Find research datasets worth reusing

Evaluation of the impact of chemical control on the ecology of Rattus norvegicus of an urban community in Salvador, Brazil

dataset of rodent trapping in a pre/post-intervention scheme. Check publication of the same name for details on the study design. File contains complete comprehensive codebook.

opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

Flower strips and remnant semi-natural vegetation have different impacts on pollination and productivity of sunflower crops

Intensification of agricultural landscapes to fulfil increased global food demands has dramatically impacted biodiversity and ecosystem services. Several pollinator groups, which are vital for the maintenance of pollinator-dependent crops, have been severely affected by this intensification process. Management tools, such as the implementation of agri-environmental schemes, have been widely proposed to improve pollinator's communities and pollination services, although the effectiveness of wildflower strips in comparison to existing natural or semi-natural habitats and the impact on yield has not been fully demonstrated. Here, we aimed to assess the effect of flower strips implementation near sunflower fields in two intensive agricultural regions and to quantify their impact on visitation rates and sunflower productivity. Data were obtained in two regions in Spain (Burgos and Cuenca) in sunflower fields with associated semi-natural vegetation (SNVs), with implemented wildflower strips (WFSs) and without vegetation structures (NonVs). Visitation rates were monitored over two years by direct observations, and both sunflower seed production and weight were assessed in 52 fields per year. Our results revealed regional and inter-annual variation in visitation rates, likely driven by structural differences in the landscapes studied. In Cuenca, characterized by more heterogeneous and floral resources-richer landscapes, the effects of WFSs were significant in the second year of implementation, with higher visitation rates and higher productivity values in fields with implemented wildflower strips compared to those without. In contrast, in Burgos, no consistent effects among field treatments across years were observed. Synthesis and applications. The implementation of flower strips or maintenance of remnant semi-natural habitats adjacent to sunflower fields, showed context-dependent effects on visitation rates and crop yield. In highly simplified agroecosystems, these interventions may be insufficient or may need longer times to produce significant effects. Yet, in regions where natural and semi-natural patches were already present, the implementation of flower strips was a successful strategy to promote pollinators and sunflower <a>productivity.</a>

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2022View details →

Dataset for "Impact of C-S-H seeding on hydration and strength of slag blended cement"

The data come along with the publication "Impact of C-S-H seeding on hydration and strength of slag blended cement" submitted to Cement and Concrete Research. 2022 The file 00_mixdesign.csv contains the indexing and the labels, the same as Table 5 from the manuscript. Units of the values are not always specified in the dataset, but can be found in the manuscript. To understand the structure and labels of the dataset, please refer to the paper.  April. 2022 Xuerun Li, Julien Bizzozero and Christoph Hesse BASF Construction Additives GmbH, Dr-Albert-Frank-Strasse 32, 83308 Trostberg, Germany

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic productivity

This data set was used to analyse changes in academic productivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we describe how those data were collected. We downloaded the <a href="https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/Cornell-University/arxiv">arXiv dataset</a> hosted by Kaggle on 2022 June 6. This dataset is a JSON file (named `arxiv-metadata-oai-snapshot.json`) compressed into a zip file. We extracted this file and then executed `process.py` to create the following three files: - `metadata.json`: titles, abstract, and affiliations of authors - `authors.json`: author names - `records.csv`: arXiv identifier, categories, number of authors and affiliations, abstract length   We excluded pre-prints from 2022 June when processing files. The `process.py` script also adds a 'dummy' line to the `records.csv` to make Python load arXiv identifiers as strings. These three files (`metadata.json`, `authors.json`, and `records.csv`) were used for this analysis.

Data_The impact of derivatives use on systemic risk of Africa's banking system

This file contains the data supporting the findings of our study, the impact of derivatives use on systemic risk of Africa’s banking system, including that generated by transforming original variables before performing relevant data analyses and other output data describing the systemic risk prevalence of banks in Africa.

opencc-zeroApr 2020View details →

Data from: Fishes alleviate the impacts of sediments on host corals

Mutualisms play a critical role in ecological communities, however the importance and prevalence of mutualistic associations can be modified by external stressors. On coral reefs, elevated sediments are a major stressor, reducing the health of corals and damaging reef resilience. Here, we investigated the influence of sediment stress on the mutualistic relationship between small damselfishes (Dascyllus aruanus and Pomacentrus moluccensis) and their coral host (Pocillopora damicornis). In an aquaria experiment, corals were exposed to sedimentation rates of ~100 mg cm-2 day-1, with and without symbiont fish to test whether: (1) fishes influence the accumulation of sediments on coral hosts, and (2) fishes moderate partial colony mortality and/or condition. Colonies with fishes accumulated much less sediment compared to colonies without fishes, and this effect was strongest for colonies with D. aruanus (five-fold less sediment than controls) as opposed to P. moluccensis (two-fold less sediment than controls). Colonies with symbiont fishes also had up to 10-fold less sediment-induced partial mortality, as well as higher chlorophyll and protein concentrations. These results demonstrate that fish mutualisms vary in the strength of their benefits and indicates that some mutualistic or facilitative interactions might become more important for species health and resilience as stress levels increase.

KPIs to measure the impact of Food loss and Waste prevention strategies

These data correspond to the process of KPIs definition to measure the impact of Food Loss and Waste prevention strategies in FOODRUS. Both the initial long list of KPIs that started the process, and the results of 3 different surveys delivered to experts and stakeholders are included here.

opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

Supplementary material for: Impact of ghost introgression on coalescent-based species tree inference and estimation of divergence time

The species studied in any evolutionary investigation generally constitute a small proportion of all the species currently existing or that have gone extinct. It is therefore likely that introgression, which is widespread across the tree of life, involves "ghosts," i.e., unsampled, unknown, or extinct lineages. However, the impact of ghost introgression on estimations of species trees has rarely been studied and is poorly understood. Here, we use mathematical analysis and simulations to examine the robustness of species tree methods based on the multispecies coalescent model to introgression from a ghost or extant lineage. We found that many results originally obtained for introgression between extant species can easily be extended to ghost introgression, such as the strongly interactive effects of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) and introgression on the occurrence of anomalous gene trees (AGTs). The relative performance of the summary species tree method (ASTRAL) and the full-likelihood method (*BEAST) varies under different introgression scenarios, with the former being more robust to gene flow between non-sister species whereas the latter performing better under certain conditions of ghost introgression. When an outgroup ghost (defined as a lineage that diverged before the most basal species under investigation) acts as the donor of the introgressed genes, the time of root divergence among the investigated species generally was overestimated, whereas ingroup introgression, as commonly perceived, can only lead to underestimation. In many cases of ingroup introgression that may or may not involve ghost lineages, the stronger the ILS, the higher the accuracy achieved in estimating the time of root divergence, although the topology of the species tree is more prone to be biased by the effect of introgression.

opencc-zeroDec 2021View details →

Site impacts nutrient translocation efficiency in intra- and interspecies miscanthus hybrids on marginal lands

Miscanthus, a C4 perennial rhizomatous grass, is capable of growing in varied climates and soil types in Europe, including on marginal lands. It can produce high yields with low nutrient inputs when harvested after complete senescence. Senescence induction and rate depend on complex genetic, environmental, and management interactions. To explore these interactions, we analysed four miscanthus hybrids (two novel seed-based hybrids, GRC 3 (M. sinensis × sinensis) and GRC 14 (M. sacchariflorus × sinensis); GRC 15, a novel M. sacchariflorus × sinensis clone; and GRC 9, a standard M. × giganteus clone) in Italy, Croatia, Germany and the UK. Over all trial locations and hybrids, the average aboveground biomass of the three-year-old stands in August 2020 was 15 t DM ha-1 with nutrient contents of 7.6 mg N g-1 and 14.6 mg K g-1. As expected, delaying the harvest until spring reduced overall yield and nutrient contents (12 t DM ha-1, 3.3 mg N g-1 and 5.5 mg K g-1). At lower latitudes, the late-ripening M. sacchariflorus × sinensis GRC 14 and GRC 15 combined high yields with low nutrient contents. At the most elevated latitude location (UK), the early-ripening M. sinensis × sinensis combined high biomass yields with low nutrient offtakes. The clonal M. × giganteus with intermediate flowering and senescence attained similar low nutrient contents by spring harvest at all four locations. Seasonal changes in yield and nutrient levels analysed in this study provide: 1) a first step towards recommending hybrids for specific locations and end uses in Europe; 2) crucial data for determination of harvest time and practical steps in the valorisation of biomass; and 3) key sustainability data for life cycle assessments. Identification of trade-offs resulting from genetic × environment × management interactions are critical for increasing sustainable biomass supply from miscanthus grown on marginal lands.

Impact of warmer and drier conditions on tree photosynthetic properties and the role of species interactions

Increased temperature and prolonged soil moisture reduction have distinct impacts on tree photosynthetic properties. Yet, our knowledge of their combined effect is limited. Moreover, how species interactions alter photosynthetic responses to warming and moisture reduction remains unclear. Using mesocosms, we studied how photosynthetic properties of European beech and downy oak were impacted by multi-year warming and moisture reduction alone or combined, and how species interactions (intra- vs. interspecific interactions) modulated these effects. Warming of +5°C enhanced photosynthetic properties in oak but not beech, while moisture reduction decreased them in both species. Combined warming and moisture reduction reduced photosynthetic properties for both species, but no exacerbated effects were observed. Oak was less impacted by combined warming and moisture reduction when interacting with beech than in intraspecific stands. For beech, species interactions had no impact on the photosynthetic responses to warming and moisture reduction, alone or combined. Warming had either no or beneficial effects on the photosynthetic properties, while moisture reduction and their combined effects strongly reduced photosynthetic responses in both species. However, interspecific interactions can mitigate the negative impacts of the combined warming and moisture reduction in oak, thereby highlighting the need to deepen our understanding of interspecific interactions under climate change.

Mistletoes could moderate drought impacts on woodland birds, but are themselves susceptible to drought-induced dieback

Mistletoes are hemiparasitic plants and keystone species in many ecosystems globally. Given predicted increases in drought frequency and intensity, mistletoes may be crucial for moderating drought impacts on community structure. Dependent on host vascular flows, mistletoes can succumb to stress when water availability falls, making them susceptible to mortality during drought. We counted mistletoe across >350,000 km2 of south-eastern Australia and conducted standardised bird surveys between 2016 and 2021, spanning a major drought event in 2018-19. We aimed to identify predictors of mistletoe abundance and mortality and determine whether mistletoes might moderate drought impacts on woodland birds. Live mistletoe abundance varied with tree species composition, land use and presence of mistletoebirds. Mistletoe mortality was widespread, consistent with high 2018/19 summer temperatures, low 2019/20 summer rainfall and the interaction between summer temperatures and rainfall in 2019/20. The positive association between surviving mistletoes and woodland birds was greatest in the peak drought breeding seasons of 2018/19 and 2019/20, particularly for small residents and insectivores. Paradoxically, mistletoes could moderate drought impacts on birds, but are themselves vulnerable to drought-induced mortality. An improved understanding of the drivers and dynamics of mistletoe mortality is needed to address potential cascading trophic impacts associated with mistletoe die-off.

Supplementary data for: Surface damage of perpendicular and oblique bullet impacts in stone

Controlled experiments were conducted to investigate the surface damage caused by perpendicular and oblique impacts of bullets into sandstone and limestone targets. Individual bullets fired in conditions simulating modern rifles at typical combat distances excavated craters with diameters from 22 to 74 mm and depths from 4 to 24 mm. Limestone target craters were up to twice as large and deep as those in sandstone. These craters have a complex shape consisting of a central excavation surrounded by a shallow dish, compared to the simple bowl shape of most sandstone impacts. Radial fractures extending to the edge of the target block were common in limestone targets. Impacts at an angle of 45° to the surface in both rock types result in asymmetric craters. Two common types of ammunition were compared: the steel-tipped NATO projectile generally produced larger and deeper craters than the projectile that is commonly fired from AK-47 rifles, despite having approximately half the mass of the latter. These results characterise the sort of damage that can be expected at many sites of cultural significance involved in contemporary conflict zones, and have important implications for their conservation.

Impacts of development and adult sex on brain cell numbers in the Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

The Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens, Diptera: Stratiomyidae) has been introduced across the globe, with numerous industry applications predicated on its tremendous growth during the larval stage. However, basic research on H. illucens biology (for example, studies of their central nervous system) are lacking. Despite their small brain volumes, insects are capable of complex behaviors; understanding how these behaviors are completed with such a small amount of neural tissue requires understanding processing power (e.g. number of cells) within the brain. Brain cell counts have been completed in only a few insect species (mostly Hymenoptera), and almost exclusively in adults. This limits the taxonomic breadth of comparative analyses, as well as any conclusions about how development and body size growth may impact brain cell populations. Here, we present the first images and cell counts of the H. illucens brain at four time points across development (early, mid, and late larval stages, and both male and female adults) using immunohistochemistry and isotropic fractionation. To assess sexual dimorphism in adults, we quantified the number of cells in the central brain vs. optic lobes of males and females separately. To assess if increases in body size during development might independently affect different regions of the CNS, we quantified the larval ventral nerve cord and central brain separately at all three stages. Together, these data provide the first description of the nervous system of a popular, farmed invertebrate and the first study of brain cell numbers using IF across developmental stages in any insect.

opencc-by-4.0May 2022View details →

Additional Data and Code from "Increased energy use for adaptation significantly impacts mitigation pathways".

Additional Data and Code from: "Increased energy use for adaptation significantly impacts mitigation pathways". Authors: Francesco Pietro Colelli, Johannes Emmerling, Giacomo Marangoni, Malcolm Mistry, Enrica De Cian This repository contains: - The output data and R-scripts to produce the figures of the manuscript. - The code building the additional WITCH modules and input data generated. The results obtained in the study can be replicated by running the additional WITCH modules and input data in combination with the open source WITCH available in the repository: https://github.com/witch-team/witchmodel

Implementing blended learning for clinician teachers: Identifying their needs and its impact on faculty development initiatives

Learning Technologies has been a fast-growing field in Health Professions Education (HPE). Approaches to teaching, learning and assessment has been increasingly influenced by learning technologies which requires HPE teachers to adapt their teaching practices and with that identify areas for professional development. The implementation of blended learning in HPE, has shown improvements in student performance. However, it seems as if there are challenges with the implementation of a blended learning approach and that there might be some needs that clinical teachers have that are not being addressed in order to implement blended learning successfully. We used a qualitative exploratory design to identify clinician teachers' needs. Semi-structured, individual interviews were conducted with a total of eight (n=8) module coordinators in the third year of the MBChB programme, Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Results indicated the need for continuous technical and pedagogical support which refers to a longitudinal faculty development approach. Additionally, faculty development should include the support in structuring and rethinking the blended curriculum, as well as assisting in the clinicians' development in their role and identity as a clinical teacher. These results reveal the importance of faculty development as a targeted longitudinal approach

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2021View details →

Dataset from: Impact of the electron density and temperature gradient on drift-wave turbulence in LAPD

In this paper we present an experimental study of edge turbulence in the Large Plasma Device at UCLA. We utilize a scan of discharge power to show experimentally that turbulent density fluctuations decrease with decreasing density gradient, as predicted for resistive drift wave turbulence. We also observe that the introduction of electron temperature gradients leads to a reduction in the amplitude of the density fluctuations. The electron temperature gradient reduces the low frequency fluctuations up to 10 kHz, while at higher frequencies, a π phase shift in the density-potential cross-phase is observed. We find that the potential fluctuations do not follow the same trends and that the basic Boltzmann relationship between potential and density fluctuations is violated. We also discuss the impact of collisionality and parallel flows.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2022View details →

Laboratory Assessment of the Impact of Chemical Oxidation, Mineral Dissolution, and Heating on the Nitrogen Isotopic Composition of Fossil-bound Organic Matter

Results of laboratory experiments reported in the manuscript "Laboratory Assessment of the Impact of Chemical Oxidation, Mineral Dissolution, and Heating on the Nitrogen Isotopic Composition of Fossil-bound Organic Matter", published in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2021View details →

Replication data for: Occupations and their impact on the spreading of COVID-19 in urban communities

This dataset contains real-world COVID-19 human-to-human transmission network data. The data mimics how COVID-19 infections may have spread from one individual to another in Bucharest (Romania) during August 1st and October 31st, 2020. The information refers to COVID-19 patients (referees) and their contacts (referrals), i.e., the people they interacted with before being tested COVID-19 positive. The dataset is structured as an edge-list file (referee - referral ties). For each referee (referral), we provide the following attributes: sex (male/female), age, sector (public/private), a job in the medical sector (yes/no), ISCO-08 one-digit code, ISCO-08 two-digit code, ISCO-08 three-digit code, employability (active/non-active), age class (minor, adult, pensioner), confirmation month (when a patient was tested positive for COVID-19 infection), confirmation day (when a patient was tested positive for COVID-19 infection). The data were analyzed using relational hyperevent modeling (<a href="https://github.com/juergenlerner/eventnet">https://github.com/juergenlerner/eventnet</a>).  This dataset allows replication of the analysis reported in the manuscript entitled: Occupations and their impact on the spreading of COVID-19 in urban communities (Hâncean M-G, Lerner J, Perc M, Oană I, Bunaciu D-A, Stoica AA & Ghiță M-C).

Multidecadal, continent-level analysis indicates agricultural practices impact wheat aphid loads more than climate change

Temperature has a large influence on insect abundances, thus under climate change, identifying major drivers affecting pest insect populations is critical to world food security and agricultural ecosystem health. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis with data obtained from 120 studies across China and Europe from 1970 to 2017 to reveal how climate and agricultural practices affect populations of wheat aphids. Here we showed that aphid loads on wheat had distinct patterns between these two regions, with a significant increase in China but a decrease in Europe over this time period. Although temperature increased over this period in both regions, we found no evidence showing climate warming affected aphid loads. Rather, differences in pesticide use, fertilization, land use, and natural enemies between China and Europe may be key factors accounting for differences in aphid pest populations. These long-term data suggest that agricultural practices impact wheat aphid loads more than climate warming.

Evidence for synergistic cumulative impacts of marking and hunting in a wildlife species.

Non-additive effects from multiple interacting stressors can have unpredictable outcomes on wildlife. Stressors that initially have negligible impacts may become significant if they act in synergy with novel stressors. Wildlife markers can be a source of physiological stress for animals and are ubiquitous in ecological studies. Their potential impacts on vital rates may vary over time, particularly when changing environments impose new stressors. In this study, we evaluated the temporal changes in the combined impact of two stressors, one constant (collar-marking) and another one variable over time (hunting intensity), in greater snow geese (Anser caerulescens atlantica). Over a 30-year period (1990-2019), hunting regulations were liberalized twice, in 1999 and 2009, with the instauration of special spring and winter hunting seasons, respectively. We evaluated the effect of collars on goose survival through this period of changing hunting regulations. We compared annual survival of >20,000 adult females marked with and without neck collars using multievent capture-recapture models, and partitioned hunting from non-hunting mortality. Survival of geese marked with or without collars was similar in 1990-1998, before hunting regulations were liberalized (average survival[95% C.I.]: 0.87[0.84, 0.89]). However, absolute survival of collared geese was 0.05[0.03, 0.07] lower than that of non-collared geese between 1999 and 2009, and 0.12[0.09, 0.15] lower after hunting regulations were liberalized further in 2009. Hunting and non-hunting mortality were both higher in collared birds compared to those without collars. The interaction between the effects of collars and hunting was synergistic because collars affected survival only after the hunting pressure increased significantly. These cumulated stresses probably reduced goose body condition sufficiently to increase their vulnerability to multiple sources of mortality. Synthesis and applications: Researchers relying on long-term marking programs should evaluate the effect of markers periodically rather than solely in the beginning, as interactions with changing environmental conditions may eventually affect conclusions of studies based on marked animals. Here, we provide a rare demonstration in a natural setting that a combination of stressors can push animals beyond a threshold where vital rates are affected, even when one stressor applied alone initially had no detectable impact.