Modeling the potential area of occupancy at fine resolution may reduce uncertainty in species range estimates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jiménez-Alfaro, Borja; Draper, David; Nogues, David Bravo

2012-01-01

and maximum entropy modeling to assess whether different sampling (expert versus systematic surveys) may affect AOO estimates based on habitat suitability maps, and the differences between such measurements and traditional coarse-grid methods. Fine-scale models performed robustly and were not influenced...... by survey protocols, providing similar habitat suitability outputs with high spatial agreement. Model-based estimates of potential AOO were significantly smaller than AOO measures obtained from coarse-scale grids, even if the first were obtained from conservative thresholds based on the Minimal Predicted...... permit comparable measures among species. We conclude that estimates of AOO based on fine-resolution distribution models are more robust tools for risk assessment than traditional systems, allowing a better understanding of species ranges at habitat level....

Segregation of male-sterility alleles across a species boundary.

Science.gov (United States)

Weller, S G; Sakai, A K; Culley, T M; Duong, L; Danielson, R E

2014-02-01

Hybrid zones may serve as bridges permitting gene flow between species, including alleles influencing the evolution of breeding systems. Using greenhouse crosses, we assessed the likelihood that a hybrid zone could serve as a conduit for transfer of nuclear male-sterility alleles between a gynodioecious species and a hermaphroditic species with very rare females in some populations. Segregation patterns in progeny of crosses between rare females of hermaphroditic Schiedea menziesii and hermaphroditic plants of gynodioecious Schiedea salicaria heterozygous at the male-sterility locus, and between female S. salicaria and hermaphroditic plants from the hybrid zone, were used to determine whether male-sterility was controlled at the same locus in the parental species and the hybrid zone. Segregations of females and hermaphrodites in approximately equal ratios from many of the crosses indicate that the same nuclear male-sterility allele occurs in the parent species and the hybrid zone. These rare male-sterility alleles in S. menziesii may result from gene flow from S. salicaria through the hybrid zone, presumably facilitated by wind pollination in S. salicaria. Alternatively, rare male-sterility alleles might result from a reversal from gynodioecy to hermaphroditism in S. menziesii, or possibly de novo evolution of male sterility. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that some species of Schiedea have probably evolved separate sexes independently, but not in the lineage containing S. salicaria and S. menziesii. High levels of selfing and expression of strong inbreeding depression in S. menziesii, which together should favour females in populations, argue against a reversal from gynodioecy to hermaphroditism in S. menziesii. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2014 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Clonal growth and fine-scale genetic structure in tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus: Fagaceae)

Science.gov (United States)

Richard S. Dodd; Wasima Mayer; Alejandro Nettel; Zara Afzal-Rafii

2013-01-01

The combination of sprouting and reproduction by seed can have important consequences on fine-scale spatial distribution of genetic structure (SGS). SGS is an important consideration for species’ restoration because it determines the minimum distance among seed trees to maximize genetic diversity while not prejudicing locally adapted genotypes. Local environmental...

Identification of fine-leaved species of genus Festuca by molecular methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stukonis, V.; Armoniene, R.; Kemesyte, V.

2015-01-01

Festuca (L.) is a taxonomically complex genus of family Poaceae. The fine-leaved species of fescue are well adapted to grow in sandy and dry habitats, therefore, they can be used for establishment of lawns of minimal maintenance as well as recultivations of damaged soils. Breeding for the new varieties to meet these purposes requires reliable methods for identification of the species. The discrimination of fine-leaved fescue species based on morphological features is rather difficult, therefore reliable molecular marker would greatly facilitate it and eliminate the need to wait till floral organs are fully formed. Seven fine-leaved species of genus Festuca collected in Lithuania, namely, F. ovina, F. trachyphylla, F. polesica, F. psammophila, F. sabulosa, F. pseudovina and F. wolgensis were investigated at the Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry. The ISSR markers, seed storage proteins and isozymes were tested for their ability to distinguish between the fine-leaved species of the genus Festuca. Seed storage protein and ISSR fingerprint profiles could be used to distinguish between fine-leaved species of Festuca, except for closely related F. sabulosa and F. polesica species. Isozyme fingerprints did not contain sufficient number of species specific bands and were not feasible to discriminate between species. (author)

Fine-scale foraging ecology of leatherback turtles

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Bryan P Wallace

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Remote tracking of migratory species and statistical modeling of behaviors have enabled identification of areas that are of high ecological value to these widely distributed taxa. However, direct observations at fine spatio-temporal scales are often needed to correctly interpret behaviors. In this study, we combined GPS-derived locations and archival dive records (1 sec sampling rate with animal-borne video footage from foraging leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea in Nova Scotia, Canada (Northwest Atlantic Ocean to generate the most highly detailed description of natural leatherback behavior presented to date. Turtles traveled shorter distances at slower rates and increased diving rates in areas of high prey abundance, which resulted in higher prey capture rates. Increased foraging effort (e.g., dive rate, dive duration, prey handling time, number of bites was not associated with increased time at the surface breathing to replenish oxygen stores. Instead, leatherbacks generally performed short, shallow dives in the photic zone to or above the thermocline, where they disproportionately captured prey at bottoms of dives and during ascents. This foraging strategy supports visual prey detection, allows leatherbacks to exploit physically structured prey at relatively shallow depths (typically <30m, and increases time turtles spend in warmer water temperatures, thus optimizing net energy acquisition. Our results demonstrate that leatherbacks appear to be continuously foraging during daylight hours while in continental shelf waters of Nova Scotia, and that leatherback foraging behavior is driven by prey availability, not by whether or not a turtle is in a resource patch characterized by a particular size or prey density. Our study demonstrates the fundamental importance of obtaining field-based, direct observations of true behaviors at fine spatial and temporal scales to enhance our efforts to both study and manage migratory species.

Measuring Fine-Scale White-Tailed Deer Movements and Environmental Influences Using GPS Collars

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Stephen L. Webb

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Few studies have documented fine-scale movements of ungulate species, including white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus, despite the advent of global positioning system (GPS technology incorporated into tracking devices. We collected fine-scale temporal location estimates (i.e., 15 min/relocation attempt from 17 female and 15 male white-tailed deer over 7 years and 3 seasons in Oklahoma, USA. Our objectives were to document fine-scale movements of females and males and determine effects of reproductive phase, moon phase, and short-term weather patterns on movements. Female and male movements were primarily crepuscular. Male total daily movements were 20% greater during rut (7,363m±364 than postrut (6,156m±260. Female daily movements were greatest during postparturition (3,357m±91, followed by parturition (2,902m±107, and preparturition (2,682m±121. We found moon phase had no effect on daily, nocturnal, and diurnal deer movements and fine-scale temporal weather conditions had an inconsistent influence on deer movement patterns within season. Our data suggest that hourly and daily variation in weather events have minimal impact on movements of white-tailed deer in southern latitudes. Instead, routine crepuscular movements, presumed to maximize thermoregulation and minimize predation risk, appear to be the most important factors influencing movements.

Evaluating β Diversity as a Surrogate for Species Representation at Fine Scale.

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Paul Beier

Full Text Available Species turnover or β diversity is a conceptually attractive surrogate for conservation planning. However, there has been only 1 attempt to determine how well sites selected to maximize β diversity represent species, and that test was done at a scale too coarse (2,500 km2 sites to inform most conservation decisions. We used 8 plant datasets, 3 bird datasets, and 1 mammal dataset to evaluate whether sites selected to span β diversity will efficiently represent species at finer scale (sites sizes < 1 ha to 625 km2. We used ordinations to characterize dissimilarity in species assemblages (β diversity among plots (inventory data or among grid cells (atlas data. We then selected sites to maximize β diversity and used the Species Accumulation Index, SAI, to evaluate how efficiently the surrogate (selecting sites for maximum β diversity represented species in the same taxon. Across all 12 datasets, sites selected for maximum β diversity represented species with a median efficiency of 24% (i.e., the surrogate was 24% more effective than random selection of sites, and an interquartile range of 4% to 41% efficiency. β diversity was a better surrogate for bird datasets than for plant datasets, and for atlas datasets with 10-km to 14-km grid cells than for atlas datasets with 25-km grid cells. We conclude that β diversity is more than a mere descriptor of how species are distributed on the landscape; in particular β diversity might be useful to maximize the complementarity of a set of sites. Because we tested only within-taxon surrogacy, our results do not prove that β diversity is useful for conservation planning. But our results do justify further investigation to identify the circumstances in which β diversity performs well, and to evaluate it as a cross-taxon surrogate.

Predicting habitat suitability for rare plants at local spatial scales using a species distribution model.

Science.gov (United States)

Gogol-Prokurat, Melanie

2011-01-01

If species distribution models (SDMs) can rank habitat suitability at a local scale, they may be a valuable conservation planning tool for rare, patchily distributed species. This study assessed the ability of Maxent, an SDM reported to be appropriate for modeling rare species, to rank habitat suitability at a local scale for four edaphic endemic rare plants of gabbroic soils in El Dorado County, California, and examined the effects of grain size, spatial extent, and fine-grain environmental predictors on local-scale model accuracy. Models were developed using species occurrence data mapped on public lands and were evaluated using an independent data set of presence and absence locations on surrounding lands, mimicking a typical conservation-planning scenario that prioritizes potential habitat on unsurveyed lands surrounding known occurrences. Maxent produced models that were successful at discriminating between suitable and unsuitable habitat at the local scale for all four species, and predicted habitat suitability values were proportional to likelihood of occurrence or population abundance for three of four species. Unfortunately, models with the best discrimination (i.e., AUC) were not always the most useful for ranking habitat suitability. The use of independent test data showed metrics that were valuable for evaluating which variables and model choices (e.g., grain, extent) to use in guiding habitat prioritization for conservation of these species. A goodness-of-fit test was used to determine whether habitat suitability values ranked habitat suitability on a continuous scale. If they did not, a minimum acceptable error predicted area criterion was used to determine the threshold for classifying habitat as suitable or unsuitable. I found a trade-off between model extent and the use of fine-grain environmental variables: goodness of fit was improved at larger extents, and fine-grain environmental variables improved local-scale accuracy, but fine-grain variables

PICH promotes mitotic chromosome segregation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Christian Thomas Friberg; Hickson, Ian D

2016-01-01

PICH is an SNF2-family DNA translocase that appears to play a role specifically in mitosis. Characterization of PICH in human cells led to the initial discovery of "ultra-fine DNA bridges" (UFBs) that connect the 2 segregating DNA masses in the anaphase of mitosis. These bridge structures, which...... further the role of PICH in the timely segregation of the rDNA locus....

Unpackaging residential segregation: the importance of scale and informal market processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter M. Ward

2010-06-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses two principal issues: a the scale at which one examines urban segregation; and b how informality, specifically accessibility to land markets and the process of land appropriation by low-income groups in Latin American cities, influences segregation patterns. Using Mexico City as a case study for Latin America, it shows that macro residential segregation levels are not becoming more polarized as many believe, due to informality of the market place and the weak state intervention through planning and zoning. However, there is a hardening of boundaries between adjacent neighborhoods as people turn to gated communities, largely for security reasons. Case study material from three Mexican cities are presented to examine how the nature of residential land costs and market segmentation contributes to segregation in Latin American cities. In a second case study, data from peri-urban low-income self-build settlements (colonias in Texas cities demonstrate how existing inequality patterns can be reproduced by differential access to land markets. They further argue a case that such isolated (rural settlements serving nearby urban labor market, should also be included in any analysis of urban segregation patterns, even if they do not form part of the contiguous urban area.

Hierarchical Learning of Tree Classifiers for Large-Scale Plant Species Identification.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Jianping; Zhou, Ning; Peng, Jinye; Gao, Ling

2015-11-01

In this paper, a hierarchical multi-task structural learning algorithm is developed to support large-scale plant species identification, where a visual tree is constructed for organizing large numbers of plant species in a coarse-to-fine fashion and determining the inter-related learning tasks automatically. For a given parent node on the visual tree, it contains a set of sibling coarse-grained categories of plant species or sibling fine-grained plant species, and a multi-task structural learning algorithm is developed to train their inter-related classifiers jointly for enhancing their discrimination power. The inter-level relationship constraint, e.g., a plant image must first be assigned to a parent node (high-level non-leaf node) correctly if it can further be assigned to the most relevant child node (low-level non-leaf node or leaf node) on the visual tree, is formally defined and leveraged to learn more discriminative tree classifiers over the visual tree. Our experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of our hierarchical multi-task structural learning algorithm on training more discriminative tree classifiers for large-scale plant species identification.

Microsatellite variation suggests a recent fine-scale population structure of Drosophila sechellia, a species endemic of the Seychelles archipelago.

Science.gov (United States)

Legrand, Delphine; Vautrin, Dominique; Lachaise, Daniel; Cariou, Marie-Louise

2011-07-01

Drosophila sechellia is closely related to the cosmopolitan and widespread model species, D. simulans. This species, endemic to the Seychelles archipelago, is specialized on the fruits of Morinda citrifolia, and harbours the lowest overall genetic diversity compared to other species of Drosophila. This low diversity is associated with a small population size. In addition, no obvious population structure has been evidenced so far across islands of the Seychelles archipelago. Here, a microsatellite panel of 17 loci in ten populations from nine islands of the Seychelles was used to assess the effect of the D. sechellia's fragmented distribution on the fine-scale population genetic structure, the migration pattern, as well as on the demography of the species. Contrary to previous results, also based on microsatellites, no evidence for population contraction in D. sechellia was found. The results confirm previous studies based on gene sequence polymorphism that showed a long-term stable population size for this species. Interestingly, a pattern of Isolation By Distance which had not been described yet in D. sechellia was found, with evidence of first-generation migrants between some neighbouring islands. Bayesian structuring algorithm results were consistent with a split of D. sechellia into two main groups of populations: Silhouette/Mahé versus all the other islands. Thus, microsatellites suggest that variability in D. sechellia is most likely explained by local genetic exchanges between neighbouring islands that have recently resulted in slight differentiation of the two largest island populations from all the others.

Fine and Coarse-Scale Patterns of Vegetation Diversity on Reclaimed Surface Mine-land Over a 40-Year Chronosequence.

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Bohrer, Stefanie L; Limb, Ryan F; Daigh, Aaron L; Volk, Jay M; Wick, Abbey F

2017-03-01

Rangelands are described as heterogeneous, due to patterning in species assemblages and productivity that arise from species dispersal and interactions with environmental gradients and disturbances across multiple scales. The objectives of rangeland reclamation are typically vegetation establishment, plant community productivity, and soil stability. However, while fine-scale diversity is often promoted through species-rich seed mixes, landscape heterogeneity and coarse-scale diversity are largely overlooked. Our objectives were to evaluate fine and coarse-scale vegetation patterns across a 40-year reclamation chronosequence on reclaimed surface coalmine lands. We hypothesized that both α-diversity and β-diversity would increase and community patch size and species dissimilarity to reference sites would decrease on independent sites over 40 years. Plant communities were surveyed on 19 post-coalmine reclaimed sites and four intact native reference sites in central North Dakota mixed-grass prairie. Our results showed no differences in α or β-diversity and plant community patch size over the 40-year chronosequence. However, both α-diversity and β-diversity on reclaimed sites was similar to reference sites. Native species establishment was limited due to the presence of non-native species such as Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) on both the reclaimed and reference sites. Species composition was different between reclaimed and reference sites and community dissimilarity increased on reclaimed sites over the 40-year chronosequence. Plant communities resulting from reclamation followed non-equilibrium succession, even with consistent seeds mixes established across all reclaimed years. This suggests post-reclamation management strategies influence species composition outcomes and land management strategies applied uniformly may not increase landscape-level diversity.

Decomposing Multi‐Level Ethnic Segregation in Auckland, New Zealand, 2001–2013 : Segregation Intensity for Multiple Groups at Multiple Scales

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Manley, D.J.; Johnston, Ron; Jones, Kelvyn

2018-01-01

There has been a growing appreciation that the processes generating urban residential segregation operate at multiple scales, stimulating innovations into the measurement of their outcomes. This paper applies a multi‐level modelling approach to that issue to the situation in Auckland, where multiple

Hierarchical spatial segregation of two Mediterranean vole species: the role of patch-network structure and matrix composition.

Science.gov (United States)

Pita, Ricardo; Lambin, Xavier; Mira, António; Beja, Pedro

2016-09-01

According to ecological theory, the coexistence of competitors in patchy environments may be facilitated by hierarchical spatial segregation along axes of environmental variation, but empirical evidence is limited. Cabrera and water voles show a metapopulation-like structure in Mediterranean farmland, where they are known to segregate along space, habitat, and time axes within habitat patches. Here, we assess whether segregation also occurs among and within landscapes, and how this is influenced by patch-network and matrix composition. We surveyed 75 landscapes, each covering 78 ha, where we mapped all habitat patches potentially suitable for Cabrera and water voles, and the area effectively occupied by each species (extent of occupancy). The relatively large water vole tended to be the sole occupant of landscapes with high habitat amount but relatively low patch density (i.e., with a few large patches), and with a predominantly agricultural matrix, whereas landscapes with high patch density (i.e., many small patches) and low agricultural cover, tended to be occupied exclusively by the small Cabrera vole. The two species tended to co-occur in landscapes with intermediate patch-network and matrix characteristics, though their extents of occurrence were negatively correlated after controlling for environmental effects. In combination with our previous studies on the Cabrera-water vole system, these findings illustrated empirically the occurrence of hierarchical spatial segregation, ranging from within-patches to among-landscapes. Overall, our study suggests that recognizing the hierarchical nature of spatial segregation patterns and their major environmental drivers should enhance our understanding of species coexistence in patchy environments.

Fine-scale topography in sensory systems: insights from Drosophila and vertebrates.

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Kaneko, Takuya; Ye, Bing

2015-09-01

To encode the positions of sensory stimuli, sensory circuits form topographic maps in the central nervous system through specific point-to-point connections between pre- and postsynaptic neurons. In vertebrate visual systems, the establishment of topographic maps involves the formation of a coarse topography followed by that of fine-scale topography that distinguishes the axon terminals of neighboring neurons. It is known that intrinsic differences in the form of broad gradients of guidance molecules instruct coarse topography while neuronal activity is required for fine-scale topography. On the other hand, studies in the Drosophila visual system have shown that intrinsic differences in cell adhesion among the axon terminals of neighboring neurons instruct the fine-scale topography. Recent studies on activity-dependent topography in the Drosophila somatosensory system have revealed a role of neuronal activity in creating molecular differences among sensory neurons for establishing fine-scale topography, implicating a conserved principle. Here we review the findings in both Drosophila and vertebrates and propose an integrated model for fine-scale topography.

Continuum modelling of segregating tridisperse granular chute flow

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Zhekai; Umbanhowar, Paul B.; Ottino, Julio M.; Lueptow, Richard M.

2018-03-01

Segregation and mixing of size multidisperse granular materials remain challenging problems in many industrial applications. In this paper, we apply a continuum-based model that captures the effects of segregation, diffusion and advection for size tridisperse granular flow in quasi-two-dimensional chute flow. The model uses the kinematics of the flow and other physical parameters such as the diffusion coefficient and the percolation length scale, quantities that can be determined directly from experiment, simulation or theory and that are not arbitrarily adjustable. The predictions from the model are consistent with experimentally validated discrete element method (DEM) simulations over a wide range of flow conditions and particle sizes. The degree of segregation depends on the Péclet number, Pe, defined as the ratio of the segregation rate to the diffusion rate, the relative segregation strength κij between particle species i and j, and a characteristic length L, which is determined by the strength of segregation between smallest and largest particles. A parametric study of particle size, κij, Pe and L demonstrates how particle segregation patterns depend on the interplay of advection, segregation and diffusion. Finally, the segregation pattern is also affected by the velocity profile and the degree of basal slip at the chute surface. The model is applicable to different flow geometries, and should be easily adapted to segregation driven by other particle properties such as density and shape.

Dispersal, mating events and fine-scale genetic structure in the lesser flat-headed bats.

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, Panyu; Zhang, Libiao; Guo, Tingting; Flanders, Jon; Zhang, Shuyi

2013-01-01

Population genetic structure has important consequences in evolutionary processes and conservation genetics in animals. Fine-scale population genetic structure depends on the pattern of landscape, the permanent movement of individuals, and the dispersal of their genes during temporary mating events. The lesser flat-headed bat (Tylonycteris pachypus) is a nonmigratory Asian bat species that roosts in small groups within the internodes of bamboo stems and the habitats are fragmented. Our previous parentage analyses revealed considerable extra-group mating in this species. To assess the spatial limits and sex-biased nature of gene flow in the same population, we used 20 microsatellite loci and mtDNA sequencing of the ND2 gene to quantify genetic structure among 54 groups of adult flat-headed bats, at nine localities in South China. AMOVA and F(ST) estimates revealed significant genetic differentiation among localities. Alternatively, the pairwise F(ST) values among roosting groups appeared to be related to the incidence of associated extra-group breeding, suggesting the impact of mating events on fine-scale genetic structure. Global spatial autocorrelation analyses showed positive genetic correlation for up to 3 km, indicating the role of fragmented habitat and the specialized social organization as a barrier in the movement of individuals among bamboo forests. The male-biased dispersal pattern resulted in weaker spatial genetic structure between localities among males than among females, and fine-scale analyses supported that relatedness levels within internodes were higher among females than among males. Finally, only females were more related to their same sex roost mates than to individuals from neighbouring roosts, suggestive of natal philopatry in females.

Dispersal, mating events and fine-scale genetic structure in the lesser flat-headed bats.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panyu Hua

Full Text Available Population genetic structure has important consequences in evolutionary processes and conservation genetics in animals. Fine-scale population genetic structure depends on the pattern of landscape, the permanent movement of individuals, and the dispersal of their genes during temporary mating events. The lesser flat-headed bat (Tylonycteris pachypus is a nonmigratory Asian bat species that roosts in small groups within the internodes of bamboo stems and the habitats are fragmented. Our previous parentage analyses revealed considerable extra-group mating in this species. To assess the spatial limits and sex-biased nature of gene flow in the same population, we used 20 microsatellite loci and mtDNA sequencing of the ND2 gene to quantify genetic structure among 54 groups of adult flat-headed bats, at nine localities in South China. AMOVA and F(ST estimates revealed significant genetic differentiation among localities. Alternatively, the pairwise F(ST values among roosting groups appeared to be related to the incidence of associated extra-group breeding, suggesting the impact of mating events on fine-scale genetic structure. Global spatial autocorrelation analyses showed positive genetic correlation for up to 3 km, indicating the role of fragmented habitat and the specialized social organization as a barrier in the movement of individuals among bamboo forests. The male-biased dispersal pattern resulted in weaker spatial genetic structure between localities among males than among females, and fine-scale analyses supported that relatedness levels within internodes were higher among females than among males. Finally, only females were more related to their same sex roost mates than to individuals from neighbouring roosts, suggestive of natal philopatry in females.

Does species richness affect fine root biomass and production in young forest plantations?

Science.gov (United States)

Domisch, Timo; Finér, Leena; Dawud, Seid Muhie; Vesterdal, Lars; Raulund-Rasmussen, Karsten

2015-02-01

Tree species diversity has been reported to increase forest ecosystem above-ground biomass and productivity, but little is known about below-ground biomass and production in diverse mixed forests compared to single-species forests. For testing whether species richness increases below-ground biomass and production and thus complementarity between forest tree species in young stands, we determined fine root biomass and production of trees and ground vegetation in two experimental plantations representing gradients in tree species richness. Additionally, we measured tree fine root length and determined species composition from fine root biomass samples with the near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy method. We did not observe higher biomass or production in mixed stands compared to monocultures. Neither did we observe any differences in tree root length or fine root turnover. One reason for this could be that these stands were still young, and canopy closure had not always taken place, i.e. a situation where above- or below-ground competition did not yet exist. Another reason could be that the rooting traits of the tree species did not differ sufficiently to support niche differentiation. Our results suggested that functional group identity (i.e. conifers vs. broadleaved species) can be more important for below-ground biomass and production than the species richness itself, as conifers seemed to be more competitive in colonising the soil volume, compared to broadleaved species.

Spatial Downscaling of TRMM Precipitation Using Geostatistics and Fine Scale Environmental Variables

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

No-Wook Park

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A geostatistical downscaling scheme is presented and can generate fine scale precipitation information from coarse scale Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM data by incorporating auxiliary fine scale environmental variables. Within the geostatistical framework, the TRMM precipitation data are first decomposed into trend and residual components. Quantitative relationships between coarse scale TRMM data and environmental variables are then estimated via regression analysis and used to derive trend components at a fine scale. Next, the residual components, which are the differences between the trend components and the original TRMM data, are then downscaled at a target fine scale via area-to-point kriging. The trend and residual components are finally added to generate fine scale precipitation estimates. Stochastic simulation is also applied to the residual components in order to generate multiple alternative realizations and to compute uncertainty measures. From an experiment using a digital elevation model (DEM and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, the geostatistical downscaling scheme generated the downscaling results that reflected detailed characteristics with better predictive performance, when compared with downscaling without the environmental variables. Multiple realizations and uncertainty measures from simulation also provided useful information for interpretations and further environmental modeling.

Integration and segregation of large-scale brain networks during short-term task automatization.

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Mohr, Holger; Wolfensteller, Uta; Betzel, Richard F; Mišić, Bratislav; Sporns, Olaf; Richiardi, Jonas; Ruge, Hannes

2016-11-03

The human brain is organized into large-scale functional networks that can flexibly reconfigure their connectivity patterns, supporting both rapid adaptive control and long-term learning processes. However, it has remained unclear how short-term network dynamics support the rapid transformation of instructions into fluent behaviour. Comparing fMRI data of a learning sample (N=70) with a control sample (N=67), we find that increasingly efficient task processing during short-term practice is associated with a reorganization of large-scale network interactions. Practice-related efficiency gains are facilitated by enhanced coupling between the cingulo-opercular network and the dorsal attention network. Simultaneously, short-term task automatization is accompanied by decreasing activation of the fronto-parietal network, indicating a release of high-level cognitive control, and a segregation of the default mode network from task-related networks. These findings suggest that short-term task automatization is enabled by the brain's ability to rapidly reconfigure its large-scale network organization involving complementary integration and segregation processes.

Fine-scale genetic characterization of Plasmodium falciparum ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

RESEARCH ARTICLE. Fine-scale genetic characterization of Plasmodium falciparum .... Materials and methods. The DNA ... the order and location of genes (as per the PlasmoDB data resources, available at ... There is currently an. Figure 5.

A genome-wide, fine-scale map of natural pigmentation variation in Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Héloïse Bastide

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Various approaches can be applied to uncover the genetic basis of natural phenotypic variation, each with their specific strengths and limitations. Here, we use a replicated genome-wide association approach (Pool-GWAS to fine-scale map genomic regions contributing to natural variation in female abdominal pigmentation in Drosophila melanogaster, a trait that is highly variable in natural populations and highly heritable in the laboratory. We examined abdominal pigmentation phenotypes in approximately 8000 female European D. melanogaster, isolating 1000 individuals with extreme phenotypes. We then used whole-genome Illumina sequencing to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs segregating in our sample, and tested these for associations with pigmentation by contrasting allele frequencies between replicate pools of light and dark individuals. We identify two small regions near the pigmentation genes tan and bric-à-brac 1, both corresponding to known cis-regulatory regions, which contain SNPs showing significant associations with pigmentation variation. While the Pool-GWAS approach suffers some limitations, its cost advantage facilitates replication and it can be applied to any non-model system with an available reference genome.

A genome-wide, fine-scale map of natural pigmentation variation in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Bastide, Héloïse; Betancourt, Andrea; Nolte, Viola; Tobler, Raymond; Stöbe, Petra; Futschik, Andreas; Schlötterer, Christian

2013-06-01

Various approaches can be applied to uncover the genetic basis of natural phenotypic variation, each with their specific strengths and limitations. Here, we use a replicated genome-wide association approach (Pool-GWAS) to fine-scale map genomic regions contributing to natural variation in female abdominal pigmentation in Drosophila melanogaster, a trait that is highly variable in natural populations and highly heritable in the laboratory. We examined abdominal pigmentation phenotypes in approximately 8000 female European D. melanogaster, isolating 1000 individuals with extreme phenotypes. We then used whole-genome Illumina sequencing to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) segregating in our sample, and tested these for associations with pigmentation by contrasting allele frequencies between replicate pools of light and dark individuals. We identify two small regions near the pigmentation genes tan and bric-à-brac 1, both corresponding to known cis-regulatory regions, which contain SNPs showing significant associations with pigmentation variation. While the Pool-GWAS approach suffers some limitations, its cost advantage facilitates replication and it can be applied to any non-model system with an available reference genome.

Genome-Wide Fine-Scale Recombination Rate Variation in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Yun S.

2012-01-01

Estimating fine-scale recombination maps of Drosophila from population genomic data is a challenging problem, in particular because of the high background recombination rate. In this paper, a new computational method is developed to address this challenge. Through an extensive simulation study, it is demonstrated that the method allows more accurate inference, and exhibits greater robustness to the effects of natural selection and noise, compared to a well-used previous method developed for studying fine-scale recombination rate variation in the human genome. As an application, a genome-wide analysis of genetic variation data is performed for two Drosophila melanogaster populations, one from North America (Raleigh, USA) and the other from Africa (Gikongoro, Rwanda). It is shown that fine-scale recombination rate variation is widespread throughout the D. melanogaster genome, across all chromosomes and in both populations. At the fine-scale, a conservative, systematic search for evidence of recombination hotspots suggests the existence of a handful of putative hotspots each with at least a tenfold increase in intensity over the background rate. A wavelet analysis is carried out to compare the estimated recombination maps in the two populations and to quantify the extent to which recombination rates are conserved. In general, similarity is observed at very broad scales, but substantial differences are seen at fine scales. The average recombination rate of the X chromosome appears to be higher than that of the autosomes in both populations, and this pattern is much more pronounced in the African population than the North American population. The correlation between various genomic features—including recombination rates, diversity, divergence, GC content, gene content, and sequence quality—is examined using the wavelet analysis, and it is shown that the most notable difference between D. melanogaster and humans is in the correlation between recombination and

Genetic Architecture of Male Sterility and Segregation Distortion in Drosophila pseudoobscura Bogota–USA Hybrids

Science.gov (United States)

Phadnis, Nitin

2011-01-01

Understanding the genetic basis of reproductive isolation between recently diverged species is a central problem in evolutionary genetics. Here, I present analyses of the genetic architecture underlying hybrid male sterility and segregation distortion between the Bogota and USA subspecies of Drosophila pseudoobscura. Previously, a single gene, Overdrive (Ovd), was shown to be necessary but not sufficient for both male sterility and segregation distortion in F1 hybrids between these subspecies, requiring several interacting partner loci for full manifestation of hybrid phenomena. I map these partner loci separately on the Bogota X chromosome and USA autosomes using a combination of different mapping strategies. I find that hybrid sterility involves a single hybrid incompatibility of at least seven interacting partner genes that includes three large-effect loci. Segregation distortion involves three loci on the Bogota X chromosome and one locus on the autosomes. The genetic bases of hybrid sterility and segregation distortion are at least partially—but not completely—overlapping. My results lay the foundation for fine-mapping experiments to identify the complete set of genes that interact with Overdrive. While individual genes that cause hybrid sterility or inviability have been identified in a few cases, my analysis provides a comprehensive look at the genetic architecture of all components of a hybrid incompatibility underlying F1 hybrid sterility. Such an analysis would likely be unfeasible for most species pairs due to their divergence time and emphasizes the importance of young species pairs such as the D. pseudoobscura subspecies studied here. PMID:21900263

Genetic architecture of male sterility and segregation distortion in Drosophila pseudoobscura Bogota-USA hybrids.

Science.gov (United States)

Phadnis, Nitin

2011-11-01

Understanding the genetic basis of reproductive isolation between recently diverged species is a central problem in evolutionary genetics. Here, I present analyses of the genetic architecture underlying hybrid male sterility and segregation distortion between the Bogota and USA subspecies of Drosophila pseudoobscura. Previously, a single gene, Overdrive (Ovd), was shown to be necessary but not sufficient for both male sterility and segregation distortion in F(1) hybrids between these subspecies, requiring several interacting partner loci for full manifestation of hybrid phenomena. I map these partner loci separately on the Bogota X chromosome and USA autosomes using a combination of different mapping strategies. I find that hybrid sterility involves a single hybrid incompatibility of at least seven interacting partner genes that includes three large-effect loci. Segregation distortion involves three loci on the Bogota X chromosome and one locus on the autosomes. The genetic bases of hybrid sterility and segregation distortion are at least partially--but not completely--overlapping. My results lay the foundation for fine-mapping experiments to identify the complete set of genes that interact with Overdrive. While individual genes that cause hybrid sterility or inviability have been identified in a few cases, my analysis provides a comprehensive look at the genetic architecture of all components of a hybrid incompatibility underlying F(1) hybrid sterility. Such an analysis would likely be unfeasible for most species pairs due to their divergence time and emphasizes the importance of young species pairs such as the D. pseudoobscura subspecies studied here.

Radiation use in measurement and control of cement and fine aggregate segregation in mortar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veado, Maria Adelaide Rabelo Vasconcelos.

1991-09-01

Segregation of solid particles in a mortar for structural purposes was measured by a nuclear method in which the grains were marked by neutron activation. The influence of vibration time on segregation was studied, and the method was capable of detecting a segregation trend, that is a higher concentration of cement and finer aggregate particles in the upper longer of the specimens. Results were more significant when the finer grains were marked rather than. The coarser ones, due to statistical constraints imposed by the smaller quantities of the latter. The Segregation increased with increasing vibration times. The validity of the proposed nuclear method for segregation measurements has been confirmed. (author). 15 refs., 5 figs., 19 tabs

Assessment of fine-scale resource selection and spatially explicit habitat suitability modelling for a re-introduced tiger (Panthera tigris) population in central India.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkar, Mriganka Shekhar; Krishnamurthy, Ramesh; Johnson, Jeyaraj A; Sen, Subharanjan; Saha, Goutam Kumar

2017-01-01

Large carnivores influence ecosystem functions at various scales. Thus, their local extinction is not only a species-specific conservation concern, but also reflects on the overall habitat quality and ecosystem value. Species-habitat relationships at fine scale reflect the individuals' ability to procure resources and negotiate intraspecific competition. Such fine scale habitat choices are more pronounced in large carnivores such as tiger ( Panthera tigris ), which exhibits competitive exclusion in habitat and mate selection strategies. Although landscape level policies and conservation strategies are increasingly promoted for tiger conservation, specific management interventions require knowledge of the habitat correlates at fine scale. We studied nine radio-collared individuals of a successfully reintroduced tiger population in Panna Tiger Reserve, central India, focussing on the species-habitat relationship at fine scales. With 16 eco-geographical variables, we performed Manly's selection ratio and K-select analyses to define population-level and individual-level variation in resource selection, respectively. We analysed the data obtained during the exploratory period of six tigers and during the settled period of eight tigers separately, and compared the consequent results. We further used the settled period characteristics to model and map habitat suitability based on the Mahalanobis D 2 method and the Boyce index. There was a clear difference in habitat selection by tigers between the exploratory and the settled period. During the exploratory period, tigers selected dense canopy and bamboo forests, but also spent time near villages and relocated village sites. However, settled tigers predominantly selected bamboo forests in complex terrain, riverine forests and teak-mixed forest, and totally avoided human settlements and agriculture areas. There were individual variations in habitat selection between exploratory and settled periods. Based on threshold limits

The small-scale species mobility in calcareous grasslands - example from southern Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wojciech Bąba

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper I use the different measures of species mobility to describe the fine small-scale dynamics of calcareous grassland built mainly by perennial species and developed in the highly heterogeneous habitat of calcareous rocks. The community showed the low dynamics on a plot-scale (100 m2 and a high one on the scale of 1 m2. However, the studied species differed greatly in calculated indices: turnover rate, (T; 6-64, residence time (RT; 0.5-21.8 y and carousel time (CT; 4-420 y as well as the observed tendency to persistence on the spots (PERSIST and their re-colonisation (AGAIN. This allowed to distinguish the three groups of species: (1 "core species" characterized by high frequency and low T and high CT and RT values, which determine the low dynamics of a community on the plot scale, (2 species with intermediate mobility rate and (3 the group with high mobility rate. The observed cumulative frequencies of all the studied species (CFobs were much lower than expected under the random re-assignation model (CFRR. Moreover, they were also lower than those predicted by random immigration model (CFRI. The results showed that the "complex carousel" model rather than "single carousel" one explained better the small-scale dynamics of calcareous grasslands.

Fine scale distribution constrains cadmium accumulation rates in two geographical groups of Franciscana dolphin from Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polizzi, P.S.; Chiodi Boudet, L.N.; Romero, M.B.; Denuncio, P.E.; Rodríguez, D.H.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Fine scale distribution of two Argentine stocks constrains the Cd accumulation rates. • Cadmium levels and accumulation patterns were different between geographic groups. • Marine diet has a major influence than the impact degree of origin environment. • Engraulis anchoita is the main Cd vector species in Argentine shelf for Franciscana. • Information is valuable for the conservation of Franciscana, a vulnerable species. -- Abstract: Franciscana dolphin is an endemic cetacean in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean and is classified as Vulnerable A3d by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Cadmium accumulation was assessed in two geographic groups from Argentina; one inhabits the La Plata River estuary, a high anthropogenic impacted environment, and the other is distributed in marine coastal, with negligible pollution. Despite the environment, marine dolphins showed an increase of renal Cd concentrations since trophic independence; while in estuarine dolphins was from 6 years. This is associated with dietary Argentine anchovy which was absent in the diet of estuarine dolphins, being a trophic vector of cadmium in shelf waters of Argentina. Cluster analysis also showed high levels of cd in association with the presence of anchovy in the stomach. The difference in the fine scale distribution of species influences dietary exposure to Cd and, along with other data, indicates two stocks in Argentina

Fine-scale hydrodynamics influence the spatio-temporal distribution of harbour porpoises at a coastal hotspot

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, A. R.; Hosegood, P.; Wynn, R. B.; De Boer, M. N.; Butler-Cowdry, S.; Embling, C. B.

2014-11-01

The coastal Runnelstone Reef, off southwest Cornwall (UK), is characterised by complex topography and strong tidal flows and is a known high-density site for harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena); a European protected species. Using a multidisciplinary dataset including: porpoise sightings from a multi-year land-based survey, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiling (ADCP), vertical profiling of water properties and high-resolution bathymetry; we investigate how interactions between tidal flow and topography drive the fine-scale porpoise spatio-temporal distribution at the site. Porpoise sightings were distributed non-uniformly within the survey area with highest sighting density recorded in areas with steep slopes and moderate depths. Greater numbers of sightings were recorded during strong westward (ebbing) tidal flows compared to strong eastward (flooding) flows and slack water periods. ADCP and Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) data identified fine-scale hydrodynamic features, associated with cross-reef tidal flows in the sections of the survey area with the highest recorded densities of porpoises. We observed layered, vertically sheared flows that were susceptible to the generation of turbulence by shear instability. Additionally, the intense, oscillatory near surface currents led to hydraulically controlled flow that transitioned from subcritical to supercritical conditions; indicating that highly turbulent and energetic hydraulic jumps were generated along the eastern and western slopes of the reef. The depression and release of isopycnals in the lee of the reef during cross-reef flows revealed that the flow released lee waves during upslope currents at specific phases of the tidal cycle when the highest sighting rates were recorded. The results of this unique, fine-scale field study provide new insights into specific hydrodynamic features, produced through tidal forcing, that may be important for creating predictable foraging opportunities for porpoises at a

Niche segregation amongst sympatric species at exposed sandy shores with contrasting wrack availabilities illustrated by stable isotopic analysis

OpenAIRE

Bessa, Filipa; Baeta, Alexandra; Marques, João Carlos

2014-01-01

Wrack supplies (macroalgae, seagrasses and carrion) are a common feature of sandy beaches worldwide. These allochthonous inputs are a potential high-quality food subsidy for beach fauna, but little is known about the feeding ecology and niche segregation strategies of these species in beaches with limited wrack availabilities. We used stable isotopic ratios of nitrogen and carbon to examine the diets and niche segregation among three sympatric crustaceans, the amphipods Talitrus s...

Understory Plant Community Composition Is Associated with Fine-Scale Above- and Below-Ground Resource Heterogeneity in Mature Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) Forests

Science.gov (United States)

McIntosh, Anne C. S.; Macdonald, S. Ellen; Quideau, Sylvie A.

2016-01-01

Understory plant communities play critical ecological roles in forest ecosystems. Both above- and below-ground ecosystem properties and processes influence these communities but relatively little is known about such effects at fine (i.e., one to several meters within-stand) scales, particularly for forests in which the canopy is dominated by a single species. An improved understanding of these effects is critical for understanding how understory biodiversity is regulated in such forests and for anticipating impacts of changing disturbance regimes. Our primary objective was to examine the patterns of fine-scale variation in understory plant communities and their relationships to above- and below-ground resource and environmental heterogeneity within mature lodgepole pine forests. We assessed composition and diversity of understory vegetation in relation to heterogeneity of both the above-ground (canopy tree density, canopy and tall shrub basal area and cover, downed wood biomass, litter cover) and below-ground (soil nutrient availability, decomposition, forest floor thickness, pH, and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and multiple carbon-source substrate-induced respiration (MSIR) of the forest floor microbial community) environment. There was notable variation in fine-scale plant community composition; cluster and indicator species analyses of the 24 most commonly occurring understory species distinguished four assemblages, one for which a pioneer forb species had the highest cover levels, and three others that were characterized by different bryophyte species having the highest cover. Constrained ordination (distance-based redundancy analysis) showed that two above-ground (mean tree diameter, litter cover) and eight below-ground (forest floor pH, plant available boron, microbial community composition and function as indicated by MSIR and PLFAs) properties were associated with variation in understory plant community composition. These results provide novel insights

Understory Plant Community Composition Is Associated with Fine-Scale Above- and Below-Ground Resource Heterogeneity in Mature Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta Forests.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne C S McIntosh

Full Text Available Understory plant communities play critical ecological roles in forest ecosystems. Both above- and below-ground ecosystem properties and processes influence these communities but relatively little is known about such effects at fine (i.e., one to several meters within-stand scales, particularly for forests in which the canopy is dominated by a single species. An improved understanding of these effects is critical for understanding how understory biodiversity is regulated in such forests and for anticipating impacts of changing disturbance regimes. Our primary objective was to examine the patterns of fine-scale variation in understory plant communities and their relationships to above- and below-ground resource and environmental heterogeneity within mature lodgepole pine forests. We assessed composition and diversity of understory vegetation in relation to heterogeneity of both the above-ground (canopy tree density, canopy and tall shrub basal area and cover, downed wood biomass, litter cover and below-ground (soil nutrient availability, decomposition, forest floor thickness, pH, and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs and multiple carbon-source substrate-induced respiration (MSIR of the forest floor microbial community environment. There was notable variation in fine-scale plant community composition; cluster and indicator species analyses of the 24 most commonly occurring understory species distinguished four assemblages, one for which a pioneer forb species had the highest cover levels, and three others that were characterized by different bryophyte species having the highest cover. Constrained ordination (distance-based redundancy analysis showed that two above-ground (mean tree diameter, litter cover and eight below-ground (forest floor pH, plant available boron, microbial community composition and function as indicated by MSIR and PLFAs properties were associated with variation in understory plant community composition. These results provide

Understory Plant Community Composition Is Associated with Fine-Scale Above- and Below-Ground Resource Heterogeneity in Mature Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) Forests.

Science.gov (United States)

McIntosh, Anne C S; Macdonald, S Ellen; Quideau, Sylvie A

2016-01-01

Understory plant communities play critical ecological roles in forest ecosystems. Both above- and below-ground ecosystem properties and processes influence these communities but relatively little is known about such effects at fine (i.e., one to several meters within-stand) scales, particularly for forests in which the canopy is dominated by a single species. An improved understanding of these effects is critical for understanding how understory biodiversity is regulated in such forests and for anticipating impacts of changing disturbance regimes. Our primary objective was to examine the patterns of fine-scale variation in understory plant communities and their relationships to above- and below-ground resource and environmental heterogeneity within mature lodgepole pine forests. We assessed composition and diversity of understory vegetation in relation to heterogeneity of both the above-ground (canopy tree density, canopy and tall shrub basal area and cover, downed wood biomass, litter cover) and below-ground (soil nutrient availability, decomposition, forest floor thickness, pH, and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and multiple carbon-source substrate-induced respiration (MSIR) of the forest floor microbial community) environment. There was notable variation in fine-scale plant community composition; cluster and indicator species analyses of the 24 most commonly occurring understory species distinguished four assemblages, one for which a pioneer forb species had the highest cover levels, and three others that were characterized by different bryophyte species having the highest cover. Constrained ordination (distance-based redundancy analysis) showed that two above-ground (mean tree diameter, litter cover) and eight below-ground (forest floor pH, plant available boron, microbial community composition and function as indicated by MSIR and PLFAs) properties were associated with variation in understory plant community composition. These results provide novel insights

Spatial segregation in eastern North Pacific skate assemblages.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph J Bizzarro

Full Text Available Skates (Rajiformes: Rajoidei are common mesopredators in marine benthic communities. The spatial associations of individual species and the structure of assemblages are of considerable importance for effective monitoring and management of exploited skate populations. This study investigated the spatial associations of eastern North Pacific (ENP skates in continental shelf and upper continental slope waters of two regions: central California and the western Gulf of Alaska. Long-term survey data were analyzed using GIS/spatial analysis techniques and regression models to determine distribution (by depth, temperature, and latitude/longitude and relative abundance of the dominant species in each region. Submersible video data were incorporated for California to facilitate habitat association analysis. We addressed three main questions: 1 Are there regions of differential importance to skates?, 2 Are ENP skate assemblages spatially segregated?, and 3 When skates co-occur, do they differ in size? Skate populations were highly clustered in both regions, on scales of 10s of kilometers; however, high-density regions (i.e., hot spots were segregated among species. Skate densities and frequencies of occurrence were substantially lower in Alaska as compared to California. Although skates are generally found on soft sediment habitats, Raja rhina exhibited the strongest association with mixed substrates, and R. stellulata catches were greatest on rocky reefs. Size segregation was evident in regions where species overlapped substantially in geographic and depth distribution (e.g., R. rhina and Bathyraja kincaidii off California; B. aleutica and B. interrupta in the Gulf of Alaska. Spatial niche differentiation in skates appears to be more pronounced than previously reported.

Spatial segregation in eastern North Pacific skate assemblages.

Science.gov (United States)

Bizzarro, Joseph J; Broms, Kristin M; Logsdon, Miles G; Ebert, David A; Yoklavich, Mary M; Kuhnz, Linda A; Summers, Adam P

2014-01-01

Skates (Rajiformes: Rajoidei) are common mesopredators in marine benthic communities. The spatial associations of individual species and the structure of assemblages are of considerable importance for effective monitoring and management of exploited skate populations. This study investigated the spatial associations of eastern North Pacific (ENP) skates in continental shelf and upper continental slope waters of two regions: central California and the western Gulf of Alaska. Long-term survey data were analyzed using GIS/spatial analysis techniques and regression models to determine distribution (by depth, temperature, and latitude/longitude) and relative abundance of the dominant species in each region. Submersible video data were incorporated for California to facilitate habitat association analysis. We addressed three main questions: 1) Are there regions of differential importance to skates?, 2) Are ENP skate assemblages spatially segregated?, and 3) When skates co-occur, do they differ in size? Skate populations were highly clustered in both regions, on scales of 10s of kilometers; however, high-density regions (i.e., hot spots) were segregated among species. Skate densities and frequencies of occurrence were substantially lower in Alaska as compared to California. Although skates are generally found on soft sediment habitats, Raja rhina exhibited the strongest association with mixed substrates, and R. stellulata catches were greatest on rocky reefs. Size segregation was evident in regions where species overlapped substantially in geographic and depth distribution (e.g., R. rhina and Bathyraja kincaidii off California; B. aleutica and B. interrupta in the Gulf of Alaska). Spatial niche differentiation in skates appears to be more pronounced than previously reported.

Habitat segregation in fish assemblages

OpenAIRE

Ibbotson, A.T.

1990-01-01

The segregation of habitats of fish assemblages found in the chalk streams and rivers within the Wessex, South West and Southern Water Authority boundaries in southern England have been examined. Habitat segregation is the most frequent type of resource partitioning in natural communities. The habitat of individual fish species will be defined in order to determine the following: (1) the requirements of each species in terms of depth, current velocity, substrate, cover etc.; (2) identify the ...

Outlier SNP markers reveal fine-scale genetic structuring across European hake populations (Merluccius merluccius)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Milano, I.; Babbucci, M.; Cariani, A.

2014-01-01

fishery. Analysis of 850 individuals from 19 locations across the entire distribution range showed evidence for several outlier loci, with significantly higher resolving power. While 299 putatively neutral SNPs confirmed the genetic break between basins (FCT = 0.016) and weak differentiation within basins...... even when neutral markers provide genetic homogeneity across populations. Here, 381 SNPs located in transcribed regions were used to assess largeand fine-scale population structure in the European hake (Merluccius merluccius), a widely distributed demersal species of high priority for the European...

Does species richness affect fine root biomass and production in young forest plantations?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Domisch, Timo; Finér, Leena; Dawud, Seid Muhie

2015-01-01

Tree species diversity has been reported to increase forest ecosystem above-ground biomass and productivity, but little is known about below-ground biomass and production in diverse mixed forests compared to single-species forests. For testing whether species richness increases below-ground biomass...... and production and thus complementarity between forest tree species in young stands, we determined fine root biomass and production of trees and ground vegetation in two experimental plantations representing gradients in tree species richness. Additionally, we measured tree fine root length and determined...... be that these stands were still young, and canopy closure had not always taken place, i.e. a situation where above- or below-ground competition did not yet exist. Another reason could be that the rooting traits of the tree species did not differ sufficiently to support niche differentiation. Our results suggested...

Assessment of fine-scale resource selection and spatially explicit habitat suitability modelling for a re-introduced tiger (Panthera tigris population in central India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mriganka Shekhar Sarkar

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Background Large carnivores influence ecosystem functions at various scales. Thus, their local extinction is not only a species-specific conservation concern, but also reflects on the overall habitat quality and ecosystem value. Species-habitat relationships at fine scale reflect the individuals’ ability to procure resources and negotiate intraspecific competition. Such fine scale habitat choices are more pronounced in large carnivores such as tiger (Panthera tigris, which exhibits competitive exclusion in habitat and mate selection strategies. Although landscape level policies and conservation strategies are increasingly promoted for tiger conservation, specific management interventions require knowledge of the habitat correlates at fine scale. Methods We studied nine radio-collared individuals of a successfully reintroduced tiger population in Panna Tiger Reserve, central India, focussing on the species-habitat relationship at fine scales. With 16 eco-geographical variables, we performed Manly’s selection ratio and K-select analyses to define population-level and individual-level variation in resource selection, respectively. We analysed the data obtained during the exploratory period of six tigers and during the settled period of eight tigers separately, and compared the consequent results. We further used the settled period characteristics to model and map habitat suitability based on the Mahalanobis D2 method and the Boyce index. Results There was a clear difference in habitat selection by tigers between the exploratory and the settled period. During the exploratory period, tigers selected dense canopy and bamboo forests, but also spent time near villages and relocated village sites. However, settled tigers predominantly selected bamboo forests in complex terrain, riverine forests and teak-mixed forest, and totally avoided human settlements and agriculture areas. There were individual variations in habitat selection between exploratory

Fine-Scale Population Estimation by 3D Reconstruction of Urban Residential Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shixin; Tian, Ye; Zhou, Yi; Liu, Wenliang; Lin, Chenxi

2016-01-01

Fine-scale population estimation is essential in emergency response and epidemiological applications as well as urban planning and management. However, representing populations in heterogeneous urban regions with a finer resolution is a challenge. This study aims to obtain fine-scale population distribution based on 3D reconstruction of urban residential buildings with morphological operations using optical high-resolution (HR) images from the Chinese No. 3 Resources Satellite (ZY-3). Specifically, the research area was first divided into three categories when dasymetric mapping was taken into consideration. The results demonstrate that the morphological building index (MBI) yielded better results than built-up presence index (PanTex) in building detection, and the morphological shadow index (MSI) outperformed color invariant indices (CIIT) in shadow extraction and height retrieval. Building extraction and height retrieval were then combined to reconstruct 3D models and to estimate population. Final results show that this approach is effective in fine-scale population estimation, with a mean relative error of 16.46% and an overall Relative Total Absolute Error (RATE) of 0.158. This study gives significant insights into fine-scale population estimation in complicated urban landscapes, when detailed 3D information of buildings is unavailable. PMID:27775670

Coherent fine scale eddies in turbulence transition of spatially-developing mixing layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y.; Tanahashi, M.; Miyauchi, T.

2007-01-01

To investigate the relationship between characteristics of the coherent fine scale eddy and a laminar-turbulent transition, a direct numerical simulation (DNS) of a spatially-developing turbulent mixing layer with Re ω,0 = 700 was conducted. On the onset of the transition, strong coherent fine scale eddies appears in the mixing layer. The most expected value of maximum azimuthal velocity of the eddy is 2.0 times Kolmogorov velocity (u k ), and decreases to 1.2u k , which is an asymptotic value in the fully-developed state, through the transition. The energy dissipation rate around the eddy is twice as high compared with that in the fully-developed state. However, the most expected diameter and eigenvalues ratio of strain rate acting on the coherent fine scale eddy are maintained to be 8 times Kolmogorov length (η) and α:β:γ = -5:1:4 in the transition process. In addition to Kelvin-Helmholtz rollers, rib structures do not disappear in the transition process and are composed of lots of coherent fine scale eddies in the fully-developed state instead of a single eddy observed in early stage of the transition or in laminar flow

Fine mapping of the rice bacterial blight resistance gene Xa-4 and its co-segregation marker

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2000-01-01

An F2 population developed from the Xa-4 near isogenic lines,IR24 and IRBB4,was used for fine mapping of the rice bacterial blight resistance gene,Xa-4.Some restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers on the high-density map constructed by Harushima et al.and the amplified DNA fragments homologous to the conserved domains of plant disease resistance (R) genes were used to construct the genetic linkage map around the gene Xa-4 by scoring susceptible individuals in the population.Xa-4 was mapped between the RFLP marker G181 and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) marker M55.The R gene homologous fragment marker RS13 was found co-segregating with Xa-4 by analyzing all the plants in the population.This result opened an approach to map-based cloning of this gene,and marker RS13 can be applied to molecular marker-assisted selection of Xa-4 in rice breeding programs.

Small Scale Chemical Segregation Within Keplerian Disk Candidate G35.20-0.74N

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Veronica; van der Tak, Floris; Sánchez-Monge, Álvaro; Cesaroni, Riccardo; Beltrán, Maria T.

2016-06-01

In the study of high-mass star formation, hot cores are empirically defined stages where chemically rich emission is detected toward a massive protostar. It is unknown whether the physical origin of this emission is a disk, inner envelope, or outflow cavity wall and whether the hot core stage is common to all massive stars. With the advent of the highly sensitive sub-millimeter interferometer, ALMA, the ability to chemically characterize high mass star forming regions other than Orion has become possible. In the up-and-coming field of observational astrochemistry, these sensitive high resolution observations have opened up opportunities to find small scale variations in young protostellar sources.We have done an in depth analysis of high spatial resolution (~1000 AU) Cycle 0 ALMA observations of the high mass star forming region G35.20-0.74N, where Sánchez-Monge et al (2013) found evidence for Keplerian rotation. After further chemical analysis, numerous complex organic species have been identified in this region and we notice an interesting asymmetry in the distribution of the Nitrogen-bearing species within this source. In my talk, I will briefly outline the case for the disk and the consequences for this hypothesis following the chemical segregation we have seen.

Do ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular mycorrhizal temperate tree species systematically differ in root order-related fine root morphology and biomass?

OpenAIRE

Kubisch, Petra; Hertel, Dietrich; Leuschner, Christoph

2015-01-01

While most temperate broad-leaved tree species form ectomycorrhizal (EM) symbioses, a few species have arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM). It is not known whether EM and AM tree species differ systematically with respect to fine root morphology, fine root system size and root functioning. In a species-rich temperate mixed forest, we studied the fine root morphology and biomass of three EM and three AM tree species from the genera Acer, Carpinus, Fagus, Fraxinus, and Tilia searching for principal dif...

Fine-Scale Population Estimation by 3D Reconstruction of Urban Residential Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shixin Wang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Fine-scale population estimation is essential in emergency response and epidemiological applications as well as urban planning and management. However, representing populations in heterogeneous urban regions with a finer resolution is a challenge. This study aims to obtain fine-scale population distribution based on 3D reconstruction of urban residential buildings with morphological operations using optical high-resolution (HR images from the Chinese No. 3 Resources Satellite (ZY-3. Specifically, the research area was first divided into three categories when dasymetric mapping was taken into consideration. The results demonstrate that the morphological building index (MBI yielded better results than built-up presence index (PanTex in building detection, and the morphological shadow index (MSI outperformed color invariant indices (CIIT in shadow extraction and height retrieval. Building extraction and height retrieval were then combined to reconstruct 3D models and to estimate population. Final results show that this approach is effective in fine-scale population estimation, with a mean relative error of 16.46% and an overall Relative Total Absolute Error (RATE of 0.158. This study gives significant insights into fine-scale population estimation in complicated urban landscapes, when detailed 3D information of buildings is unavailable.

Whole-genome patterns of linkage disequilibrium across flycatcher populations clarify the causes and consequences of fine-scale recombination rate variation in birds.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawakami, Takeshi; Mugal, Carina F; Suh, Alexander; Nater, Alexander; Burri, Reto; Smeds, Linnéa; Ellegren, Hans

2017-08-01

Recombination rate is heterogeneous across the genome of various species and so are genetic diversity and differentiation as a consequence of linked selection. However, we still lack a clear picture of the underlying mechanisms for regulating recombination. Here we estimated fine-scale population recombination rate based on the patterns of linkage disequilibrium across the genomes of multiple populations of two closely related flycatcher species (Ficedula albicollis and F. hypoleuca). This revealed an overall conservation of the recombination landscape between these species at the scale of 200 kb, but we also identified differences in the local rate of recombination despite their recent divergence (recombination rate in a lineage-specific manner, indicating differences in the extent of linked selection between species. We detected 400-3,085 recombination hotspots per population. Location of hotspots was conserved between species, but the intensity of hotspot activity varied between species. Recombination hotspots were primarily associated with CpG islands (CGIs), regardless of whether CGIs were at promoter regions or away from genes. Recombination hotspots were also associated with specific transposable elements (TEs), but this association appears indirect due to shared preferences of the transposition machinery and the recombination machinery for accessible open chromatin regions. Our results suggest that CGIs are a major determinant of the localization of recombination hotspots, and we propose that both the distribution of TEs and fine-scale variation in recombination rate may be associated with the evolution of the epigenetic landscape. © 2017 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Doubly stochastic Poisson process models for precipitation at fine time-scales

Science.gov (United States)

Ramesh, Nadarajah I.; Onof, Christian; Xie, Dichao

2012-09-01

This paper considers a class of stochastic point process models, based on doubly stochastic Poisson processes, in the modelling of rainfall. We examine the application of this class of models, a neglected alternative to the widely-known Poisson cluster models, in the analysis of fine time-scale rainfall intensity. These models are mainly used to analyse tipping-bucket raingauge data from a single site but an extension to multiple sites is illustrated which reveals the potential of this class of models to study the temporal and spatial variability of precipitation at fine time-scales.

Finding your mate at a cocktail party: frequency separation promotes auditory stream segregation of concurrent voices in multi-species frog choruses.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vivek Nityananda

Full Text Available Vocal communication in crowded social environments is a difficult problem for both humans and nonhuman animals. Yet many important social behaviors require listeners to detect, recognize, and discriminate among signals in a complex acoustic milieu comprising the overlapping signals of multiple individuals, often of multiple species. Humans exploit a relatively small number of acoustic cues to segregate overlapping voices (as well as other mixtures of concurrent sounds, like polyphonic music. By comparison, we know little about how nonhuman animals are adapted to solve similar communication problems. One important cue enabling source segregation in human speech communication is that of frequency separation between concurrent voices: differences in frequency promote perceptual segregation of overlapping voices into separate "auditory streams" that can be followed through time. In this study, we show that frequency separation (ΔF also enables frogs to segregate concurrent vocalizations, such as those routinely encountered in mixed-species breeding choruses. We presented female gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis with a pulsed target signal (simulating an attractive conspecific call in the presence of a continuous stream of distractor pulses (simulating an overlapping, unattractive heterospecific call. When the ΔF between target and distractor was small (e.g., ≤3 semitones, females exhibited low levels of responsiveness, indicating a failure to recognize the target as an attractive signal when the distractor had a similar frequency. Subjects became increasingly more responsive to the target, as indicated by shorter latencies for phonotaxis, as the ΔF between target and distractor increased (e.g., ΔF = 6-12 semitones. These results support the conclusion that gray treefrogs, like humans, can exploit frequency separation as a perceptual cue to segregate concurrent voices in noisy social environments. The ability of these frogs to segregate

The utility of satellite observations for constraining fine-scale and transient methane sources

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, A. J.; Jacob, D.; Benmergui, J. S.; Brandman, J.; White, L.; Randles, C. A.

2017-12-01

Resolving differences between top-down and bottom-up emissions of methane from the oil and gas industry is difficult due, in part, to their fine-scale and often transient nature. There is considerable interest in using atmospheric observations to detect these sources. Satellite-based instruments are an attractive tool for this purpose and, more generally, for quantifying methane emissions on fine scales. A number of instruments are planned for launch in the coming years from both low earth and geostationary orbit, but the extent to which they can provide fine-scale information on sources has yet to be explored. Here we present an observation system simulation experiment (OSSE) exploring the tradeoffs between pixel resolution, measurement frequency, and instrument precision on the fine-scale information content of a space-borne instrument measuring methane. We use the WRF-STILT Lagrangian transport model to generate more than 200,000 column footprints at 1.3×1.3 km2 spatial resolution and hourly temporal resolution over the Barnett Shale in Texas. We sub-sample these footprints to match the observing characteristics of the planned TROPOMI and GeoCARB instruments as well as different hypothetical observing configurations. The information content of the various observing systems is evaluated using the Fisher information matrix and its singular values. We draw conclusions on the capabilities of the planned satellite instruments and how these capabilities could be improved for fine-scale source detection.

Particle-size segregation and diffusive remixing in shallow granular avalanches

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, J. M. N. T.; Chugunov, V. A.

2006-12-01

Segregation and mixing of dissimilar grains is a problem in many industrial and pharmaceutical processes, as well as in hazardous geophysical flows, where the size-distribution can have a major impact on the local rheology and the overall run-out. In this paper, a simple binary mixture theory is used to formulate a model for particle-size segregation and diffusive remixing of large and small particles in shallow gravity-driven free-surface flows. This builds on a recent theory for the process of kinetic sieving, which is the dominant mechanism for segregation in granular avalanches provided the density-ratio and the size-ratio of the particles are not too large. The resulting nonlinear parabolic segregation remixing equation reduces to a quasi-linear hyperbolic equation in the no-remixing limit. It assumes that the bulk velocity is incompressible and that the bulk pressure is lithostatic, making it compatible with most theories used to compute the motion of shallow granular free-surface flows. In steady-state, the segregation remixing equation reduces to a logistic type equation and the ‘S’-shaped solutions are in very good agreement with existing particle dynamics simulations for both size and density segregation. Laterally uniform time-dependent solutions are constructed by mapping the segregation remixing equation to Burgers equation and using the Cole Hopf transformation to linearize the problem. It is then shown how solutions for arbitrary initial conditions can be constructed using standard methods. Three examples are investigated in which the initial concentration is (i) homogeneous, (ii) reverse graded with the coarse grains above the fines, and, (iii) normally graded with the fines above the coarse grains. Time-dependent two-dimensional solutions are also constructed for plug-flow in a semi-infinite chute.

A quantitative analysis of fine scale distribution of intertidal meiofauna in response to food resources

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Ansari, Z.A.; Gauns, M.

Fine scale vertical and spatial distribution of meiofauna in relation to food abundance was studied in the intertidal sediment at Dias Beach. The major abiotic factors showed significant changes and progressive fine scale decrease in vertical...

Spawning segregation and philopatry are major prezygotic barriers in sympatric cryptic Mugil cephalus species.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Kang-Ning; Chang, Chih-Wei; Durand, Jean-Dominique

2015-12-01

The flathead mullet, Mugil cephalus, is a commercially vital fish in fisheries and aquaculture worldwide. Genetic analyses have recently revealed three cryptic species of M. cephalus in the Northwest Pacific. These species are sympatric in Taiwanese waters and specific reproductive behaviors have been suggested to be a major prezygotic barrier. Species composition was evaluated in samples of M. cephalus at different growth stages collected from various habitats (offshore spawning ground, estuarine nursery and feeding areas) over several months or years. The gonadosomatic index of adults and the body length of juveniles were recorded to determine the reproductive season and recruitment periods in estuaries. The results revealed partially temporal spawning isolation between species pairs, spatial segregation on specific spawning grounds and strong philopatry preclude hybridization. Thus, the results imply that traditional fisheries of mature fish in the Taiwan Strait target only one species, whereas aquaculture in Taiwan contain juveniles of all three species collected in estuaries. The ecological niche and demography of these species must be investigated further to estimate the impact of juvenile sources on aquaculture. Copyright © 2015 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Macroecological signals of species interactions in the Danish avifauna

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gotelli, N.J.; Graves, Christopher R.; Rahbek, C.

2010-01-01

that community-wide patterns of spatial segregation could not be attributed to the patchy distribution of habitat or to gross differences in habitat utilization among ecologically similar species. We hypothesize that, when habitat patch size is limited, conspecific attraction in concert with interspecific...... territoriality may result in spatially segregated distributions of ecologically similar species at larger spatial scales. In the Danish avifauna, the effects of species interactions on community assembly appear pervasive and can be discerned at grain sizes up to four orders of magnitude larger than those...

Monte Carlo simulations of adsorption-induced segregation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christoffersen, Ebbe; Stoltze, Per; Nørskov, Jens Kehlet

2002-01-01

Through the use of Monte Carlo simulations we study the effect of adsorption-induced segregation. From the bulk composition, degree of dispersion and the partial pressure of the gas phase species we calculate the surface composition of bimetallic alloys. We show that both segregation and adsorption...

Fine-Scale Bacterial Beta Diversity within a Complex Ecosystem (Zodletone Spring, OK, USA): The Role of the Rare Biosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Youssef, Noha H.; Couger, M. B.; Elshahed, Mostafa S.

2010-01-01

Background The adaptation of pyrosequencing technologies for use in culture-independent diversity surveys allowed for deeper sampling of ecosystems of interest. One extremely well suited area of interest for pyrosequencing-based diversity surveys that has received surprisingly little attention so far, is examining fine scale (e.g. micrometer to millimeter) beta diversity in complex microbial ecosystems. Methodology/Principal Findings We examined the patterns of fine scale Beta diversity in four adjacent sediment samples (1mm apart) from the source of an anaerobic sulfide and sulfur rich spring (Zodletone spring) in southwestern Oklahoma, USA. Using pyrosequencing, a total of 292,130 16S rRNA gene sequences were obtained. The beta diversity patterns within the four datasets were examined using various qualitative and quantitative similarity indices. Low levels of Beta diversity (high similarity indices) were observed between the four samples at the phylum-level. However, at a putative species (OTU0.03) level, higher levels of beta diversity (lower similarity indices) were observed. Further examination of beta diversity patterns within dominant and rare members of the community indicated that at the putative species level, beta diversity is much higher within rare members of the community. Finally, sub-classification of rare members of Zodletone spring community based on patterns of novelty and uniqueness, and further examination of fine scale beta diversity of each of these subgroups indicated that members of the community that are unique, but non novel showed the highest beta diversity within these subgroups of the rare biosphere. Conclusions/Significance The results demonstrate the occurrence of high inter-sample diversity within seemingly identical samples from a complex habitat. We reason that such unexpected diversity should be taken into consideration when exploring gamma diversity of various ecosystems, as well as planning for sequencing-intensive metagenomic

Fine-scale patterns of vegetation assembly in the monitoring of changes in coastal sand-dune landscapes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Honrado

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Understanding dune ecosystem responses to multi-scale environmental changes can provide the framework for reliable forecasts and cost-efficient protocols for detecting shifts in prevailing coastal dynamics. Based on the hypothesis that stress and disturbance interact as primary community controls in coastal dunes, we studied the fine-scale floristic assembly of foredune vegetation, in its relation to topography, along regional and local environmental gradients in the 200 km long coastline of northern Portugal, encompassing a major biogeographic transition in western Europe. Thirty topographic profiles perpendicular to the shoreline were recorded at ten sites along the regional climate gradient, and vegetation was sampled by recording the frequency of plant species along those profiles. Quantitative topographic attributes of vegetated dune profiles (e.g. length or height exhibited wide variations relatable to differences in prevailing coastal dynamics. Metrics of taxonomic diversity (e.g. total species richness and its additive beta component and of the functional composition of vegetation were highly correlated to attributes of dune topography. Under transgressive dynamics, vegetation profiles have fewer species, increased dominance, lower turnover rates, and lower total vegetation cover. These changes may drive a decrease in structural and functional diversity, with important consequences for resistance, resilience and other ecosystem properties. Moreover, differences in both vegetation assembly (in meta-stable dunes and response to increased disturbance (in eroding dunes between distinct biogeographic contexts highlight a possible decline in facilitation efficiency under extreme physical stress (i.e. under Mediterranean climate and support the significance of functional approaches in the study of local ecosystem responses to disturbance along regional gradients. Our results strongly suggest that assessing fine-scale community assembly can

Relationship between ecomorphology and trophic segregation in four closely related sympatric fish species (Teleostei, Sciaenidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Blasina, Gabriela; Molina, Juan; Lopez Cazorla, Andrea; Díaz de Astarloa, Juan

This study explores the relationship between ecomorphology and trophic segregation in four closely related sympatric fish species (Teleostei, Sciaenidae) that are known to differ in their trophic habits. Only adult specimens were analyzed: 103 Cynoscion guatucupa, 77 Pogonias cromis, 61 Micropogonias furnieri, and 48 Menticirrhus americanus. The four species presented divergent ecomorphological traits related to swimming agility, prey spotting and capture, and the potential size of prey they were able to swallow. Results suggest that these sciaenid species can partition the food resources, even though they completely overlap in space. Differences in their ecomorphological traits appear to correlate closely with the diet and consequently could explain the trophic differentiation observed. Arguably, these ecomorphological differences play a significant role in the coexistence of the adults of these sympatric fish species. Copyright © 2016 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Segregation behavior of phosphorus in the heat-affected zone of an A533B/A182 dissimilar weld joint before and after simulated thermal aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhai, Ziqing; Miyahara, Yuichi; Abe, Hiroshi; Watanabe, Yutaka

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Impacts of aging on P segregation in actual heat-affected zone were examined by 3D-APT. • Non-equilibrium segregation of P dominated in subsequent cooling after welding. • Equilibrium segregation of P prevailed in step-cooling heat treatment. • High enrichment of P at grain/packet boundaries occurred in CGHAZ and ICCGHAZ. • Level of P enrichment at precipitate/matrix interface seemed species-dependent. - Abstract: The segregation behavior of phosphorus (P) in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of an A533B/A182 dissimilar weld joint before and after step cooling was investigated with atom probe tomography. At grain/packet boundaries, the final P segregation level consisted of non-equilibrium segregation that occurred during cooling after welding and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) and equilibrium segregation that occurred during step cooling. In both processes, higher P coverage was observed in the coarse-grained and intercritically reheated coarse-grained HAZ than in the fine-grained HAZ and base material. The cooling after welding and PWHT seemed to have a pronounced impact on P segregation in the subsequent aging process. In addition, P segregation also occurred at the precipitate/matrix interfaces of cementite, Mo 2 C and Al–Si rich precipitates. The evolution of P coverage at these two types of sites suggested increasing risks of embrittlement with an increase in aging time

Breed locally, disperse globally: Fine-scale genetic structure despite landscape-scale panmixia in a fire-specialist

Science.gov (United States)

Jennifer C. Pierson; Fred W. Allendorf; Pierre Drapeau; Michael K. Schwartz

2013-01-01

An exciting advance in the understanding of metapopulation dynamics has been the investigation of how populations respond to ephemeral patches that go 'extinct' during the lifetime of an individual. Previous research has shown that this scenario leads to genetic homogenization across large spatial scales. However, little is known about fine-scale genetic...

FINE-SCALE STRUCTURES OF FLUX ROPES TRACKED BY ERUPTING MATERIAL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Ting; Zhang Jun, E-mail: liting@nao.cas.cn, E-mail: zjun@nao.cas.cn [Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)

2013-06-20

We present Solar Dynamics Observatory observations of two flux ropes tracked out by material from a surge and a failed filament eruption on 2012 July 29 and August 4, respectively. For the first event, the interaction between the erupting surge and a loop-shaped filament in the east seems to 'peel off' the filament and add bright mass into the flux rope body. The second event is associated with a C-class flare that occurs several minutes before the filament activation. The two flux ropes are, respectively, composed of 85 {+-} 12 and 102 {+-} 15 fine-scale structures, with an average width of about 1.''6. Our observations show that two extreme ends of the flux rope are rooted in opposite polarity fields and each end is composed of multiple footpoints (FPs) of fine-scale structures. The FPs of the fine-scale structures are located at network magnetic fields, with magnetic fluxes from 5.6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 18} Mx to 8.6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 19} Mx. Moreover, almost half of the FPs show converging motion of smaller magnetic structures over 10 hr before the appearance of the flux rope. By calculating the magnetic fields of the FPs, we deduce that the two flux ropes occupy at least 4.3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 20} Mx and 7.6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 20} Mx magnetic fluxes, respectively.

Coarse-to-Fine Segmentation with Shape-Tailored Continuum Scale Spaces

KAUST Repository

Khan, Naeemullah

2017-11-09

We formulate an energy for segmentation that is designed to have preference for segmenting the coarse over fine structure of the image, without smoothing across boundaries of regions. The energy is formulated by integrating a continuum of scales from a scale space computed from the heat equation within regions. We show that the energy can be optimized without computing a continuum of scales, but instead from a single scale. This makes the method computationally efficient in comparison to energies using a discrete set of scales. We apply our method to texture and motion segmentation. Experiments on benchmark datasets show that a continuum of scales leads to better segmentation accuracy over discrete scales and other competing methods.

Coarse-to-Fine Segmentation with Shape-Tailored Continuum Scale Spaces

KAUST Repository

Khan, Naeemullah; Hong, Byung-Woo; Yezzi, Anthony; Sundaramoorthi, Ganesh

2017-01-01

We formulate an energy for segmentation that is designed to have preference for segmenting the coarse over fine structure of the image, without smoothing across boundaries of regions. The energy is formulated by integrating a continuum of scales from a scale space computed from the heat equation within regions. We show that the energy can be optimized without computing a continuum of scales, but instead from a single scale. This makes the method computationally efficient in comparison to energies using a discrete set of scales. We apply our method to texture and motion segmentation. Experiments on benchmark datasets show that a continuum of scales leads to better segmentation accuracy over discrete scales and other competing methods.

Seasonal variation in coastal marine habitat use by the European shag: Insights from fine scale habitat selection modeling and diet

Science.gov (United States)

Michelot, Candice; Pinaud, David; Fortin, Matthieu; Maes, Philippe; Callard, Benjamin; Leicher, Marine; Barbraud, Christophe

2017-07-01

Studies of habitat selection by higher trophic level species are necessary for using top predator species as indicators of ecosystem functioning. However, contrary to terrestrial ecosystems, few habitat selection studies have been conducted at a fine scale for coastal marine top predator species, and fewer have coupled diet data with habitat selection modeling to highlight a link between prey selection and habitat use. The aim of this study was to characterize spatially and oceanographically, at a fine scale, the habitats used by the European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis in the Special Protection Area (SPA) of Houat-Hœdic in the Mor Braz Bay during its foraging activity. Habitat selection models were built using in situ observation data of foraging shags (transect sampling) and spatially explicit environmental data to characterize marine benthic habitats. Observations were first adjusted for detectability biases and shag abundance was subsequently spatialized. The influence of habitat variables on shag abundance was tested using Generalized Linear Models (GLMs). Diet data were finally confronted to habitat selection models. Results showed that European shags breeding in the Mor Braz Bay changed foraging habitats according to the season and to the different environmental and energetic constraints. The proportion of the main preys also varied seasonally. Rocky and coarse sand habitats were clearly preferred compared to fine or muddy sand habitats. Shags appeared to be more selective in their foraging habitats during the breeding period and the rearing of chicks, using essentially rocky areas close to the colony and consuming preferentially fish from the Labridae family and three other fish families in lower proportions. During the post-breeding period shags used a broader range of habitats and mainly consumed Gadidae. Thus, European shags seem to adjust their feeding strategy to minimize energetic costs, to avoid intra-specific competition and to maximize access

Sexual segregation in marine fish, reptiles, birds and mammals behaviour patterns, mechanisms and conservation implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Wearmouth, Victoria J; Sims, David W

2008-01-01

Sexual segregation occurs when members of a species separate such that the sexes live apart, either singly or in single-sex groups. It can be broadly categorised into two types: habitat segregation and social segregation. Sexual segregation is a behavioural phenomenon that is widespread in the animal kingdom yet the underlying causes remain poorly understood. Sexual segregation has been widely studied among terrestrial mammals such as ungulates, but it has been less well documented in the marine environment. This chapter clarifies terms and concepts which have emerged from the investigation of sexual segregation in terrestrial ecology and examines how a similar methodological approach may be complicated by differences of marine species. Here we discuss the behavioural patterns of sexual segregation among marine fish, reptile, bird and mammal species. Five hypotheses have been forwarded to account for sexual segregation, largely emerging from investigation of sexual segregation in terrestrial ungulates: the predation risk, forage selection, activity budget, thermal niche-fecundity and social factors hypotheses. These mechanisms are reviewed following careful assessment of their applicability to marine vertebrate species and case studies of marine vertebrates which support each mechanism recounted. Rigorous testing of all hypotheses is lacking from both the terrestrial and marine vertebrate literature and those analyses which have been attempted are often confounded by factors such as sexual body-size dimorphism. In this context, we indicate the value of studying model species which are monomorphic with respect to body size and discuss possible underlying causes for sexual segregation in this species. We also discuss why it is important to understand sexual segregation, for example, by illustrating how differential exploitation of the sexes by humans can lead to population decline.

Sr-Al-Si co-segregated regions in eutectic Si phase of Sr-modified Al-10Si alloy.

Science.gov (United States)

Timpel, M; Wanderka, N; Schlesiger, R; Yamamoto, T; Isheim, D; Schmitz, G; Matsumura, S; Banhart, J

2013-09-01

The addition of 200 ppm strontium to an Al-10 wt% Si casting alloy changes the morphology of the eutectic silicon phase from coarse plate-like to fine fibrous networks. In order to clarify this modification mechanism the location of Sr within the eutectic Si phase has been investigated by a combination of high-resolution methods. Whereas three-dimensional atom probe tomography allows us to visualise the distribution of Sr on the atomic scale and to analyse its local enrichment, transmission electron microscopy yields information about the crystallographic nature of segregated regions. Segregations with two kinds of morphologies were found at the intersections of Si twin lamellae: Sr-Al-Si co-segregations of rod-like morphology and Al-rich regions of spherical morphology. Both are responsible for the formation of a high density of multiple twins and promote the anisotropic growth of the eutectic Si phase in specific crystallographic directions during solidification. The experimental findings are related to the previously postulated mechanism of "impurity induced twinning". Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Residency, Habitat Use and Sexual Segregation of White Sharks, Carcharodon carcharias in False Bay, South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Kock, Alison; O’Riain, M. Justin; Mauff, Katya; Meÿer, Michael; Kotze, Deon; Griffiths, Charles

2013-01-01

White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are threatened apex predators and identification of their critical habitats and how these are used are essential to ensuring improved local and ultimately global white shark protection. In this study we investigated habitat use by white sharks in False Bay, South Africa, using acoustic telemetry. 56 sharks (39 female, 17 male), ranging in size from 1.7–5 m TL, were tagged with acoustic transmitters and monitored on an array of 30 receivers for 975 days. To investigate the effects of season, sex and size on habitat use we used a generalized linear mixed effects model. Tagged sharks were detected in the Bay in all months and across all years, but their use of the Bay varied significantly with the season and the sex of the shark. In autumn and winter males and females aggregated around the Cape fur seal colony at Seal Island, where they fed predominantly on young of the year seals. In spring and summer there was marked sexual segregation, with females frequenting the Inshore areas and males seldom being detected. The shift from the Island in autumn and winter to the Inshore region in spring and summer by females mirrors the seasonal peak in abundance of juvenile seals and of migratory teleost and elasmobranch species respectively. This study provides the first evidence of sexual segregation at a fine spatial scale and demonstrates that sexual segregation in white sharks is not restricted to adults, but is apparent for juveniles and sub-adults too. Overall, the results confirm False Bay as a critical area for white shark conservation as both sexes, across a range of sizes, frequent the Bay on an annual basis. The finding that female sharks aggregate in the Inshore regions when recreational use peaks highlights the need for ongoing shark-human conflict mitigation strategies. PMID:23383052

Influence of the "surface effect" on the segregation parameters of S in Fe(100): A multi-scale modelling and Auger Electron Spectroscopy study

Science.gov (United States)

Barnard, P. E.; Terblans, J. J.; Swart, H. C.

2015-12-01

The article takes a new look at the process of atomic segregation by considering the influence of surface relaxation on the segregation parameters; the activation energy (Q), segregation energy (ΔG), interaction parameter (Ω) and the pre-exponential factor (D0). Computational modelling, namely Density Functional Theory (DFT) and the Modified Darken Model (MDM) in conjunction with Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) was utilized to study the variation of the segregation parameters for S in the surface region of Fe(100). Results indicate a variation in each of the segregation parameters as a function of the atomic layer under consideration. Values of the segregation parameters varied more dramatically as the surface layer is approached, with atomic layer 2 having the largest deviations in comparison to the bulk values. This atomic layer had the highest Q value and formed the rate limiting step for the segregation of S towards the Fe(100) surface. It was found that the segregation process is influenced by two sets of segregation parameters, those of the surface region formed by atomic layer 2, and those in the bulk material. This article is the first to conduct a full scale investigation on the influence of surface relaxation on segregation and labelled it the "surface effect".

Spatially Resolved Distribution of Fe Species around Microbes at the Submicron Scale in Natural Bacteriogenic Iron Oxides.

Science.gov (United States)

Suga, Hiroki; Kikuchi, Sakiko; Takeichi, Yasuo; Miyamoto, Chihiro; Miyahara, Masaaki; Mitsunobu, Satoshi; Ohigashi, Takuji; Mase, Kazuhiko; Ono, Kanta; Takahashi, Yoshio

2017-09-27

Natural bacteriogenic iron oxides (BIOS) were investigated using local-analyzable synchrotron-based scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) with a submicron-scale resolution. Cell, cell sheath interface (EPS), and sheath in the BIOS were clearly depicted using C-, N-, and O- near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) obtained through STXM measurements. Fe-NEXAFS obtained from different regions of BIOS indicated that the most dominant iron mineral species was ferrihydrite. Fe(II)- and/or Fe(III)-acidic polysaccharides accompanied ferrihydrite near the cell and EPS regions. Our STXM/NEXAFS analysis showed that Fe species change continuously between the cell, EPS, and sheath under several 10-nm scales.

Alpine Ecohydrology Across Scales: Propagating Fine-scale Heterogeneity to the Catchment and Beyond

Science.gov (United States)

Mastrotheodoros, T.; Pappas, C.; Molnar, P.; Burlando, P.; Hadjidoukas, P.; Fatichi, S.

2017-12-01

In mountainous ecosystems, complex topography and landscape heterogeneity govern ecohydrological states and fluxes. Here, we investigate topographic controls on water, energy and carbon fluxes across different climatic regimes and vegetation types representative of the European Alps. We use an ecohydrological model to perform fine-scale numerical experiments on a synthetic domain that comprises a symmetric mountain with eight catchments draining along the cardinal and intercardinal directions. Distributed meteorological model input variables are generated using observations from Switzerland. The model computes the incoming solar radiation based on the local topography. We implement a multivariate statistical framework to disentangle the impact of landscape heterogeneity (i.e., elevation, aspect, flow contributing area, vegetation type) on the simulated water, carbon, and energy dynamics. This allows us to identify the sensitivities of several ecohydrological variables (including leaf area index, evapotranspiration, snow-cover and net primary productivity) to topographic and meteorological inputs at different spatial and temporal scales. We also use an alpine catchment as a real case study to investigate how the natural variability of soil and land cover affects the idealized relationships that arise from the synthetic domain. In accordance with previous studies, our analysis shows a complex pattern of vegetation response to radiation. We find also different patterns of ecosystem sensitivity to topography-driven heterogeneity depending on the hydrological regime (i.e., wet vs. dry conditions). Our results suggest that topography-driven variability in ecohydrological variables (e.g. transpiration) at the fine spatial scale can exceed 50%, but it is substantially reduced ( 5%) when integrated at the catchment scale.

Modelling Soil-Landscapes in Coastal California Hills Using Fine Scale Terrestrial Lidar

Science.gov (United States)

Prentice, S.; Bookhagen, B.; Kyriakidis, P. C.; Chadwick, O.

2013-12-01

Digital elevation models (DEMs) are the dominant input to spatially explicit digital soil mapping (DSM) efforts due to their increasing availability and the tight coupling between topography and soil variability. Accurate characterization of this coupling is dependent on DEM spatial resolution and soil sampling density, both of which may limit analyses. For example, DEM resolution may be too coarse to accurately reflect scale-dependent soil properties yet downscaling introduces artifactual uncertainty unrelated to deterministic or stochastic soil processes. We tackle these limitations through a DSM effort that couples moderately high density soil sampling with a very fine scale terrestrial lidar dataset (20 cm) implemented in a semiarid rolling hillslope domain where terrain variables change rapidly but smoothly over short distances. Our guiding hypothesis is that in this diffusion-dominated landscape, soil thickness is readily predicted by continuous terrain attributes coupled with catenary hillslope segmentation. We choose soil thickness as our keystone dependent variable for its geomorphic and hydrologic significance, and its tendency to be a primary input to synthetic ecosystem models. In defining catenary hillslope position we adapt a logical rule-set approach that parses common terrain derivatives of curvature and specific catchment area into discrete landform elements (LE). Variograms and curvature-area plots are used to distill domain-scale terrain thresholds from short range order noise characteristic of very fine-scale spatial data. The revealed spatial thresholds are used to condition LE rule-set inputs, rendering a catenary LE map that leverages the robustness of fine-scale terrain data to create a generalized interpretation of soil geomorphic domains. Preliminary regressions show that continuous terrain variables alone (curvature, specific catchment area) only partially explain soil thickness, and only in a subset of soils. For example, at spatial

Farms, pastures and woodlands: the fine-scale distribution of Palearctic Culicoides spp. biting midges along an agro-ecological gradient.

Science.gov (United States)

Rigot, T; Drubbel, M Vercauteren; Delécolle, J-C; Gilbert, M

2013-03-01

The spatial epidemiology of Bluetongue virus (BTV) at the landscape level relates to the fine-scale distribution and dispersal capacities of its vectors, midges belonging to the genus Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Although many previous researches have carried out Culicoides sampling on farms, little is known of the fine-scale distribution of Culicoides in the landscape immediately surrounding farms. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of Culicoides populations at increasing distances from typical dairy farms in north-west Europe, through the use of eight Onderstepoort-type black-light traps positioned along linear transects departing from farms, going through pastures and entering woodlands. A total of 16 902 Culicoides were collected in autumn 2008 and spring 2009. The majority were females, of which more than 97% were recognized as potential vectors. In pastures, we found decreasing numbers of female Culicoides as a function of the distance to the farm. This pattern was modelled by leptokurtic models, with parameters depending on season and species. By contrast, the low number of male Culicoides caught were homogeneously distributed along the transects. When transects entered woodlands, we found a higher abundance of Culicoides than expected considering the distance of the sampling sites to the farm, although this varied according to species. © 2012 The Authors. Medical and Veterinary Entomology © 2012 The Royal Entomological Society.

Scale dependence in species turnover reflects variance in species occupancy.

Science.gov (United States)

McGlinn, Daniel J; Hurlbert, Allen H

2012-02-01

Patterns of species turnover may reflect the processes driving community dynamics across scales. While the majority of studies on species turnover have examined pairwise comparison metrics (e.g., the average Jaccard dissimilarity), it has been proposed that the species-area relationship (SAR) also offers insight into patterns of species turnover because these two patterns may be analytically linked. However, these previous links only apply in a special case where turnover is scale invariant, and we demonstrate across three different plant communities that over 90% of the pairwise turnover values are larger than expected based on scale-invariant predictions from the SAR. Furthermore, the degree of scale dependence in turnover was negatively related to the degree of variance in the occupancy frequency distribution (OFD). These findings suggest that species turnover diverges from scale invariance, and as such pairwise turnover and the slope of the SAR are not redundant. Furthermore, models developed to explain the OFD should be linked with those developed to explain species turnover to achieve a more unified understanding of community structure.

Atomic scale study of grain boundary segregation before carbide nucleation in Ni-Cr-Fe Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hui; Xia, Shuang; Liu, Wenqing; Liu, Tingguang; Zhou, Bangxin

2013-08-01

Three dimensional chemical information concerning grain boundary segregation before carbide nucleation was characterized by atom probe tomography in two Ni-Cr-Fe alloys which were aged at 500 °C for 0.5 h after homogenizing treatment. B, C and Si atoms segregation at grain boundary in Alloy 690 was observed. B, C, N and P atoms segregation at grain boundary in 304 austenitic stainless steel was observed. C atoms co-segregation with Cr atoms at the grain boundaries both in Alloy 690 and 304 austenitic stainless steel was found, and its effect on the carbide nucleation was discussed. The amount of each segregated element at grain boundaries in the two Ni-Cr-Fe alloys were analyzed quantitatively. Comparison of the grain boundary segregation features of the two Ni-Cr-Fe alloys were carried out based on the experimental results. The impurity and solute atoms segregate inhomogeneously in the same grain boundary both in 304 SS and Alloy 690. The grain boundary segregation tendencies (Sav) are B (11.8 ± 1.4) > P (5.4 ± 1.4) > N (4.7 ± 0.3) > C (3.7 ± 0.4) in 304 SS, and B (6.9 ± 0.9) > C (6.7 ± 0.4) > Si (1.5 ± 0.2) in Alloy 690. Cr atoms may co-segregate with C atoms at grain boundaries before carbide nucleation at the grain boundaries both in 304 SS and Alloy 690. Ni atoms generally deplete at grain boundary both in 304 SS and Alloy 690. The literature shows that the Ni atoms may co-segregate with P atoms at grain boundaries [28], but the P atoms segregation do not leads to Ni segregation in the current study. In the current study, Fe atoms may segregate or deplete at grain boundary in Alloy 690. But Fe atoms generally deplete at grain boundary in 304 SS. B atoms have the strongest grain boundary segregation tendency both in 304 SS and Alloy 690. The grain boundary segregation tendency and Gibbs free energy of B in 304 SS is higher than in Alloy 690. C atoms are easy to segregate at grain boundaries both in 304 SS and Alloy 690. The grain boundary segregation

Fine-scale assessment of home ranges and activity patterns for resident black vultures (Coragyps atratus and turkey vultures (Cathartes aura.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda E Holland

Full Text Available Knowledge of black vulture (Coragyps atratus and turkey vulture (Cathartes aura spatial ecology is surprisingly limited despite their vital ecological roles. Fine-scale assessments of space use patterns and resource selection are particularly lacking, although development of tracking technologies has allowed data collection at finer temporal and spatial resolution. Objectives of this study were to conduct the first assessment of monthly home range and core area sizes of resident black and turkey vultures with consideration to sex, as well as elucidate differences in monthly, seasonal, and annual activity patterns based on fine-scale movement data analyses. We collected 2.8-million locations for 9 black and 9 turkey vultures from June 2013 -August 2015 using solar-powered GSM/GPS transmitters. We quantified home ranges and core areas using the dynamic Brownian bridge movement model and evaluated differences as a function of species, sex, and month. Mean monthly home ranges for turkey vultures were ~50% larger than those of black vultures, although mean core area sizes did not differ between species. Turkey vulture home ranges varied little across months, with exception to a notable reduction in space-use in May, which corresponds with timing of chick-rearing activities. Black vulture home ranges and core areas as well as turkey vulture core areas were larger in breeding season months (January-April. Comparison of space use between male and female vultures was only possible for black vultures, and space use was only slightly larger for females during breeding months (February-May. Analysis of activity patterns revealed turkey vultures spend more time in flight and switch motion states (between flight and stationary more frequently than black vultures across temporal scales. This study reveals substantive variability in space use and activity rates between sympatric black and turkey vultures, providing insights into potential behavioral mechanisms

Ultrathin, wafer-scale hexagonal boron nitride on dielectric surfaces by diffusion and segregation mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Sonde, Sushant; Dolocan, Andrei; Lu, Ning; Corbet, Chris; Kim, Moon J.; Tutuc, Emanuel; Banerjee, Sanjay K.; Colombo, Luigi

2017-06-01

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is at the center of numerous studies for its applications in novel electronic devices. However, a clear understanding of the growth mechanism is lacking for its wider industrial adoption on technologically relevant substrates such as SiO2. Here, we demonstrate a controllable growth method of thin, wafer scale h-BN films on arbitrary substrates. We also clarify the growth mechanism to be diffusion and surface segregation (D-SS) of boron (B) and nitrogen (N) in Ni and Co thin films on SiO2/Si substrates after exposure to diborane and ammonia precursors at high temperature. The segregation was found to be independent of the cooling rates employed in this report, and to our knowledge has not been found nor reported for 2D h-BN growth so far, and thus provides an important direction for controlled growth of h-BN. This unique segregation behavior is a result of a combined effect of high diffusivity, small film thickness and the inability to achieve extremely high cooling rates in CVD systems. The resulting D-SS h-BN films exhibit excellent electrical insulating behavior with an optical bandgap of about 5.8 eV. Moreover, graphene-on-h-BN field effect transistors using the as-grown D-SS h-BN films show a mobility of about 6000 cm2 V-1 s-1 at room temperature.

Atomic scale study of grain boundary segregation before carbide nucleation in Ni–Cr–Fe Alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Hui, E-mail: huili@shu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Microstructures, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Institute of Materials, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072 (China); Xia, Shuang [Institute of Materials, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072 (China); Liu, Wenqing [Key Laboratory for Microstructures, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Liu, Tingguang; Zhou, Bangxin [Institute of Materials, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072 (China)

2013-08-15

Highlights: • Impurities segregated at grain boundaries were observed by atom probe tomography. • The comparison of segregation features in two Ni–Cr–Fe alloys was studied by APT. • C and Cr atoms co-segregated at grain boundaries before carbide precipitation. -- Abstract: Three dimensional chemical information concerning grain boundary segregation before carbide nucleation was characterized by atom probe tomography in two Ni–Cr–Fe alloys which were aged at 500 °C for 0.5 h after homogenizing treatment. B, C and Si atoms segregation at grain boundary in Alloy 690 was observed. B, C, N and P atoms segregation at grain boundary in 304 austenitic stainless steel was observed. C atoms co-segregation with Cr atoms at the grain boundaries both in Alloy 690 and 304 austenitic stainless steel was found, and its effect on the carbide nucleation was discussed. The amount of each segregated element at grain boundaries in the two Ni–Cr–Fe alloys were analyzed quantitatively. Comparison of the grain boundary segregation features of the two Ni–Cr–Fe alloys were carried out based on the experimental results.

Atomic-scale investigations of grain boundary segregation in astrology with a three dimensional atom-probe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blavette, D. [Rouen Univ., 76 - Mont-Saint-Aignan (France). Lab. de Microscopie Electronique]|[Institut Universitaire de France (France); Letellier, L. [Rouen Univ., 76 - Mont-Saint-Aignan (France). Lab. de Microscopie Electronique; Duval, P. [Rouen Univ., 76 - Mont-Saint-Aignan (France). Lab. de Microscopie Electronique; Guttmann, M. [Rouen Univ., 76 - Mont-Saint-Aignan (France). Lab. de Microscopie Electronique]|[Institut de Recherches de la Siderurgie Francaise (IRSID), 57 - Maizieres-les-Metz (France)

1996-08-01

Both conventional and 3D atom-probes were applied to the investigation of grain-boundary (GB) segregation phenomena in two-phase nickel base superalloys Astroloy. 3D images as provided by the tomographic atom-probe reveal the presence of a strong segregation of both boron and molybdenum at grain-boundaries. Slight carbon enrichment is also detected. Considerable chromium segregation is exhibited at {gamma}`-{gamma}` grain-boundaries. All these segregants are distributed in a continuous manner along the boundary over a width close to 0.5 nm. Experiments show that segregation occurs during cooling and more probably between 1000 C and 800 C. Boron and molybdenum GB enrichments are interpreted as due to an equilibrium type-segregation while chromium segregation is thought to be induced by {gamma}` precipitation at GB`s and stabilised by the presence of boron. No segregation of zirconium is detected. (orig.)

Segregation in quasi-two-dimensional granular systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rivas, Nicolas; Cordero, Patricio; Soto, Rodrigo; Risso, Dino

2011-01-01

Segregation for two granular species is studied numerically in a vertically vibrated quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) box. The height of the box is smaller than two particle diameters so that particles are limited to a submonolayer. Two cases are considered: grains that differ in their density but have equal size, and grains that have equal density but different diameters, while keeping the quasi-2D condition. It is observed that in both cases, for vibration frequencies beyond a certain threshold-which depends on the density or diameter ratios-segregation takes place in the lateral directions. In the quasi-2D geometry, gravity does not play a direct role in the in-plane dynamics and gravity does not point to the segregation directions; hence, several known segregation mechanisms that rely on gravity are discarded. The segregation we observe is dominated by a lack of equipartition between the two species; the light particles exert a larger pressure than the heavier ones, inducing the latter to form clusters. This energy difference in the horizontal direction is due to the existence of a fixed point characterized by vertical motion and hence vanishing horizontal energy. Heavier and bigger grains are more rapidly attracted to the fixed point and the perturbations are less efficient in taking them off the fixed point when compared to the lighter grains. As a consequence, heavier and bigger grains have less horizontal agitation than lighter ones. Although limited by finite size effects, the simulations suggest that the two cases we consider differ in the transition character: one is continuous and the other is discontinuous. In the cases where grains differ in mass on varying the control parameter, partial segregation is first observed, presenting many clusters of heavier particles. Eventually, a global cluster is formed with impurities; namely lighter particles are present inside. The transition looks continuous when characterized by several segregation order

Applications of random forest feature selection for fine-scale genetic population assignment.

Science.gov (United States)

Sylvester, Emma V A; Bentzen, Paul; Bradbury, Ian R; Clément, Marie; Pearce, Jon; Horne, John; Beiko, Robert G

2018-02-01

Genetic population assignment used to inform wildlife management and conservation efforts requires panels of highly informative genetic markers and sensitive assignment tests. We explored the utility of machine-learning algorithms (random forest, regularized random forest and guided regularized random forest) compared with F ST ranking for selection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) for fine-scale population assignment. We applied these methods to an unpublished SNP data set for Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) and a published SNP data set for Alaskan Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ). In each species, we identified the minimum panel size required to obtain a self-assignment accuracy of at least 90% using each method to create panels of 50-700 markers Panels of SNPs identified using random forest-based methods performed up to 7.8 and 11.2 percentage points better than F ST -selected panels of similar size for the Atlantic salmon and Chinook salmon data, respectively. Self-assignment accuracy ≥90% was obtained with panels of 670 and 384 SNPs for each data set, respectively, a level of accuracy never reached for these species using F ST -selected panels. Our results demonstrate a role for machine-learning approaches in marker selection across large genomic data sets to improve assignment for management and conservation of exploited populations.

Fine-scale genetic structure and cryptic associations reveal evidence of kin-based sociality in the African forest elephant.

Science.gov (United States)

Schuttler, Stephanie G; Philbrick, Jessica A; Jeffery, Kathryn J; Eggert, Lori S

2014-01-01

Spatial patterns of relatedness within animal populations are important in the evolution of mating and social systems, and have the potential to reveal information on species that are difficult to observe in the wild. This study examines the fine-scale genetic structure and connectivity of groups within African forest elephants, Loxodonta cyclotis, which are often difficult to observe due to forest habitat. We tested the hypothesis that genetic similarity will decline with increasing geographic distance, as we expect kin to be in closer proximity, using spatial autocorrelation analyses and Tau K(r) tests. Associations between individuals were investigated through a non-invasive genetic capture-recapture approach using network models, and were predicted to be more extensive than the small groups found in observational studies, similar to fission-fusion sociality found in African savanna (Loxodonta africana) and Asian (Elephas maximus) species. Dung samples were collected in Lopé National Park, Gabon in 2008 and 2010 and genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci, genetically sexed, and sequenced at the mitochondrial DNA control region. We conducted analyses on samples collected at three different temporal scales: a day, within six-day sampling sessions, and within each year. Spatial autocorrelation and Tau K(r) tests revealed genetic structure, but results were weak and inconsistent between sampling sessions. Positive spatial autocorrelation was found in distance classes of 0-5 km, and was strongest for the single day session. Despite weak genetic structure, individuals within groups were significantly more related to each other than to individuals between groups. Social networks revealed some components to have large, extensive groups of up to 22 individuals, and most groups were composed of individuals of the same matriline. Although fine-scale population genetic structure was weak, forest elephants are typically found in groups consisting of kin and based on matrilines

Fine scale heterogeneity in the Earth's upper mantle - observation and interpretation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thybo, Hans

2014-01-01

can be correlated to main plate tectonic features, such as oceanic spreading centres, continental rift zones and subducting slabs. Much seismological mantle research is now concentrated on imaging fine scale heterogeneity, which may be detected and imaged with high-resolution seismic data with dense...

Climate, soil and plant functional types as drivers of global fine-root trait variation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Freschet, Grégoire T.; Valverde-Barrantes, Oscar J.; Tucker, Caroline M.; Craine, Joseph M.; McCormack, M. Luke; Violle, Cyrille; Fort, Florian; Blackwood, Christopher B.; Urban-Mead, Katherine R.; Iversen, Colleen M.; Bonis, Anne; Comas, Louise H.; Cornelissen, Johannes H.C.; Dong, Ming; Guo, Dali; Hobbie, Sarah E.; Holdaway, Robert J.; Kembel, Steven W.; Makita, Naoki; Onipchenko, Vladimir G.; Picon-Cochard, Catherine; Reich, Peter B.; de la Riva, Enrique G.; Smith, Stuart W.; Soudzilovskaia, Nadejda A.; Tjoelker, Mark G.; Wardle, David A.; Roumet, Catherine

2017-01-01

Ecosystem functioning relies heavily on below-ground processes, which are largely regulated by plant fine-roots and their functional traits. However, our knowledge of fine-root trait distribution relies to date on local- and regional-scale studies with limited numbers of species, growth forms and

Response of the Fine Root Production, Phenology, and Turnover Rate of Six Shrub Species from a Subtropical Forest to a Soil Moisture Gradient and Shading

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, X.; Dai, X.; Wang, H.

2015-12-01

Knowledge of the fine root dynamics of different life forms in forest ecosystems is critical to understanding how the overall belowground carbon cycling is affected by climate change. However, our current knowledge regarding how endogenous or exogenous factors regulate the root dynamics of understory vegetation is limited. We selected a suite of study sites representing different habitats with gradients of soil moisture and solar radiation (shading or no shading). We assessed the fine root production phenology, the total fine root production, and the turnover among six understory shrub species in a subtropical climate, and examined the responses of the fine root dynamics to gradients in the soil moisture and solar radiation. The shrubs included three evergreen species, Loropetalum chinense, Vaccinium bracteatum, and Adinandra millettii, and three deciduous species, Serissa serissoides, Rubus corchorifolius, and Lespedeza davidii. We observed that variations in the annual fine root production and turnover among species were significant in the deciduous group but not in the evergreen group. Notably, V. bracteatum and S. serissoides presented the greatest responses in terms of root phenology to gradients in the soil moisture and shading: high-moisture habitat led to a decrease and shade led to an increase in fine root production during spring. Species with smaller fine roots of the 1st+2nd-order diameter presented more sensitive responses in terms of fine root phenology to a soil moisture gradient. Species with a higher fine root nitrogen-to -carbon ratio exhibited more sensitive responses in terms of fine root annual production to shading. Soil moisture and shading did not change the annual fine root production as much as the turnover rate. The fine root dynamics of some understory shrubs varied significantly with soil moisture and solar radiation status and may be different from tree species. Our results emphasize the need to study the understory fine root dynamics

Improving predictions of large scale soil carbon dynamics: Integration of fine-scale hydrological and biogeochemical processes, scaling, and benchmarking

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, W. J.; Dwivedi, D.; Ghimire, B.; Hoffman, F. M.; Pau, G. S. H.; Randerson, J. T.; Shen, C.; Tang, J.; Zhu, Q.

2015-12-01

Numerical model representations of decadal- to centennial-scale soil-carbon dynamics are a dominant cause of uncertainty in climate change predictions. Recent attempts by some Earth System Model (ESM) teams to integrate previously unrepresented soil processes (e.g., explicit microbial processes, abiotic interactions with mineral surfaces, vertical transport), poor performance of many ESM land models against large-scale and experimental manipulation observations, and complexities associated with spatial heterogeneity highlight the nascent nature of our community's ability to accurately predict future soil carbon dynamics. I will present recent work from our group to develop a modeling framework to integrate pore-, column-, watershed-, and global-scale soil process representations into an ESM (ACME), and apply the International Land Model Benchmarking (ILAMB) package for evaluation. At the column scale and across a wide range of sites, observed depth-resolved carbon stocks and their 14C derived turnover times can be explained by a model with explicit representation of two microbial populations, a simple representation of mineralogy, and vertical transport. Integrating soil and plant dynamics requires a 'process-scaling' approach, since all aspects of the multi-nutrient system cannot be explicitly resolved at ESM scales. I will show that one approach, the Equilibrium Chemistry Approximation, improves predictions of forest nitrogen and phosphorus experimental manipulations and leads to very different global soil carbon predictions. Translating model representations from the site- to ESM-scale requires a spatial scaling approach that either explicitly resolves the relevant processes, or more practically, accounts for fine-resolution dynamics at coarser scales. To that end, I will present recent watershed-scale modeling work that applies reduced order model methods to accurately scale fine-resolution soil carbon dynamics to coarse-resolution simulations. Finally, we

Segregation in handling processes of blended industrial coal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jones, M.G.; Marjanovic, P.; McGlinchy, D.; McLaren, R. [Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow (United Kingdom). Department of Physical Sciences, Centre for Industrial Bulk Solids Handling

1998-09-01

A comparison was made between two belt blending methods; using either a compartment hopper or feeder belts. The results indicated that in this case the system with feeder belts gave a more consistent proportioning of materials. Coal when formed into a heap was shown to segregate dependent on size fraction. The level of segregation for each size fraction was quantified using ANOVA statistics. Any measure taken to mitigate this segregation could then be properly assessed. Some aspects of the segregation evident in the heap arose in previous handling steps showing that such effects are transmittable along a process stream. Singles coal when pneumatically conveyed in dilute phase will segregate in the conveying pipeline. Segregation in the direction of travel was minimal in dense phase conveying although the materials tested separated through the depth of the pipe. A full scale experimental programme investigating segregation in both dense and dilute phase is currently underway. 7 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.

Higher fine-scale genetic structure in peripheral than in core populations of a long-lived and mixed-mating conifer--eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Pandey, Madhav; Rajora, Om P

2012-04-05

Fine-scale or spatial genetic structure (SGS) is one of the key genetic characteristics of plant populations. Several evolutionary and ecological processes and population characteristics influence the level of SGS within plant populations. Higher fine-scale genetic structure may be expected in peripheral than core populations of long-lived forest trees, owing to the differences in the magnitude of operating evolutionary and ecological forces such as gene flow, genetic drift, effective population size and founder effects. We addressed this question using eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) as a model species for declining to endangered long-lived tree species with mixed-mating system. We determined the SGS in two core and two peripheral populations of eastern white cedar from its Maritime Canadian eastern range using six nuclear microsatellite DNA markers. Significant SGS ranging from 15 m to 75 m distance classes was observed in the four studied populations. An analysis of combined four populations revealed significant positive SGS up to the 45 m distance class. The mean positive significant SGS observed in the peripheral populations was up to six times (up to 90 m) of that observed in the core populations (15 m). Spatial autocorrelation coefficients and correlograms of single and sub-sets of populations were statistically significant. The extent of within-population SGS was significantly negatively correlated with all genetic diversity parameters. Significant heterogeneity of within-population SGS was observed for 0-15 m and 61-90 m between core and peripheral populations. Average Sp, and gene flow distances were higher in peripheral (Sp = 0.023, σg = 135 m) than in core (Sp = 0.014, σg = 109 m) populations. However, the mean neighborhood size was higher in the core (Nb = 82) than in the peripheral (Nb = 48) populations. Eastern white cedar populations have significant fine-scale genetic structure at short distances. Peripheral populations have several

Source Segregation and Collection of Source-Segregated Waste

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Thomas Højlund; Matsufuji, Y.

2011-01-01

of optimal handling of the waste. But in a few cases, the waste must also be separated at source, for example removing the protective plastic cover from a commercial advertisement received by mail, prior to putting the advertisement into the waste collection bin for recyclable paper. These issues are often...... in wastes segregation addressing: - Purpose of source segregation. - Segregation criteria and guidance. - Segregation potentials and efficiencies. - Systems for collecting segregated fraction....

Lack of sex-biased dispersal promotes fine-scale genetic structure in alpine ungulates

Science.gov (United States)

Gretchen H. Roffler; Sandra L. Talbot; Gordon Luikart; George K. Sage; Kristy L. Pilgrim; Layne G. Adams; Michael K. Schwartz

2014-01-01

Identifying patterns of fine-scale genetic structure in natural populations can advance understanding of critical ecological processes such as dispersal and gene flow across heterogeneous landscapes. Alpine ungulates generally exhibit high levels of genetic structure due to female philopatry and patchy configuration of mountain habitats. We assessed the spatial scale...

Parallel integer sorting with medium and fine-scale parallelism

Science.gov (United States)

Dagum, Leonardo

1993-01-01

Two new parallel integer sorting algorithms, queue-sort and barrel-sort, are presented and analyzed in detail. These algorithms do not have optimal parallel complexity, yet they show very good performance in practice. Queue-sort designed for fine-scale parallel architectures which allow the queueing of multiple messages to the same destination. Barrel-sort is designed for medium-scale parallel architectures with a high message passing overhead. The performance results from the implementation of queue-sort on a Connection Machine CM-2 and barrel-sort on a 128 processor iPSC/860 are given. The two implementations are found to be comparable in performance but not as good as a fully vectorized bucket sort on the Cray YMP.

GeneRecon—A coalescent based tool for fine-scale association mapping

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mailund, Thomas; Schierup, Mikkel Heide; Pedersen, Christian Nørgaard Storm

2006-01-01

GeneRecon is a tool for fine-scale association mapping using a coalescence model. GeneRecon takes as input case-control data from phased or unphased SNP and micro-satellite genotypes. The posterior distribution of disease locus position is obtained by Metropolis Hastings sampling in the state space...

CHEMICAL SEGREGATION TOWARD MASSIVE HOT CORES: THE AFGL2591 STAR-FORMING REGION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jimenez-Serra, I.; Zhang, Q. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Viti, S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Place, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Martin-Pintado, J. [Centro de Astrobiologia (CSIC/INTA), Ctra. de Torrejon a Ajalvir km 4, E-28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, Madrid (Spain); De Wit, W.-J., E-mail: ijimenez-serra@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: qzhang@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: sv@star.ucl.ac.uk, E-mail: jmartin@cab.inta-csic.es, E-mail: wdewit@eso.org [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago (Chile)

2012-07-01

We present high angular resolution observations (0.''5 Multiplication-Sign 0.''3) carried out with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) toward the AFGL2591 high-mass star-forming region. Our SMA images reveal a clear chemical segregation within the AFGL2591 VLA 3 hot core, where different molecular species (Types I, II, and III) appear distributed in three concentric shells. This is the first time that such a chemical segregation is ever reported at linear scales {<=}3000 AU within a hot core. While Type I species (H{sub 2}S and {sup 13}CS) peak at the AFGL2591 VLA 3 protostar, Type II molecules (HC{sub 3}N, OCS, SO, and SO{sub 2}) show a double-peaked structure circumventing the continuum peak. Type III species, represented by CH{sub 3}OH, form a ring-like structure surrounding the continuum emission. The excitation temperatures of SO{sub 2}, HC{sub 3}N, and CH{sub 3}OH (185 {+-} 11 K, 150 {+-} 20 K, and 124 {+-} 12 K, respectively) show a temperature gradient within the AFGL2591 VLA 3 envelope, consistent with previous observations and modeling of the source. By combining the H{sub 2}S, SO{sub 2}, and CH{sub 3}OH images, representative of the three concentric shells, we find that the global kinematics of the molecular gas follow Keplerian-like rotation around a 40 M{sub Sun} star. The chemical segregation observed toward AFGL2591 VLA 3 is explained by the combination of molecular UV photodissociation and a high-temperature ({approx}1000 K) gas-phase chemistry within the low extinction innermost region in the AFGL2591 VLA 3 hot core.

Macroecological factors shape local-scale spatial patterns in agriculturalist settlements.

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Tingting; Abades, Sebastián; Teng, Shuqing; Huang, Zheng Y X; Reino, Luís; Chen, Bin J W; Zhang, Yong; Xu, Chi; Svenning, Jens-Christian

2017-11-15

Macro-scale patterns of human systems ranging from population distribution to linguistic diversity have attracted recent attention, giving rise to the suggestion that macroecological rules shape the assembly of human societies. However, in which aspects the geography of our own species is shaped by macroecological factors remains poorly understood. Here, we provide a first demonstration that macroecological factors shape strong local-scale spatial patterns in human settlement systems, through an analysis of spatial patterns in agriculturalist settlements in eastern mainland China based on high-resolution Google Earth images. We used spatial point pattern analysis to show that settlement spatial patterns are characterized by over-dispersion at fine spatial scales (0.05-1.4 km), consistent with territory segregation, and clumping at coarser spatial scales beyond the over-dispersion signals, indicating territorial clustering. Statistical modelling shows that, at macroscales, potential evapotranspiration and topographic heterogeneity have negative effects on territory size, but positive effects on territorial clustering. These relationships are in line with predictions from territory theory for hunter-gatherers as well as for many animal species. Our results help to disentangle the complex interactions between intrinsic spatial processes in agriculturalist societies and external forcing by macroecological factors. While one may speculate that humans can escape ecological constraints because of unique abilities for environmental modification and globalized resource transportation, our work highlights that universal macroecological principles still shape the geography of current human agricultural societies. © 2017 The Author(s).

Fine-Scale Mapping of the FGFR2 Breast Cancer Risk Locus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meyer, Kerstin B; O'Reilly, Martin; Michailidou, Kyriaki

2013-01-01

The 10q26 locus in the second intron of FGFR2 is the locus most strongly associated with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer in genome-wide association studies. We conducted fine-scale mapping in case-control studies genotyped with a custom chip (iCOGS), comprising 41 studies (n = 89,050) of...

Fine-scale spatial genetic structure in predominantly selfing plants with limited seed dispersal: A rule or exception?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergei Volis

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Gene flow at a fine scale is still poorly understood despite its recognized importance for plant population demographic and genetic processes. We tested the hypothesis that intensity of gene flow will be lower and strength of spatial genetic structure (SGS will be higher in more peripheral populations because of lower population density. The study was performed on the predominantly selfing Avena sterilis and included: (1 direct measurement of dispersal in a controlled environment; and (2 analyses of SGS in three natural populations, sampled in linear transects at fixed increasing inter-plant distances. We found that in A. sterilis major seed dispersal is by gravity in close (less than 2 m vicinity of the mother plant, with a minor additional effect of wind. Analysis of SGS with six nuclear SSRs revealed a significant autocorrelation for the distance class of 1 m only in the most peripheral desert population, while in the two core populations with Mediterranean conditions, no genetic structure was found. Our results support the hypothesis that intensity of SGS increases from the species core to periphery as a result of decreased within-population gene flow related to low plant density. Our findings also show that predominant self-pollination and highly localized seed dispersal lead to SGS at a very fine scale, but only if plant density is not too high.

Reduced wear of enamel with novel fine and nano-scale leucite glass-ceramics.

Science.gov (United States)

Theocharopoulos, Antonios; Chen, Xiaohui; Hill, Robert; Cattell, Michael J

2013-06-01

Leucite glass-ceramics used to produce all-ceramic restorations can suffer from brittle fracture and wear the opposing teeth. High strength and fine crystal sized leucite glass-ceramics have recently been reported. The objective of this study is to investigate whether fine and nano-scale leucite glass-ceramics with minimal matrix microcracking are associated with a reduction in in vitro tooth wear. Human molar cusps (n=12) were wear tested using a Bionix-858 testing machine (300,000 simulated masticatory cycles) against experimental fine crystal sized (FS), nano-scale crystal sized (NS) leucite glass-ceramics and a commercial leucite glass-ceramic (Ceramco-3, Dentsply, USA). Wear was imaged using Secondary Electron Imaging (SEI) and quantified using white-light profilometry. Both experimental groups were found to produce significantly (pceramic) loss than the FS group. Increased waviness and damage was observed on the wear surfaces of the Ceramco-3 glass-ceramic disc/tooth group in comparison to the experimental groups. This was also indicated by higher surface roughness values for the Ceramco-3 glass-ceramic disc/tooth group. Fine and nano-sized leucite glass-ceramics produced a reduction in in vitro tooth wear. The high strength low wear materials of this study may help address the many problems associated with tooth enamel wear and restoration failure. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predicting Species Distributions Using Record Centre Data: Multi-Scale Modelling of Habitat Suitability for Bat Roosts.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellamy, Chloe; Altringham, John

2015-01-01

Conservation increasingly operates at the landscape scale. For this to be effective, we need landscape scale information on species distributions and the environmental factors that underpin them. Species records are becoming increasingly available via data centres and online portals, but they are often patchy and biased. We demonstrate how such data can yield useful habitat suitability models, using bat roost records as an example. We analysed the effects of environmental variables at eight spatial scales (500 m - 6 km) on roost selection by eight bat species (Pipistrellus pipistrellus, P. pygmaeus, Nyctalus noctula, Myotis mystacinus, M. brandtii, M. nattereri, M. daubentonii, and Plecotus auritus) using the presence-only modelling software MaxEnt. Modelling was carried out on a selection of 418 data centre roost records from the Lake District National Park, UK. Target group pseudoabsences were selected to reduce the impact of sampling bias. Multi-scale models, combining variables measured at their best performing spatial scales, were used to predict roosting habitat suitability, yielding models with useful predictive abilities. Small areas of deciduous woodland consistently increased roosting habitat suitability, but other habitat associations varied between species and scales. Pipistrellus were positively related to built environments at small scales, and depended on large-scale woodland availability. The other, more specialist, species were highly sensitive to human-altered landscapes, avoiding even small rural towns. The strength of many relationships at large scales suggests that bats are sensitive to habitat modifications far from the roost itself. The fine resolution, large extent maps will aid targeted decision-making by conservationists and planners. We have made available an ArcGIS toolbox that automates the production of multi-scale variables, to facilitate the application of our methods to other taxa and locations. Habitat suitability modelling has the

Ecomorphology of the African felid ensemble: the role of the skull and postcranium in determining species segregation and assembling history.

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Morales, M M; Giannini, N P

2013-05-01

Morphology of extant felids is regarded as highly conservative. Most previous studies have focussed on skull morphology, so a vacuum exists about morphofunctional variation in postcranium and its role in structuring ensembles of felids in different continents. The African felid ensemble is particularly rich in ecologically specialized felids. We studied the ecomorphology of this ensemble using 31 cranial and 93 postcranial morphometric variables measured in 49 specimens of all 10 African species. We took a multivariate approach controlling for phylogeny, with and without body size correction. Postcranial and skull + postcranial analyses (but not skull-only analyses) allowed for a complete segregation of species in morphospace. Morphofunctional factors segregating species included body size, bite force, zeugopodial lengths and osteological features related to parasagittal leg movement. A general gradient of bodily proportions was recovered: lightly built, long-legged felids with small heads and weak bite forces vs. the opposite. Three loose groups were recognized: small terrestrial felids, mid-to-large sized scansorial felids and specialized Acinonyx jubatus and Leptailurus serval. As predicted from a previous study, the assembling of the African felid ensemble during the Plio-Pleistocene occurred by the arrival of distinct felid lineages that occupied then vacant areas of morphospace, later diversifying in the continent. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2013 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Higher fine-scale genetic structure in peripheral than in core populations of a long-lived and mixed-mating conifer - eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Fine-scale or spatial genetic structure (SGS) is one of the key genetic characteristics of plant populations. Several evolutionary and ecological processes and population characteristics influence the level of SGS within plant populations. Higher fine-scale genetic structure may be expected in peripheral than core populations of long-lived forest trees, owing to the differences in the magnitude of operating evolutionary and ecological forces such as gene flow, genetic drift, effective population size and founder effects. We addressed this question using eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) as a model species for declining to endangered long-lived tree species with mixed-mating system. Results We determined the SGS in two core and two peripheral populations of eastern white cedar from its Maritime Canadian eastern range using six nuclear microsatellite DNA markers. Significant SGS ranging from 15 m to 75 m distance classes was observed in the four studied populations. An analysis of combined four populations revealed significant positive SGS up to the 45 m distance class. The mean positive significant SGS observed in the peripheral populations was up to six times (up to 90 m) of that observed in the core populations (15 m). Spatial autocorrelation coefficients and correlograms of single and sub-sets of populations were statistically significant. The extent of within-population SGS was significantly negatively correlated with all genetic diversity parameters. Significant heterogeneity of within-population SGS was observed for 0-15 m and 61-90 m between core and peripheral populations. Average Sp, and gene flow distances were higher in peripheral (Sp = 0.023, σg = 135 m) than in core (Sp = 0.014, σg = 109 m) populations. However, the mean neighborhood size was higher in the core (Nb = 82) than in the peripheral (Nb = 48) populations. Conclusion Eastern white cedar populations have significant fine-scale genetic structure at short distances. Peripheral

Higher fine-scale genetic structure in peripheral than in core populations of a long-lived and mixed-mating conifer - eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.

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Pandey Madhav

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Fine-scale or spatial genetic structure (SGS is one of the key genetic characteristics of plant populations. Several evolutionary and ecological processes and population characteristics influence the level of SGS within plant populations. Higher fine-scale genetic structure may be expected in peripheral than core populations of long-lived forest trees, owing to the differences in the magnitude of operating evolutionary and ecological forces such as gene flow, genetic drift, effective population size and founder effects. We addressed this question using eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis as a model species for declining to endangered long-lived tree species with mixed-mating system. Results We determined the SGS in two core and two peripheral populations of eastern white cedar from its Maritime Canadian eastern range using six nuclear microsatellite DNA markers. Significant SGS ranging from 15 m to 75 m distance classes was observed in the four studied populations. An analysis of combined four populations revealed significant positive SGS up to the 45 m distance class. The mean positive significant SGS observed in the peripheral populations was up to six times (up to 90 m of that observed in the core populations (15 m. Spatial autocorrelation coefficients and correlograms of single and sub-sets of populations were statistically significant. The extent of within-population SGS was significantly negatively correlated with all genetic diversity parameters. Significant heterogeneity of within-population SGS was observed for 0-15 m and 61-90 m between core and peripheral populations. Average Sp, and gene flow distances were higher in peripheral (Sp = 0.023, σg = 135 m than in core (Sp = 0.014, σg = 109 m populations. However, the mean neighborhood size was higher in the core (Nb = 82 than in the peripheral (Nb = 48 populations. Conclusion Eastern white cedar populations have significant fine-scale genetic structure at short

Using fine-scale fuel measurements to assess wildland fuels, potential fire behavior and hazard mitigation treatments in the southeastern USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ottmar, Roger D.; Blake, John I.; Crolly, William T.

2012-01-01

The inherent spatial and temporal heterogeneity of fuelbeds in forests of the southeastern United States may require fine scale fuel measurements for providing reliable fire hazard and fuel treatment effectiveness estimates. In a series of five papers, an intensive, fine scale fuel inventory from the Savanna River Site in the southeastern United States is used for building fuelbeds and mapping fire behavior potential, evaluating fuel treatment options for effectiveness, and providing a comparative analysis of landscape modeled fire behavior using three different data sources including the Fuel Characteristic Classification System, LANDFIRE, and the Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment. The research demonstrates that fine scale fuel measurements associated with fuel inventories repeated over time can be used to assess broad scale wildland fire potential and hazard mitigation treatment effectiveness in the southeastern USA and similar fire prone regions. Additional investigations will be needed to modify and improve these processes and capture the true potential of these fine scale data sets for fire and fuel management planning.

Phylogenetic relatedness limits co-occurrence at fine spatial scales: evidence from the schoenoid sedges (Cyperaceae: Schoeneae) of the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Slingsby, Jasper A; Verboom, G Anthony

2006-07-01

Species co-occurrence at fine spatial scales is expected to be nonrandom with respect to phylogeny because of the joint effects of evolutionary (trait convergence and conservatism) and ecological (competitive exclusion and habitat filtering) processes. We use data from 11 existing vegetation surveys to test whether co-occurrence in schoenoid sedge assemblages in the Cape Floristic Region shows significant phylogenetic structuring and to examine whether this changes with the phylogenetic scale of the analysis. We provide evidence for phylogenetic overdispersion in an alliance of closely related species (the reticulate-sheathed Tetraria clade) using both quantile regression analysis and a comparison between the mean observed and expected phylogenetic distances between co-occurring species. Similar patterns are not evident when the analyses are performed at a broader phylogenetic scale. Examination of six functional traits suggests a general pattern of trait conservatism within the reticulate-sheathed Tetraria clade, suggesting a potential role for interspecific competition in structuring co-occurrence within this group. We suggest that phylogenetic overdispersion of communities may be common throughout many of the Cape lineages, since interspecific interactions are likely intensified in lineages with large numbers of species restricted to a small geographic area, and we discuss the potential implications for patterns of diversity in the Cape.

Restricted gene flow and fine-scale population structuring in tool using New Caledonian crows

Science.gov (United States)

Rutz, C.; Ryder, T. B.; Fleischer, R. C.

2012-04-01

New Caledonian crows Corvus moneduloides are the most prolific avian tool users. It has been suggested that some aspects of their complex tool use behaviour are under the influence of cultural processes, involving the social transmission—and perhaps even progressive refinement—of tool designs. Using microsatellite and mt-haplotype profiling of crows from three distinct habitats (dry forest, farmland and beachside habitat), we show that New Caledonian crow populations can exhibit significant fine-scale genetic structuring. Our finding that some sites of cultural isolation of crow groups. Restricted movement of birds between local populations at such small spatial scales, especially across habitat boundaries, illustrates how specific tool designs could be preserved over time, and how tool technologies of different crow groups could diverge due to drift and local selection pressures. Young New Caledonian crows have an unusually long juvenile dependency period, during which they acquire complex tool-related foraging skills. We suggest that the resulting delayed natal dispersal drives population-divergence patterns in this species. Our work provides essential context for future studies that examine the genetic makeup of crow populations across larger geographic areas, including localities with suspected cultural differences in crow tool technologies.

Structure formation by the fifth force: Segregation of baryons and dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Baojiu; Zhao Hongsheng

2010-01-01

In this paper we present the results of N-body simulations with a scalar field coupled differently to cold dark matter (CDM) and baryons. The scalar field potential and coupling function are chosen such that the scalar field acquires a heavy mass in regions with high CDM density and thus behaves like a chameleon. We focus on how the existence of the scalar field affects the formation of nonlinear large-scale structures, and how the different couplings of the scalar field to baryons and CDM particles lead to different distributions and evolutions for these two matter species, both on large scales and inside virialized halos. As expected, the baryon-CDM segregation increases in regions where the fifth force is strong, and little segregation in dense regions. We also introduce an approximation method to identify the virialized halos in coupled scalar field models which takes into account the scalar field coupling and which is easy to implement numerically. It is found that the chameleon nature of the scalar field makes the internal density profiles of halos dependent on the environment in a very nontrivial way.

Fine-scale genetic structure and cryptic associations reveal evidence of kin-based sociality in the African forest elephant.

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Stephanie G Schuttler

Full Text Available Spatial patterns of relatedness within animal populations are important in the evolution of mating and social systems, and have the potential to reveal information on species that are difficult to observe in the wild. This study examines the fine-scale genetic structure and connectivity of groups within African forest elephants, Loxodonta cyclotis, which are often difficult to observe due to forest habitat. We tested the hypothesis that genetic similarity will decline with increasing geographic distance, as we expect kin to be in closer proximity, using spatial autocorrelation analyses and Tau K(r tests. Associations between individuals were investigated through a non-invasive genetic capture-recapture approach using network models, and were predicted to be more extensive than the small groups found in observational studies, similar to fission-fusion sociality found in African savanna (Loxodonta africana and Asian (Elephas maximus species. Dung samples were collected in Lopé National Park, Gabon in 2008 and 2010 and genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci, genetically sexed, and sequenced at the mitochondrial DNA control region. We conducted analyses on samples collected at three different temporal scales: a day, within six-day sampling sessions, and within each year. Spatial autocorrelation and Tau K(r tests revealed genetic structure, but results were weak and inconsistent between sampling sessions. Positive spatial autocorrelation was found in distance classes of 0-5 km, and was strongest for the single day session. Despite weak genetic structure, individuals within groups were significantly more related to each other than to individuals between groups. Social networks revealed some components to have large, extensive groups of up to 22 individuals, and most groups were composed of individuals of the same matriline. Although fine-scale population genetic structure was weak, forest elephants are typically found in groups consisting of kin and

Modelling deep water habitats to develop a spatially explicit, fine scale understanding of the distribution of the western rock lobster, Panulirus cygnus.

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Renae K Hovey

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The western rock lobster, Panulirus cygnus, is endemic to Western Australia and supports substantial commercial and recreational fisheries. Due to and its wide distribution and the commercial and recreational importance of the species a key component of managing western rock lobster is understanding the ecological processes and interactions that may influence lobster abundance and distribution. Using terrain analyses and distribution models of substrate and benthic biota, we assess the physical drivers that influence the distribution of lobsters at a key fishery site. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Using data collected from hydroacoustic and towed video surveys, 20 variables (including geophysical, substrate and biota variables were developed to predict the distributions of substrate type (three classes of reef, rhodoliths and sand and dominant biota (kelp, sessile invertebrates and macroalgae within a 40 km(2 area about 30 km off the west Australian coast. Lobster presence/absence data were collected within this area using georeferenced pots. These datasets were used to develop a classification tree model for predicting the distribution of the western rock lobster. Interestingly, kelp and reef were not selected as predictors. Instead, the model selected geophysical and geomorphic scalar variables, which emphasise a mix of terrain within limited distances. The model of lobster presence had an adjusted D(2 of 64 and an 80% correct classification. CONCLUSIONS: Species distribution models indicate that juxtaposition in fine scale terrain is most important to the western rock lobster. While key features like kelp and reef may be important to lobster distribution at a broad scale, it is the fine scale features in terrain that are likely to define its ecological niche. Determining the most appropriate landscape configuration and scale will be essential to refining niche habitats and will aid in selecting appropriate sites for protecting critical

Modelling Deep Water Habitats to Develop a Spatially Explicit, Fine Scale Understanding of the Distribution of the Western Rock Lobster, Panulirus cygnus

Science.gov (United States)

Hovey, Renae K.; Van Niel, Kimberly P.; Bellchambers, Lynda M.; Pember, Matthew B.

2012-01-01

Background The western rock lobster, Panulirus cygnus, is endemic to Western Australia and supports substantial commercial and recreational fisheries. Due to and its wide distribution and the commercial and recreational importance of the species a key component of managing western rock lobster is understanding the ecological processes and interactions that may influence lobster abundance and distribution. Using terrain analyses and distribution models of substrate and benthic biota, we assess the physical drivers that influence the distribution of lobsters at a key fishery site. Methods and Findings Using data collected from hydroacoustic and towed video surveys, 20 variables (including geophysical, substrate and biota variables) were developed to predict the distributions of substrate type (three classes of reef, rhodoliths and sand) and dominant biota (kelp, sessile invertebrates and macroalgae) within a 40 km2 area about 30 km off the west Australian coast. Lobster presence/absence data were collected within this area using georeferenced pots. These datasets were used to develop a classification tree model for predicting the distribution of the western rock lobster. Interestingly, kelp and reef were not selected as predictors. Instead, the model selected geophysical and geomorphic scalar variables, which emphasise a mix of terrain within limited distances. The model of lobster presence had an adjusted D2 of 64 and an 80% correct classification. Conclusions Species distribution models indicate that juxtaposition in fine scale terrain is most important to the western rock lobster. While key features like kelp and reef may be important to lobster distribution at a broad scale, it is the fine scale features in terrain that are likely to define its ecological niche. Determining the most appropriate landscape configuration and scale will be essential to refining niche habitats and will aid in selecting appropriate sites for protecting critical lobster habitats. PMID

Modelling deep water habitats to develop a spatially explicit, fine scale understanding of the distribution of the western rock lobster, Panulirus cygnus.

Science.gov (United States)

Hovey, Renae K; Van Niel, Kimberly P; Bellchambers, Lynda M; Pember, Matthew B

2012-01-01

The western rock lobster, Panulirus cygnus, is endemic to Western Australia and supports substantial commercial and recreational fisheries. Due to and its wide distribution and the commercial and recreational importance of the species a key component of managing western rock lobster is understanding the ecological processes and interactions that may influence lobster abundance and distribution. Using terrain analyses and distribution models of substrate and benthic biota, we assess the physical drivers that influence the distribution of lobsters at a key fishery site. Using data collected from hydroacoustic and towed video surveys, 20 variables (including geophysical, substrate and biota variables) were developed to predict the distributions of substrate type (three classes of reef, rhodoliths and sand) and dominant biota (kelp, sessile invertebrates and macroalgae) within a 40 km(2) area about 30 km off the west Australian coast. Lobster presence/absence data were collected within this area using georeferenced pots. These datasets were used to develop a classification tree model for predicting the distribution of the western rock lobster. Interestingly, kelp and reef were not selected as predictors. Instead, the model selected geophysical and geomorphic scalar variables, which emphasise a mix of terrain within limited distances. The model of lobster presence had an adjusted D(2) of 64 and an 80% correct classification. Species distribution models indicate that juxtaposition in fine scale terrain is most important to the western rock lobster. While key features like kelp and reef may be important to lobster distribution at a broad scale, it is the fine scale features in terrain that are likely to define its ecological niche. Determining the most appropriate landscape configuration and scale will be essential to refining niche habitats and will aid in selecting appropriate sites for protecting critical lobster habitats.

Demonstrating the Uneven Importance of Fine-Scale Forest Structure on Snow Distributions using High Resolution Modeling

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Broxton, P. D.; Harpold, A. A.; van Leeuwen, W.; Biederman, J. A.

2016-12-01

Quantifying the amount of snow in forested mountainous environments, as well as how it may change due to warming and forest disturbance, is critical given its importance for water supply and ecosystem health. Forest canopies affect snow accumulation and ablation in ways that are difficult to observe and model. Furthermore, fine-scale forest structure can accentuate or diminish the effects of forest-snow interactions. Despite decades of research demonstrating the importance of fine-scale forest structure (e.g. canopy edges and gaps) on snow, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of where and when forest structure has the largest impact on snowpack mass and energy budgets. Here, we use a hyper-resolution (1 meter spatial resolution) mass and energy balance snow model called the Snow Physics and Laser Mapping (SnowPALM) model along with LIDAR-derived forest structure to determine where spatial variability of fine-scale forest structure has the largest influence on large scale mass and energy budgets. SnowPALM was set up and calibrated at sites representing diverse climates in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Then, we compared simulations at different model resolutions (i.e. 1, 10, and 100 m) to elucidate the effects of including versus not including information about fine scale canopy structure. These experiments were repeated for different prescribed topographies (i.e. flat, 30% slope north, and south-facing) at each site. Higher resolution simulations had more snow at lower canopy cover, with the opposite being true at high canopy cover. Furthermore, there is considerable scatter, indicating that different canopy arrangements can lead to different amounts of snow, even when the overall canopy coverage is the same. This modeling is contributing to the development of a high resolution machine learning algorithm called the Snow Water Artificial Network (SWANN) model to generate predictions of snow distributions over much larger domains, which has implications

Electromagnetic characterization of fine-scale particulate composite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Talbot, P.; Konn, A.M.; Brosseau, C.

2002-01-01

We report the results of the composition and frequency-dependent complex permittivity and permeability of ZnO and γ-Fe 2 O 3 composites prepared by powder pressing. The electromagnetic properties of these materials exhibit a strong dependence on the powder size of the starting materials. In the microwave frequency range, the permittivity and permeability show nonlinear variations with volume fraction of Fe 2 O 3 . As the particle size decreases from a few micrometers to a few tens of nanometers, the data indicate that local mesostructural factors such as shape anisotropy, porosity and possible effect of the binder are likely to be intertwined in the understanding of electromagnetic properties of fine-scale particulate composite materials

Impacts of Oreochromis mossambicus (Perciformes: Cichlidae upon habitat segregation among cyprinodontids (Cyprinodontiformes of a species flock in Mexico

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Linda Fuselier

2001-06-01

Full Text Available Five species of Cyprinodon in Laguna Chichancanab, Yucatan, Mexico comprise a young species flock whose ecology and evolution has not been thoroughly studied, but whose existence is threatened with extinction. Species flocks evolve in isolated areas where predators and competitors are absent. Since the description of the Chichancanab flock, Oreochromis mossambicus, a species introduced into the lake for which I examined habitat in the 1980’s, has become common throughout the basin. I assessed relative abundance of flock species in the lake. examined habitat use and segregation among the three most common flock species and examined the affects of O. mossambicus upon flock species habitat use. Cyprinodon beltrani was the most abundant flock species in 1997, followed by C. maya and C. labiosus; C. verecundus and C. simus were rare. Cyprinodon beltrani was found in shallow water, nearshore, over thick beds of submerged Chara, and little emergent vegetation Cyprinodon beltrani exhibited diurnal variation in nearshore habitat use. In the field, the habitat use of C. beltrani and O. mossambicus broadly overlapped. In aquarium experiments, three flock species exhibited habitat use segregation and C. beltrani and C. labiosus showed agonistic behaviors that strengthened segregation. Cyprinodon maya differed from C. beltrani and C. labiosus by its greater dispersion of individuals and use of areas higher in the water column. The presence of O. mossambicus caused a shift in habitat use by C. maya and C. labiosus that put these species into habitat occupied by C. beltrani. The presence of introduced species has caused a significant perturbation of the conditions that fomented speciation of the Chichancanab flock 8000 years ago.Cinco especies de Cyprinodon en la Laguna Chichancanab, Yucatán, México comprenden un cardumen jóven de especies cuya ecología y evolución no ha sido estudiada a fondo, pero cuya existencia está siendo amenazada con la extinci

Irradiation-induced segregation in multi-component alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, I.W.

1983-01-01

A unified analysis of irradiation-induced segregation in multi-component alloys is developed using the formulation of irreversible thermodynamics. Three distinct mechanisms for segregation, namely the inverse Kirkendall effect, the vacancy-wind effect, and the solute drag of interstitials, are identified. In particular, the inverse Kirkendall effect due to interstitials arises only if a solute-interstitial interaction or a mutual conversion among interstitials via lattice atom intermediaries operates simultaneously. In the limit of fast conversion a para-equilibrium state may be reached between interstitials and lattice atoms, and the interstitial mechanism becomes formally analogous to the vacancy mechanism. Although the past treatment of rate phenomena in this field was apparently limited to the latter case, the importance of the consideration of separate chemical potentials for interstitials of different species, in segregation and other irradiation effects, is emphasized. (orig.)

The role of foraging behaviour in the sexual segregation of the African elephant.

Science.gov (United States)

Shannon, Graeme; Page, Bruce R; Duffy, Kevin J; Slotow, Rob

2006-11-01

Elephants (Loxodonta africana) exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism, and in this study we test the prediction that the differences in body size and sociality are significant enough to drive divergent foraging strategies and ultimately sexual segregation. Body size influences the foraging behaviour of herbivores through the differential scaling coefficients of metabolism and gut size, with larger bodied individuals being able to tolerate greater quantities of low-quality, fibrous vegetation, whilst having lower mass-specific energy requirements. We test two distinct theories: the scramble competition hypothesis (SCH) and the forage selection hypothesis (FSH). Comprehensive behavioural data were collected from the Pongola Game Reserve and the Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa over a 2.5-year period. The data were analysed using sex as the independent variable. Adult females targeted a wider range of species, adopted a more selective foraging approach and exhibited greater bite rates as predicted by the body size hypothesis and the increased demands of reproductive investment (lactation and pregnancy). Males had longer feeding bouts, displayed significantly more destructive behaviour (31% of observations, 11% for females) and ingested greater quantities of forage during each feeding bout. The independent ranging behaviour of adult males enables them to have longer foraging bouts as they experience fewer social constraints than females. The SCH was rejected as a cause of sexual segregation due to the relative abundance of low quality forage, and the fact that feeding heights were similar for both males and females. However, we conclude that the differences in the foraging strategies of the sexes are sufficient to cause spatial segregation as postulated by the FSH. Sexual dimorphism and the associated behavioural differences have important implications for the management and conservation of elephant and other dimorphic species, with the sexes effectively

Sex segregation and equality in a multicultural society: inferiority as a standard for legal acceptability

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Marjolein van den Brink

2010-06-01

Full Text Available This contribution explores the legal acceptability of old and new forms of sex segregation, using a multilayered ‘inferiority test’ that can be regarded as a specification of (international equality and non-discrimination standards. The test is applied to a number of topical cases of sex segregation: 1 A traditional case of rather uncontested sex segregation in sports, specifically in amateur football; 2 A more controversial case that seems to be on the rise once again: sex-segregated education; 3 The highly controversial case of sex-segregated integration courses in the Netherlands. The outcome shows that each sex-segregated practice is problematic in the light of one or more criteria of this inferiority test, but not necessarily the same criteria. Specific attention is paid to the merits of the test in a multicultural context. The inferiority test is a useful tool in dealing with multicultural complexity, although not in every respect. It allows the impact of sex segregation on minority women to be taken into account, as well as cultural and religious reasons which women may have in demanding sex-segregation facilities, unless this will result in perpetuating their or other women’s subordination. Our findings suggest that the inferiority test is quite useful as an analytical tool to assess contested practices of sex segregation. However, the multilayered character of the test needs some fine-tuning when the various elements of the test lead to different conclusions.

Particle segregation in pneumatic conveying lines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McGlinchey, D.; Marjanovic, P.; Cook, S.; Jones, M.G. [Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow (United Kingdom). Centre for Industrial Bulk Solids Handling

2000-07-01

This investigation studied segregation of particles during pneumatic transport from a theoretical and experimental perspective. Dilute phase or suspension flow and dense phase (non-suspension flow) were both considered. A computer model was generated based on the conservation equations to investigate dilute phase conditions; an initial qualitative investigation of material behaviour being conveyed in dense phase was made with plastic pellets and salt as a segregating mixture in a small test rig and the results from a full scale test rig conveying two grades of coal of different size distributions are discussed. 11 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.

A face in the crowd: a non-invasive and cost effective photo-identification methodology to understand the fine scale movement of eastern water dragons.

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Riana Zanarivero Gardiner

Full Text Available Ectothermic vertebrates face many challenges of thermoregulation. Many species rely on behavioral thermoregulation and move within their landscape to maintain homeostasis. Understanding the fine-scale nature of this regulation through tracking techniques can provide a better understanding of the relationships between such species and their dynamic environments. The use of animal tracking and telemetry technology has allowed the extensive collection of such data which has enabled us to better understand the ways animals move within their landscape. However, such technologies do not come without certain costs: they are generally invasive, relatively expensive, can be too heavy for small sized animals and unreliable in certain habitats. This study provides a cost-effective and non-invasive method through photo-identification, to determine fine scale movements of individuals. With our methodology, we have been able to find that male eastern water dragons (Intellagama leuseurii have home ranges one and a half times larger than those of females. Furthermore, we found intraspecific differences in the size of home ranges depending on the time of the day. Lastly, we found that location mostly influenced females' home ranges, but not males and discuss why this may be so. Overall, we provide valuable information regarding the ecology of the eastern water dragon, but most importantly demonstrate that non-invasive photo-identification can be successfully applied to the study of reptiles.

A face in the crowd: a non-invasive and cost effective photo-identification methodology to understand the fine scale movement of eastern water dragons.

Science.gov (United States)

Gardiner, Riana Zanarivero; Doran, Erik; Strickland, Kasha; Carpenter-Bundhoo, Luke; Frère, Celine

2014-01-01

Ectothermic vertebrates face many challenges of thermoregulation. Many species rely on behavioral thermoregulation and move within their landscape to maintain homeostasis. Understanding the fine-scale nature of this regulation through tracking techniques can provide a better understanding of the relationships between such species and their dynamic environments. The use of animal tracking and telemetry technology has allowed the extensive collection of such data which has enabled us to better understand the ways animals move within their landscape. However, such technologies do not come without certain costs: they are generally invasive, relatively expensive, can be too heavy for small sized animals and unreliable in certain habitats. This study provides a cost-effective and non-invasive method through photo-identification, to determine fine scale movements of individuals. With our methodology, we have been able to find that male eastern water dragons (Intellagama leuseurii) have home ranges one and a half times larger than those of females. Furthermore, we found intraspecific differences in the size of home ranges depending on the time of the day. Lastly, we found that location mostly influenced females' home ranges, but not males and discuss why this may be so. Overall, we provide valuable information regarding the ecology of the eastern water dragon, but most importantly demonstrate that non-invasive photo-identification can be successfully applied to the study of reptiles.

Fine-scale movement decisions of tropical forest birds in a fragmented landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillies, Cameron S; Beyer, Hawthorne L; St Clair, Colleen Cassady

2011-04-01

The persistence of forest-dependent species in fragmented landscapes is fundamentally linked to the movement of individuals among subpopulations. The paths taken by dispersing individuals can be considered a series of steps built from individual route choices. Despite the importance of these fine-scale movement decisions, it has proved difficult to collect such data that reveal how forest birds move in novel landscapes. We collected unprecedented route information about the movement of translocated forest birds from two species in the highly fragmented tropical dry forest of Costa Rica. In this pasture-dominated landscape, forest remains in patches or riparian corridors, with lesser amounts of living fencerows and individual trees or "stepping stones." We used step selection functions to quantify how route choice was influenced by these habitat elements. We found that the amount of risk these birds were willing to take by crossing open habitat was context dependent. The forest-specialist Barred Antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus) exhibited stronger selection for forested routes when moving in novel landscapes distant from its territory relative to locations closer to its territory. It also selected forested routes when its step originated in forest habitat. It preferred steps ending in stepping stones when the available routes had little forest cover, but avoided them when routes had greater forest cover. The forest-generalist Rufous-naped Wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha) preferred steps that contained more pasture, but only when starting from non-forest habitats. Our results showed that forested corridors (i.e., riparian corridors) best facilitated the movement of a sensitive forest specialist through this fragmented landscape. They also suggested that stepping stones can be important in highly fragmented forests with little remaining forest cover. We expect that naturally dispersing birds and species with greater forest dependence would exhibit even stronger

Fine root responses to temporal nutrient heterogeneity and competition in seedlings of two tree species with different rooting strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Peng; Shu, Meng; Mou, Pu; Weiner, Jacob

2018-03-01

There is little direct evidence for effects of soil heterogeneity and root plasticity on the competitive interactions among plants. In this study, we experimentally examined the impacts of temporal nutrient heterogeneity on root growth and interactions between two plant species with very different rooting strategies: Liquidambar styraciflua (sweet gum), which shows high root plasticity in response to soil nutrient heterogeneity, and Pinus taeda (loblolly pine), a species with less plastic roots. Seedlings of the two species were grown in sandboxes in inter- and intraspecific combinations. Nutrients were applied in a patch either in a stable (slow-release) or in a variable (pulse) manner. Plant aboveground biomass, fine root mass, root allocation between nutrient patch and outside the patch, and root vertical distribution were measured. L. styraciflua grew more aboveground (40% and 27% in stable and variable nutrient treatment, respectively) and fine roots (41% and 8% in stable and variable nutrient treatment, respectively) when competing with P. taeda than when competing with a conspecific individual, but the growth of P. taeda was not changed by competition from L. styraciflua . Temporal variation in patch nutrient level had little effect on the species' competitive interactions. The more flexible L. styraciflua changed its vertical distribution of fine roots in response to competition from P. taeda , growing more roots in deeper soil layers compared to its roots in conspecific competition, leading to niche differentiation between the species, while the fine root distribution of P. taeda remained unchanged across all treatments. Synthesis . L. styraciflua showed greater flexibility in root growth by changing its root vertical distribution and occupying space of not occupied by P. taeda . This flexibility gave L. styraciflua an advantage in interspecific competition.

Habitat degradation may affect niche segregation patterns in lizards

Science.gov (United States)

Pelegrin, N.; Chani, J. M.; Echevarria, A. L.; Bucher, E. H.

2013-08-01

Lizards partition resources in three main niche dimensions: time, space and food. Activity time and microhabitat use are strongly influenced by thermal environment, and may differ between species according to thermal requirements and tolerance. As thermal characteristics are influenced by habitat structure, microhabitat use and activity of lizards can change in disturbed habitats. We compared activity and microhabitat use of two abundant lizard species of the Semi-arid Chaco of Argentina between a restored and a highly degraded Chaco forest, to determine how habitat degradation affects lizard segregation in time and space, hypothesizing that as activity and microhabitat use of lizards are related to habitat structure, activity and microhabitat use of individual species can be altered in degraded habitats, thus changing segregation patterns between them. Activity changed from an overlapped pattern in a restored forest to a segregated pattern in a degraded forest. A similar trend was observed for microhabitat use, although to a less extent. No correlation was found between air temperature and lizard activity, but lizard activity varied along the day and among sites. Contrary to what was believed, activity patterns of neotropical diurnal lizards are not fixed, but affected by multiple factors related to habitat structure and possibly to interspecific interactions. Changes in activity patterns and microhabitat use in degraded forests may have important implications when analyzing the effects of climate change on lizard species, due to synergistic effects.

A parametric study of axial segregation in a rotating cylinder.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bielenberg, J. R. (James R.); Gladysz, G. M. (Gary M.); Graham, Alan L.

2004-01-01

When a cylindrical container, partially filled with a binary granular mixture of particles that differ in size or density, is rotated around its axis, a spontaneous segregation of the two granular components may occur. In order to better understand this phenomena, we have carried out an experimental study probing the effect of average particle size and relative size difference between particles on the onset of segregation. The experimental study is followed by a novel scaling analysis that relates the deterministic, convective driving force for particle segregation to the randomizing diffusional driving force present in these systems through the definition of an axial granular Peclet number. This Peclet number based approach will forgo some of the difficulties inherent in full-scale dynamic simulations, but will still allow us to determine the effects of system parameters on the final steady-state that is achieved. Values of this granular Peclet number are shown to successfully correlate with segregation behavior in the present experiment results, as well as in comparable results present in the literature.

Resource partitioning by evergreen and deciduous species in a tropical dry forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Álvarez-Yépiz, Juan C; Búrquez, Alberto; Martínez-Yrízar, Angelina; Teece, Mark; Yépez, Enrico A; Dovciak, Martin

2017-02-01

Niche differentiation can lead to coexistence of plant species by partitioning limiting resources. Light partitioning promotes niche differentiation in tropical humid forests, but it is unclear how niche partitioning occurs in tropical dry forests where both light and soil resources can be limiting. We studied the adult niche of four dominant evergreen (cycad, palm) and drought-deciduous (legume, oak) species co-occurring along environmental gradients. We analyzed light intensity and soil fertility effects on key functional traits related to plant carbon and water economy, how these traits determine species' functional strategies, and how these strategies relate to relative species abundance and spatial patterns. Light intensity was negatively associated with a key trait linked to plant water economy (leaf δ 13 C, a proxy for long-term water-use efficiency-WUE), while soil fertility was negatively associated with a key trait for plant carbon economy (LNC, leaf nitrogen content). Evergreens were highly sclerophyllous and displayed an efficient water economy but poor carbon economy, in agreement with a conservative resource-use strategy (i.e., high WUE but low LNC, photosynthetic rates and stature). Conversely, deciduous species, with an efficient carbon economy but poor water economy, exhibited an exploitative resource-use strategy (i.e., high LNC, photosynthetic rates and stature, but low WUE). Evergreen and deciduous species segregated spatially, particularly at fine-scales, as expected for species with different resource-use strategies. The efficient water economy of evergreens was related to their higher relative abundance, suggesting a functional advantage against drought-deciduous species in water-limited environments within seasonally dry tropical forests.

Using fine-scale fuel measurements to assess wildland fuels, potential fire behavior and hazard mitigation treatments in the southeastern USA

Science.gov (United States)

Roger D. Ottmar; John I. Blake; William T. Crolly

2012-01-01

The inherent spatial and temporal heterogeneity of fuel beds in forests of the southeastern United States may require fine scale fuel measurements for providing reliable fire hazard and fuel treatment effectiveness estimates. In a series of five papers, an intensive, fine scale fuel inventory from the Savanna River Site in the southeastern United States is used for...

Spatial Segregation and Aggregation of Ectomycorrhizal and Root-Endophytic Fungi in the Seedlings of Two Quercus Species

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Satoshi; Sato, Hirotoshi; Tanabe, Akifumi S.; Hidaka, Amane; Kadowaki, Kohmei; Toju, Hirokazu

2014-01-01

Diverse clades of mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi are potentially involved in competitive or facilitative interactions within host-plant roots. We investigated the potential consequences of these ecological interactions on the assembly process of root-associated fungi by examining the co-occurrence of pairs of fungi in host-plant individuals. Based on massively-parallel pyrosequencing, we analyzed the root-associated fungal community composition for each of the 249 Quercus serrata and 188 Quercus glauca seedlings sampled in a warm-temperate secondary forest in Japan. Pairs of fungi that co-occurred more or less often than expected by chance were identified based on randomization tests. The pyrosequencing analysis revealed that not only ectomycorrhizal fungi but also endophytic fungi were common in the root-associated fungal community. Intriguingly, specific pairs of these ectomycorrhizal and endophytic fungi showed spatially aggregated patterns, suggesting the existence of facilitative interactions between fungi in different functional groups. Due to the large number of fungal pairs examined, many of the observed aggregated/segregated patterns with very low P values (e.g., fungi could influence each other through interspecific competitive/facilitative interactions in root. To test the potential of host-plants' control of fungus–fungus ecological interactions in roots, we further examined whether the aggregated/segregated patterns could vary depending on the identity of host plant species. Potentially due to the physiological properties shared between the congeneric host plant species, the sign of hosts' control was not detected in the present study. The pyrosequencing-based randomization analyses shown in this study provide a platform of the high-throughput investigation of fungus–fungus interactions in plant root systems. PMID:24801150

Waste segregation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, D.E.; Colombo, P.

1982-01-01

A scoping study has been undertaken to determine the state-of-the-art of waste segregation technology as applied to the management of low-level waste (LLW). Present-day waste segregation practices were surveyed through a review of the recent literature and by means of personal interviews with personnel at selected facilities. Among the nuclear establishments surveyed were Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories and plants, nuclear fuel cycle plants, public and private laboratories, institutions, industrial plants, and DOE and commercially operated shallow land burial sites. These survey data were used to analyze the relationship between waste segregation practices and waste treatment/disposal processes, to assess the developmental needs for improved segregation technology, and to evaluate the costs and benefits associated with the implementation of waste segregation controls. This task was planned for completion in FY 1981. It should be noted that LLW management practices are now undergoing rapid change such that the technology and requirements for waste segregation in the near future may differ significantly from those of the present day. 8 figures

Sensitivity of metrics of phylogenetic structure to scale, source of data and species pool of hummingbird assemblages along elevational gradients.

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Sebastián González-Caro

Full Text Available Patterns of phylogenetic structure of assemblages are increasingly used to gain insight into the ecological and evolutionary processes involved in the assembly of co-occurring species. Metrics of phylogenetic structure can be sensitive to scaling issues and data availability. Here we empirically assess the sensitivity of four metrics of phylogenetic structure of assemblages to changes in (i the source of data, (ii the spatial grain at which assemblages are defined, and (iii the definition of species pools using hummingbird (Trochilidae assemblages along an elevational gradient in Colombia. We also discuss some of the implications in terms of the potential mechanisms driving these patterns. To explore how source of data influence phylogenetic structure we defined assemblages using three sources of data: field inventories, museum specimens, and range maps. Assemblages were defined at two spatial grains: coarse-grained (elevational bands of 800-m width and fine-grained (1-km(2 plots. We used three different species pools: all species contained in assemblages, all species within half-degree quadrats, and all species either above or below 2000 m elevation. Metrics considering phylogenetic relationships among all species within assemblages showed phylogenetic clustering at high elevations and phylogenetic evenness in the lowlands, whereas those metrics considering only the closest co-occurring relatives showed the opposite trend. This result suggests that using multiple metrics of phylogenetic structure should provide greater insight into the mechanisms shaping assemblage structure. The source and spatial grain of data had important influences on estimates of both richness and phylogenetic structure. Metrics considering the co-occurrence of close relatives were particularly sensitive to changes in the spatial grain. Assemblages based on range maps included more species and showed less phylogenetic structure than assemblages based on museum or field

Ant mosaics in Bornean primary rain forest high canopy depend on spatial scale, time of day, and sampling method

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Kalsum M. Yusah

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background Competitive interactions in biological communities can be thought of as giving rise to “assembly rules” that dictate the species that are able to co-exist. Ant communities in tropical canopies often display a particular pattern, an “ant mosaic”, in which competition between dominant ant species results in a patchwork of mutually exclusive territories. Although ant mosaics have been well-documented in plantation landscapes, their presence in pristine tropical forests remained contentious until recently. Here we assess presence of ant mosaics in a hitherto under-investigated forest stratum, the emergent trees of the high canopy in primary tropical rain forest, and explore how the strength of any ant mosaics is affected by spatial scale, time of day, and sampling method. Methods To test whether these factors might impact the detection of ant mosaics in pristine habitats, we sampled ant communities from emergent trees, which rise above the highest canopy layers in lowland dipterocarp rain forests in North Borneo (38.8–60.2 m, using both baiting and insecticide fogging. Critically, we restricted sampling to only the canopy of each focal tree. For baiting, we carried out sampling during both the day and the night. We used null models of species co-occurrence to assess patterns of segregation at within-tree and between-tree scales. Results The numerically dominant ant species on the emergent trees sampled formed a diverse community, with differences in the identity of dominant species between times of day and sampling methods. Between trees, we found patterns of ant species segregation consistent with the existence of ant mosaics using both methods. Within trees, fogged ants were segregated, while baited ants were segregated only at night. Discussion We conclude that ant mosaics are present within the emergent trees of the high canopy of tropical rain forest in Malaysian Borneo, and that sampling technique, spatial scale, and time

Effect of wettability on scale-up of multiphase flow from core-scale to reservoir fine-grid-scale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Y.C.; Mani, V.; Mohanty, K.K. [Univ. of Houston, TX (United States)

1997-08-01

Typical field simulation grid-blocks are internally heterogeneous. The objective of this work is to study how the wettability of the rock affects its scale-up of multiphase flow properties from core-scale to fine-grid reservoir simulation scale ({approximately} 10{prime} x 10{prime} x 5{prime}). Reservoir models need another level of upscaling to coarse-grid simulation scale, which is not addressed here. Heterogeneity is modeled here as a correlated random field parameterized in terms of its variance and two-point variogram. Variogram models of both finite (spherical) and infinite (fractal) correlation length are included as special cases. Local core-scale porosity, permeability, capillary pressure function, relative permeability functions, and initial water saturation are assumed to be correlated. Water injection is simulated and effective flow properties and flow equations are calculated. For strongly water-wet media, capillarity has a stabilizing/homogenizing effect on multiphase flow. For small variance in permeability, and for small correlation length, effective relative permeability can be described by capillary equilibrium models. At higher variance and moderate correlation length, the average flow can be described by a dynamic relative permeability. As the oil wettability increases, the capillary stabilizing effect decreases and the deviation from this average flow increases. For fractal fields with large variance in permeability, effective relative permeability is not adequate in describing the flow.

Fine-scale differences in diel activity among nocturnal freshwater planarias (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida

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Cicolani Bruno

2011-04-01

, consistent with their photonegative characteristics. The fine-scale differences in diel behavior among these three triclad species may not be sufficient to allow coexistence in the wild, with the nonnative D. tigrina eventually displacing D. polychroa and P. tenuis in many European waters. The link between planarian diel rhythms and ecological characteristics are worth of further, detailed investigation.

Interaction of fine sediment with alluvial streambeds

Science.gov (United States)

Jobson, Harvey E.; Carey, William P.

1989-01-01

More knowledge is needed about the physical processes that control the transport of fine sediment moving over an alluvial bed. The knowledge is needed to design rational sampling and monitoring programs that assess the transport and fate of toxic substances in surface waters because the toxics are often associated with silt- and clay-sized particles. This technical note reviews some of the past research in areas that may contribute to an increased understanding of the processes involved. An alluvial streambed can have a large capacity to store fine sediments that are extracted from the flow when instream concentrations are high and it can gradually release fine sediment to the flow when the instream concentrations are low. Several types of storage mechanisms are available depending on the relative size distribution of the suspended load and bed material, as well as the flow hydraulics. Alluvial flow tends to segregate the deposited material according to size and density. Some of the storage locations are temporary, but some can store the fine sediment for very long periods of time.

Kinetics of radiation-induced segregation in ternary alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lam, N.O.; Kumar, A.; Wiedersich, H.

1982-01-01

Model calculations of radiation-induced segregation in ternary alloys have been performed, using a simple theory. The theoretical model describes the coupling between the fluxes of radiation-induced defects and alloying elements in an alloy A-B-C by partitioning the defect fluxes into those occurring via A-, B-, and C-atoms, and the atom fluxes into those taking place via vacancies and interstitials. The defect and atom fluxes can be expressed in terms of concentrations and concentration gradients of all the species present. With reasonable simplifications, the radiation-induced segregation problem can be cast into a system of four coupled partial-differential equations, which can be solved numerically for appropriate initial and boundary conditions. Model calculations have been performed for ternary solid solutions intended to be representative of Fe-Cr-Ni and Ni-Al-Si alloys under various irradiation conditions. The dependence of segregation on both the alloy properties and the irradiation variables, e.g., temperature and displacement rate, was calculated. The sample calculations are in good qualitative agreement with the general trends of radiation-induced segregation observed experimentally

Networks Depicting the Fine-Scale Co-Occurrences of Fungi in Soil Horizons.

Science.gov (United States)

Toju, Hirokazu; Kishida, Osamu; Katayama, Noboru; Takagi, Kentaro

2016-01-01

Fungi in soil play pivotal roles in nutrient cycling, pest controls, and plant community succession in terrestrial ecosystems. Despite the ecosystem functions provided by soil fungi, our knowledge of the assembly processes of belowground fungi has been limited. In particular, we still have limited knowledge of how diverse functional groups of fungi interact with each other in facilitative and competitive ways in soil. Based on the high-throughput sequencing data of fungi in a cool-temperate forest in northern Japan, we analyzed how taxonomically and functionally diverse fungi showed correlated fine-scale distributions in soil. By uncovering pairs of fungi that frequently co-occurred in the same soil samples, networks depicting fine-scale co-occurrences of fungi were inferred at the O (organic matter) and A (surface soil) horizons. The results then led to the working hypothesis that mycorrhizal, endophytic, saprotrophic, and pathogenic fungi could form compartmentalized (modular) networks of facilitative, antagonistic, and/or competitive interactions in belowground ecosystems. Overall, this study provides a research basis for further understanding how interspecific interactions, along with sharing of niches among fungi, drive the dynamics of poorly explored biospheres in soil.

Genome-wide survey of single-nucleotide polymorphisms reveals fine-scale population structure and signs of selection in the threatened Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata

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Meghann K. Devlin-Durante

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The advent of next-generation sequencing tools has made it possible to conduct fine-scale surveys of population differentiation and genome-wide scans for signatures of selection in non-model organisms. Such surveys are of particular importance in sharply declining coral species, since knowledge of population boundaries and signs of local adaptation can inform restoration and conservation efforts. Here, we use genome-wide surveys of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the threatened Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, to reveal fine-scale population structure and infer the major barrier to gene flow that separates the eastern and western Caribbean populations between the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. The exact location of this break had been subject to discussion because two previous studies based on microsatellite data had come to differing conclusions. We investigate this contradiction by analyzing an extended set of 11 microsatellite markers including the five previously employed and discovered that one of the original microsatellite loci is apparently under selection. Exclusion of this locus reconciles the results from the SNP and the microsatellite datasets. Scans for outlier loci in the SNP data detected 13 candidate loci under positive selection, however there was no correlation between available environmental parameters and genetic distance. Together, these results suggest that reef restoration efforts should use local sources and utilize existing functional variation among geographic regions in ex situ crossing experiments to improve stress resistance of this species.

Genome-wide survey of single-nucleotide polymorphisms reveals fine-scale population structure and signs of selection in the threatened Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata.

Science.gov (United States)

Devlin-Durante, Meghann K; Baums, Iliana B

2017-01-01

The advent of next-generation sequencing tools has made it possible to conduct fine-scale surveys of population differentiation and genome-wide scans for signatures of selection in non-model organisms. Such surveys are of particular importance in sharply declining coral species, since knowledge of population boundaries and signs of local adaptation can inform restoration and conservation efforts. Here, we use genome-wide surveys of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the threatened Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata , to reveal fine-scale population structure and infer the major barrier to gene flow that separates the eastern and western Caribbean populations between the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. The exact location of this break had been subject to discussion because two previous studies based on microsatellite data had come to differing conclusions. We investigate this contradiction by analyzing an extended set of 11 microsatellite markers including the five previously employed and discovered that one of the original microsatellite loci is apparently under selection. Exclusion of this locus reconciles the results from the SNP and the microsatellite datasets. Scans for outlier loci in the SNP data detected 13 candidate loci under positive selection, however there was no correlation between available environmental parameters and genetic distance. Together, these results suggest that reef restoration efforts should use local sources and utilize existing functional variation among geographic regions in ex situ crossing experiments to improve stress resistance of this species.

Spatial segregation and aggregation of ectomycorrhizal and root-endophytic fungi in the seedlings of two Quercus species.

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Satoshi Yamamoto

Full Text Available Diverse clades of mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi are potentially involved in competitive or facilitative interactions within host-plant roots. We investigated the potential consequences of these ecological interactions on the assembly process of root-associated fungi by examining the co-occurrence of pairs of fungi in host-plant individuals. Based on massively-parallel pyrosequencing, we analyzed the root-associated fungal community composition for each of the 249 Quercus serrata and 188 Quercus glauca seedlings sampled in a warm-temperate secondary forest in Japan. Pairs of fungi that co-occurred more or less often than expected by chance were identified based on randomization tests. The pyrosequencing analysis revealed that not only ectomycorrhizal fungi but also endophytic fungi were common in the root-associated fungal community. Intriguingly, specific pairs of these ectomycorrhizal and endophytic fungi showed spatially aggregated patterns, suggesting the existence of facilitative interactions between fungi in different functional groups. Due to the large number of fungal pairs examined, many of the observed aggregated/segregated patterns with very low P values (e.g., < 0.005 turned non-significant after the application of a multiple comparison method. However, our overall results imply that the community structures of ectomycorrhizal and endophytic fungi could influence each other through interspecific competitive/facilitative interactions in root. To test the potential of host-plants' control of fungus-fungus ecological interactions in roots, we further examined whether the aggregated/segregated patterns could vary depending on the identity of host plant species. Potentially due to the physiological properties shared between the congeneric host plant species, the sign of hosts' control was not detected in the present study. The pyrosequencing-based randomization analyses shown in this study provide a platform of the high

Fine-scale genetic analysis of species-specific female preference in Drosophila simulans.

Science.gov (United States)

Laturney, M; Moehring, A J

2012-09-01

Behavioural differences are thought to be the first components to contribute to species isolation, yet the precise genetic basis of behavioural isolation remains poorly understood. Here, we used a combination of behaviour assays and genetic mapping to provide the first refined map locating candidate genes for interspecific female preference isolating Drosophila simulans from D. melanogaster. First, we tested whether two genes identified as affecting D. melanogaster female intraspecific mate choice also affect interspecific mate choice; neither of these genes was found to contribute to species-specific female preference. Next, we used deficiency mapping to locate genes on the right arm of the third chromosome for species-specific female preference and identified five small significant regions that contain candidate genes contributing to behavioural isolation. All five regions were located in areas that would have low interspecific recombination, which mirrors the results of other behavioural isolation studies that used quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, but without the potential concern of bias towards regions of low recombination that QTL mapping may have. As this model system may be refined to the individual gene level using the same methodology, this initial map we provide may potentially serve as a ready template for the identification and characterization of the first behavioural isolation genes. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2012 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Fine-scale variability of isopycnal salinity in the California Current System

Science.gov (United States)

Itoh, Sachihiko; Rudnick, Daniel L.

2017-09-01

This paper examines the fine-scale structure and seasonal fluctuations of the isopycnal salinity of the California Current System from 2007 to 2013 using temperature and salinity profiles obtained from a series of underwater glider surveys. The seasonal mean distributions of the spectral power of the isopycnal salinity gradient averaged over submesoscale (12-30 km) and mesoscale (30-60 km) ranges along three survey lines off Monterey Bay, Point Conception, and Dana Point were obtained from 298 transects. The mesoscale and submesoscale variance increased as coastal upwelling caused the isopycnal salinity gradient to steepen. Areas of elevated variance were clearly observed around the salinity front during the summer then spread offshore through the fall and winter. The high fine-scale variances were observed typically above 25.8 kg m-3 and decreased with depth to a minimum at around 26.3 kg m-3. The mean spectral slope of the isopycnal salinity gradient with respect to wavenumber was 0.19 ± 0.27 over the horizontal scale of 12-60 km, and 31%-35% of the spectra had significantly positive slopes. In contrast, the spectral slope over 12-30 km was mostly flat, with mean values of -0.025 ± 0.32. An increase in submesoscale variability accompanying the steepening of the spectral slope was often observed in inshore areas; e.g., off Monterey Bay in winter, where a sharp front developed between the California Current and the California Under Current, and the lower layers of the Southern California Bight, where vigorous interaction between a synoptic current and bottom topography is to be expected.

Clonal diversity and fine-scale genetic structure in a high andean treeline population

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Peng, Y.; Macek, P.; Macková, Jana; Romoleroux, K.; Hensen, I.

2015-01-01

Roč. 47, č. 1 (2015), s. 59-65 ISSN 0006-3606 Grant - others:GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA601110702; GA MŠk(CZ) LM2010009 Program:IA Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : AFLP * clonal diversity * clonal propagation * fine-scale genetic structure * Polylepis reticulata * treeline Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 1.944, year: 2015

GeneRecon Users' Manual — A coalescent based tool for fine-scale association mapping

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mailund, T

2006-01-01

GeneRecon is a software package for linkage disequilibrium mapping using coalescent theory. It is based on Bayesian Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method for fine-scale linkage-disequilibrium gene mapping using high-density marker maps. GeneRecon explicitly models the genealogy of a sample of th...

Natural selection drives the fine-scale divergence of a coevolutionary arms race involving a long-mouthed weevil and its obligate host plant

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Toju Hirokazu

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background One of the major recent advances in evolutionary biology is the recognition that evolutionary interactions between species are substantially differentiated among geographic populations. To date, several authors have revealed natural selection pressures mediating the geographically-divergent processes of coevolution. How local, then, is the geographic structuring of natural selection in coevolutionary systems? Results I examined the spatial scale of a "geographic selection mosaic," focusing on a system involving a seed-predatory insect, the camellia weevil (Curculio camelliae, and its host plant, the Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica. In this system, female weevils excavate camellia fruits with their extremely-long mouthparts to lay eggs into seeds, while camellia seeds are protected by thick pericarps. Quantitative evaluation of natural selection demonstrated that thicker camellia pericarps are significantly favored in some, but not all, populations within a small island (Yakushima Island, Japan; diameter ca. 30 km. At the extreme, camellia populations separated by only several kilometers were subject to different selection pressures. Interestingly, in a population with the thickest pericarps, camellia individuals with intermediate pericarp thickness had relatively high fitness when the potential costs of producing thick pericarps were considered. Also importantly, some parameters of the weevil - camellia interaction such as the severity of seed infestation showed clines along temperature, suggesting the effects of climate on the fine-scale geographic differentiation of the coevolutionary processes. Conclusion These results show that natural selection can drive the geographic differentiation of interspecific interactions at surprisingly small spatial scales. Future studies should reveal the evolutionary/ecological outcomes of the "fine scale geographic mosaics" in biological communities.

Activity patterns and fine-scale resource partitioning in the gregarious Kihansi spray toad Nectophrynoides asperginis in captivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Rija, Alfan A; Goboro, Ezekiel M; Mwamende, Kuruthumu A; Said, Abubakari; Kohi, Edward M; Hassan, Shombe N

2014-01-01

Understanding the behavior of species threatened with extinction is important for conservation planning and for solving problems facing species in captivity and the wild. We examined diurnal activity budgets and habitat use of the extinct in the wild Kihansi spray toad to provide insights into ongoing conservation initiatives for this species. Observations on eight target behaviors were made each morning and evening for 14 days, in two subpopulations at Kihansi and University of Dar es Salaam captive breeding centers. There were significantly more bouts of resting than calling, amplexing, hunting, walking, climbing, or feeding. There was no difference in mean time spent in each activity between the two subpopulations. The use of habitat was variable between age classes, subpopulations and sampling time. Young toads spent significantly more time resting at the top of vegetation and on walls while adults rested more on logs. Further, adults foraged more on the walls and vegetation in the morning and on the ground in the evening. Contrastingly, young toads foraged more on the ground in the morning and switched to elevated patches during evening. The similarity of the toads' behavior suggests that important biological traits are still maintained in captivity and retained across toad generations. Furthermore, temporal and spatial variations in the use of habitat structures between age groups suggest fine-scale resource partitioning to reduce competition in this gregarious species. These results highlight the importance of maintaining diverse habitat structures in captivity and are useful for planning species reintroduction and future restocking programs. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Potamophylax nigricornis group (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae: resolution of phylogenetic species by fine structure analysis

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Oláh, J.

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Applying the phylogenetic species concept and the sexual selection theory we have reviewed some natal aspects of incipient species and their accelerated evolution. How can we recognise early stages of divergence? Which selection pressures are at work during speciation? Which pathways accelerate the speed of speciation? Which kinds of trait variabilities makes difficult to find initial split criteria? Elaborating the principles of Fine Structure Analysis (FSA and the morphological Initial Split Criteria (ISP it was discovered that the European spring dwelling caddisfly Potamophylax nigricornis doesn’tbelong to a single species. It represents an entire species group with seventeen peripatric species evolving on the southernperipheries of the distributional area. Four new species subgroups have been erected: Potamophylax nigricornis new species subgroup, P. elegantulus new species subgroup, P. horgos new species subgroup, P. simas new species subgroup. Eleven new species have been described: Potamophylax apados sp. nov., P. fules sp. nov., P. fureses sp. nov., P. hasas sp. novov., P. horgos sp. nov., P. kethas sp. nov., P. lemezes sp. nov., P. peremes sp. nov., P. simas sp. nov., P. tuskes sp. nov., P. ureges sp. nov. One Potamophylax sp. nov. has been differentiated and three new species status have been documented:Potamophylax elegantulus (Klapálek stat. n., P. mista (Navás stat. nov., P. testaceus (Zetterstedt stat. nov.

Intraspecific differences in lipid content of calanoid copepods across fine-scale depth ranges within the photic layer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margarita Zarubin

Full Text Available Copepods are among the most abundant and diverse groups of mesozooplankton in the world's oceans. Each species has a certain depth range within which different individuals (of the same life stage and sex are found. Lipids are accumulated in many calanoid copepods for energy storage and reproduction. Lipid content in some species increases with depth, however studies so far focused mostly on temperate and high-latitude seasonal vertically migrating copepods and compared lipid contents among individuals either from coarse layers or between diapausing, deep-dwelling copepods and individuals found in the photic, near-surface layer. Here we examined whether lipid contents of individual calanoid copepods of the same species, life stage/sex differ between finer depth layers within the upper water column of subtropical and Arctic seas. A total of 6 calanoid species were collected from samples taken at precise depths within the photic layer in both cold eutrophic and warm oligotrophic environments using SCUBA diving, MOCNESS and Multinet. Measurements of lipid content were obtained from digitized photographs of the collected individuals. The results revealed significant differences in lipid content across depth differences as small as 12-15 meters for Mecynocera clausi C5 and Ctenocalanus vanus C5 (Red Sea, Clausocalanus furcatus males and two clausocalanid C5s (Mediterranean Sea, and Calanus glacialis C5 (Arctic. We suggest two possible explanations for the differences in lipid content with depth on such a fine scale: predator avoidance and buoyancy.

Coarse- and fine-scale patterns of distribution and habitat selection places an Amazonian floodplain curassow in double jeopardy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel A. Leite

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Patterns of habitat selection are influenced by local productivity, resource availability, and predation risk. Species have taken millions of years to hone the macro- and micro-habitats they occupy, but these may now overlap with contemporary human threats within natural species ranges. Wattled Curassow (Crax globulosa, an endemic galliform species of the western Amazon, is threatened by both hunting and habitat loss, and is restricted to white-water floodplain forests of major Amazonian rivers. In this study conducted along the Juruá River, Amazonas, Brazil, we quantified the ranging ecology and fine-scale patterns of habitat selection of the species. We estimated the home range size of C. globulosa using conventional VHF telemetry. To estimate patterns of habitat selection, we used geo-locations of day ranges to examine the extent and intensity of use across the floodplain, which were then compared to a high-resolution flood map of the study area. We captured two females and one male, which we monitored for 13 months between September 2014 and September 2015. Average home range size was 283 ha, based on the 95% aLoCoH estimator. Wattled Curassows selected areas of prolonged flood pulses (six to eight months/year and had a consistent tendency to be near open water, usually in close proximity to river banks and lakes, especially during the dry season. Amazonian floodplains are densely settled, and the small portions of floodplain habitat used by Wattled Curassows are both the most accessible to hunters and most vulnerable to deforestation. As a result, the geographic and ecological distribution of Wattled Curassows places them at much higher extinction risk at multiple spatial scales, highlighting the need to consider habitat preferences within their conservation strategy.

THE LESSONIA NIGRESCENS SPECIES COMPLEX (LAMINARIALES, PHAEOPHYCEAE) SHOWS STRICT PARAPATRY AND COMPLETE REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION IN A SECONDARY CONTACT ZONE(1).

Science.gov (United States)

Tellier, Florence; Tapia, Javier; Faugeron, Sylvain; Destombe, Christophe; Valero, Myriam

2011-08-01

During secondary contact between phylogenetically closely related species (sibling species) having diverged in allopatry, the maintenance of species integrity depends on intrinsic and extrinsic reproductive barriers. In kelps (Phaeophyceae), the observations of hybrids in laboratory conditions suggest that reproductive isolation is incomplete. However, not all interspecific crosses are successful, and very few hybrids have been observed in nature, despite the co-occurrence of many kelp species in sympatry. This suggests that there are reproductive barriers that maintain species integrity. In this study, we characterized the fine genetic structure of a secondary contact zone to clarify the extent of reproductive isolation between two sister species. In Lessonia nigrescens Bory (Laminariales, Phaeophyta) species complex, two cryptic species have been recently found out from gene phylogenies, and-waiting for a formal taxonomic description-we used their geographic distribution to name them (northern and southern species). We studied 12 populations, distributed along 50 km of coastline, and employed two molecular approaches, assigning individuals to phylogenetic species according to a diagnostic mitochondrial marker (351 individuals analyzed) and quantifying interspecific gene flow with four microsatellite markers (248 individuals analyzed). No hybridization or introgression was revealed, indicating complete reproductive isolation in natural conditions. Unexpectedly, our study demonstrated that the two species were strictly segregated in space. This absence of co-occurrence along the contact zone can partially explain the lack of hybridization, raising new interesting questions as to the mechanisms that limit sympatry at small spatial scales. © 2011 Phycological Society of America.

Short-and long term niche segregation and individual specialization of brown trout (Salmo trutta) in species poor Faroese lakes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brodersen, Jakob; Malmquist, Hilmar J.; Landkildehus, Frank

2012-01-01

fidelity to a niche may be variable both between and within populations. In order to study this complexity, relative simple systems with few species are needed. In this paper, we study how competitor presence affects the resource use of brown trout (Salmo trutta) in 11 species-poor Faroese lakes...... by comparing relative abundance, stable isotope ratios and diet in multiple habitats. In the presence of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), a higher proportion of the trout population was found in the pelagic habitat, and trout in general relied on a more pelagic diet base as compared to trout...... living in allopatry or in sympatry with Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Diet analyses revealed, however, that niche-segregation may be more complex than described on a one-dimensional pelagic-littoral axis. Trout from both littoral and offshore benthic habitats had in the presence of sticklebacks...

Segregating photoelastic particles in free-surface granular flows

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Amalia; Vriend, Nathalie; Environmental; Industrial Fluid Dynamics Team

2017-11-01

We present results from a novel experimental set-up creating 2D avalanches of photoelastic discs. Two distinct hoppers supply either monodisperse or bidisperse particles at adjustable flow-rates into a 2 meter long, narrow acrylic chute inclined at 20°. For 20-40 seconds the avalanche maintains a steady-state that accelerates and thins downstream. The chute basal roughness is variable, allowing for different flow profiles. Using a set of polarizers and a high-speed camera, we visualize and quantify the forces due to dynamic interactions between the discs using photoelastic theory. Velocity and density profiles are derived from particle tracking at different distances from the discharge point and are coarse-grained to obtain continuous fields. With the access to both force information and dynamical properties via particle-tracking, we can experimentally validate existing mu(I) and non-local rheologies. As an extension, we probe the effect of granular segregation in bimodal mixtures by using the two separate inflow hoppers. We derive the state of segregation along the avalanche channel and measure the segregation velocities of each species. This provides insight in, and a unique validation of, the fundamental physical processes that drive segregation in avalanching geometries.

Comparing three spaceborne optical sensors via fine scale pixel-based urban land cover classification products

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Breytenbach, Andre

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Accessibility to higher resolution earth observation satellites suggests an improvement in the potential for fine scale image classification. In this comparative study, imagery from three optical satellites (WorldView-2, Pléiades and RapidEye) were...

Segregation in ternary alloys: an interplay of driving forces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luyten, J.; Helfensteyn, S.; Creemers, C.

2003-01-01

Monte Carlo (MC) simulations combined with the constant bond energy (CBE) model are set up to explore and understand the general segregation behaviour in ternary alloys as a function of composition and more in particular the segregation to Cu-Ni-Al (1 0 0) surfaces. Besides its simplicity, allowing swift simulations, which are necessary for a first general survey over all possible compositions, one of the advantages of the CBE model lies in the possibility to clearly identify the different driving forces for segregation. All simulations are performed in the Grand Canonical Ensemble, using a new algorithm to determine the chemical potential of the components. Notwithstanding the simplicity of the CBE model, one extra feature is evidenced: depending on the values of the interatomic interaction parameters, in some regions of the ternary diagram, a single solid solution becomes thermodynamically unstable, leading to demixing into two conjugate phases. The simulations are first done for three hypothetical systems that are however representative for real alloy systems. The three systems are characterised by different sets of interatomic interaction parameters. These extensive simulations over the entire composition range of the ternary alloy yield a 'topographical' segregation map, showing distinct regions where different species segregate. These distinct domains originate from a variable interplay between the driving forces for segregation and attractive/repulsive interactions in the bulk of the alloy. The results on these hypothetical systems are very helpful for a better understanding of the segregation behaviour in Cu-Ni-Al and other ternary alloys

Elasmobranch spatial segregation in the western Mediterranean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam Gouraguine

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Basic information on the distribution and habitat preferences of ecologically important species is essential for their management and protection. This study focuses on the depth related trends and the geographic patterns that shape the community of the elasmobranch species in the Balearic Islands (Mediterranean Sea using data collected from 2001 to 2009. Non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS ordination was used to detect zonation patterns in the community. Generalized Additive Models (GAMs were applied to analyse spatial and temporal variation in elasmobranch community descriptors (abundance, biomass, mean fish weight, number of species and diversity, as well as the abundance and mean length of the four individual species (S. canicula, G. melastomus, R. clavata, R. miraletus. Depth was the main factor determining the assemblage composition, and the MDS analysis identified four main groups with 60% of the similarity found to correspond to the continental shelf, shelf break, upper slope and middle slope of the surveyed area. GAM analysis identified spatial patterns that were independent of the bathymetric distribution preference. Although depth was a strong predictor for all the analyses performed, the geographic variation in the elasmobranch abundance was also important. The results also show a reduction in the mean length of the elasmobranch species in the areas with high fishing intensity. Our study evidences a clear spatial segregation of the main species throughout the ontogeny because the geographic and bathymetric effects were highly size dependent, with clear differences between the bathymetric distributions of juveniles and adults but no clear spatial overlapping. This study sheds new light on the spatial distribution of the elasmobranch species off the Balearic Islands, which is essential information for protecting marine organisms along with their habitats and promoting ecosystem based management.

New atom probe approaches to studying segregation in nanocrystalline materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samudrala, S.K.; Felfer, P.J.; Araullo-Peters, V.J.; Cao, Y.; Liao, X.Z.; Cairney, J.M.

2013-01-01

Atom probe is a technique that is highly suited to the study of nanocrystalline materials. It can provide accurate atomic-scale information about the composition of grain boundaries in three dimensions. In this paper we have analysed the microstructure of a nanocrystalline super-duplex stainless steel prepared by high pressure torsion (HPT). Not all of the grain boundaries in this alloy display obvious segregation, making visualisation of the microstructure challenging. In addition, the grain boundaries present in the atom probe data acquired from this alloy have complex shapes that are curved at the scale of the dataset and the interfacial excess varies considerably over the boundaries, making the accurate characterisation of the distribution of solute challenging using existing analysis techniques. In this paper we present two new data treatment methods that allow the visualisation of boundaries with little or no segregation, the delineation of boundaries for further analysis and the quantitative analysis of Gibbsian interfacial excess at boundaries, including the capability of excess mapping. - Highlights: ► New data treatment methods allow delineation of grain boundaries, even without segregation. ► Proxigrams calculated from the surfaces accurately show the extent of segregation. ► Tessellation of the data volume can be used to map the Gibbsian interfacial excess

New atom probe approaches to studying segregation in nanocrystalline materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samudrala, S.K.; Felfer, P.J.; Araullo-Peters, V.J. [School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); The Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Cao, Y.; Liao, X.Z. [School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Cairney, J.M., E-mail: julie.cairney@sydney.edu.au [School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); The Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia)

2013-09-15

Atom probe is a technique that is highly suited to the study of nanocrystalline materials. It can provide accurate atomic-scale information about the composition of grain boundaries in three dimensions. In this paper we have analysed the microstructure of a nanocrystalline super-duplex stainless steel prepared by high pressure torsion (HPT). Not all of the grain boundaries in this alloy display obvious segregation, making visualisation of the microstructure challenging. In addition, the grain boundaries present in the atom probe data acquired from this alloy have complex shapes that are curved at the scale of the dataset and the interfacial excess varies considerably over the boundaries, making the accurate characterisation of the distribution of solute challenging using existing analysis techniques. In this paper we present two new data treatment methods that allow the visualisation of boundaries with little or no segregation, the delineation of boundaries for further analysis and the quantitative analysis of Gibbsian interfacial excess at boundaries, including the capability of excess mapping. - Highlights: ► New data treatment methods allow delineation of grain boundaries, even without segregation. ► Proxigrams calculated from the surfaces accurately show the extent of segregation. ► Tessellation of the data volume can be used to map the Gibbsian interfacial excess.

Collective motion of cells mediates segregation and pattern formation in co-cultures.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elod Méhes

Full Text Available Pattern formation by segregation of cell types is an important process during embryonic development. We show that an experimentally yet unexplored mechanism based on collective motility of segregating cells enhances the effects of known pattern formation mechanisms such as differential adhesion, mechanochemical interactions or cell migration directed by morphogens. To study in vitro cell segregation we use time-lapse videomicroscopy and quantitative analysis of the main features of the motion of individual cells or groups. Our observations have been extensive, typically involving the investigation of the development of patterns containing up to 200,000 cells. By either comparing keratocyte types with different collective motility characteristics or increasing cells' directional persistence by the inhibition of Rac1 GTP-ase we demonstrate that enhanced collective cell motility results in faster cell segregation leading to the formation of more extensive patterns. The growth of the characteristic scale of patterns generally follows an algebraic scaling law with exponent values up to 0.74 in the presence of collective motion, compared to significantly smaller exponents in case of diffusive motion.

The Strata-l Experiment on Microgravity Regolith Segregation

Science.gov (United States)

Fries, M.; Abell, P.; Brisset, J.; Britt, D.; Colwell, J.; Durda, D.; Dove, A.; Graham, L.; Hartzell, C.; John, K.;

Surface Segregation in YSZ

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bay, Lasse; Zachau-Christiansen, Birgit; Jacobsen, Torben

1998-01-01

The space charge layer formed due to segregation of yttria and oxygen ion vacancies in YSZ is described by a simple model. Effects of impurities segregation are omitted.......The space charge layer formed due to segregation of yttria and oxygen ion vacancies in YSZ is described by a simple model. Effects of impurities segregation are omitted....

Introducing close-range photogrammetry for characterizing forest understory plant diversity and surface fuel structure at fine scales

Science.gov (United States)

Benjamin C. Bright; E. Louise Loudermilk; Scott M. Pokswinski; Andrew T. Hudak; Joseph J. O' Brien

2016-01-01

Methods characterizing fine-scale fuels and plant diversity can advance understanding of plant-fire interactions across scales and help in efforts to monitor important ecosystems such as longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forests of the southeastern United States. Here, we evaluate the utility of close-range photogrammetry for measuring fuels and plant...

Fine-scale population structure and riverscape genetics of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) distributed continuously along headwater channel networks

Science.gov (United States)

Kanno, Yoichiro; Vokoun, Jason C.; Letcher, Benjamin H.

2011-01-01

Linear and heterogeneous habitat makes headwater stream networks an ideal ecosystem in which to test the influence of environmental factors on spatial genetic patterns of obligatory aquatic species. We investigated fine-scale population structure and influence of stream habitat on individual-level genetic differentiation in brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) by genotyping eight microsatellite loci in 740 individuals in two headwater channel networks (7.7 and 4.4 km) in Connecticut, USA. A weak but statistically significant isolation-by-distance pattern was common in both sites. In the field, many tagged individuals were recaptured in the same 50-m reaches within a single field season (summer to fall). One study site was characterized with a hierarchical population structure, where seasonal barriers (natural falls of 1.5–2.5 m in height during summer base-flow condition) greatly reduced gene flow and perceptible spatial patterns emerged because of the presence of tributaries, each with a group of genetically distinguishable individuals. Genetic differentiation increased when pairs of individuals were separated by high stream gradient (steep channel slope) or warm stream temperature in this site, although the evidence of their influence was equivocal. In a second site, evidence for genetic clusters was weak at best, but genetic differentiation between individuals was positively correlated with number of tributary confluences. We concluded that the population-level movement of brook trout was limited in the study headwater stream networks, resulting in the fine-scale population structure (genetic clusters and clines) even at distances of a few kilometres, and gene flow was mitigated by ‘riverscape’ variables, particularly by physical barriers, waterway distance (i.e. isolation-by-distance) and the presence of tributaries.

Fine-scale spatial distribution of plants and resources on a sandy soil in the Sahel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rietkerk, M.G.; Ouedraogo, T.; Kumar, L.; Sanou, S.; Langevelde, F. van; Kiema, A.; Koppel, J. van de; Andel, J. van; Hearne, J.; Skidmore, A.K.; Ridder, N. de; Stroosnijder, L.; Prins, H.H.T.

2002-01-01

We studied fine-scale spatial plant distribution in relation to the spatial distribution of erodible soil particles, organic matter, nutrients and soil water on a sandy to sandy loam soil in the Sahel. We hypothesized that the distribution of annual plants would be highly spatially autocorrelated

Comparing three spaceborne optical sensors via fine scale pixel ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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spectral bands within the visible to NIR spectrum as illustrated in Figure 2. .... African town planning history, with distinctly segregated residential and ..... approach, Cambridge, UK; New York, Cambridge University Press. .... Richards, JA 1999, Remote Sensing Digital Image Analysis, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany, p 240 ...

Lack of sex-biased dispersal promotes fine-scale genetic structure in alpine ungulates

Science.gov (United States)

Roffler, Gretchen H.; Talbot, Sandra L.; Luikart, Gordon; Sage, George K.; Pilgrim, Kristy L.; Adams, Layne G.; Schwartz, Michael K.

2014-01-01

Identifying patterns of fine-scale genetic structure in natural populations can advance understanding of critical ecological processes such as dispersal and gene flow across heterogeneous landscapes. Alpine ungulates generally exhibit high levels of genetic structure due to female philopatry and patchy configuration of mountain habitats. We assessed the spatial scale of genetic structure and the amount of gene flow in 301 Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) at the landscape level using 15 nuclear microsatellites and 473 base pairs of the mitochondrial (mtDNA) control region. Dall’s sheep exhibited significant genetic structure within contiguous mountain ranges, but mtDNA structure occurred at a broader geographic scale than nuclear DNA within the study area, and mtDNA structure for other North American mountain sheep populations. No evidence of male-mediated gene flow or greater philopatry of females was observed; there was little difference between markers with different modes of inheritance (pairwise nuclear DNA F ST = 0.004–0.325; mtDNA F ST = 0.009–0.544), and males were no more likely than females to be recent immigrants. Historical patterns based on mtDNA indicate separate northern and southern lineages and a pattern of expansion following regional glacial retreat. Boundaries of genetic clusters aligned geographically with prominent mountain ranges, icefields, and major river valleys based on Bayesian and hierarchical modeling of microsatellite and mtDNA data. Our results suggest that fine-scale genetic structure in Dall’s sheep is influenced by limited dispersal, and structure may be weaker in populations occurring near ancestral levels of density and distribution in continuous habitats compared to other alpine ungulates that have experienced declines and marked habitat fragmentation.

75 FR 60407 - Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Permit Application Project Titled: Fine Scale...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-30

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Permit Application Project Titled: Fine Scale, Long-Term Tracking of Adult White Sharks AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National...

Cross-scale analysis of the region effect on vascular plant species diversity in southern and northern European mountain ranges.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Lenoir

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The divergent glacial histories of southern and northern Europe affect present-day species diversity at coarse-grained scales in these two regions, but do these effects also penetrate to the more fine-grained scales of local communities? METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We carried out a cross-scale analysis to address this question for vascular plants in two mountain regions, the Alps in southern Europe and the Scandes in northern Europe, using environmentally paired vegetation plots in the two regions (n = 403 in each region to quantify four diversity components: (i total number of species occurring in a region (total γ-diversity, (ii number of species that could occur in a target plot after environmental filtering (habitat-specific γ-diversity, (iii pair-wise species compositional turnover between plots (plot-to-plot β-diversity and (iv number of species present per plot (plot α-diversity. We found strong region effects on total γ-diversity, habitat-specific γ-diversity and plot-to-plot β-diversity, with a greater diversity in the Alps even towards distances smaller than 50 m between plots. In contrast, there was a slightly greater plot α-diversity in the Scandes, but with a tendency towards contrasting region effects on high and low soil-acidity plots. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that there are strong regional differences between coarse-grained (landscape- to regional-scale diversity components of the flora in the Alps and the Scandes mountain ranges, but that these differences do not necessarily penetrate to the finest-grained (plot-scale diversity component, at least not on acidic soils. Our findings are consistent with the contrasting regional Quaternary histories, but we also consider alternative explanatory models. Notably, ecological sorting and habitat connectivity may play a role in the unexpected limited or reversed region effect on plot α-diversity, and may also affect the larger-scale diversity

Gender Segregation Small Firms

OpenAIRE

Kenneth R Troske; William J Carrington

1992-01-01

This paper studies interfirm gender segregation in a unique sample of small employers. We focus on small firms because previous research on interfirm segregation has studied only large firms and because it is easier to link the demographic characteristics of employers and employees in small firms. This latter feature permits an assessment of the role of employer discrimination in creating gender segregation. Our first finding is that interfirm segregation is prevalent among small employers. I...

Capturing the two dimensions of residential segregation at the neighborhood level for health research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masayoshi eOka

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Two conceptual and methodological foundations of segregation studies are that (i segregation involves more than one group, and (ii segregation measures need to quantify how different population groups are distributed across space. Therefore, percentage of population belonging to a group is not an appropriate measure of segregation because it does not describe how populations are spread across different areal units or neighborhoods. In principle, evenness and isolation are the two distinct dimensions of segregation that capture the spatial patterns of population groups. To portray people’s daily environment more accurately, segregation measures need to account for the spatial relationships between areal units and to reflect the situations at the neighborhood scale. For these reasons, the use of local spatial entropy-based diversity index (SHi and local spatial isolation index (Si to capture the evenness and isolation dimensions of segregation, respectively, are preferable. However, these two local spatial segregation indexes have rarely been incorporated into health research. Rather ineffective and insufficient segregation measures have been used in previous studies. Hence, this paper empirically demonstrates how the two measures can reflect the two distinct dimensions of segregation at the neighborhood level, and argues conceptually and set the stage for their future use to effectively and meaningfully examine the relationships between residential segregation and health.

Effect of stratification on segregation in carbon dioxide miscible flooding in a water-flooded oil reservoir

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatti, A.A.; Mahmood, S.M.; Amjad, B.

2013-01-01

Oil reservoirs are subjected to tertiary recovery by deploying any enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique for the recovery of left over oil. Amongst many EOR methods one of the widely applied worldwide is CO/sub 2/ flooding through miscible, near miscible or immiscible displacement processes. CO/sub 2/ flooding process responds to a number of reservoir and fluid characteristics. These characteristics have strong effect on overall efficiency of the displacement process. Better understanding of the effect of different characteristics on displacement process is important to plan an efficient displacement process. In this work, the effect of stratification resulting in gravity segregation of the injected fluid is studied in an oil reservoir which is water-flooded during secondary phase of recovery. Sensitivity analysis is performed through successive simulation on Eclipse 300 (compositional) reservoir simulator. Process involves the continuous CO/sub 2/ injection in an oil reservoir with more than 1/3rd of original oil in place left after water flooding. Reservoir model with four different permeability layers is studied. Four patterns by changing the arrangement of the permeabilities of the layers are analysed. The effect of different arrangement or stratification on segregation of CO/sub 2/ and ultimately on the incremental oil recovery, is investigated. It has been observed that out of four arrangements, upward fining pattern relatively overcame the issue of the segregation of CO/sub 2/ and consequently 33% more oil with half injection volume is recovered when compared with the downward fining pattern. (author)

Genetic analysis reveals efficient sexual spore dispersal at a fine spatial scale in Armillaria ostoyae, the causal agent of root-rot disease in conifers.

Science.gov (United States)

Dutech, Cyril; Labbé, Frédéric; Capdevielle, Xavier; Lung-Escarmant, Brigitte

Armillaria ostoyae (sometimes named Armillaria solidipes) is a fungal species causing root diseases in numerous coniferous forests of the northern hemisphere. The importance of sexual spores for the establishment of new disease centres remains unclear, particularly in the large maritime pine plantations of southwestern France. An analysis of the genetic diversity of a local fungal population distributed over 500 ha in this French forest showed genetic recombination between genotypes to be frequent, consistent with regular sexual reproduction within the population. The estimated spatial genetic structure displayed a significant pattern of isolation by distance, consistent with the dispersal of sexual spores mostly at the spatial scale studied. Using these genetic data, we inferred an effective density of reproductive individuals of 0.1-0.3 individuals/ha, and a second moment of parent-progeny dispersal distance of 130-800 m, compatible with the main models of fungal spore dispersal. These results contrast with those obtained for studies of A. ostoyae over larger spatial scales, suggesting that inferences about mean spore dispersal may be best performed at fine spatial scales (i.e. a few kilometres) for most fungal species. Copyright © 2017 British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Are trade-offs among species' ecological interactions scale dependent? A test using pitcher-plant inquiline species.

Science.gov (United States)

Kneitel, Jamie M

2012-01-01

Trade-offs among species' ecological interactions is a pervasive explanation for species coexistence. The traits associated with trade-offs are typically measured to mechanistically explain species coexistence at a single spatial scale. However, species potentially interact at multiple scales and this may be reflected in the traits among coexisting species. I quantified species' ecological traits associated with the trade-offs expected at both local (competitive ability and predator tolerance) and regional (competitive ability and colonization rate) community scales. The most common species (four protozoa and a rotifer) from the middle trophic level of a pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) inquiline community were used to link species traits to previously observed patterns of species diversity and abundance. Traits associated with trade-offs (competitive ability, predator tolerance, and colonization rate) and other ecological traits (size, growth rate, and carrying capacity) were measured for each of the focal species. Traits were correlated with one another with a negative relationship indicative of a trade-off. Protozoan and rotifer species exhibited a negative relationship between competitive ability and predator tolerance, indicative of coexistence at the local community scale. There was no relationship between competitive ability and colonization rate. Size, growth rate, and carrying capacity were correlated with each other and the trade-off traits: Size was related to both competitive ability and predator tolerance, but growth rate and carrying capacity were correlated with predator tolerance. When partial correlations were conducted controlling for size, growth rate and carrying capacity, the trade-offs largely disappeared. These results imply that body size is the trait that provides the basis for ecological interactions and trade-offs. Altogether, this study showed that the examination of species' traits in the context of coexistence at different scales

Micro-scale heterogeneity of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Coarse-scale studies that focus on species distributions and richness neglect heterogeneity that may be present at finer scales. Studies of arthropod assemblage structure at fine (1 × 1 km) scales are rare, but important, because these are the spatial levels at which real world applications are viable. Here we investigate ...

Molecular markers reveal spatially segregated cryptic species in a critically endangered fish, the common skate (Dipturus batis).

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Andrew M; Sims, David W; Cotterell, Stephen P; El Nagar, Aliya; Ellis, Jim R; Lynghammar, Arve; McHugh, Matthew; Neat, Francis C; Pade, Nicolas G; Queiroz, Nuno; Serra-Pereira, Bárbara; Rapp, Toby; Wearmouth, Victoria J; Genner, Martin J

2010-05-22

Many sharks and skates are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because of their large size, slow growth, late maturity and low fecundity. In Europe dramatic population declines have taken place in common skate (Dipturus batis L.), one of the largest demersal fish in regional shelf seas, leading to extirpations from substantial parts of its former range. Here we report the discovery of cryptic species in common skate collected from the northeast Atlantic continental shelf. Data from nuclear microsatellite markers indicated two clearly distinct clades and phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences demonstrated monophyly of each one of them. Capture locations showed evidence of strong spatial segregation, with one taxon occurring mainly in waters off the southern British Isles and around Rockall, while the other was restricted to more northerly shelf waters. These apparently cryptic species showed overlapping substrate and depth preferences, but distributional limits were closely related to temperature gradients, potentially indicating thermal limits to their distributions. This discovery of hidden diversity within a large, critically endangered marine vertebrate demonstrates how marine biodiversity can be underestimated, even in such a relatively well-studied and heavily exploited region.

Molecular markers reveal spatially segregated cryptic species in a critically endangered fish, the common skate (Dipturus batis)

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Andrew M.; Sims, David W.; Cotterell, Stephen P.; El Nagar, Aliya; Ellis, Jim R.; Lynghammar, Arve; McHugh, Matthew; Neat, Francis C.; Pade, Nicolas G.; Queiroz, Nuno; Serra-Pereira, Bárbara; Rapp, Toby; Wearmouth, Victoria J.; Genner, Martin J.

2010-01-01

Many sharks and skates are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because of their large size, slow growth, late maturity and low fecundity. In Europe dramatic population declines have taken place in common skate (Dipturus batis L.), one of the largest demersal fish in regional shelf seas, leading to extirpations from substantial parts of its former range. Here we report the discovery of cryptic species in common skate collected from the northeast Atlantic continental shelf. Data from nuclear microsatellite markers indicated two clearly distinct clades and phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences demonstrated monophyly of each one of them. Capture locations showed evidence of strong spatial segregation, with one taxon occurring mainly in waters off the southern British Isles and around Rockall, while the other was restricted to more northerly shelf waters. These apparently cryptic species showed overlapping substrate and depth preferences, but distributional limits were closely related to temperature gradients, potentially indicating thermal limits to their distributions. This discovery of hidden diversity within a large, critically endangered marine vertebrate demonstrates how marine biodiversity can be underestimated, even in such a relatively well-studied and heavily exploited region. PMID:20106849

Identifying Where REDD+ Financially Out-Competes Oil Palm in Floodplain Landscapes Using a Fine-Scale Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Abram, Nicola K; MacMillan, Douglas C; Xofis, Panteleimon; Ancrenaz, Marc; Tzanopoulos, Joseph; Ong, Robert; Goossens, Benoit; Koh, Lian Pin; Del Valle, Christian; Peter, Lucy; Morel, Alexandra C; Lackman, Isabelle; Chung, Robin; Kler, Harjinder; Ambu, Laurentius; Baya, William; Knight, Andrew T

2016-01-01

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) aims to avoid forest conversion to alternative land-uses through financial incentives. Oil-palm has high opportunity costs, which according to current literature questions the financial competitiveness of REDD+ in tropical lowlands. To understand this more, we undertook regional fine-scale and coarse-scale analyses (through carbon mapping and economic modelling) to assess the financial viability of REDD+ in safeguarding unprotected forest (30,173 ha) in the Lower Kinabatangan floodplain in Malaysian Borneo. Results estimate 4.7 million metric tons of carbon (MgC) in unprotected forest, with 64% allocated for oil-palm cultivations. Through fine-scale mapping and carbon accounting, we demonstrated that REDD+ can outcompete oil-palm in regions with low suitability, with low carbon prices and low carbon stock. In areas with medium oil-palm suitability, REDD+ could outcompete oil palm in areas with: very high carbon and lower carbon price; medium carbon price and average carbon stock; or, low carbon stock and high carbon price. Areas with high oil palm suitability, REDD+ could only outcompete with higher carbon price and higher carbon stock. In the coarse-scale model, oil-palm outcompeted REDD+ in all cases. For the fine-scale models at the landscape level, low carbon offset prices (US $3 MgCO2e) would enable REDD+ to outcompete oil-palm in 55% of the unprotected forests requiring US $27 million to secure these areas for 25 years. Higher carbon offset price (US $30 MgCO2e) would increase the competitiveness of REDD+ within the landscape but would still only capture between 69%-74% of the unprotected forest, requiring US $380-416 million in carbon financing. REDD+ has been identified as a strategy to mitigate climate change by many countries (including Malaysia). Although REDD+ in certain scenarios cannot outcompete oil palm, this research contributes to the global REDD+ debate by: highlighting REDD

Identifying Where REDD+ Financially Out-Competes Oil Palm in Floodplain Landscapes Using a Fine-Scale Approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicola K Abram

Full Text Available Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+ aims to avoid forest conversion to alternative land-uses through financial incentives. Oil-palm has high opportunity costs, which according to current literature questions the financial competitiveness of REDD+ in tropical lowlands. To understand this more, we undertook regional fine-scale and coarse-scale analyses (through carbon mapping and economic modelling to assess the financial viability of REDD+ in safeguarding unprotected forest (30,173 ha in the Lower Kinabatangan floodplain in Malaysian Borneo. Results estimate 4.7 million metric tons of carbon (MgC in unprotected forest, with 64% allocated for oil-palm cultivations. Through fine-scale mapping and carbon accounting, we demonstrated that REDD+ can outcompete oil-palm in regions with low suitability, with low carbon prices and low carbon stock. In areas with medium oil-palm suitability, REDD+ could outcompete oil palm in areas with: very high carbon and lower carbon price; medium carbon price and average carbon stock; or, low carbon stock and high carbon price. Areas with high oil palm suitability, REDD+ could only outcompete with higher carbon price and higher carbon stock. In the coarse-scale model, oil-palm outcompeted REDD+ in all cases. For the fine-scale models at the landscape level, low carbon offset prices (US $3 MgCO2e would enable REDD+ to outcompete oil-palm in 55% of the unprotected forests requiring US $27 million to secure these areas for 25 years. Higher carbon offset price (US $30 MgCO2e would increase the competitiveness of REDD+ within the landscape but would still only capture between 69%-74% of the unprotected forest, requiring US $380-416 million in carbon financing. REDD+ has been identified as a strategy to mitigate climate change by many countries (including Malaysia. Although REDD+ in certain scenarios cannot outcompete oil palm, this research contributes to the global REDD+ debate by

Identification of fine scale and landscape scale drivers of urban aboveground carbon stocks using high-resolution modeling and mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Matthew G E; Johansen, Kasper; Maron, Martine; McAlpine, Clive A; Wu, Dan; Rhodes, Jonathan R

2018-05-01

Urban areas are sources of land use change and CO 2 emissions that contribute to global climate change. Despite this, assessments of urban vegetation carbon stocks often fail to identify important landscape-scale drivers of variation in urban carbon, especially the potential effects of landscape structure variables at different spatial scales. We combined field measurements with Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data to build high-resolution models of woody plant aboveground carbon across the urban portion of Brisbane, Australia, and then identified landscape scale drivers of these carbon stocks. First, we used LiDAR data to quantify the extent and vertical structure of vegetation across the city at high resolution (5×5m). Next, we paired this data with aboveground carbon measurements at 219 sites to create boosted regression tree models and map aboveground carbon across the city. We then used these maps to determine how spatial variation in land cover/land use and landscape structure affects these carbon stocks. Foliage densities above 5m height, tree canopy height, and the presence of ground openings had the strongest relationships with aboveground carbon. Using these fine-scale relationships, we estimate that 2.2±0.4 TgC are stored aboveground in the urban portion of Brisbane, with mean densities of 32.6±5.8MgCha -1 calculated across the entire urban land area, and 110.9±19.7MgCha -1 calculated within treed areas. Predicted carbon densities within treed areas showed strong positive relationships with the proportion of surrounding tree cover and how clumped that tree cover was at both 1km 2 and 1ha resolutions. Our models predict that even dense urban areas with low tree cover can have high carbon densities at fine scales. We conclude that actions and policies aimed at increasing urban carbon should focus on those areas where urban tree cover is most fragmented. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Co-existence and niche segregation of three small bovid species in southern Mozambique

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Prins, HHT; de Boer, WF; van Oeveren, H; Correia, A; Mafuca, J; Olff, H; Boer, Willem F. de

Niche segregation among three small antelopes - red duiker, common duiker and suni - was investigated in a coastal savanna woodland/forest mosaic. It was expected that these similar-sized concentrate selectors would show differentiation in diet choice to decrease competition. Diet composition did

Strong influence of regional species pools on continent-wide structuring of local communities

OpenAIRE

Lessard, Jean-Philippe; Borregaard, Michael K.; Fordyce, James A.; Rahbek, Carsten; Weiser, Michael D.; Dunn, Robert R.; Sanders, Nathan J.

2011-01-01

There is a long tradition in ecology of evaluating the relative contribution of the regional species pool and local interactions on the structure of local communities. Similarly, a growing number of studies assess the phylogenetic structure of communities, relative to that in the regional species pool, to examine the interplay between broad-scale evolutionary and fine-scale ecological processes. Finally, a renewed interest in the influence of species source pools on communities has shown that...

Off the scale: a new species of fish-scale gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Geckolepis with exceptionally large scales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark D. Scherz

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The gecko genus Geckolepis, endemic to Madagascar and the Comoro archipelago, is taxonomically challenging. One reason is its members ability to autotomize a large portion of their scales when grasped or touched, most likely to escape predation. Based on an integrative taxonomic approach including external morphology, morphometrics, genetics, pholidosis, and osteology, we here describe the first new species from this genus in 75 years: Geckolepis megalepis sp. nov. from the limestone karst of Ankarana in northern Madagascar. The new species has the largest known body scales of any gecko (both relatively and absolutely, which come off with exceptional ease. We provide a detailed description of the skeleton of the genus Geckolepis based on micro-Computed Tomography (micro-CT analysis of the new species, the holotype of G. maculata, the recently resurrected G. humbloti, and a specimen belonging to an operational taxonomic unit (OTU recently suggested to represent G. maculata. Geckolepis is characterized by highly mineralized, imbricated scales, paired frontals, and unfused subolfactory processes of the frontals, among other features. We identify diagnostic characters in the osteology of these geckos that help define our new species and show that the OTU assigned to G. maculata is probably not conspecific with it, leaving the taxonomic identity of this species unclear. We discuss possible reasons for the extremely enlarged scales of G. megalepis in the context of an anti-predator defence mechanism, and the future of Geckolepis taxonomy.

Data, data everywhere: detecting spatial patterns in fine-scale ecological information collected across a continent

Science.gov (United States)

Kevin M. Potter; Frank H. Koch; Christopher M. Oswalt; Basil V. Iannone

2016-01-01

Context Fine-scale ecological data collected across broad regions are becoming increasingly available. Appropriate geographic analyses of these data can help identify locations of ecological concern. Objectives We present one such approach, spatial association of scalable hexagons (SASH), whichidentifies locations where ecological phenomena occur at greater...

Censored rainfall modelling for estimation of fine-scale extremes

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, David; Onof, Christian; Winter, Hugo; Bernardara, Pietro

2018-01-01

Reliable estimation of rainfall extremes is essential for drainage system design, flood mitigation, and risk quantification. However, traditional techniques lack physical realism and extrapolation can be highly uncertain. In this study, we improve the physical basis for short-duration extreme rainfall estimation by simulating the heavy portion of the rainfall record mechanistically using the Bartlett-Lewis rectangular pulse (BLRP) model. Mechanistic rainfall models have had a tendency to underestimate rainfall extremes at fine temporal scales. Despite this, the simple process representation of rectangular pulse models is appealing in the context of extreme rainfall estimation because it emulates the known phenomenology of rainfall generation. A censored approach to Bartlett-Lewis model calibration is proposed and performed for single-site rainfall from two gauges in the UK and Germany. Extreme rainfall estimation is performed for each gauge at the 5, 15, and 60 min resolutions, and considerations for censor selection discussed.

Co-existence and niche segregation of three small bovid species in southern Mozambique

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Prins, H.H.T.; Boer, de W.F.; Oeveren, van H.; Correia, A.; Mafuca, J.; Olff, H.

2006-01-01

Niche segregation among three small antelopes ¿ red duiker, common duiker and suni ¿ was investigated in a coastal savanna woodland/forest mosaic. It was expected that these similar-sized concentrate selectors would show differentiation in diet choice to decrease competition. Diet composition did

Efficient species-level monitoring at the landscape scale

Science.gov (United States)

Barry R. Noon; Larissa L. Bailey; Thomas D. Sisk; Kevin S. McKelvey

2012-01-01

Monitoring the population trends of multiple animal species at a landscape scale is prohibitively expensive. However, advances in survey design, statistical methods, and the ability to estimate species presence on the basis of detection­nondetection data have greatly increased the feasibility of species-level monitoring. For example, recent advances in monitoring make...

Computational speech segregation based on an auditory-inspired modulation analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

May, Tobias; Dau, Torsten

2014-01-01

A monaural speech segregation system is presented that estimates the ideal binary mask from noisy speech based on the supervised learning of amplitude modulation spectrogram (AMS) features. Instead of using linearly scaled modulation filters with constant absolute bandwidth, an auditory- inspired...... about speech activity present in neighboring time-frequency units. In order to evaluate the generalization performance of the system to unseen acoustic conditions, the speech segregation system is trained with a limited set of low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions, but tested over a wide range...

Plasmid segregation mechanisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ebersbach, G.; Gerdes, Kenn

2005-01-01

Bacterial plasmids encode partitioning (par) loci that ensure ordered plasmid segregation prior to cell division. par loci come in two types: those that encode actin-like ATPases and those that encode deviant Walker-type ATPases. ParM, the actin-like ATPase of plasmid R1, forms dynamic filaments...... that segregate plasmids paired at mid-cell to daughter cells. Like microtubules, ParM filaments exhibit dynamic instability (i.e., catastrophic decay) whose regulation is an important component of the DNA segregation process. The Walker box ParA ATPases are related to MinD and form highly dynamic, oscillating...... filaments that are required for the subcellular movement and positioning of plasmids. The role of the observed ATPase oscillation is not yet understood. However, we propose a simple model that couples plasmid segregation to ParA oscillation. The model is consistent with the observed movement...

Applied Thermodynamics: Grain Boundary Segregation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavel Lejček

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Chemical composition of interfaces—free surfaces and grain boundaries—is generally described by the Langmuir–McLean segregation isotherm controlled by Gibbs energy of segregation. Various components of the Gibbs energy of segregation, the standard and the excess ones as well as other thermodynamic state functions—enthalpy, entropy and volume—of interfacial segregation are derived and their physical meaning is elucidated. The importance of the thermodynamic state functions of grain boundary segregation, their dependence on volume solid solubility, mutual solute–solute interaction and pressure effect in ferrous alloys is demonstrated.

Chromosome segregation in plant meiosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linda eZamariola

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Faithful chromosome segregation in meiosis is essential for ploidy stability over sexual life cycles. In plants, defective chromosome segregation caused by gene mutations or other factors leads to the formation of unbalanced or unreduced gametes creating aneuploid or polyploid progeny, respectively. Accurate segregation requires the coordinated execution of conserved processes occurring throughout the two meiotic cell divisions. Synapsis and recombination ensure the establishment of chiasmata that hold homologous chromosomes together allowing their correct segregation in the first meiotic division, which is also tightly regulated by cell-cycle dependent release of cohesin and monopolar attachment of sister kinetochores to microtubules. In meiosis II, bi-orientation of sister kinetochores and proper spindle orientation correctly segregate chromosomes in four haploid cells. Checkpoint mechanisms acting at kinetochores control the accuracy of kinetochore-microtubule attachment, thus ensuring the completion of segregation. Here we review the current knowledge on the processes taking place during chromosome segregation in plant meiosis, focusing on the characterization of the molecular factors involved.

Stable Carbon Fractionation In Size Segregated Aerosol Particles Produced By Controlled Biomass Burning

Science.gov (United States)

Masalaite, Agne; Garbaras, Andrius; Garbariene, Inga; Ceburnis, Darius; Martuzevicius, Dainius; Puida, Egidijus; Kvietkus, Kestutis; Remeikis, Vidmantas

2014-05-01

Biomass burning is the largest source of primary fine fraction carbonaceous particles and the second largest source of trace gases in the global atmosphere with a strong effect not only on the regional scale but also in areas distant from the source . Many studies have often assumed no significant carbon isotope fractionation occurring between black carbon and the original vegetation during combustion. However, other studies suggested that stable carbon isotope ratios of char or BC may not reliably reflect carbon isotopic signatures of the source vegetation. Overall, the apparently conflicting results throughout the literature regarding the observed fractionation suggest that combustion conditions may be responsible for the observed effects. The purpose of the present study was to gather more quantitative information on carbonaceous aerosols produced in controlled biomass burning, thereby having a potential impact on interpreting ambient atmospheric observations. Seven different biomass fuel types were burned under controlled conditions to determine the effect of the biomass type on the emitted particulate matter mass and stable carbon isotope composition of bulk and size segregated particles. Size segregated aerosol particles were collected using the total suspended particle (TSP) sampler and a micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI). The results demonstrated that particle emissions were dominated by the submicron particles in all biomass types. However, significant differences in emissions of submicron particles and their dominant sizes were found between different biomass fuels. The largest negative fractionation was obtained for the wood pellet fuel type while the largest positive isotopic fractionation was observed during the buckwheat shells combustion. The carbon isotope composition of MOUDI samples compared very well with isotope composition of TSP samples indicating consistency of the results. The measurements of the stable carbon isotope ratio in

Fine Scale Spatiotemporal Clustering of Dengue Virus Transmission in Children and Aedes aegypti in Rural Thai Villages

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yoon, I.K.; Getis, A.; Aldstadt, J.; Rothman, A.L.; Tannitisupawong, D.; Koenraadt, C.J.M.; Fansiri, T.; Jones, J.W.; Morrison, A.C.; Jarman, R.G.; Nisalak, A.; Mammen Jr., M.P.; Thammapalo, S.; Srikiatkhachorn, A.; Green, S.; Libraty, D.H.; Gibbons, R.V.; Endy, T.; Pimgate, C.; Scott, T.W.

2012-01-01

Background Based on spatiotemporal clustering of human dengue virus (DENV) infections, transmission is thought to occur at fine spatiotemporal scales by horizontal transfer of virus between humans and mosquito vectors. To define the dimensions of local transmission and quantify the factors that

Development of fine-resolution analyses and expanded large-scale forcing properties: 2. Scale awareness and application to single-column model experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Sha; Li, Zhijin; Liu, Yangang; Lin, Wuyin; Zhang, Minghua; Toto, Tami; Vogelmann, Andrew M.; Endo, Satoshi

2015-01-01

three-dimensional fields have been produced using the Community Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) data assimilation system for the U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Southern Great Plains region. The GSI system is implemented in a multiscale data assimilation framework using the Weather Research and Forecasting model at a cloud-resolving resolution of 2 km. From the fine-resolution three-dimensional fields, large-scale forcing is derived explicitly at grid-scale resolution; a subgrid-scale dynamic component is derived separately, representing subgrid-scale horizontal dynamic processes. Analyses show that the subgrid-scale dynamic component is often a major component over the large-scale forcing for grid scales larger than 200 km. The single-column model (SCM) of the Community Atmospheric Model version 5 is used to examine the impact of the grid-scale and subgrid-scale dynamic components on simulated precipitation and cloud fields associated with a mesoscale convective system. It is found that grid-scale size impacts simulated precipitation, resulting in an overestimation for grid scales of about 200 km but an underestimation for smaller grids. The subgrid-scale dynamic component has an appreciable impact on the simulations, suggesting that grid-scale and subgrid-scale dynamic components should be considered in the interpretation of SCM simulations.

Development and Validation of an Aquatic Fine Sediment Biotic Index

Science.gov (United States)

Relyea, Christina D.; Minshall, G. Wayne; Danehy, Robert J.

2012-01-01

The Fine Sediment Biotic Index (FSBI) is a regional, stressor-specific biomonitoring index to assess fine sediment (Plecoptera (5), Trichoptera (3), and Ephemeroptera (2) contained all but one of the species or species groups classified as extremely sensitive. Index validation with an independent data set of 255 streams found FSBI scores to accurately predict both high and low levels of measured fine sediment.

Scale effects and human impact on the elevational species richness gradients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nogues, David Bravo; Araújo, M B; Romdal, T

2008-01-01

), the derived species richness pattern changed progressively from hump-shaped to a monotonic pattern as the scale of extent diminished. Scale effects alone gave rise to as many conflicting patterns of species richness as had previously been reported in the literature, and scale effects lent significantly...

Repair rather than segregation of damage is the optimal unicellular aging strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Clegg, Robert J; Dyson, Rosemary J; Kreft, Jan-Ulrich

2014-08-16

How aging, being unfavourable for the individual, can evolve is one of the fundamental problems of biology. Evidence for aging in unicellular organisms is far from conclusive. Some studies found aging even in symmetrically dividing unicellular species; others did not find aging in the same, or in different, unicellular species, or only under stress. Mathematical models suggested that segregation of non-genetic damage, as an aging strategy, would increase fitness. However, these models failed to consider repair as an alternative strategy or did not properly account for the benefits of repair. We used a new and improved individual-based model to examine rigorously the effect of a range of aging strategies on fitness in various environments. Repair of damage emerges as the best strategy despite its fitness costs, since it immediately increases growth rate. There is an optimal investment in repair that outperforms damage segregation in well-mixed, lasting and benign environments over a wide range of parameter values. Damage segregation becomes beneficial, and only in combination with repair, when three factors are combined: (i) the rate of damage accumulation is high, (ii) damage is toxic and (iii) efficiency of repair is low. In contrast to previous models, our model predicts that unicellular organisms should have active mechanisms to repair damage rather than age by segregating damage. Indeed, as predicted, all organisms have evolved active mechanisms of repair whilst aging in unicellular organisms is absent or minimal under benign conditions, apart from microorganisms with a different ecology, inhabiting short-lived environments strongly favouring early reproduction rather than longevity. Aging confers no fitness advantage for unicellular organisms in lasting environments under benign conditions, since repair of non-genetic damage is better than damage segregation.

Coupling Fine-Scale Root and Canopy Structure Using Ground-Based Remote Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brady S. Hardiman

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Ecosystem physical structure, defined by the quantity and spatial distribution of biomass, influences a range of ecosystem functions. Remote sensing tools permit the non-destructive characterization of canopy and root features, potentially providing opportunities to link above- and belowground structure at fine spatial resolution in functionally meaningful ways. To test this possibility, we employed ground-based portable canopy LiDAR (PCL and ground penetrating radar (GPR along co-located transects in forested sites spanning multiple stages of ecosystem development and, consequently, of structural complexity. We examined canopy and root structural data for coherence (i.e., correlation in the frequency of spatial variation at multiple spatial scales ≤10 m within each site using wavelet analysis. Forest sites varied substantially in vertical canopy and root structure, with leaf area index and root mass more becoming even vertically as forests aged. In all sites, above- and belowground structure, characterized as mean maximum canopy height and root mass, exhibited significant coherence at a scale of 3.5–4 m, and results suggest that the scale of coherence may increase with stand age. Our findings demonstrate that canopy and root structure are linked at characteristic spatial scales, which provides the basis to optimize scales of observation. Our study highlights the potential, and limitations, for fusing LiDAR and radar technologies to quantitatively couple above- and belowground ecosystem structure.

A Conceptual Framework for the Assessment of Cumulative Exposure to Air Pollution at a Fine Spatial Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kihal-Talantikite Wahida

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Many epidemiological studies examining long-term health effects of exposure to air pollutants have characterized exposure by the outdoor air concentrations at sites that may be distant to subjects’ residences at different points in time. The temporal and spatial mobility of subjects and the spatial scale of exposure assessment could thus lead to misclassification in the cumulative exposure estimation. This paper attempts to fill the gap regarding cumulative exposure assessment to air pollution at a fine spatial scale in epidemiological studies investigating long-term health effects. We propose a conceptual framework showing how major difficulties in cumulative long-term exposure assessment could be surmounted. We then illustrate this conceptual model on the case of exposure to NO2 following two steps: (i retrospective reconstitution of NO2 concentrations at a fine spatial scale; and (ii a novel approach to assigning the time-relevant exposure estimates at the census block level, using all available data on residential mobility throughout a 10- to 20-year period prior to that for which the health events are to be detected. Our conceptual framework is both flexible and convenient for the needs of different epidemiological study designs.

A Conceptual Framework for the Assessment of Cumulative Exposure to Air Pollution at a Fine Spatial Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Wahida, Kihal-Talantikite; Padilla, Cindy M.; Denis, Zmirou-Navier; Olivier, Blanchard; Géraldine, Le Nir; Philippe, Quenel; Séverine, Deguen

2016-01-01

Many epidemiological studies examining long-term health effects of exposure to air pollutants have characterized exposure by the outdoor air concentrations at sites that may be distant to subjects’ residences at different points in time. The temporal and spatial mobility of subjects and the spatial scale of exposure assessment could thus lead to misclassification in the cumulative exposure estimation. This paper attempts to fill the gap regarding cumulative exposure assessment to air pollution at a fine spatial scale in epidemiological studies investigating long-term health effects. We propose a conceptual framework showing how major difficulties in cumulative long-term exposure assessment could be surmounted. We then illustrate this conceptual model on the case of exposure to NO2 following two steps: (i) retrospective reconstitution of NO2 concentrations at a fine spatial scale; and (ii) a novel approach to assigning the time-relevant exposure estimates at the census block level, using all available data on residential mobility throughout a 10- to 20-year period prior to that for which the health events are to be detected. Our conceptual framework is both flexible and convenient for the needs of different epidemiological study designs. PMID:26999170

Landscape-Level and Fine-Scale Genetic Structure of the Neo tropical Tree Protium spruceanum (Burseraceae)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vieira, F.D.A.; Fajardo, C.G.; De Souza, A.M.; Dulciniea De Carvalho, D.

2010-01-01

Knowledge of genetic structure at different scales and correlation with the current landscape is fundamental for evaluating the importance of evolutionary processes and identifying conservation units. Here, we used allozyme loci to examine the spatial genetic structure (SGS) of 230 individuals of Protium spruceanum, a native canopy-emergent in five fragments of Brazilian Atlantic forest (1 to 11.8 ha), and four ecological corridors (460 to 1000 m length). Wright's FST statistic and Mantel tests revealed little evidence of significant genetic structure at the landscape-scale (FST=0.027; rM=-0.051, P=.539). At fine-scale SGS, low levels of relatedness within fragments and corridors (Sp=0.008, P>.05) were observed. Differences in the levels and distribution of the SGS at both spatial scales are discussed in relation to biological and conservation strategies of corridors and forest fragments.

Understanding Segregation Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Bruch, Elizabeth

There is growing consensus that living in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty increases the likelihood of social problems such as teenage parenthood, drug and alcohol use, crime victimization, and chronic unemployment. Neighborhood inequality is also implicated in studies of enduring race/ethnic health disparities, and there are recent moves to broaden the definition of health care policy to policies targeting social inequality (Mechanic 2007). Residential segregation affects health outcomes in several different ways. First, income, education, and occupation are all strongly related to health (Adler and Newman 2002). Segregation is a key mechanism through which socioeconomic inequality is perpetuated and reinforced, as it hinders the upward mobility of disadvantaged groups by limiting their educational and employment opportunities. Second, segregation increases minority exposure to unhealthy neighborhood environments. Residential segregation creates areas with concentrated poverty and unemployment, both of which are key factors that predict violence and create racial differences in homicide (Samson and Wilson 1995). Neighborhood characteristics, such as exposure to environmental hazards, fear of violence, and access to grocery stores, affect health risks and health behaviors (Cheadle et al. 1991). Tobacco and alcohol industries also advertise their products disproportionately in poor, minority areas (Moore, Williams, and Qualls 1996). Finally, residential segregation leads to inequalitie in health care resources, which contributes to disparities in quality of treatment (Smedley, Stith, and Nelson 2002).

Fine-Scale Movements and Behaviors of Whale Sharks, Rhincodon typus, in a Seasonal Aggregation near Al Lith, Saudi Arabia

KAUST Repository

Sun, Lu

2016-12-01

Movement and behavior studies are traditional yet effective ways to understand the biology and ecology of a species. For an endangered species like the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), a comprehensive knowledge of its movement and behavior is particularly critical for successful management and conservation. For this dissertation, acoustic telemetry and biologging tagging studies were carried out at a seasonal whale shark aggregation site near Al Lith in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. Acoustic telemetry data revealed consistent path usage in a narrow longshore area with patterns in seasonality and diel horizontal movements within a smaller scale. Some individuals specifically concentrated on this path and made non-stop back and forth movements along it. In another dimension, depth use of whale sharks derived from biologgers showed distinct diel patterns. The sharks heavily utilized shallow waters with mixed depth usage consisting of surface swimming and varied types of dives, which explained the data of previous visual surveys. Vertical velocities indicated potential energy expenditure strategies that were further investigated based on acceleration data. Energy expenditure data suggested strategies that fine-tuned foraging efforts to optimize the balance between feeding and foraging. However, while these strategies fit well in the natural habitat, local human impacts could be of great disturbance if not well managed.

Spatial variability of night temperatures at a fine scale over the Stellenbosch wine district, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valérie Bonnardot

2012-03-01

Significance and impact of the study: In the context of climate change, it is crucial to improve knowledge of current climatic conditions at fine scale during periods of grapevine growth and berry ripening in order to have a baseline from which to work when discussing and considering future local adaptations to accommodate to a warmer environnement.

Cultural transmission of tool use combined with habitat specializations leads to fine-scale genetic structure in bottlenose dolphins

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kopps, Anna M.; Ackermann, Corinne Y.; Sherwin, William B.; Allen, Simon J.; Bejder, Lars; Kruetzen, Michael

2014-01-01

Socially learned behaviours leading to genetic population structure have rarely been described outside humans. Here, we provide evidence of fine-scale genetic structure that has probably arisen based on socially transmitted behaviours in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in western Shark Bay,

POC-SCALE TESTING OF A DRY TRIBOELECTROSTATIC SEPARATOR FOR FINE COAL CLEANING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

R.H. Yoon; G.H. Luttrell; E.S. Yan; A.D. Walters

2001-04-30

Numerous advanced coal cleaning processes have been developed in recent years that are capable of substantially reducing both ash- and sulfur-forming minerals from coal. However, most of the processes involve fine grinding and use water as the cleaning medium; therefore, the clean coal products must be dewatered before they can be transported and burned. Unfortunately, dewatering fine coal is costly, which makes it difficult to deploy advanced coal cleaning processes for commercial applications. As a means of avoiding problems associated with the fine coal dewatering, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) developed a dry coal cleaning process in which mineral matter is separated from coal without using water. In this process, pulverized coal is subjected to triboelectrification before being placed in an electric field for electrostatic separation. The triboelectrification is accomplished by passing a pulverized coal through an in-line mixer made of copper. Copper has a work function that lies between that of carbonaceous material (coal) and mineral matter. Thus, coal particles impinging on the copper wall lose electrons to the metal thereby acquiring positive charges, while mineral matter impinging on the wall gain electrons to acquire negative charges. The charged particles then pass through an electric field where they are separated according to their charges into two or more products depending on the configuration of the separator. The results obtained at NETL showed that it is capable of removing more than 90% of the pyritic sulfur and 70% of the ash-forming minerals from a number of eastern U.S. coals. However, the BTU recoveries were less than desirable. The laboratory-scale batch triboelectrostatic separator (TES) used by NETL relied on adhering charged particles on parallel electrode surfaces and scraping them off. Therefore, its throughput will be proportional to the electrode surface area. If this laboratory device is scaled-up as is, it would

Conditions for spatial segregation: some European perspectives.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Musterd, S.; de Winter, M.

1998-01-01

Evaluates some theses on the theme of spatial segregation in Europe. Spatial segregation as an important issue on the political agendas of European nations; Two views of segregation in Europe; Strategies of European nations to deal with segregation; Segregation in European cities

POC-scale testing of an advanced fine coal dewatering equipment/technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Groppo, J.G.; Parekh, B.K. [Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (United States); Rawls, P. [Department of Energy, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

1995-11-01

Froth flotation technique is an effective and efficient process for recovering of ultra-fine (minus 74 {mu}m) clean coal. Economical dewatering of an ultra-fine clean coal product to a 20 percent level moisture will be an important step in successful implementation of the advanced cleaning processes. This project is a step in the Department of Energy`s program to show that ultra-clean coal could be effectively dewatered to 20 percent or lower moisture using either conventional or advanced dewatering techniques. As the contract title suggests, the main focus of the program is on proof-of-concept testing of a dewatering technique for a fine clean coal product. The coal industry is reluctant to use the advanced fine coal recovery technology due to the non-availability of an economical dewatering process. in fact, in a recent survey conducted by U.S. DOE and Battelle, dewatering of fine clean coal was identified as the number one priority for the coal industry. This project will attempt to demonstrate an efficient and economic fine clean coal slurry dewatering process.

Combined age and segregated kinetic model for industrial-scale penicillin fed-batch cultivation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, Z.F.; Lauwerijssen, M.J.C.; Yuan, J.Q.

2005-01-01

This paper proposes a cell age model forPenicillium chrysogenum fed-batch cultivation to supply a qualitative insight into morphology-associated dynamics. The average ages of the segregated cell populations, such as growing cells, non-growing cells and intact productive cells, were estimated by this

Grain-size segregation and levee formation in geophysical mass flows

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, C.G.; Kokelaar, B.P.; Iverson, Richard M.; Logan, M.; LaHusen, R.G.; Gray, J.M.N.T.

2012-01-01

Data from large-scale debris-flow experiments are combined with modeling of particle-size segregation to explain the formation of lateral levees enriched in coarse grains. The experimental flows consisted of 10 m3 of water-saturated sand and gravel, which traveled ∼80 m down a steeply inclined flume before forming an elongated leveed deposit 10 m long on a nearly horizontal runout surface. We measured the surface velocity field and observed the sequence of deposition by seeding tracers onto the flow surface and tracking them in video footage. Levees formed by progressive downslope accretion approximately 3.5 m behind the flow front, which advanced steadily at ∼2 m s−1during most of the runout. Segregation was measured by placing ∼600 coarse tracer pebbles on the bed, which, when entrained into the flow, segregated upwards at ∼6–7.5 cm s−1. When excavated from the deposit these were distributed in a horseshoe-shaped pattern that became increasingly elevated closer to the deposit termination. Although there was clear evidence for inverse grading during the flow, transect sampling revealed that the resulting leveed deposit was strongly graded laterally, with only weak vertical grading. We construct an empirical, three-dimensional velocity field resembling the experimental observations, and use this with a particle-size segregation model to predict the segregation and transport of material through the flow. We infer that coarse material segregates to the flow surface and is transported to the flow front by shear. Within the flow head, coarse material is overridden, then recirculates in spiral trajectories due to size-segregation, before being advected to the flow edges and deposited to form coarse-particle-enriched levees.

Segregation and Hispanic Homicide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael G. Bisciglia

2014-01-01

Full Text Available As the overall population of Hispanics within the United States has eclipsed that of African Americans, a mounting concern has developed regarding the rise in Hispanic lethal violence as a result of social and economic inequality. One means to measure this inequality is in the form of segregation. Research indicates that in many Hispanic communities, their levels of segregation from the White non-Hispanic population are similar to that of African Americans. Although a multitude of previous studies have looked at the impact of segregation among African Americans, the literature remains under-represented in terms of multi-city macro-level analyses among Hispanics. This current study extends the analysis of segregation’s effects on lethal violence to this population. To this end, two measures of segregation were used, the index of dissimilarity and exposure. Using data from the census and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC mortality files, negative binominal regression models were created using a sample of 236 U.S. cities. The results indicated that both measures of segregation show a strong positive influence on rates of Hispanic homicides.

Waste segregation procedures and benefits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fish, J.D.; Massey, C.D.; Ward, S.J.

1990-01-01

Segregation is a critical first step in handling hazardous and radioactive materials to minimize the generation of regulated wastes. In addition, segregation can significantly reduce the complexity and the total cost of managing waste. Procedures at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque require that wastes be segregated, first, by waste type (acids, solvents, low level radioactive, mixed, classified, etc.). Higher level segregation requirements, currently under development, are aimed at enhancing the possibilities for recovery, recycle and reapplication; reducing waste volumes; reducing waste disposal costs, and facilitating packaging storage, shipping and disposal. 2 tabs

The effect of flocculant on the geotechnical properties of mature fine tailings : An experimental study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yao, Y.; Van Tol, A.F.; Van Paassen, L.A.

2012-01-01

When oil sands tailings are deposited in a tailing pond, they settle and segregate to create a layer of stagnant water on top that is reused in oil extraction and a dense mixture of clay, silt and water on the bottom which is referred to as mature fine tailings (MFT). Dewatering of MFT is a problem

Development of a remote sensing network for time-sensitive detection of fine scale damage to transportation infrastructure : [final report].

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-23

This research project aimed to develop a remote sensing system capable of rapidly identifying fine-scale damage to critical transportation infrastructure following hazard events. Such a system must be pre-planned for rapid deployment, automate proces...

Fine-scale flight strategies of gulls in urban airflows indicate risk and reward in city living.

Science.gov (United States)

Shepard, Emily L C; Williamson, Cara; Windsor, Shane P

2016-09-26

Birds modulate their flight paths in relation to regional and global airflows in order to reduce their travel costs. Birds should also respond to fine-scale airflows, although the incidence and value of this remains largely unknown. We resolved the three-dimensional trajectories of gulls flying along a built-up coastline, and used computational fluid dynamic models to examine how gulls reacted to airflows around buildings. Birds systematically altered their flight trajectories with wind conditions to exploit updraughts over features as small as a row of low-rise buildings. This provides the first evidence that human activities can change patterns of space-use in flying birds by altering the profitability of the airscape. At finer scales still, gulls varied their position to select a narrow range of updraught values, rather than exploiting the strongest updraughts available, and their precise positions were consistent with a strategy to increase their velocity control in gusty conditions. Ultimately, strategies such as these could help unmanned aerial vehicles negotiate complex airflows. Overall, airflows around fine-scale features have profound implications for flight control and energy use, and consideration of this could lead to a paradigm-shift in the way ecologists view the urban environment.This article is part of the themed issue 'Moving in a moving medium: new perspectives on flight'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Ag diffusion and interface segregation in nanocrystalline γ-FeNi alloy with a two-scale microstructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Divinski, S.V.; Hisker, F.; Kang, Y.-S.; Lee, J.-S.; Herzig, Chr.

2004-01-01

Solute diffusion of Ag in nanocrystalline γ-Fe - 40wt%Ni alloy was studied by means of the radiotracer technique in an extended temperature interval (489-1200 K). The powder metallurgical method was applied to produce nanomaterial which consisted of micrometer-large clusters (agglomerates) of nanometer sized grains. Two types of internal interfaces contributed as short-circuit paths for diffusion: the nanocrystalline grain boundaries (GB) and the inter-agglomerate interfaces (subscript a). Combining the recent results on Ag GB diffusion in coarse-grained γ-Fe - 40wt%Ni alloy and the present diffusion data in the nanocrystalline alloy the Ag segregation was determined as function of temperature. Ag segregates strongly at GBs in the γ-Fe - 40wt%Ni alloy with a segregation enthalpy of H s =-47 kJ/mol. Knowing the segregation factor, the experimental data on Ag diffusion along both nanocrystalline and inter-agglomerate interfaces in the nanomaterial were systematically analyzed in dependence on the different kinetic regimes. The sensitive radiotracer experiments and the subsequent diffusion profile analysis resulted in a consistent set of diffusion data in the whole investigated temperature range with Arrhenius behavior for both the Ag nano-GB diffusion (D 0 gb =4.7x10 -4 m 2 /s, H gb =173 kJ/mol) as well as for the much faster inter-agglomerate interface diffusion (D 0 a =8.1x10 -5 m 2 /s, H a =91 kJ/mol)

Salp/krill interactions in the Southern Ocean: spatial segregation and implications for the carbon flux

Science.gov (United States)

Pakhomov, E. A.; Froneman, P. W.; Perissinotto, R.

Available data on the spatial distribution and feeding ecophysiology of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, and the tunicate, Salpa thompsoni, in the Southern Ocean are summarized in this study. Antarctic krill and salps generally display pronounced spatial segregation at all spatial scales. This appears to be the result of a clear biotopical separation of these key species in the Antarctic pelagic food web. Krill and salps are found in different water masses or water mass modifications, which are separated by primary or secondary frontal features. On the small-scale (salps are usually restricted to the specific water parcels, or are well segregated vertically. Krill and salp grazing rates estimated using the in situ gut fluorescence technique are among the highest recorded in the Antarctic pelagic food web. Although krill and salps at times may remove the entire daily primary production, generally their grazing impact is moderate (⩽50% of primary production). The regional ecological consequences of years of high salp densities may be dramatic. If the warming trend, which is observed around the Antarctic Peninsula and in the Southern Ocean, continues, salps may become a more prominent player in the trophic structure of the Antarctic marine ecosystem. This likely would be coupled with a dramatic decrease in krill productivity, because of a parallel decrease in the spatial extension of the krill biotope. The high Antarctic regions, particularly the Marginal Ice Zone, have, however, effective physiological mechanisms that may provide protection against the salp invasion.

Fine-Scale Spatial Heterogeneity in the Distribution of Waterborne Protozoa in a Drinking Water Reservoir.

Science.gov (United States)

Burnet, Jean-Baptiste; Ogorzaly, Leslie; Penny, Christian; Cauchie, Henry-Michel

2015-09-23

The occurrence of faecal pathogens in drinking water resources constitutes a threat to the supply of safe drinking water, even in industrialized nations. To efficiently assess and monitor the risk posed by these pathogens, sampling deserves careful design, based on preliminary knowledge on their distribution dynamics in water. For the protozoan pathogens Cryptosporidium and Giardia, only little is known about their spatial distribution within drinking water supplies, especially at fine scale. Two-dimensional distribution maps were generated by sampling cross-sections at meter resolution in two different zones of a drinking water reservoir. Samples were analysed for protozoan pathogens as well as for E. coli, turbidity and physico-chemical parameters. Parasites displayed heterogeneous distribution patterns, as reflected by significant (oo)cyst density gradients along reservoir depth. Spatial correlations between parasites and E. coli were observed near the reservoir inlet but were absent in the downstream lacustrine zone. Measurements of surface and subsurface flow velocities suggest a role of local hydrodynamics on these spatial patterns. This fine-scale spatial study emphasizes the importance of sampling design (site, depth and position on the reservoir) for the acquisition of representative parasite data and for optimization of microbial risk assessment and monitoring. Such spatial information should prove useful to the modelling of pathogen transport dynamics in drinking water supplies.

The impact of mating systems and dispersal on fine-scale genetic structure at maternally, paternally and biparentally inherited markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Robyn E; Banks, Sam C; Peakall, Rod

2018-01-01

For decades, studies have focused on how dispersal and mating systems influence genetic structure across populations or social groups. However, we still lack a thorough understanding of how these processes and their interaction shape spatial genetic patterns over a finer scale (tens-hundreds of metres). Using uniparentally inherited markers may help answer these questions, yet their potential has not been fully explored. Here, we use individual-level simulations to investigate the effects of dispersal and mating system on fine-scale genetic structure at autosomal, mitochondrial and Y chromosome markers. Using genetic spatial autocorrelation analysis, we found that dispersal was the major driver of fine-scale genetic structure across maternally, paternally and biparentally inherited markers. However, when dispersal was restricted (mean distance = 100 m), variation in mating behaviour created strong differences in the comparative level of structure detected at maternally and paternally inherited markers. Promiscuity reduced spatial genetic structure at Y chromosome loci (relative to monogamy), whereas structure increased under polygyny. In contrast, mitochondrial and autosomal markers were robust to differences in the specific mating system, although genetic structure increased across all markers when reproductive success was skewed towards fewer individuals. Comparing males and females at Y chromosome vs. mitochondrial markers, respectively, revealed that some mating systems can generate similar patterns to those expected under sex-biased dispersal. This demonstrates the need for caution when inferring ecological and behavioural processes from genetic results. Comparing patterns between the sexes, across a range of marker types, may help us tease apart the processes shaping fine-scale genetic structure. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A global Fine-Root Ecology Database to address below-ground challenges in plant ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Iversen, Colleen M; McCormack, M Luke; Powell, A Shafer; Blackwood, Christopher B; Freschet, Grégoire T; Kattge, Jens; Roumet, Catherine; Stover, Daniel B; Soudzilovskaia, Nadejda A; Valverde-Barrantes, Oscar J; van Bodegom, Peter M; Violle, Cyrille

2017-07-01

Variation and tradeoffs within and among plant traits are increasingly being harnessed by empiricists and modelers to understand and predict ecosystem processes under changing environmental conditions. While fine roots play an important role in ecosystem functioning, fine-root traits are underrepresented in global trait databases. This has hindered efforts to analyze fine-root trait variation and link it with plant function and environmental conditions at a global scale. This Viewpoint addresses the need for a centralized fine-root trait database, and introduces the Fine-Root Ecology Database (FRED, http://roots.ornl.gov) which so far includes > 70 000 observations encompassing a broad range of root traits and also includes associated environmental data. FRED represents a critical step toward improving our understanding of below-ground plant ecology. For example, FRED facilitates the quantification of variation in fine-root traits across root orders, species, biomes, and environmental gradients while also providing a platform for assessments of covariation among root, leaf, and wood traits, the role of fine roots in ecosystem functioning, and the representation of fine roots in terrestrial biosphere models. Continued input of observations into FRED to fill gaps in trait coverage will improve our understanding of changes in fine-root traits across space and time. © 2017 UT-Battelle LLC. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Senior Adult Sexuality in Age Segregated and Age Integrated Communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstein, Stellye; Rosen, Efrem

1988-01-01

Middle-income older adults (N=314) responded to senior adult sexuality scale. Results showed that respondents who selected to reside in age-segregated leisure-type retirement communities exhibited significantly more sexual interest, sexual activities, and liberal sexual attitudes than did respondents residing in age-integrated mainstream…

Effect of solute segregation on thermal creep in dilute nanocyrstalline Cu alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schäfer, Jonathan; Ashkenazy, Yinon; Albe, Karsten; Averback, Robert S

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Segregating solutes lower the grain boundary free volume in nanocrystalline Cu. ► Lower free volume leads to reduced atomic mobility and higher creep resistance. ► Increase in creep resistance scales with atomic size of segregating solutes. ► Atomic processes in boundaries are similar to the ones in amorphous material. - Abstract: The effect of solute segregation on thermal creep in dilute nanocrystalline alloys (Cu–Nb, Cu–Fe, Cu–Zr) was studied at elevated temperatures using molecular dynamics simulations. A combined Monte-Carlo and molecular dynamics simulation technique was first used to equilibrate the distribution of segregating solutes. Then the creep rates of the diluted Cu samples were measured as functions of temperature, composition, load and accumulated strain. In Cu–Nb samples, the creep rates were observed to increase initially with strain, but then saturate at a value close to that obtained for alloys prepared by randomly locating the solute in the grain boundaries. This behavior is attributed to an increase in grain boundary volume and energy with added chemical disorder. At high temperatures, the apparent activation energy for creep was anomalously high, 3 eV, but only 0.3 eV at lower temperatures. This temperature dependence is found to correlate with atomic mobilities in bulk Cu–Nb glasses. Calculations of creep in nanocrystalline Cu alloys containing other solutes, Fe and Zr, show that the suppression of creep rate scales with their atomic volumes when dissolved in Cu.

Bench-scale testing of a micronized magnetite, fine-coal cleaning process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suardini, P.J. [Custom Coals, International, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

1995-11-01

Custom Coals, International has installed and is presently testing a 500 lb/hr. micronized-magnetite, fine-coal cleaning circuit at PETC`s Process Research Facility (PRF). The cost-shared project was awarded as part of the Coal Preparation Program`s, High Efficiency Preparation Subprogram. The project includes design, construction, testing, and decommissioning of a fully-integrated, bench-scale circuit, complete with feed coal classification to remove the minus 30 micron slimes, dense medium cycloning of the 300 by 30 micron feed coal using a nominal minus 10 micron size magnetite medium, and medium recovery using drain and rinse screens and various stages and types of magnetic separators. This paper describes the project circuit and goals, including a description of the current project status and the sources of coal and magnetite which are being tested.

Flow-permeability feedbacks and the development of segregation pipes in volcanic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Rust, Alison

2014-05-01

Flow and transformation in volcanic porous media is important for the segregation of melts and aqueous fluids from magmas as well as elutriation of fine ash from pyroclastic flows and vents. The general topic will be discussed in the framework of understanding sets of vertical pipes found in two very different types of volcanic deposits: 1) vesicular (bubbly) cylinders in basalt lava flows and 2) gas escape pipes in pyroclastic flow deposits. In both cases the cylinders can be explained by a flow-permeability feedback where perturbations in porosity and thus permeability cause locally higher flow speeds that in turn locally increase the permeability. For vesicular cylinders in lava flows, the porous medium is a framework of crystals within the magma. Above a critical crystallinity, which depends on the shape and size distribution of the crystals, the crystals form a touching framework. As the water-saturated magma continues to cool, it crystallizes anhydrous minerals, resulting in the exsolution of water vapour bubbles that can drive flow of bubbly melt through the crystal network. It is common to find sets of vertical cylinders of bubby melt in solidified lava flows, with compositions that match the residual melt from 35-50% crystallization of the host basalt. These cylinders resemble chimneys in experiments of crystallising ammonium chloride solution that are explained by reactive flow with porous medium convection. The Rayleigh number for the magmatic case is too low for convection but the growth of steam bubbles as the magma crystallizes induces pore fluid flow up through the permeable crystal pile even if there is no convective instability. This bubble-growth-driven upward flow is reactive and can lead to channelization because of a feedback between velocity and permeability. For the gas escape pipes in pyroclastic flows, the porous medium is a very poorly sorted granular material composed of fragments of solid magma with a huge range of grain sizes from ash

Fine-scale environmental effects on Cape hake survey catch rates in the Northern Benguela, using data from a trawl-mounted instrument package

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kainge, Paulus Inekela; Wieland, Kai

2017-01-01

We investigated fine-scale effects of environmental variables associated with habitat distribution for 4 size groups of Cape hakes, Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus, using generalized additive models (GAMs) with a negative binominal error distribution. This study took place during the Namibian...... hake trawl survey of 2016, and was made possible for the first time in Namibia by collecting oceanographic information with a trawl-mounted instrument package concurrently with the catch data. Depth, geographical position, bottom oxygen and bottom temperature had the most pronounced effect on the catch...... rates of both hake species, whereas solar zenith angle representing diel effects and surface layer chlorophyll appeared to be less important. The explained deviance for the best models ranged from 71.4% for M. capensis to 92.7% for M. paradoxus between 43 and 57 cm in length. Differences in catch rates...

Fine root production at drained peatland sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Finer, L [Finnish Forest Research Inst. (Finland). Joensuu Research Station; Laine, J [Helsinki Univ. (Finland). Dept. of Forest Ecology

1997-12-31

The preliminary results of the Finnish project `Carbon balance of peatlands and climate change` show that fine roots play an important role in carbon cycling on peat soils. After drainage the roots of mire species are gradually replaced by the roots of trees and other forest species. Pine fine root biomass reaches a maximum level by the time of crown closure, some 20 years after drainage on pine mire. The aim of this study is to compare the results of the sequential coring method and the ingrowth bag method used for estimating fine root production on three drained peatland sites of different fertility. The results are preliminary and continuation to the work done in the study Pine root production on drained peatlands, which is part of the Finnish project `Carbon cycling on peatlands and climate change`. In this study the fine root biomass was greater on the poor site than on the rich sites. Pine fine root production increased with the decrease in fertility. Root turnover and the production of field layer species were greater on the rich sites than on the poor site. The results suggested that the in growth bag method measured more root activity than the magnitude of production. More than two growing seasons would have been needed to balance the root dynamics in the in growth bags with the surrounding soil. That time would probably have been longer on the poor site than on the rich ones and longer for pine and field layer consisting of dwarf shrubs than for field layer consisting of sedge like species and birch. (11 refs.)

Fine root production at drained peatland sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Finer, L. [Finnish Forest Research Inst. (Finland). Joensuu Research Station; Laine, J. [Helsinki Univ. (Finland). Dept. of Forest Ecology

1996-12-31

The preliminary results of the Finnish project `Carbon balance of peatlands and climate change` show that fine roots play an important role in carbon cycling on peat soils. After drainage the roots of mire species are gradually replaced by the roots of trees and other forest species. Pine fine root biomass reaches a maximum level by the time of crown closure, some 20 years after drainage on pine mire. The aim of this study is to compare the results of the sequential coring method and the ingrowth bag method used for estimating fine root production on three drained peatland sites of different fertility. The results are preliminary and continuation to the work done in the study Pine root production on drained peatlands, which is part of the Finnish project `Carbon cycling on peatlands and climate change`. In this study the fine root biomass was greater on the poor site than on the rich sites. Pine fine root production increased with the decrease in fertility. Root turnover and the production of field layer species were greater on the rich sites than on the poor site. The results suggested that the in growth bag method measured more root activity than the magnitude of production. More than two growing seasons would have been needed to balance the root dynamics in the in growth bags with the surrounding soil. That time would probably have been longer on the poor site than on the rich ones and longer for pine and field layer consisting of dwarf shrubs than for field layer consisting of sedge like species and birch. (11 refs.)

Racial Residential Segregation: Measuring Location Choice Attributes of Environmental Quality and Self-Segregation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhaohua Zhang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Both sorting on public goods and tastes for segregation contribute to the persistence of segregation in America. Incorporating Schelling’s (1969, 1971 concept of “neighborhood tipping” into a two-stage equilibrium sorting model, in which both neighborhood demographic composition and public goods (e.g., environmental quality affect households’ residential location choice, this study investigates how preferences for neighborhood demographic composition could obscure the role of exogenous public goods on segregation. The results reveal that non-white households face higher level of exposure to air pollution, suggesting the presence of environmental injustice in Franklin County, OH. Using a counterfactual scenario of switching off heterogeneous taste for environmental quality, this study identifies that sorting on Toxic Release Inventory (TRI emissions drives little correlations between emissions and demographics. However, when taste parameters of the interactions between neighborhood demographic composition and household race are eliminated, segregation (as measured by over-exposure to households of the same race of black and white households decreases by 7.63% and 16.36%, respectively, and own-race neighbor preferences contribute to segregation differently according to household income. These results may help explain some recent puzzles in the relationship between environmental quality and demographics.

Influence of segregations and hydrogen flakes on the mechanical properties of forged RPV steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eiselt, C.C.; May, J.; Hein, H.

2013-01-01

In the frame of relevant 1970s/80s German research programs (e.g. FKS research program on component safety and others), many investigations on large forgings manufactured from Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) materials such as 20 MnMoNi 5 5 and 22 NiMoCr 3 7 have been performed. Lately, after ultrasonic testing hydrogen flakes in connection with segregation zones have been observed in a few RPV forgings. The earlier R and D programs contained a number of special heats, which covered a defined defect state (lower bound heats) with relevance to the recent observations of numerous UT indications in RPV forgings of two PWRs. Therefore, the results of these former research programs were now reviewed. The studies included an evaluation of the effects of macro/micro segregations as well as hydrogen flakes on the mechanical properties. As part of the mechanical technological experiments Charpy impact tests in different orientations (e.g. L-T, T-L and S-T) together with fracture mechanics and large scale tensile tests were carried out in segregated and non segregated material zones. In this context the letters L,T,S indicate the longitudinal, transversal and short transverse (thickness) direction with respect to rolling direction of the forging axis. The first letter indicates the direction of the principal stress, while the second letter stands for the crack propagation direction [1]. Furthermore the irradiation behavior of segregated material regions was analyzed and compared to non segregated material regions. Key results of these analyses indicate that in most cases upper shelf levels are lowered in segregated material parts compared to non segregated areas. In addition the segregations cause a larger scattering of impact energies. A high hydrogen content in combination with segregations has overall detrimental effects on the mechanical properties. However, there seems to be no specific segregation influence on the materials' irradiation reaction.

Gender Segregation in Early-Childhood Social Play among the Bofi Foragers and Bofi Farmers in Central Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Fouts, Hillary N.; Hallam, Rena A.; Purandare, Swapna

2013-01-01

Gender segregation in early-childhood social play is a pervasive pattern in North America, and child-development scholars have suggested it is a human universal. But very few researchers have looked at gender segregation in small-scale societies, particularly those of hunter-gatherers, whom the authors here call foragers. The authors present their…

Fine-scale habitat use of reintroduced black-footed ferrets on prairie dog colonies in New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Chipault, Jennifer G.; Biggins, Dean E.; Detling, James K.; Long, Dustin H.; Reich, Robin M.

2012-01-01

Black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) are among the most endangered animals in North America. Reintroductions of captive-born ferrets onto prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) colonies are crucial to the conservation of the species. In September 2007, captive-born ferrets were released on a black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colony at the Vermejo Park Ranch, New Mexico. Ferret kits experimentally released in areas of comparatively low and high prairie dog burrow densities were located via spotlight surveys. Some maturing ferret kits were subsequently translocated to areas of low and high burrow densities on nearby prairie dog colonies. For 2 months, fine-scale habitat use was quantified by mapping all burrow openings within a 30-m radius of each ferret location. Spatial statistics accounted for autocorrelation in the burrow densities in areas used by ferrets. It was hypothesized that ferrets would select areas of high burrow densities within colonies; however, burrow densities in areas used by ferrets were generally similar to the available burrow densities. Because ferrets used areas with burrow densities similar to densities available at the colony level and because of the potential energetic benefits for ferrets using areas with high burrow densities, releasing ferrets on colonies with high burrow densities might increase reintroduction success.

Segregation and civic virtue

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Merry, M.S.

2012-01-01

In this essay Michael Merry defends the following prima facie argument: that civic virtue is not dependent on integration and in fact may be best fostered under conditions of segregation. He demonstrates that civic virtue can and does take place under conditions of involuntary segregation, but that

Fine-Scale Cartography of Human Impacts along French Mediterranean Coasts: A Relevant Map for the Management of Marine Ecosystems.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florian Holon

Full Text Available Ecosystem services provided by oceans and seas support most human needs but are threatened by human activities. Despite existing maps illustrating human impacts on marine ecosystems, information remains either large-scale but rough and insufficient for stakeholders (1 km² grid, lack of data along the coast or fine-scale but fragmentary and heterogeneous in methodology. The objectives of this study are to map and quantify the main pressures exerted on near-coast marine ecosystems, at a large spatial scale though in fine and relevant resolution for managers (one pixel = 20 x 20 m. It focuses on the French Mediterranean coast (1,700 km of coastline including Corsica at a depth of 0 to 80 m. After completing and homogenizing data presently available under GIS on the bathymetry and anthropogenic pressures but also on the seabed nature and ecosystem vulnerability, we provide a fine modeling of the extent and impacts of 10 anthropogenic pressures on marine habitats. The considered pressures are man-made coastline, boat anchoring, aquaculture, urban effluents, industrial effluents, urbanization, agriculture, coastline erosion, coastal population and fishing. A 1:10 000 continuous habitat map is provided considering 11 habitat classes. The marine bottom is mostly covered by three habitats: infralittoral soft bottom, Posidonia oceanica meadows and circalittoral soft bottom. Around two thirds of the bottoms are found within medium and medium high cumulative impact categories. Seagrass meadows are the most impacted habitats. The most important pressures (in area and intensity are urbanization, coastal population, coastal erosion and man-made coastline. We also identified areas in need of a special management interest. This work should contribute to prioritize environmental needs, as well as enhance the development of indicators for the assessment of the ecological status of coastal systems. It could also help better apply and coordinate management measures

Fine-Scale Cartography of Human Impacts along French Mediterranean Coasts: A Relevant Map for the Management of Marine Ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Holon, Florian; Mouquet, Nicolas; Boissery, Pierre; Bouchoucha, Marc; Delaruelle, Gwenaelle; Tribot, Anne-Sophie; Deter, Julie

2015-01-01

Ecosystem services provided by oceans and seas support most human needs but are threatened by human activities. Despite existing maps illustrating human impacts on marine ecosystems, information remains either large-scale but rough and insufficient for stakeholders (1 km² grid, lack of data along the coast) or fine-scale but fragmentary and heterogeneous in methodology. The objectives of this study are to map and quantify the main pressures exerted on near-coast marine ecosystems, at a large spatial scale though in fine and relevant resolution for managers (one pixel = 20 x 20 m). It focuses on the French Mediterranean coast (1,700 km of coastline including Corsica) at a depth of 0 to 80 m. After completing and homogenizing data presently available under GIS on the bathymetry and anthropogenic pressures but also on the seabed nature and ecosystem vulnerability, we provide a fine modeling of the extent and impacts of 10 anthropogenic pressures on marine habitats. The considered pressures are man-made coastline, boat anchoring, aquaculture, urban effluents, industrial effluents, urbanization, agriculture, coastline erosion, coastal population and fishing. A 1:10 000 continuous habitat map is provided considering 11 habitat classes. The marine bottom is mostly covered by three habitats: infralittoral soft bottom, Posidonia oceanica meadows and circalittoral soft bottom. Around two thirds of the bottoms are found within medium and medium high cumulative impact categories. Seagrass meadows are the most impacted habitats. The most important pressures (in area and intensity) are urbanization, coastal population, coastal erosion and man-made coastline. We also identified areas in need of a special management interest. This work should contribute to prioritize environmental needs, as well as enhance the development of indicators for the assessment of the ecological status of coastal systems. It could also help better apply and coordinate management measures at a relevant

Solution of the spatial neutral model yields new bounds on the Amazonian species richness

Science.gov (United States)

Shem-Tov, Yahav; Danino, Matan; Shnerb, Nadav M.

2017-02-01

Neutral models, in which individual agents with equal fitness undergo a birth-death-mutation process, are very popular in population genetics and community ecology. Usually these models are applied to populations and communities with spatial structure, but the analytic results presented so far are limited to well-mixed or mainland-island scenarios. Here we combine analytic results and numerics to obtain an approximate solution for the species abundance distribution and the species richness for the neutral model on continuous landscape. We show how the regional diversity increases when the recruitment length decreases and the spatial segregation of species grows. Our results are supported by extensive numerical simulations and allow one to probe the numerically inaccessible regime of large-scale systems with extremely small mutation/speciation rates. Model predictions are compared with the findings of recent large-scale surveys of tropical trees across the Amazon basin, yielding new bounds for the species richness (between 13100 and 15000) and the number of singleton species (between 455 and 690).

Nanostructure of aluminium alloy 2024: Segregation, clustering and precipitation processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sha, G.; Marceau, R.K.W.; Gao, X.; Muddle, B.C.; Ringer, S.P.

2011-01-01

Variations in solute element distribution occurring in a commercial 2024 aluminium alloy during isothermal ageing treatments at 170 deg. C for up to 120 h have been characterized using atom probe tomography. An early (0.5 h at 170 deg. C) rapid increase in hardness was correlated with the formation of fine scale (average 24 atom) solute clusters, comprising principally Mg and Cu, but with minor concentrations of Si and Zn. There was, in addition, evidence of significant segregation of Mg, Cu and Si to at least some fraction of grain boundaries and existing matrix dislocations. At peak hardness (80 h at 170 deg. C) the microstructure comprised coarse precipitates of S phase, with a composition approaching stoichiometric Al 2 CuMg, a dense distribution of Guinier-Preston-Bagaryatsky zones elongated parallel to in a matrix of α-Al and a residual distribution of smaller equiaxed solute clusters. Both the clusters and zones contained predominantly Mg and Cu, with minor concentrations of Si and Zn. The S phase contained small but significant (0.5-1.8 at.%) concentrations of Si, which was non-uniformly distributed in elongated domains within the laths of the S phase. In overaged samples (114 h at 170 deg. C) the microstructure comprised almost exclusively coarse S phase, Al 2 Mg(Cu,Si), in assemblies suggestive of a combination of precipitate coarsening and coalescence.

Fine-scale mapping of vector habitats using very high resolution satellite imagery: a liver fluke case-study.

Science.gov (United States)

De Roeck, Els; Van Coillie, Frieke; De Wulf, Robert; Soenen, Karen; Charlier, Johannes; Vercruysse, Jozef; Hantson, Wouter; Ducheyne, Els; Hendrickx, Guy

2014-12-01

The visualization of vector occurrence in space and time is an important aspect of studying vector-borne diseases. Detailed maps of possible vector habitats provide valuable information for the prediction of infection risk zones but are currently lacking for most parts of the world. Nonetheless, monitoring vector habitats from the finest scales up to farm level is of key importance to refine currently existing broad-scale infection risk models. Using Fasciola hepatica, a parasite liver fluke, as a case in point, this study illustrates the potential of very high resolution (VHR) optical satellite imagery to efficiently and semi-automatically detect detailed vector habitats. A WorldView2 satellite image capable of transmitted by freshwater snails. The vector thrives in small water bodies (SWBs), such as ponds, ditches and other humid areas consisting of open water, aquatic vegetation and/or inundated grass. These water bodies can be as small as a few m2 and are most often not present on existing land cover maps because of their small size. We present a classification procedure based on object-based image analysis (OBIA) that proved valuable to detect SWBs at a fine scale in an operational and semi-automated way. The classification results were compared to field and other reference data such as existing broad-scale maps and expert knowledge. Overall, the SWB detection accuracy reached up to 87%. The resulting fine-scale SWB map can be used as input for spatial distribution modelling of the liver fluke snail vector to enable development of improved infection risk mapping and management advice adapted to specific, local farm situations.

Gender Differences in the Effect of Residential Segregation on Workplace Segregation among Newly Arrived Immigrants

OpenAIRE

Tammaru, Tiit; Strömgren, Magnus; van Ham, Maarten; Danzer, Alexander M.

2015-01-01

Contemporary cities are becoming more and more diverse in population as a result of immigration. Research also shows that within cities residential neighborhoods are becoming ethnically more diverse, but that residential segregation has remained persistently high. High levels of segregation are often seen as negative, preventing integration of immigrants in their host society and having a negative impact on people's lives. Segregation research often focuses on residential neighborhoods, but i...

Investigating the Relationships between Canopy Characteristics and Snow Depth Distribution at Fine Scales: Preliminary Results from the SnowEX TLS Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Glenn, N. F.; Uhlmann, Z.; Spaete, L.; Tennant, C.; Hiemstra, C. A.; McNamara, J.

2017-12-01

Predicting changes in forested seasonal snowpacks under altered climate scenarios is one of the most pressing hydrologic challenges facing today's society. Airborne- and satellite-based remote sensing methods hold the potential to transform measurements of terrestrial water stores in snowpack, improve process representations of snowpack accumulation and ablation, and to generate high quality predictions that inform potential strategies to better manage water resources. While the effects of forest on snowpack are well documented, many of the fine-scale processes influenced by the forest-canopy are not directly accounted for because most snow models don't explicitly represent canopy structure and canopy heterogeneity. This study investigates the influence of forest canopy on snowpack distribution at fine scales and quantifies the influence of canopy heterogeneity on snowpack accumulation and ablation processes. We use terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data collected during the SnowEX campaign to discover how the relationships between canopy and snow distributions change across scales. Our sample scales range from individual trees to patches of trees across the Grand Mesa, CO, SnowEx site.

Income Segregation between Schools and School Districts

Science.gov (United States)

Owens, Ann; Reardon, Sean F.; Jencks, Christopher

2016-01-01

Although trends in the racial segregation of schools are well documented, less is known about trends in income segregation. We use multiple data sources to document trends in income segregation between schools and school districts. Between-district income segregation of families with children enrolled in public school increased by over 15% from…

The effect of limited availability of N or water on C allocation to fine roots and annual fine root turnover in Alnus incana and Salix viminalis.

Science.gov (United States)

Rytter, Rose-Marie

2013-09-01

The effect of limited nitrogen (N) or water availability on fine root growth and turnover was examined in two deciduous species, Alnus incana L. and Salix viminalis L., grown under three different regimes: (i) supply of N and water in amounts which would not hamper growth, (ii) limited N supply and (iii) limited water supply. Plants were grown outdoors during three seasons in covered and buried lysimeters placed in a stand structure and filled with quartz sand. Computer-controlled irrigation and fertilization were supplied through drip tubes. Production and turnover of fine roots were estimated by combining minirhizotron observations and core sampling, or by sequential core sampling. Annual turnover rates of fine roots water availability. Fine root production (treatments in Salix; i.e., absolute length and biomass production increased in the order: water limited treatment effects were detected for fine roots 1-2 mm. Proportionally more C was allocated to fine roots (≤2 mm) in N or water-limited Salix; 2.7 and 2.3 times the allocation to fine roots in the unlimited regime, respectively. Estimated input to soil organic carbon increased by ca. 20% at N limitation in Salix. However, future studies on fine root decomposition under various environmental conditions are required. Fine root growth responses to N or water limitation were less pronounced in Alnus, thus indicating species differences caused by N-fixing capacity and slower initial growth in Alnus, or higher fine root plasticity in Salix. A similar seasonal growth pattern across species and treatments suggested the influence of outer stimuli, such as temperature and light.

Do measures matter? Comparing surface-density-derived and census-tract-derived measures of racial residential segregation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Waller Lance A

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Racial residential segregation is hypothesized to affect population health by systematically patterning health-relevant exposures and opportunities according to individuals' race or income. Growing interest into the association between residential segregation and health disparities demands more rigorous appraisal of commonly used measures of segregation. Most current studies rely on census tracts as approximations of the local residential environment when calculating segregation indices of either neighborhoods or metropolitan areas. Because census tracts are arbitrary in size and shape, reliance on this geographic scale limits understanding of place-health associations. More flexible, explicitly spatial derivations of traditional segregation indices have been proposed but have not been compared with tract-derived measures in the context of health disparities studies common to social epidemiology, health demography, or medical geography. We compared segregation measured with tract-derived as well as GIS surface-density-derived indices. Measures were compared by region and population size, and segregation measures were linked to birth record to estimate the difference in association between segregation and very preterm birth. Separate analyses focus on metropolitan segregation and on neighborhood segregation. Results Across 231 metropolitan areas, tract-derived and surface-density-derived segregation measures are highly correlated. However overall correlation obscures important differences by region and metropolitan size. In general the discrepancy between measure types is greatest for small metropolitan areas, declining with increasing population size. Discrepancies in measures are greatest in the South, and smallest in Western metropolitan areas. Choice of segregation index changed the magnitude of the measured association between segregation and very preterm birth. For example among black women, the risk ratio for very

36 CFR 254.6 - Segregative effect.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Segregative effect. 254.6... ADJUSTMENTS Land Exchanges § 254.6 Segregative effect. (a) If a proposal is made to exchange Federal lands... segregative effect terminates as follows: (1) Automatically, upon issuance of a patent or other document of...

Temporal windows in visual processing: "prestimulus brain state" and "poststimulus phase reset" segregate visual transients on different temporal scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Wutz, Andreas; Weisz, Nathan; Braun, Christoph; Melcher, David

2014-01-22

Dynamic vision requires both stability of the current perceptual representation and sensitivity to the accumulation of sensory evidence over time. Here we study the electrophysiological signatures of this intricate balance between temporal segregation and integration in vision. Within a forward masking paradigm with short and long stimulus onset asynchronies (SOA), we manipulated the temporal overlap of the visual persistence of two successive transients. Human observers enumerated the items presented in the second target display as a measure of the informational capacity read-out from this partly temporally integrated visual percept. We observed higher β-power immediately before mask display onset in incorrect trials, in which enumeration failed due to stronger integration of mask and target visual information. This effect was timescale specific, distinguishing between segregation and integration of visual transients that were distant in time (long SOA). Conversely, for short SOA trials, mask onset evoked a stronger visual response when mask and targets were correctly segregated in time. Examination of the target-related response profile revealed the importance of an evoked α-phase reset for the segregation of those rapid visual transients. Investigating this precise mapping of the temporal relationships of visual signals onto electrophysiological responses highlights how the stream of visual information is carved up into discrete temporal windows that mediate between segregated and integrated percepts. Fragmenting the stream of visual information provides a means to stabilize perceptual events within one instant in time.

Grain boundary segregation and intergranular failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, C.L.

1980-01-01

Trace elements and impurities often segregate strongly to grain boundaries in metals and alloys. Concentrations of these elements at grain boundaries are often 10 3 to 10 5 times as great as their overall concentration in the alloy. Because of such segregation, certain trace elements can exert a disproportionate influence on material properties. One frequently observed consequence of trace element segregation to grain boundaries is the occurrence of grain boundary failure and low ductility. Less well known are incidences of improved ductility and inhibition of grain boundary fracture resulting from trace element segregation to grain boundaries in certain systems. An overview of trace element segregation and intergranular failure in a variety of alloy systems as well as preliminary results from studies on Al 3% Li will be presented

Environmental species sorting dominates forest-bird community assembly across scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Özkan, Korhan; Svenning, Jens-Christian; Jeppesen, Erik

2013-01-01

Environmental species sorting and dispersal are seen as key factors in community assembly, but their relative importance and scale dependence remain uncertain, as the extent to which communities are consistently assembled throughout their biomes. To address these issues, we analysed bird metacommunity structure in a 1200-km(2) forested landscape (Istranca Forests) in Turkish Thrace at the margin of the Western Palaearctic (WP) temperate-forest biome. First, we used spatial regressions and Mantel tests to assess the relative importance of environmental and spatial factors as drivers of local species richness and composition within the metacommunity. Second, we analysed species' abundance-occupancy relationship across the metacommunity and used null models to assess whether occupancy is determined by species' environmental niches. Third, we used generalized linear models to test for links between species' metacommunity-wide occupancy and their broader WP regional populations and assessed whether these links are consistent with environmental species sorting. There was strong environmental control on local species richness and composition patterns within the metacommunity, but non-environmental spatial factors had also an important joint role. Null model analyses on randomized communities showed that species' occupancy across the metacommunity was strongly determined by species' environmental niches, with occupancy being related to niche position marginality. Species' metacommunity-wide occupancy correlated with their local abundance as well as with their range size and total abundance for the whole WP, suggesting that the same assembly mechanisms act consistently across local to regional scales. A species specialization index that was estimated by bird species' habitat use across France, incorporating both niche position and breadth, was significantly related to species' occupancy and abundance at both metacommunity and WP regional scales. Hence, the same niche

Leadership of Winter Mixed-Species Flocks by Tufted Titmice (Baeolophus bicolor: Are Titmice Passive Nuclear Species?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas A. Contreras

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor, TUTI is a nuclear species in winter foraging flocks whose antipredator calls are used to manage predation risk by diverse heterospecifics. We hypothesized that satellite species in mixed flocks follow TUTI (not vice versa, thereby defining the role of TUTI as a “passive” nuclear species. We followed 20 winter mixed-species flocks in North-Central Florida and assessed angular-angular correlations between overall flock, TUTI, and satellite species movement directions. We observed significant correlations between overall flock movement directions and those of TUTI, confirming our central prediction. Within flocks, however, fine-scale movement directions of satellite species were often more highly correlated with those of other satellites than with TUTI movements. We conclude that TUTI are passive nuclear species whose movements define flock paths, but within flocks, TUTI movements may have less influence on satellite movements than do other factors.

Fine-scale ecological and economic assessment of climate change on olive in the Mediterranean Basin reveals winners and losers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponti, Luigi; Gutierrez, Andrew Paul; Ruti, Paolo Michele; Dell'Aquila, Alessandro

2014-04-15

The Mediterranean Basin is a climate and biodiversity hot spot, and climate change threatens agro-ecosystems such as olive, an ancient drought-tolerant crop of considerable ecological and socioeconomic importance. Climate change will impact the interactions of olive and the obligate olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae), and alter the economics of olive culture across the Basin. We estimate the effects of climate change on the dynamics and interaction of olive and the fly using physiologically based demographic models in a geographic information system context as driven by daily climate change scenario weather. A regional climate model that includes fine-scale representation of the effects of topography and the influence of the Mediterranean Sea on regional climate was used to scale the global climate data. The system model for olive/olive fly was used as the production function in our economic analysis, replacing the commonly used production-damage control function. Climate warming will affect olive yield and fly infestation levels across the Basin, resulting in economic winners and losers at the local and regional scales. At the local scale, profitability of small olive farms in many marginal areas of Europe and elsewhere in the Basin will decrease, leading to increased abandonment. These marginal farms are critical to conserving soil, maintaining biodiversity, and reducing fire risk in these areas. Our fine-scale bioeconomic approach provides a realistic prototype for assessing climate change impacts in other Mediterranean agro-ecosystems facing extant and new invasive pests.

Findings and Challenges in Fine-Resolution Large-Scale Hydrological Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Her, Y. G.

2017-12-01

Fine-resolution large-scale (FL) modeling can provide the overall picture of the hydrological cycle and transport while taking into account unique local conditions in the simulation. It can also help develop water resources management plans consistent across spatial scales by describing the spatial consequences of decisions and hydrological events extensively. FL modeling is expected to be common in the near future as global-scale remotely sensed data are emerging, and computing resources have been advanced rapidly. There are several spatially distributed models available for hydrological analyses. Some of them rely on numerical methods such as finite difference/element methods (FDM/FEM), which require excessive computing resources (implicit scheme) to manipulate large matrices or small simulation time intervals (explicit scheme) to maintain the stability of the solution, to describe two-dimensional overland processes. Others make unrealistic assumptions such as constant overland flow velocity to reduce the computational loads of the simulation. Thus, simulation efficiency often comes at the expense of precision and reliability in FL modeling. Here, we introduce a new FL continuous hydrological model and its application to four watersheds in different landscapes and sizes from 3.5 km2 to 2,800 km2 at the spatial resolution of 30 m on an hourly basis. The model provided acceptable accuracy statistics in reproducing hydrological observations made in the watersheds. The modeling outputs including the maps of simulated travel time, runoff depth, soil water content, and groundwater recharge, were animated, visualizing the dynamics of hydrological processes occurring in the watersheds during and between storm events. Findings and challenges were discussed in the context of modeling efficiency, accuracy, and reproducibility, which we found can be improved by employing advanced computing techniques and hydrological understandings, by using remotely sensed hydrological

New atom probe approaches to studying segregation in nanocrystalline materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Samudrala, S K; Felfer, P J; Araullo-Peters, V J; Cao, Y; Liao, X Z; Cairney, J M

2013-09-01

Atom probe is a technique that is highly suited to the study of nanocrystalline materials. It can provide accurate atomic-scale information about the composition of grain boundaries in three dimensions. In this paper we have analysed the microstructure of a nanocrystalline super-duplex stainless steel prepared by high pressure torsion (HPT). Not all of the grain boundaries in this alloy display obvious segregation, making visualisation of the microstructure challenging. In addition, the grain boundaries present in the atom probe data acquired from this alloy have complex shapes that are curved at the scale of the dataset and the interfacial excess varies considerably over the boundaries, making the accurate characterisation of the distribution of solute challenging using existing analysis techniques. In this paper we present two new data treatment methods that allow the visualisation of boundaries with little or no segregation, the delineation of boundaries for further analysis and the quantitative analysis of Gibbsian interfacial excess at boundaries, including the capability of excess mapping. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Patterns and multi-scale drivers of phytoplankton species richness in temperate peri-urban lakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Catherine, Arnaud; Selma, Maloufi; Mouillot, David; Troussellier, Marc; Bernard, Cécile

2016-01-01

Local species richness (SR) is a key characteristic affecting ecosystem functioning. Yet, the mechanisms regulating phytoplankton diversity in freshwater ecosystems are not fully understood, especially in peri-urban environments where anthropogenic pressures strongly impact the quality of aquatic ecosystems. To address this issue, we sampled the phytoplankton communities of 50 lakes in the Paris area (France) characterized by a large gradient of physico-chemical and catchment-scale characteristics. We used large phytoplankton datasets to describe phytoplankton diversity patterns and applied a machine-learning algorithm to test the degree to which species richness patterns are potentially controlled by environmental factors. Selected environmental factors were studied at two scales: the lake-scale (e.g. nutrients concentrations, water temperature, lake depth) and the catchment-scale (e.g. catchment, landscape and climate variables). Then, we used a variance partitioning approach to evaluate the interaction between lake-scale and catchment-scale variables in explaining local species richness. Finally, we analysed the residuals of predictive models to identify potential vectors of improvement of phytoplankton species richness predictive models. Lake-scale and catchment-scale drivers provided similar predictive accuracy of local species richness (R"2 = 0.458 and 0.424, respectively). Both models suggested that seasonal temperature variations and nutrient supply strongly modulate local species richness. Integrating lake- and catchment-scale predictors in a single predictive model did not provide increased predictive accuracy; therefore suggesting that the catchment-scale model probably explains observed species richness variations through the impact of catchment-scale variables on in-lake water quality characteristics. Models based on catchment characteristics, which include simple and easy to obtain variables, provide a meaningful way of predicting phytoplankton

Patterns and multi-scale drivers of phytoplankton species richness in temperate peri-urban lakes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Catherine, Arnaud, E-mail: arnocat@mnhn.fr [UMR7245 MCAM MNHN-CNRS, Muséum National d' Histoire Naturelle, CC 39, 12 rue Buffon, F-75231 Paris, Cedex 05 (France); Selma, Maloufi, E-mail: maloufi@mnhn.fr [UMR7245 MCAM MNHN-CNRS, Muséum National d' Histoire Naturelle, CC 39, 12 rue Buffon, F-75231 Paris, Cedex 05 (France); Mouillot, David, E-mail: david.mouillot@univ-montp2.fr [UMR 9190 MARBEC UM2-CNRS-IRD-UM1-IFREMER, CC 93, Place Eugène Bataillon, Université de Montpellier 2, F-34095 Montpellier (France); Troussellier, Marc, E-mail: troussel@univ-montp2.fr [UMR 9190 MARBEC UM2-CNRS-IRD-UM1-IFREMER, CC 93, Place Eugène Bataillon, Université de Montpellier 2, F-34095 Montpellier (France); Bernard, Cécile, E-mail: cbernard@mnhn.fr [UMR7245 MCAM MNHN-CNRS, Muséum National d' Histoire Naturelle, CC 39, 12 rue Buffon, F-75231 Paris, Cedex 05 (France)

2016-07-15

Local species richness (SR) is a key characteristic affecting ecosystem functioning. Yet, the mechanisms regulating phytoplankton diversity in freshwater ecosystems are not fully understood, especially in peri-urban environments where anthropogenic pressures strongly impact the quality of aquatic ecosystems. To address this issue, we sampled the phytoplankton communities of 50 lakes in the Paris area (France) characterized by a large gradient of physico-chemical and catchment-scale characteristics. We used large phytoplankton datasets to describe phytoplankton diversity patterns and applied a machine-learning algorithm to test the degree to which species richness patterns are potentially controlled by environmental factors. Selected environmental factors were studied at two scales: the lake-scale (e.g. nutrients concentrations, water temperature, lake depth) and the catchment-scale (e.g. catchment, landscape and climate variables). Then, we used a variance partitioning approach to evaluate the interaction between lake-scale and catchment-scale variables in explaining local species richness. Finally, we analysed the residuals of predictive models to identify potential vectors of improvement of phytoplankton species richness predictive models. Lake-scale and catchment-scale drivers provided similar predictive accuracy of local species richness (R{sup 2} = 0.458 and 0.424, respectively). Both models suggested that seasonal temperature variations and nutrient supply strongly modulate local species richness. Integrating lake- and catchment-scale predictors in a single predictive model did not provide increased predictive accuracy; therefore suggesting that the catchment-scale model probably explains observed species richness variations through the impact of catchment-scale variables on in-lake water quality characteristics. Models based on catchment characteristics, which include simple and easy to obtain variables, provide a meaningful way of predicting phytoplankton

Determination of the piezoelectric properties of fine scale PZT fibres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nelson, L.J.; Bowen, C.R. [Bath Univ. (United Kingdom). Dept. of Engineering and Applied Science

2002-07-01

Finite element (FE) modelling is used to determine the effect of fibre volume fraction, aspect ratio and polymer matrix stiffness on the d{sub 33} coefficients of 1-3 connectivity piezoelectric fibre composites. The aim is to use these observations as a means of determining the d{sub 33} of fine scale lead zirconate titanate (PZT) fibres. Results from a 1-D analytical model fit well with FE predictions for low aspect ratios. Two commercially available PZT-5A fibres, produced via the viscous suspension spinning process (VSSP) and an extrusion process, were fabricated into 1-3 composites with varying fibre volume fractions. The composite d{sub 33} measurements are compared to the model predictions and used to determine the d{sub 33} coefficients of the fibers. The d{sub 33} of the VSSP fibres and extruded fibres is measured as 365 pCN{sup -1} and 235 pCN{sup -1} respectively using this method. The large difference in the piezoelectric coefficients is possibly linked to the grain size and porosity, which is examined using scanning electron microscopy. (orig.)

Segregation and periodic mixing in a fluidized bidisperse suspension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deboeuf, A; Gauthier, G; Martin, J; Salin, D

2011-01-01

We address the issue of segregation in bidisperse suspensions of glass beads, by using a liquid fluidized bed in the inertialess regime and an acoustic technique for acquiring the axial composition along the column. Fluidization balances the buoyancy of the particles by a constant uniform upward flow, and therefore enables long-time experiments. From the analysis of the transient segregation fronts, we have collected precise measurements on the sedimentation velocities of small and large beads, U s and U l , in homogeneous suspensions at the same volume fraction, Φ-bar/2, for both the bead species, and for different size ratios, 1.13≤λ≤1.64, and solid concentrations, 25%≤Φ-bar≤50%. Our measurements provide evidence for a difference in the sedimentation velocities, U s and U l , over all the ranges of λ and Φ-bar covered. These results make one expect that a long-term fluidization should then result in a stationary segregated state, which was indeed always obtained for large enough particle size ratios, λ≥1.43. However, at high concentration and for particles of close sizes, λ≤1.41, we observed a surprising pseudo-periodic intermittency of slow segregation and quick mixing phases. The intermittency time is much longer than the batch sedimentation time and becomes noisy at very high concentration, for which metastable states have been observed. The origin of the mixing destabilization remains an open issue, but we note however that the domain of occurrence, λ≤1.41, also corresponds, in our experiments, to a continuous size distribution of the particles.

Spatial segregation of the endemic versus non-endemic hummingbird on Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vizentin-Bugoni, Jeferson; Sonne, Jesper; Hodum, Peter

2017-01-01

, little attention has been given to the influence of interspecific competition for floral nectar resources. In this study, we investigated the existence of interspecific competition by testing for spatial segregation of the two species using point counts dispersed within their suitable habitats. We...

Progressive segregation of the Escherichia coli chromosome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Henrik Jørck; Youngren, Brenda; Hansen, Flemming G.

2006-01-01

We have followed the fate of 14 different loci around the Escherichia coli chromosome in living cells at slow growth rate using a highly efficient labelling system and automated measurements. Loci are segregated as they are replicated, but with a marked delay. Most markers segregate in a smooth...... temporal progression from origin to terminus. Thus, the overall pattern is one of continuous segregation during replication and is not consistent with recently published models invoking extensive sister chromosome cohesion followed by simultaneous segregation of the bulk of the chromosome. The terminus......, and a region immediately clockwise from the origin, are exceptions to the overall pattern and are subjected to a more extensive delay prior to segregation. The origin region and nearby loci are replicated and segregated from the cell centre, later markers from the various positions where they lie...

Ab initio and atomic kinetic Monte Carlo modelling of segregation in concentrated FeCrNi alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piochaud, J.B.; Becquart, C.S.; Domain, C.

2013-01-01

Internal structure of pressurised water reactors are made of austenitic materials. Under irradiation, the microstructure of these concentrated alloys evolves and solute segregation on grain boundaries or irradiation defects such as dislocation loops are observed to take place. In order to model and predict the microstructure evolution, a multi-scale modelling approach needs to be developed, which starts at the atomic scale. Atomic Kinetic Monte Carlo (AKMC) modelling is the method we chose to provide an insight on defect mediated diffusion under irradiation. In that approach, we model the concentrated commercial steel as a FeCrNi alloy (γ-Fe 70 Cr 20 Ni 10 ). As no reliable empirical potential exists at the moment to reproduce faithfully the phase diagram and the interactions of the elements and point defects, we have adjusted a pair interaction model on large amount of DFT (Density Functional Theory) calculations. The point defect properties in the Fe 70 Cr 20 Ni 10 , and more precisely, how their formation energy depends on the local environment will be presented and some AKMC results on thermal non equilibrium segregation (TNES) and radiation induce segregation will be presented. The effect of Si on the segregation will also be discussed. Preliminary results show that it is the solute- grain boundaries interactions which drive TNES

Internal variability of fine-scale components of meteorological fields in extended-range limited-area model simulations with atmospheric and surface nudging

Science.gov (United States)

Separovic, Leo; Husain, Syed Zahid; Yu, Wei

2015-09-01

Internal variability (IV) in dynamical downscaling with limited-area models (LAMs) represents a source of error inherent to the downscaled fields, which originates from the sensitive dependence of the models to arbitrarily small modifications. If IV is large it may impose the need for probabilistic verification of the downscaled information. Atmospheric spectral nudging (ASN) can reduce IV in LAMs as it constrains the large-scale components of LAM fields in the interior of the computational domain and thus prevents any considerable penetration of sensitively dependent deviations into the range of large scales. Using initial condition ensembles, the present study quantifies the impact of ASN on IV in LAM simulations in the range of fine scales that are not controlled by spectral nudging. Four simulation configurations that all include strong ASN but differ in the nudging settings are considered. In the fifth configuration, grid nudging of land surface variables toward high-resolution surface analyses is applied. The results show that the IV at scales larger than 300 km can be suppressed by selecting an appropriate ASN setup. At scales between 300 and 30 km, however, in all configurations, the hourly near-surface temperature, humidity, and winds are only partly reproducible. Nudging the land surface variables is found to have the potential to significantly reduce IV, particularly for fine-scale temperature and humidity. On the other hand, hourly precipitation accumulations at these scales are generally irreproducible in all configurations, and probabilistic approach to downscaling is therefore recommended.

Tracking fine-scale seasonal evolution of surface water extent in Central Alaska and the Canadian Shield

Science.gov (United States)

Cooley, S. W.; Smith, L. C.; Pitcher, L. H.; Pavelsky, T.; Topp, S.

2017-12-01

Quantifying spatial and temporal variability in surface water storage at high latitudes is critical for assessing environmental sensitivity to climate change. Traditionally the tradeoff between high spatial and high temporal resolution space-borne optical imagery has limited the ability to track fine-scale changes in surface water extent. However, the recent launch of hundreds of earth-imaging CubeSats by commercial satellite companies such as Planet opens up new possibilities for monitoring surface water from space. In this study we present a comparison of seasonal evolution of surface water extent in two study areas with differing geologic, hydrologic and permafrost regimes, namely, the Yukon Flats in Central Alaska and the Canadian Shield north of Yellowknife, N.W.T. Using near-daily 3m Planet CubeSat imagery, we track individual lake surface area from break-up to freeze-up during summer 2017 and quantify the spatial and temporal variability in inundation extent. We validate our water delineation method and inundation extent time series using WorldView imagery, coincident in situ lake shoreline mapping and pressure transducer data for 19 lakes in the Northwest Territories and Alaska collected during the NASA Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) 2017 field campaign. The results of this analysis demonstrate the value of CubeSat imagery for dynamic surface water research particularly at high latitudes and illuminate fine-scale drivers of cold regions surface water extent.

Segregation and Hispanic Homicide

OpenAIRE

Michael G. Bisciglia

2014-01-01

As the overall population of Hispanics within the United States has eclipsed that of African Americans, a mounting concern has developed regarding the rise in Hispanic lethal violence as a result of social and economic inequality. One means to measure this inequality is in the form of segregation. Research indicates that in many Hispanic communities, their levels of segregation from the White non-Hispanic population ar...

Mechanisms of time-based figure-ground segregation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kandil, Farid I; Fahle, Manfred

2003-11-01

Figure-ground segregation can rely on purely temporal information, that is, on short temporal delays between positional changes of elements in figure and ground (Kandil, F.I. & Fahle, M. (2001) Eur. J. Neurosci., 13, 2004-2008). Here, we investigate the underlying mechanisms by measuring temporal segregation thresholds for various kinds of motion cues. Segregation can rely on monocular first-order motion (based on luminance modulation) and second-order motion cues (contrast modulation) with a high temporal resolution of approximately 20 ms. The mechanism can also use isoluminant motion with a reduced temporal resolution of 60 ms. Figure-ground segregation can be achieved even at presentation frequencies too high for human subjects to inspect successive frames individually. In contrast, when stimuli are presented dichoptically, i.e. separately to both eyes, subjects are unable to perceive any segregation, irrespective of temporal frequency. We propose that segregation in these displays is detected by a mechanism consisting of at least two stages. On the first level, standard motion or flicker detectors signal local positional changes (flips). On the second level, a segregation mechanism combines the local activities of the low-level detectors with high temporal precision. Our findings suggest that the segregation mechanism can rely on monocular detectors but not on binocular mechanisms. Moreover, the results oppose the idea that segregation in these displays is achieved by motion detectors of a higher order (motion-from-motion), but favour mechanisms sensitive to short temporal delays even without activation of higher-order motion detectors.

Fine-scale population structure and the era of next-generation sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Henn, Brenna M; Gravel, Simon; Moreno-Estrada, Andres; Acevedo-Acevedo, Suehelay; Bustamante, Carlos D

2010-10-15

Fine-scale population structure characterizes most continents and is especially pronounced in non-cosmopolitan populations. Roughly half of the world's population remains non-cosmopolitan and even populations within cities often assort along ethnic and linguistic categories. Barriers to random mating can be ecologically extreme, such as the Sahara Desert, or cultural, such as the Indian caste system. In either case, subpopulations accumulate genetic differences if the barrier is maintained over multiple generations. Genome-wide polymorphism data, initially with only a few hundred autosomal microsatellites, have clearly established differences in allele frequency not only among continental regions, but also within continents and within countries. We review recent evidence from the analysis of genome-wide polymorphism data for genetic boundaries delineating human population structure and the main demographic and genomic processes shaping variation, and discuss the implications of population structure for the distribution and discovery of disease-causing genetic variants, in the light of the imminent availability of sequencing data for a multitude of diverse human genomes.

Fine-scale patterns of population stratification confound rare variant association tests.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy D O'Connor

Full Text Available Advances in next-generation sequencing technology have enabled systematic exploration of the contribution of rare variation to Mendelian and complex diseases. Although it is well known that population stratification can generate spurious associations with common alleles, its impact on rare variant association methods remains poorly understood. Here, we performed exhaustive coalescent simulations with demographic parameters calibrated from exome sequence data to evaluate the performance of nine rare variant association methods in the presence of fine-scale population structure. We find that all methods have an inflated spurious association rate for parameter values that are consistent with levels of differentiation typical of European populations. For example, at a nominal significance level of 5%, some test statistics have a spurious association rate as high as 40%. Finally, we empirically assess the impact of population stratification in a large data set of 4,298 European American exomes. Our results have important implications for the design, analysis, and interpretation of rare variant genome-wide association studies.

Separating the effects of environment and space on tree species distribution: from population to community.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Guojun; Stralberg, Diana; Gong, Guiquan; Huang, Zhongliang; Ye, Wanhui; Wu, Linfang

2013-01-01

Quantifying the relative contributions of environmental conditions and spatial factors to species distribution can help improve our understanding of the processes that drive diversity patterns. In this study, based on tree inventory, topography and soil data from a 20-ha stem-mapped permanent forest plot in Guangdong Province, China, we evaluated the influence of different ecological processes at different spatial scales using canonical redundancy analysis (RDA) at the community level and multiple linear regression at the species level. At the community level, the proportion of explained variation in species distribution increased with grid-cell sizes, primarily due to a monotonic increase in the explanatory power of environmental variables. At the species level, neither environmental nor spatial factors were important determinants of overstory species' distributions at small cell sizes. However, purely spatial variables explained most of the variation in the distributions of understory species at fine and intermediate cell sizes. Midstory species showed patterns that were intermediate between those of overstory and understory species. At the 20-m cell size, the influence of spatial factors was stronger for more dispersal-limited species, suggesting that much of the spatial structuring in this community can be explained by dispersal limitation. Comparing environmental factors, soil variables had higher explanatory power than did topography for species distribution. However, both topographic and edaphic variables were highly spatial structured. Our results suggested that dispersal limitation has an important influence on fine-intermediate scale (from several to tens of meters) species distribution, while environmental variability facilitates species distribution at intermediate (from ten to tens of meters) and broad (from tens to hundreds of meters) scales.

Tuning Piezo ion channels to detect molecular-scale movements relevant for fine touch

Science.gov (United States)

Poole, Kate; Herget, Regina; Lapatsina, Liudmila; Ngo, Ha-Duong; Lewin, Gary R.

2014-01-01

In sensory neurons, mechanotransduction is sensitive, fast and requires mechanosensitive ion channels. Here we develop a new method to directly monitor mechanotransduction at defined regions of the cell-substrate interface. We show that molecular-scale (~13 nm) displacements are sufficient to gate mechanosensitive currents in mouse touch receptors. Using neurons from knockout mice, we show that displacement thresholds increase by one order of magnitude in the absence of stomatin-like protein 3 (STOML3). Piezo1 is the founding member of a class of mammalian stretch-activated ion channels, and we show that STOML3, but not other stomatin-domain proteins, brings the activation threshold for Piezo1 and Piezo2 currents down to ~10 nm. Structure–function experiments localize the Piezo modulatory activity of STOML3 to the stomatin domain, and higher-order scaffolds are a prerequisite for function. STOML3 is the first potent modulator of Piezo channels that tunes the sensitivity of mechanically gated channels to detect molecular-scale stimuli relevant for fine touch. PMID:24662763

Shaping Segregation: Convexity vs. concavity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gonzalez Briones, Sebastián; Windows-Yule, Kit; Luding, Stefan; Parker, D.J.; Thornton, Anthony Richard

2014-01-01

Controlling segregation is both a practical and a theoretical challenge. In this Letter we demonstrate a manner in which rotation-induced segregation may be controlled by altering the geometry of the rotating containers in which granular systems are housed. Using a novel drum design comprising

Commonness of Amazonian palm (Arecaceae) species: Cross-scale links and potential determinants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristiansen, Thea; Svenning, J.-C.; Grández, César

2009-01-01

was positively related to topographic niche breadth. Stem height correlated with continental range size and was the only species life-history trait related to any commonness measure. Distance from the study area to a species' range centre did not influence any of the commonness measures. The factors determining......The mechanisms that cause variation in commonness (abundances and range sizes) of species remain debated in ecology, and a repeatedly observed pattern is the positive relation between local abundances and larger scale range sizes. We used the Amazonian palm species (Arecaceae) to investigate...... the dependence between and potential determinants of commonness across three (local, landscape, continental) spatial scales. Commonness at the smaller scales (local abundance, landscape frequency) was estimated using data from 57 transects (5 × 500 m) in primary, non-inundated (terra firme) rainforest...

Species frequency dynamics in an old-field succession: Effects of disturbance, fertilization and scale

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, D.J.; Middleton, B.A.; Foster, K.; Honu, Y.A.K.; Hoyer, E.W.; Mathis, M.

2005-01-01

Question: Can patterns of species frequency in an old-field be explained within the context of a metapopulation model? Are the patterns observed related to time, spatial scale, disturbance, and nutrient availability? Location: Upland and lowland old-fields in Illinois, USA. Method: Species richness was recorded annually for seven years following plowing of an upland and lowland old-field subject to crossed fertilizer and disturbance treatments (mowing and rototilling). Species occupancy distributions were assessed with respect to the numbers of core and satellite species. Results: In both fields, species richness became higher in disturbed plots than in undisturbed plots over time, and decreased in fertilized plots irrespective of time. A bimodal pattern of species richness consistent with the Core-satellite species (CSS) hypothesis occurred in the initial seed bank and through the course of early succession. The identity of native and exotic core species (those present in > 90% of blocks) changed with time. Some core species from the seed bank became core species in the vegetation, albeit after several years. At the scale of individual plots, a bimodal fit consistent with the CSS hypothesis applied only in year 1 and rarely thereafter. Conclusions: The CSS hypothesis provides a metapopulation perspective for understanding patterns of species richness but requires the assessment of spatial and temporal scaling effects. Regional processes (e.g. propagule availability) at the largest scale have the greatest impact influencing community structure during early secondary succession. Local processes (e.g., disturbance and soil nutrients) are more important at smaller scales and place constraints on species establishment and community structure of both native and exotic species. Under the highest intensity of disturbance, exotic species may be able to use resources unavailable to, or unused by, native species. ?? IAVS; Opulus Press.

Image segregation in strabismic amblyopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Levi, Dennis M

2007-06-01

Humans with naturally occurring amblyopia show deficits thought to involve mechanisms downstream of V1. These include excessive crowding, abnormal global image processing, spatial sampling and symmetry detection and undercounting. Several recent studies suggest that humans with naturally occurring amblyopia show deficits in global image segregation. The current experiments were designed to study figure-ground segregation in amblyopic observers with documented deficits in crowding, symmetry detection, spatial sampling and counting, using similar stimuli. Observers had to discriminate the orientation of a figure (an "E"-like pattern made up of 17 horizontal Gabor patches), embedded in a 7x7 array of Gabor patches. When the 32 "background" patches are vertical, the "E" pops-out, due to segregation by orientation and performance is perfect; however, if the background patches are all, or mostly horizontal, the "E" is camouflaged, and performance is random. Using a method of constant stimuli, we varied the number of "background" patches that were vertical and measured the probability of correct discrimination of the global orientation of the E (up/down/left/right). Surprisingly, amblyopes who showed strong crowding and deficits in symmetry detection and counting, perform normally or very nearly so in this segregation task. I therefore conclude that these deficits are not a consequence of abnormal segregation of figure from background.

The acoustic and perceptual cues affecting melody segregation for listeners with a cochlear implant.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremy eMarozeau

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Our ability to listen selectively to single sound sources in complex auditory environments is termed ‘auditory stream segregation.’ This ability is affected by peripheral disorders such as hearing loss, as well as plasticity in central processing such as occurs with musical training. Brain plasticity induced by musical training can enhance the ability to segregate sound, leading to improvements in a variety of auditory abilities. The melody segregation ability of 12 cochlear-implant recipients was tested using a new method to determine the perceptual distance needed to segregate a simple 4-note melody from a background of interleaved random-pitch distractor notes. In experiment 1, participants rated the difficulty of segregating the melody from distracter notes. Four physical properties of the distracter notes were changed. In experiment 2, listeners were asked to rate the dissimilarity between melody patterns whose notes differed on the four physical properties simultaneously. Multidimensional scaling analysis transformed the dissimilarity ratings into perceptual distances. Regression between physical and perceptual cues then derived the minimal perceptual distance needed to segregate the melody.The most efficient streaming cue for CI users was loudness. For the normal hearing listeners without musical backgrounds, a greater difference on the perceptual dimension correlated to the temporal envelope is needed for stream segregation in CI users. No differences in streaming efficiency were found between the perceptual dimensions linked to the F0 and the spectral envelope.Combined with our previous results in normally-hearing musicians and non-musicians, the results show that differences in training as well as differences in peripheral auditory processing (hearing impairment and the use of a hearing device influences the way that listeners use different acoustic cues for segregating interleaved musical streams.

The basis of orientation decoding in human primary visual cortex: fine- or coarse-scale biases?

Science.gov (United States)

Maloney, Ryan T

2015-01-01

Orientation signals in human primary visual cortex (V1) can be reliably decoded from the multivariate pattern of activity as measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The precise underlying source of these decoded signals (whether by orientation biases at a fine or coarse scale in cortex) remains a matter of some controversy, however. Freeman and colleagues (J Neurosci 33: 19695-19703, 2013) recently showed that the accuracy of decoding of spiral patterns in V1 can be predicted by a voxel's preferred spatial position (the population receptive field) and its coarse orientation preference, suggesting that coarse-scale biases are sufficient for orientation decoding. Whether they are also necessary for decoding remains an open question, and one with implications for the broader interpretation of multivariate decoding results in fMRI studies. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Unsightly urban menaces and the rescaling of residential segregation in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanlon, James

2011-01-01

In this article, the author uses a slum clearance project in Lexington, Kentucky, as a lens through which to examine the spatial dynamics of racial residential segregation during the first half of the twentieth century. At the time, urban migration and upward socioeconomic mobility on the part of African Americans destabilized extant residential segregation patterns. Amid this instability, various spatial practices were employed in the interest of maintaining white social and economic supremacy. The author argues that such practices were indicative of a thoroughgoing reinvention of urban socio-spatial order that in turn precipitated the vastly expanded scale of residential segregation still found in U.S. cities today. Evidence of this reinvented ordering of urban space lies in the rendering of some long-standing African American neighborhoods as “out of place” within it and the use of slum clearance to remove the “menace” such neighborhoods posed to it.

41 CFR 60-1.8 - Segregated facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Segregated facilities. 60...; Compliance Reports § 60-1.8 Segregated facilities. To comply with its obligations under the Order, a contractor must ensure that facilities provided for employees are provided in such a manner that segregation...

Fine-scale tracking and diet information of a marine predator reveals the origin and contrasting spatial distribution of prey

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso, Hany; Granadeiro, José P.; Dias, Maria P.; Catry, Teresa; Catry, Paulo

2018-03-01

The distribution of many marine organisms is still poorly understood, particularly in oceanic regions. Seabirds, as aerial predators which cover extensive areas across the oceans, can potentially be used to enhance our knowledge on the distribution and abundance of their prey. In this study, we combined tracking data and dietary data from individual Cory's shearwaters Calonectris borealis (n = 68) breeding in Selvagens archipelago, Madeira, Portugal, during the chick-rearing periods of 2011 and 2016, in order to infer prey origin within shearwaters' main foraging areas. The digestion state of each prey item in the diet was assessed and classified; and compared to digestion states from known prey items fed to captive birds. In a novel approach, we combined tracking data with information on the prey digestion duration and data on the transit times from foraging grounds to the colony to estimate the location of prey capture. We found a consistent heterogeneity in prey distribution across four different marine domains: Selvagens, deep-sea, seamounts, and continental shelf. In oceanic areas, the chub mackerel Scomber colias, the main prey of Cory's shearwaters, was strongly associated with seamounts and insular shelves, whereas oceanic species like pilot-fish, flying-squid, flying-fish were clearly associated with deep-sea waters. Sardines Sardina pilchardus, anchovies Engraulis encrasicolus and other coastal species were associated with the African shelf. Prey origin assignment was robust across three different sets of assumptions, and was also supported by information on the digestion state of prey collected over a large independent sampling period (671 samples, collected in 2008-2010). The integration of fine-scale dietary and foraging trip data from marine predators provides a new framework to gain insights into the distribution and abundance of prey species in poorly known oceanic areas.

Roosevelt elk density and social segregation: Foraging behavior and females avoiding larger groups of males

Science.gov (United States)

Weckerly, F.; McFarland, K.; Ricca, M.; Meyer, K.

2004-01-01

Intersexual social segregation at small spatial scales is prevalent in ruminants that are sexually dimorphic in body size. Explaining social segregation, however, from hypotheses of how intersexual size differences affects the foraging process of males and females has had mixed results. We studied whether body size influences on forage behavior, intersexual social incompatibility or both might influence social segregation in a population of Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelt) that declined 40% over 5 y. Most males and females in the population occurred in the same forage patches, meadows, but occupied different parts of meadows and most groups were overwhelming comprised of one sex. The extent of segregation varied slightly with changing elk density. Cropping rate, our surrogate of forage ingestion, of males in mixed-sex groups differed from males in male-only groups at high, but not low, elk density. In a prior study of intersexual social interactions it was shown that females avoided groups containing ???6 males. Therefore, we predicted that females should avoid parts of meadows where groups of males ???6 were prevalent. Across the 5 y of study this prediction held because ???5% of all females were found in parts of meadows where median aggregation sizes of males were ???6. Social segregation was coupled to body size influences on forage ingestion at high density and social incompatibility was coupled to social segregation regardless of elk density.

Are segregated sports classes scientifically justified?

OpenAIRE

Lawson, Sian; Hall, Edward

2014-01-01

School sports classes are a key part of physical and mental development, yet in many countries these classes are gender segregated. Before institutionalised segregation can be condoned it is important to tackle assumptions and check for an evidence-based rationale. This presentation aims to analyse the key arguments for segregation given in comment-form response to a recent media article discussing mixed school sports (Lawson, 2013).\\ud \\ud The primary argument given was division for strength...

The Structural Evolution and Segregation in a Dual Alloy Ingot Processed by Electroslag Remelting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Liu

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The structural evolution and segregation in a dual alloy made by electroslag remelting (ESR was investigated by various analytical techniques. The results show that the macrostructure of the ingot consists of two crystallization structures: one is a quite narrow, fine, equiaxed grain region at the edge and the other is a columnar grain region, which plays a leading role. The typical columnar structure shows no discontinuity between the CrMoV, NiCrMoV, and transition zones. The average secondary arm-spacing is coarsened from 35.3 to 49.2 μm and 61.5 μm from the bottom to the top of the ingot. The distinctive features of the structure are attributed to the different cooling conditions during the ESR process. The Ni, Cr, and C contents markedly increase in the transition zone (TZ and show a slight increase from the bottom to the top and from the surface to the center of the ESR ingot due to the partition ratios, gravity segregation, the thermal buoyancy flow, the solutal buoyancy flow, and the inward Lorentz force. Less dendrite segregation exists in the CrMoV zone and the transition zone due to a stronger cooling rate (11.1 and 4.5 °C/s and lower Cr and C contents. The precipitation of carbides was observed in the ingot due to a lower solid solubility of the carbon element in the α phase.

Burst-time-dependent plasticity robustly guides ON/OFF segregation in the lateral geniculate nucleus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julijana Gjorgjieva

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous retinal activity (known as "waves" remodels synaptic connectivity to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN during development. Analysis of retinal waves recorded with multielectrode arrays in mouse suggested that a cue for the segregation of functionally distinct (ON and OFF retinal ganglion cells (RGCs in the LGN may be a desynchronization in their firing, where ON cells precede OFF cells by one second. Using the recorded retinal waves as input, with two different modeling approaches we explore timing-based plasticity rules for the evolution of synaptic weights to identify key features underlying ON/OFF segregation. First, we analytically derive a linear model for the evolution of ON and OFF weights, to understand how synaptic plasticity rules extract input firing properties to guide segregation. Second, we simulate postsynaptic activity with a nonlinear integrate-and-fire model to compare findings with the linear model. We find that spike-time-dependent plasticity, which modifies synaptic weights based on millisecond-long timing and order of pre- and postsynaptic spikes, fails to segregate ON and OFF retinal inputs in the absence of normalization. Implementing homeostatic mechanisms results in segregation, but only with carefully-tuned parameters. Furthermore, extending spike integration timescales to match the second-long input correlation timescales always leads to ON segregation because ON cells fire before OFF cells. We show that burst-time-dependent plasticity can robustly guide ON/OFF segregation in the LGN without normalization, by integrating pre- and postsynaptic bursts irrespective of their firing order and over second-long timescales. We predict that an LGN neuron will become ON- or OFF-responsive based on a local competition of the firing patterns of neighboring RGCs connecting to it. Finally, we demonstrate consistency with ON/OFF segregation in ferret, despite differences in the firing properties of retinal waves. Our

Integrated schools, segregated curriculum: effects of within-school segregation on adolescent health behaviors and educational aspirations.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsemann, Katrina M; Bell, Bethany A

2010-09-01

We examined the extent to which within-school segregation, as measured by unevenness in the distribution of Black and White adolescents across levels of the English curriculum (advanced placement-international baccalaureate-honors, general, remedial, or no English), was associated with smoking, drinking, and educational aspirations, which previous studies found are related to school racial/ethnic composition. We analyzed data from wave 1 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, restricting our sample to non-Hispanic Blacks (n=2731) and Whites (n=4158) who from 1994 to 1995 attended high schools that enrolled Black and White students. White female students had higher predicted probabilities of smoking or drinking than did Black female students; the largest differences were in schools with high levels of within-school segregation. Black male students had higher predicted probabilities of high educational aspirations than did White male students in schools with low levels of within-school segregation; this association was attenuated for Black males attending schools with moderate or high levels of within-school segregation. Our results provide evidence that within-school segregation may influence both students' aspirations and their behaviors.

Irradiation effect on F2 segregation for earliness, productiveness and fibre length in Gossypium hirsutum x G. barbadense hybridization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoilova, A.

1984-01-01

Two hybrid combinations between cv. Chirpan-433 (of the species G. hirsutum) and C-6030 and 5904-I (of the species G. barbadense) were studied. F 0 seeds were irradiated by 30 krad. Non-irradiated seeds were used as control. It was found that hybrid irradiation affected segregation of the characters in a different way. It retarded ripening, the negative effect being higher in the combination Chirpan-433x5904-N. In respect to productiveness and fibre lenght hybrid irradiation led to positive changes in the form-producing process. Hibrids of the combination Chirpan-433X5904-I responded more favourably to irradiation in respect to these two characters. Hybrid irradiation altered the type of segregation and created suplementary pool of forms with desired characters, increasing the possibilities of interspecific hybridization to combine the valuable economic characters of both species

Generation and emplacement of fine-grained ejecta in planetary impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Ghent, R.R.; Gupta, V.; Campbell, B.A.; Ferguson, S.A.; Brown, J.C.W.; Fergason, R.L.; Carter, L.M.

2010-01-01

We report here on a survey of distal fine-grained ejecta deposits on the Moon, Mars, and Venus. On all three planets, fine-grained ejecta form circular haloes that extend beyond the continuous ejecta and other types of distal deposits such as run-out lobes or ramparts. Using Earth-based radar images, we find that lunar fine-grained ejecta haloes represent meters-thick deposits with abrupt margins, and are depleted in rocks 1cm in diameter. Martian haloes show low nighttime thermal IR temperatures and thermal inertia, indicating the presence of fine particles estimated to range from ???10??m to 10mm. Using the large sample sizes afforded by global datasets for Venus and Mars, and a complete nearside radar map for the Moon, we establish statistically robust scaling relationships between crater radius R and fine-grained ejecta run-out r for all three planets. On the Moon, ???R-0.18 for craters 5-640km in diameter. For Venus, radar-dark haloes are larger than those on the Moon, but scale as ???R-0.49, consistent with ejecta entrainment in Venus' dense atmosphere. On Mars, fine-ejecta haloes are larger than lunar haloes for a given crater size, indicating entrainment of ejecta by the atmosphere or vaporized subsurface volatiles, but scale as R-0.13, similar to the ballistic lunar scaling. Ejecta suspension in vortices generated by passage of the ejecta curtain is predicted to result in ejecta run-out that scales with crater size as R1/2, and the wind speeds so generated may be insufficient to transport particles at the larger end of the calculated range. The observed scaling and morphology of the low-temperature haloes leads us rather to favor winds generated by early-stage vapor plume expansion as the emplacement mechanism for low-temperature halo materials. ?? 2010 Elsevier Inc.

Image-Based Fine-Scale Infrastructure Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Detchev, Ivan Denislavov

Monitoring the physical health of civil infrastructure systems is an important task that must be performed frequently in order to ensure their serviceability and sustainability. Additionally, laboratory experiments where individual system components are tested on the fine-scale level provide essential information during the structural design process. This type of inspection, i.e., measurements of deflections and/or cracks, has traditionally been performed with instrumentation that requires access to, or contact with, the structural element being tested; performs deformation measurements in only one dimension or direction; and/or provides no permanent visual record. To avoid the downsides of such instrumentation, this dissertation proposes a remote sensing approach based on a photogrammetric system capable of three-dimensional reconstruction. The proposed system is low-cost, consists of off-the-shelf components, and is capable of reconstructing objects or surfaces with homogeneous texture. The scientific contributions of this research work address the drawbacks in currently existing literature. Methods for in-situ multi-camera system calibration and system stability analysis are proposed in addition to methods for deflection/displacement monitoring, and crack detection and characterization in three dimensions. The mathematical model for the system calibration is based on a single or multiple reference camera(s) and built-in relative orientation constraints where the interior orientation and the mounting parameters for all cameras are explicitly estimated. The methods for system stability analysis can be used to comprehensively check for the cumulative impact of any changes in the system parameters. They also provide a quantitative measure of this impact on the reconstruction process in terms of image space units. Deflection/displacement monitoring of dynamic surfaces in three dimensions is achieved with the system by performing an innovative sinusoidal fitting

Rapid mass segregation in small stellar clusters

Science.gov (United States)

Spera, Mario; Capuzzo-Dolcetta, Roberto

2017-12-01

In this paper we focus our attention on small-to-intermediate N-body systems that are, initially, distributed uniformly in space and dynamically `cool' (virial ratios Q=2T/|Ω| below ˜0.3). In this work, we study the mass segregation that emerges after the initial violent dynamical evolution. At this scope, we ran a set of high precision N-body simulations of isolated clusters by means of HiGPUs, our direct summation N-body code. After the collapse, the system shows a clear mass segregation. This (quick) mass segregation occurs in two phases: the first shows up in clumps originated by sub-fragmentation before the deep overall collapse; this segregation is partly erased during the deep collapse to re-emerge, abruptly, during the second phase, that follows the first bounce of the system. In this second stage, the proper clock to measure the rate of segregation is the dynamical time after virialization, which (for cold and cool systems) may be significantly different from the crossing time evaluated from initial conditions. This result is obtained for isolated clusters composed of stars of two different masses (in the ratio mh/ml=2), at varying their number ratio, and is confirmed also in presence of a massive central object (simulating a black hole of stellar size). Actually, in stellar systems starting their dynamical evolution from cool conditions, the fast mass segregation adds to the following, slow, secular segregation which is collisionally induced. The violent mass segregation is an effect persistent over the whole range of N (128 ≤ N ≤1,024) investigated, and is an interesting feature on the astronomical-observational side, too. The semi-steady state reached after virialization corresponds to a mass segregated distribution function rather than that of equipartition of kinetic energy per unit mass as it should result from violent relaxation.

In situ remediation of hexavalent chromium with pyrite fines : bench scale demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cathum, S.; Wong, W.P.; Brown, C.E.

2002-01-01

An in situ remediation technique for chromium contaminated soil with pyrite fines was presented. Past industrial activities and lack of disposal facilities have contributed to a serious problem dealing with chromium, which cannot be eliminated from the environment because it is an element. Both bench-scale and laboratory testing was conducted to confirm the efficiency of the proposed process which successfully converted Cr(VI) into Cr(III) in soil and water. Cr(III) is less toxic and immobile in the environment compared to Cr(VI) which moves freely in the soil matrix, posing a risk to the groundwater quality. pH in the range of 2.0 to 7.6 has no effect on the reactivity of pyrite towards Cr(VI). The optimization of the bench-scale treatment resulted in a large volume of chromium waste, mostly from the control experiments and column hydrology testing. These waste streams were treated according to municipal guidelines before disposal to the environment. Samples of chromium waste before and after treatment were analyzed. Cr (VI) was completely mineralized to below guideline levels. It was determined that several conditions, including contact time between pyrite and Cr(VI), are crucial for complete mineralization of Cr(VI). 13 refs., 8 tabs., 9 figs

Radiation-induced segregation in Cu-Au alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashimoto, T.; Rehn, L.E.; Okamoto, P.R.

1987-01-01

Radiation-induced segregation in a Cu-lat.% Au alloy was investigated using in-situ Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. Irradiation with 1.8-MeV helium produced nonequilibrium gold atom depletion in the near surface region. The amount of segregation was measured as a function of dose, dose rate, and temperature. Segregation was observed in the temperature range between about 300 and 500 0 C. For a calculated dose rate of 3.9 x 10/sup -5/ dpa/s, the radiation-induced segregation rate peaked near 400 0 C. Theoretical analysis based on the Johnson-Lam model predicted that the amount of segregation would be directly proportional to dose at the early stage of irradiation, would deviate from linearity with a continuously decreasing slope of intermediate doses, and finally approach a constant value after high doses. The analysis also predicted that the segregation rate would vary as the - 1/4th power of the dose rate at constant dose in the low temperature region. These predictions were all verified experimentally. A procedure for extracting relative defect production efficiencies from similar measurements is discussed

Auditory stream segregation using amplitude modulated bandpass noise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yingjiu eNie

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles of spectral overlap and amplitude modulation (AM rate for stream segregation for noise signals, as well as to test the build-up effect based on these two cues. Segregation ability was evaluated using an objective paradigm with listeners’ attention focused on stream segregation. Stimulus sequences consisted of two interleaved sets of bandpass noise bursts (A and B bursts. The A and B bursts differed in spectrum, AM-rate, or both. The amount of the difference between the two sets of noise bursts was varied. Long and short sequences were studied to investigate the build-up effect for segregation based on spectral and AM-rate differences. Results showed the following: 1. Stream segregation ability increased with greater spectral separation. 2. Larger AM-rate separations were associated with stronger segregation abilities. 3. Spectral separation was found to elicit the build-up effect for the range of spectral differences assessed in the current study. 4. AM-rate separation interacted with spectral separation suggesting an additive effect of spectral separation and AM-rate separation on segregation build-up. The findings suggest that, when normal-hearing listeners direct their attention toward segregation, they are able to segregate auditory streams based on reduced spectral contrast cues that vary by the amount of spectral overlap. Further, regardless of the spectral separation they were able to use AM-rate difference as a secondary/weaker cue. Based on the spectral differences, listeners can segregate auditory streams better as the listening duration is prolonged—i.e. sparse spectral cues elicit build-up segregation; however, AM-rate differences only appear to elicit build-up when in combination with spectral difference cues.

Resource selection models are useful in predicting fine-scale distributions of black-footed ferrets in prairie dog colonies

Science.gov (United States)

Eads, David A.; Jachowski, David S.; Biggins, Dean E.; Livieri, Travis M.; Matchett, Marc R.; Millspaugh, Joshua J.

2012-01-01

Wildlife-habitat relationships are often conceptualized as resource selection functions (RSFs)—models increasingly used to estimate species distributions and prioritize habitat conservation. We evaluated the predictive capabilities of 2 black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) RSFs developed on a 452-ha colony of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in the Conata Basin, South Dakota. We used the RSFs to project the relative probability of occurrence of ferrets throughout an adjacent 227-ha colony. We evaluated performance of the RSFs using ferret space use data collected via postbreeding spotlight surveys June–October 2005–2006. In home ranges and core areas, ferrets selected the predicted "very high" and "high" occurrence categories of both RSFs. Count metrics also suggested selection of these categories; for each model in each year, approximately 81% of ferret locations occurred in areas of very high or high predicted occurrence. These results suggest usefulness of the RSFs in estimating the distribution of ferrets throughout a black-tailed prairie dog colony. The RSFs provide a fine-scale habitat assessment for ferrets that can be used to prioritize releases of ferrets and habitat restoration for prairie dogs and ferrets. A method to quickly inventory the distribution of prairie dog burrow openings would greatly facilitate application of the RSFs.

Segregation distortion causes large-scale differences between male and female genomes in hybrid ants.

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Kulmuni, Jonna; Seifert, Bernhard; Pamilo, Pekka

2010-04-20

Hybridization in isolated populations can lead either to hybrid breakdown and extinction or in some cases to speciation. The basis of hybrid breakdown lies in genetic incompatibilities between diverged genomes. In social Hymenoptera, the consequences of hybridization can differ from those in other animals because of haplodiploidy and sociality. Selection pressures differ between sexes because males are haploid and females are diploid. Furthermore, sociality and group living may allow survival of hybrid genotypes. We show that hybridization in Formica ants has resulted in a stable situation in which the males form two highly divergent gene pools whereas all the females are hybrids. This causes an exceptional situation with large-scale differences between male and female genomes. The genotype differences indicate strong transmission ratio distortion depending on offspring sex, whereby the mother transmits some alleles exclusively to her daughters and other alleles exclusively to her sons. The genetic differences between the sexes and the apparent lack of multilocus hybrid genotypes in males can be explained by recessive incompatibilities which cause the elimination of hybrid males because of their haploid genome. Alternatively, differentiation between sexes could be created by prezygotic segregation into male-forming and female-forming gametes in diploid females. Differentiation between sexes is stable and maintained throughout generations. The present study shows a unique outcome of hybridization and demonstrates that hybridization has the potential of generating evolutionary novelties in animals.

The influence of fine-scale habitat features on regional variation in population performance of alpine White-tailed Ptarmigan

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Fedy, B.; Martin, K.

2011-01-01

It is often assumed (explicitly or implicitly) that animals select habitat features to maximize fitness. However, there is often a mismatch between preferred habitats and indices of individual and population measures of performance. We examined the influence of fine-scale habitat selection on the overall population performance of the White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura), an alpine specialist, in two subdivided populations whose habitat patches are configured differently. The central region of Vancouver Island, Canada, has more continuous and larger habitat patches than the southern region. In 2003 and 2004, using paired logistic regression between used (n = 176) and available (n = 324) sites, we identified food availability, distance to standing water, and predator cover as preferred habitat components . We then quantified variation in population performance in the two regions in terms of sex ratio, age structure (n = 182 adults and yearlings), and reproductive success (n = 98 females) on the basis of 8 years of data (1995-1999, 2002-2004). Region strongly influenced females' breeding success, which, unsuccessful hens included, was consistently higher in the central region (n = 77 females) of the island than in the south (n = 21 females, P = 0.01). The central region also had a much higher proportion of successful hens (87%) than did the south (55%, P < 0.001). In light of our findings, we suggest that population performance is influenced by a combination of fine-scale habitat features and coarse-scale habitat configuration. ?? The Cooper Ornithological Society 2011.

Multi-scale approach for predicting fish species distributions across coral reef seascapes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon J Pittman

Full Text Available Two of the major limitations to effective management of coral reef ecosystems are a lack of information on the spatial distribution of marine species and a paucity of data on the interacting environmental variables that drive distributional patterns. Advances in marine remote sensing, together with the novel integration of landscape ecology and advanced niche modelling techniques provide an unprecedented opportunity to reliably model and map marine species distributions across many kilometres of coral reef ecosystems. We developed a multi-scale approach using three-dimensional seafloor morphology and across-shelf location to predict spatial distributions for five common Caribbean fish species. Seascape topography was quantified from high resolution bathymetry at five spatial scales (5-300 m radii surrounding fish survey sites. Model performance and map accuracy was assessed for two high performing machine-learning algorithms: Boosted Regression Trees (BRT and Maximum Entropy Species Distribution Modelling (MaxEnt. The three most important predictors were geographical location across the shelf, followed by a measure of topographic complexity. Predictor contribution differed among species, yet rarely changed across spatial scales. BRT provided 'outstanding' model predictions (AUC = >0.9 for three of five fish species. MaxEnt provided 'outstanding' model predictions for two of five species, with the remaining three models considered 'excellent' (AUC = 0.8-0.9. In contrast, MaxEnt spatial predictions were markedly more accurate (92% map accuracy than BRT (68% map accuracy. We demonstrate that reliable spatial predictions for a range of key fish species can be achieved by modelling the interaction between the geographical location across the shelf and the topographic heterogeneity of seafloor structure. This multi-scale, analytic approach is an important new cost-effective tool to accurately delineate essential fish habitat and support

Landscape management of fire and grazing regimes alters the fine-scale habitat utilisation by feral cats.

Science.gov (United States)

McGregor, Hugh W; Legge, Sarah; Jones, Menna E; Johnson, Christopher N

2014-01-01

Intensification of fires and grazing by large herbivores has caused population declines in small vertebrates in many ecosystems worldwide. Impacts are rarely direct, and usually appear driven via indirect pathways, such as changes to predator-prey dynamics. Fire events and grazing may improve habitat and/or hunting success for the predators of small mammals, however, such impacts have not been documented. To test for such an interaction, we investigated fine-scale habitat selection by feral cats in relation to fire, grazing and small-mammal abundance. Our study was conducted in north-western Australia, where small mammal populations are sensitive to changes in fire and grazing management. We deployed GPS collars on 32 cats in landscapes with contrasting fire and grazing treatments. Fine-scale habitat selection was determined using discrete choice modelling of cat movements. We found that cats selected areas with open grass cover, including heavily-grazed areas. They strongly selected for areas recently burnt by intense fires, but only in habitats that typically support high abundance of small mammals. Intense fires and grazing by introduced herbivores created conditions that are favoured by cats, probably because their hunting success is improved. This mechanism could explain why, in northern Australia, impacts of feral cats on small mammals might have increased. Our results suggest the impact of feral cats could be reduced in most ecosystems by maximising grass cover, minimising the incidence of intense fires, and reducing grazing by large herbivores.

Landscape management of fire and grazing regimes alters the fine-scale habitat utilisation by feral cats.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hugh W McGregor

Full Text Available Intensification of fires and grazing by large herbivores has caused population declines in small vertebrates in many ecosystems worldwide. Impacts are rarely direct, and usually appear driven via indirect pathways, such as changes to predator-prey dynamics. Fire events and grazing may improve habitat and/or hunting success for the predators of small mammals, however, such impacts have not been documented. To test for such an interaction, we investigated fine-scale habitat selection by feral cats in relation to fire, grazing and small-mammal abundance. Our study was conducted in north-western Australia, where small mammal populations are sensitive to changes in fire and grazing management. We deployed GPS collars on 32 cats in landscapes with contrasting fire and grazing treatments. Fine-scale habitat selection was determined using discrete choice modelling of cat movements. We found that cats selected areas with open grass cover, including heavily-grazed areas. They strongly selected for areas recently burnt by intense fires, but only in habitats that typically support high abundance of small mammals. Intense fires and grazing by introduced herbivores created conditions that are favoured by cats, probably because their hunting success is improved. This mechanism could explain why, in northern Australia, impacts of feral cats on small mammals might have increased. Our results suggest the impact of feral cats could be reduced in most ecosystems by maximising grass cover, minimising the incidence of intense fires, and reducing grazing by large herbivores.

Woody species diversity in forest plantations in a mountainous region of Beijing, China: effects of sampling scale and species selection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuxin Zhang

Full Text Available The role of forest plantations in biodiversity conservation has gained more attention in recent years. However, most work on evaluating the diversity of forest plantations focuses only on one spatial scale; thus, we examined the effects of sampling scale on diversity in forest plantations. We designed a hierarchical sampling strategy to collect data on woody species diversity in planted pine (Pinus tabuliformis Carr., planted larch (Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr., and natural secondary deciduous broadleaf forests in a mountainous region of Beijing, China. Additive diversity partition analysis showed that, compared to natural forests, the planted pine forests had a different woody species diversity partitioning pattern at multi-scales (except the Simpson diversity in the regeneration layer, while the larch plantations did not show multi-scale diversity partitioning patterns that were obviously different from those in the natural secondary broadleaf forest. Compare to the natural secondary broadleaf forests, the effects of planted pine forests on woody species diversity are dependent on the sampling scale and layers selected for analysis. Diversity in the planted larch forest, however, was not significantly different from that in the natural forest for all diversity components at all sampling levels. Our work demonstrated that the species selected for afforestation and the sampling scales selected for data analysis alter the conclusions on the levels of diversity supported by plantations. We suggest that a wide range of scales should be considered in the evaluation of the role of forest plantations on biodiversity conservation.

Important sources and chemical species of ambient fine particles related to adverse health effects

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Heo, J.

2017-12-01

Although many epidemiological studies have reported that exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been linked to increases in mortality and mobidity health outcomes, the key question of which chemical species and sources of PM2.5 are most harmful to public health remains unanswered in the air pollution research area. This study was designed to address the key question with evaluating the risks of exposure to chemical species and source-specific PM2.5 mass on morbidity. Hourly measurements of PM2.5 mass and its major chemical species, including organic carbon, elemental carbon, ions, and trace elements, were observed from January 1 to December 31, 2013 at four of the PM2.5 supersites in urban environments in Korea and the reuslts were used in a positive matrix factorization to estimate source contributions to PM2.5 mass. Nine sources, including secondary sulfate, secondary nitrate, mobile, biomass burning, roadway emission, industry, oil combustion, soil, and aged sea salt, were identified and secondary inorganic aerosol factors (i.e. secondary sulfalte, and secondary nitrate) were the dominant sources contributing to 40% of the total PM2.5 mass in the study region. In order to evaluate the risks of exposure to chemical species and sources of PM2.5 on morbidity, emergency room visits for cardivascular disease and respiratory disease were considered. Hourly health outcomes were compared with hourly measurments of the PM2.5 chemical species and sources using a poission generalized linear model incorporating natural splines, as well as time-stratified case-crossover design. The PM2.5 mass and speveral chemical components, such as organic carbon, elemetal carbon, zinc, and potassium, were strongly associated with morbidity. Source-apporitionmened PM2.5 mass derived from biomass burning, and mobile sources, was significantly associated with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The findings represent that local combustion may be particularly important

Ab-initio study of surface segregation in aluminum alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qin, Yifa, E-mail: yfqin10s@imr.ac.cn; Wang, Shaoqing

2017-03-31

Highlights: • A thorough study of surface segregation energies of 41 elements in Al is performed. • Segregation energies vary periodically with the atomic numbers of impurities. • 41 elements are classified into 3 groups according to the signs of segregation energies. • The results are validated by the surface/total concentration ratio in Al alloys. - Abstract: We have calculated surface segregation energies of 41 impurities by means of density functional theory calculations. An interesting periodical variation tendency was found for surface segregation energies derived. For the majority of main group elements, segregation energies are negative which means solute elements enrichment at Al surface is energetically more favorable than uniformly dissolution. Half of transition elements possess positive segregation energies and the energies are sensitive to surface crystallographic orientations. A strong correlation is found between the segregation energies at the Al surface and the surface energ of solute elements.

Light stops and fine-tuning in MSSM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cici, Ali; Kirca, Zerrin; Uen, Cem Salih [Uludag Univ., Department of Physics, Bursa (Turkey)

2018-01-15

We discuss the fine-tuning issue within the MSSM framework. Following the idea that the fine-tuning can measure effects of some missing mechanism, we impose non-universal gaugino masses at the GUT scale, and explore the low scale implications. We realize that the fine-tuning parametrized with Δ{sub EW} can be as low as zero. We consider the stop mass with a special importance and focus on the mass scales as m{sub t} ≤ 700 GeV, which are excluded by the current experiments when the stop decays into a neutralino along with a top quark or a chargino along with a bottom quark. We find that the stop mass can be as low as about 250 GeV with Δ{sub EW} ∝ 50. We find that the solutions in this region can be excluded only up to 60% when stop decays into a neutralino-top quark, and 50% when it decays into a chargino-b quark. Setting 65% CL to be potential exclusion and 95% to be pure exclusion limit such solutions will be tested in near future experiments, which are conducted with higher luminosity. In addition to stop, the region with low fine-tuning and light stops predicts masses for the other supersymmetric particles such as m{sub b} >or similar 700 GeV, m{sub τ} >or similar 1 TeV, m{sub χ{sub 1}{sup {sub ±}}} >or similar 120 GeV. The details for the mass scales and decay rates are also provided by tables of benchmark points. (orig.)

Light stops and fine-tuning in MSSM

Science.gov (United States)

Çiçi, Ali; Kırca, Zerrin; Ün, Cem Salih

2018-01-01

We discuss the fine-tuning issue within the MSSM framework. Following the idea that the fine-tuning can measure effects of some missing mechanism, we impose non-universal gaugino masses at the GUT scale, and explore the low scale implications. We realize that the fine-tuning parametrized with Δ _{EW} can be as low as zero. We consider the stop mass with a special importance and focus on the mass scales as m_{\\tilde{t}} ≤ 700 GeV, which are excluded by the current experiments when the stop decays into a neutralino along with a top quark or a chargino along with a bottom quark. We find that the stop mass can be as low as about 250 GeV with Δ _{EW} ˜ 50. We find that the solutions in this region can be exluded only up to 60% when stop decays into a neutralino-top quark, and 50% when it decays into a chargino-b quark. Setting 65% CL to be potential exclusion and 95% to be pure exclusion limit such solutions will be tested in near future experiments, which are conducted with higher luminosity. In addition to stop, the region with low fine-tuning and light stops predicts masses for the other supersymmetric particles such as m_{\\tilde{b}} ≳ 700 GeV, m_{\\tilde{τ }} ≳ 1 TeV, m_{\\tilde{χ }1^{± }} ≳ 120 GeV. The details for the mass scales and decay rates are also provided by tables of benchmark points.

Segregation-mobility feedback for bidisperse shallow granular flows: Towards understanding segregation in geophysical flows

Science.gov (United States)

Thornton, A.; Denissen, I.; Weinhart, T.; Van der Vaart, K.

2017-12-01

The flow behaviour of shallow granular chute flows for uniform particles is well-described by the hstop-rheology [1]. Geophysical flows, however, are often composed of highly non-uniform particles that differ in particle (size, shape, composition) or contact (friction, dissipation, cohesion) properties. The flow behaviour of such mixtures can be strongly influenced by particle segregation effects. Here, we study the influence of particle size-segregation on the flow behaviour of bidisperse flows using experiments and the discrete particle method. We use periodic DPM to derive hstop-rheology for the bi-dispersed granular shallow layer equations, and study their dependence on the segregation profile. In the periodic box simulations, size-segregation results in an upward coarsening of the size distribution with the largest grains collecting at the top of the flow. In geophysical flows, the fact the flow velocity is greatest at the top couples with the vertical segregation to preferentially transported large particles to the front. The large grains may be overrun, resegregated towards the surface and recirculated before being shouldered aside into lateral levees. Theoretically it has been suggested this process should lead to a breaking size-segregation (BSS) wave located between a large-particle-rich front and a small-particle-rich tail [2,3]. In the BSS wave large particles that have been overrun rise up again to the free-surface while small particles sink to the bed. We present evidence for the existences of the BSS wave. This is achieved through the study of three-dimensional bidisperse granular flows in a moving-bed channel. Our analysis demonstrates a relation between the concentration of small particles in the flow and the amount of basal slip, in which the structure of the BSS wave plays a key role. This leads to a feedback between the mean bulk flow velocity and the process of size-segregation. Ultimately, these findings shed new light on the recirculation of

Scaling local species-habitat relations to the larger landscape with a hierarchical spatial count model

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Thogmartin, W.E.; Knutson, M.G.

2007-01-01

Much of what is known about avian species-habitat relations has been derived from studies of birds at local scales. It is entirely unclear whether the relations observed at these scales translate to the larger landscape in a predictable linear fashion. We derived habitat models and mapped predicted abundances for three forest bird species of eastern North America using bird counts, environmental variables, and hierarchical models applied at three spatial scales. Our purpose was to understand habitat associations at multiple spatial scales and create predictive abundance maps for purposes of conservation planning at a landscape scale given the constraint that the variables used in this exercise were derived from local-level studies. Our models indicated a substantial influence of landscape context for all species, many of which were counter to reported associations at finer spatial extents. We found land cover composition provided the greatest contribution to the relative explained variance in counts for all three species; spatial structure was second in importance. No single spatial scale dominated any model, indicating that these species are responding to factors at multiple spatial scales. For purposes of conservation planning, areas of predicted high abundance should be investigated to evaluate the conservation potential of the landscape in their general vicinity. In addition, the models and spatial patterns of abundance among species suggest locations where conservation actions may benefit more than one species. ?? 2006 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Signal crayfish as zoogeomorphic agents: diel patterns of fine sediment suspension in a crayfish-affected river and the implications for fine sediment fluxes and dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Stephen; Johnson, Matthew; Reeds, Jake; Longstaff, Holly; Extence, Chris

2013-04-01

agents that accelerate fine sediment recruitment and promote the mobility and turnover of fine sediments once they are in the channel network, with potential implications for the management of fine sediment pressures in European rivers. Moreover, crayfish are probably one of thousands of species that may, cumulatively, have a substantial impact on river sediment dynamics. The tantalizing possibility that these animals are significant actors in catchment-scale sediment dynamics challenges the conventional view that sediment systems are abiotic and warrants greater scientific attention.

Rooting strategies in a subtropical savanna: a landscape-scale three-dimensional assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yong; Boutton, Thomas W; Wu, X Ben; Wright, Cynthia L; Dion, Anais L

2018-04-01

In resource-limited savannas, the distribution and abundance of fine roots play an important role in acquiring essential resources and structuring vegetation patterns and dynamics. However, little is known regarding the three-dimensional distribution of fine roots in savanna ecosystems at the landscape scale. We quantified spatial patterns of fine root density to a depth of 1.2 m in a subtropical savanna landscape using spatially specific sampling. Kriged maps revealed that fine root density was highest at the centers of woody patches, decreased towards the canopy edges, and reached lowest values within the grassland matrix throughout the entire soil profile. Lacunarity analyses indicated that spatial heterogeneities of fine root density decreased continuously to a depth of 50 cm and then increased in deeper portions of the soil profile across this landscape. This vertical pattern might be related to inherent differences in root distribution between trees/shrubs and herbaceous species, and the presence/absence of an argillic horizon across this landscape. The greater density of fine roots beneath woody patches in both upper and lower portions of the soil profile suggests an ability to acquire disproportionately more resources than herbaceous species, which may facilitate the development and persistence of woody patches across this landscape.

Segregation Behaviour of Third Generation Advanced High-Strength Mn-Al Steels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Grajcar

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The paper addresses the macro- and microsegregation of alloying elements in the new-developed Mn-Al TRIP steels, which belong to the third generation of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS used in the automotive industry. The segregation behaviour both in the as-cast state and after hot forging was assessed in the macro scale by OES and by EDS measurements in different structural constituents. The structural investigations were carried out using light and scanning electron microscopy. A special attention was paid to the effect of Nb microaddition on the structure and the segregation of alloying elements. The tendency of Mn and Al to macrosegregation was found. It is difficult to remove in Nb-free steels. Microsegregation of Mn and Al between austenite and ferritic structural constituents can be removed.

From particle segregation to the granular clock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lambiotte, R.; Salazar, J.M.; Brenig, L.

2005-01-01

Recently several authors studied the segregation of particles for a system composed of mono-dispersed inelastic spheres contained in a box divided by a wall in the middle. The system exhibited a symmetry breaking leading to an overpopulation of particles in one side of the box. Here we study the segregation of a mixture of particles composed of inelastic hard spheres and fluidized by a vibrating wall. Our numerical simulations show a rich phenomenology: horizontal segregation and periodic behavior. We also propose an empirical system of ODEs representing the proportion of each type of particles and the segregation flux of particles. These equations reproduce the major features observed by the simulations

From particle segregation to the granular clock

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lambiotte, R. [Physique Statistique, Plasmas et Optique Non-lineaire, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Campus Plaine, Boulevard du Triomphe, Code Postal 231, 1050 Brussels (Belgium)]. E-mail: rlambiot@ulb.ac.be; Salazar, J.M. [Universite De Bougogne-LRRS UMR-5613 CNRS, Faculte des Sciences Mirande, 9 Av. Alain Savary, 21078 Dijon Cedex (France)]. E-mail: jmarcos@u-bourgogne.fr; Brenig, L. [Physique Statistique, Plasmas et Optique Non-lineaire, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Campus Plaine, Boulevard du Triomphe, Code Postal 231, 1050 Brussels (Belgium)]. E-mail: lbrenig@ulb.ac.be

2005-08-01

Recently several authors studied the segregation of particles for a system composed of mono-dispersed inelastic spheres contained in a box divided by a wall in the middle. The system exhibited a symmetry breaking leading to an overpopulation of particles in one side of the box. Here we study the segregation of a mixture of particles composed of inelastic hard spheres and fluidized by a vibrating wall. Our numerical simulations show a rich phenomenology: horizontal segregation and periodic behavior. We also propose an empirical system of ODEs representing the proportion of each type of particles and the segregation flux of particles. These equations reproduce the major features observed by the simulations.

Segregation of information about emotional arousal and valence in horse whinnies.

Science.gov (United States)

Briefer, Elodie F; Maigrot, Anne-Laure; Mandel, Roi; Freymond, Sabrina Briefer; Bachmann, Iris; Hillmann, Edna

2015-04-21

Studying vocal correlates of emotions is important to provide a better understanding of the evolution of emotion expression through cross-species comparisons. Emotions are composed of two main dimensions: emotional arousal (calm versus excited) and valence (negative versus positive). These two dimensions could be encoded in different vocal parameters (segregation of information) or in the same parameters, inducing a trade-off between cues indicating emotional arousal and valence. We investigated these two hypotheses in horses. We placed horses in five situations eliciting several arousal levels and positive as well as negative valence. Physiological and behavioral measures collected during the tests suggested the presence of different underlying emotions. First, using detailed vocal analyses, we discovered that all whinnies contained two fundamental frequencies ("F0" and "G0"), which were not harmonically related, suggesting biphonation. Second, we found that F0 and the energy spectrum encoded arousal, while G0 and whinny duration encoded valence. Our results show that cues to emotional arousal and valence are segregated in different, relatively independent parameters of horse whinnies. Most of the emotion-related changes to vocalizations that we observed are similar to those observed in humans and other species, suggesting that vocal expression of emotions has been conserved throughout evolution.

Correlation between brain circuit segregation and obesity.

Science.gov (United States)

Chao, Seh-Huang; Liao, Yin-To; Chen, Vincent Chin-Hung; Li, Cheng-Jui; McIntyre, Roger S; Lee, Yena; Weng, Jun-Cheng

2018-01-30

Obesity is a major public health problem. Herein, we aim to identify the correlation between brain circuit segregation and obesity using multimodal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques and analysis. Twenty obese patients (BMI=37.66±5.07) and 30 healthy controls (BMI=22.64±3.45) were compared using neuroimaging and assessed for symptoms of anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). All participants underwent resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) and T1-weighted imaging using a 1.5T MRI. Multimodal MRI techniques and analyses were used to assess obese patients, including the functional connectivity (FC), amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), graph theoretical analysis (GTA), and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Correlations between brain circuit segregation and obesity were also calculated. In the VBM, obese patients showed altered gray matter volumes in the amygdala, thalamus and putamen. In the FC, the obesity group showed increased functional connectivity in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex and decreased functional connectivity in the frontal gyrus of default mode network. The obesity group also exhibited altered ALFF and ReHo in the prefrontal cortex and precuneus. In the GTA, the obese patients showed a significant decrease in local segregation and a significant increase in global integration, suggesting a shift toward randomization in their functional networks. Our results may provide additional evidence for potential structural and functional imaging markers for clinical diagnosis and future research, and they may improve our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of obesity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Burrowing inhibition by fine textured beach fill: Implications for recovery of beach ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Viola, Sloane M.; Hubbard, David M.; Dugan, Jenifer E.; Schooler, Nicholas K.

2014-10-01

Beach nourishment is often considered the most environmentally sound method of maintaining eroding shorelines. However, the ecological consequences are poorly understood. Fill activities cause intense disturbance and high mortality and have the potential to alter the diversity, abundance, and distribution of intertidal macroinvertebrates for months to years. Ecological recovery following fill activities depends on successful recolonization and recruitment of the entire sandy intertidal community. The use of incompatible sediments as fill material can strongly affect ecosystem recovery. We hypothesized that burrowing inhibition of intertidal animals by incompatible fine fill sediments contributes to ecological impacts and limits recovery in beach ecosystems. We experimentally investigated the influence of intertidal zone and burrowing mode on responses of beach invertebrates to altered sediment texture (28-38% fines), and ultimately the potential for colonization and recovery of beaches disturbed by beach filling. Using experimental trials in fill material and natural beach sand, we found that the mismatched fine fill sediments significantly inhibited burrowing of characteristic species from all intertidal zones, including sand crabs, clams, polychaetes, isopods, and talitrid amphipods. Burrowing performance of all five species we tested was consistently reduced in the fill material and burrowing was completely inhibited for several species. The threshold for burrowing inhibition by fine sediment content in middle and lower beach macroinvertebrates varied by species, with highest sensitivity for the polychaete (4% fines, below the USA regulatory limit of 10% fines), followed by sand crabs and clams (20% fines). These results suggest broader investigation of thresholds for burrowing inhibition in fine fill material is needed for beach animals. Burrowing inhibition caused by mismatched fill sediments exposes beach macroinvertebrates to stresses, which could depress

Fine-scale features on bioreplicated decoys of the emerald ash borer provide necessary visual verisimilitude

Science.gov (United States)

Domingue, Michael J.; Pulsifer, Drew P.; Narkhede, Mahesh S.; Engel, Leland G.; Martín-Palma, Raúl J.; Kumar, Jayant; Baker, Thomas C.; Lakhtakia, Akhlesh

2014-03-01

The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is an invasive tree-killing pest in North America. Like other buprestid beetles, it has an iridescent coloring, produced by a periodically layered cuticle whose reflectance peaks at 540 nm wavelength. The males perform a visually mediated ritualistic mating flight directly onto females poised on sunlit leaves. We attempted to evoke this behavior using artificial visual decoys of three types. To fabricate decoys of the first type, a polymer sheet coated with a Bragg-stack reflector was loosely stamped by a bioreplicating die. For decoys of the second type, a polymer sheet coated with a Bragg-stack reflector was heavily stamped by the same die and then painted green. Every decoy of these two types had an underlying black absorber layer. Decoys of the third type were produced by a rapid prototyping machine and painted green. Fine-scale features were absent on the third type. Experiments were performed in an American ash forest infested with EAB, and a European oak forest home to a similar pest, the two-spotted oak borer (TSOB), Agrilus biguttatus. When pinned to leaves, dead EAB females, dead TSOB females, and bioreplicated decoys of both types often evoked the complete ritualized flight behavior. Males also initiated approaches to the rapidly prototyped decoy, but would divert elsewhere without making contact. The attraction of the bioreplicated decoys was also demonstrated by providing a high dc voltage across the decoys that stunned and killed approaching beetles. Thus, true bioreplication with fine-scale features is necessary to fully evoke ritualized visual responses in insects, and provides an opportunity for developing insecttrapping technologies.

Multiscale modeling and nested simulations of three-dimensional ionospheric plasmas: Rayleigh–Taylor turbulence and nonequilibrium layer dynamics at fine scales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahalov, Alex

2014-01-01

Multiscale modeling and high resolution three-dimensional simulations of nonequilibrium ionospheric dynamics are major frontiers in the field of space sciences. The latest developments in fast computational algorithms and novel numerical methods have advanced reliable forecasting of ionospheric environments at fine scales. These new capabilities include improved physics-based predictive modeling, nesting and implicit relaxation techniques that are designed to integrate models of disparate scales. A range of scales, from mesoscale to ionospheric microscale, are included in a 3D modeling framework. Analyses and simulations of primary and secondary Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities in the equatorial spread F (ESF), the response of the plasma density to the neutral turbulent dynamics, and wave breaking in the lower region of the ionosphere and nonequilibrium layer dynamics at fine scales are presented for coupled systems (ions, electrons and neutral winds), thus enabling studies of mesoscale/microscale dynamics for a range of altitudes that encompass the ionospheric E and F layers. We examine the organizing mixing patterns for plasma flows, which occur due to polarized gravity wave excitations in the neutral field, using Lagrangian coherent structures (LCS). LCS objectively depict the flow topology and the extracted scintillation-producing irregularities that indicate a generation of ionospheric density gradients, due to the accumulation of plasma. The scintillation effects in propagation, through strongly inhomogeneous ionospheric media, are induced by trapping electromagnetic (EM) waves in parabolic cavities, which are created by the refractive index gradients along the propagation paths. (paper)

Non-random co-occurrence of native and exotic plant species in Mediterranean grasslands

Science.gov (United States)

de Miguel, José M.; Martín-Forés, Irene; Acosta-Gallo, Belén; del Pozo, Alejandro; Ovalle, Carlos; Sánchez-Jardón, Laura; Castro, Isabel; Casado, Miguel A.

2016-11-01

Invasion by exotic species in Mediterranean grasslands has determined assembly patterns of native and introduced species, knowledge of which provides information on the ecological processes underlying these novel communities. We considered grasslands from Spain and Chile. For each country we considered the whole grassland community and we split species into two subsets: in Chile, species were classified as natives or colonizers (i.e. exotics); in Spain, species were classified as exclusives (present in Spain but not in Chile) or colonizers (Spanish natives and exotics into Chile). We used null models and co-occurrence indices calculated in each country for each one of 15 sites distributed along a precipitation gradient and subjected to similar silvopastoral exploitation. We compared values of species co-occurrence between countries and between species subsets (natives/colonizers in Chile; exclusives/colonizers in Spain) within each country and we characterised them according to climatic variables. We hypothesized that: a) the different coexistence time of the species in both regions should give rise to communities presenting a spatial pattern further from random in Spain than in Chile, b) the co-occurrence patterns in the grasslands are affected by mesoclimatic factors in both regions. The patterns of co-occurrence are similar in Spain and Chile, mostly showing a spatial pattern more segregated than expected by random. The colonizer species are more segregated in Spain than in Chile, possibly determined by the longer residence time of the species in the source area than in the invaded one. The segregation of species in Chile is related to water availability, being species less segregated in habitat with greater water deficit; in Spain no relationship with climatic variables was found. After an invasion process, our results suggest that the possible process of alteration of the original Chilean communities has not prevented the assembly between the native and

Asymmetric strand segregation: epigenetic costs of genetic fidelity?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diane P Genereux

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Asymmetric strand segregation has been proposed as a mechanism to minimize effective mutation rates in epithelial tissues. Under asymmetric strand segregation, the double-stranded molecule that contains the oldest DNA strand is preferentially targeted to the somatic stem cell after each round of DNA replication. This oldest DNA strand is expected to have fewer errors than younger strands because some of the errors that arise on daughter strands during their synthesis fail to be repaired. Empirical findings suggest the possibility of asymmetric strand segregation in a subset of mammalian cell lineages, indicating that it may indeed function to increase genetic fidelity. However, the implications of asymmetric strand segregation for the fidelity of epigenetic information remain unexplored. Here, I explore the impact of strand-segregation dynamics on epigenetic fidelity using a mathematical-modelling approach that draws on the known molecular mechanisms of DNA methylation and existing rate estimates from empirical methylation data. I find that, for a wide range of starting methylation densities, asymmetric -- but not symmetric -- strand segregation leads to systematic increases in methylation levels if parent strands are subject to de novo methylation events. I found that epigenetic fidelity can be compromised when enhanced genetic fidelity is achieved through asymmetric strand segregation. Strand segregation dynamics could thus explain the increased DNA methylation densities that are observed in structured cellular populations during aging and in disease.

Mapping National Plant Biodiversity Patterns in South Korea with the MARS Species Distribution Model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyeyeong Choe

Full Text Available Accurate information on the distribution of existing species is crucial to assess regional biodiversity. However, data inventories are insufficient in many areas. We examine the ability of Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS multi-response species distribution model to overcome species' data limitations and portray plant species distribution patterns for 199 South Korean plant species. The study models species with two or more observations, examines their contribution to national patterns of species richness, provides a sensitivity analysis of different range threshold cutoff approaches for modeling species' ranges, and presents considerations for species modeling at fine spatial resolution. We ran MARS models for each species and tested four threshold methods to transform occurrence probabilities into presence or absence range maps. Modeled occurrence probabilities were extracted at each species' presence points, and the mean, median, and one standard deviation (SD calculated to define data-driven thresholds. A maximum sum of sensitivity and specificity threshold was also calculated, and the range maps from the four cutoffs were tested using independent plant survey data. The single SD values were the best threshold tested for minimizing omission errors and limiting species ranges to areas where the associated occurrence data were correctly classed. Eight individual species range maps for rare plant species were identified that are potentially affected by resampling predictor variables to fine spatial scales. We portray spatial patterns of high species richness by assessing the combined range maps from three classes of species: all species, endangered and endemic species, and range-size rarity of all species, which could be used in conservation planning for South Korea. The MARS model is promising for addressing the common problem of few species occurrence records. However, projected species ranges are highly dependent on the

Data on the scale insect (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) fauna of Greece, with description of two new species.

Science.gov (United States)

Szita, Éva; Fetykó, Kinga Gabriela; Benedicty, Zsuzsanna Konczné; Kozár, Ferenc; Partsinevelos, Georgios; Milonas, Panagiotis; Kaydan, Mehmet Bora

2017-10-09

Surveys of the scale insect (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) fauna of Greece were carried out in 2013 and 2014. Altogether 93 scale insect species were collected, belonging to 11 families. Thirty-eight species (41%) proved to be new to the Greek fauna, including two species new to science (Anophococcus hellenicus Kaydan & Szita sp. n. (Acanthococcidae) and Iberococcus attikus Szita & Fetykó sp. n. (Pseudococcidae)), and two introduced invasive species (Phenacoccus graminicola Leonardi and Pseudococcus comstocki (Kuwana), both Pseudococcidae). The rest of the species seem to be native to the Greek fauna. The total number of scale insect species recorded from Greece is increased to 253.

Deep Neural Network Based Supervised Speech Segregation Generalizes to Novel Noises through Large-scale Training

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Table 2: Segregation results in terms of STOI on a variety of novel noises (SNR=-2 dB) Babble-20 Cafeteria Factory Babble-100 Living Room Cafe Park...NOISEX-92 corpus [13], and a living room, a cafe and a park noise from the DEMAND corpus [12]. To put the performance of the noise-independent model in

Housing Systems and Ethnic Spatial Segregation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Hans Skifter; Andersson, Roger; Wessel, Terje

Residential spatial segregation is related to housing markets and housing policies. In this paper, ethnic segregation is compared across four Nordic capitals and explanations for the differences are examined by comparing the housing markets and housing policies of the countries. The housing markets...

Study on segregation of aluminium-uranium alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, Rui Marques de

1979-01-01

The relations between alloy solidification and solute segregation were considered. The solidification structure and the solute redistribution during the solidification of alloys with dendritic micro morphology were studied. The macro and micro segregation theories were reviewed. The mechanisms that could change the solidification structure were taken into account in the context of more homogeneous alloy production. Aluminum alloys solidification structures and segregation were studied experimentally in the 13 to 45% uranium range, usually considering solidification in static molds. The uranium alloys with up to 20% uranium were studied both for solidification in ingot molds and for controlled directional solidification. It was verified that these alloy compositions had structures similar to those of hipoeutectic alloys, showing an a phase with dendritic morphology and inter dendritic eutectic. For the alloys with more than 25% uranium, it was observed the formation of UAl 3 and UAl 4 phases with dendritic morphology. The dendritic UAl 3 , phase morphology was affected both by the solute concentration in the alloy and by the growth rate. The dendritic UAl 3 phase non-singular aspect could be destroyed with decrease of the alloy solute concentration. In the alloys obtained with higher cooling rates it was found a tendency for the formation of substantial quantities of equi axial crystals of the solute enriched phases in the central regions of the ingot upper half. In the more external regions it was observed dendritic growth of these phases, for alloy compositions with over 25% uranium. An adequate reduction in the cooling rate changed the solidification structure form and distribution, as well as the segregation type and intensity. The uranium content in the solidified macro structures is presented as a function of: cooling rate, superheating, mold size, mold form and its temperature, number of remelting and time for the melt homogenization and agitation. It was

Granular Segregation by an Oscillating Ratchet Mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Igarashi, A.; Horiuchi, Ch.

2004-01-01

We report on a method to segregate granular mixtures which consist of two kinds of particles by an oscillating ''ratchet'' mechanism. The segregation system has an asymmetrical sawtooth-shaped base which is vertically oscillating. Such a ratchet base produces a directional current of particles owing to its transport property. It is a counterintuitive and interesting phenomenon that a vertically vibrated base transports particles horizontally. This system is studied with numerical simulations, and it is found that we can apply such a system to segregation of mixtures of particles with different properties (radius or mass). Furthermore, we find out that an appropriate inclination of the ratchet-base makes the quality of segregation high. (author)

Fine scale population genetic structure and within tree distribution of mating types of Venturia effusa, cause of pecan scab in the USA

Science.gov (United States)

Scab (caused by Venturia effusa) is the major disease of pecan in the southeastern USA. There is no information available on the fine scale population genetic diversity. Four cv. Wichita trees (populations) were sampled hierarchically. Within each tree canopy, 4 approximately evenly spaced terminals...

Improving Genetic Algorithm with Fine-Tuned Crossover and Scaled Architecture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ajay Shrestha

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Genetic Algorithm (GA is a metaheuristic used in solving combinatorial optimization problems. Inspired by evolutionary biology, GA uses selection, crossover, and mutation operators to efficiently traverse the solution search space. This paper proposes nature inspired fine-tuning to the crossover operator using the untapped idea of Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA. mtDNA is a small subset of the overall DNA. It differentiates itself by inheriting entirely from the female, while the rest of the DNA is inherited equally from both parents. This unique characteristic of mtDNA can be an effective mechanism to identify members with similar genes and restrict crossover between them. It can reduce the rate of dilution of diversity and result in delayed convergence. In addition, we scale the well-known Island Model, where instances of GA are run independently and population members exchanged periodically, to a Continental Model. In this model, multiple web services are executed with each web service running an island model. We applied the concept of mtDNA in solving Traveling Salesman Problem and to train Neural Network for function approximation. Our implementation tests show that leveraging these new concepts of mtDNA and Continental Model results in relative improvement of the optimization quality of GA.

Foraging segregation and genetic divergence between geographically proximate colonies of a highly mobile seabird

Science.gov (United States)

Wiley, Anne E.; Welch, Andreanna J.; Ostrom, P.H.; James, Helen F.; Stricker, C.A.; Fleischer, R.C.; Gandhi, H.; Adams, J.; Ainley, D.G.; Duvall, F.; Holmes, N.; Hu, D.; Judge, S.; Penniman, J.; Swindle, K.A.

2012-01-01

Foraging segregation may play an important role in the maintenance of animal diversity, and is a proposed mechanism for promoting genetic divergence within seabird species. However, little information exists regarding its presence among seabird populations. We investigated genetic and foraging divergence between two colonies of endangered Hawaiian petrels (Pterodroma sandwichensis) nesting on the islands of Hawaii and Kauai using the mitochondrial Cytochrome b gene and carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen isotope values (?? 13C, ?? 15N and ??D, respectively) of feathers. Genetic analyses revealed strong differentiation between colonies on Hawaii and Kauai, with ?? ST = 0. 50 (p Feather ??D varied from -69 to 53???. This variation cannot be related solely to an isotopically homogeneous ocean water source or evaporative water loss. Instead, we propose the involvement of salt gland excretion. Our data demonstrate the presence of foraging segregation between proximately nesting seabird populations, despite high species mobility. This ecological diversity may facilitate population coexistence, and its preservation should be a focus of conservation strategies. ?? 2011 Springer-Verlag (outside the USA).

Characteristics of oxide scale formed on Cu-bearing austenitic stainless steel during early stages of high temperature oxidation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Swaminathan, Srinivasan, E-mail: swaminathan@kist.re.kr [Metallurgy & Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102 (India); High Temperature Energy Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136 791 (Korea, Republic of); Krishna, Nanda Gopala [Metallurgy & Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102 (India); Kim, Dong-Ik, E-mail: dongikkim@kist.re.kr [High Temperature Energy Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136 791 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-30

Highlights: • Initial oxidation characteristics of Cu-bearing austenitic stainless steel at 650 °C were studied. • Strong segregation and oxidation of Mn and Nb were found in the entire oxide scale. • Surface coverage by metallic Cu-rich precipitates increases with exposure time. • Chemical heterogeneity of oxide scale revealed initial oxidation to be non-selective. • Fe-Cr and Mn-Cr mixed oxides were realized along with binary oxides of Fe, Cr and Mn. - Abstract: Oxide scale evolution on Cu-bearing austenitic stainless steel 304H at 650 °C, in ambient air, for exposure times 100, 300, 500 and 1000 h, has been investigated. Surface morphology and chemistry of the oxide scale grown were examined using SEM/EDX and XPS. The oxidation kinetics was determined by measuring the weight change using an electronic balance. At the initial stage, up to 500 h of exposure time, the oxidation rate was rapid due to surface reactions governed primarily by oxygen ingress, and then, dropped to a low rate after prolonged oxidation for 1000 h. The diffusion of reactants through the initially formed oxide scale limits the oxidation rate at longer times, thus, the progress of reaction followed the parabolic kinetics. The formed oxide scale was enriched significantly with segregation and subsequent oxidation of Nb, and finely dispersed metallic Cu particles. Within the time frame of oxidation, the oxide scale was mainly composed of mixed oxides such as FeCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} and MnCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} along with the binary oxides of Fe, Cr and Mn. Moreover, the precipitation fraction of Cu-rich particles on the oxide scale increased markedly with increase of exposure times. The chemical heterogeneity of oxide scale suggests that the oxidation occurred in a non-selective manner.

Analysis of Minor Component Segregation in Ternary Powder Mixtures

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Asachi Maryam

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In many powder handling operations, inhomogeneity in powder mixtures caused by segregation could have significant adverse impact on the quality as well as economics of the production. Segregation of a minor component of a highly active substance could have serious deleterious effects, an example is the segregation of enzyme granules in detergent powders. In this study, the effects of particle properties and bulk cohesion on the segregation tendency of minor component are analysed. The minor component is made sticky while not adversely affecting the flowability of samples. The segregation extent is evaluated using image processing of the photographic records taken from the front face of the heap after the pouring process. The optimum average sieve cut size of components for which segregation could be reduced is reported. It is also shown that the extent of segregation is significantly reduced by applying a thin layer of liquid to the surfaces of minor component, promoting an ordered mixture.

Towards a More Biologically-meaningful Climate Characterization: Variability in Space and Time at Multiple Scales

Science.gov (United States)

Christianson, D. S.; Kaufman, C. G.; Kueppers, L. M.; Harte, J.

2013-12-01

Sampling limitations and current modeling capacity justify the common use of mean temperature values in summaries of historical climate and future projections. However, a monthly mean temperature representing a 1-km2 area on the landscape is often unable to capture the climate complexity driving organismal and ecological processes. Estimates of variability in addition to mean values are more biologically meaningful and have been shown to improve projections of range shifts for certain species. Historical analyses of variance and extreme events at coarse spatial scales, as well as coarse-scale projections, show increasing temporal variability in temperature with warmer means. Few studies have considered how spatial variance changes with warming, and analysis for both temporal and spatial variability across scales is lacking. It is unclear how the spatial variability of fine-scale conditions relevant to plant and animal individuals may change given warmer coarse-scale mean values. A change in spatial variability will affect the availability of suitable habitat on the landscape and thus, will influence future species ranges. By characterizing variability across both temporal and spatial scales, we can account for potential bias in species range projections that use coarse climate data and enable improvements to current models. In this study, we use temperature data at multiple spatial and temporal scales to characterize spatial and temporal variability under a warmer climate, i.e., increased mean temperatures. Observational data from the Sierra Nevada (California, USA), experimental climate manipulation data from the eastern and western slopes of the Rocky Mountains (Colorado, USA), projected CMIP5 data for California (USA) and observed PRISM data (USA) allow us to compare characteristics of a mean-variance relationship across spatial scales ranging from sub-meter2 to 10,000 km2 and across temporal scales ranging from hours to decades. Preliminary spatial analysis at

Numerical simulation of fine oil sand tailings drying in test cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vardon, P.J.; Nijssen, T.; Yao, Y.; Van Tol, A.F.

2014-01-01

As a promising technology in disposal of mature fine tailings (MFT), atmospheric fines drying (AFD) is currently being implemented on a commercial scale at Shell Canada’s Muskeg River Mine near Fort McMurray, Alberta. AFD involves the use of a polymer flocculent to bind fine particles in MFT

Stochastic correlative firing for figure-ground segregation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhe

2005-03-01

Segregation of sensory inputs into separate objects is a central aspect of perception and arises in all sensory modalities. The figure-ground segregation problem requires identifying an object of interest in a complex scene, in many cases given binaural auditory or binocular visual observations. The computations required for visual and auditory figure-ground segregation share many common features and can be cast within a unified framework. Sensory perception can be viewed as a problem of optimizing information transmission. Here we suggest a stochastic correlative firing mechanism and an associative learning rule for figure-ground segregation in several classic sensory perception tasks, including the cocktail party problem in binaural hearing, binocular fusion of stereo images, and Gestalt grouping in motion perception.

Sound segregation via embedded repetition is robust to inattention.

Science.gov (United States)

Masutomi, Keiko; Barascud, Nicolas; Kashino, Makio; McDermott, Josh H; Chait, Maria

2016-03-01

The segregation of sound sources from the mixture of sounds that enters the ear is a core capacity of human hearing, but the extent to which this process is dependent on attention remains unclear. This study investigated the effect of attention on the ability to segregate sounds via repetition. We utilized a dual task design in which stimuli to be segregated were presented along with stimuli for a "decoy" task that required continuous monitoring. The task to assess segregation presented a target sound 10 times in a row, each time concurrent with a different distractor sound. McDermott, Wrobleski, and Oxenham (2011) demonstrated that repetition causes the target sound to be segregated from the distractors. Segregation was queried by asking listeners whether a subsequent probe sound was identical to the target. A control task presented similar stimuli but probed discrimination without engaging segregation processes. We present results from 3 different decoy tasks: a visual multiple object tracking task, a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) digit encoding task, and a demanding auditory monitoring task. Load was manipulated by using high- and low-demand versions of each decoy task. The data provide converging evidence of a small effect of attention that is nonspecific, in that it affected the segregation and control tasks to a similar extent. In all cases, segregation performance remained high despite the presence of a concurrent, objectively demanding decoy task. The results suggest that repetition-based segregation is robust to inattention. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of ethnic school segregation for adolescents’ religious salience

OpenAIRE

Van der Bracht, Koen; D'hondt, Fanny; Van Houtte, Mieke; Van de Putte, Bart; Stevens, Peter

2016-01-01

Public concerns over the possible effects of school segregation on immigrant and ethnic majority religiosity have been on the rise over the last few years. In this paper we focus on (1) the association between ethnic school composition and religious salience, (2) intergenerational differences in religious salience and (3) the role of ethnic school composition for intergenerational differences in religious salience. We perform analyses on religious salience, one five-point Likert scale item me...

Residential Segregation in Texas in 1980.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Sean-Shong; Murdock, Steve H.

1982-01-01

Between 1970 and 1980 racial and ethnic segregation for major Texas cities declined for all groups, but declines were small between Anglo and Spanish groups. Segregation is unaffected by variation in size of city, percent of population that is Spanish or Black, or central city status. (Author/AM)

Sex Segregation in Undergraduate Engineering Majors

Science.gov (United States)

Litzler, Elizabeth

2010-01-01

Gender inequality in engineering persists in spite of women reaching parity in college enrollments and degrees granted. To date, no analyses of educational sex segregation have comprehensively examined segregation within one discipline. To move beyond traditional methods of studying the long-standing stratification by field of study in higher…

Losing Ground: School Segregation in Massachuestts

Science.gov (United States)

Ayscue, Jennifer B.; Greenberg, Alyssa

2013-01-01

Though once a leader in school integration, Massachusetts has regressed over the last two decades as its students of color have experienced intensifying school segregation. This report investigates trends in school segregation in Massachusetts by examining concentration, exposure, and evenness measures by both race and class. First, the report…

Administrative Segregation for Mentally Ill Inmates

Science.gov (United States)

O'Keefe, Maureen L.

2007-01-01

Largely the result of prison officials needing to safely and efficiently manage a volatile inmate population, administrative segregation or supermax facilities are criticized as violating basic human needs, particularly for mentally ill inmates. The present study compared Colorado offenders with mental illness (OMIs) to nonOMIs in segregated and…

Interface segregation behavior in thermal aged austenitic precipitation strengthened stainless steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Hui [Key Laboratory for Microstructures, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Technical Department, Jiuli Hi-Tech Metals Co., Ltd., Huzhou 313008 (China); Song, Hui [Key Laboratory for Microstructures, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Liu, Wenqing, E-mail: wqliu@staff.shu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Microstructures, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Institute of Materials, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072 (China); Xia, Shuang; Zhou, Bangxin [Institute of Materials, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072 (China); Su, Cheng; Ding, Wenyan [Technical Department, Jiuli Hi-Tech Metals Co., Ltd., Huzhou 313008 (China)

2015-12-15

The segregation of various elements at grain boundaries, precipitate/matrix interfaces were analyzed using atom probe tomography in an austenitic precipitation strengthened stainless steel aged at 750 °C for different time. Segregation of P, B and C at all types of interfaces in all the specimens were observed. However, Si segregated at all types of interfaces only in the specimen aged for 16 h. Enrichment of Ti at grain boundaries was evident in the specimen aged for 16 h, while Ti did not segregate at other interfaces. Mo varied considerably among interface types, e.g. from segregated at grain boundaries in the specimens after all the aging time to never segregate at γ′/γ phase interfaces. Cr co-segregated with C at grain boundaries, although carbides still did not nucleate at grain boundaries yet. Despite segregation tendency variations in different interface types, the segregation tendency evolution variation of different elements depending aging time were analyzed among all types of interfaces. Based on the experimental results, the enrichment factors, Gibbs interface excess and segregation free energies of segregated elements were calculated and discussed. - Highlights: • Solute atoms segregated at interfaces were analyzed in an austenitic stainless steel. • The comparison of segregation in different interfaces was studied by APT. • The evolution of interface segregation during aging treatment was discussed.

The fine-tuning cost of the likelihood in SUSY models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghilencea, D.M.; Ross, G.G.

2013-01-01

In SUSY models, the fine-tuning of the electroweak (EW) scale with respect to their parameters γ i ={m 0 ,m 1/2 ,μ 0 ,A 0 ,B 0 ,…} and the maximal likelihood L to fit the experimental data are usually regarded as two different problems. We show that, if one regards the EW minimum conditions as constraints that fix the EW scale, this commonly held view is not correct and that the likelihood contains all the information about fine-tuning. In this case we show that the corrected likelihood is equal to the ratio L/Δ of the usual likelihood L and the traditional fine-tuning measure Δ of the EW scale. A similar result is obtained for the integrated likelihood over the set {γ i }, that can be written as a surface integral of the ratio L/Δ, with the surface in γ i space determined by the EW minimum constraints. As a result, a large likelihood actually demands a large ratio L/Δ or equivalently, a small χ new 2 =χ old 2 +2lnΔ. This shows the fine-tuning cost to the likelihood (χ new 2 ) of the EW scale stability enforced by SUSY, that is ignored in data fits. A good χ new 2 /d.o.f.≈1 thus demands SUSY models have a fine-tuning amount Δ≪exp(d.o.f./2), which provides a model-independent criterion for acceptable fine-tuning. If this criterion is not met, one can thus rule out SUSY models without a further χ 2 /d.o.f. analysis. Numerical methods to fit the data can easily be adapted to account for this effect.

Multilevel landscape utilization of the Siberian flying squirrel: Scale effects on species habitat use.

Science.gov (United States)

Remm, Jaanus; Hanski, Ilpo K; Tuominen, Sakari; Selonen, Vesa

2017-10-01

Animals use and select habitat at multiple hierarchical levels and at different spatial scales within each level. Still, there is little knowledge on the scale effects at different spatial levels of species occupancy patterns. The objective of this study was to examine nonlinear effects and optimal-scale landscape characteristics that affect occupancy of the Siberian flying squirrel, Pteromys volans , in South- and Mid-Finland. We used presence-absence data ( n  = 10,032 plots of 9 ha) and novel approach to separate the effects on site-, landscape-, and regional-level occupancy patterns. Our main results were: landscape variables predicted the placement of population patches at least twice as well as they predicted the occupancy of particular sites; the clear optimal value of preferred habitat cover for species landscape-level abundance is a surprisingly low value (10% within a 4 km buffer); landscape metrics exert different effects on species occupancy and abundance in high versus low population density regions of our study area. We conclude that knowledge of regional variation in landscape utilization will be essential for successful conservation of the species. The results also support the view that large-scale landscape variables have high predictive power in explaining species abundance. Our study demonstrates the complex response of species occurrence at different levels of population configuration on landscape structure. The study also highlights the need for data in large spatial scale to increase the precision of biodiversity mapping and prediction of future trends.

Upscale or downscale: applications of fine scale remotely sensed data to Chagas disease in Argentina and schistosomiasis in Kenya.

Science.gov (United States)

Kitron, Uriel; Clennon, Julie A; Cecere, M Carla; Gürtler, Ricardo E; King, Charles H; Vazquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo

2006-11-01

Depending on the research question or the public health application, the appropriate resolution of the data varies temporally, spatially, and, for satellite data, spectrally and radiometrically. Regardless of the scale used to address a research or public health question, the temptation is always there to extrapolate from fine-resolution data or to interpolate from coarse resolution studies. In both cases, the relevance of data and analyses conducted on one spatial level to other levels cannot be taken for granted. Spatial heterogeneity on the micro-scale may not be detected using coarse spatial resolution, and conversely, general patterns on the macro-scale may not be detected using fine spatial resolution. Two studies are described where the transmission dynamics and risk of infection was assessed on the micro-scale starting with household level studies in one community, and the study area was extended gradually to consider several communities and sources for vectors or intermediate hosts. In a study of Chagas disease in northwest Argentina, the reinfestation process of communities by the main domestic vector was analyzed using spatial statistics; sources within and outside communities as well as the distance of reinfestation were identified. In a study of urinary schistosomiasis in coastal Kenya, age dependent and directional focal clustering of infections was detected around some aquatic habitats, and a hydrological model was developed to detect least cost dispersal routes that allow snails to reinfest dried-up habitats. Some general aspects of focal statistics are discussed. Several general questions need to be considered in geospatial health studies, including the following: (i) what are the best criteria for selecting the spatial (and temporal) unit of intervention and analysis? (ii) how do the key measures of risk and transmission dynamics vary with scale? (iii) how do we integrate processes occurring at diverse spatial and temporal scales? All of these

Multiple-geographic-scale genetic structure of two mangrove tree species: the roles of mating system, hybridization, limited dispersal and extrinsic factors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo M Mori

Full Text Available Mangrove plants comprise a unique group of organisms that grow within the intertidal zones of tropical and subtropical regions and whose distributions are influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors. To understand how these extrinsic and intrinsic processes influence a more fundamental level of the biological hierarchy of mangroves, we studied the genetic diversity of two Neotropical mangrove trees, Avicenniagerminans and A. schaueriana, using microsatellites markers. As reported for other sea-dispersed species, there was a strong differentiation between A. germinans and A. schaueriana populations sampled north and south of the northeastern extremity of South America, likely due to the influence of marine superficial currents. Moreover, we observed fine-scale genetic structures even when no obvious physical barriers were present, indicating pollen and propagule dispersal limitation, which could be explained by isolation-by-distance coupled with mating system differences. We report the first evidence of ongoing hybridization between Avicennia species and that these hybrids are fertile, although this interspecific crossing has not contributed to an increase in the genetic diversity the populations where A. germinans and A. schaueriana hybridize. These findings highlight the complex interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic factors that shape the distribution of the genetic diversity in these sea-dispersed colonizer species.

Gender Segregation in Nursery School: Predictors and Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Maccoby, Eleanor E.; Jacklin, Carol Nagy

Sex segregation is a powerful phenomenon in childhood. It occurs universally whenever children have a choice of playmates and is found in sub-human primates too. Adults are not directly responsible for sex segregation. Data do not support the hypothesis that the most ladylike girls and the most rough and active boys first form the segregated play…

Fine tuning and MOND in a metamaterial "multiverse".

Science.gov (United States)

Smolyaninov, Igor I; Smolyaninova, Vera N

2017-08-14

We consider the recently suggested model of a multiverse based on a ferrofluid. When the ferrofluid is subjected to a modest external magnetic field, the nanoparticles inside the ferrofluid form small hyperbolic metamaterial domains, which from the electromagnetic standpoint behave as individual "Minkowski universes" exhibiting different "laws of physics", such as different strength of effective gravity, different versions of modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) and different radiation lifetimes. When the ferrofluid "multiverse" is populated with atomic or molecular species, and these species are excited using an external laser source, the radiation lifetimes of atoms and molecules in these "universes" depend strongly on the individual physical properties of each "universe" via the Purcell effect. Some "universes" are better fine-tuned than others to sustain the excited states of these species. Thus, the ferrofluid-based metamaterial "multiverse" may be used to study models of MOND and to illustrate the fine-tuning mechanism in cosmology.

The dismantling of the one-third-scale Joule ceramic melter and preliminary investigation of electrode corrosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, J.B.; Walmsley, D.; Hollinrake, A.; Horsley, G.

1986-01-01

The Harwell one-third scale Joule ceramic melter was dismantled to discover the cause of a fall in electric resistance. The two inconel-690 electrodes were corroded over the lower 40mm sections and were examined by optical and electron microscopy. Sedimentation of Ru species on the floor of the melter may have led to corrosion of the electrodes. Glass withdrawn from the canisters was analyzed for evidence of a segregation mechanism. (UK)

Applied thermodynamics: Grain boundary segregation

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Lejček, Pavel; Zheng, L.; Hofmann, S.; Šob, Mojmír

2014-01-01

Roč. 16, č. 3 (2014), s. 1462-1484 ISSN 1099-4300 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP108/12/0311; GA ČR GAP108/12/0144; GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0068 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 ; RVO:68081723 Keywords : interfacial segregation * Gibbs energy of segregation * enthalpy * entropy * volume * grain boundaries * iron Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.502, year: 2014

Species and Scale Dependence of Bacterial Motion Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Sund, N. L.; Yang, X.; Parashar, R.; Plymale, A.; Hu, D.; Kelly, R.; Scheibe, T. D.

2017-12-01

Many metal reducing bacteria are motile with their motion characteristics described by run-and-tumble behavior exhibiting series of flights (jumps) and waiting (residence) time spanning a wide range of values. Accurate models of motility allow for improved design and evaluation of in-situ bioremediation in the subsurface. While many bioremediation models neglect the motion of the bacteria, others treat motility using an advection dispersion equation, which assumes that the motion of the bacteria is Brownian.The assumption of Brownian motion to describe motility has enormous implications on predictive capabilities of bioremediation models, yet experimental evidence of this assumption is mixed [1][2][3]. We hypothesize that this is due to the species and scale dependence of the motion dynamics. We test our hypothesis by analyzing videos of motile bacteria of five different species in open domains. Trajectories of individual cells ranging from several seconds to few minutes in duration are extracted in neutral conditions (in the absence of any chemical gradient). The density of the bacteria is kept low so that the interaction between the bacteria is minimal. Preliminary results show a transition from Fickian (Brownian) to non-Fickian behavior for one species of bacteria (Pelosinus) and persistent Fickian behavior of another species (Geobacter).Figure: Video frames of motile bacteria with the last 10 seconds of their trajectories drawn in red. (left) Pelosinus and (right) Geobacter.[1] Ariel, Gil, et al. "Swarming bacteria migrate by Lévy Walk." Nature Communications 6 (2015).[2] Saragosti, Jonathan, Pascal Silberzan, and Axel Buguin. "Modeling E. coli tumbles by rotational diffusion. Implications for chemotaxis." PloS one 7.4 (2012): e35412.[3] Wu, Mingming, et al. "Collective bacterial dynamics revealed using a three-dimensional population-scale defocused particle tracking technique." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 72.7 (2006): 4987-4994.

Bridging the scales in atmospheric composition simulations using a nudging technique

Science.gov (United States)

D'Isidoro, Massimo; Maurizi, Alberto; Russo, Felicita; Tampieri, Francesco

2010-05-01

Studying the interaction between climate and anthropogenic activities, specifically those concentrated in megacities/hot spots, requires the description of processes in a very wide range of scales from local, where anthropogenic emissions are concentrated to global where we are interested to study the impact of these sources. The description of all the processes at all scales within the same numerical implementation is not feasible because of limited computer resources. Therefore, different phenomena are studied by means of different numerical models that can cover different range of scales. The exchange of information from small to large scale is highly non-trivial though of high interest. In fact uncertainties in large scale simulations are expected to receive large contribution from the most polluted areas where the highly inhomogeneous distribution of sources connected to the intrinsic non-linearity of the processes involved can generate non negligible departures between coarse and fine scale simulations. In this work a new method is proposed and investigated in a case study (August 2009) using the BOLCHEM model. Monthly simulations at coarse (0.5° European domain, run A) and fine (0.1° Central Mediterranean domain, run B) horizontal resolution are performed using the coarse resolution as boundary condition for the fine one. Then another coarse resolution run (run C) is performed, in which the high resolution fields remapped on to the coarse grid are used to nudge the concentrations on the Po Valley area. The nudging is applied to all gas and aerosol species of BOLCHEM. Averaged concentrations and variances over Po Valley and other selected areas for O3 and PM are computed. It is observed that although the variance of run B is markedly larger than that of run A, the variance of run C is smaller because the remapping procedure removes large portion of variance from run B fields. Mean concentrations show some differences depending on species: in general mean

Basal metabolic rate scaled to body mass within species by the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Basal metabolic rate scaled to body mass within species by the fractal dimension of the vascular system and body composition. ... The postulate bd = c is shown to hold for both these species within the limits of experimental error, with the crucian carp evidence being especially convincing, since b, c and d are estimated from ...

Niche separation in flycatcher-like species in the lowland rainforests of Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansor, Mohammad Saiful; Ramli, Rosli

2017-07-01

Niche theory suggests that sympatric species reduce interspecific competition through segregation of shared resources by adopting different attack manoeuvres. However, the fact that flycatcher-like bird species exclusively use the sally manoeuvre may thus challenge this view. We studied the foraging ecology of three flycatcher-like species (i.e. Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone sp., Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea, and Rufous-winged Philentoma Philentoma pyrhoptera) in the Krau Wildlife Reserve in central Peninsular Malaysia. We investigated foraging preferences of each bird species and the potential niche partitioning via spatial or behavioural segregation. Foraging substrate was important parameter that effectively divided paradise-flycatcher from Black-naped Monarch and Rufous-winged Philentoma, where monarch and philentoma foraged mainly on live green leaves, while paradise-flycatcher foraged on the air. They also exhibited different foraging height preferences. Paradise-flycatcher, for instance, preferred the highest studied strata, while Black-naped Monarch foraged mostly in lower strata, and Rufous-winged Philentoma made use of the lowest strata. This study indicates that niche segregation occurs among sympatric species through foraging substrate and attack manoeuvres selection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Efficient Upscaling Process Based on a Unified Fine-scale Multi-Physics Model for Flow Simulation in Naturally Fracture Carbonate Karst Reservoirs

KAUST Repository

Bi, Linfeng

2009-01-01

The main challenges in modeling fluid flow through naturally-fractured carbonate karst reservoirs are how to address various flow physics in complex geological architectures due to the presence of vugs and caves which are connected via fracture networks at multiple scales. In this paper, we present a unified multi-physics model that adapts to the complex flow regime through naturally-fractured carbonate karst reservoirs. This approach generalizes Stokes-Brinkman model (Popov et al. 2007). The fracture networks provide the essential connection between the caves in carbonate karst reservoirs. It is thus very important to resolve the flow in fracture network and the interaction between fractures and caves to better understand the complex flow behavior. The idea is to use Stokes-Brinkman model to represent flow through rock matrix, void caves as well as intermediate flows in very high permeability regions and to use an idea similar to discrete fracture network model to represent flow in fracture network. Consequently, various numerical solution strategies can be efficiently applied to greatly improve the computational efficiency in flow simulations. We have applied this unified multi-physics model as a fine-scale flow solver in scale-up computations. Both local and global scale-up are considered. It is found that global scale-up has much more accurate than local scale-up. Global scale-up requires the solution of global flow problems on fine grid, which generally is computationally expensive. The proposed model has the ability to deal with large number of fractures and caves, which facilitate the application of Stokes-Brinkman model in global scale-up computation. The proposed model flexibly adapts to the different flow physics in naturally-fractured carbonate karst reservoirs in a simple and effective way. It certainly extends modeling and predicting capability in efficient development of this important type of reservoir.

Drivers of Tree Species Effects on Phosphorus and Cation Cycling in Plantations at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, A. E.

2014-12-01

Fast-growing trees in secondary forests and plantations in the humid tropics play an important role in the atmospheric CO2 balance owing to their high rates of carbon sequestration. Because plants require nutrients to sustain high CO2 uptake, differences among tree species in traits related to nutrient uptake, retention and recycling could influence ecosystem-scale carbon cycling. A better understanding of the relationships among plant traits, nutrient and carbon cycling will thus improve ecosystem- to global scale modeling of effects of vegetation change on carbon cycling. In an experimental setting in which state factors were similar among four species of tropical trees situated on an Oxisol in replicated, 25-yr-old, mono-dominant plantations, I evaluated various drivers of aboveground storage of phosphorus (P) and cations, measuring nutrient fluxes in litterfall and fine-root growth and storage in biomass and soil to 1-m depth. Because fine roots increase the capacity to scavenge nutrients already on exchange sites within the soil environment, I hypothesized that P and cation uptake would be correlated directly with fine-root growth. The four tree species in this experiment, Hieronyma alchorneoides, Pentaclethra macroloba, Virola koschnyi, and Vochysia guatemalensis differed significantly in net cation uptake over the first 25 years of growth (P = 0.013, Ca; P >0.0001, Mg, Mn, K, Al, Fe, and Sr). For all cations, aboveground tree biomass was highly correlated with fine-root ingrowth length, with P values >0.0001 for all cations except Ca (P = 0.013). In contrast for P, differences among species were only marginally significant (P = 0.062). Similarly, P in aboveground tree biomass was marginally correlated with fine-root ingrowth (P = 0.068). Neither cation nor P uptake was correlated with measures of available P and cations, organic or total P in surface soil. For P, the less significant correlation with fine-root growth suggests that some other mechanism, such

Interface segregation behavior in thermal aged austenitic precipitation strengthened stainless steel.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hui; Song, Hui; Liu, Wenqing; Xia, Shuang; Zhou, Bangxin; Su, Cheng; Ding, Wenyan

2015-12-01

The segregation of various elements at grain boundaries, precipitate/matrix interfaces were analyzed using atom probe tomography in an austenitic precipitation strengthened stainless steel aged at 750 °C for different time. Segregation of P, B and C at all types of interfaces in all the specimens were observed. However, Si segregated at all types of interfaces only in the specimen aged for 16 h. Enrichment of Ti at grain boundaries was evident in the specimen aged for 16 h, while Ti did not segregate at other interfaces. Mo varied considerably among interface types, e.g. from segregated at grain boundaries in the specimens after all the aging time to never segregate at γ'/γ phase interfaces. Cr co-segregated with C at grain boundaries, although carbides still did not nucleate at grain boundaries yet. Despite segregation tendency variations in different interface types, the segregation tendency evolution variation of different elements depending aging time were analyzed among all types of interfaces. Based on the experimental results, the enrichment factors, Gibbs interface excess and segregation free energies of segregated elements were calculated and discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Element segregation behavior of aluminum-copper alloy ZL205A

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Fan Li

2014-11-01

Full Text Available In aluminum-copper alloy, the segregation has a severe bad effect on the alloying degree, strength and corrosion resistance. A deeper understanding of element segregation behavior will have a great significance on the prevention of segregation. In the study, the element segregation behavior of ZL205A aluminum-copper alloy was investigated by examining isothermally solidified samples using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The calculated results of segregation coefficients show that Cu and Mn are negative segregation elements; while Ti, V and Zr are positive segregation elements. The sequence of element segregation degree from the greatest to the least in ZL205A alloy is Cu, Mn, V, Ti, Zr and Al. The density of residual liquid is expected to increase with a decrease in the quenching temperature ranging from 630 ºC to 550 ºC. The calculated results confirm that the quenching temperature has an insignificant effect on the liquid density; and the variation of density is mainly due to element segregation. Consequently, segregations of Al, Cu and Mn lead to an increase in density, but Ti, V and Zr present the opposite effect. The contribution of each element to the variation of the liquid density was analyzed. The sequence of contributions of alloying elements to the variation of total liquid density is Cu﹥Al﹥Mn﹥V﹥Ti﹥Zr.

Effect of Sb Segregation on Conductance and Catalytic Activity at Pt/Sb-Doped SnO2 Interface: A Synergetic Computational and Experimental Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hu, Qiang; Colmenares Rausseo, Luis César; Martinez, Umberto

2015-01-01

a combined computational and experimental study. It was found that Sb-dopant atoms prefer to segregate toward the ATO/Pt interface. The deposited Pt catalysts, interestingly, not only promote Sb segregation, but also suppress the occurrence of Sb3+ species, a charge carrier neutralizer at the interface...... to support future applications of ATO/Pt-based materials as possible cathodes for PEMFC applications with enhanced durability under practical applications....

Fine-Scale Recombination Maps of Fungal Plant Pathogens Reveal Dynamic Recombination Landscapes and Intragenic Hotspots.

Science.gov (United States)

Stukenbrock, Eva H; Dutheil, Julien Y

2018-03-01

Meiotic recombination is an important driver of evolution. Variability in the intensity of recombination across chromosomes can affect sequence composition, nucleotide variation, and rates of adaptation. In many organisms, recombination events are concentrated within short segments termed recombination hotspots. The variation in recombination rate and positions of recombination hotspot can be studied using population genomics data and statistical methods. In this study, we conducted population genomics analyses to address the evolution of recombination in two closely related fungal plant pathogens: the prominent wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici and a sister species infecting wild grasses Z. ardabiliae We specifically addressed whether recombination landscapes, including hotspot positions, are conserved in the two recently diverged species and if recombination contributes to rapid evolution of pathogenicity traits. We conducted a detailed simulation analysis to assess the performance of methods of recombination rate estimation based on patterns of linkage disequilibrium, in particular in the context of high nucleotide diversity. Our analyses reveal overall high recombination rates, a lack of suppressed recombination in centromeres, and significantly lower recombination rates on chromosomes that are known to be accessory. The comparison of the recombination landscapes of the two species reveals a strong correlation of recombination rate at the megabase scale, but little correlation at smaller scales. The recombination landscapes in both pathogen species are dominated by frequent recombination hotspots across the genome including coding regions, suggesting a strong impact of recombination on gene evolution. A significant but small fraction of these hotspots colocalize between the two species, suggesting that hotspot dynamics contribute to the overall pattern of fast evolving recombination in these species. Copyright © 2018 Stukenbrock and Dutheil.

Segregation in a Galton Board

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benito, J G; Vidales, A M; Ippolito, I

2009-01-01

This work deals with a numerical study of the problem of separation of particles with different elastic properties. The separation procedure uses a Galton Board which consist in a bidimensional system of obstacles arranged in a triangular lattice. Disks of equal diameters but different elastic properties are launched from the top of the device. The Galton Board is commonly used for mixing particles, but here, we intend to find special conditions under which one can use it as a segregating device. We introduce a mixture of particles and generate, through simulations, different conditions to favor the segregation process based on the different elastic coefficients of the particles. We inspect which is the best configuration of size, density of obstacles and wall separation to favor the separations of particles. Our results prove that the Galton Board can be used as a segregation device under certain conditions.

Edge separation using diffraction anomalous fine structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravel, B.; Bouldin, C.E.; Renevier, H.; Hodeau, J.L.; Berar, J.F.

1999-01-01

We exploit the crystallographic sensitivity of the Diffraction Anomalous Fine-Structure (DAFS) measurement to separate the fine structure contributions of different atomic species with closely spaced resonant energies. In BaTiO 3 the Ti K edge and Ba Lm edges are separated by 281 eV, or about 8.2 Angstrom -1 ), thus severely limiting the information content of the Ti K edge signal. Using the site selectivity of DAFS we can separate the two fine structure spectra using an iterative Kramers-Kronig method, thus extending the range of the Ti K edge spectrum. This technique has application to many rare earth/transition metal compounds, including many magnetic materials of technological significance for which K and L edges overlap in energy. (au)

From Google Maps to a fine-grained catalog of street trees

Science.gov (United States)

Branson, Steve; Wegner, Jan Dirk; Hall, David; Lang, Nico; Schindler, Konrad; Perona, Pietro

2018-01-01

Up-to-date catalogs of the urban tree population are of importance for municipalities to monitor and improve quality of life in cities. Despite much research on automation of tree mapping, mainly relying on dedicated airborne LiDAR or hyperspectral campaigns, tree detection and species recognition is still mostly done manually in practice. We present a fully automated tree detection and species recognition pipeline that can process thousands of trees within a few hours using publicly available aerial and street view images of Google MapsTM. These data provide rich information from different viewpoints and at different scales from global tree shapes to bark textures. Our work-flow is built around a supervised classification that automatically learns the most discriminative features from thousands of trees and corresponding, publicly available tree inventory data. In addition, we introduce a change tracker that recognizes changes of individual trees at city-scale, which is essential to keep an urban tree inventory up-to-date. The system takes street-level images of the same tree location at two different times and classifies the type of change (e.g., tree has been removed). Drawing on recent advances in computer vision and machine learning, we apply convolutional neural networks (CNN) for all classification tasks. We propose the following pipeline: download all available panoramas and overhead images of an area of interest, detect trees per image and combine multi-view detections in a probabilistic framework, adding prior knowledge; recognize fine-grained species of detected trees. In a later, separate module, track trees over time, detect significant changes and classify the type of change. We believe this is the first work to exploit publicly available image data for city-scale street tree detection, species recognition and change tracking, exhaustively over several square kilometers, respectively many thousands of trees. Experiments in the city of Pasadena

Micro and Macro Segregation in Alloys Solidifying with Equiaxed Morphology

Science.gov (United States)

Stefanescu, Doru M.; Curreri, Peter A.; Leon-Torres, Jose; Sen, Subhayu

1996-01-01

To understand macro segregation formation in Al-Cu alloys, experiments were run under terrestrial gravity (1g) and under low gravity during parabolic flights (10(exp -2) g). Alloys of two different compositions (2% and 5% Cu) were solidified at two different cooling rates. Systematic microscopic and SEM observations produced microstructural and segregation maps for all samples. These maps may be used as benchmark experiments for validation of microstructure evolution and segregation models. As expected, the macro segregation maps are very complex. When segregation was measured along the central axis of the sample, the highest macro segregation for samples solidified at 1g was obtained for the lowest cooling rate. This behavior is attributed to the longer time available for natural convection and shrinkage flow to affect solute redistribution. In samples solidified under low-g, the highest macro-segregation was obtained at the highest cooling rate. In general, low-gravity solidification resulted in less segregation. To explain the experimental findings, an analytical (Flemings-Nereo) and a numerical model were used. For the numerical model, the continuum formulation was employed to describe the macroscopic transports of mass, energy, and momentum, associated with the microscopic transport phenomena, for a two-phase system. The model proposed considers that liquid flow is driven by thermal and solutal buoyancy, and by solidification shrinkage. The Flemings-Nereo model explains well macro segregation in the initial stages of low-gravity segregation. The numerical model can describe the complex macro segregation pattern and the differences between low- and high-gravity solidification.

Sex segregation in undergraduate engineering majors

Science.gov (United States)

Litzler, Elizabeth

Gender inequality in engineering persists in spite of women reaching parity in college enrollments and degrees granted. To date, no analyses of educational sex segregation have comprehensively examined segregation within one discipline. To move beyond traditional methods of studying the long-standing stratification by field of study in higher education, I explore gender stratification within one field: engineering. This dissertation investigates why some engineering disciplines have a greater representation of women than other engineering disciplines. I assess the individual and institutional factors and conditions associated with women's representation in certain engineering departments and compare the mechanisms affecting women's and men's choice of majors. I use national data from the Engineering Workforce Commission, survey data from 21 schools in the Project to Assess Climate in Engineering study, and Carnegie Foundation classification information to study sex segregation in engineering majors from multiple perspectives: the individual, major, institution, and country. I utilize correlations, t-tests, cross-tabulations, log-linear modeling, multilevel logistic regression and weighted least squares regression to test the relative utility of alternative explanations for women's disproportionate representation across engineering majors. As a whole, the analyses illustrate the importance of context and environment for women's representation in engineering majors. Hypotheses regarding hostile climate and discrimination find wide support across different analyses, suggesting that women's under-representation in certain engineering majors is not a question of choice or ability. However, individual level factors such as having engineering coursework prior to college show an especially strong association with student choice of major. Overall, the analyses indicate that institutions matter, albeit less for women, and women's under-representation in engineering is not

Impact of extrinsic factors on fine motor performance of children attending day care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina Corsi

Full Text Available Abstract Objective: To assess the impact of extrinsic factors on fine motor performance of children aged 2-years old. Methods: 73 children attending public and 21 private day care centers were assessed. Day care environment was evaluated using the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale-Revised Edition (ITERS-R, fine motor performance was assessed through the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III (BSITD-III, socioeconomic data, maternal education and time of start at the day care were collected through interviews. Spearman's correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the association between the studied variables. Results: The time at the day care was positively correlated with the children's performance in some fine motor tasks of the BSITD-III, showing that the activities developed in day care centers were important for the refinement of specific motor skills, while the overall fine motor performance by the scale was associated with maternal education and the ITERS-R scale sub-item “language and understanding”. Conclusions: Extrinsic factors such as higher maternal education and quality of day care centers are associated with fine motor performance in children attending day care.

Impact of extrinsic factors on fine motor performance of children attending day care.

Science.gov (United States)

Corsi, Carolina; Santos, Mariana Martins Dos; Marques, Luísa de Andrade Perez; Rocha, Nelci Adriana Cicuto Ferreira

2016-12-01

To assess the impact of extrinsic factors on fine motor performance of children aged two years old. 73 children attending public and 21 private day care centers were assessed. Day care environment was evaluated using the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale - Revised Edition (ITERS-R), fine motor performance was assessed through the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development - III (BSITD-III), socioeconomic data, maternal education and time of start at the day care were collected through interviews. Spearman's correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the association between the studied variables. The time at the day care was positively correlated with the children's performance in some fine motor tasks of the BSITD-III, showing that the activities developed in day care centers were important for the refinement of specific motor skills, while the overall fine motor performance by the scale was associated with maternal education and the ITERS-R scale sub-item "language and understanding". Extrinsic factors such as higher maternal education and quality of day care centers are associated with fine motor performance in children attending day care. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade de Pediatria de São Paulo. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

A triple-scale crystal plasticity modeling and simulation on size effect due to fine-graining

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurosawa, Eisuke; Aoyagi, Yoshiteru; Tadano, Yuichi; Shizawa, Kazuyuki

2010-01-01

In this paper, a triple-scale crystal plasticity model bridging three hierarchical material structures, i.e., dislocation structure, grain aggregate and practical macroscopic structure is developed. Geometrically necessary (GN) dislocation density and GN incompatibility are employed so as to describe isolated dislocations and dislocation pairs in a grain, respectively. Then the homogenization method is introduced into the GN dislocation-crystal plasticity model for derivation of the governing equation of macroscopic structure with the mathematical and physical consistencies. Using the present model, a triple-scale FE simulation bridging the above three hierarchical structures is carried out for f.c.c. polycrystals with different mean grain size. It is shown that the present model can qualitatively reproduce size effects of macroscopic specimen with ultrafine-grain, i.e., the increase of initial yield stress, the decrease of hardening ratio after reaching tensile strength and the reduction of tensile ductility with decrease of its grain size. Moreover, the relationship between macroscopic yielding of specimen and microscopic grain yielding is discussed and the mechanism of the poor tensile ductility due to fine-graining is clarified. (author)

Spatial Autocorrelation Patterns of Understory Plant Species in a Subtropical Rainforest at Lanjenchi, Southern Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Su-Wei Fan

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Many studies described relationships between plant species and intrinsic or exogenous factors, but few quantified spatial scales of species patterns. In this study, quantitative methods were used to explore the spatial scale of understory species (including resident and transient species, in order to identify the influential factors of species distribution. Resident species (including herbaceous species, climbers and tree ferns < 1 m high were investigated on seven transects, each 5-meter wide and 300-meter long, at Lanjenchi plot in Nanjenshan Reserve, southern Taiwan. Transient species (seedling of canopy, subcanopy and shrub species < 1 cm diameter at breast height were censused in three of the seven transects. The herb coverage and seedling abundance were calculated for each 5 × 5 m quadrat along the transects, and Moran’s I and Galiano’s new local variance (NLV indices were then used to identify the spatial scale of autocorrelation for each species. Patterns of species abundance of understory layer varied among species at fine scale within 50 meters. Resident species showed a higher proportion of significant autocorrelation than the transient species. Species with large size or prolonged fronds or stems tended to show larger scales in autocorrelation. However, dispersal syndromes and fruit types did not relate to any species’ spatial patterns. Several species showed a significant autocorrelation at a 180-meter class which happened to correspond to the local replicates of topographical features in hilltops. The spatial patterns of understory species at Lanjenchi plot are mainly influenced by species’ intrinsic traits and topographical characteristics.

Temporal-spatial segregation among hummingbirds foraging on honeydew in a temperate forest in Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos LARA, Vanessa MARTÍNEZ-GARCÍA, Raúl ORTIZ-PULIDO, Jessica BRAVO-CADENA, Salvador LORANCA, Alex CÓRDOBA-AGUILAR

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Spatial and temporal variation in interactions between hummingbirds and plants have often been examined, and hummingbirds and insects are known to indirectly interact in networks of nectar plants. In a highland temperate forest in Hidalgo, Mexico some oak trees were heavily infested by honeydew-producing insects (family Margarodidae, tribe Xylococcini, genus Strigmacoccus and the honeydew was consumed by hummingbirds. Here using survival analysis we investigate how the honeydew produced by dense populations of these margarodids is temporally and spatially partitioned by hummingbirds. We also measured the availability and quality of honeydew exudates, and then we recorded the time until a bird visited and used such resources. Four hummingbird species consumed this resource (Atthis eloisa, Hylocharis leucotis, Colibri thalassinus and Eugenes fulgens. Data from 294 hours of observation on seven focal trees suggested temporal and spatial segregation among visiting birds according to body size and territorial behavior during the most honeydew-limited time. Hummingbird species differed in the daily times they foraged, as well as in the location where honeydew-producing insects were visited on the trees. Temporal and spatial segregation among hummingbird species is interpreted as an adaptation to reduce the risk of aggressive encounters. This may facilitate multispecies coexistence and allow these birds to exploit honeydew more effectively [Current Zoology 57 (1: 56–62, 2011].

Gender Segregation in the Spanish Labor Market: An Alternative Approach

Science.gov (United States)

del Rio, Coral; Alonso-Villar, Olga

2010-01-01

The aim of this paper is to study occupational segregation by gender in Spain, which is a country where occupational segregation explains a large part of the gender wage gap. As opposed to previous studies, this paper measures not only overall segregation, but also the segregation of several population subgroups. For this purpose, this paper uses…

Geckos as Springs: Mechanics Explain Across-Species Scaling of Adhesion.

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Casey A Gilman

Full Text Available One of the central controversies regarding the evolution of adhesion concerns how adhesive force scales as animals change in size, either among or within species. A widely held view is that as animals become larger, the primary mechanism that enables them to climb is increasing pad area. However, prior studies show that much of the variation in maximum adhesive force remains unexplained, even when area is accounted for. We tested the hypothesis that maximum adhesive force among pad-bearing gecko species is not solely dictated by toepad area, but also depends on the ratio of toepad area to gecko adhesive system compliance in the loading direction, where compliance (C is the change in extension (Δ relative to a change in force (F while loading a gecko's adhesive system (C = dΔ/dF. Geckos are well-known for their ability to climb on a range of vertical and overhanging surfaces, and range in mass from several grams to over 300 grams, yet little is understood of the factors that enable adhesion to scale with body size. We examined the maximum adhesive force of six gecko species that vary in body size (~2-100 g. We also examined changes between juveniles and adults within a single species (Phelsuma grandis. We found that maximum adhesive force and toepad area increased with increasing gecko size, and that as gecko species become larger, their adhesive systems become significantly less compliant. Additionally, our hypothesis was supported, as the best predictor of maximum adhesive force was not toepad area or compliance alone, but the ratio of toepad area to compliance. We verified this result using a synthetic "model gecko" system comprised of synthetic adhesive pads attached to a glass substrate and a synthetic tendon (mechanical spring of finite stiffness. Our data indicate that increases in toepad area as geckos become larger cannot fully account for increased adhesive abilities, and decreased compliance must be included to explain the scaling of

Geckos as Springs: Mechanics Explain Across-Species Scaling of Adhesion.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilman, Casey A; Imburgia, Michael J; Bartlett, Michael D; King, Daniel R; Crosby, Alfred J; Irschick, Duncan J

2015-01-01

One of the central controversies regarding the evolution of adhesion concerns how adhesive force scales as animals change in size, either among or within species. A widely held view is that as animals become larger, the primary mechanism that enables them to climb is increasing pad area. However, prior studies show that much of the variation in maximum adhesive force remains unexplained, even when area is accounted for. We tested the hypothesis that maximum adhesive force among pad-bearing gecko species is not solely dictated by toepad area, but also depends on the ratio of toepad area to gecko adhesive system compliance in the loading direction, where compliance (C) is the change in extension (Δ) relative to a change in force (F) while loading a gecko's adhesive system (C = dΔ/dF). Geckos are well-known for their ability to climb on a range of vertical and overhanging surfaces, and range in mass from several grams to over 300 grams, yet little is understood of the factors that enable adhesion to scale with body size. We examined the maximum adhesive force of six gecko species that vary in body size (~2-100 g). We also examined changes between juveniles and adults within a single species (Phelsuma grandis). We found that maximum adhesive force and toepad area increased with increasing gecko size, and that as gecko species become larger, their adhesive systems become significantly less compliant. Additionally, our hypothesis was supported, as the best predictor of maximum adhesive force was not toepad area or compliance alone, but the ratio of toepad area to compliance. We verified this result using a synthetic "model gecko" system comprised of synthetic adhesive pads attached to a glass substrate and a synthetic tendon (mechanical spring) of finite stiffness. Our data indicate that increases in toepad area as geckos become larger cannot fully account for increased adhesive abilities, and decreased compliance must be included to explain the scaling of adhesion in

Identification of independent association signals and putative functional variants for breast cancer risk through fine-scale mapping of the 12p11 locus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C. Zeng (Chenjie); Guo, X. (Xingyi); J. Long (Jirong); K.B. Kuchenbaecker (Karoline); A. Droit (Arnaud); K. Michailidou (Kyriaki); M. Ghoussaini (Maya); S. Kar (Siddhartha); Freeman, A. (Adam); J.L. Hopper (John); R.L. Milne (Roger); M.K. Bolla (Manjeet K.); Wang, Q. (Qin); J. Dennis (Joe); S. Agata (Simona); S. Ahmed (Shahana); K. Aittomäki (Kristiina); I.L. Andrulis (Irene); H. Anton-Culver (Hoda); Antonenkova, N.N. (Natalia N.); A. Arason (Adalgeir); Arndt, V. (Volker); B.K. Arun (Banu); B. Arver (Brita Wasteson); F. Bacot (Francois); D. Barrowdale (Daniel); Baynes, C. (Caroline); A. Beeghly-Fadiel (Alicia); J. Benítez (Javier); M. Bermisheva (Marina); C. Blomqvist (Carl); W.J. Blot (William); N.V. Bogdanova (Natalia); S.E. Bojesen (Stig); B. Bonnani (Bernardo); A.-L. Borresen-Dale (Anne-Lise); J.S. Brand (Judith S.); H. Brauch (Hiltrud); P. Brennan (Paul); H. Brenner (Hermann); A. Broeks (Annegien); T. Brüning (Thomas); B. Burwinkel (Barbara); S.S. Buys (Saundra); Q. Cai (Qiuyin); T. Caldes (Trinidad); I. Campbell (Ian); T.A. Carpenter (Adrian); J. Chang-Claude (Jenny); Choi, J.-Y. (Ji-Yeob); K.B.M. Claes (Kathleen B.M.); C. Clarke (Christine); A. Cox (Angela); S.S. Cross (Simon); K. Czene (Kamila); M.B. Daly (Mary B.); M. de La Hoya (Miguel); K. De Leeneer (Kim); P. Devilee (Peter); O. Díez (Orland); S.M. Domchek (Susan); M. Doody (Michele); C.M. Dorfling (Cecilia); T. Dörk (Thilo); I. dos Santos Silva (Isabel); M. Dumont (Martine); M. Dwek (Miriam); Dworniczak, B. (Bernd); K.M. Egan (Kathleen); U. Eilber (Ursula); Z. Einbeigi (Zakaria); B. Ejlertsen (Bent); S.D. Ellis (Steve); D. Frost (Debra); F. Lalloo (Fiona); P.A. Fasching (Peter); J.D. Figueroa (Jonine); H. Flyger (Henrik); M. Friedlander (Michael); E. Friedman (Eitan); Gambino, G. (Gaetana); Gao, Y.-T. (Yu-Tang); J. Garber (Judy); M. García-Closas (Montserrat); P.A. Gehrig (Paola A.); F. Damiola (Francesca); F. Lesueur (Fabienne); S. Mazoyer (Sylvie); D. Stoppa-Lyonnet (Dominique); Giles, G.G. (Graham G.); A.K. Godwin (Andrew K.); D. Goldgar (David); A. González-Neira (Anna); M.H. Greene (Mark H.); P. Guénel (Pascal); L. Haeberle (Lothar); C.A. Haiman (Christopher A.); Hallberg, E. (Emily); U. Hamann (Ute); T.V.O. Hansen (Thomas); S. Hart (Stewart); J.M. Hartikainen (J.); J.M. Hartman (Joost); N. Hassan (Norhashimah); S. Healey (Sue); F.B.L. Hogervorst (Frans); S. Verhoef; Hendricks, C.B. (Carolyn B.); P. Hillemanns (Peter); A. Hollestelle (Antoinette); P.J. Hulick (Peter); D. Hunter (David); E.N. Imyanitov (Evgeny); C. Isaacs (Claudine); H. Ito (Hidemi); A. Jakubowska (Anna); R. Janavicius (Ramunas); Jaworska-Bieniek, K. (Katarzyna); U.B. Jensen; E.M. John (Esther); Joly Beauparlant, C. (Charles); M. Jones (Michael); M. Kabisch (Maria); D. Kang (Daehee); Karlan, B.Y. (Beth Y.); S. Kauppila (Saila); M. Kerin (Michael); S. Khan (Sofia); E.K. Khusnutdinova (Elza); J.A. Knight (Julia); I. Konstantopoulou (I.); P. Kraft (Peter); A. Kwong (Ava); Y. Laitman (Yael); Lambrechts, D. (Diether); C. Lazaro (Conxi); L. Le Marchand (Loic); C.N. Lee (Chuen); M.H. Lee (Min Hyuk); K.J. Lester (Kathryn); J. Li (Jingmei); A. Liljegren (Annelie); A. Lindblom (Annika); A. Lophatananon (Artitaya); J. Lubinski (Jan); P.L. Mai (Phuong); A. Mannermaa (Arto); S. Manoukian (Siranoush); S. Margolin (Sara); Marme, F. (Frederik); K. Matsuo (Keitaro); L. McGuffog (Lesley); A. Meindl (Alfons); F. Menegaux (Florence); M. Montagna (Marco); K.R. Muir (K.); A.-M. Mulligan (Anna-Marie); K.L. Nathanson (Katherine); S.L. Neuhausen (Susan); H. Nevanlinna (Heli); P. Newcomb (Polly); S. Nord (Silje); R.L. Nussbaum (Robert L.); K. Offit (Kenneth); E. Olah; O.I. Olopade (Olufunmilayo I.); C. Olswold (Curtis); A. Osorio (Ana); L. Papi (Laura); T.-W. Park-Simon; Paulsson-Karlsson, Y. (Ylva); S.T.H. Peeters (Stephanie); B. Peissel (Bernard); P. Peterlongo (Paolo); J. Peto (Julian); G. Pfeiler (Georg); C. Phelan (Catherine); Presneau, N. (Nadege); P. Radice (Paolo); N. Rahman (Nazneen); S.J. Ramus (Susan); M.U. Rashid (Muhammad); G. Rennert (Gad); K. Rhiem (Kerstin); Rudolph, A. (Anja); R. Salani (Ritu); Sangrajrang, S. (Suleeporn); E.J. Sawyer (Elinor); M.K. Schmidt (Marjanka); R.K. Schmutzler (Rita); M. Schoemaker (Minouk); P. Schürmann (Peter); C.M. Seynaeve (Caroline); C.-Y. Shen (Chen-Yang); M. Shrubsole (Martha); X.-O. Shu (Xiao-Ou); A.J. Sigurdson (Alice); C.F. Singer (Christian); S. Slager (Susan); Soucy, P. (Penny); M.C. Southey (Melissa); D. Steinemann (Doris); A.J. Swerdlow (Anthony ); C. Szabo (Csilla); Tchatchou, S. (Sandrine); P.J. Teixeira; S.-H. Teo (Soo-Hwang); M.B. Terry (Mary Beth); D.C. Tessier (Daniel C.); A. Teulé (A.); M. Thomassen (Mads); L. Tihomirova (Laima); M. Tischkowitz (Marc); A.E. Toland (Amanda); N. Tung (Nadine); C. Turnbull (Clare); A.M.W. van den Ouweland (Ans); E.J. van Rensburg (Elizabeth); ven den Berg, D. (David); J. Vijai (Joseph); S. Wang-Gohrke (Shan); J.N. Weitzel (Jeffrey); A.S. Whittemore (Alice); R. Winqvist (Robert); Wong, T.Y. (Tien Y.); A.H. Wu (Anna); Yannoukakos, D. (Drakoulis); J-C. Yu (Jyh-Cherng); P.D.P. Pharoah (Paul); P. Hall (Per); G. Chenevix-Trench (Georgia); A.M. Dunning (Alison); J. Simard (Jacques); F.J. Couch (Fergus); A.C. Antoniou (Antonis C.); D.F. Easton (Douglas F.); W. Zheng (Wei)

2016-01-01

textabstractBackground: Multiple recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs10771399, at 12p11 that is associated with breast cancer risk. Method: We performed a fine-scale mapping study of a 700 kb region including 441 genotyped and more

Radiation induced phosphorus segregation in austenitic and ferritic alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brimhall, J.L.; Baer, D.R.; Jones, R.H.

1984-01-01

The radiation induced surface segregation (RIS) of phosphorus in stainless steel attained a maximum at a dose of 0.8 dpa then decreased continually with dose. This decrease in the surface segregation of phosphorus at high dose levels has been attributed to removal of the phosphorus layer by ion sputtering. Phosphorus is not replenished since essentially all of the phosphorus within the irradiation zone has been segregated to the surface. Sputter removal can explain the previously reported absence of phosphorus segregation in ferritic alloys irradiated at high dosessup(1,2) (>1 dpa) since irradiation of ferritic alloys to low doses has shown measurable RIS. This sputtering phenomenon places an inherent limitation to the heavy ion irradiation technique for the study of surface segregation of impurity elements. The magnitude of the segregation in ferritics is still much less than in stainless steel which can be related to the low damage accumulation in these alloys. (orig.)

Biological effects of long term fine limestone tailings discharge in a fjord ecosystem.

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Lucy; Melsom, Fredrik; Glette, Tormod

2015-07-15

Benthic infaunal data collected from 1993 to 2010 were analysed to examine the effect of long term discharge of fine limestone tailings on macrofaunal species assemblages in a fjord. Relative distance from the outfall and proportion of fine tailings in the sediment were correlated with benthic community structure. Diversity decreased with increasing proportion of fine tailings. Biological Traits Analysis (BTA) was used to explore the temporal and spatial effects of the tailings gradient on macrofaunal functional attributes. BTA revealed that all stations along a pressure gradient of fine limestone tailings were dominated by free-living species. As the proportion of fine tailings in the sediment increased, there was an increase in fauna that were smaller, highly mobile, living on or nearer the surface sediment, with shorter lifespans. There was a decrease in permanent tube dwellers, those fauna with low or no mobility, that live deeper in the sediment and have longer lifespans (>5 yrs). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New Multilocus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis (MLVA) Scheme for Fine-Scale Monitoring and Microevolution-Related Study of Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum Phylotype I Populations

Science.gov (United States)

Guinard, Jérémy; Latreille, Anne; Guérin, Fabien; Poussier, Stéphane

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Bacterial wilt caused by the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC) is considered one of the most harmful plant diseases in the world. Special attention should be paid to R. pseudosolanacearum phylotype I due to its large host range, its worldwide distribution, and its high evolutionary potential. So far, the molecular epidemiology and population genetics of this bacterium are poorly understood. Until now, the genetic structure of the RSSC has been analyzed on the worldwide and regional scales. Emerging questions regarding evolutionary forces in RSSC adaptation to hosts now require genetic markers that are able to monitor RSSC field populations. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) approach for its ability to discriminate genetically close phylotype I strains and for population genetics studies. We developed a new MLVA scheme (MLVA-7) allowing us to genotype 580 R. pseudosolanacearum phylotype I strains extracted from susceptible and resistant hosts and from different habitats (stem, soil, and rhizosphere). Based on specificity, polymorphism, and the amplification success rate, we selected seven fast-evolving variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) markers. The newly developed MLVA-7 scheme showed higher discriminatory power than the previously published MLVA-13 scheme when applied to collections sampled from the same location on different dates and to collections from different locations on very small scales. Our study provides a valuable tool for fine-scale monitoring and microevolution-related study of R. pseudosolanacearum phylotype I populations. IMPORTANCE Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of adaptation of plant pathogens to new hosts or ecological niches has become a key point for the development of innovative disease management strategies, including durable resistance. Whereas the molecular mechanisms underlying virulence or pathogenicity changes have been studied thoroughly, the

Improvement in dry active waste segregation and processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hillmer, T.P.; Anderson, K.D.; Dahlen, D.E.

1989-01-01

At the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS) the majority of dry active waste (DAW) volume reduction activities are performed in the site's new DAW processing and storage facility. This facility houses an interim storage area for a five year volume of compacted DAW, a shredder/compactor, and a DAW segregation area. The DAW segregation program locates and separates non-radioactive and reusable materials from DAW generated at the three unit PVNGS site. This program has saved more than 24,000 cubic feet of burial space and has reclaimed more than $1,000,000 worth of materials. Palo Verde has made numerous changes to the DAW segregation program since its inception. To ensure that the DAW segregation program remained cost effective and in compliance with applicable regulatory guidance, segregation techniques were revised and new equipment was evaluated and procured. This paper details that effort and summarizes the operational data that has been collected

Improving extinction projections across scales and habitats using the countryside species-area relationship.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Inês Santos; Pereira, Henrique Miguel

2017-10-10

The species-area relationship (SAR) has been often used to project species extinctions as a consequence of habitat loss. However, recent studies have suggested that the SAR may overestimate species extinctions, at least in the short-term. We argue that the main reason for this overestimation is that the classic SAR ignores the persistence of species in human-modified habitats. We use data collected worldwide to analyse what is the fraction of bird and plant species that remain in different human-modified habitats at the local scale after full habitat conversion. We observe that both taxa have consistent responses to the different land-use types, with strongest reductions in species richness in cropland across the globe, and in pasture in the tropics. We show that the results from these studies cannot be linearly scaled from plots to large regions, as this again overestimates the impacts of land-use change on biodiversity. The countryside SAR provides a unifying framework to incorporate both the effect of species persistence in the landscape matrix and the non-linear response of the proportion of species extinctions to sampling area, generating more realistic projections of biodiversity loss.

The fine-tuning cost of the likelihood in SUSY models

CERN Document Server

Ghilencea, D M

2013-01-01

In SUSY models, the fine tuning of the electroweak (EW) scale with respect to their parameters gamma_i={m_0, m_{1/2}, mu_0, A_0, B_0,...} and the maximal likelihood L to fit the experimental data are usually regarded as two different problems. We show that, if one regards the EW minimum conditions as constraints that fix the EW scale, this commonly held view is not correct and that the likelihood contains all the information about fine-tuning. In this case we show that the corrected likelihood is equal to the ratio L/Delta of the usual likelihood L and the traditional fine tuning measure Delta of the EW scale. A similar result is obtained for the integrated likelihood over the set {gamma_i}, that can be written as a surface integral of the ratio L/Delta, with the surface in gamma_i space determined by the EW minimum constraints. As a result, a large likelihood actually demands a large ratio L/Delta or equivalently, a small chi^2_{new}=chi^2_{old}+2*ln(Delta). This shows the fine-tuning cost to the likelihood ...

How Segregation Makes Us Fat: Food Behaviors and Food Environment as Mediators of the Relationship Between Residential Segregation and Individual Body Mass Index

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melody Goodman

2018-03-01

Full Text Available ObjectivesRacial residential segregation affects food landscapes that dictate residents’ food environments and is associated with obesity risk factors, including individual dietary patterns and behaviors. We examine if food behaviors and environments mediate the association between segregation and body mass index (BMI.MethodsNon-Hispanic Whites and Blacks living in the St. Louis and Kansas City metro regions from 2012 to 2013 were surveyed on dietary behaviors, food environment, and BMI (n = 1,412. These data were combined with the CDC’s modified retail food environment index and 2012 American Community Survey data to calculate racial segregation using various evenness and exposure indices. Multi-level mediation analyses were conducted to determine if dietary behavior and food environment mediate the association between racial residential segregation and individual BMI.ResultsThe positive association between racial segregation and individual BMI is partially mediated by dietary behaviors and fully mediated by food environments.ConclusionRacial segregation (evenness and exposure is associated with BMI, mediated by dietary behaviors and food environment. Elements of the food environment, which form the context for dietary behaviors, are potential targets for interventions to reduce obesity in residentially segregated areas.

Prokaryotic DNA segregation by an actin-like filament

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller-Jensen, Jakob; Bugge Jensen, Rasmus; Löwe, Jan

2002-01-01

The mechanisms responsible for prokaryotic DNA segregation are largely unknown. The partitioning locus (par) encoded by the Escherichia coli plasmid R1 actively segregates its replicon to daughter cells. We show here that the ParM ATPase encoded by par forms dynamic actin-like filaments with prop...... point for ParM polymerization. Hence, we provide evidence for a simple prokaryotic analogue of the eukaryotic mitotic spindle apparatus.......The mechanisms responsible for prokaryotic DNA segregation are largely unknown. The partitioning locus (par) encoded by the Escherichia coli plasmid R1 actively segregates its replicon to daughter cells. We show here that the ParM ATPase encoded by par forms dynamic actin-like filaments...

Biogenic, anthropogenic and sea salt sulfate size-segregated aerosols in the Arctic summer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Ghahremaninezhad

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Size-segregated aerosol sulfate concentrations were measured on board the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS Amundsen in the Arctic during July 2014. The objective of this study was to utilize the isotopic composition of sulfate to address the contribution of anthropogenic and biogenic sources of aerosols to the growth of the different aerosol size fractions in the Arctic atmosphere. Non-sea-salt sulfate is divided into biogenic and anthropogenic sulfate using stable isotope apportionment techniques. A considerable amount of the average sulfate concentration in the fine aerosols with a diameter  <  0.49 µm was from biogenic sources (>  63 %, which is higher than in previous Arctic studies measuring above the ocean during fall (<  15 % (Rempillo et al., 2011 and total aerosol sulfate at higher latitudes at Alert in summer (>  30 % (Norman et al., 1999. The anthropogenic sulfate concentration was less than that of biogenic sulfate, with potential sources being long-range transport and, more locally, the Amundsen's emissions. Despite attempts to minimize the influence of ship stack emissions, evidence from larger-sized particles demonstrates a contribution from local pollution. A comparison of δ34S values for SO2 and fine aerosols was used to show that gas-to-particle conversion likely occurred during most sampling periods. δ34S values for SO2 and fine aerosols were similar, suggesting the same source for SO2 and aerosol sulfate, except for two samples with a relatively high anthropogenic fraction in particles  <  0.49 µm in diameter (15–17 and 17–19 July. The high biogenic fraction of sulfate fine aerosol and similar isotope ratio values of these particles and SO2 emphasize the role of marine organisms (e.g., phytoplankton, algae, bacteria in the formation of fine particles above the Arctic Ocean during the productive summer months.

Spatial segregation of spawning habitat limits hybridization between sympatric native Steelhead and Coastal Cutthroat Trout

Science.gov (United States)

Buehrens, T.W.; Glasgow, J.; Ostberg, Carl O.; Quinn, T.P.

2013-01-01

Native Coastal Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii and Coastal Steelhead O. mykiss irideus hybridize naturally in watersheds of the Pacific Northwest yet maintain species integrity. Partial reproductive isolation due to differences in spawning habitat may limit hybridization between these species, but this process is poorly understood. We used a riverscape approach to determine the spatial distribution of spawning habitats used by native Coastal Cutthroat Trout and Steelhead as evidenced by the distribution of recently emerged fry. Molecular genetic markers were used to classify individuals as pure species or hybrids, and individuals were assigned to age-classes based on length. Fish and physical habitat data were collected in a spatially continuous framework to assess the relationship between habitat and watershed features and the spatial distribution of parental species and hybrids. Sampling occurred in 35 reaches from tidewaters to headwaters in a small (20 km2) coastal watershed in Washington State. Cutthroat, Steelhead, and hybrid trout accounted for 35%, 42%, and 23% of the fish collected, respectively. Strong segregation of spawning areas between Coastal Cutthroat Trout and Steelhead was evidenced by the distribution of age-0 trout. Cutthroat Trout were located farther upstream and in smaller tributaries than Steelhead were. The best predictor of species occurrence at a site was the drainage area of the watershed that contributed to the site. This area was positively correlated with the occurrence of age-0 Steelhead and negatively with the presence of Cutthroat Trout, whereas hybrids were found in areas occupied by both parental species. A similar pattern was observed in older juveniles of both species but overlap was greater, suggesting substantial dispersal of trout after emergence. Our results offer support for spatial reproductive segregation as a factor limiting hybridization between Steelhead and Coastal Cutthroat Trout.

Ab initio and Atomic kinetic Monte Carlo modelling of segregation in concentrated FeCrNi alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Piochaud, J. B.; Becquart, C. S.; Domain, C.

2014-06-01

Internal structure of pressurised water reactors are made of austenitic materials. Under irradiation, the microstructure of these concentrated alloys evolves and solute segregation on grain boundaries or irradiation defects such as dislocation loops are observed to take place. In order to model and predict the microstructure evolution, a multiscale modelling approach needs to be developed, which starts at the atomic scale. Atomic Kinetic Monte Carlo (AKMC) modelling is the method we chose to provide an insight on defect mediated diffusion under irradiation. In that approach, we model the concentrated commercial steel as a FeCrNi alloy (γ-Fe70Cr20Ni10). As no reliable empirical potential exists at the moment to reproduce faithfully the phase diagram and the interactions of the elements and point defects, we have adjusted a pair interaction model on large amount of DFT calculations. The point defect properties in the Fe70Cr20Ni10, and more precisely, how their formation energy depends on the local environment will be presented and some AKMC results on thermal non equilibrium segregation and radiation induce segregation will be presented. The effect of Si on the segregation will also be discussed.

Analysis of T-DNA integration and generative segregation in transgenic winter triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hensel Goetz

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background While the genetic transformation of the major cereal crops has become relatively routine, to date only a few reports were published on transgenic triticale, and robust data on T-DNA integration and segregation have not been available in this species. Results Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of stable transgenic winter triticale cv. Bogo carrying the selectable marker gene HYGROMYCIN PHOSPHOTRANSFERASE (HPT and a synthetic green fluorescent protein gene (gfp. Progeny of four independent transgenic plants were comprehensively investigated with regard to the number of integrated T-DNA copies, the number of plant genomic integration loci, the integrity and functionality of individual T-DNA copies, as well as the segregation of transgenes in T1 and T2 generations, which also enabled us to identify homozygous transgenic lines. The truncation of some integrated T-DNAs at their left end along with the occurrence of independent segregation of multiple T-DNAs unintendedly resulted in a single-copy segregant that is selectable marker-free and homozygous for the gfp gene. The heritable expression of gfp driven by the maize UBI-1 promoter was demonstrated by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Conclusions The used transformation method is a valuable tool for the genetic engineering of triticale. Here we show that comprehensive molecular analyses are required for the correct interpretation of phenotypic data collected from the transgenic plants.

Sound source localization and segregation with internally coupled ears

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bee, Mark A; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jakob

2016-01-01

to their correct sources (sound source segregation). Here, we review anatomical, biophysical, neurophysiological, and behavioral studies aimed at identifying how the internally coupled ears of frogs contribute to sound source localization and segregation. Our review focuses on treefrogs in the genus Hyla......, as they are the most thoroughly studied frogs in terms of sound source localization and segregation. They also represent promising model systems for future work aimed at understanding better how internally coupled ears contribute to sound source localization and segregation. We conclude our review by enumerating...

Texture segregation, surface representation and figure-ground separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Grossberg, S; Pessoa, L

1998-09-01

A widespread view is that most texture segregation can be accounted for by differences in the spatial frequency content of texture regions. Evidence from both psychophysical and physiological studies indicate, however, that beyond these early filtering stages, there are stages of 3-D boundary segmentation and surface representation that are used to segregate textures. Chromatic segregation of element-arrangement patterns--as studied by Beck and colleagues--cannot be completely explained by the filtering mechanisms previously employed to account for achromatic segregation. An element arrangement pattern is composed of two types of elements that are arranged differently in different image regions (e.g. vertically on top and diagonally on the bottom). FACADE theory mechanisms that have previously been used to explain data about 3-D vision and figure-ground separation are here used to simulate chromatic texture segregation data, including data with equiluminant elements on dark or light homogeneous backgrounds, or backgrounds composed of vertical and horizontal dark or light stripes, or horizontal notched stripes. These data include the fact that segregation of patterns composed of red and blue squares decreases with increasing luminance of the interspaces. Asymmetric segregation properties under 3-D viewing conditions with the equiluminant elements close or far are also simulated. Two key model properties are a spatial impenetrability property that inhibits boundary grouping across regions with non-collinear texture elements and a boundary-surface consistency property that uses feedback between boundary and surface representations to eliminate spurious boundary groupings and separate figures from their backgrounds.

Ion balance and acidity of size-segregated particles during haze episodes in urban Beijing

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Shili; Pan, Yuepeng; Wang, Yuesi

2018-03-01

In this study, we investigated how the ion balance causes variations in size segregated aerosol acidity and atmospheric processing on clean versus hazy days using a 9-stage sampler. We calculated the ratios (in charge equivalents, RC/A) between measured cations (Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2 +, and Ca2 +) and anions (SO42 -, NO3- and Cl-) for different aerosol size fractions. The ratios were typically close to unity in the accumulation mode (0.65-2.1 μm), and increased significantly when the particle size increased or decreased. In the coarse size range (aerodynamic diameter > 2.1 μm), high RC/A values were most likely caused by the undetermined CO32- and HCO3- content of the mineral dust. In contrast, the high RC/A values for submicron aerosols (NH4+ (SNA) and concentrations of SNA increased with the increasing aerosol acidity. Significant correlations between [NO3-]/[SO42 -] and [NH4+]/[SO42 -] during NH4+-rich conditions in fine size fractions indicated fine mode NO3- in Beijing was mainly formed by gas-phase homogeneous reaction between the ambient NH3 and HNO3.

Dispersal capacity and genetic structure of Arapaima gigas on different geographic scales using microsatellite markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Araripe, Juliana; do Rêgo, Péricles Sena; Queiroz, Helder; Sampaio, Iracilda; Schneider, Horacio

2013-01-01

Despite the ecological and economic importance of the Arapaima gigas (Cuvier 1817), few data about its dispersal capacity are available. The present study was based on the analysis of microsatellite markers in order to estimate the dispersal capacity of the species on fine, meso, and large geographic scales. For this, 561 specimens obtained from stocks separated by distances of up to 25 km (fine scale), 100 km (meso scale), and 1300-2300 km (large scale) were analyzed. The fine scale analysis indicated a marked genetic similarity between lakes, with low genetic differentiation, and significant differences between only a few pairs of sites. Low to moderate genetic differentiation was observed between pairs of sites on a meso scale (100 km), which could be explained by the distances between sites. By contrast, major genetic differentiation was recorded in the large scale analysis, that is, between stocks separated by distances of over 1300 km, with the analysis indicating that differentiation was not related solely to distance. The genetic structuring analysis indicated the presence of two stocks, one represented by the arapaimas of the Mamirauá Reserve, and the other by those of Santarém and Tucuruí. The dispersal of arapaimas over short distances indicates a process of lateral migration within the várzea floodplains, which may be the principal factor determining the considerable homogeneity observed among the várzea lakes. The populations separated by distances of approximately 100 km were characterized by reduced genetic differentiation, which was associated with the geographic distances between sites. Populations separated by distances of over 1300 km were characterized by a high degree of genetic differentiation, which may be related primarily to historical bottlenecks in population size and the sedentary behavior of the species. Evidence was found of asymmetric gene flow, resulting in increasing genetic variability in the population of the Mamirau

"E Pluribus"... Separation: Deepening Double Segregation for More Students

Science.gov (United States)

Orfield, Gary; Kucsera, John; Siegel-Hawley, Genevieve

2012-01-01

This report shows segregation has increased dramatically across the country for Latino students, who are attending more intensely segregated and impoverished schools than they have for generations. The segregation increases have been the most dramatic in the West. The typical Latino student in the region attends a school where less than a quarter…

Strong influence of regional species pools on continent-wide structuring of local communities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lessard, Jean-Philippe; Borregaard, Michael Krabbe; Fordyce, James A.

2012-01-01

pool, to examine the interplay between broad-scale evolutionary and fine-scale ecological processes. Finally, a renewed interest in the influence of species source pools on communities has shown that the definition of the source pool influences interpretations of patterns of community structure. We use...... of communities along climatic gradients. We find that the average phylogenetic relatedness of species in ant communities decreases from tropical to temperate regions, but the strength of this relationship depends on the level of ecological realism in the definition of source pools. We conclude that the evolution...... of climatic niches influences the phylogenetic structure of regional source pools and that the influence of regional source pools on local community structure is strong....

Occupational Segregation by Sex: Determinants and Changes.

Science.gov (United States)

Beller, Andrea H.

1982-01-01

This study found that occupational sex segregation began to diminish during the 1970s, in conjunction with enforcement of the equal employment opportunity laws against sex discrimination in employment. The success of these laws suggests that discrimination was originally a determinant of occupational segregation. (Author/SK)

Solute segregation during irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiedersich, H.; Okamoto, P.R.; Lam, N.Q.

1977-01-01

Irradiation at elevated temperature induces redistribution of the elements in alloys on a microstructural level. This phenomenon is caused by differences in the coupling of the various alloy constituents to the radiation-induced defect fluxes. A simple model of the segregation process based on coupled reaction-rate and diffusion equations is discussed. The model gives a good description of the experimentally observed consequences of radiation-induced segregation, including enrichment or depletion of solute elements near defect sinks such as surfaces, voids and dislocations; precipitation of second phases in solid solutions; precipitate redistribution in two-phase alloys; and effects of defect-production rates on void-swelling rates in alloys with minor solute additions

Dynamics of Escherichia coli Chromosome Segregation during Multifork Replication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Henrik Jørck; Youngren, Brenda; Hansen, Flemming G.

2007-01-01

Slowly growing Escherichia coli cells have a simple cell cycle, with replication and progressive segregation of the chromosome completed before cell division. In rapidly growing cells, initiation of replication occurs before the previous replication rounds are complete. At cell division, the chro......Slowly growing Escherichia coli cells have a simple cell cycle, with replication and progressive segregation of the chromosome completed before cell division. In rapidly growing cells, initiation of replication occurs before the previous replication rounds are complete. At cell division......, the chromosomes contain multiple replication forks and must be segregated while this complex pattern of replication is still ongoing. Here, we show that replication and segregation continue in step, starting at the origin and progressing to the replication terminus. Thus, early-replicated markers on the multiple......-branched chromosomes continue to separate soon after replication to form separate protonucleoids, even though they are not segregated into different daughter cells until later generations. The segregation pattern follows the pattern of chromosome replication and does not follow the cell division cycle. No extensive...

The Segregation and Integration of Distinct Brain Networks and Their Relationship to Cognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Jessica R; D'Esposito, Mark

2016-11-30

A critical feature of the human brain that gives rise to complex cognition is its ability to reconfigure its network structure dynamically and adaptively in response to the environment. Existing research probing task-related reconfiguration of brain network structure has concluded that, although there are many similarities in network structure during an intrinsic, resting state and during the performance of a variety of cognitive tasks, there are meaningful differences as well. In this study, we related intrinsic, resting state network organization to reconfigured network organization during the performance of two tasks: a sequence tapping task, which is thought to probe motor execution and likely engages a single brain network, and an n-back task, which is thought to probe working memory and likely requires coordination across multiple networks. We implemented graph theoretical analyses using functional connectivity data from fMRI scans to calculate whole-brain measures of network organization in healthy young adults. We focused on quantifying measures of network segregation (modularity, system segregation, local efficiency, number of provincial hub nodes) and measures of network integration (global efficiency, number of connector hub nodes). Using these measures, we found converging evidence that local, within-network communication is critical for motor execution, whereas integrative, between-network communication is critical for working memory. These results confirm that the human brain has the remarkable ability to reconfigure its large-scale organization dynamically in response to current cognitive demands and that interpreting reconfiguration in terms of network segregation and integration may shed light on the optimal network structures underlying successful cognition. The dynamic nature of the human brain gives rise to the wide range of behaviors and cognition of which humans are capable. We collected fMRI data from healthy young adults and measured large-scale

Simulating Fine-Scale Marine Pollution Plumes for Autonomous Robotic Environmental Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Fahad

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Marine plumes exhibit characteristics such as intermittency, sinuous structure, shape and flow field coherency, and a time varying concentration profile. Due to the lack of experimental quantification of these characteristics for marine plumes, existing work often assumes marine plumes exhibit behavior similar to aerial plumes and are commonly modeled by filament based Lagrangian models. Our previous field experiments with Rhodamine dye plumes at Makai Research Pier at Oahu, Hawaii revealed that marine plumes show similar characteristics to aerial plumes qualitatively, but quantitatively they are disparate. Based on the field data collected, this paper presents a calibrated Eulerian plume model that exhibits the qualitative and quantitative characteristics exhibited by experimentally generated marine plumes. We propose a modified model with an intermittent source, and implement it in a Robot Operating System (ROS based simulator. Concentration time series of stationary sampling points and dynamic sampling points across cross-sections and plume fronts are collected and analyzed for statistical parameters of the simulated plume. These parameters are then compared with statistical parameters from experimentally generated plumes. The comparison validates that the simulated plumes exhibit fine-scale qualitative and quantitative characteristics similar to experimental plumes. The ROS plume simulator facilitates future evaluations of environmental monitoring strategies by marine robots, and is made available for community use.

Segregation by onset asynchrony.

Science.gov (United States)

Hancock, P J B; Walton, L; Mitchell, G; Plenderleith, Y; Phillips, W A

2008-08-05

We describe a simple psychophysical paradigm for studying figure-ground segregation by onset asynchrony. Two pseudorandom arrays of Gabor patches are displayed, to left and right of fixation. Within one array, a subset of elements form a figure, such as a randomly curving path, that can only be reliably detected when their onset is not synchronized with that of the background elements. Several findings are reported. First, for most participants, segregation required an onset asynchrony of 20-40 ms. Second, detection was no better when the figure was presented first, and thus by itself, than when the background elements were presented first, even though in the latter case the figure could not be detected in either of the two successive displays alone. Third, asynchrony segregated subsets of randomly oriented elements equally well. Fourth, asynchronous onsets aligned with the path could be discriminated from those lying on the path but not aligned with it. Fifth, both transient and sustained neural activity contribute to detection. We argue that these findings are compatible with neural signaling by synchronized rate codes. Finally, schizophrenic disorganization is associated with reduced sensitivity. Thus, in addition to bearing upon basic theoretical issues, this paradigm may have clinical utility.

Grain Boundary Segregation in Metals

CERN Document Server

Lejcek, Pavel

2010-01-01

Grain boundaries are important structural components of polycrystalline materials used in the vast majority of technical applications. Because grain boundaries form a continuous network throughout such materials, their properties may limit their practical use. One of the serious phenomena which evoke these limitations is the grain boundary segregation of impurities. It results in the loss of grain boundary cohesion and consequently, in brittle fracture of the materials. The current book deals with fundamentals of grain boundary segregation in metallic materials and its relationship to the grain boundary structure, classification and other materials properties.

Two critical periods in early visual cortex during figure–ground segregation

Science.gov (United States)

Wokke, Martijn E; Sligte, Ilja G; Steven Scholte, H; Lamme, Victor A F

2012-01-01

The ability to distinguish a figure from its background is crucial for visual perception. To date, it remains unresolved where and how in the visual system different stages of figure–ground segregation emerge. Neural correlates of figure border detection have consistently been found in early visual cortex (V1/V2). However, areas V1/V2 have also been frequently associated with later stages of figure–ground segregation (such as border ownership or surface segregation). To causally link activity in early visual cortex to different stages of figure–ground segregation, we briefly disrupted activity in areas V1/V2 at various moments in time using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Prior to stimulation we presented stimuli that made it possible to differentiate between figure border detection and surface segregation. We concurrently recorded electroencephalographic (EEG) signals to examine how neural correlates of figure–ground segregation were affected by TMS. Results show that disruption of V1/V2 in an early time window (96–119 msec) affected detection of figure stimuli and affected neural correlates of figure border detection, border ownership, and surface segregation. TMS applied in a relatively late time window (236–259 msec) selectively deteriorated performance associated with surface segregation. We conclude that areas V1/V2 are not only essential in an early stage of figure–ground segregation when figure borders are detected, but subsequently causally contribute to more sophisticated stages of figure–ground segregation such as surface segregation. PMID:23170239

Two critical periods in early visual cortex during figure-ground segregation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wokke, Martijn E; Sligte, Ilja G; Steven Scholte, H; Lamme, Victor A F

2012-11-01

The ability to distinguish a figure from its background is crucial for visual perception. To date, it remains unresolved where and how in the visual system different stages of figure-ground segregation emerge. Neural correlates of figure border detection have consistently been found in early visual cortex (V1/V2). However, areas V1/V2 have also been frequently associated with later stages of figure-ground segregation (such as border ownership or surface segregation). To causally link activity in early visual cortex to different stages of figure-ground segregation, we briefly disrupted activity in areas V1/V2 at various moments in time using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Prior to stimulation we presented stimuli that made it possible to differentiate between figure border detection and surface segregation. We concurrently recorded electroencephalographic (EEG) signals to examine how neural correlates of figure-ground segregation were affected by TMS. Results show that disruption of V1/V2 in an early time window (96-119 msec) affected detection of figure stimuli and affected neural correlates of figure border detection, border ownership, and surface segregation. TMS applied in a relatively late time window (236-259 msec) selectively deteriorated performance associated with surface segregation. We conclude that areas V1/V2 are not only essential in an early stage of figure-ground segregation when figure borders are detected, but subsequently causally contribute to more sophisticated stages of figure-ground segregation such as surface segregation.

Current status of low-level-waste-segregation technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, D.E.; Colombo, P.; Sailor, V.L.

1982-01-01

The adoption of improved waste segregation practices by waste generators and burial sites will result in the improved disposal of low-level wastes (LLW) in the future. Many of the problems connected with this disposal mode are directly attributable to or aggravated by the indiscriminate mixing of various waste types in burial trenches. Thus, subsidence effects, contact with ground fluids, movement of radioactivity in the vapor phase, migration of radionuclides due to the presence of chelating agents or products of biological degradation, deleterious chemical reactions, and other problems have occurred. Regulations are currently being promulgated which will require waste segregation to a high degree at LLW burial sites. The state-of-the-art of LLW segregation technology and current practices in the USA have been surveyed at representative facilities. Favorable experience has been reported at various sites following the application of segregation controls. This paper reports on the state-of-the-art survey and addresses current and projected LLW segregation practices and their relationship to other waste management activities

Reduced fine-scale spatial genetic structure in grazed populations of Dianthus carthusianorum.

Science.gov (United States)

Rico, Y; Wagner, H H

2016-11-01

Strong spatial genetic structure in plant populations can increase homozygosity, reducing genetic diversity and adaptive potential. The strength of spatial genetic structure largely depends on rates of seed dispersal and pollen flow. Seeds without dispersal adaptations are likely to be dispersed over short distances within the vicinity of the mother plant, resulting in spatial clustering of related genotypes (fine-scale spatial genetic structure, hereafter spatial genetic structure (SGS)). However, primary seed dispersal by zoochory can promote effective dispersal, increasing the mixing of seeds and influencing SGS within plant populations. In this study, we investigated the effects of seed dispersal by rotational sheep grazing on the strength of SGS and genetic diversity using 11 nuclear microsatellites for 49 populations of the calcareous grassland forb Dianthus carthusianorum. Populations connected by rotational sheep grazing showed significantly weaker SGS and higher genetic diversity than populations in ungrazed grasslands. Independent of grazing treatment, small populations showed significantly stronger SGS and lower genetic diversity than larger populations, likely due to genetic drift. A lack of significant differences in the strength of SGS and genetic diversity between populations that were recently colonized and pre-existing populations suggested that populations colonized after the reintroduction of rotational sheep grazing were likely founded by colonists from diverse source populations. We conclude that dispersal by rotational sheep grazing has the potential to considerably reduce SGS within D. carthusianorum populations. Our study highlights the effectiveness of landscape management by rotational sheep grazing to importantly reduce genetic structure at local scales within restored plant populations.

Class, Kinship Density, and Conjugal Role Segregation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Malcolm D.

1988-01-01

Studied conjugal role segregation in 150 married women from intact families in working-class community. Found that, although involvement in dense kinship networks was associated with conjugal role segregation, respondents' attitudes toward marital roles and phase of family cycle when young children were present were more powerful predictors of…

Asymmetric segregation of damaged cellular components in spatially structured multicellular organisms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charlotte Strandkvist

Full Text Available The asymmetric distribution of damaged cellular components has been observed in species ranging from fission yeast to humans. To study the potential advantages of damage segregation, we have developed a mathematical model describing ageing mammalian tissue, that is, a multicellular system of somatic cells that do not rejuvenate at cell division. To illustrate the applicability of the model, we specifically consider damage incurred by mutations to mitochondrial DNA, which are thought to be implicated in the mammalian ageing process. We show analytically that the asymmetric distribution of damaged cellular components reduces the overall damage level and increases the longevity of the cell population. Motivated by the experimental reports of damage segregation in human embryonic stem cells, dividing symmetrically with respect to cell-fate, we extend the model to consider spatially structured systems of cells. Imposing spatial structure reduces, but does not eliminate, the advantage of asymmetric division over symmetric division. The results suggest that damage partitioning could be a common strategy for reducing the accumulation of damage in a wider range of cell types than previously thought.

Temporal and Fine-Grained Pedestrian Action Recognition on Driving Recorder Database.

Science.gov (United States)

Kataoka, Hirokatsu; Satoh, Yutaka; Aoki, Yoshimitsu; Oikawa, Shoko; Matsui, Yasuhiro

2018-02-20

The paper presents an emerging issue of fine-grained pedestrian action recognition that induces an advanced pre-crush safety to estimate a pedestrian intention in advance. The fine-grained pedestrian actions include visually slight differences (e.g., walking straight and crossing), which are difficult to distinguish from each other. It is believed that the fine-grained action recognition induces a pedestrian intention estimation for a helpful advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). The following difficulties have been studied to achieve a fine-grained and accurate pedestrian action recognition: (i) In order to analyze the fine-grained motion of a pedestrian appearance in the vehicle-mounted drive recorder, a method to describe subtle change of motion characteristics occurring in a short time is necessary; (ii) even when the background moves greatly due to the driving of the vehicle, it is necessary to detect changes in subtle motion of the pedestrian; (iii) the collection of large-scale fine-grained actions is very difficult, and therefore a relatively small database should be focused. We find out how to learn an effective recognition model with only a small-scale database. Here, we have thoroughly evaluated several types of configurations to explore an effective approach in fine-grained pedestrian action recognition without a large-scale database. Moreover, two different datasets have been collected in order to raise the issue. Finally, our proposal attained 91.01% on National Traffic Science and Environment Laboratory database (NTSEL) and 53.23% on the near-miss driving recorder database (NDRDB). The paper has improved +8.28% and +6.53% from baseline two-stream fusion convnets.

Temporal and Fine-Grained Pedestrian Action Recognition on Driving Recorder Database

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hirokatsu Kataoka

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The paper presents an emerging issue of fine-grained pedestrian action recognition that induces an advanced pre-crush safety to estimate a pedestrian intention in advance. The fine-grained pedestrian actions include visually slight differences (e.g., walking straight and crossing, which are difficult to distinguish from each other. It is believed that the fine-grained action recognition induces a pedestrian intention estimation for a helpful advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS. The following difficulties have been studied to achieve a fine-grained and accurate pedestrian action recognition: (i In order to analyze the fine-grained motion of a pedestrian appearance in the vehicle-mounted drive recorder, a method to describe subtle change of motion characteristics occurring in a short time is necessary; (ii even when the background moves greatly due to the driving of the vehicle, it is necessary to detect changes in subtle motion of the pedestrian; (iii the collection of large-scale fine-grained actions is very difficult, and therefore a relatively small database should be focused. We find out how to learn an effective recognition model with only a small-scale database. Here, we have thoroughly evaluated several types of configurations to explore an effective approach in fine-grained pedestrian action recognition without a large-scale database. Moreover, two different datasets have been collected in order to raise the issue. Finally, our proposal attained 91.01% on National Traffic Science and Environment Laboratory database (NTSEL and 53.23% on the near-miss driving recorder database (NDRDB. The paper has improved +8.28% and +6.53% from baseline two-stream fusion convnets.

A comparison of the social competence of children with moderate intellectual disability in inclusive versus segregated school settings.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Hardiman, Sharon

2009-03-01

This is the first study to compare the social competence of children with moderate intellectual disability in inclusive versus segregated school settings in the Republic of Ireland. A convenience sample was recruited through two large ID services. The sample comprised 45 children across two groups: Group 1 (n=20; inclusive school) and Group 2 (n=25; segregated school). Parents and teachers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Adaptive Behaviour Scale-School: 2nd edition. A series of 2 x 2 ANOVAs were carried out on social competence scores using educational placement type (inclusive vs segregated school) and proxy rater (parent vs teacher) as the independent variables. Key findings indicated that children in inclusive schools did not differ significantly from children in segregated schools on the majority of proxy ratings of social competence. This supports the belief that children with intellectual disabilities can function well in different educational settings. Present findings highlight the importance of utilising the functional model of ID when selecting and designing school placements for children with moderate ID.

A comparison of the social competence of children with moderate intellectual disability in inclusive versus segregated school settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Hardiman, Sharon; Guerin, Suzanne; Fitzsimons, Elaine

2009-01-01

This is the first study to compare the social competence of children with moderate intellectual disability in inclusive versus segregated school settings in the Republic of Ireland. A convenience sample was recruited through two large ID services. The sample comprised 45 children across two groups: Group 1 (n=20; inclusive school) and Group 2 (n=25; segregated school). Parents and teachers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Adaptive Behaviour Scale-School: 2nd edition. A series of 2 x 2 ANOVAs were carried out on social competence scores using educational placement type (inclusive vs segregated school) and proxy rater (parent vs teacher) as the independent variables. Key findings indicated that children in inclusive schools did not differ significantly from children in segregated schools on the majority of proxy ratings of social competence. This supports the belief that children with intellectual disabilities can function well in different educational settings. Present findings highlight the importance of utilising the functional model of ID when selecting and designing school placements for children with moderate ID.

Changes in language development among autistic and peer children in segregated and integrated preschool settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, S L; Handleman, J S; Kristoff, B; Bass, L; Gordon, R

1990-03-01

Five young children with autism enrolled in a segregated class, five other children with autism in an integrated class, and four normally developing peer children in the integrated class were compared for developmental changes in language ability as measured by the Preschool Language Scale before and after training. The results, based on Mann-Whitney U tests, showed that (a) all of the children as a group made better than normative progress in rate of language development, (b) the scores of the autistic children were significantly lower than the peers before and after treatment, and (c) there were no significant differences in changes in language ability between the autistic children in the segregated and integrated classes.

Dysfunctional MreB inhibits chromosome segregation in Escherichia coli

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kruse, Thomas; Møller-Jensen, Jakob; Løbner-Olesen, Anders

2003-01-01

The mechanism of prokaryotic chromosome segregation is not known. MreB, an actin homolog, is a shape-determining factor in rod-shaped prokaryotic cells. Using immunofluorescence microscopy we found that MreB of Escherichia coli formed helical filaments located beneath the cell surface. Flow...... cytometric and cytological analyses indicated that MreB-depleted cells segregated their chromosomes in pairs, consistent with chromosome cohesion. Overexpression of wild-type MreB inhibited cell division but did not perturb chromosome segregation. Overexpression of mutant forms of MreB inhibited cell...... that MreB filaments participate in directional chromosome movement and segregation....

Near term climate projections for invasive species distributions

Science.gov (United States)

Jarnevich, C.S.; Stohlgren, T.J.

2009-01-01

Climate change and invasive species pose important conservation issues separately, and should be examined together. We used existing long term climate datasets for the US to project potential climate change into the future at a finer spatial and temporal resolution than the climate change scenarios generally available. These fine scale projections, along with new species distribution modeling techniques to forecast the potential extent of invasive species, can provide useful information to aide conservation and invasive species management efforts. We created habitat suitability maps for Pueraria montana (kudzu) under current climatic conditions and potential average conditions up to 30 years in the future. We examined how the potential distribution of this species will be affected by changing climate, and the management implications associated with these changes. Our models indicated that P. montana may increase its distribution particularly in the Northeast with climate change and may decrease in other areas. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Racial segregation patterns in selective universities

OpenAIRE

Peter Arcidiacono; Esteban M. Aucejo; Andrew Hussey; Kenneth Spenner

2013-01-01

This paper examines sorting into interracial friendships at selective universities. We show significant friendship segregation, particularly for blacks. Indeed, blacks' friendships are no more diverse in college than in high school, despite the fact that the colleges that blacks attend have substantially smaller black populations. We demonstrate that the segregation patterns occur in part because affirmative action results in large differences in the academic backgrounds of students of differ...

Genetic sex determination in Astatotilapia calliptera, a prototype species for the Lake Malawi cichlid radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Erin N.; Cline, Maggie E.; Moore, Emily C.; Roberts, Natalie B.; Roberts, Reade B.

2017-06-01

East African cichlids display extensive variation in sex determination systems. The species Astatotilapia calliptera is one of the few cichlids that reside both in Lake Malawi and in surrounding waterways. A. calliptera is of interest in evolutionary studies as a putative immediate outgroup species for the Lake Malawi species flock and possibly as a prototype ancestor-like species for the radiation. Here, we use linkage mapping to test association of sex in A. calliptera with loci that have been previously associated with genetic sex determination in East African cichlid species. We identify a male heterogametic XY system segregating at linkage group (LG) 7 in an A. calliptera line that originated from Lake Malawi, at a locus previously shown to act as an XY sex determination system in multiple species of Lake Malawi cichlids. Significant association of genetic markers and sex produce a broad genetic interval of approximately 26 megabases (Mb) using the Nile tilapia genome to orient markers; however, we note that the marker with the strongest association with sex is near a gene that acts as a master sex determiner in other fish species. We demonstrate that alleles of the marker are perfectly associated with sex in Metriaclima mbenjii, a species from the rock-dwelling clade of Lake Malawi. While we do not rule out the possibility of other sex determination loci in A. calliptera, this study provides a foundation for fine mapping of the cichlid sex determination gene on LG7 and evolutionary context regarding the origin and persistence of the LG7 XY across diverse, rapidly evolving lineages.

The importance of scaling for detecting community patterns: success and failure in assemblages of introduced species

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Craig R.; Angeler, David G.; Moulton, Michael P.; Holling, Crawford S.

2015-01-01

Community saturation can help to explain why biological invasions fail. However, previous research has documented inconsistent relationships between failed invasions (i.e., an invasive species colonizes but goes extinct) and the number of species present in the invaded community. We use data from bird communities of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, which supports a community of 38 successfully established introduced birds and where 37 species were introduced but went extinct (failed invasions). We develop a modified approach to evaluate the effects of community saturation on invasion failure. Our method accounts (1) for the number of species present (NSP) when the species goes extinct rather than during its introduction; and (2) scaling patterns in bird body mass distributions that accounts for the hierarchical organization of ecosystems and the fact that interaction strength amongst species varies with scale. We found that when using NSP at the time of extinction, NSP was higher for failed introductions as compared to successful introductions, supporting the idea that increasing species richness and putative community saturation mediate invasion resistance. Accounting for scale-specific patterns in body size distributions further improved the relationship between NSP and introduction failure. Results show that a better understanding of invasion outcomes can be obtained when scale-specific community structure is accounted for in the analysis.

Sexual recombination in Colletotrichum lindemuthianum occurs on a fine scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Souza, E A; Camargo, O A; Pinto, J M A

2010-09-08

Glomerella cingulata f. sp phaseoli is the sexual phase of the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, the causal agent of common bean anthracnose. This fungus is of great concern, because it causes large economic losses in common bean crops. RAPD markers of five populations of G. cingulata f. sp phaseoli from two Brazilian states were analyzed to determine if this population possesses the sexual reproductive potential to generate the genetic variation that is observed in this phytopathogen. We identified 128 polymorphic bands, amplified by 28 random primers. The estimates of genetic similarity in this analysis ranged from 0.43 to 1.00, and the dendrogram generated from analysis of all genotypes displayed five principal groups, coinciding with the five populations. Genetic differentiation was observed between the populations (GST=0.6455); 69% of the overall observed genetic variation was between individual populations and 31% of the variance was within the sub-populations. We identified significant levels of linkage disequilibrium in all populations. However, the values of the disequilibrium ranged from low to moderate, indicating that this pathogen maintains a genetic structure consistent with sexual reproduction. The mean contribution of sexual reproduction was determined by comparison of the amplitudes of genetic similarity of isolates from sexual and asexual phases. These results support the hypothesis that recombination plays an important role in determining the amplitude of variability in this pathogen population and that this determination occurs on a fine scale.

The residential segregation patterns of whites by socioeconomic status, 2000-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharp, Gregory; Iceland, John

2013-07-01

In light of increasing racial and ethnic diversity, a recent housing crisis, and deep economic recession, arguments pertaining to the role of socioeconomic status (SES) in shaping patterns of racial/ethnic segregation remain salient. Using data from the 2000 decennial census and the 2007-2011 American Community Survey, we provide new evidence on the residential segregation patterns of whites from minorities by SES (income, education, and poverty). Results from our comprehensive analyses indicate that SES matters for the segregation patterns of whites from minorities. In particular, we find that whites as a whole are less segregated from higher-SES minority group members than lower-SES ones. Among whites, those of higher SES are more segregated from blacks and Hispanics as a whole and less segregated from Asians, indicating the importance of SES differentials across racial/ethnic groups in shaping residential patterns. We also find that during the 2000s, white-black segregation remained stable or declined, while whites became more segregated from Hispanics and Asians by all SES indicators. Fixed-effects models indicate that increasing white-minority SES segregation was fueled in part by increases in a metropolitan area's immigrant and elderly populations, minority poverty rate, and home values, while declining segregation was associated with rising education levels and new housing construction. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Segregation and Socialization: Academic Segregation and Citizenship Attitudes of Adolescents in Comparative Perspective?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimokritos Kavadias

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose: There is a tendency to assess educational systems in terms of their efficiency in gaining high scores on cognitive skills. Schools perform, however, also a socializing function. The whole policy debate tends to ignore the impact of educational systems on attitudes or democratic values. This contribution focuses on the impact of the organization of education in European societies on the civic attitudes of adolescents. Design/methodology/approach: We explore the impact of academic segregation – the practice of segregating children on the basis of their scholastic achievement – on attitudes of adolescents living in different educational systems. We use the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (2009 relying on multilevel models. Findings: Pupils differ in their outlook on fellow citizens, according to the ways in which educational systems select and differentiate throughout school careers. More specifically, there is a negative impact of academic segregation on the attitudes towards immigrants and ethnic minorities. Research limitations/implications: The experience of adolescents based on their educational achievement seems to affect how they perceive other people. We have not answered the question why this is the case. We hope to have provided a minimal indication of the impact of inequality on social outcomes.

Racial Segregation and the American Foreclosure Crisis

Science.gov (United States)

Rugh, Jacob S.; Massey, Douglas S.

2013-01-01

Although the rise in subprime lending and the ensuing wave of foreclosures was partly a result of market forces that have been well-identified in the literature, in the United States it was also a highly racialized process. We argue that residential segregation created a unique niche of poor minority clients who were differentially marketed risky subprime loans that were in great demand for use in mortgage-backed securities that could be sold on secondary markets. We test this argument by regressing foreclosure actions in the top 100 U.S. metropolitan areas on measures of black, Hispanic, and Asian segregation while controlling for a variety of housing market conditions, including average creditworthiness, the extent of coverage under the Community Reinvestment Act, the degree of zoning regulation, and the overall rate of subprime lending. We find that black residential dissimilarity and spatial isolation are powerful predictors of foreclosures across U.S. metropolitan areas. In order to isolate subprime lending as the causal mechanism whereby segregation influences foreclosures, we estimate a two-stage least squares model that confirms the causal effect of black segregation on the number and rate of foreclosures across metropolitan areas. In the United States segregation was an important contributing cause of the foreclosure crisis, along with overbuilding, risky lending practices, lax regulation, and the bursting of the housing price bubble. PMID:25308973

Racial Segregation and the American Foreclosure Crisis.

Science.gov (United States)

Rugh, Jacob S; Massey, Douglas S

2010-10-01

Although the rise in subprime lending and the ensuing wave of foreclosures was partly a result of market forces that have been well-identified in the literature, in the United States it was also a highly racialized process. We argue that residential segregation created a unique niche of poor minority clients who were differentially marketed risky subprime loans that were in great demand for use in mortgage-backed securities that could be sold on secondary markets. We test this argument by regressing foreclosure actions in the top 100 U.S. metropolitan areas on measures of black, Hispanic, and Asian segregation while controlling for a variety of housing market conditions, including average creditworthiness, the extent of coverage under the Community Reinvestment Act, the degree of zoning regulation, and the overall rate of subprime lending. We find that black residential dissimilarity and spatial isolation are powerful predictors of foreclosures across U.S. metropolitan areas. In order to isolate subprime lending as the causal mechanism whereby segregation influences foreclosures, we estimate a two-stage least squares model that confirms the causal effect of black segregation on the number and rate of foreclosures across metropolitan areas. In the United States segregation was an important contributing cause of the foreclosure crisis, along with overbuilding, risky lending practices, lax regulation, and the bursting of the housing price bubble.

Requirements for the evaluation of computational speech segregation systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

May, Tobias; Dau, Torsten

2014-01-01

Recent studies on computational speech segregation reported improved speech intelligibility in noise when estimating and applying an ideal binary mask with supervised learning algorithms. However, an important requirement for such systems in technical applications is their robustness to acoustic...... associated with perceptual attributes in speech segregation. The results could help establish a framework for a systematic evaluation of future segregation systems....

Growth Conditions Regulate the Requirements for Caulobacter Chromosome Segregation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shebelut, Conrad W.; Jensen, Rasmus Bugge; Gitai, Zemer

2009-01-01

Growth environments are important metabolic and developmental regulators. Here we demonstrate a growth environment-dependent effect on Caulobacter chromosome segregation of a small-molecule inhibitor of the MreB bacterial actin cytoskeleton. Our results also implicate ParAB as important segregation...... determinants, suggesting that multiple distinct mechanisms can mediate Caulobacter chromosome segregation and that their relative contributions can be environmentally regulated....

Observations of marine wildlife tourism effects on a non-focal species.

Science.gov (United States)

Rizzari, J R; Semmens, J M; Fox, A; Huveneers, C

2017-09-01

A radio-acoustic positioning system was used to assess the effects of shark cage-diving operators (SCDO) on the fine-scale movements of a non-focal species, the smooth stingray Bathytoshia brevicaudata. The results revealed that the time spent in the array was individually variable, but generally increased when SCDO were present and that the presence of SCDO may have the capacity to elicit changes in the space use of B. brevicaudata. These results indicate that the effects of marine wildlife tourism may extend beyond the focal species of interest. © 2017 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Segregation analysis of microsatellite (SSR) markers in sugarcane polyploids.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, X; Zhou, H; Pan, Y-B; Chen, C Y; Zhu, J R; Chen, P H; Li, Y-R; Cai, Q; Chen, R K

2015-12-28

No information is available on segregation analysis of DNA markers involving both pollen and self-progeny. Therefore, we used capillary electrophoresis- and fluorescence-based DNA fingerprinting together with single pollen collection and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to investigate simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker segregation among 964 single pollens and 288 self-progenies (S1) of sugarcane cultivar LCP 85-384. Twenty SSR DNA fragments (alleles) were amplified by five polymorphic SSR markers. Only one non-parental SSR allele was observed in 2392 PCRs. SSR allele inheritance was in accordance with Mendelian laws of segregation and independent assortment. Highly significant correlation coefficients were found between frequencies of observed and expected genotypes in pollen and S1 populations. Within the S1 population, the most frequent genotype of each SSR marker was the parental genotype of the same marker. The number of genotypes was higher in pollen than S1 population. PIC values of the five SSR markers were greater in pollen than S1 populations. Eleven of 20 SSR alleles (55%) were segregated in accordance with Mendelian segregation ratios expected from pollen and S1 populations of a 2n = 10x polyploid. Six of 20 SSR alleles were segregated in a 3:1 (presence:absence) ratio and were simplex markers. Four and one alleles were segregated in 77:4 and 143:1 ratios and considered duplex and triplex markers, respectively. Segregation ratios of remaining alleles were unexplainable. The results provide information about selection of crossing parents, estimation of seedling population optimal size, and promotion of efficient selection, which may be valuable for sugarcane breeders.

Segregation effects and phase developments during solidification of alloy 625