Breeding and migration performance metrics highlight challenges for White-naped Cranes

Globally, habitat loss has been deemed a major threat to wetland bird populations. However, the underlying mechanism of population declines and variations in the birds' vulnerability throughout their annual cycle is challenging to determine, yet critical for development of targeted conservation strategies. Over seven years, landscape water availability explained occupancy of breeding territories best when breeding performance, migratory performance, and annual survival of the White-naped Crane (Grus vipio) population in eastern Mongolia were studied. Also, the hatching success of eggs was positively correlated with water availability in addition to plant productivity. High ambient temperatures and large numbers of herder families (and hence more livestock) negatively affected hatching success. High water availability at Luan, a major stopover site increased migration speed during the cranes' northbound migration to their breeding grounds. In contrast, when water conditions were favorable, the birds stayed longer at the stopover site during southbound migration. Increased human density reduced the use of the stopover site during northbound migration. Finally, cranes arrived early at the breeding grounds when ambient temperature was high in northeast Mongolia. Combining these findings with historical trends in key environmental factors on their breeding grounds explains the general decline observed in this population of cranes in recent decades. Extrapolating our findings with future climate predictions, the outlook seems poor unless urgent action is taken. Knowledge of the mechanisms underlying White-naped Crane population decline in eastern Mongolia identified in this paper should improve the effectiveness of these actions.

Plant circadian rhythms regulate the effectiveness of a glyphosate-based herbicide

Herbicides increase crop yields by allowing weed control and harvest management. Glyphosate is the most widely-used herbicide active ingredient, with $11 billion spent annually on glyphosate-containing products applied to >350 million hectares worldwide, using about 8.6 billion kg of glyphosate. The herbicidal effectiveness of glyphosate can depend upon the time of day of spraying. Here, we show that the plant circadian clock regulates the effectiveness of glyphosate. We identify a daily and circadian rhythm in the inhibition of plant development by glyphosate, due to interaction between glyphosate activity, the circadian oscillator and potentially auxin signalling. We identify that the circadian clock controls the timing and extent of glyphosate-induced plant cell death. Furthermore, the clock controls a rhythm in the minimum effective dose of glyphosate. We propose the concept of agricultural chronotherapy, similar in principle to chronotherapy in medical practice. Our findings provide a platform to refine agrochemical use and development, conferring future economic and environmental benefits.

Neutron-detected tomography of impurity-seeded superfluid helium

We describe a neutron radiography technique that can be used to map the distribution of 3He impurities in liquid 4He, providing direct and quantitative access to underlying transport processes. Images reflecting finite normal- and superfluid-component 4He velocity fields are presented.

Restricted diffusion within a single pore

The time-dependent diffusion of 3Heatoms perpendicular to the axis of a single macroscopically large cylindrical pore is studied using a steady (or constant) gradient-recalled echo sequence. Measurements of the effective 3Hediffusion coefficient extending from the free-diffusion regime to the motionally averaged regime are presented, and are well-described by analytic solutions to the Bloch-Torrey equation based on the gaussian phase approximation. Our data yield the value 0.140(6)m2/s for the self diffusion coefficient of 3Heat a temperature of 296 K and a pressure of 1.00 Torr. Adaptations of these methods should enable the study of complex pore geometries as model systems.

A post-modern nursing model

For some time, nursing has been based on the structure of the nursing process and nursing models. However, in an age where the old order of science and medicine can no longer answer all of society's questions, can a nursing model, with its roots firmly based in the modernist structure of the nursing process, be post-modern?

The needs of South Asians with a terminal illness

Nurses have a responsibility to meet the health needs of culturally diverse groups of patients. The health needs of patients with a terminal illness from the South Asian community are often not met. Nurses need to ensure that they have the knowledge and information available to meet the needs of this patient group.