic lice. Co-phylogeographic patterns in deer and lice were evaluated using homologous regions of mitochondrial COI sequences. The phylogeographic breaks recovered for deer populations matched those of previous studies. Comparisons of the phylogeographic tree topology for deer lice with that of their hosts revealed a significant level of congruence. However, comparisons of genetic distances between deer and lice suggested that one of the estimated co-divergence events is more likely a recent host switch. Taking into account genetic divergence, there is not strong evidence for complete phylogeographic co-divergence between deer and their parasitic lice. However, mitochondrial phylogenies only track genetic structure of female lineages, and the incongruence between deer and louse phylogeography may be explained by louse migration mediated by male deer. Morphological analysis of head shape variation based on an elliptic Fourier descriptor showed that overall morphological variation contained phylogenetic signal, suggesting that in general morphology of these lice evolves congruent to population history. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The sika deer (Cervus nippon) once inhabited the entire Tohoku District, the northeastern part of the main island of Japan. Currently, they are isolated as three discontinuous populations on Mt. Goyo, the Oshika Peninsula, and Kinkazan Island. To assess the genetic diversity and relationships among the sika deer populations in the Tohoku District, we analyzed the mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequences from 177 individuals. We detected a total of five haplotypes. Three haplotypes were present in the population from Mt. Goyo at a haplotype diversity of 0.235 ± 0.061, two haplotypes in the population from the Oshika Peninsula at 0.171 ± 0.064, and only one haplotype was detected in the population from the Kinkazan Island. A significant genetic differentiation was observed among all population pairs. Collectively, our data supports the observed population bottlenecks in the past. Four of the five haplotypes were specific to one of the three populations, whereas only one haplotype was shared between the Mt. Goyo and the Oshika Peninsula populations. This common haplotype may indicate a common ancestral population in the Tohoku District. Conversely, the D-loop haplotypes were completely different among the Kinkazan Island and Oshika Peninsula populations. The lack of a shared haplotype indicates that female gene flow between the two populations is very limited and that the 0.6 km strait acts as a strong barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The costs of parturition and lactation of female sika deer on Kinkazan Island (9.6 km² in size), northern Japan, which live at a high density (about 50 deer/km²), were evaluated by comparison of body weights of 481 females measured during a 15 year study (1993-2008). Weight data were chosen from only females that did not give birth in the preceding year. The mean body weight of females that did not give birth ("yelds") was significantly lower (P < 0.001) than that of females who gave birth ("milks"); yelds' body weight was 93.1% and 83.5% that of milks in the preceding and parturition years, respectively. The yelds increased in body weight by the following March by 8.2% (P < 0.001), whereas milks did not. Among the milks, those whose fawns survived until the following May ("rearing milks") lost body weight by 14.9% (P < 0.001). Milks who lost fawns within a week after birth ("early fawn-less milks") did not lose body weight (P = 0.583), while those whose fawns died after the first autumn but died before May ("late fawn-less milks") lost body weight by 19.9% (P < 0.001). These results indicate that sika deer females do not enter estrus unless they are heavy enough, and that both parturition and rearing are costly for sika deer mothers living in high-density conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the hybridization of the red deer species with the Asian sika deer in Great Britain, with a focus on the behavioral and genetic studies conducted by researcher Megan T. Wyman. Information is included on the typical mating behavior of red deer stags, the variation in the acoustic vocal characteristics of the stag's mating calls among red deer, sika deer, and hybrids, and Wyman's theory regarding how and why crossbreeding occurs between the two species despite their difference in size and mating behaviors.

The article discusses a study which examined the stressful effects of visitor density levels on captive sika deer housed in Zhu-Yu-Wan Park, Jiangsu, China. The animals were monitored 10 hours per week for a total of 44 weeks by continuous focal animal sampling which quantified behaviors while visitor density was measured every minute during the same period using Friedman's tests. Findings demonstrated that visitor density significantly decreased the deer's time for foraging and increased its being watchful, indicating stress in the presence of visitors.

In this article the author discusses his experiences bowhunting elk in Colorado and sika deer in Maryland.

Presents an article on big game hunting as part of an adventure camp program of the Y.O. Ranch in Texas. Participants in the camp; Activities in preparation for the hunt, including the improvement of the shooting skills; Use of binoculars for the hunt; Emotional impact of shooting a sika deer.

The population size of the sika deer Cervus nippon on Hokkaido Island of Japan had been remarkably reduced because of heavy hunting pressure since the beginning of Meiji Period and effects of heavy snow in 1879 and 1881. After that, the number of sika deer in Hokkaido has increased gradually due to the protection by the Hokkaido government. In the present study, in order to investigate the bottleneck effects, we analyzed ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) on sika deer bones excavated from archaeological sites just before Meiji Period. On 86 of 113 bones from 13 archaeological sites of Ainu Culture Period (17-19th centuries), 602 base-pair fragments of the mtDNA control region were successfully sequenced. Consequently, we found three new haplotypes (g-, h- and i-types) which had not been identified in modern sika deer. In addition, four haplotypes (a-, b-, c- and d-types) identified from modern sika deer were also found in the archaeological deer. The new haplotypes and previously reported hapoltypes from sika deer of Hokkaido were phylogenetically much closer to each other, compared with those of modern sika deer from Honshu, Kyushu and the Chinese continent. Geographical distribution patterns of haplotypes of the ancient population were different from those of the modern population in Hokkaido. Our findings indicated that their genetic diversity was reduced through the bottleneck and that population structures of sika deer were changed widely in Hokkaido due to genetic drift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses efforts in Taiwan to protect the Cervus nippon taiouanus or the Formosan sika deer. Deer as a special part of Chinese gastronomy, pharmacology and symbolism; Decline in deer population due to excessive hunting, trapping and cultivation of forest lands; Project for restoring the Formosan Sika deer of the Tunghai University of Taichung.

Discoveries: A GLOBETROTTER'S GUIDE TO THE LATEST IN TRAVEL IN THE 13TH CENTURY, Polynesian navigators set foot on New Zealand's North Island, an untouched world of primordial forests, gushing rivers, and exotic animals. Meanwhile, on the North Island, a group of Maori people recently opened Owhaoko (owhaoko.com; $3,955 for two nights, all-inclusive), a sleek wood-and-glass cabin in the heart of a 16,000-acre land trust near Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest. PHOTO (COLOR): Activity guide Ricky Ngamoki of Karitane Maori Tours leads a waka journey down the Waikouaiti River PHOTO (COLOR): hiking the Huriawa Peninsula with Karitane Maori Tours PHOTO (COLOR): the glass-roofed bedroom at Owhaoko lodge. [Extracted from the article]