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A fascinating look at one of the greatest conservation success stories of the modern era: the wildly popular, unique, and thrilling raptor, the Osprey. Ospreys are one of the few bird species that are found throughout the world. From forests in Hokkaido to rivers in Oregon and islands off Australia, Ospreys steal the show as nature lovers easily watch them build their massive nests and tend to their young. The fact that the Osprey is one of the few large birds that can hover adds to its mystique, and to watch it plunge into the water, emerging with a fish clutched in its talons, is truly a sight one will remember. As widespread as Ospreys are, not long ago they were under threat of extinction. During the 1950s and '60s, scientists tied the decline of Osprey populations to the heavy use of DDT and other human pollutants. In the 1980s, Ospreys began a slow recovery due to the efforts of conservationists and through the resilience of the adaptable raptors themselves. Today they are again considered common in most parts of the world, although some populations remain threatened. In this gorgeously illustrated book, Alan F. Poole, one of America's premier Osprey experts, has written a lyrical exposé of these majestic creatures, describing their daily habits and exploring their relationship with the environment. Ospreys celebrates the species' miraculous recovery from contaminants and hunters, chronicles their spectacular long-distance migrations, and unveils their vital role in bringing life to coastal habitats. Few other birds have such a hold on the human imagination. This book shows us why.

In the present study, the presence of the Enterobacterales, Staphylococcus spp., Mammaliicoccus spp., and Enterococcus spp. in cloacal samples of nestling ospreys (Pandion haliaetus), a fish-eating specialist, from Mono Lake, California, USA was examined by a multiphasic approach, including antimicrobial and biocide susceptibility testing, genotyping, and whole genome sequencing of selected isolates. The most commonly detected species was Escherichia coli, followed by Mammaliicoccus sciuri, Staphylococcus delphini, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Hafnia alvei, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Citrobacter braakii and single isolates of Edwardsiella tarda, Edwardsiella albertii, Klebsiella aerogenes, Plesiomonas shigelloides and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. Multi-drug resistance (MDR) was observed in two E. coli isolates and in an Enterococcus faecium isolate. The MDR bla.sub.CTX-M-55 -positive E. coli belonged to the pandemic clone ST58. The results of the present study suggest that nestling ospreys are exposed to MDR bacteria, possibly through the ingestion of contaminated fish. Ospreys may be good biosentinels for the presence of these microorganisms and antibiotic resistance in the local environment and the risk for other wildlife, livestock and humans.

Time trends and regional differences of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and -furans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), DDTs, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenylethers (BDEs) were studied in unhatched osprey eggs collected by bird ringers in 1972-2017 from four areas in Finland. Two study areas were from Baltic Sea, Northern Quark and Finnish Archipelago Sea, while the two others were inland lake areas, eutrophicated Lake Vanajanselkä affected by industrial emissions, and Pristine SW Lake Area. The highest concentrations of most compound groups were in Lake Vanajanselkä consistent with high emissions, the predominance of bream as a prey, and higher concentrations in bream compared to other prey fish. Concentrations of all chlorinated compounds decreased significantly in all study areas. Average annual decreases were [summation]PCDD/F 2.3-4.9%, [summation]PCB 2.2-4.2%, [summation]PCN 2.6-7.0% and [summation]DDT 7.1-9.5%, primarily in line with decreased levels in prey fish. From 1972 PBBs and BDEs increased significantly until 1990s declining rapidly thereafter. PCDD/F congener profile was dominated by 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF, except in Lake Vanajanselkä by 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD. PCB congener profile was dominated by PCB 153 in all study areas, followed by PCB 180 and PCB 138. Among dioxin-like compounds PCBs contributed 82%, PCDDs 14% and PCDFs 4% to toxic equivalent quantity ([summation]TEQ). PCB 126 contributed most to [summation]TEQ, followed by 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD. BDE 47 being the dominant BDE congener, followed by BDE 100. [summation]DDT concentrations were relatively similar across all study areas, with DDE contributing about 90%. Productivity of chicks per active nest was significantly decreased in Lake Vanajanselkä, and the likely explanation is embryotoxicity of dioxin-like compounds. It is plausible that dioxin-like compounds influenced embryonic survival among highly exposed ospreys prior to 2010, especially in Lake Vanajanselkä and Northern Quark. However, decreased survival due to DDE-induced eggshell thinning seems unlikely after 1985, and BDE levels were below those potentially causing adverse effects.

IntroductionOspreys (Pandion haliaetus) are well-known sentinels of aquatic ecosystem health and are indicators of both environmental contaminants and fish stocks. The Chesapeake Bay supports one of the largest osprey breeding populations in the world, but recent studies have documented declining reproductive performance and increasing food stress in some portions of the estuary.MethodsWe monitored osprey nests (N = 571) throughout the Chesapeake Bay during the 2024 breeding season and compared breeding metrics between high-salinity (>10 parts per thousand [ppt]) and low-salinity (<5 ppt) study areas. We also compared contemporary breeding performance within four high-salinity sites to historical data collected during the 1980s.ResultsSalinity was strongly associated with breeding performance and the likelihood that pairs achieved productivity levels required for population maintenance. All high-salinity study areas functioned as demographic sinks, whereas low-salinity areas functioned as demographic sources. Breeding metrics including the proportion of pairs breeding, clutch size, nesting failure, brood reduction, and nestling loss all suggested greater food stress within high-salinity areas. Temporal comparisons documented substantial declines in reproductive performance between the 1980s and 2024 within high-salinity study sites. High-salinity sites during the 1980s exhibited breeding performance comparable to low-salinity sites in 2024.DiscussionAlthough several factors may influence osprey productivity within the Chesapeake Bay, we suggest that reduced availability of Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) is a primary driver of poor reproductive performance within high-salinity waters.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has transformed various aspects of human life nowadays. In the IoT transformative paradigm, sensor nodes are enabled to connect multiple physical devices and systems over the network to collect data from remote places, namely, precision agriculture, wildlife conservation, intelligent forestry, and so on. The battery life of sensor nodes is limited, affecting the network’s lifetime, and requires continuous maintenance. Energy conservation has become a severe problem of IoT. Clustering is essential in IoT to optimize energy efficiency and network longevity. In recent years, many clustering protocols have been proposed to improve network lifetime by conserving energy. However, the network experiences an energy-hole issue due to picking an inappropriate Cluster Head (CH). CH node is designated to manage and coordinate communication among nodes in a particular cluster. The redundant data transmission is avoided to conserve energy by collecting and aggregating from other nodes in clusters. CH plays a pivotal role in achieving efficient energy optimization and network performance. To address this problem, we have proposed an osprey optimization algorithm based on energy-efficient cluster head selection (SWARAM) in a wireless sensor network-based Internet of Things to pick the best CH in the cluster. The proposed SWARAM approach consists of two phases, namely, cluster formation and CH selection. The nodes are clustered using Euclidean distance before the CH node is selected using the SWARAM technique. Simulation of the proposed SWARAM algorithm is carried out in the MATLAB2019a tool. The performance of the SWARAM algorithm compared with existing EECHS-ARO, HSWO, and EECHIGWO CH selection algorithms. The suggested SWARAM improves packet delivery ratio and network lifetime by 10% and 10%, respectively. Consequently, the overall performance of the network is improved.

This research examines the impact of temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed on the electricity demand. It presents a unique method that combines an Enhanced Inception-V4 model with an Improved Osprey Optimizer to analyze weather-related factors. The combined model, which has been validated from 2003 to 2023, surpasses traditional forecasting techniques and significantly improves prediction accuracy. The Enhanced Inception-V4 model's ability to process data allows it to identify key factors that influence electricity demand patterns. Meanwhile, the Modified Osprey Optimizer fine-tunes the model's parameters, ensuring its adaptability to different weather scenarios. The study confirms the reliability of the OOI-Inception-V4 model in forecasting electricity demand and highlights the strong connection between weather conditions and energy usage, especially during extreme weather events. The projected increase in electricity demand from 2024 to 2030 emphasizes the importance of proactive energy policies, infrastructure upgrades, and sustainability initiatives. The research underscores the crucial role of temperature in driving electricity demand, with noticeable variations during winter and summer due to heightened usage of heating and cooling systems. In general, this study emphasizes the significant impact of climate on energy demand and demonstrates the potential of advanced predictive models in enhancing electricity demand forecasting.

In the present study, the presence of the Enterobacterales, Staphylococcus spp., Mammaliicoccus spp., and Enterococcus spp. in cloacal samples of nestling ospreys ( Pandion haliaetus ), a fish-eating specialist, from Mono Lake, California, USA was examined by a multiphasic approach, including antimicrobial and biocide susceptibility testing, genotyping, and whole genome sequencing of selected isolates. The most commonly detected species was Escherichia coli , followed by Mammaliicoccus sciuri , Staphylococcus delphini , Enterococcus faecalis , Enterococcus faecium , Hafnia alvei , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Citrobacter braakii and single isolates of Edwardsiella tarda , Edwardsiella albertii , Klebsiella aerogenes , Plesiomonas shigelloides and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius . Multi-drug resistance (MDR) was observed in two E . coli isolates and in an Enterococcus faecium isolate. The MDR bla CTX-M-55 -positive E . coli belonged to the pandemic clone ST58. The results of the present study suggest that nestling ospreys are exposed to MDR bacteria, possibly through the ingestion of contaminated fish. Ospreys may be good biosentinels for the presence of these microorganisms and antibiotic resistance in the local environment and the risk for other wildlife, livestock and humans.

This paper addresses issues of inadequate accuracy and inconsistency between global search efficacy and local development capability in the black-winged kite algorithm for practical problem-solving by proposing a black-winged kite optimization algorithm that integrates the Osprey optimization algorithm and Crossbar enhancement (DKCBKA). Firstly, the adaptive index factor and the fusion Osprey Optimization Algorithm approach are incorporated to enhance the algorithm’s convergence rate, and the probability distribution factor is updated throughout the attack stage. Second, the stochastic difference variant method is implemented to prevent the method from entering the local optima. Lastly, the longitudinal and transversal crossover technique is incorporated to enhance the algorithm’s convergence accuracy and to dynamically alter the population’s global and individual optimal solutions. Fifteen benchmark functions are chosen to test the effectiveness of the enhanced algorithm and to compare the optimization efficiency of each technique. Simulation experiments are performed on the CEC2017 and CEC2019 test sets, revealing that the DKCBKA algorithm surpasses five standard swarm intelligence optimization methods and six improved optimization algorithms regarding solution accuracy and convergence speed. The superiority in meeting real optimization challenges is further demonstrated by the optimization of three real engineering optimization problems by DKCBKA, with optimization capabilities 18.222%, 99.885% and 0.561% higher than BKA, respectively.

Time trends and regional differences of polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins and -furans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), DDTs, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenylethers (BDEs) were studied in unhatched osprey eggs collected by bird ringers in 1972–2017 from four areas in Finland. Two study areas were from Baltic Sea, Northern Quark and Finnish Archipelago Sea, while the two others were inland lake areas, eutrophicated Lake Vanajanselkä affected by industrial emissions, and Pristine SW Lake Area. The highest concentrations of most compound groups were in Lake Vanajanselkä consistent with high emissions, the predominance of bream as a prey, and higher concentrations in bream compared to other prey fish. Concentrations of all chlorinated compounds decreased significantly in all study areas. Average annual decreases were ∑PCDD/F 2.3–4.9%, ∑PCB 2.2–4.2%, ∑PCN 2.6–7.0% and ∑DDT 7.1–9.5%, primarily in line with decreased levels in prey fish. From 1972 PBBs and BDEs increased significantly until 1990s declining rapidly thereafter. PCDD/F congener profile was dominated by 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF, except in Lake Vanajanselkä by 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD. PCB congener profile was dominated by PCB 153 in all study areas, followed by PCB 180 and PCB 138. Among dioxin-like compounds PCBs contributed 82%, PCDDs 14% and PCDFs 4% to toxic equivalent quantity (∑TEQ). PCB 126 contributed most to ∑TEQ, followed by 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD. BDE 47 being the dominant BDE congener, followed by BDE 100. ∑DDT concentrations were relatively similar across all study areas, with DDE contributing about 90%. Productivity of chicks per active nest was significantly decreased in Lake Vanajanselkä, and the likely explanation is embryotoxicity of dioxin-like compounds. It is plausible that dioxin-like compounds influenced embryonic survival among highly exposed ospreys prior to 2010, especially in Lake Vanajanselkä and Northern Quark. However, decreased survival due to DDE-induced eggshell thinning seems unlikely after 1985, and BDE levels were below those potentially causing adverse effects.