One of the challenges for bryozoans is to avoid refiltering water that has already had its plankton removed. Larger colonies develop colony-wide maculae-centered feeding currents to avoid refiltering water and generally have elevated maculae (monticules). We hypothesize that the height and density of spacing of monticules are inversely proportional to curvature of the colony surface. Larger, flatter colonies should have higher and more closely spaced monticules. We compare two Permian stenolaemate bryozoans whose colonies form branches with elliptical cross sections: the smaller and more elliptical cystoporate Evactinostella crucialis (Hudleston, 1883) from Western Australia (N = 17) and the larger and flatter trepostome Tabulipora sp. from eastern North Greenland (N = 15). Using calipers and digital elevation models, we measured curvature, monticule height, and number of monticules per area. Results indicate that Evactinostella branches are at least twice as curved as those of Tabulipora, their monticules are half the height of Tabulipora, and their monticules are 22% less densely spaced than those of Tabulipora. In Evactinostella colonies, surface curvature is inversely proportional to monticule height and spatial density, which is not true for Tabulipora. Therefore, we conclude that the smaller and more curved the colony surface, the less the colony needs robust colony-wide feeding currents created by tall, closely spaced monticules.

We determine optimal stocker strategies based on calving season, herd size, and the number of days of retention before marketing weaned calves. We estimate a hedonic pricing model for feeder cattle and incorporate this into a simulation model that considers the variability of cattle prices and feed costs. The profit and utility-maximizing decision for fall calving herd would be to retain weaned calves for 150-day postweaning. The producer marketing spring-born calves would prefer to sell these calves at weaning. The results are being utilized by extension to aid cattle producers in reducing their feed costs and increasing their profits.

We report VLBI monitoring observations of the 22 GHz H2O masers toward the Mira variable BX Cam. Data from 37 epochs spanning ∼3 stellar pulsation periods were obtained between May 2018 and June 2021 with a time interval of 3–4 weeks. In particular, the VERA dual-beam system was used to measure the kinematics and parallaxes of the H2O maser features. The obtained parallax, 1.79±0.08 mas, is consistent with Gaia EDR3 and previous VLBI measurements. The position of the central star was estimated relied on Gaia EDR3 data and the center position of the 43 GHz SiO maser ring imaged with KVN. Analysis of the 3D maser kinematics revealed an expanding circumstellar envelope with a velocity of 13±4 km s−1 and significant spatial and velocity asymmetries. The H2O maser animation achieved by our dense monitoring program manifests the propagation of shock waves in the circumstellar envelope of BX Cam.

Bryozoans are active non-phototrophic biomineralizers that precipitate their calcareous skeletons in seawater. Carbonate saturation states varied temporally and spatially in Paleozoic oceans, and we used the Bryozoan Skeletal Index (BSI) to investigate whether bryozoan calcification was controlled by seawater chemistry in Paleozoic trepostome and cryptostome bryozoans. Our results show that cryptostome bryozoan genera were influenced by ocean chemistry throughout the Paleozoic and precipitated the most calcite at lower latitudes, where carbonate saturation states are generally higher, and less in midlatitudes, where carbonate will be relatively undersaturated. Trepostome bryozoan genera show a similar but weaker trend for the Ordovician to Devonian, suggesting that, like the cryptostomes, they were unable to metabolically overcome falling saturation states and simply precipitated less robust skeletons at higher latitudes. Carboniferous to Triassic trepostomes differ, however, and show a trend toward increased calcification at higher latitudes, indicating an ability to overcome unfavorable carbonate saturation states. Analysis of Permian trepostomes at the species level indicates this is most pronounced in the Southern Hemisphere, where calcification is matched by increased feeding capacity. It is proposed that this increased feeding capacity allowed trepostomes to metabolically overcome unfavorable carbonate saturation states. The differing responses of trepostome and cryptostome bryozoans to carbonate saturation states suggest that bryozoans should not be considered as a single group in marine extinctions linked to ocean chemistry changes. Likewise, it would suggest that modern stenolaemate and gymnolaemate bryozoans should be treated separately when considering their response to modern ocean chemistry changes.