Search

This is an essay about looking at the sun, which means that it is actually an essay about being unable to do so. The figure at its centre is the solar eclipse, which removes the sun from view but provides the occasion to gather and look for light in the first place. While exceptional, the solar eclipse nonetheless presents a middle or common ground of light – mere light whose limits are realised by a shared witness, akin to the everyday sunset. The sunset and the solar eclipse each chart the point at which light fails, when the sun drops below the horizon or is otherwise occluded. Moving through a series of photographs of the sun, this essay takes the sun's eclipse – that is, the sun's disappearance – as central to photography's own middle ground. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of experimental studies into the response of Earth’s lower ionosphere to a partial solar eclipse. The studies have been carried out using the method of resonant scattering of radio waves by artificial periodic irregularities (APIs) in ionospheric plasma. The irregularities were created in the field of a standing wave when a powerful radio wave, generated by radiation to the zenith by transmitters of the mid-latitude SURA heating facility, was reflected from the ionosphere. During the eclipse, the scattered signal amplitude increased by 30–40 dB, and the relaxation time increased 1.5–2.0 times. In some cases, stratification of the signal amplitude in the D-region was observed due to stratification of the electron density profile. By analyzing altitude profiles of relaxation time, we obtained neutral component temperature and density, height of the turbopause, and turbulent velocity. The velocity of vertical regular motion of plasma at each height was measured from the time variation in the scattered signal phase. From the results of measurements of scattered signal characteristics during four partial eclipses, we have obtained that the neutral component temperature decreases, on average, 50–70 K. Variations in the temperature, vertical plasma velocity, and turbopause level exhibited deep quasi-periodic variations with periods from 15 min to several hours, typical of internal gravity wave propagation. The vertical temperature and velocity profiles showed changes with altitude on scales ranging from 5 to 30 km. Comparison between the results of studies of the lower ionosphere during sunrise-sunset hours has revealed that its response during a partial eclipse and the transition to the night regime is identical. According to the measurements by the partial reflection method, during the August 01, 2008 eclipse there was a decrease in the electron density in the D-region 3–5 times. We have concluded that during an eclipse there was a significant change in both the ionized and neutral components of the atmosphere in the lower ionosphere.

Copyright of Egyptian Journal of Agricultural Sciences is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Gaceta Médica de Caracas is the property of Academia Nacional de Medicina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article presents an empirical and normative study of the widespread use of “sunset legislation”, also known as temporary legislation, as a tool for dealing with COVID-19 in Israel. First, the article presents the sunset legislation’s dramatic increase in Israel and traces the purposes and rationales that led legislators to use it. Second, the article evaluates sunset legislation vis-à-vis emergency regulations as the major alternatives for adopting temporary and urgent legal measures. It further addresses the difficulties and failures that have arisen or may arise from the widespread use of sunset legislation in times of crisis like COVID-19. Lastly, while recognizing that sunset legislation is ‘the lesser evil’ in times of crisis, a number of normative proposals are presented, so to improve the use of sunset legislation during pandemics and crises and to overcome the difficulties in using it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales is the property of Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Each spring and fall billions of songbirds depart on nocturnal migrations across the globe. Theory suggests that songbirds should depart on migration shortly after sunset to maximize their potential for nightly flight duration or to time departure with the emergence of celestial cues needed for orientation and navigation. Although captive studies have found that songbirds depart during a narrow window of time after sunset, observational studies have found that wild birds depart later and more asynchronously relative to sunset than predicted. Methods: We used coded radio tags and automated radio-telemetry to estimate the time that nearly 400 individuals from nine songbird species departed their breeding or wintering grounds across North America. We also assessed whether each species was most likely beginning long-distance migratory flights at departure or instead first making non-migratory regional flights. We then explored variation in nocturnal departure time by post-departure movement type, species, age, sex, and season. Results: We found that 90% of individuals from species that were likely initiating long-distance migratory flights departed within 69 min of civil dusk, regardless of species, season, age, or sex. By contrast, species that likely first made non-migratory regional movements away from the migratory destination departed later and more asynchronously throughout the night. Regardless of post-departure movement type, 98% of individuals departed after civil dusk but otherwise showed no preference in relation to twilight phase. Conclusions: Although the presence of celestial orientation cues at civil dusk may set a starting point for departure each night, the fact that species likely beginning long-distance migration departed earlier and more synchronously relative to civil dusk than those first making non-migratory regional movements is consistent with the hypothesis that departing promptly after civil dusk functions to maximize the potential for nightly flight duration and distance. By studying the onset of migration, our study provides baseline information about departure decisions that may enhance our understanding of departure timing throughout migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The center path of the 21 June 2020 solar eclipse, which passed through Guam (13.62°N, 144.86°E, 94.6% obscuration), United States, at the end of its journey, provides a peculiar opportunity to study the ionospheric changes as the moon shadow moves into the nightside. In this study, remote-sensing observations of the ionosphere taken from the ionosonde, and total electron content from the International GNSS Service over Guam were analyzed to examine the related ionospheric changes. Independent in situ observations of electron density (Ne), electron (Te) and ion temperatures (Ti) from DMSP-F17 at ~850 km, and Ne and Te from Swarm-B at ~540 km were also studied. With a significant enhancement of the critical frequency and downward movement of F2-layer, the ionosphere was compressed as the moon shadow swept over Guam near its sunset hours. Neutral wind observations from the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) showed the westward reversed wind occurring in the F-region near sunset. The westward wind disturbance and downward press over the Western Pacific suggest changes in the electrodynamics in the ionosphere and thermosphere near sunset at the end of the solar eclipse, which further contributes to ~85% decrease of Ne and 157% enhancement of Te at ~540 km near midnight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The embryonic development times, spawning timing and hatching rates of the black sea bream Acanthopagrus schlegelii were examined to investigate the potential effect of seawater temperature, tides and photoperiod on the reproductive rhythm of this species in Hiroshima Bay, Japan. Low temperatures decreased hatching rates and extended the hatching time, and the minimum temperature threshold for hatching was 15°C. Back‐calculated spawning times indicated that the peak of spawning occurred just before sunset and the reduction in diurnal light intensity around the oyster rafts acted as a trigger for spawning. In contrast, no correlation was found between spawning rhythms and tidal cycle. The results highlight the important role of oyster farms in the reproductive cycle and population dynamics of A. schlegelii in Hiroshima Bay, the main spawning ground for this species in Japan. The study findings provide insights for the sustainable management of this important sparid species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appearance of Sunset and Twilight in your daily life differ depending on the area and urban structure. For example, in high latitude areas, the solar altitude is low, and in a city of grid pattern, there are rules in the direction in which the Twilight sky can be seen. Therefore, the paper assesses the importance that the duration of Twilight can be speculated if we know geographical conditions such as latitude and season, and urban conditions such as the direction of the road. Therefore, the main result of this work is that we built a theoretical model to speculate the duration of Twilight and apply the theoretical model to the Western Tenpoku Region located on the northernmost part of Hokkaido. The result showed that the duration of Twilight is longer and the Twilight azimuth is wider in the high latitude areas. The other result of this work showed that the Western Tenpoku Region, which has grid pattern roads and various angles, is a rare region where you can enjoy the scenery of Twilight all year round. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The center path of the 21 June 2020 solar eclipse, which passed through Guam (13.62°N, 144.86°E, 94.6% obscuration), United States, at the end of its journey, provides a peculiar opportunity to study the ionospheric changes as the moon shadow moves into the nightside. In this study, remote-sensing observations of the ionosphere taken from the ionosonde, and total electron content from the International GNSS Service over Guam were analyzed to examine the related ionospheric changes. Independent in situ observations of electron density (Ne), electron (Te) and ion temperatures (Ti) from DMSP-F17 at ~850 km, and Ne and Te from Swarm-B at ~540 km were also studied. With a significant enhancement of the critical frequency and downward movement of F2-layer, the ionosphere was compressed as the moon shadow swept over Guam near its sunset hours. Neutral wind observations from the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) showed the westward reversed wind occurring in the F-region near sunset. The westward wind disturbance and downward press over the Western Pacific suggest changes in the electrodynamics in the ionosphere and thermosphere near sunset at the end of the solar eclipse, which further contributes to ~85% decrease of Ne and 157% enhancement of Te at ~540 km near midnight.

Study of the image formation near the optical horizon for a regular atmosphere. One investigates in detail the case of the Sun and Moon at rise and set and provides the relationship between the image flattening and the local physical conditions for a standard atmosphere. The second case deals with a more complex situation of a documented observation of the moonset observed on board of the space station (ISS) by astronauts, displaying large distortions in the image. An analytical and numerical approach allows us to account for the details of this observation. We showthat the vertical scale of this famous image is likely wrong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the effects of different phosphorylation sites of FoxO1 on protein synthesis and proteolysis in rat skeletal muscle L6 cells under the condition of hypoxia. Methods Adenoviral vectors (FoxO1, FoxO1T24A/D, FoxO1S250A/D, and FoxO1AS313A/D) were constructed, and then used to infect the differentiated rat skeletal muscle cells respectively with appropriate multiples of infection (MOI). These L6 cells were corresponding named to 8 groups: EGFP, rFoxO1, T24A, T24D, S250A, S250D, S313A and S313D, and then each transfection group was divided into normoxic group (C) and hypoxic group (H). Adenovirus transfection was observed using a fluorescence confocal microscope. Puromycin-binding peptides, ubiquitin labeling protein, synthesis and decomposition-related proteins were detected using Western blotting. Results Compared with the C-EGFP group, the expression levels of puromycin-binding polypeptide (1.38±0.06), mTOR (1.54±0.21) and p-mTOR (1.57±0.34) were significantly increased in the C-rFoxO1 group (all P < 0.05). The levels of mTOR (1.33±0.35) and p-mTOR (1.60 ± 0.44) were also elevated in the C-T24D group than the C-EGFP group (P < 0.01). The level of mTOR in the H-T24D group was notably reduced when compared with the C-T24D group (P < 0.01). Protein accumulation was remarkably increased in the C-S250A group than the C-EGFP group (P < 0.01), and was statistically decreased in the H-S250A group than the C-S250A group (P < 0.05). But no such differences were seen in the protein accumulation in the S313A and S313D groups when compared with that in the C-EGFP group (P>0.05). Conclusion FoxO1 can improve protein synthesis by enhancing the activity of mTOR, but this process is strictly regulated by hypoxia. Under hypoxic condition, FoxO1 inhibits protein synthesis via phosphorylation sites Thr24 and Ser250.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study?Is muscle protein synthesis (MPS) additionally activated following exercise when ribosomal capacity is increased after repeated bouts of resistance exercise (RE)?What is the main finding and its importance?Skeletal muscles with increased ribosome content through repeated RE bouts showed sufficient activation of MPS with lower mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 signalling. Thus, repeated bouts of RE possibly change the translational capacity and efficiency to optimize translation activation following RE. Resistance exercise (RE) activates ribosome biogenesis and increases ribosome content in skeletal muscles. However, it is unclear whether the increase in ribosome content subsequently causes an increase in RE‐induced activation of muscle protein synthesis (MPS). Thus, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between ribosome content and MPS after exercise using a rat RE model. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were categorized into three groups (n = 6 for each group): sedentary (SED) and RE trained with one bout (1B) or three bouts (3B). The RE stimulus was applied to the right gastrocnemius muscle by transcutaneous electrical stimulation under isoflurane anaesthesia. The 3B group underwent stimulation every other day. Our results revealed that 6 h after the last bout of RE, muscles in the 3B group showed an increase in total RNA and 18S+28S rRNA content per muscle weight compared with the SED and 1B groups. In both the 1B and 3B groups, MPS, estimated by puromycin incorporation in proteins, was higher than that in the SED group 6 h after exercise; however, no significant difference was observed between the 1B and 3B groups. In the 1B and 3B groups, phosphorylated p70S6K at Thr‐389 increased, indicating mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) activity. p70S6K phosphorylation level was lower in the 3B group than in the 1B group. Finally, protein synthesis per ribosome (indicator of translation efficiency) was lower in the 3B group than in the 1B group. Thus, three bouts of RE changed the ribosome content and mTORC1 activation, but not the degree of RE‐induced global MPS activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Fragile X-related protein-1 (FXR1) gene is highly amplified in patients with ovarian cancer, and this amplification is associated with increased expression of both FXR1 mRNA and protein. FXR1 expression directly associates with the survival and proliferation of cancer cells. Surface sensing of translation (SUnSET) assay demonstrates that FXR1 enhances the overall translation in cancer cells. Reverse-phase protein array (RPPA) reveals that cMYC is the key target of FXR1. Mechanistically, FXR1 binds to the AU-rich elements (ARE) present within the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of cMYC and stabilizes its expression. In addition, the RGG domain in FXR1 interacts with eIF4A1 and eIF4E proteins. These two interactions of FXR1 result in the circularization of cMYC mRNA and facilitate the recruitment of eukaryotic translation initiation factors to the translation start site. In brief, we uncover a mechanism by which FXR1 promotes cMYC levels in cancer cells.

Background and Aims Daylength determines flowering dates. However, questions remain regarding flowering dates in the natural environment, such as the synchronous flowering of plants sown simultaneously at highly contrasting latitudes. The daily change in sunrise and sunset times is the cue for the flowering of trees and for the synchronization of moulting in birds at the equator. Sunrise and sunset also synchronize the cell circadian clock, which is involved in the regulation of flowering. The goal of this study was to update the photoperiodism model with knowledge acquired since its conception. Methods A large dataset was gathered, including four 2-year series of monthly sowings of 28 sorghum varieties in Mali and two 1-year series of monthly sowings of eight rice varieties in the Philippines to compare with previously published monthly sowings in Japan and Malaysia, and data from sorghum breeders in France, Nicaragua and Colombia. An additive linear model of the duration in days to panicle initiation (PI) and flowering time using daylength and daily changes in sunrise and sunset times was implemented. Key Results Simultaneous with the phyllochron, the duration to PI of field crops acclimated to the mean temperature at seedling emergence within the usual range of mean cropping temperatures. A unique additive linear model combining daylength and daily changes in sunrise and sunset hours was accurately fitted for any type of response in the duration to PI to the sowing date without any temperature input. Once calibrated on a complete and an incomplete monthly sowing series at two tropical latitudes, the model accurately predicted the duration to PI of the concerned varieties from the equatorial to the temperate zone. Conclusions Including the daily changes in sunrise and sunset times in the updated photoperiodism model largely improved its accuracy at the latitude of each experiment. More research is needed to ascertain its multi-latitudinal accuracy, especially at latitudes close to the equator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesser horseshoes are bats quite strongly attached to their roost sites and are considered as sedentary species avoiding long-distance migration. In Poland, the range of occurrence of the lesser horseshoe bat is restricted to mountain areas, where they prefer overgrown mountain streams for their feeding grounds. Due to these features, even seemingly small habitat changes are likely to have serious implications for maintaining local subpopulations of this rare and endangered species. In Radziechowy village, where trees were cut in the Wiesnik stream (bat feeding area), a change in the use of feeding grounds by lesser horseshoe bats was observed. This publication additionally describes the time and the manner of departure of bats from their roost. The study was conducted before the logging (2012) and immediately after the logging (2013–2016), near a church, from the most beneficial point. The study was conducted by a team of 2-3 members, starting each time 15 minutes before sunset and finishing after the bats departure. Lesser horseshoe bats avoid light and open space and they leave their roost in a complicated way. It is established that there is a statistically significant correlation (r = 0.992, p< 0.001) between sunset and emergence time of bats from the roost site. In this paper, during the emergence time, the weather influence was observed. On a cloudy day, an earlier emergence time was observed — 9 minutes after the sunset, while the average emergence time for all observations was 23.3 minutes. The conducted detector watches proved that bats most likely use the closest environment of the colony within a radius of 150–200 meters. Lesser horseshoe bats were observed in ditches of roadside trees, dense hedges and backyard orchards overgrown with apples and pears, which is typical for this species.

As the most energy- and metabolite-consuming process, protein synthesis is under the control of several intrinsic and extrinsic factors that determine its fine-tuning to the cellular microenvironment. Consequently, variations in protein synthesis rates occur under various physiological and pathological conditions, enabling an adaptive response by the cell. For example, global protein synthesis increases upon mitogenic factors to support biomass generation and cell proliferation, while exposure to low concentrations of oxygen or nutrients require translational repression and reprogramming to avoid energy depletion and cell death. To assess fluctuations in protein synthesis rates, radioactive isotopes or radiolabeled amino acids are often used. Although highly sensitive, these techniques involve the use of potentially toxic radioactive compounds and require specific materials and processes for the use and disposal of these molecules. The development of alternative, non-radioactive methods that can be easily and safely implemented in laboratories has therefore been encouraged to avoid handling radioactivity. In this context, the SUrface SEnsing of Translation (SUnSET) method, based on the classical western blot technique, was developed by Schmidt et al. in 2009. The SUnSET is nowadays recognized as a simple alternative to radioactive methods assessing protein synthesis rates. Key features • As a structural analogue of aminoacyl-transfer RNA, puromycin incorporates into the elongating peptide chain. • Detection of puromycin-labeled peptides by western blotting reflects translation rates without the need for radioactive isotopes. • The protocol described here for in vitro applications is derived from the SUnSET method originally published by Schmidt et al. (2009)., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests., (©Copyright : © 2024 The Authors; This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.)

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of abrupt and gradual light/dark switching on growth performance, behavior, villus development, meat characteristics, and immunity of broilers. A total of 270 daily male broiler chicks were used in the experiment. The study comprised three groups based on whether the transitions between light and dark periods were abrupt or gradual. No significant differences were observed among the examined groups in terms of body weight, weight gain, mortality rate, feeding, pecking, relaxing, and feather preening behaviors, carcass, and breast meat quality characteristics. Total body weight gain, total feed consumption, total feed utilization ratio, and mortality rates of broilers during the 6-week fattening period did not differ compared to the abrupt transition. Broilers in the group with gradual transition exhibited less movement, more sitting, and sleeping behaviors. It was determined that the IgG was higher in the gradual transition group. The transitions between light and dark periods influenced the characteristics of thigh meat. Villus height and crypt depth were higher in the group where a 1-h gradual transition was applied. As a conclusion, gradual transition is more appropriate in broiler rearing., (© 2024 The Authors. Animal Science Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Society of Animal Science.)

Over the last decades, the European hare (Lepus europaeus) has become the subject of many interdisciplinary studies due to the sharp Europe-wide population decline. In European hares, the first stage of life until weaning and the subsequent dispersal have been sparsely studied, in particular, habitat selection, movements and survival rate, as juveniles´ precocial lifestyle is dominated by concealment, motionlessness and inconspicuousness. In this study, free-living juvenile European hares (leverets) were detected systematically by thermography (n = 394), radio-tagged or marked (n = 122) from birth until the fifth week of life to research their habitat usage and pre-dispersal movements. The day-resting places and night locations, as well as the distance moved by leverets with aging, were evaluated by generalized linear mixed effect models. In addition, the habitat preference was assessed by a conservative use-availability analysis. Up to the fifth week of life, 30.5% of all leverets used cultivated areas in the daytime. In contrast, the remaining 69.4% animals inhabitated linear or small planar structures in the daytime, with the edges of field tracks, hedges and some ruderal structures clearly being preferred. At nighttime, 93% of all juveniles, which occupied linear structures in the daytime, used the adjoining fields up to 20 m away from the next linear structure. Nocturnal distances of more than 60 m to the next edge rarely occurred before the end of the pre-weaning phase. The time of day and age have a significant influence on the distance moved by juvenile hares. With increasing age, leverets moved less during the day and roamed further at night. The results are largely consistent with the behavioral patterns found in the few previous studies on pre-weaning European hares and show the importance of hiding places for leverets in early life stages. This study should contribute to a better understanding of behavior in juvenile life-history stages of European hares that may help to identify vulnerable phases in their lifecycle. In addition, the findings can refine existing population models and improve conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timing of activity, especially for juvenile anadromous fishes undertaking long migrations can be critical for survival. River-resident larval sea lamprey metamorphose into juveniles and migrate from their larval stream habitats in fall through spring, but diel timing of this migratory behavior is not well understood. Diel activity was determined for newly metamorphosed sea lamprey using day/night net sampling and passive integrated transponder (PIT) telemetry in two natural streams and PIT telemetry in an artificial stream. Downstream migration was primarily nocturnal in all studies. All but one of 372 sea lamprey were captured during night sampling in the day/night net collections and all detections (N = 56) for the in-stream PIT telemetry occurred within a few hours after sunset. Most (81% of 48) tagged lamprey moved downstream during the first night following release and moved at speeds consistent with observed water velocities. During long-term observation of behavior in the artificial stream most sea lamprey movement occurred during the night with limited occurrence of movement during daylight hours. Understanding seasonal and diel timing of downstream migration behavior may allow more effective management of sea lamprey for both conservation and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We collected data from 10 caves (3 sites) in the North and Middle Andaman Islands to determine the spatiotemporal changes in the roosting pattern of the Andaman populations of Edible-nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus inexpectatus). This echolocating diurnal aerial forager showed temporal variation in its round-the-clock entry and exit patterns. With spatiotemporal variations (site-wise, cave-wise, hourly, and monthly), more than 98% of birds returned daily to the roosting caves between 1700 h and 2000 h. However, their daily departure time (between 0400 h and 0700 h) did not vary spatially (site-wise and cave-wise). The movements of birds at the cave openings were higher during the nestling period in April and May. The daily roosting period inside the caves (mean 525.20 min; SD 82.98) also showed spatiotemporal variation. Day length affected movement of the birds before and after sunset and sunrise. We conclude that roosting movement of the Andaman Edible-nest Swiftlet varied spatiotemporally in the Andaman Islands. This first detailed description of such variation in the roosting patterns of the species will stimulate further exploration of the various biological and environmental factors affecting movements of this cave-dwelling endemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swarming is a key part of the natural system of reproduction of anopheline mosquito populations, and a better understanding of swarming and mating systems in a targeted species in its natural habitat would contribute to better design control strategies with a greater chance of success. Our study investigated the monthly occurrence of swarming and the mating frequency (within swarms) of Anopheles arabiensis in Dioulassoba, Burkina Faso and their relationship with local environmental factors. Mosquitoes collected from swarms were described in terms of body size, recent sugar meal intake, and female repletion, insemination, and Plasmodium falciparum infection status. Swarms of An. arabiensis were found in each month of the year. Both start and end times of swarming varied significantly between months, correlating with the time of sunset. Swarming mostly started after or coincided with sunset from late July to early October but occurred before sunset from late October to early July. Swarming duration, the number of mosquitoes and mating pairs per swarm, and time to first mating were significantly different between months in an inverse relationship with the monthly rainfall. The number of mating pairs was strongly and positively correlated with swarm size. Almost all the females caught in copula were inseminated but a very few were blood fed; no P. falciparum infection was observed. Males caught in copula and in solo were similar in body size and in the proportion which had taken a recent sugar meal. Our investigations showed that An. arabiensis reproductive activities are most frequent during the dry season, suggesting either the species’ preference for dry climatic conditions or a lack of available breeding sites during the rainy season due to the seasonal flooding in this area. Targeting interventions to kill mosquitoes in swarms or to achieve an over-flooding ratio of sterile males during the rainy season would increase their efficiency in reducing the population density of this vector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surveying terrestrial species across diverse habitats is important for predicting species’ distributions and implementing conservation actions. For vocalising species, passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is increasing in popularity; however, survey design rarely considers the factors influencing the timing and occurrence of vocalisations and in turn, how they may influence detectability of the species. Here, we use the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) as a case study to show how PAM can be used to first examine the factors influencing vocalisations, and then use occupancy modelling to make recommendations on survey design for the species. We used automated recording units to monitor koala vocalisations at ten sites between August 2016 and January 2017. The timing of male koala vocalisations was linked to time of sunset with vocalisations increasing two hours prior to sunset and peaking at four hours after sunset. Vocalisations had a seasonal trend, increasing from the early to middle stage of the breeding season. Koala population density and stage of the breeding season had more influence on detection probability than daily sampling schedule. Where population density was low, and during the early stage of the breeding season, 7 survey nights (recording for 6 hours from 20:00h to 02:00h; i.e. the period of peak bellowing activity) were required to be 95% confident of a site-specific absence. Our study provides an approach for designing effective passive acoustic surveys for terrestrial species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Certain coastal localities attempt to attract tourists by claiming to have the earliest sunrise or latest sunset in their country or even continent. This article documents the places in mainland Europe where the sun sets latest during the year. In contradiction to the naïve assumption that the sun always sets latest at the westernmost point, the point of last sunset changes cyclically over the course of a year due to the changing orientation of the axis of the Earth with respect to the sun. On mainland Europe, the focus of this study, between the winter and summer solstices the last sunset shifts successively from Cabo de São Vicente (Portugal) to Cabo da Roca (Portugal) to Cabo Touriñán (Spain) to a site near Aglapsvik (Norway) to a location in the Norwegian municipality of Måsøy south of Havøysund; and it shifts back again between the summer and winter solstices. There are even 2 days of the year (24th April and 18th August) on which the last sunset of mainland Europe coincides with the last sunset of mainland Africa, at a site in Western Sahara near Cap Blanc. A similar analysis of the first sunrise in Spain is also done. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animals are subject to various scales of temporal environmental fluctuations, among which daily and seasonal variations are two of the most widespread and significant ones. Many biotic and abiotic factors change temporally, and climatic factors are particularly important because they directly affect the cost of thermoregulation. The purpose of the present study was to determine the activity patterns of wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) with a special emphasis on the effect of thermal conditions. We set 30 camera traps in the coniferous forest of Yakushima and monitored them for a total of 8658 camera-days between July 2014 and July 2015. Over the one-year period, temperature had a positive effect, and rainfall had a negative effect on the activity of macaques during the day. Capture rate was significantly higher during the time period of one hour after sunrise and during midday. During winter days, macaques concentrated their activity around noon, and activity shifted from the morning toward the afternoon. This could be interpreted as macaques shifting their activity to warmer time periods within a single day. Japanese macaques decreased their activity during the time before sunrise in seasons with lower temperatures. It was beneficial for macaques to be less active during cooler time periods in a cold season. Even small amounts of rainfall negatively affected the activity of Japanese macaques, with capture rates decreasing significantly even when rainfall was only 0.5–1 mm/min. In conclusion, thermal conditions significantly affected the activity of wild Japanese macaques at various time scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]