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Fuelbreaks are used to manage wildfires worldwide. Regular mowing within fuelbreaks can alter species composition and transform them into grassland habitats. These changes may provide more herbaceous plants to large herbivores, subsequently influencing their distribution. To clarify the impact of fuelbreaks on herbivores' food resources, we conducted molecular dietary analysis to quantify the dietary composition of sika deer (Cervus nippon) in both the Sino-Russian border fuelbreak and forest interior, with an average distance of 1.6 km away from the fuelbreak. We constructed a local barcode database to enhance the resolution of the molecular dietary analysis. In addition, we surveyed the vegetation in these two habitats to determine the availability of food resources. We also used camera traps to monitor the visitation intensity of sika deer in both habitats. The results indicated that sika deer increased their visitation intensity at the fuelbreak during the snow-free season. The biomass of graminoids and herbaceous plants was high in the fuelbreak. However, the results of the molecular dietary analysis showed that during the snow-free season, the sika deer that visited the fuelbreak consumed fewer herbaceous plants. We used the Jacobs index to determine the dietary preferences of the sika deer and found that they were consistent browsers with a stable preference for woody plants. By assessing habitat quality, specifically the proportion of preferred plants, we found that the habitat quality of the fuelbreak was relatively low. In conclusion, fuelbreaks may attract herbivores. However, for browsers, such as sika deer, the major function of fuelbreaks is not to provide food resources. • Molecular dietary analysis reveals the diet of the sika deer. • Sika deer consistently prefer woody plants and they are browsers. • Fuelbreaks have a lower proportion of palatable plants for sika deer. • For browsers, the major function of fuelbreaks is not to provide food resources. • Sika deer increased their visits at the fuelbreak during the snow-free season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interrupting the web tracking kill chain is enough to disrupt the tracker's ability to leverage the collected information; however, this may disrupt the personalized services enjoyed by many. Empowering the user to select which domains can be co-tracked gives him/her the upper hand over web trackers. This allows the user to enjoy the personalized services without fearing full inter-domain tracking. To achieve this, we propose a solution that attempts to introduce layers of anonymization serving as temporary identities to be used by the user while browsing. Those identities will be used for limited time (to sustain the customization and user experience resulting from tracking), and then discarded for a new identity. This approach allows the user to divide the activity into profiles which eliminates browsing history spilling over to other sessions. We proved the security of this approach mathematically and we demonstrated its usability using an open-source Proof-of-Concept built on top of blockchain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase of macroalgae at degraded reefs impedes several ecosystem services and calls for effective methods to facilitate a return to coral dominance. Removal of macroalgae (browsing) is typically realized by fish, but the role and identity of browsers at the heavily-fished East African coast is still largely unknown. This study investigated how browsing pressure at Kenyan reefs (−4.700, 39.396) related to fisheries management and herbivore community. From October 2018 to January 2019, consumption during 24-h buffet assays using the brown macroalgae Sargassum and Padina was determined and video recorded at six sites: two in fished zones, two in marine reserves (traditional fishing allowed) and two in no-take zones. Herbivorous fish composition, biomass and sea urchin density were also determined. Consumption of Sargassum and Padina was nearly three-fold lower in the fished zones (26% and 28% of macroalgal biomass consumed, respectively) compared to the no-take zones (62% and 82%), with intermediate consumption in the marine reserves (48% and 71%). Herbivore biomass was seven-fold higher in no-take zones and included substantially more browsers (mainly unicornfishes, Naso spp.) and scrapers (scarids), which were associated with the higher browsing pressure. Browsers and scrapers were predominantly responsible for the consumption of macroalgae as determined by video recordings, though key species differed across sites. In contrast, damselfish-dominated fished sites were associated with high sea urchin densities and low browsing pressure. These results indicate that fishing restrictions are likely to support reef resilience by increasing herbivorous fish biomass of key species and thereby promote macroalgae removal. • Removal rates of macroalgae were higher in protected areas. • Removal rates associated positively with several large-bodied key browsers. • Functionally important browsers were rarely seen in fished areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With the widespread use of Internet technology, electronic word-of-mouth [eWOM] communication through online reviews of products and services has a strong influence on consumer behavior and preferences. Although prior research efforts have attempted to investigate the behavior of users regarding the sharing of personal experiences and browsing the experiences of others online, it remains a challenge for business managers to incorporate eWOM effects into their business planning and decision-making processes effectively. Applying a newly proposed association rule mining technique, this study investigates eWOM in the context of the tourism industry using an outbound domestic tourism data set that was recently collected in Hong Kong. The complete profiles and the relations of online experience sharers and travel website browsers are explored. The empirical results are useful in helping tourism managers to define new target customers and to plan more effective marketing strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The large spectrum of existing literature on browser-woodland dynamics, both from savanna and temperate biomes, converges towards concluding that all browsers importantly impact woody plants. In this context a crucial question in the current debate about reintroducing elephant culling, is whether the long-term effects of elephants and mesobrowsers are similar. If the two groups impact the same woody species in the same habitats, sufficiently high biomass-densities of mesobrowsers may, following removal of elephants, continue to heavily impact earlier life-history stages of the same suite of woody plants that elephant impacted, preventing these species from maturing. Thus, as existing mature trees die from natural causes and fade from the system, a similar end-point for woodland structure and composition is achieved. We reviewed 49 years of literature on the savanna browser guild, performing a meta-analysis on the disparate data on the guild’s woody plant species use (3677 records) and habitat use (894 records). Mesobrowsers’ and elephants’ extensive overlap in habitat use and staple woody species diet, together with evidence of their influencing each others’ abundance and of their dietary separation increasing with resource depletion, implies that the two groups impact the same core woody species in the same habitats. It therefore seems probable that high biomass-density mesobrowsers may have a long-term substitutive effect to that of elephant on woodland dynamics. Consequently management wanting a particular state of savanna woodland, should consider the biomass-density of both groups, rather than just focus on the system’s perceived keystone species. Such principles may also apply to temperate and other systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]