Sample records for lark bunting calamospiza
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Weather effects on avian breeding performance and implications of climate change
Skagen, Susan K.; Yackel Adams, Amy A.
2012-01-01
The influence of recent climate change on the world’s biota has manifested broadly, resulting in latitudinal range shifts, advancing dates of arrival of migrants and onset of breeding, and altered community relationships. Climate change elevates conservation concerns worldwide because it will likely exacerbate a broad range of identified threats to animal populations. In the past few decades, grassland birds have declined faster than other North American avifauna, largely due to habitat threats such as the intensification of agriculture. We examine the effects of local climatic variations on the breeding performance of a bird endemic to the shortgrass prairie, the Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys) and discuss the implications of our findings relative to future climate predictions. Clutch size, nest survival, and productivity all positively covaried with seasonal precipitation, yet relatively intense daily precipitation events temporarily depressed daily survival of nests. Nest survival was positively related to average temperatures during the breeding season. Declining summer precipitation may reduce the likelihood that Lark Buntings can maintain stable breeding populations in eastern Colorado although average temperature increases of up to 38C (within the range of this study) may ameliorate declines in survival expected with drier conditions. Historic climate variability in the Great Plains selects for a degree of vagility and opportunism rather than strong site fidelity and specific adaptation to local environments. These traits may lead to northerly shifts in distribution if climatic and habitat conditions become less favorable in the drying southern regions of the Great Plains. Distributional shifts in Lark Buntings could be constrained by future changes in land use, agricultural practices, or vegetative communities that result in further loss of shortgrass prairie habitats.
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Semi-arid grassland bird responses to patch-burn grazing and drought
Skagen, Susan K.; Augustine, David J.; Derner, Justin D.
2018-01-01
As grassland birds of central North America experience steep population declines with changes in land use, management of remaining tracts becomes increasingly important for population viability. The integrated use of fire and grazing may enhance vegetation heterogeneity and diversity in breeding birds, but the subsequent effects on reproduction are unknown. We examined the influence of patch-burn grazing management in shortgrass steppe in eastern Colorado on habitat use and reproductive success of 3 grassland bird species, horned lark (Eremophila alpestris), lark bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys), and McCown’s longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii), at several spatial scales during 2011 and 2012. Although no simple direct relationship to patch-burn grazing treatment existed, habitat selection depended on precipitation- and management-induced vegetation conditions and spatial scale. All species selected taller-than-expected vegetation at the nest site, whereas at the territory scale, horned larks and McCown’s longspurs selected areas with low vegetation height and sparse cover of tall plants (taller than the dominant shortgrasses). Buntings nested primarily in unburned grassland under average rainfall. Larks and longspurs shifted activity from patch burns during average precipitation (2011) to unburned pastures during drought (2012). Daily survival rate (DSR) of nests varied with time in season, species, weather, and vegetation structure. Daily survival rate of McCown’s longspur nests did not vary with foliar cover of relatively tall vegetation at the nest under average precipitation but declined with increasing cover during drought. At the 200-m scale, increasing cover of shortgrasses, rather than taller plant species, improved DSR of larks and longspurs. These birds experience tradeoffs in the selection of habitat at different spatial scales: tall structure at nests may reduce visual detection by predators and provide protection from sun, wind, and rain, yet
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Heath Bunting / Heath Bunting ; interv. Tilman Baumgärtel
Bunting, Heath
2006-01-01
Inglise kunstnikust Heath Bunting'ust (sünd. 1966) ja tema loomingust, intervjuu kunstnikuga 19. VI 1997 Kasselis. H. Bunting tegelemisest grafitiga, oma Interneti-projektist "A visitor's guide to London", võrguprojektidest ja muust
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Physiological adjustments to arid and mesic environments in larks (Alaudidae).
Tieleman, B Irene; Williams, Joseph B; Buschur, Michael E
2002-01-01
Because deserts are characterized by low food availability, high ambient temperature extremes, and absence of drinking water, one might expect that birds that live in these conditions exhibit a lower basal metabolic rate (BMR), reduced total evaporative water loss (TEWL), and greater ability to cope with high air temperatures than their mesic counterparts. To minimize confounding effects of phylogeny, we compared the physiological performance of four species of larks at ambient temperatures (T(a)'s) ranging from 0 degrees to 50 degrees C: hoopoe larks (Alaemon alaudipes) and Dunn's larks (Eremalauda dunni) live in hot and dry deserts, whereas skylarks (Alauda arvensis) and woodlarks (Lullula arborea) occur in temperate mesic areas. Mass-adjusted BMR and TEWL were indistinguishable between hoopoe lark and Dunn's lark and between skylark and woodlark. When grouping the data of the two desert larks in one set and the data of the two mesic larks in another, desert larks are shown to have 43% lower BMR levels and 27% lower TEWL values than the mesic species. Their body temperatures (T(b)'s) were 1.1 degrees C lower, and the minimal dry heat transfer coefficients (h) were 26% below values for the mesic larks. When T(a) exceeded T(b), the h of hoopoe larks and Dunn's larks was high and indistinguishable from h at 40 degrees C, in contrast to the prediction that h should be decreased to minimize heat gain through conductance, convection, or radiation from the environment when T(a) exceeds T(b).
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Nest and nestling data for Barlow's lark, Calendulauda barlowi ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Barlow's lark is one of southern Africa's least known lark species. This study is the first to report on the structure and dimensions of this species' nest and aspects of the nestling period. The ontogenetic development of the nestling is described with regard to plumage development, increase in mass and growth of the head ...
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Morphology, Diet Composition, Distribution and Nesting Biology of Four Lark Species in Mongolia
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Galbadrakh Mainjargal
2013-12-01
Full Text Available We aimed to enhance existing knowledge of four lark species (Mongolian lark , Horned lark, Eurasian skylark, and Lesser short-toed lark, with respect to nesting biology, distribution, and diet, using long-term dataset collected during 2000–2012. Nest and egg measurements substantially varied among species. For pooled data across species, the clutch size averaged 3.72 ± 1.13 eggs and did not differ among larks. Body mass of nestlings increased signi fi cantly with age at weighing. Daily increase in body mass of lark nestlings ranged between 3.09 and 3.89 gram per day. Unsurprisingly, the majority of lark locations occurred in steppe ecosystems, followed by human created systems; whereas only 1.8% of the pooled locations across species were observed in forest ecosystem. Diet composition did not vary among species in the proportions of major food categories consumed. The most commonly occurring food items were invertebrates and frequently consumed were being beetles (e.g. Coleoptera: Carabidae, Scarabaeidae, and Curculionidae and grasshoppers (e.g. Orthoptera: Acrididae, and their occurrences accounted for 63.7% of insect related food items. Among the fi ve morphological traits we measured, there were signi fi cant differences in wing span, body mass, bill, and tarsus; however tail lengths did not differ across four species.
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Lizard burrows provide thermal refugia for larks in the Arabian desert
Williams, JB; Tieleman, BI; Shobrak, M
A common perception is that desert birds experience greater extremes of heat and aridity than their mammalian counterparts, in part, because birds do not use burrows as a refuge from the desert environment. We report observations of Dunn's Larks (Eremalauda dunni), Bar-tailed Desert Larks (Ammomanes
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A Demographic Model to Evaluate Population Declines in the Endangered Streaked Horned Lark
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Alaine F. Camfield
2011-12-01
Full Text Available The Streaked Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris strigata is listed as endangered by the State of Washington, USA and by Canada under the Species at Risk Act and is also classified as a federal candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act in the USA. A substantial portion of Streaked Horned Lark habitat has been lost or degraded, and range contraction has occurred in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. We estimate the vital rates (fecundity, adult and juvenile survival and population growth rate (λ for Streaked Horned Larks breeding in Washington, USA and conduct a Life-Stage Simulation Analysis (LSA to evaluate which vital rate has the greatest influence on λ. We simulated changes in the three vital rates to examine how much they would need to be adjusted either independently or in concert to achieve a stable Streaked Horned Lark population (λ = 1. We also evaluated which fecundity component (the number of fledglings per egg laid or renesting interval had the greatest impact on λ. The estimate of population growth suggests that Streaked Horned Larks in Washington are declining rapidly (λ = 0.62 ± 0.10 and that local breeding sites are not sustainable without immigration. The LSA results indicate that adult survival had the greatest influence on λ, followed by juvenile survival and fecundity. However, increases in vital rates led to λ = 1 only when adult survival was raised from 0.47 to 0.85, juvenile survival from 0.17 to 0.58, and fecundity from 0.91 to 3.09. Increases in breeding success and decreases in the renesting interval influenced λ similarly; however, λ did not reach 1 even when breeding success was raised to 100% or renesting intervals were reduced to 1 day. Only when all three vital rates were increased simultaneously did λ approach 1 without requiring highly unrealistic increases in each vital rate. We conclude that conservation activities need to target all or multiple vital rates to be successful. The
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Breeding ecology of the pink-billed lark, Spizocorys conirostris , in ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Breeding ecology of the pink-billed lark, Spizocorys conirostris , in an agricultural landscape in South Africa. ... Open Access DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ... The results are compared with data in Birdlife South Africa's Nest Record Card Scheme.
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Morphological variation in the Sabota Lark Calendulauda sabota in ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Separation of the eight southern African subspecies of Sabota Lark Calendulauda sabota into thick-billed and slender-billed groups has been proposed. This study used biometric data obtained from museum skins in South Africa to evaluate morphological variation in the subspecies as a basis for the delineation of Sabota ...
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Breeding biology of the eastern population of the Short-clawed Lark ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Breeding biology of the eastern population of the Short-clawed Lark in South Africa. ... courtship and copulation behaviour, the incubation period, description of the ... In contrast with the single-brooded western population, the eastern ...
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Zhang, Xuebo; Zeng, Shaoju; Zhang, Xinwen; Zuo, Mingxue
2011-09-12
Songbirds can produce a remarkable diversity of songs, which is well-characterized learned behavior that reflects the basic processes of language learning in humans. As song control nuclei governing song behavior has been identified, bird song provides an excellent model to address the relationship between brain areas and their controlling behavior. The Mongolian lark (Melanocorypha mongolica), a species of the Alaudidae family, is well known for its elaborate singing and ability to learn new songs, even in adulthood. Here, we studied the singing behavior and underlying neural structures of the Mongolian lark in both sexes. We found that the sizes of song bouts and song phrases (song repertoires) in male Mongolian larks are extremely large, and that each song repertoire or phrase has a complex structure, comprising several different syllables that seldom appear in other types of song bouts. In accordance with these complex songs, Mongolian lark song control nuclei are well developed and can be easily detected by Nissl staining. In contrast to male Mongolian larks, females were not observed to sing. However, they possess significant song control nuclei with abundant neural connectivity within them despite their small sizes compared with males. These data provide new evidence that help further clarify the mechanisms by which songbirds sing. Our results also have implications for the evolution of complex birdsongs and song control nuclei in oscine birds. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Biology of larks (Aves: Alaudidae) in the central Namib Desert ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The biology of six species of larks in the Namib Desert near Walvis Bay, South West Africa, was studied in 1964, 1965 and 1966. 2. All species reproduced following rainfall in summer and autumn months, with the appearance of green grass and abundant insects on which the birds fed. 3. The primarily insectivorous species ...
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77 FR 22185 - Karnal Bunt; Regulated Areas in California
2012-04-13
... day of April 2012. Kevin Shea, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [FR... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 7 CFR Part 301 [Docket No. APHIS-2011-0074] Karnal Bunt; Regulated Areas in California AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection...
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Horrocks, Nicholas P C; Hegemann, Arne; Matson, Kevin D; Hine, Kathryn; Jaquier, Sophie; Shobrak, Mohammed; Williams, Joseph B; Tinbergen, Joost M; Tieleman, B Irene
2012-01-01
Immune defense may vary as a result of trade-offs with other life-history traits or in parallel with variation in antigen levels in the environment. We studied lark species (Alaudidae) in the Arabian Desert and temperate Netherlands to test opposing predictions from these two hypotheses. Based on their slower pace of life, the trade-off hypothesis predicts relatively stronger immune defenses in desert larks compared with temperate larks. However, as predicted by the antigen exposure hypothesis, reduced microbial abundances in deserts should result in desert-living larks having relatively weaker immune defenses. We quantified host-independent and host-dependent microbial abundances of culturable microbes in ambient air and from the surfaces of birds. We measured components of immunity by quantifying concentrations of the acute-phase protein haptoglobin, natural antibody-mediated agglutination titers, complement-mediated lysis titers, and the microbicidal ability of whole blood. Desert-living larks were exposed to significantly lower concentrations of airborne microbes than temperate larks, and densities of some bird-associated microbes were also lower in desert species. Haptoglobin concentrations and lysis titers were also significantly lower in desert-living larks, but other immune indexes did not differ. Thus, contrary to the trade-off hypothesis, we found little evidence that a slow pace of life predicted increased immunological investment. In contrast, and in support of the antigen exposure hypothesis, associations between microbial exposure and some immune indexes were apparent. Measures of antigen exposure, including assessment of host-independent and host-dependent microbial assemblages, can provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying immunological variation.
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Phylogeography of a vanishing North American songbird: The Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)
Herr, C.A.; Sykes, P.W.; Klicka, J.
2011-01-01
The breeding distribution of Painted Buntings (Passerina ciris) is comprised of two allopatric populations separated by a 550-km distributional gap in the southeastern United States. Curiously, the boundary between the two recognized P. ciris subspecies does not separate the two allopatric breeding populations but instead runs roughly through the center of the interior population. Genetic relationships among these subspecies, and the allopatric breeding populations of Painted Bunting, have not been assessed. Given the recent decline in overall abundance of this species, such an assessment is warranted. We sampled birds from 15 localities (138 individuals) and identified 35 distinct haplotypes, six belonging to the Atlantic Coast population and 26 to the interior population, with three shared by both populations. AMOVA results showed that a significantly greater portion of the total genetic variance is explained when grouping birds by the interior and Atlantic Coast populations rather than by subspecies. Furthermore, our data indicate that the Atlantic Coast and interior populations represent independently evolving taxa, with no measureable gene flow between them. Although recently diverged (26,000-115,000 years ago), these isolated bunting populations represent incipient species. For development of conservation strategies, we suggest that the Atlantic Coast and interior populations be recognized as separate management units. ?? 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
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Reproductive success of Horned Lark and McCown's Longspur in relation to wind energy infrastructure
Mahoney, Anika; Chalfoun, Anna D.
2016-01-01
Wind energy is a rapidly expanding industry with potential indirect effects to wildlife populations that are largely unexplored. In 2011 and 2012, we monitored 211 nests of 2 grassland songbirds, Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) and McCown's Longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii), at 3 wind farms and 2 undeveloped reference sites in Wyoming, USA. We evaluated several indices of reproductive investment and success: clutch size, size-adjusted nestling mass, daily nest survival rate, and number of fledglings. We compared reproductive success between wind farms and undeveloped sites and modeled reproductive success within wind farms as a function of wind energy infrastructure and habitat. Size-adjusted nestling mass of Horned Lark was weakly negatively related to turbine density. In 2011, nest survival of Horned Lark decreased 55% as turbine density increased from 10 to 39 within 2 km of the nest. In 2012, however, nest survival of Horned Lark was best predicted by the combination of vegetation height, distance to shrub edge, and turbine density, with survival increasing weakly with increasing vegetation height. McCown's Longspur nest survival was weakly positively related to vegetation density at the nest site when considered with the amount of grassland habitat in the neighborhood and turbine density within 1 km of the nest. Habitat and distance to infrastructure did not explain clutch size or number of fledglings for either species, or size-adjusted nestling mass for McCown's Longspur. Our results suggest that the influence of wind energy infrastructure varies temporally and by species, even among species using similar habitats. Turbine density was repeatedly the most informative measure of wind energy development. Turbine density could influence wildlife responses to wind energy production and may become increasingly important to consider as development continues in areas with high-quality wind resources.
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Phenotypic variation of larks along an aridity gradient : Are desert birds more flexible?
Tieleman, BI; Williams, JB; Buschur, ME; Brown, CR
We investigated interindividual variation and intra-individual phenotypic flexibility in basal metabolic rate (BMR), total evaporative water loss (TEWL), body temperature (T-b), the minimum dry heat transfer coefficient (h), and organ and muscle size of five species of larks geographically
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Fox, Anthony David; Heldbjerg, Henning
2008-01-01
Corn buntings Miliaria calandra were abundant throughout arable agricultural landscapes in Europe, but have catastrophically declined since the mid 1970s with changes in farming practice and now give serious conservation cause for concern. Corn buntings declined in Denmark during 1976...... on land use correlation and bird surveillance, these results show an association between mixed farming and favourable conservation status of a species now red-listed throughout much of Europe. Further investigations of habitat use at small spatial scales and throughout the annual cycle are urgently...
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Bose, Anushika; Dürr, Tobias; Klenke, Reinhard A; Henle, Klaus
2018-02-28
Biodiversity-related impacts at wind energy facilities have increasingly become a cause of conservation concern, central issue being the collision of birds. Utilizing spatial information of their carcass detections at wind turbines (WTs), we quantified the detections in relation to the metric distances of the respective turbines to different land-use types. We used ecological niche factor analysis (ENFA) to identify combinations of land-use distances with respect to the spatial allocation of WTs that led to higher proportions of collisions among the worst affected bird-groups: Buntings, Crows, Larks, Pigeons and Raptors. We also assessed their respective similarities to the collision phenomenon by checking for overlaps amongst their distance combinations. Crows and Larks showed the narrowest "collision sensitive niche"; a part of ecological niche under higher risk of collisions with turbines, followed by that of Buntings and Pigeons. Raptors had the broadest niche showing significant overlaps with the collision sensitive niches of the other groups. This can probably be attributed to their larger home range combined with their hunting affinities to open landscapes. Identification of collision sensitive niches could be a powerful tool for landscape planning; helping avoid regions with higher risks of collisions for turbine allocations and thus protecting sensitive bird populations.
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Alström, Per; Barnes, Keith N.; Barker, F. Keith; Olsson, Urban; Bloomer, Paulette; Khan, Aleem Ahmed; Qureshi, Masood Ahmed; Guillaumet, Alban; Crochet, Pierre-André; Ryan, Peter G.
2013-01-01
The Alaudidae (larks) is a large family of songbirds in the superfamily Sylvioidea. Larks are cosmopolitan, although species-level diversity is by far largest in Africa, followed by Eurasia, whereas Australasia and the New World have only one species each. The present study is the first comprehensive phylogeny of the Alaudidae. It includes 83.5% of all species and representatives from all recognised genera, and was based on two mitochondrial and three nuclear loci (in total 6.4 kbp, although ...
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Responses to playback of different subspecies songs in the Reed Bunting (Emberiza s. schoeniclus)
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Matessi, Giuliano; Dabelsteen, Torben; Pilastro, A.
2000-01-01
Populations of Reed Buntings Emberiza schoeniclus in the western Palearctic are classified in two major subspecies groups according to morphology: northern migratory schoeniclus and Mediterranean resident intermedia. Songs of the two groups differ mainly in complexity and syllable structure......, with intermedia songs being more complex. We explored the possibilities of song as a subspecies isolating mechanism by testing if male schoeniclus Reed Buntings reacted differently to field playbacks of songs from their own subspecies group, from the foreign subspecies group and from a control species...
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Instrumental neutron activation analysis of wheat bunt spores
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Liu, Y G; Schmitt, R A [Oregon State Univ., Corvallis (USA). Dept. of Chemistry; Oregon State Univ., Corvallis (USA). Radiation Center); Trione, E J [Oregon State Univ., Corvallis (USA). Dept. of Botany; Laul, J C [Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (USA)
1982-01-01
The concentrations of seventeen elements (Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, Br, Rb, La, Sm) in two species of fungus which cause wheat bunt disease, Tilletia caries (DC.) Tul. and Tilletia controversa Kuehn, were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. A standard sequential INAA procedure was used. Differences in the K and Cl concentrations between these two species of spores are large and therefore can be used as a criterion of distinguishing between the two species of fungus.
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Variation in allocation of time, water and energy in Hoopoe Larks from the Arabian Desert
Tieleman, BI; Williams, JB; Visser, GH
2003-01-01
1. Patterns of resource allocation in different times of the year can provide insights into the effects of simultaneous environmental constraints on reproduction and survival of desert birds. Field metabolic rate (FMR), water influx rate (WIR) and patterns of time allocation of Hoopoe Larks (Alaemon
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Tieleman, BI; Williams, JB; Visser, GH
We compared physiological, demographic, and ecological variables of larks to gain insights into life history variation along an aridity gradient, incorporating phylogenetic relationships in analyses when appropriate. Quantifying field metabolic rate (FMR). and water influx rate (WIR) of parents
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The Mary Ingraham Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College Technical Report. Science Scholars Program
1993-08-31
C. SHAW STELLA M. NKOMO The New Politics ofinclusion: Transformini Fellow (Anthropology and Archaeology ) University of North Carolina at Charloue...Behavior) ROBIN KILSON the Maya L4wia’dt LiWe Joneyr of Women in Corporations Bunting Fellow (Black Women’s Studies) Massachusett Institute of
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A novel QTL associated with dwarf bunt resistance in Idaho 444 winter wheat
A significant component of Mendel’s legacy has been the ability to discover, map, and utilize genes for resistance to diseases in the crops that the world relies on for food. Dwarf bunt [Tilletia contraversa Kühn (syn. Tilletia controversa)] is a destructive disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) ...
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Defining the Costs of an Outbreak of Karnal Bunt of Wheat
Brennan, John P.; Thorne, Fiona S.; Kelly, Paul W.; Murray, Gordon M.
2004-01-01
In determining the economic impact of a possible outbreak of the quarantinable wheat disease Karnal Bunt, an examination was made of the detailed components of the costs involved. The costs were classified as: (a) Direct costs (yield and quality losses); (b) Reaction costs (export bans, quality down-grading, seed industry costs); and (c) Control costs (quarantine zones, fungicides, spore destruction). The relative importance of each of these cost components is measured for a hypothetical outb...
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Studies on mode of infection of Neovossia indica incitant of karnal bunt of wheat
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Munjal, R.L.; Chatrath, M.S.
1976-01-01
Mode of infection of Karnal bunt fungus-Neovossia indica has been established by using histopathological and radiotracer techniques. It has been observed that germ tubes arising from sporidia of the fungus directly enter the epidermal cells of glumes and then to the ovary through the ovary wall. (author)
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Common bunt resistant wheat composite cross populations
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Steffan, Philipp Matthias; Borgen, A.; Backes, Gunter Martin
stability. However, a number of challenges must be met before diverse wheat populations can be introduced into commercial wheat production: one of these is the development of breeding technologies based on mass selection which enable breeders and farmers to improve specific traits in populations...... and maintain diversity at the same time. BIOBREED is a project which commenced in Denmark in 2011 to meet these challenges for wheat population breeding. The project focuses on the development of tools and methods for mass selection of traits relevant for organic and low input production, where it is expected...... that the highest benefits of utilizing diverse populations can be achieved. BIOBREED focuses on three main aspects of wheat population breeding for organic and low input production systems: i) common bunt (caused by Tilletia caries) resistance, ii) selection for improved protein content and iii) the influence...
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Borgen, Anders; Kristensen, Lars
2001-01-01
In field trials mustard flour was able to control seed borne infection by common bunt (Tilletia tritici) in wheat without decreasing the germination vigour of the treated seeds. Full control of common bunt by coating the seeds with milk powder could only be achieved at doses which reduced germination vigour of the seeds. Mustard flour can be recommended as a seed treatment in organic agriculture while a treatment based on milk powder should be developed in combination with biological control....
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jiang, Haifeng; Cheng, Zhiqiang; Zhao, Tianqi; Liu, Mengzhu; Zhang, Mingyue; Li, Jianing; Hu, Meijuan; Zhang, Li; Li, Junfeng
2014-01-01
Highlights: • Pyrolysis behavior of spent lark mushroom substrate is investigated. • Significant pyrolysis stage occurs at the range of 232–382 °C. • Kinetics reveals the influence of heating rate on pyrolysis process. • The maximum bio-oil yield is found at 470 °C. • The characterization shows obtained oil can be utilized as a potential resource. - Abstract: In our work, thermal behavior and kinetic characteristics of spent lark mushroom substrate were evaluated to elaborate the thermal decomposition mechanisms and explore the influence of heating rate by using thermogravimetric analyzer and Coats–Redfern method. The study of pyrolysis temperature of raw material was also operated at the range of 410–530 °C, under the feeding rate 0.36 g/min, and the nitrogen flow 16 L/h. The results showed that the maximum bio-oil yield was obtained at 470 °C with the yield of 14.4 wt.%. The analysis of Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and gas chromatography coupled with mass selective detector indicated that the target liquid production was consisted of phenols, hydrocarbons and other components. Simultaneously, the low oxygen and high hydrogen content in bio-oil was also determined by elemental analysis. Based on the above-mentioned results, we demonstrated that the bio-oil obtained from the substrate had high utilization value as a potential energy resource
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Surbhi; Rastogi, Ashutosh; Malik, Shalie; Rani, Sangeeta; Kumar, Vinod
2016-05-01
Present study examined the expression of brain peptides associated with the reproduction and energy homeostasis (GnRH/GnIH, NPY/VIP), and assessed their possible functional association in the photosensitive (non-breeding, pre-breeding), photostimulated (breeding) and photorefractory (post-breeding) migratory redheaded buntings (Emberiza bruniceps), using double-labeled immunohistochemistry. Particularly, we measured immunoreactive (-ir) cell numbers, per cent cell area and cell optical density (OD) in the preoptic area (GnRH-I), midbrain (GnRH-II), paraventricular nucleus (GnIH), dorsomedial hypothalamus, DMH and infundibular complex, INc (NPY and VIP), and lateral septal organ (VIP) of buntings kept under natural photoperiods at the wintering latitude (26°55'N). There was a significant seasonal difference in GnRH-I, not GnRH-II, with reduced -ir cells in the photosensitive and photorefractory buntings, and notably with increased cell OD between the refractory and non-breeding states with no increase in testis size. Also, increased cell OD of GnIH neurons in non-breeding state indicated its role in the maintenance of small testes during the post-refractory period. Overall, seasonal changes in GnRH-I and GnIH were found consistent with their suggested roles in reproductive regulation of absolute photorefractory birds. Further, there was a significant seasonal change in cell OD of NPY neurons in DMH, not the INc. In contrast, VIP immunoreactivity was seasonally altered, with a significantly higher VIP-ir cells in breeding than the pre-breeding state. Finally, close proximity between perikarya with fibres suggested functional interactions between the GnRH and GnIH, and NPY and VIP. Thus, seasonal plasticity of brain peptides is perhaps the part of neural regulation of seasonal reproduction and associated energy homeostasis in migratory songbirds. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Horrocks, N.P.C.; Hegemann, A.; Matson, K.D.; Hine, K.; Jaquier, S.; Shobrak, M.; Williams, J.B.; Tinbergen, J.M.; Tieleman, B.I.
2012-01-01
Immune defense may vary as a result of trade-offs with other life-history traits or in parallel with variation in antigen levels in the environment. We studied lark species (Alaudidae) in the Arabian Desert and temperate Netherlands to test opposing predictions from these two hypotheses. Based on
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Horrocks, Nicholas P. C.; Hegemann, Arne; Matson, Kevin D.; Hine, Kathryn; Jaquier, Sophie; Shobrak, Mohammed; Williams, Joseph B.; Tinbergen, Joost M.; Tieleman, B. Irene
2012-01-01
Immune defense may vary as a result of trade-offs with other life-history traits or in parallel with variation in antigen levels in the environment. We studied lark species (Alaudidae) in the Arabian Desert and temperate Netherlands to test opposing predictions from these two hypotheses. Based on
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Weldon, Aimee Jean
2004-07-01
Description – Ph.D Dissertation. North Carolina State University. Raleigh, North Carolina. 135 pp. Abatract - Habitat fragmentation and its associated effects have been blamed for the recent population declines of many Neotropical migratory bird species. Increased predation and parasitism resulting from edge-related effects have been implicated for poor nesting success in many studies, mostly of forest interior species. However, little attention has been devoted to disturbance-dependent birds. In this study, I examine how patch shape and connectivity in fragmented landscapes affects the reproductive success of disturbance-dependent bird species, specifically the Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea). I conducted my study in a landscape-scale experimental system of similar-area habitat patches that differed in connectivity and in shape. Shapes differed between edgy and rectangular forms, where edgy patches contained 50% more edge than rectangular patches. I tested whether edgy patches function as ecological traps for species with strong edge preferences, by leading them to select dangerous habitats. Indigo Buntings preferentially selected edgy patches over rectangular patches, but experienced significantly lower reproductive success in edgy patches early in the season. Although predation pressure intensified in rectangular patches late in the season, seasonal fecundity was still significantly lower in edgy patches, providing the first empirical evidence that edges can function as ecological traps for Indigo Buntings. A second objective of my study was to evaluate the efficacy of conservation corridors for disturbance-dependent bird species. Conservation corridors have become a popular strategy to preserve biodiversity and promote gene flow in fragmented landscapes, but corridors may also have negative consequences. I tested the hypothesis that corridors can increase nest predation risk in connected patches relative to unconnected patches. Nest predation rates
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Alström, Per; Barnes, Keith N; Olsson, Urban; Barker, F Keith; Bloomer, Paulette; Khan, Aleem Ahmed; Qureshi, Masood Ahmed; Guillaumet, Alban; Crochet, Pierre-André; Ryan, Peter G
2013-12-01
The Alaudidae (larks) is a large family of songbirds in the superfamily Sylvioidea. Larks are cosmopolitan, although species-level diversity is by far largest in Africa, followed by Eurasia, whereas Australasia and the New World have only one species each. The present study is the first comprehensive phylogeny of the Alaudidae. It includes 83.5% of all species and representatives from all recognised genera, and was based on two mitochondrial and three nuclear loci (in total 6.4 kbp, although not all loci were available for all species). In addition, a larger sample, comprising several subspecies of some polytypic species was analysed for one of the mitochondrial loci. There was generally good agreement in trees inferred from different loci, although some strongly supported incongruences were noted. The tree based on the concatenated multilocus data was overall well resolved and well supported by the data. We stress the importance of performing single gene as well as combined data analyses, as the latter may obscure significant incongruence behind strong nodal support values. The multilocus tree revealed many unpredicted relationships, including some non-monophyletic genera (Calandrella, Mirafra, Melanocorypha, Spizocorys). The tree based on the extended mitochondrial data set revealed several unexpected deep divergences between taxa presently treated as conspecific (e.g. within Ammomanes cinctura, Ammomanes deserti, Calandrella brachydactyla, Eremophila alpestris), as well as some shallow splits between currently recognised species (e.g. Certhilauda brevirostris-C. semitorquata-C. curvirostris; Calendulauda barlowi-C. erythrochlamys; Mirafra cantillans-M. javanica). Based on our results, we propose a revised generic classification, and comment on some species limits. We also comment on the extraordinary morphological adaptability in larks, which has resulted in numerous examples of parallel evolution (e.g. in Melanocorypha mongolica and Alauda leucoptera [both
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Milfont, Taciano L; Schwarzenthal, Miriam
2014-05-01
Recent studies provide evidence for the chronotype-time perspective relationships. Larks are more future-oriented and owls are more present-oriented. The present study expands this initial research by examining whether the associations are replicable with other time perspective measures, and whether self-control explains the observed relationships. Chronotype was assessed with the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and the basic associations with the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory were replicated in a sample of 142 New Zealand students, but not with other measures. Self-control mediated the influence of morningness on both future time perspective and delay of gratification. Implications of the findings are discussed.
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Nowack, Kati; van der Meer, Elke
2013-12-01
The chronotype (morningness/eveningness) relates to individual differences in circadian preferences. Time perspective (past, present, future) refers to the preference to rely on a particular temporal frame for decision-making processes and behavior. First evidence suggests that future time perspective is associated with greater morningness and present time perspective with greater eveningness. However, little is known about how chronotype-time perspective relationships may alter over the life span. This present study investigated links between chronotype and time perspective more thoroughly by taking age and sex into account as well. Seven hundred six participants aged between 17 and 74 completed German adaptations of the Morningness--Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI). Controlling for age and sex, relationships between morningness and future time perspective as well as between eveningness and present time perspective were replicated. These findings were supported by significant associations between time perspective and midpoint of sleep. Future time perspective was linked to earlier midpoints of sleep, indicating an early chronotype. Present time perspective was associated with later midpoints of sleep, indicating a late chronotype. However, age and sex had an impact on the chronotype-time perspective relationships. In all age groups, male larks were more future-oriented and less present-oriented, male owls more present-oriented and less future-oriented. The same conclusion could be drawn for female adolescents and young adults. For female adults above 30, there was no interrelationship between morningness and future time perspective but between eveningness and past time perspective. Female adult owls were more present-oriented as well as more past-oriented. Female adult larks were less present-oriented and less past-oriented. Findings are discussed in the light of neuroendocrine and serotonergic functioning.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tulecki, J.; Kalinowska-Torz, J.; Senczuk, L.; Skwarski, D.
1977-01-01
In exchange reactions involving sodium thiosulphate and the respective halogen derivatives, the following Bunte's salts hitherto undescribed in the available literature were obtained: sodium salt of 4-methyl-benzyl-methylene-thiosulphuric acid /1/, sodium salt of 4-metoxy-benzoyl-methylene-thiosulphuric acid /1/, sodum salt of 4 metoxy-benzoyl-methylene-thiosulphuric acid /3/, sodium salt of 4-ethoxy-benzoyl-methylene-thiosulphuric acid /5/, sodum salt of 2-methoxy-phenyl-carbamyl-methylene-thiosulphuric acid /7/, sodium salt of 4-ethoxy-phenly-carbamyl-methylene-thiosulphuric acid /8/, sodium salt of 4-methyl-phenyl-carbamyl-methylene-thiosulphuric acid /9/, sodium salt of 3-methyl-phenyl-carbamyl-methylene-thiosulphuric acid /10/, and sodium salt of 4-methyl-phenyl-carbamyl-ethylene-thiosulphuric acid /11/. In exchange reactions involving thiourea and the respective halogenderivatives, the following isothiocarbamides were obtained: 4-methyl-benzoyl-methylene-isothiocarbamide hydrochloride /2/, 4-methoxy-benzoyl-methylene-isotchiocarbamide hydrochloride /4/, 4-ethoxy-benzoyl-methylene-isothiocarbamide hydrochloride /6/, 4-methosy-phenyl-carbamyl-ethylene-isothiocarbamide hydrochloride /12/. (author)
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Alan Monroy-Ojeda
2013-07-01
Full Text Available While assessing species density, abundance, and distribution through transects and point counts for the near threatened species Rose-bellied Bunting, Passerina rositae, we found two active nests on two hillsides characterized by tropical dry deciduous forest on the western slope of its restricted range in the Sierra Tolistoque, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. In both cases, we found no evidence of human disturbance and no proximate trail systems. This description adds further details of previous nest descriptions. These new findings have conservation implications due to the fact that original habitat degradation is rapidly occurring, not only due to cattle pastures, croplands, orchards, and human settlements, but also to a fast growing wind farm and highway development projects in the region.
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Wu, Fang; Zheng, Hua; Yang, Zheng-Teng; Cheng, Bang; Wu, Jin-Xia; Liu, Xu-Wen; Tang, Chao-Ling; Lu, Shi-Yin; Chen, Zhao-Ni; Song, Fang-Ming; Ruan, Jun-Xiang; Zhang, Hong-Ye; Liang, Yong-Hong; Song, Hui; Su, Zhi-Heng
2017-06-05
Chronic liver injury has been shown to cause liver fibrosis due to the sustained pathophysiological wound healing response of the liver, and eventually progresses to cirrhosis. The total alkaloids of Corydalis saxicola Bunting (TACS), a collection of important bioactive ingredients derived from the traditional Chinese folk medicine Corydalis saxicola Bunting (CS), have been reported to have protective effects on the liver. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms need further elucidation. In this study, the urinary metabonomics and the biochemical changes in rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-induced chronic liver injury due to treatment TACS or administration of the positive control drug-bifendate were studied via proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR) analysis. Partial least squares-discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) suggested that metabolic perturbation caused by CCl 4 damage was recovered with TACS and bifendate treatment. A total of seven metabolites including 2-oxoglutarate, citrate, dimethylamine, taurine, phenylacetylglycine, creatinine and hippurate were considered as potential biomarkers involved in the development of CCl 4 -induced chronic liver injury. According to pathway analysis using identified metabolites and correlation network construction, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, gut microbiota metabolism and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism were recognized as the most affected metabolic pathways associated with CCl 4 chronic hepatotoxicity. Notably, the changes in 2-oxoglutarate, citrate, taurine and hippurate during the process of CCl 4 -induced chronic liver injury were significantly restored by TACS treatment, which suggested that TACS synergistically mediated the regulation of multiple metabolic pathways including the TCA cycle, gut microbiota metabolism and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. This study could bring valuable insight to evaluating the efficacy of TACS intervention therapy, help deepen the understanding of the
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Men of physics pioneer in solid state physics
Johnson, V A
2013-01-01
Men of Physics: Karl Lark-Horovitz presents the biography of Karl Lark-Horovitz, a physicist who significantly contributed in the then-young field of experimental nuclear physics. This book discusses the Lark-Horovitz important work in structure determination by X-ray and electron diffraction methods. Organized into two parts encompassing 19 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the biographical account of Karl Lark-Horovitz. This text then describes Lark-Horovitz's creation of a highly regarded graduate program in physics at Purdue University, which is a feat involving both the acqui
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Abdulhakim M. Abdi
2013-09-01
Full Text Available The efficacy of integrating open access geospatial data to produce habitat suitability maps for the corn bunting (Miliaria calandra was investigated. Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM and Corine (Coordination of Information on the Environment land cover data for the year 2000 (CLC2000 were processed to extract explanatory variables and divided into three sets; Satellite (ETM+, SRTM, CLC2000 and Combined (CLC2000 + Satellite. Presence-absence data for M. calandra, collected during structured surveys for the Catalan Breeding Bird Atlas, were provided by the Catalan Ornithological Institute. The dataset was partitioned into an equal number of presence and absence points by dividing it into five groups, each composed of 88 randomly selected presence points to match the number of absences. A logistic regression model was then built for each group. Models were evaluated using area under the curve (AUC of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC. Results of the five groups were averaged to produce mean Satellite, CLC2000 and Combined models. The mean AUC values were 0.69, 0.81 and 0.90 for the CLC2000, Satellite and the Combined model, respectively. The probability of M. calandra presence had the strongest positive correlation with land surface temperature, modified soil adjusted vegetation index, coefficient of variation for ETM+ band 5 and the fraction of non-irrigated arable land.
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Habitat use, distribution and breeding ecology of the globally ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
However, the two species appeared to differ in nest site selection; Rudd's Lark nests were most frequently built in unburned grass and Botha's Lark nests on recently burned land. First egg dates of 93 Rudd's Lark nests ranged from late October to late March, with peak laying in January and February. Most clutches were of ...
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Pandey, Vishakha; Singh, Manoj; Pandey, Dinesh; Marla, Soma; Kumar, Anil
2018-04-01
Tilletia indica is a smut fungus that incites Karnal bunt in wheat. It has been considered as quarantine pest in more than 70 countries. Despite its quarantine significance, there is meager knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms of disease pathogenesis. Moreover, various disease management strategies have proven futile. Development of effective disease management strategy requires identification of pathogenicity/virulence factors. With this aim, the present study was conducted to compare the secretomes of T. indica isolates, that is, highly (TiK) and low (TiP) virulent isolates. About 120 and 95 protein spots were detected reproducibly in TiK and TiP secretome gel images. Nineteen protein spots, which were consistently observed as upregulated/differential in the secretome of TiK isolate, were selected for their identification by MALDI-TOF/TOF. Identified proteins exhibited homology with fungal proteins playing important role in fungal adhesion, penetration, invasion, protection against host-derived reactive oxygen species, production of virulence factors, cellular signaling, and degradation of host cell wall proteins and antifungal proteins. These results were complemented with T. indica genome sequence leading to identification of candidate pathogenicity/virulence factors homologs that were further subjected to sequence- and structure-based functional annotation. Thus, present study reports the first comparative secretome analysis of T. indica for identification of pathogenicity/virulence factors. This would provide insights into pathogenic mechanisms of T. indica and aid in devising effective disease management strategies. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
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Biotechnology Assisted Wheat Breeding for Organic Agriculture
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Steffan, Philipp Matthias
model identified two novel QTL for common bunt resistance located on wheat chromosomes 2B and 7 A. The identification of new resistance loci may help to broaden our understanding of common bunt resistance in wheat, and QTL may potentially be exploited by marker assisted selection in plant breeding. QTL...... markers for common bunt resistance may potentially help to speed up resistance breeding by shortening the long time required for phenotypic disease screening. Here, we report the results of 1. an association mapping study for common bunt resistance, 2. a QTL mapping study for the localization of common...
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Stervander, Martin; Alström, Per; Olsson, Urban; Ottosson, Ulf; Hansson, Bengt; Bensch, Staffan
2016-09-01
The avian genus Calandrella (larks) was recently suggested to be non-monophyletic, and was divided into two genera, of which Calandrella sensu stricto comprises 4-5 species in Eurasia and Africa. We analysed mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) and nuclear Restriction-site Associated DNA (RAD) sequences from all species, and for cytb we studied 21 of the 22 recognised subspecies, with the aim to clarify the phylogenetic relationships within the genus and to compare large-scale nuclear sequence patterns with a widely used mitochondrial marker. Cytb indicated deep splits among the currently recognised species, although it failed to support the interrelationships among most of these. It also revealed unexpected deep divergences within C. brachydactyla, C. blanfordi/C. erlangeri, C. cinerea, and C. acutirostris. It also suggested that both C. brachydactyla and C. blanfordi, as presently circumscribed, are paraphyletic. In contrast, most of the many subspecies of C. brachydactyla and C. cinerea were unsupported by cytb, although two populations of C. cinerea were found to be genetically distinct. The RAD data corroborated the cytb tree (for the smaller number of taxa analysed) and recovered strongly supported interspecific relationships. However, coalescence analyses of the RAD data, analysed in SNAPP both with and without an outgroup, received equally strong support for two conflicting topologies. We suggest that the tree rooted with an outgroup - which is not recommended for SNAPP - is more trustworthy, and suggest that the reliability of analyses performed without any outgroup species should be thoroughly evaluated. We also demonstrate that degraded museum samples can be phylogenetically informative in RAD analyses following careful bioinformatic treatment. We note that the genus Calandrella is in need of taxonomic revision. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Júlio M Neto
Full Text Available Divergent selection and local adaptation are responsible for many phenotypic differences between populations, potentially leading to speciation through the evolution of reproductive barriers. Here we evaluated the morphometric divergence among west European populations of Reed Bunting in order to determine the extent of local adaptation relative to two important selection pressures often associated with speciation in birds: migration and diet. We show that, as expected by theory, migratory E. s. schoeniclus had longer and more pointed wings and a slightly smaller body mass than the resident subspecies, with the exception of E. s. lusitanica, which despite having rounder wings was the smallest of all subspecies. Tail length, however, did not vary according to the expectation (shorter tails in migrants probably because it is strongly correlated with wing length and might take longer to evolve. E. s. witherbyi, which feed on insects hiding inside reed stems during the winter, had a very thick, stubby bill. In contrast, northern populations, which feed on seeds, had thinner bills. Despite being much smaller, the southern E. s. lusitanica had a significantly thicker, longer bill than migratory E. s. schoeniclus, whereas birds from the UK population had significantly shorter, thinner bills. Geometric morphometric analyses revealed that the southern subspecies have a more convex culmen than E. s. schoeniclus, and E. s. lusitanica differs from the nominate subspecies in bill shape to a greater extent than in linear bill measurements, especially in males. Birds with a more convex culmen are thought to exert a greater strength at the bill tip, which is in agreement with their feeding technique. Overall, the three subspecies occurring in Western Europe differ in a variety of traits following the patterns predicted from their migratory and foraging behaviours, strongly suggesting that these birds have became locally adapted through natural selection.
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Laiolo, Paola
2013-01-01
The strength of the behavioural processes associated with competitor coexistence may vary when different physical environments, and their biotic communities, come into contact, although empirical evidence of how interference varies across gradients of environmental complexity is still scarce in vertebrates. Here, I analyse how behavioural interactions and habitat selection regulate the local distribution of steppeland larks (Alaudidae) in a gradient from simple to heterogeneous agricultural landscapes in Spain, using crested lark Galerida cristata and Thekla lark G. theklae as study models. Galerida larks significantly partitioned by habitat but frequently co-occurred in heterogeneous environments. Irrespective of habitat divergence, however, the local densities of the two larks were negatively correlated, and the mechanisms beyond this pattern were investigated by means of playback experiments. When simulating the intrusion of the congener by broadcasting the species territorial calls, both larks responded with an aggressive response as intense with respect to warning and approach behaviour as when responding to the intrusion of a conspecific. However, birds promptly responded to playbacks only when congener territories were nearby, a phenomenon that points to learning as the mechanisms through which individuals finely tune their aggressive responses to the local competition levels. Heterospecifics occurred in closer proximity in diverse agro-ecosystems, possibly because of more abundant or diverse resources, and here engage in antagonistic interactions. The drop of species diversity associated with agricultural homogenisation is therefore likely to also bring about the disappearance of the behavioural repertoires associated with species interactions.
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Gupta, Atul K.; Seneviratne, J. M.; Joshi, G. K.; Kumar, Anil
2012-01-01
Signaling pathways that activate different mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in response to certain environmental conditions, play important role in mating type switching (Fus3) and pathogenicity (Pmk1) in many fungi. In order to determine the roles of such regulatory genes in Tilletia indica, the causal pathogen of Karnal bunt (KB) of wheat, semi-quantitative and quantitative RT-PCR was carried out to isolate and determine the expression of MAP kinase homologues during fungal growth and development under in vitro culture. Maximum expression of TiFus3 and TiPmk1 genes were observed at 14th and 21st days of culture and decreased thereafter. To investigate whether the fungus alters the expression levels of same kinases upon interaction with plants, cultures were treated with 1% of host factors (extracted from S-2 stage of wheat spikes). Such treatment induced the expression of MAPks in time dependent manner compared to the absence of host factors. These results suggest that host factor(s) provide certain signal(s) which activate TiFus3 and TiPmk1 during morphogenetic development of T. indica. The results also provides a clue about the role of host factors in enhancing the disease potential due to induction of MAP kinases involved in fungal development and pathogenecity. PMID:22547988
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Husenov, Bahromiddin
2013-01-01
Wheat seed-borne diseases and options for improving baking quality of wheat, as well as the role of genotypes for breeding to achieve high yield and quality are the key issues discussed in this introductory paper. The importance of wheat for Tajikistan and how to achieve food security goals in the country is also elucidated. Wheat seed-borne diseases are caused mostly by fungi. Loose Smut (Ustilago tritici), Common Bunt (Tilletia laevis and T.caries), Karnal Bunt (T.indica), Dwarf Bunt (T....
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2013-10-03
... final rule as appropriate. Comments From Peer Reviewers In accordance with our peer review policy... designation for the streaked horned lark. The Tribe is currently working with the Service and the Corps to... maintaining and protecting habitat for listed species (including the streaked horned lark and western snowy...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sergei V Drovetski
Full Text Available Phylogeographic studies of Holarctic birds are challenging because they involve vast geographic scale, complex glacial history, extensive phenotypic variation, and heterogeneous taxonomic treatment across countries, all of which require large sample sizes. Knowledge about the quality of phylogeographic information provided by different loci is crucial for study design. We use sequences of one mtDNA gene, one sex-linked intron, and one autosomal intron to elucidate large scale phylogeographic patterns in the Holarctic lark genus Eremophila. The mtDNA ND2 gene identified six geographically, ecologically, and phenotypically concordant clades in the Palearctic that diverged in the Early-Middle Pleistocene and suggested paraphyly of the horned lark (E. alpestris with respect to the Temminck's lark (E. bilopha. In the Nearctic, ND2 identified five subclades which diverged in the Late Pleistocene. They overlapped geographically and were not concordant phenotypically or ecologically. Nuclear alleles provided little information on geographic structuring of genetic variation in horned larks beyond supporting the monophyly of Eremophila and paraphyly of the horned lark. Multilocus species trees based on two nuclear or all three loci provided poor support for haplogroups identified by mtDNA. The node ages calculated using mtDNA were consistent with the available paleontological data, whereas individual nuclear loci and multilocus species trees appeared to underestimate node ages. We argue that mtDNA is capable of discovering independent evolutionary units within avian taxa and can provide a reasonable phylogeographic hypothesis when geographic scale, geologic history, and phenotypic variation in the study system are too complex for proposing reasonable a priori hypotheses required for multilocus methods. Finally, we suggest splitting the currently recognized horned lark into five Palearctic and one Nearctic species.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Amanda Swain
2016-09-01
Full Text Available The cohesin protein complex mediates sister chromatid cohesion and participates in transcriptional control of genes that regulate growth and development. Substantial reduction of cohesin activity alters transcription of many genes without disrupting chromosome segregation. Drosophila Nipped-B protein loads cohesin onto chromosomes, and together Nipped-B and cohesin occupy essentially all active transcriptional enhancers and a large fraction of active genes. It is unknown why some active genes bind high levels of cohesin and some do not. Here we show that the TBPH and Lark RNA-binding proteins influence association of Nipped-B and cohesin with genes and gene regulatory sequences. In vitro, TBPH and Lark proteins specifically bind RNAs produced by genes occupied by Nipped-B and cohesin. By genomic chromatin immunoprecipitation these RNA-binding proteins also bind to chromosomes at cohesin-binding genes, enhancers, and Polycomb response elements (PREs. RNAi depletion reveals that TBPH facilitates association of Nipped-B and cohesin with genes and regulatory sequences. Lark reduces binding of Nipped-B and cohesin at many promoters and aids their association with several large enhancers. Conversely, Nipped-B facilitates TBPH and Lark association with genes and regulatory sequences, and interacts with TBPH and Lark in affinity chromatography and immunoprecipitation experiments. Blocking transcription does not ablate binding of Nipped-B and the RNA-binding proteins to chromosomes, indicating transcription is not required to maintain binding once established. These findings demonstrate that RNA-binding proteins help govern association of sister chromatid cohesion proteins with genes and enhancers.
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2010-01-01
... Karnal bunt after purchase by the handler or seed company, as long as the price to be paid by the handler... the intention of producing certified wheat seed. (1) Growers. Growers of wheat in an area under the... prior to sale, or that was tested by APHIS and found positive for Karnal bunt after sale and the price...
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Liang, Yong-Hong; Tang, Chao-Ling; Lu, Shi-Yin; Cheng, Bang; Wu, Fang; Chen, Zhao-Ni; Song, Fangming; Ruan, Jun-Xiang; Zhang, Hong-Ye; Song, Hui; Zheng, Hua; Su, Zhi-Heng
2016-09-10
Corydalis saxicola Bunting (CS), a traditional Chinese folk medicine, has been effectively used for treating liver disease in Zhuang nationality in South China. However, the exact hepatoprotective mechanism of CS was still looking forward to further elucidation by far. In present work, metabonomic study of biochemical changes in the serum of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury rats after CS treatment were performed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H-NMR) analysis. Metabolic profiling by means of principal components analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) indicated that the metabolic perturbation caused by CCl4 was reduced by CS treatment. A total of 9 metabolites including isoleucine (1), lactate (2), alanine (3), glutamine (4), acetone (5), succinate (6), phosphocholine (7), d-glucose (8) and glycerol (9) were considered as potential biomarkers involved in the development of CCl4-induced acute liver injury. According to pathway analysis by metabolites identified and correlation network construction by Pearson's correlation coefficency matrix, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism and glycerolipid metabolism were recognized as the most influenced metabolic pathways associated with CCl4 injury. As a result, notably, deviations of metabolites 1, 3, 4, 7 and 9 in the process of CCl4-induced acute liver injury were improved by CS treatment, which suggested that CS mediated synergistically abnormalities of the metabolic pathways, composed of alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism and glycerolipid metabolism. In this study, it was the first report to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of the CS based on metabonomics strategy, which may be a potentially powerful tool to interpret the action mechanism of traditional Chinese folk medicines. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mohammed, F.A.
1991-12-01
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of seeds treated by low doses of gamma irradiation (5-45 GY) in reducing the infection caused by pathagens transferred on wheat and barley seeds. Field experiments included 4 varieties of wheat (Mexipak, Fl. Aurore, Haurani, Jezira 17) and one variety of barley (WI 2291). Laboratory experiments were also carried out where fungal spores were germinated in soil-extract agar after the exposure to radiation. Field experiments included planting of irradiated seeds before and after inoculation, seed inculated by irradiated spores and seeds planted in soil contaminated by spores. In other experiments, irradiated seeds were planted after inoculation by spores of T. Caries and another time by the spores of T. Foetida. Results for 1988-89 and 1989-90 show that irradiation at doses used have a clear effect on reducing the infection by common bunt in wheat and covered smut in barley, where reductions reached between 15-60% compared with the control. The effects of 30 and 40 GY were more obvious. This study has also shown that the effect of radiation on the rate of infection (Mexipak, Fl. Aurore) was higher than in varieties which are more disease-resistent (Haurani, Jazira 17). Field and laboratory experiments indicate that this reduction in infection may be attributed to the effect of radiation on seeds and their germination and not on the fungi spores. There have been no significant differences between the rate of infection caused by T. Caries and T. Foetida after irradiation treatment. (author). 61 refs., 28 figs., 7 tabs
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Isolation and characterization of avipoxviruses from wild birds in Western Australia.
Annuar, B O; Mackenzie, J S; Lalor, P A
1983-01-01
Avipoxviruses were isolated from wart-like lesions in an Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) and a silvereye (Zosterops lateralis), and the poxvirus aetiology of wart-like lesions in a magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) was confirmed. The three viruses produced typical pock lesions on the chorioallantoic membrane of embryonated eggs and were able to replicate in trypsin-dispersed chick embryo fibroblast cultures but not confluent monolayer cultures. Pock neutralization and immunodiffusion studies showed that the three wild bird isolates were distinct from fowlpox, although antigenically closer to fowlpox than pigeonpox. The magpie and silvereye isolates were more closely related to each other than to the magpie-lark isolate.
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Ulf Hansen, Birger; Christensen, Louise Holm; Tamstorf, Mikkel P.
2014-01-01
simulating higher temperatures and increased cloud cover. Generally, all plots functioned as sinks for atmospheric CO2 at the time of the measurement (midday). In October, Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) was generally close to zero. Similar to previous years the uptake of CO2 was higher in control plots...... house in Kobbefjord. All four species of passerines (Lapland buntings, snow buntings, northern wheatears, and redpolls) were already present at the time of the first census, and the survey was carried out until no more observations were made at any census point. The total number of passerines has varied...
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Adaptation of metabolism and evaporative water loss along an aridity gradient.
Tieleman, B Irene; Williams, Joseph B; Bloomer, Paulette
2003-01-22
Broad-scale comparisons of birds indicate the possibility of adaptive modification of basal metabolic rate (BMR) and total evaporative water loss (TEWL) in species from desert environments, but these might be confounded by phylogeny or phenotypic plasticity. This study relates variation in avian BMR and TEWL to a continuously varying measure of environment, aridity. We test the hypotheses that BMR and TEWL are reduced along an aridity gradient within the lark family (Alaudidae), and investigate the role of phylogenetic inertia. For 12 species of lark, BMR and TEWL decreased along a gradient of increasing aridity, a finding consistent with our proposals. We constructed a phylogeny for 22 species of lark based on sequences of two mitochondrial genes, and investigated whether phylogenetic affinity played a part in the correlation of phenotype and environment. A test for serial independence of the data for mass-corrected TEWL and aridity showed no influence of phylogeny on our findings. However, we did discover a significant phylogenetic effect in mass-corrected data for BMR, a result attributable to common phylogenetic history or to common ecological factors. A test of the relationship between BMR and aridity using phylogenetic independent constrasts was consistent with our previous analysis: BMR decreased with increasing aridity.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sus Derthi Widhyari
2017-04-01
Full Text Available The objective of this study was to find out the effect of zinc supplementation on the profile of immunoglobulin-G (IgG in the pregnant etawah-cross ewes. Fifteen etawah-cross ewes (3-6 years old and 30-50 kg body weight were used in this experiment and they were divided into three groups each of which consisted of 5 ewes. The first group (Zn40 received 40 ppm Zn as control, the second group (Zn60 received 60 ppm Zn, and the third group (Zn80 received 80 ppm Zn. Blood samples were collected from jugular vein every two weeks, started at twelve weeks of pregnancy up to eight weeks post partum for immunoglobulin-G analysis. IgG level were analyzed by competitive Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA technique. Results showed that there were no significant difference of immunoglobulin-G level (P>0,05 among the three treatment groups ( Zn40, Zn60, and Zn80. However, IgG level of Zn40 and Zn80 groups tended to decrease during the last staget of pregnancy until two weeks post partum. In conclusion, supplementation of 60 ppm Zn showed higher IgG level than Zn 80 ppm. ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui efek suplementasi seng (Zn terhadap imunoglobulin-G (IgG pada kambing peranakan etawah (PE bunting. Penelitian ini menggunakan 15 ekor kambing PE umur sekitar tiga sampai enam tahun, bobot badan sekitar 30-50 kg dibagi ke dalam tiga kelompok, masing-masing terdiri dari lima ekor. Kelompok Zn40 (kontrol diberi pakan mengandung mineral Zn 40 ppm, kelompok Zn60 mengandung mineral Zn 60 ppm, dan kelompok Zn80 mengandung mineral Zn 80 ppm. Sampel darah diambil melalui vena jugularis untuk menganalisis konsentrasi IgG. Pengambilan sampel darah dilakukan setiap dua minggu mulai umur kebuntingan 12 minggu sampai delapan minggu setelah melahirkan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa konsentrasi IgG serum tidak menunjukkan perbedaan secara nyata antar kelompok (P>0,05 antara kelompok Zn 0, Zn 40 dan Zn 80 ppm. Kelompok Zn 40 ppm dan 80 ppm cendrung
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The role of the nasal passages in the water economy of crested larks and desert larks
Tieleman, BI; Williams, JB; Michaeli, G; Berry, P
1999-01-01
Condensation of water vapor in the exhaled air stream as it passes over previously cooled membranes of the nasopharynx is thought to be a mechanism that reduces respiratory water loss in mammals and birds. Such a mechanism could be important in the overall water economy of these vertebrates,
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Journal of Biosciences | Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
Genetic analysis of Karnal bunt (Neovossia indica) resistance in wheat ... were cultured on modified MS medium already inoculated with secondary sporidia of ... Hisar 125 004, India; Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, CCS ...
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Identification of micro satellite markers on chromosomes of bread ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
SERVER
2007-07-18
Jul 18, 2007 ... 2 Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, ... markers closely linked to karnal bunt resistance in wheat. ... from leaf tissues using modified CTAB procedure (Saghai-Maroof et.
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Identification of micro satellite markers on chromosomes of bread ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Identification of micro satellite markers on chromosomes of bread wheat showing an association with karnal bunt resistance. M Kumar, OP Luthra, NR Yadav, L Chaudhary, N Saini, R Kumar, I Sharma, V Chawla ...
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Horrocks, N.P.C.; Matson, K.D.; Shobrak, M.; Tinbergen, J.M.; Tieleman, B.I.
2012-01-01
Documenting patterns in immune function is a first step to understanding immune variation, but to comprehend causes and consequences, antigen and parasite exposure that may drive such variation must be determined. We measured host-independent microbial exposure in five species of larks (Alaudidae)
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Draft Environmental Impact Statement: F-15E Beddown at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina
1988-03-01
destruction, stunted growth, necrosis ( killing of plant tissue), chlorosis (loss or reduction in plant chlorophyll), leaf abscission (dropping of leaves...occasionally run, fly, or crowd when exposed to sonic booms. In a field and laboratory study, Mourning Doves, Mockingbirds , Cardinals, Lark Sparrows, and
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Journal of Biosciences | Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
Integrative microbiology – the third Golden Age .... Genetic analysis of Karnal bunt (Neovossia indica) resistance in wheat ... glucose utilization and lipogenesis in adipose tissue of diabetic and fat fed animals: Effects of insulin and manganese.
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Ot Gannibala do "Russkogo bunta" / Tatjana Mühlbeier
Mühlbeier, Tatjana
2000-01-01
Eestis elanud legendaarsest A. Pushkini vaarisast Abram Hannibalist ja temaga seoses ka sama ajastut kujutavast vene režissööri Aleksandr Proshkini uuest ajaloolisest mängufilmist "Vene mäss" ("Russki bunt")
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Bird-habitat relationships in interior Columbia Basin shrubsteppe
Earnst, S.L.; Holmes, A.L.
2012-01-01
Vegetation structure is considered an important habitat feature structuring avian communities. In the sagebrush biome, both remotely-sensed and field-acquired measures of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) cover have proven valuable in understanding avian abundance. Differences in structure between the exotic annual cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and native bunchgrasses are also expected to be important. We used avian abundance data from 318 point count stations, coupled with field vegetation measurements and a detailed vegetation map, to model abundance for four shrub- and four grassland-associated avian species in southeastern Washington shrubsteppe. Specifically, we ask whether species distinguish between bunchgrass and cheatgrass, and whether mapped, categorical cover types adequately explain species' abundance or whether fine-grained, field-measured differences in vegetation cover are also important. Results indicate that mapped cover types alone can be useful for predicting patterns of distribution and abundance within the sagebrush biome for several avian species (five of eight studied here). However, field-measured sagebrush cover was a strong positive predictor for Sage Sparrow (Amphispiza belli), the only sagebrush obligate in this study, and a strong negative predictor for two grassland associates, Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) and Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum). Likewise, shrub associates did not differ in abundance in sagebrush with a cheatgrass vs. bunchgrass understory, but grassland associates were more common in either bunchgrass (Horned Lark and Grasshopper Sparrow) or cheatgrass grasslands (Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus), or tended to use sagebrush-cheatgrass less than sagebrush-bunchgrass (Horned Lark, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis).
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Genetics Home Reference: type 2 diabetes
... Chen H, Huyghe JR, van de Bunt M, Pearson RD, Kumar A, Müller-Nurasyid M, Grarup N, ... Accessibility FOIA Viewers & Players U.S. Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health National Library of ...
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Nest site selection in a hot desert : Trade-off between microclimate and predation risk?
Tieleman, B. Irene; van Noordwijk, Hendrika J.; Williams, Joseph B.
Nest placement affects the risk of predation on both eggs and incubating parents and determines the microclimate for incubation, two functions that may be in conflict, especially in hot deserts. We studied the roles of microclimate and nest predation on nest site selection by Hoopoe Larks (Alaemon
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Douglas, Bruce; Lewis, Chance W.; Douglas, Adrian; Scott, Malcolm Earl; Garrison-Wade, Dorothy
2008-01-01
In today's school systems, students of color, particularly in urban settings, represent the majority student populations (Lewis, Hancock, James, & Larke, in press). Interestingly, the educators--teachers and administrators--that comprise these settings are predominately White, and, in turn, the students of color commonly face pressures that…
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African Journals Online (AJOL)
NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS. Samuel AMOAKO, Associate Researcher, South African Research Unit in Social Change. Contact Details: C/o Lucinda Bercony, Humanities Research Village (House No. 3). University of Johannesburg, P. O. Box 524. Bunting Road Campus, Auckland Park, 2006.
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Nesting ecology of grassland birds following a wildfire in the southern Great Plains
Roberts, Anthony J.; Boal, Clint W.; Whitlaw, Heather A.
2017-01-01
We studied the response of nesting grassland birds occupying short-grass and mixed-grass prairie sites 2 and 3 y following two, large-scale wildfires that burned ≥360,000 ha in the Texas Panhandle in March 2006. Nest success was greater on burned plots compared to unburned plots, though this varied by species and year. Woody vegetation cover was greater around nests on unburned plots compared to burned plots for Cassin's sparrow (Peucaea cassinii) and lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus). Cassin's sparrows and lark sparrows nested in more-woody vegetation than did grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), and woody vegetation was reduced following the wildfires. The wildfires appear to have had few if any negative influences on the avian community 3 years postfire. This may be due to grassland breeding birds being adapted to landscapes in which, historically, periodic disturbance (e.g., wildfire, intensive grazing by bison [Bison bison]) resulted in vegetation heterogeneity.
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Action detection by double hierarchical multi-structure space-time statistical matching model
Han, Jing; Zhu, Junwei; Cui, Yiyin; Bai, Lianfa; Yue, Jiang
2018-03-01
Aimed at the complex information in videos and low detection efficiency, an actions detection model based on neighboring Gaussian structure and 3D LARK features is put forward. We exploit a double hierarchical multi-structure space-time statistical matching model (DMSM) in temporal action localization. First, a neighboring Gaussian structure is presented to describe the multi-scale structural relationship. Then, a space-time statistical matching method is proposed to achieve two similarity matrices on both large and small scales, which combines double hierarchical structural constraints in model by both the neighboring Gaussian structure and the 3D LARK local structure. Finally, the double hierarchical similarity is fused and analyzed to detect actions. Besides, the multi-scale composite template extends the model application into multi-view. Experimental results of DMSM on the complex visual tracker benchmark data sets and THUMOS 2014 data sets show the promising performance. Compared with other state-of-the-art algorithm, DMSM achieves superior performances.
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE Value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
also be used to evaluate the response of cervical carcinoma to treatment. ... biopsy-proven untreated cancer of the cervix that was suitable for ..... Van de Bunt L, Van der Heide UA, Ketelaars M, De Kort GA, Jürgenliemk-Schultz IM.
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Physiological adaptation in desert birds
Williams, JB; Tieleman, BI; Williams, Joseph B.
We call into question the idea that birds have not evolved unique physiological adaptations to desert environments. The rate at which desert larks metabolize energy is lower than in mesic species within the same family, and this lower rate of living translates into a lower overall energy requirement
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Systematic notes on Asian birds. 12. Types of the Alaudidae
Dickinson, E.C.; Dekker, R.W.R.J.; Eck, S.; Somadikarta, S.; Kalyakin, M.; Loskot, V.; Morioka, H.; Violani, C.; Voisin, C.
2001-01-01
A list is provided of the 165 names applied to identifiable Asian forms of species of lark (family Alaudidae). This list summarises our collective knowledge on the whereabouts of types for these names; where our information does not include reliable data we provide notes relating to the deficit and
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Comparison of the serum toxicokinetics of larkspur toxins in cattle, sheep and goats
Larkspurs (Delphinium spp.) are a major cause of cattle losses in western North America, whereas sheep are thought to be resistant to larkspur toxicosis. Goats are often used as a small ruminant model to study poisonous plants. In this study, we compared the serum toxicokinetic profile of toxic lark...
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Pramana – Journal of Physics | Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
Home; Journals; Pramana – Journal of Physics; Volume 62; Issue 5. Molar extinction coefficients of solutions of some organic compounds. Kulwant Singh G K Sandhu B S Lark. Brief Reports Volume 62 Issue 5 May 2004 pp 1139-1145 ... Keywords. Molar extinction coefficients; effective atomic numbers; electron density.
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Journal of Genetics | Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
Home; Journals; Journal of Genetics. LEI ZHANG. Articles written in Journal of Genetics. Volume 93 Issue 3 December 2014 pp 699-707 Research Article. The complete mitochondrial genome of the yellow-browed bunting, Emberiza chrysophrys (Passeriformes: Emberizidae), and phylogenetic relationships within the ...
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Verkuil, Y.I.; Juillet, C.; Lank, D.B.; Widemo, F.; Piersma, T.
2014-01-01
In the Iberian Peninsula, populations of two subspecies of the Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus have become increasingly fragmented during the last decades when suitable habitats have been lost and/or the populations have gone extinct. Presently, both subspecies are endangered. We estimated the
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Journal of Genetics | Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
Mitochondrial genomes have proved to be powerful tools in resolving phylogenetic relationships. Emberiza chrysophrys (least concern species: IUCN 2013) is a passerine bird in the bunting family, Emberizidae. The complete mitochondrial genome of E. chrysophrys was sequenced. This circular mitochondrial genome was ...
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Food habits of nesting prairie falcons in Campbell County
John R. Squires; Stanley H. Anderson; Robert Oakleaf
1989-01-01
Fifteen species of prey were utilized by nesting Prairie Falcons (Falco mexicanus) as determined through pellet analysis. Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus), the most common prey, were present in 91% of the pellets, followed by Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta) which were present in 56% of pellets. Horned Larks (Eremophila...
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2005-01-20
between the U.S. and Canada, Japan, Mexico and the former Soviet Union for the protection of migratory birds. Under the Act, taking, killing or...Song sparrow I Northern mockingbird I Brown-headed cowbird I Fox sparrow !Lazuli bunting !California towhee !Spotted towhee IBushtit !Black
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Lithostratigraphy of the Palaeogene - Lower Neogene succession of the Danish North Sea
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Schiøler, Poul-Henrik; Andsbjerg, Jan; Clausen, Ole Rønø
2007-01-01
sediments of the Danish sector of the North Sea is revised. The sediment package from the top of the Chalk Group to the base of the Nordland Group is subdivided into seven formations containing eleven new members. The existing Våle, Lista, Sele, Fur, Balder, Horda and Lark Formations of previously...
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Journal of Biosciences | Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
Induction of defense response against Karnal bunt (KB) by suppressing the pathogenesis was observed upon exogenous application of jasmonic acid (JA) as evident from decrease in the coefficient of infection and overall response value in both susceptible and resistant varieties of wheat. The ultra-structural changes ...
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7 CFR 301.89-2 - Regulated articles.
2010-01-01
... 7 Agriculture 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Regulated articles. 301.89-2 Section 301.89-2... SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DOMESTIC QUARANTINE NOTICES Karnal Bunt § 301.89-2 Regulated articles. The following are regulated articles: (a) Conveyances, including trucks, railroad cars, and other...
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Evaluation of the effect of Spathodea campanulata flower bud ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
cadewumi
The antioxidant potentials of the exudate were evaluated using the total antioxidant activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays as described by .... galactitol by the aldose reductase and causes hydration of the eye which eventually leads to osmotic stress (Patterson and Bunting, 1965; Kinoshita,. 1974 ...
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2007-01-01
60-nda Cannes'i filmifestivali auhindadest : Kuldse Palmioksa saanud Christian Mungiu "4 kuud, 3 nädalat ja 2 päeva" (Rumeenia). Lähemalt vene filmidest : Konstantin Lavronenko parima näitleja auhind Andrei Zvjagintsevi filmis "Pagendus" (Izgnanije"), Andrei Nekrassovi dokumentaalfilmist "Vastuhakk: Litvinenko juhtum" ("Bunt. Delo Litvinenko")
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Cost of Parasitism Incurred by Two Songbird Species and Their Quality As Cowbird Hosts1
Dirk Burhans; Frank R. Thompson III
2000-01-01
We measured the costs of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism incurred by Field Sparrows (Spizella pusilla) and Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea). We predicted that the frequent occurrence of nest desertion as a response to cowbird parasitism in Field Sparrows would be reflected by a higher cost of...
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Pramana – Journal of Physics | Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
Home; Journals; Pramana – Journal of Physics. K Singh. Articles written in Pramana – Journal of Physics. Volume 58 Issue 3 March 2002 pp 521-528 Research Articles. Molar extinction coefficients of some carbohydrates in aqueous solutions · K Singh G K Sandhu B S Lark S P Sud · More Details Abstract Fulltext PDF.
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Circadian Rhythms and Second Language Performance
de Bot, Kees; Fang, Fang
2017-01-01
Human behavior is not constant over the hours of the day, and there are considerable individual differences. Some people raise early and go to bed early and have their peek performance early in the day ("larks") while others tend to go to bed late and get up late and have their best performance later in the day ("owls"). In…
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Birds of a Great Basin Sagebrush Habitat in East-Central Nevada
United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
1992-01-01
Breeding bird populations ranged from 3.35 to 3.48 individuals/ha over a 3-year study conducted from 1981 to 1983. Brewer's sparrows, sage sparrows, sage thrashers, and black-throated sparrows were numerically dominant. Horned larks and western meadowlarks were less common. Results are compared with bird populations in Great Basin sagebrush habitats elsewhere in the United States.
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2010-01-01
... 7 Agriculture 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Definitions. 301.89-1 Section 301.89-1 Agriculture..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DOMESTIC QUARANTINE NOTICES Karnal Bunt § 301.89-1 Definitions. Actual price... part) for or capable of propagation, including a tree, a tissue culture, a plantlet culture, pollen, a...
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Challenges for extension service to render efficient post-transformer ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
LPhidza
generation of knowledge and information to provide back- up service to Extensionists which in turn should help their clients (Arnon, 1989; Bunting, 1986; Van den Ban & Hawkins,. 1990: 293). Furthermore Extensionists are expected to account for their performance in order to justify the investment of public funds in extension ...
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Landscape forest cover and edge effects on songbird nest predation vary by nest predator
W. Andrew Cox; Frank R. III Thompson; John. Faaborg
2012-01-01
Rates of nest predation for birds vary between and within species across multiple spatial scales, but we have a poor understanding of which predators drive such patterns. We video-monitored nests and identified predators at 120 nests of the Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens) and the Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) at eight...
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The role of OTX2 in medulloblastoma
Bunt, J.
2012-01-01
Het onderdrukken van het gen OTX2 lijkt een potentiële therapie voor medulloblastomen, een kwaadaardige hersentumor. Jens Bunt stelt dat OTX2 door binding aan het DNA de expressie van genen die nodig zijn voor celdeling aanzet, terwijl het indirect de differentiatie van cellen remt. Uit proeven met
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A trouser bag experiment that quantify by-catch species escaping ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Sea fishing trials were conducted to quantify by-catch species escaping from a modified shrimp trawl codend and retained in a trouser bag. Modification was by inserting a rectangular aluminum frame excluder device with bar spacing of 20mm at the anterior bunt. Thirty replicate landings showed that; Drepane africana have ...
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7 CFR 301.89-12 - Cleaning, disinfection, and disposal.
2010-01-01
... indica must be cleaned and disinfected in accordance with § 301.89-13 prior to being used in the conditioning of seed that has tested negative for the spores of Tilletia indica or to being moved from a... move bunted-kernel-positive host crops, including trucks, railroad cars, and other containers, that...
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2010-07-01
American crow (Cowus brachyrhynchos), northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), curved-billed thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre), lark sparrow...of migratory birds. Unless otherwise permitted by regulations, the MBTA makes it unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, or kill ; attempt to take...capture or kill ; possess, offer to or sell, barter, purchase, deliver, or cause to be shipped, exported, imported, transported, carried, or received
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"Russkii bunt" smetajut s polok / Konstantin Morenko
Morenko, Konstantin
2007-01-01
Urmas E. Liivi dokumentaalfilm "Pronksöö : Vene mäss Tallinnas" DVD tuli müügile 9. juulil. Esimene tiraazh (üle 4000) müüdi läbi kuu ajaga, tellitud on teine (3000), millest osa loodetakse müüa väljaspoole Eestit
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2010-01-01
...) Mechanized harvesting equipment that has been used in the production of wheat, durum wheat, or triticale that... equipment and storage/handling equipment that has been used in the production of wheat, durum wheat, or... solution of hot water and detergent, applied under pressure of at least 30 pounds per square inch, at a...
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Reimert, R.; Klensch, S. [Karlsruhe Univ. (T.H.) (Germany). Engler-Bunte-Institut Bereich 1 - Gas, Erdoel und Kohle
2000-07-01
The behaviour of heavy metals during the thermal utilisation of sawdust was studied experimentally in a pilot-scale experimental plant at the Engler-Bunte Institute. The experiments served to determine the influence of reactor temperature (1050 -1300 C), dedusting temperature, and the nature of the gas atmosphere (reductive/oxidative) on the distribution of heavy metals contained in the sawdust over the product fractions slag, flue ash, and product gas. A calculation model was used to calculate the theoretical heavy metal concentrations in flue ash as a function of reactor temperature, dedusting temperature and gas atmosphere. [German] Am Engler-Bunte-Institut wurden experimentelle Untersuchungen zum Verhalten von Schwermetallen bei der thermischen Nutzung von Saegespaenen in einer halbtechnischen Versuchsanlage durchgefuehrt. Mit Hilfe der Versuche wurden die Einfluesse der Reaktortemperatur (1050-1300 C), der Entstaubungstemperatur (350-850 C) und der Gasatmosphaere (reduzierend/oxidierend) auf die Verteilung der in den Saegespaenen enthaltenen Schwermetalle auf die Produktfraktionen Schlacke, Flugasche und Produktgas bestimmt. Mit einem Berechnungsmodell wurden die theoretischen Schwermetallkonzentrationen in der Flugasche als Funktion der Reaktortemperatur, der Entstaubungstemperatur und der Gasatmosphaere berechnet. (orig.)
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Champagne, Alex M; Muñoz-Garcia, Agustí; Shtayyeh, Tamer; Tieleman, B Irene; Hegemann, Arne; Clement, Michelle E; Williams, Joseph B
2012-12-15
Intercellular and covalently bound lipids within the stratum corneum (SC), the outermost layer of the epidermis, are the primary barrier to cutaneous water loss (CWL) in birds. We compared CWL and intercellular SC lipid composition in 20 species of birds from desert and mesic environments. Furthermore, we compared covalently bound lipids with CWL and intercellular lipids in the lark family (Alaudidae). We found that CWL increases in birds from more mesic environments, and this increase was related to changes in intercellular SC lipid composition. The most consistent pattern that emerged was a decrease in the relative amount of cerebrosides as CWL increased, a pattern that is counterintuitive based on studies of mammals with Gaucher disease. Although covalently bound lipids in larks did not correlate with CWL, we found that covalently bound cerebrosides correlated positively with intercellular cerebrosides and intercellular cholesterol ester, and intercellular cerebrosides correlated positively with covalently bound free fatty acids. Our results led us to propose a new model for the organization of lipids in the avian SC, in which the sugar moieties of cerebrosides lie outside of intercellular lipid layers, where they may interdigitate with adjacent intercellular cerebrosides or with covalently bound cerebrosides.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Karl G. Lark
2013-02-01
Full Text Available The discovery of non-random chromosome segregation is discussed from the perspective of what was known in1965 and1966. The distinction between daughter, parent or grandparent strands of DNA was developed in a bacterial system and led to the discovery that multiple copies of DNA elements of bacteria are not distributed randomly with respect to the age of the template strand. Experiments with higher eukaryotic cells demonstrated that during mitosis Mendel’s laws were violated; and the initial serendipitous choice of eukaryotic cell system led to the striking example of non-random segregation of parent and grand-parent DNA template strands in primary cultures of cells derived from mouse embryos. Attempts to extrapolate these findings to established TC lines demonstrated that the property could be lost. Experiments using plant root tips demonstrated that the phenomenon exists in plants and that it was, at some level, under genetic control. Despite publication in major journals and symposia (Lark et al. (1966a; Lark (1967a; 1967b; 1969, 1969a; 1969b the potential implications of these findings were ignored for several decades. Here we explore possible reasons for the pre-maturity (Stent, 1972 of this discovery.
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Once more the generic name Passerina Vieillot
Oort, van E.D.
1910-01-01
The note on the generic name of the Snow-bunting by Dr. E. Hartert in this part of our periodical gives me cause to revert to the subject of my note on the generic name Passerina Vieillot and to state here, that I stand to what I have said about the rejection of this name in Zoology (Notes Leyden
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[Recent fauna of ground-nesting birds in Transvolga steppes and its dynamics in the 20th century].
Oparin, M L
2008-01-01
It is shown that the structure of the ground-nesting bird fauna in Transvolga steppes has changed during the 20th century. The complex of lark species characteristic of true and dry steppe has disappeared because of climate change and impact of economic activity (the establishment of windbreak and roadside forest strips), which has provided for a sharp increase in the abundance of corvid birds.
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2011-01-01
brachyrhynchos), northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), curved-billed thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre), lark sparrow (Chordestes grammacus), black...cloud ceiling, fog, rain, or poor visibility, lighted structures might not be visible to migrating birds and can cause bird kills because Final EA...regulations, the MBTA makes it unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, or kill ; attempt to take, capture or kill ; possess, offer to or sell, barter, purchase
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2012-05-01
brachyrhynchos), northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), curve-billed thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre), lark sparrow (Chordestes grammacus), black-throated...otherwise permitted by regulations, the MBTA makes it unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, or kill ; attempt to take, capture or kill ; possess, offer to...or through a foreign country, any bird, part, nest, or egg that was captured, killed , taken, shipped, transported, or carried contrary to the laws
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Final Environmental Assessment Addressing Building Demolition at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico
2010-04-01
take, capture, or kill ; attempt to take, capture, or kill ; possess, offer to or sell, barter, purchase, deliver, or cause to be shipped, exported...captured, killed , taken, shipped, transported, or carried contrary to the laws from where it was obtained; and import from Canada any bird, part, nest, or... mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), curved-billed thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre), lark sparrow (Chordestes grammacus), black-throated sparrow
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American River Watershed Investigation, California. Volume 6. Appendix S. Part 1
1991-12-01
rainbow trout Salmo qairdneri hardhead Mylopharodon conocephalus Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawvtscha brown trout Salmo trutta 0 34 Disturbance of...Department of Fish and Game Stream Survey 1938 Sacramento pike Pvtocheilus grandis hardhead Mylopharodon conocephalus roach Hesperoleucas symmetricus...Lazuli bunting Passerina amoena R,G,W,F Rufous-sided towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus C,U,F Brown towhee Pipilo fuscus C,U,F Rufous-crowned sparrow
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Growing media alternatives for forest and native plant nurseries
Thomas D. Landis; Nancy Morgan
2009-01-01
The choice of growing medium, along with container type, is one of the critical decisions that must be made when starting a nursery. The first growing medium was called "compost" and was developed in the 1930s at the John Innes Horticultural Institute in Great Britain. It consisted of a loam soil that was amended with peat moss, sand, and fertilizers (Bunt...
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Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Sychra, O.; Literák, I.; Čapek, Miroslav
2009-01-01
Roč. 38, č. 4 (2009), s. 501-503 ISSN 1519-566X R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA601690901 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60930519 Keywords : Bunting * tanager Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 0.586, year: 2009 http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ne/v38n4/v38n4a10.pdf
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1995-11-01
metabolism before reaching the systemic circulation. Therefore, a toxic effect attributable to an active metabolite might be more pronounced if the compound...no first-pass metabolism might result in a greater dose of the toxic constituent entering the systemic circulation than if the compound were absorbed...great horned owls, red-tailed hawks, loggerhead shrikes, badgers, Ord’s kangaroo rats, horned larks, and sagebrush lizards. The vegetation types
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Begegnungen mit dem 'grossen Anderen'
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Halse, Sven
2008-01-01
I så godt som alle fortællingerne i Bunte Steine udgør spørgsmålet om egenidentitet et centralt tema. I artiklen analyseres fortællingernes forhandling, etablering og forandring af kulturel identitet gennem mødet med det store Andet, det være sig i form af uhørte naturfænomener, historiske hændel...
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Constitutive insulin sensitivity and obesity my be caused by PTEN mutations
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
E A Pigarova
2012-12-01
Full Text Available Реферат по статье: Pal A, Barber TM, Van de Bunt M, Rudge SA, Zhang Q, Lachlan KL, Cooper NS, Linden H, Levy JC, Wakelam MJ, Walker L, Karpe F, Gloyn AL. PTEN mutations as a cause of constitutive insulin sensitivity and obesity. N Engl J Med. 2012 Sep 13;367(11:1002-11.
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Shear weakening for different lithologies observed at different saturation stages
Diethart-Jauk, Elisabeth; Gegenhuber, Nina
2018-01-01
For this study, samples from different lithologies ("Leitha"-limestone, "Dachstein"-limestone, "Haupt"-dolomite, "Bunt"-sandstone, Grey Berea sandstone, granite, quartzite and basalt) were selected. Samples were dried at 70 °C, respectively 105 °C and were saturated with brine. Mass, porosity, permeability, compressional and shear wave velocity were determined from dry and brine saturated samples at laboratory conditions, based on an individual measurement program. Shear modulus was calculated to find out, if shear weakening exists for the dataset. Shear weakening means that shear modulus of dry samples is higher than of saturated samples, but it is assumed that shear modulus is unaffected by saturation. "Dachstein"-limestone and basalt show shear weakening, quartzite samples show both weakening and hardening. Granite samples are affected by temperature, after drying with 105 °C no change can be observed anymore. "Bunt"-sandstone samples show a change in the shear modulus in a small extent, although they may contain clay minerals. The other lithologies show no effect. Explanations for carbonate samples can be the complicated pore structure, for basalt it could be that weathering creates clay minerals which are known as causes for a change of the shear modulus. Fluid viscosity can also be an important factor.
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Systematic notes on Asian birds. 12. Types of the Alaudidae
Dickinson, E.C.; Dekker, R.W.R.J.; Eck, S.; Somadikarta, S.; Kalyakin, M.; Loskot, V.; Morioka, H.; Violani, C.; Voisin, C.
2001-01-01
A list is provided of the 165 names applied to identifiable Asian forms of species of lark (family Alaudidae). This list summarises our collective knowledge on the whereabouts of types for these names; where our information does not include reliable data we provide notes relating to the deficit and to stimulate others to send us additional data or to suggest sources of information. In two appendices we deal with certain old names that we judge to be indeterminate and we designate a lectotype ...
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Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
T he A C M T uring A w ard for 2007 w as aw arded to. C larke, E m erson and Sifakis for their invention of m odel-checking, an autom ated technique for verifying ¯nite-state com puting system s. In this article, w e d escrib e th e cen tral id eas u n d erlyin g their approach. 1 . In tro d u ctio n. E ach year, the A ssociation for C ...
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2008-01-01
Hubert Burda, magnat de la presse magazine allemande, possède l’une des plus grosses fortunes d’Allemagne ; le magazine Forbes l’estime à 2,5 milliards $. Portrait d’un prince héritier des médias qui règne sur un empire florissant où se côtoient le news magazine Focus, des féminins (freundin), des people (Bunte) et la presse TV (Super Illu). (ib)
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Physiological adjustments to arid and mesic environments in larks (Alaudidae)
Tieleman, BI; Williams, JB; Buschur, ME
2002-01-01
Because deserts are characterized by low food availability, high ambient temperature extremes, and absence of drinking water, one might expect that birds that live in these conditions exhibit a lower basal metabolic rate ( BMR), reduced total evaporative water loss (TEWL), and greater ability to
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Glowska, Eliza; Laniecka, Izabella
2012-12-01
A new quill mite species Syringophilopsis davidi sp. nov. (Prostigmata, Syringophilidae) parasitizing Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla (Leisler) (Passeriformes, Alaudidae) in Egypt is described. This new species is distinguishable from S. tyranni Bochkov and Galloway by 10-13 chambers of the peritremal lateral branches, setae se located slightly anterior to c1, and by setae ag2 about twice longer than the genital setae. This is the first record of this genus from the hosts of the family Alaudidae and in the Arab Republic of Egypt.
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Assessment of Electron Beam Welding in Shipyard Construction,
1985-12-01
ELECTRON BEAM APPLICATORS QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Applicators Name: McCay Tool & Engr. Co. 2. Address: 1449 West Lark, Fenton , Mo. 3...had very li tt le undercut and requ ired no cosmet ic pass. TESTING AND RESULTS ’re~t ing wi ~ pt-f’)rimev oil spc inens inl t he- fol lowing manner. 1...Penetration Cosmet . c Accelerating Voltage (KV) 75 70 Beam Current (ma) 115 30 Travel Speed (IPM) 8 18 Beam focus (Amps programmed) 4.38 4.70 Gun to Work
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The complete mitochondrial genome of the yellow-browed bunting ...
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
polymerase chain reaction (LA-PCR) kit (Takara, Dalian,. China) .... boxes in the central domain; CSB, conserved sequence block; CSB-like, a sequence similar to the CSB; LSP, ..... and Ecology Safety in Anhui Province, the Key Programme of.
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Genetic analysis of Karnal bunt (Neovossia indica ) resistance in ...
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
Unknown
ear heads were harvested and grains were removed care- fully by hand. Percent ... Low callusing ability of embryo excised from mature grains were also .... induction, proliferation and plant regeneration from mature ... Plant Cell Rep. 18 331– ...
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Tucker, Ryan T.; Roberts, Eric M.; Darlington, Vikie; Salisbury, Steven W.
2017-08-01
The Winton Formation of central Queensland is recognized as a quintessential source of mid-Cretaceous terrestrial faunas and floras in Australia. However, sedimentological investigations linking fossil assemblages and palaeoenvironments across this unit remain limited. The intent of this study was to interpret depositional environments and improve stratigraphic correlations between multiple fossil localities within the preserved Winton Formation in the Eromanga Basin, including Isisford, Lark Quarry, and Bladensburg National Park. Twenty-three facies and six repeated facies associations were documented, indicating a mosaic of marginal marine to inland alluvial depositional environments. These developed synchronously with the final regression of the Eromanga Seaway from central Australia during the late Albian-early Turonian. Investigations of regional- and local-scale structural features and outcrop, core and well analysis were combined with detrital zircon provenance signatures to help correlate stratigraphy and vertebrate faunas across the basin. Significant palaeoenvironmental differences exist between the lower and upper portions of the preserved Winton Formation, warranting informal subdivisions; a lower tidally influenced fluvial-deltaic member and an upper inland alluvial member. This work further demonstrates that the Isisford fauna is part of the lower member of the preserved Winton Formation; whereas, fossil localities around Winton, including Lark Quarry and Bladensburg National Park, are part of the upper member of the Winton Formation. These results permit a more meaningful framework for both regional and global comparisons of the Winton flora and fauna.
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The Development of Performance-Based Auditory Aviation Classification Standards in the U.S. Navy,
1987-12-01
Gerontology, Vol. 24(2), pp. 189-192, 1969. 10. Palva, A. and Jokinen, K., ’The Role of the Binaural Test in Filtered Speech Audiometry." Acta Oto...BEAD BEAT BEAN REEL HEEL EEL PAVE PALE PAY WIG RIG FIG GALE MALE TALE PAGE PANE PACE PIG BIG DIG PALE SALE BALE DID DIN DIP SAP SAG SAD SIN WIN...SEEN SEED SEEK CAME GAME SAME NEAT BEAT SEAT SEEM SEETHE SEEP PAD PASS PATH PARK MARK HARK SIP RIP TIP PACK PAN PAT DARK LARK BARK LIP HIP DIP LED
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First records of several bird species for Zacatecas, Mexico
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Alejandro Pérez-Arteaga
2017-10-01
Full Text Available We report the first records of five species of birds for the state of Zacatecas, Mexico: Ortalis poliocephala (West Mexican Chachalaca, Progne sinaloae (Sinaloa Martin, Peucaea carpalis (Rufous-winged Sparrow, Melospiza melodia (Song Sparrow and Cyanocompsa parellina (Blue Bunting. Ortalis poliocephala is also a new record for the Western Sierra Madre biogeographic region. These records are ecologically relevant as they extend the known distribution ranges and suggest that the southern Zacatecas region might be more diverse than previously thought.
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Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Genomic Instability in Brca-Deficient Cells
2014-03-01
repair defects asso- ciated with downstream mediators of the HR reaction (e.g., XRCC2, BRCA2, or PALB2) (Bouwman et al., 2010; Bowman- Colin et al., 2013...and BRCA-mutated breast cancers. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 17, 688–695. Bowman- Colin , C., Xia, B., Bunting, S., Klijn, C., Drost, R., Bouwman, P., Fine...chromosomes. It is thus surprising that cells use ‘quick and dirty ’ repair by NHEJ rather than the slower, more accurate repair by homologous recombination
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The Women’s Army Corps: 1945-1978
1990-01-01
their new neighbors by proclaiming 21 July as "WAC Day." The main streets of the city (popu- lation 26,000) were draped with bunting and welcome...counseling the women and managing activities in the building. A WAC first sergeant, Anna M. Armour , assisted her in her command duties-administration...Utilization of women. Armor, 385 women’s command authority. See Corn- Armour , 1st Sgt. Anna M., 201 mand authority. Army, act’g ass’t secretary of for manpow
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Clinical Pearls - how my patients taught me : The fainting lark symptom
Kuiper, A; van Egmond, M E; Harms, M P M; Oosterhoff, M D; van Harten, B; Sival, D A; de Koning, T J; Tijssen, M A J
2016-01-01
BACKGROUND: Compulsive movements, complex tics and stereotypies are frequent, especially among patients with autism or psychomotor retardation. These movements can be difficult to characterize and can mimic other conditions like epileptic seizures or paroxysmal dystonia, particularly when abnormal
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Wissenshäppchen als Facebook Instant Article – ein durchaus mögliches Zukunftsszenario
Fleck, Rika
2018-01-01
„Hast Du Schwierigkeiten, die richtige Ansprache für Millennials zu finden?“ Dann empfiehlt die Onlinemarketingplattform www.onlinemarketing.de sich die perfekte Videowerbung für die Generation Y anzusehen. Im Video sind „hippe, junge Menschen in Zeitlupe“ zu sehen, die fröhlich sind, sich frei fühlen, lachen, bunte Haare haben, gern mit Freunden zusammen sind und Spaß an der Konversation haben, fotografieren, posten, liken und teilen. Natürlich werden im Video die Klischees überzogen und auc...
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Schuler, C.A.; Rickard, W.H.; Sargeant, G.A.
1988-03-01
This report provides information on te seasonal use of shrubsteppe vegetation by bird species at the RRL. Bird abundance and distribution were studied at the RRL to ensure that the DOE monitored migratory bird species pursuant to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and to assess potential impacts of site characterization activities on bird populations. Birds were counted on two transects that together sampled an areas of 1.39 km/sup 2/. The relative abundance of birds, species richness, seasonal distribution, and the association of breeding shrubsteppe birds with major vegetation types were determined from Janurary through December 1987. Only 38 species were counted during 82 surveys. Total bird density during the nesting season (March-June) was 42.96 birdskm/sup 2/ and the density for the entire year was 26.74 birdskm/sup 2/. The characteristic nesting birds in shrubsteppe habitats were western meadowlark, sage sparrow, burrowing owl, mourning dove, horned lark, long-billed curlew, lark sparrow, and loggerhead shrike. Western meadowlark and sage sparrows were the most abundant breeding birds with an average density of 11.25 and 7.76 birdskm/sup 2/, respectively. Seasonal distribution of birds varied with species, but most species were present from March to September. Distribution and abunandance of nesting birds were correlated with habitat type. About 63% of the habitat surveyed was sagebrush, 26% was cheatgrass, and 11% was spiny hopsage. Sagebrush habitat supproted a greeater total bird density than cheatgrass or hopsage habitats. Sage sparrows were closely associated with sagebrush habitats, while western meadowlarks showed no strong habitat affinities. 22 refs., 9 figs., 6 tabs
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Patterns of cowbird parasitism in the Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain and Piedmont.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
J.C. Kilgo; C.E. Moorman
2003-09-01
Until recently, little information was available on patterns of brood parasitism by Brownheaded Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in the southeastern United States, a region into which cowbirds expanded their range only during the last half of the Twentieth Century and where their abundance is relatively low. We compiled parasitism data from several published and unpublished studies conducted in Georgia and South Carolina from 1993-2000 to examine levels of brood parasitism and determine frequent host species. The combined dataset included 1,372 nests of 24 species reported in the literature to have been parasitized by cowbirds. The parasitism rate on all species combined was 8.2%. Considering only those species that served as hosts in these studies (n = I2), the parasitism rate was 9.3%. Seven species were parasitized at rates 2 10%. Based on the extent of parasitism (among studies and locations), their relative abundance, and the sample size of nests, Prairie Warblers (Dendroicta discolor), Hooded Warblers (Wilsonia citrina), Yellow-breasted Chats (Icteria virens), and Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea), all shrub nesters, appear to be the most important cowbird hosts in the region. Parasitism on some species reported as frequent hosts elsewhere was extremely low or not documented. We conclude that the impact of brood parasitism on the seasonal fecundity of hosts in the region probably is minimal, but additional work is warranted on species of concern, such as the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris).
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Benitez Buelga, Javier; Rodriguez-Sinobas, Leonor; Sanchez, Raul; Gil, Maria; Tarquis, Ana M.
2014-05-01
Soils can be seen as the result of spatial variation operating over several scales. This observation points to 'variability' as a key soil attribute that should be studied. Soil variability has often been considered to be composed of 'functional' (explained) variations plus random fluctuations or noise. However, the distinction between these two components is scale dependent because increasing the scale of observation almost always reveals structure in the noise. Geostatistical methods and, more recently, multifractal/wavelet techniques have been used to characterize scaling and heterogeneity of soil properties among others coming from complexity science. Multifractal formalism, first proposed by Mandelbrot (1982), is suitable for variables with self-similar distribution on a spatial domain (Kravchenko et al., 2002). Multifractal analysis can provide insight into spatial variability of crop or soil parameters (Vereecken et al., 2007). This technique has been used to characterize the scaling property of a variable measured along a transect as a mass distribution of a statistical measure on a spatial domain of the studied field (Zeleke and Si, 2004). To do this, it divides the transect into a number of self-similar segments. It identifies the differences among the subsets by using a wide range of statistical moments. Wavelets were developed in the 1980s for signal processing, and later introduced to soil science by Lark and Webster (1999). The wavelet transform decomposes a series; whether this be a time series (Whitcher, 1998; Percival and Walden, 2000), or as in our case a series of measurements made along a transect; into components (wavelet coefficients) which describe local variation in the series at different scale (or frequency) intervals, giving up only some resolution in space (Lark et al., 2003, 2004). Wavelet coefficients can be used to estimate scale specific components of variation and correlation. This allows us to see which scales contribute most to
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Horrocks, Nicholas P C; Hegemann, Arne; Ostrowski, Stéphane; Ndithia, Henry; Shobrak, Mohammed; Williams, Joseph B; Matson, Kevin D; Tieleman, B I
2015-01-01
Investment in immune defences is predicted to covary with a variety of ecologically and evolutionarily relevant axes, with pace of life and environmental antigen exposure being two examples. These axes may themselves covary directly or inversely, and such relationships can lead to conflicting predictions regarding immune investment. If pace of life shapes immune investment then, following life history theory, slow-living, arid zone and tropical species should invest more in immunity than fast-living temperate species. Alternatively, if antigen exposure drives immune investment, then species in antigen-rich tropical and temperate environments are predicted to exhibit higher immune indices than species from antigen-poor arid locations. To test these contrasting predictions we investigated how variation in pace of life and antigen exposure influence immune investment in related lark species (Alaudidae) with differing life histories and predicted risks of exposure to environmental microbes and parasites. We used clutch size and total number of eggs laid per year as indicators of pace of life, and aridity, and the climatic variables that influence aridity, as correlates of antigen abundance. We quantified immune investment by measuring four indices of innate immunity. Pace of life explained little of the variation in immune investment, and only one immune measure correlated significantly with pace of life, but not in the predicted direction. Conversely, aridity, our proxy for environmental antigen exposure, was predictive of immune investment, and larks in more mesic environments had higher immune indices than those living in arid, low-risk locations. Our study suggests that abiotic environmental variables with strong ties to environmental antigen exposure can be important correlates of immunological variation.
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Erickson, Heidi J.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Hobbs, N. Thompson
2009-01-01
Understanding how management practices affect wildlife is fundamental to wise decisions for conservation of public lands. Prescribed fire and grazing timing are two management tools frequently used within publicly owned sagebrush ecosystems. We conducted a variety of surveys in order to assess the impacts of grazing timing strategies (early summer before peak green-up, mid-summer at peak green-up, and late summer after peak green-up) in conjunction with prescribed fire on avian and small mammal populations in a high-elevation sagebrush ecosystem. Avian surveys resulted in a large detection sample size for three bird species: Brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri), horned lark (Eremophila alpestris), and vesper sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus). Brewer's sparrows had the lowest number of detections within the mid-summer grazing treatment compared to early and late summer grazing treatments, while horned larks and vesper sparrows had higher detection frequencies within the late summer grazing treatment. Summer and fall sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) pellet counts revealed that the greatest over-winter and over-summer use by sage-grouse occurred within the early summer grazing treatment with minimal use of burn treatment areas across all grazing treatments. Deer-mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) represented approximately 90 percent of small mammals captured and were most prevalent within the mid-summer grazing treatment. Sagebrush cover was greatest within the mid-summer grazing treatment. We monitored 50 and 103 nests in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The apparent success rate for shrub-obligate nesting species was 58 percent in 2007 and 63 percent in 2008. This research will support management of sagebrush ecosystems by providing public land managers with direct comparisons of wildlife response to management regimes.
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Global population collapse in a superabundant migratory bird and illegal trapping in China.
Kamp, Johannes; Oppel, Steffen; Ananin, Alexandr A; Durnev, Yurii A; Gashev, Sergey N; Hölzel, Norbert; Mishchenko, Alexandr L; Pessa, Jorma; Smirenski, Sergey M; Strelnikov, Evgenii G; Timonen, Sami; Wolanska, Kolja; Chan, Simba
2015-12-01
Persecution and overexploitation by humans are major causes of species extinctions. Rare species, often confined to small geographic ranges, are usually at highest risk, whereas extinctions of superabundant species with very large ranges are rare. The Yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola) used to be one of the most abundant songbirds of the Palearctic, with a very large breeding range stretching from Scandinavia to the Russian Far East. Anecdotal information about rapid population declines across the range caused concern about unsustainable trapping along the species' migration routes. We conducted a literature review and used long-term monitoring data from across the species' range to model population trend and geographical patterns of extinction. The population declined by 84.3-94.7% between 1980 and 2013, and the species' range contracted by 5000 km. Quantitative evidence from police raids suggested rampant illegal trapping of the species along its East Asian flyway in China. A population model simulating an initial harvest level of 2% of the population, and an annual increase of 0.2% during the monitoring period produced a population trajectory that matched the observed decline. We suggest that trapping strongly contributed to the decline because the consumption of Yellow-breasted Bunting and other songbirds has increased as a result of economic growth and prosperity in East Asia. The magnitude and speed of the decline is unprecedented among birds with a comparable range size, with the exception of the Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), which went extinct in 1914 due to industrial-scale hunting. Our results demonstrate the urgent need for an improved monitoring of common and widespread species' populations, and consumption levels throughout East Asia. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.
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Dynamics of faunistic complexes of parasitic organisms in the Chernobyl' NPP zone
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Labetskaya, A.G.; Balashina, N.S.; Kireenko, K.M.; Bychkova, E.I.; Efremova, G.A.; Tereshkina, N.V.
1990-01-01
The results of studies made in the Chernobyl' NPP 30-km zone, which deal with estimation of species composition and number of parasites, mammals, birds, their nest inhabitants and blood-suching insects, are discussed. It is shown that parasite species variaty is higher on the contaminated territory as compared with the control one. Number of arthropoda is greater, and those of helmines and winged blood-suching insects are smaller on the contaminated territories. The main carriers of parasites among birds are starlings, larks and tomtits in contaminated regions and those are chiff-chaff and finches in the control areas. The level of nest contaminations for rodents and birds correlates with environment contamination level
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Bunt, gra, taniec. Wokół początków capoeiry
Kleczkowska, Katarzyna
2012-01-01
The article presents the most popular theories of the origins of capoeira, focusing on main meaning of this sport: the protest, the play and the dance. The capoeira is a Brazilian martial art, which combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and game. It is nowadays very popular in both Americas and Europe (including Poland), but primarily it was only an art of African slaves and lower classes in Brazil. It is not well known how the capoeira came into existence, but the most popular of ...
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Scrub-Successional Bird Community Dynamics in Young and Mature Pine-Wiregrass Savannahs
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Krementz, D.G.; Christie, J.S.
2001-01-01
We investigated how management for habitat conditions to support the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker effects the biodiversity of the breeding bird community associated with those habitats. Habitat is created by thinning, burning and mid-story control of hardwoods in mature longleaf stands. In addition, similar habitat structurally can be found in recently harvested areas. We tested the hypothesis that diversity and abundance, as well as survival and reproduction would be greater in mature stands. However, mature stands used for recruitment always had fewer species (36/31) than recently harvested areas (54/55). All species that occurred in recruitment stands also occurred in mature stands. No differences in survival rates were found between mature and recent cuts for Bachman's sparrow and indigo bunting
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Nocturnal activity of nesting shrubland and grassland passerines: Chapter 9
Slay, Christy M.; Ellison, Kevin S.; Ribic, Christine; Smith, Kimberly G.; Schmitz, Carolyn M.
2013-01-01
Nocturnal activity of nesting passerines is largely undocumented in field situations. We used video recordings to quantify sleep patterns of four shrubland and three grassland bird species during the nestling period. All species exhibited “back sleep” (bill tucked under scapular feathers); individuals woke frequently for vigils of their surroundings. Sleep-bout duration varied from 6 minutes (grasshopper sparrow) to 28 minutes (blue-winged warbler, field sparrow). Duration on nest varied from 6.4 hours (field sparrow) to 8.8 hours (indigo bunting). Adults woke 20–30 minutes before sunrise. First morning absence from the nest was short; nestlings were fed within 12 minutes of a parent’s departure. Further research is needed to understand energetic costs of sleep and behavioral adaptations to environmental pressures.
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Male reed buntings do not adjust parental effort in relation to extrapair paternity
Bouwman, K.M.; Lessells, C.M.; Komdeur, J.
2005-01-01
Parental effort is considered to be costly; therefore, males are expected to provide less care to unrelated offspring. Theoretical models suggest that males should either reduce their care to the entire brood or alternatively distinguish between related and unrelated nestlings and direct
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Male reed buntings do not adjust parental effort in relation to extrapair paternity
Bouwman, KM; Lessells, CM; Komdeur, J; Lessells, C(Kate). M.
Parental effort is considered to be costly; therefore, males are expected to provide less care to unrelated offspring. Theoretical models suggest that males should either reduce their care to the entire brood or alternatively distinguish between related and unrelated nestlings and direct
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The irrelevant sound phenomenon revisited: what role for working memory capacity?
Beaman, C Philip
2004-09-01
High-span individuals (as measured by the operation span [OSPAN] technique) are less likely than low-span individuals to notice their own names in an unattended auditory stream (A. R. A. Conway, N. Cowan, & M. F. Bunting, 2001). The possibility that OSPAN accounts for individual differences in auditory distraction on an immediate recall test was examined. There was no evidence that high-OSPAN participants were more resistant to the disruption caused by irrelevant speech in serial or in free recall. Low-OSPAN participants did, however, make more semantically related intrusion errors from the irrelevant sound stream in a free recall test (Experiment 4). Results suggest that OSPAN mediates semantic components of auditory distraction dissociable from other aspects of the irrelevant sound effect. ((c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)
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Induced mutations in Iraqi bread wheat cv. Saber Beg
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ibrahim, I.F.; Haidar, H.O.
1989-01-01
''Saber Beg'', is a local wheat cultivar important in the semi-arid zone of Iraq where the rainfall is less than 450 mm per year. This cultivar has a good baking quality, but is of low productivity, high susceptibility to common bunt (Tilletia spp.) and to leaf rust (Puccinia recondita Rob. ex Desm.), but only in the rainy season. A mutation breeding programme using gamma irradiation has been started in 1978 to improve this cultivar. Seeds of all main tillers from M 1 plants were harvested and artificially inoculated with teliospores of Tilletia spp. All the seeds from healthy M 2 plants were inoculated again and sown in the same area. Out of 22920 M 3 plants, 244 resistant ones were selected. During subsequent screening for 4 generations, however, only 3 mutants were confirmed
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A Habitat-based Wind-Wildlife Collision Model with Application to the Upper Great Plains Region
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Forcey, Greg, M.
2012-08-28
Most previous studies on collision impacts at wind facilities have taken place at the site-specific level and have only examined small-scale influences on mortality. In this study, we examine landscape-level influences using a hierarchical spatial model combined with existing datasets and life history knowledge for: Horned Lark, Red-eyed Vireo, Mallard, American Avocet, Golden Eagle, Whooping Crane, red bat, silver-haired bat, and hoary bat. These species were modeled in the central United States within Bird Conservation Regions 11, 17, 18, and 19. For the bird species, we modeled bird abundance from existing datasets as a function of habitat variables known to be preferred by each species to develop a relative abundance prediction for each species. For bats, there are no existing abundance datasets so we identified preferred habitat in the landscape for each species and assumed that greater amounts of preferred habitat would equate to greater abundance of bats. The abundance predictions for bird and bats were modeled with additional exposure factors known to influence collisions such as visibility, wind, temperature, precipitation, topography, and behavior to form a final mapped output of predicted collision risk within the study region. We reviewed published mortality studies from wind farms in our study region and collected data on reported mortality of our focal species to compare to our modeled predictions. We performed a sensitivity analysis evaluating model performance of 6 different scenarios where habitat and exposure factors were weighted differently. We compared the model performance in each scenario by evaluating observed data vs. our model predictions using spearmans rank correlations. Horned Lark collision risk was predicted to be highest in the northwestern and west-central portions of the study region with lower risk predicted elsewhere. Red-eyed Vireo collision risk was predicted to be the highest in the eastern portions of the study region and in
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Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Jansa, Petr; Čechová, Lucie; Dračínský, Martin; Janeba, Zlatko
2013-01-01
Roč. 3, č. 8 (2013), s. 2650-2654 ISSN 2046-2069 R&D Projects: GA MV VG20102015046 Institutional support: RVO:61388963 Keywords : functionalized gold nanoparticles * self -assembled monolayers * thiosulfates * disulfides Subject RIV: CC - Organic Chemistry Impact factor: 3.708, year: 2013
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tulecki, J.; Kalinowska Torz, J.; Musial, E.; Nacewicz-Anjedani, H.; Senczuk, L.; Skwarski, D.; Sobolewski, H.
1977-01-01
By reacting respective halogen-derivatives with sodium or potassium thiosulphate there were obtained sodium or potassium salts of S-thiosulphates of 1-ureidocarbonyl-1-butyl, 3,4-dihydroxyphenacyl, carbophenoxymethyl, 2-hydroxyphenacyl, /N-(4-iodophenyl) carbamyl/methyl, /N-(4-iodophenyl) carbamyl/ethyl, /N-(2-iodophenyl) carbamyl/-methyl, /N-(2-iodophenyl) carbamyl/ethyl, /N-(6-carbomethoxybenzothiazolyl-2)-carbamyl/methyl, (2,4-dihydroxy-6-methylpyrimidyl-5)-methyl and (2,4-dihydroxypyrimidyl-5)-methyl. Reactions of thiourea with respective halogen-derivatives yielded hydrochlorides of 1-methyl-02-amidinothiomethylbenzimidazole, 1-ethyl-2-amidinothiomethylbenzimidazole, S-/N-(2-iodophenyl) carbamylethyl/ isothiourea, 5-amidinothiomethyl-6-methyl-2,4-dihydroxypyrimide and 5-amidinothiomethyl-2,4-dihydroxypyrimidine. Reactions of 4-chloroquinoline N-oxide with respective mercaptanes afforded thioether derivatives of quinoline N-oxide: 4-(p-chlorophenylthio)-4-(t-butylthio)-, 4-(3-naphtylthio)-, 4-(3-naphtylaminoacetylthio), 4-(benzimidazolythio)-, 4-(benzothiazolylthio) - and 4-benzoxalylthio. (author)
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van Veelen, H Pieter J; Falcao Salles, Joana; Tieleman, B Irene
2017-12-01
suggested that intrinsic or behavioural differences among females and spatial heterogeneity among territories contributed to the microbiome variation of larks. Modest but significant phylogenetic clustering of cloacal, skin and feather microbiotas suggested weak habitat filtering in these niches. We propose that lark microbiota may be primarily, but not exclusively, shaped by horizontal acquisition from the regional bacterial pool at the breeding site. More generally, we hypothesise that the extent of ecological niche-sharing by avian (or other vertebrate) hosts may predict the convergence of their microbiota.
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Induced mutations in Iraqi bread wheat cv. Saber Beg
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ibrahim, I F; Haidar, H O [Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture and Biology, NRC and Agriculture Research Station, Telafor (Iraq)
1989-07-01
''Saber Beg'', is a local wheat cultivar important in the semi-arid zone of Iraq where the rainfall is less than 450 mm per year. This cultivar has a good baking quality, but is of low productivity, high susceptibility to common bunt (Tilletia spp.) and to leaf rust (Puccinia recondita Rob. ex Desm.), but only in the rainy season. A mutation breeding programme using gamma irradiation has been started in 1978 to improve this cultivar. Seeds of all main tillers from M{sub 1} plants were harvested and artificially inoculated with teliospores of Tilletia spp. All the seeds from healthy M{sub 2} plants were inoculated again and sown in the same area. Out of 22920 M{sub 3} plants, 244 resistant ones were selected. During subsequent screening for 4 generations, however, only 3 mutants were confirmed.
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Review of photodynamic therapy in actinic keratosis and basal cell carcinoma
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marica B Ericson
2008-03-01
Full Text Available Marica B Ericson1,2, Ann-Marie Wennberg1, Olle Larkö11Department of Dermatology; 2Department of Physics, Göteborg University, Göteborg, SwedenAbstract: The number of non-melanoma skin cancers is increasing worldwide, and so also the demand for effective treatment modalities. Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT using aminolaevulinic acid or its methyl ester has recently become good treatment options for actinic keratosis and basal cell carcinoma; especielly when treating large areas and areas with field cancerization. The cure rates are usually good, and the cosmetic outcomes excellent. The only major side effect reported is the pain experienced by the patients during treatment. This review covers the fundamental aspects of topical PDT and its application for treatment of actinic keratosis and basal cell carcinoma. Both potentials and limitations will be reviewed, as well as some recent development within the field.Keywords: photodynamic therapy, actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma
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Development of low temperature solid oxide fuel cells
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bakker, W.T.; Goldstein, R. [Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA (United States)
1996-12-31
The historical focus of the electric utility industry has been central station power plants. These plants are usually sited outside urban areas and electricity was delivered via high voltage transmission lines. Several things are beginning to change this historical precedent One is the popular concern with EMF as a health hazard. This has rendered the construction of new lines as well as upgrading old ones very difficult. Installation of power generating equipment near the customer enables the utility to better utilize existing transmission and distribution networks and defer investments. Power quality and lark of disturbances and interruptions is also becoming increasingly more important to many customers. Grid connected, but dedicated small power plants can greatly improve power quality. Finally the development of high efficiency, low emission, modular fuel cells promises near pollution free localized power generation with an efficiency equal to or exceeding that of even the most efficient central power stations.
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Van den Branden, Stef; Broeckaert, Bert
2011-02-01
Ever since the start of the twentieth century, a growing interest and importance of studying fatwas can be noted, with a focus on Arabic printed fatwas (Wokoeck 2009). The scholarly study of end-of-life ethics in these fatwas is a very recent feature, taking a first start in the 1980s (Anees 1984; Rispler-Chaim 1993). Since the past two decades, we have witnessed the emergence of a multitude of English fatwas that can easily be consulted through the Internet ('e-fatwas'), providing Muslims worldwide with a form of Islamic normative guidance on a huge variety of topics. Although English online fatwas do provide guidance for Muslims and Muslim minorities worldwide on a myriad of topics including end-of-life issues, they have hardly been studied. This study analyses Islamic views on (non-)voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide as expressed in English Sunni fatwas published on independent--i.e. not created by established organisations--Islamic websites. We use Tyan's definition of a fatwa to distinguish between fatwas and other types of texts offering Islamic guidance through the Internet. The study of e-fatwas is framed in the context of Bunt's typology of Cyber Islamic Environments (Bunt 2009) and in the framework of Roy's view on the virtual umma (Roy 2002). '(Non-)voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide' are defined using Broeckaert's conceptual framework on treatment decisions at the end of life (Broeckaert 2008). We analysed 32 English Sunni e-fatwas. All of the e-fatwas discussed here firmly speak out against every form of active termination of life. They often bear the same structure, basing themselves solely on Quranic verses and prophetic traditions, leaving aside classical jurisprudential discussions on the subject. In this respect they share the characteristics central in Roy's typology of the fatwa in the virtual umma. On the level of content, they are in line with the international literature on Islamic end-of-life ethics. English Sunni e-fatwas make
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Strzelczyk, M.; Kucharski, A. (Wojskowa Akademia Medyczna, Lodz (Poland))
1980-01-01
The purpose of the present study was to obtain several compounds possessing radioprotective activity. The syntheses yielded seven undescribed compounds i.e.: benzyl ester of the N-morpholinecarbathionothioglicol acid, ester bis S-(morpholine-4-thiocarbonyl)-2-thioethyl, morpholine salt of the N-morpholinecarbothionothiolic acid, sodium and potassium salt of S-morpholine-4-carbonyl, methylthiosulfate, sodium and potassium salt of beta-hydroxyethyl thiosulfate. Moreover, with the aid of other methods following compounds were synthetized: beta-S-(morpholine-4-thiocarbonyl) ethyl thiopropioniane, amide of the S-(morpholine-4-thiocarbonyl)-thioglicol acid, acid S-(morpholine-4-thiocarbonyl)-thioglicol acid, sodium salt of the S-(morpholine-4-thiocarbonyl)-thioglicol acid. The structure of these compounds was confirmed using elementary and spectral analysis.
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Pearce, Bruce; Kir, Alev; Andersen, Rikke Thomle
variation in climate and weather. In this context, COBRA aimed to support and develop organic plant breeding and seed production with a focus on increasing the use and potential of plant material with high genetic diversity in cereals (wheat and barley) and grain legumes (pea and faba bean), through...... ensuring seed quality and health Progress was made in handling individual seeds in terms of their actual and potential resistance to seed-borne disease. One of the most important problems, bunt of wheat, was advanced considerably in terms of the 'gene for gene' interaction between host and pathogen...... and understanding the resilience of the performance of composite cross populations of wheat. A wide range of molecular markers were identified in barley which will help in selecting genotypes adapted to expected future changes in climate and weather. Progress was also made with organic trials of grain legumes...
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Ridder, Hanne Mette Ochsner
Conference: Music Therapy and Dementia Care in the 21st Century Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people, with agitation in dementia as the most significant symptom causing patient distress and caregiver burden in later stages of the disease. Music...... in various forms (e.g. caregiver singing or music listening) is widely used in nursing homes for people with dementia; however these practices are generally little informed by music therapy theory and research. In this presentation, an overview of research in non- pharmacological approaches is given.......g. in dyads with caregivers or relatives and the person with dementia. The aim is to provide and develop psychosocial interventions in the interdisciplinary team, and to support staff and caregivers in their use of music as part of the daily culture of care. References Bunt, L. & Stige, B. (2014). Music...
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Report on results of research and development work in 1980 of the Institute for Radiochemistry
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1981-02-01
Reported are the investigations of the Institute with the main points of analysis, nuclear chemistry and water chemistry. The analytical and nuclear chemical topics are included in the projects PWA, PNS, PSB and KMUe. The KMUe-project is performed in close co-operation with the European Institute for Transuranic Elements. The analytical investigations concentrate on fuel- and burn-up tests, on analyses of epipolar rays and neutron activations as well as on methodical development and automation of test methods. The 'Isotope-place' does preparatory works and effects irradiations in the FR2, Cyclotron and Co-60-γ-source. The radiochemical group prepares weekly several hundreds of Curie fission molybdenum 99 for nuclear medical purposes. The institute-internal project 'Drinkwater treatment and technology' treats in close co-operation with the 'Engler-Bunte-Institute' the clearing of water impurities and the analytical determination of persistent noxious substances in waters like the Rhine, the Danube and the lake Constance. (orig./HK) [de
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The rotameter and the waterwheel.
Foregger, R
2001-09-01
The publication imparts information about the personal life and professional sphere of activity of J.A. Segner, Karl Küppers, Maximilian Neu, Hans Bunte, and Felix Meyer, as far as they were involved with the invention of devices for measuring gas flow, especially their involvement in testing the introduction of Rotameters into the medical field. The knowledge that the threat of deportation in October 1940, due to his Jewish background and in view of the politics of the National Socialists at the time, led to Maximilian Neu's committing suicide, is of added historical interest. Together with biographical details, the role played by the Institute of Research in Karlsruhe and the establishment of the Rotameter site in Aachen is presented. The historical outline finishes with a short report of the author's first experience with Rotameters at the Nuffeld Department of Anaesthetics, Oxford University during the Second World War and with his subsequent efforts to introduce Rotameters into anesthesia equipment design in the United States.
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Brunner, P; Pasinelli, G
2010-01-01
The two main functions of bird song are territory defence and mate attraction. Considerable progress has been made in understanding how species adjust the use of songs to serve these and other (presumed) functions of bird song, but the striking variety of singing behavior observable in wild birds remains enigmatic. Some species make do with simple songs and small repertoires, while others show large, complex repertoires and still others have evolved several distinct singing styles. In most sp...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Anita Esfandiari
2014-08-01
Full Text Available The objective of this experiment was to detect antibody (IgG against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETECK99 in the blood of cows vaccinated by Escherichia coli polyvalent vaccine. Eight dry cows were injectedsubcutaneously by polyvalent Escherichia coli twice prior to parturition. Before vaccinated, the cows were givenimmunomodulator orally for 3 days. Blood samples were drawn from coccigeal vein prior to the 1st vaccination,two week following the 1st vaccination and at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after the 2nd vaccination. Blood samples wereanalyzed for IgG and ETEC K99 using indirect Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA assay. Results of theexperiment indicated that absorbance values of all vaccinated cows before the first vaccination until third weekfollowing the 2nd vaccination were below cut off values. The absorbance values then increased and were above cutoff values at fourth week following the 2nd vaccination. In conclusion, antibody against ETEC K99, were detected inthe blood of cows, fourth week following the 2nd vaccination.
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Brennan, John P.; Warham, Elizabeth J.; Byerlee, Derek R.; Hernandez, Julio
1990-01-01
Estimates of aggregate disease costs can be used for assigning research resources or to evaluate control measures. Most diseases cause production losses, but others affect quality and marketability. Seed-borne diseases also cause problems for the seed production and distribution industry. The aim in this paper is to examine issues relating to the economic impact of a quality-reducing, seed-borne disease, and to highlight differences compared to non-seed-borne diseases affecting yield only. Ec...
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Ciné-Club
2013-01-01
Thursday 23 May 2013 at 20:00 CERN Council Chamber Larks on a String (Skrivánci na Niti) Directed by Jiří Menzel (Czechoslovakia, 1969) Original version Czech; English subtitles; 100 minutes The film shows the absurdities of a system that faces clear difficulties in justifying itself. The story takes place in a scrapyard where a bunch of harmless intellectuals are held as a forced labour for crimes against the regime. Beautifully set, with an incredible humanity, men and women, living and working separately will always profit of some small pieces of freedom for simply living, being happy, and turning authorities to an innocent derision. Shot in 1969, it will only be released in 1990. * * * * * Thursday 30 May 2013 at 20:00 CERN Council Chamber Ucho (The Ear) Directed by Karel Kachyńa (Czechoslovakia, 1970) Original version Czech; English subtitles; 94 minutes Ucho (The Ear), shot in 1970 by Karel Kachyńa, was held by communist authorities before a release in the late 80&r...
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Winter habitat occurrence patterns of temperate migrant birds in Belize
Dawson, D.K.; Robbins, C.S.; Sauer, J.R.
1992-01-01
We used mist nets and point counts to sample bird populations in 61 sites in Belize during January-March of 1987-1991. Sites were classified as forest, second growth, woody agricultural crops (citrus, mango, cacao, and cashew), or non-woody agricultural crops (rice and sugar cane). We evaluated patterns of occurence of wintering temperate migrant bird species in these habitats. Mist net captures of 22 of 31 migrant species differed significantly among habitats. Of these, 13 species were captured more frequently in the agricultural habitats. American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia), and Magnolia Warbler (Dendroica magnolia) were among the species captured most frequently in woody agricultural habitats; captures of Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), and Northern (lcterus galbula) and Orchard orioles (I. spur/anus) were highest in the non-woody agricultural sites. We relate these occurrence patterns to trends in breeding populations in North America. While count data provide a wide picture of winter habitat distribution of migrants, more intensive work is necessary to assess temporal and geographic variation of migrant bird use of agricultural habitats.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Joest, Ralf
2013-11-01
Full Text Available The agricultural area “Hellwegbörde” in Northrhine-Westphalia was designated as special protection area for Montague´s Harrier and other birds of open farmland. Agri-environmental schemes to improve habitat quality were offered to local farmers since 2002. At the level of singular measures these allowed to increase density and species diversity of farmland birds during the breeding season as well as in winter, among others Skylark and Grey Partridge. It can be assumed that these measures also improved food availability (vole and small birds for Montague´s Harrier. At the landscape level, however, these isolated measures were not sufficient to counterbalance the negative effects of loss of set aside land and increased cultivation of Maize as energy crop. Therefore, no increases of Skylark and Grey Partridge on larger study plots were found. Likewise, Montague´s Harrier, Corncrake and Corn Bunting are declining within the special protection area “Hellwegbörde”. To stabilize farmland bird populations on the landscape level, a sufficient proportion of landscape elements of high ecological quality is necessary.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Choy, Emily S.; Kimpe, Linda E.; Mallory, Mark L.; Smol, John P.; Blais, Jules M.
2010-01-01
At Cape Vera, Devon Island (Nunavut, Canada), a colony of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) concentrates and releases contaminants through their guano to the environment. We determined whether persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from seabirds were transferred to coastal food webs. Snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) were the most contaminated species, with ΣPCB and ΣDDT (mean: 168, 106 ng/g ww) concentrations surpassing environmental guidelines for protecting wildlife. When examined collectively, PCB congeners and DDT in jewel lichen (Xanthoria elegans) were lower in samples taken farther from the seabird colony, and increased with increasing δ 15 N values. However, only concentrations of p'p-DDE:ΣDDT and PCB-95 were significantly correlated inversely with distance from the seabird cliffs. Linkages between marine-derived POPs and their concentrations in terrestrial mammals were less clear. Our study provides novel contaminant data for these species and supports biovector transport as a source of organic contaminants to certain components of the terrestrial food web. - This study provides evidence of contaminant transport by seabirds to a coastal Arctic food web.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Choy, Emily S., E-mail: echoy087@uottawa.c [Program for Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 (Canada); Kimpe, Linda E., E-mail: linda.kimpe@uottawa.c [Program for Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 (Canada); Mallory, Mark L., E-mail: mark.mallory@ec.gc.c [Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Iqaluit, NU, X0A 0H0 (Canada); Smol, John P., E-mail: smolj@queensu.c [Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL), Department of Biology, Queen' s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6 (Canada); Blais, Jules M., E-mail: jules.blais@uottawa.c [Program for Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 (Canada)
2010-11-15
At Cape Vera, Devon Island (Nunavut, Canada), a colony of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) concentrates and releases contaminants through their guano to the environment. We determined whether persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from seabirds were transferred to coastal food webs. Snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) were the most contaminated species, with {Sigma}PCB and {Sigma}DDT (mean: 168, 106 ng/g ww) concentrations surpassing environmental guidelines for protecting wildlife. When examined collectively, PCB congeners and DDT in jewel lichen (Xanthoria elegans) were lower in samples taken farther from the seabird colony, and increased with increasing {delta}{sup 15}N values. However, only concentrations of p'p-DDE:{Sigma}DDT and PCB-95 were significantly correlated inversely with distance from the seabird cliffs. Linkages between marine-derived POPs and their concentrations in terrestrial mammals were less clear. Our study provides novel contaminant data for these species and supports biovector transport as a source of organic contaminants to certain components of the terrestrial food web. - This study provides evidence of contaminant transport by seabirds to a coastal Arctic food web.
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A Framework for Bioacoustic Vocalization Analysis Using Hidden Markov Models
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ebenezer Out-Nyarko
2009-11-01
Full Text Available Using Hidden Markov Models (HMMs as a recognition framework for automatic classification of animal vocalizations has a number of benefits, including the ability to handle duration variability through nonlinear time alignment, the ability to incorporate complex language or recognition constraints, and easy extendibility to continuous recognition and detection domains. In this work, we apply HMMs to several different species and bioacoustic tasks using generalized spectral features that can be easily adjusted across species and HMM network topologies suited to each task. This experimental work includes a simple call type classification task using one HMM per vocalization for repertoire analysis of Asian elephants, a language-constrained song recognition task using syllable models as base units for ortolan bunting vocalizations, and a stress stimulus differentiation task in poultry vocalizations using a non-sequential model via a one-state HMM with Gaussian mixtures. Results show strong performance across all tasks and illustrate the flexibility of the HMM framework for a variety of species, vocalization types, and analysis tasks.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mazlin Mokhtar; Almah Awaludin; Abdul Khalik Wood; Lim Kim Shenk; Tan Pey Fang; Yasmin Mohd Hasni
2001-01-01
This paper reports the determination of total chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) in skeletons of the corals Porites sp., sediment and sea water samples taken from various locations in waters of Kedah, Johor and Labuan. Sampling was carried out around Pulau Bunting, Pulau Bidan, Pulau Telur, Pulau Songsong, all in Kedah, Pulau Burung in Labuan, and Pulau Lima in Johor. The concentrations of metals were determined using neutron activation analysis (NAA) and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The range of concentrations of Cr, Mn and Zn in coral samples of this study were <0.2 - 1.60, 1.20 - 11.10 and 3.55 - 15.08 μg/g, respectively. Concentrations in sediment samples were Cr 0.62 - 5.19 μg/g, Mn 71.0 - 162 μg/g and Zn 28.2 - 57.8 μg/g. The levels in seawater samples were Cr 0.004 - 0.28 mg/l, Mn 0.26 - 0.33 mg/l, and Zn 0.92 - 1.56 mg/l. (Author)
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Lameris, T.K.; Fijen, Thijs P.M.; Urazaliev, Ruslan; Pulikova, Genrietta; Donald, Paul F.; Kamp, Johannes
2016-01-01
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the abundance and distribution of many central Asian steppe birds have been affected by changes in agricultural land management, such as the abandonment of large areas of cropland and changing grazing patterns. However, the underlying population
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Linnen, C.
2006-01-01
The effects of shallow gas activity on the distribution of grassland birds was discussed in this presentation. The overall purpose of the study was to examine the effects of minimal disturbance gas wells and associated activity on species richness; effects on species abundance; and effects on the occurrence of species. The presentation provided several hypotheses, including that species richness would increase with increasing distance from gas wells and trails; that abundance and occurrence of sensitive species would increase with distance from gas wells and trails; and that abundance and occurrence of brood parasites and predators would decrease with increasing distance from gas wells and trails. The presentation illustrated the study area and study design. Several graphs representing the study results were also presented. Bird species that were examined included the abundance and occurrence of western meadowlark; horned lark; chestnut-collared longspur; clay-coloured sparrow; vesper sparrow; sprague pipit; savannah sparrow; grasshopper sparrow; baird sparrow; and brown-headed cowbird. A summary slide was also presented that concluded that species richness did not vary with distance from gas development and that brown-headed cowbirds tended to favour areas with gas development and interior habitats. tabs., figs
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Minal Desai
2012-03-01
Full Text Available The lateritic plateaux typical of the midlands between the Western Ghats and the coastal plains of the Arabian Sea are known to be a unique ecosystem with a sizeable endemic flora. However, there is a total lack of studies on the faunal diversity of these plateaux, which are currently experiencing enormous anthropogenic pressures. We conducted a year-long study on the avifauna of the Taleigao Plateau, Goa. The Taleigao Plateau harbours 114 species of birds, accounting for 37% of the avifaunal diversity of the state. The resident bird population did not vary significantly through the seasons. Among the migrant birds, Rosy Starling Sturnus roseus was particularly partial to the plateau. Besides, five species of larks, grassland specialists were also recorded on the plateau. However, the absence of forest birds like the Malabar Pied Hornbill and the Indian Grey Hornbill (recorded earlier and the predominance of habitat generalists like the House Crow and the Jungle Myna seemed to be the offshoot of heavy anthropogenic pressures on the plateau. It is recommended that at least some plateaux in the belt deserve to be protected from the impact of unsustainable developmental process
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"Któż tam będzie wisiał?" – Bunt chłopski w miejskiej wyobraźni
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marcin Starnawski
2012-12-01
Full Text Available “Who’s going to dangle there?” – Peasant revolt in urban imagination. On the Gore album by R.U.T.A. and on its reception The author presents a review of a recent album “Gore: Songs of Rebellion and Misery from 16th to 20th Century” by a Polish punk rock / hardcore group R.U.T.A. The album, which combines traditional peasant lyrics with modern arrangements and folk instruments, has received acclaim from both fans and critics, while the band declared their commitment to struggles of contemporary progressive social movements. The author analyses the lyrics situating his reflection in sociological-historical framework to discuss realities of peasants’ lives and revolts during the second serfdom in early modern Poland. The author interprets the musical form of the songs as “punk-rock assimilation” of folklore themes. The final section contains critical reflection on the album’s marketing strategy and reception with the key dissected categories being “rebellion” and “authenticity.”
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Pianos, Tamara
2008-01-01
The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Federal Ministry for Education and Research have funded the establishment of subject-specific portals since the end of the 1990s. Currently, there exist at about 40 portals for each academic field. These subject portals are aligned to the specific user needs in research and teaching. This means that each portal has its own characteristics, but all of them offer the same core of services, e.g., literature search, catalogue of internet resources, etc...
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Bardus, Marco; Hamadeh, Ghassan; Hayek, Bouchra; Al Kherfan, Rawan
2018-05-16
Overweight and obesity have become major health problems globally with more than 1.9 billion overweight adults. In Lebanon, the prevalence of obesity and overweight is 65.4% combined. Risk factors of obesity and overweight are preventable and can be addressed by modifications in the environment and in an individual's lifestyle. Mobile technologies are increasingly used in behavioral, self-directed weight management interventions, providing users with additional opportunities to attain weight control (weight loss, weight gain prevention, etc). Mobile apps may allow for the delivery of Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs), which provide support through skill building, emotional support, and instrumental support, following the participants' progress. A few commercially available apps offer JITAI features, but no studies have tested their efficacy. The primary objective of this study is to examine the feasibility of a self-directed weight loss intervention, targeting employees of an academic institution, using a virtual coaching app with JITAI features (Lark) and a self-help calorie-counting app (MyFitnessPal). The secondary objective is to estimate the effects of the intervention on main study outcomes. This study is a single-center, parallel, randomized controlled trial with 2 study arms (intervention and control). Participants will be randomly allocated in equal proportions to the intervention (Lark) and control groups (MyFitnessPal). To be eligible for this study, participants must be employed full- or part-time at the university or its medical center, able to read English, have a smartphone, and be interested in controlling their weight. Recruitment strategies entail email invitations, printed posters, and social media postings. We will assess quantitative rates of recruitment, adherence, and retention, self-reported app quality using the user version of the Mobile App Rating Scale. We will also assess changes in weight-related outcomes (absolute weight
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An historical overview of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, 1985–2015
Speaker, Susan L.
2018-01-01
The National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM), established as the Regional Medical Library Program in 1965, has a rich and remarkable history. The network’s first twenty years were documented in a detailed 1987 history by Alison Bunting, AHIP, FMLA. This article traces the major trends in the network’s development since then: reconceiving the Regional Medical Library staff as a “field force” for developing, marketing, and distributing a growing number of National Library of Medicine (NLM) products and services; subsequent expansion of outreach to health professionals who are unaffiliated with academic medical centers, particularly those in public health; the advent of the Internet during the 1990s, which brought the migration of NLM and NNLM resources and services to the World Wide Web, and a mandate to encourage and facilitate Internet connectivity in the network; and the further expansion of the NLM and NNLM mission to include providing consumer health resources to satisfy growing public demand. The concluding section discusses the many challenges that NNLM staff faced as they transformed the network from a system that served mainly academic medical researchers to a larger, denser organization that offers health information resources to everyone. PMID:29632439
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Status of avifauna at Taranga Hill-forest, Gujarat, India
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
C.D. Patel
2010-02-01
Full Text Available Taranga is one of the famous pilgrim places of northern Gujarat. It is located (240 00’N & 72046’E at starting point of Aravalli ranges. Climate of this area is semi-arid with irregular rainfall. Variable width line transect method was adapted to study the avifaunal diversity. Taranga Hill-forest has atleast 90 species of birds belonging to 11 orders, 33 families and 68 genera. Passeriformes being the largest family. All common residents appear to be adapted to the prevailing conditions. Red-vented Bulbul and Rock Pigeon were most abundant while Asian Paradise-flycatcher, Crested Bunting and European Roller were rare. White-naped Tit a globally threatened and endemic resident has been found as local migrant, scarce in number, common in occurrence and breeder in the tropical thorn-scrub habitat of THf. Plum-headed Parakeet may be a breeding possible species. In comparison to other places, the avian diversity is observed poor, because Aravallis are not on the migratory route or landing site of migratory birds. In addition, anthropogenic factors, presence of predators and loss of vegetation may be having a telling effect.
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An historical overview of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, 1985-2015.
Speaker, Susan L
2018-04-01
The National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM), established as the Regional Medical Library Program in 1965, has a rich and remarkable history. The network's first twenty years were documented in a detailed 1987 history by Alison Bunting, AHIP, FMLA. This article traces the major trends in the network's development since then: reconceiving the Regional Medical Library staff as a "field force" for developing, marketing, and distributing a growing number of National Library of Medicine (NLM) products and services; subsequent expansion of outreach to health professionals who are unaffiliated with academic medical centers, particularly those in public health; the advent of the Internet during the 1990s, which brought the migration of NLM and NNLM resources and services to the World Wide Web, and a mandate to encourage and facilitate Internet connectivity in the network; and the further expansion of the NLM and NNLM mission to include providing consumer health resources to satisfy growing public demand. The concluding section discusses the many challenges that NNLM staff faced as they transformed the network from a system that served mainly academic medical researchers to a larger, denser organization that offers health information resources to everyone.
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van Veelen, H Pieter J; Salles, Joana Falcão; Tieleman, B Irene
2018-05-01
The microbiome is essential for development, health and homeostasis throughout an animal's life. Yet, the origins and transmission processes governing animal microbiomes remain elusive for non-human vertebrates, oviparous vertebrates in particular. Eggs may function as transgenerational carriers of the maternal microbiome, warranting characterisation of egg microbiome assembly. Here, we investigated maternal and environmental contributions to avian eggshell microbiota in wild passerine birds: woodlark Lullula arborea and skylark Alauda arvensis. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we demonstrated in both lark species, at the population and within-nest levels, that bacterial communities of freshly laid eggs were distinct from the female cloacal microbiome. Instead, soil-borne bacteria appeared to thrive on freshly laid eggs, and eggshell microbiota composition strongly resembled maternal skin, body feather and nest material communities, sources in direct contact with laid eggs. Finally, phylogenetic structure analysis and microbial source tracking underscored species sorting from directly contacting sources rather than in vivo-transferred symbionts. The female-egg-nest system allowed an integrative assessment of avian egg microbiome assembly, revealing mixed modes of symbiont acquisition not previously documented for vertebrate eggs. Our findings illuminated egg microbiome origins, which suggested a limited potential of eggshells for transgenerational transmission, encouraging further investigation of eggshell microbiome functions in vertebrates.
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Scherrer, Vsevolod; Roberts, Richard; Preckel, Franzis
2016-01-01
Meta-analyses suggest that morning-oriented students obtain better school grades than evening-oriented students. This finding has generally been found for students in high school using self-report data for the assessment of circadian preference. Two studies (N = 2718/192) investigated whether these findings generalize across samples (i.e. elementary school-aged students) and methods (i.e. parent reports). These studies also explored whether the relation between circadian preference and school achievement could be explained within an expectancy-value framework. To this end, the Lark-Owl Chronotype Indicator (LOCI) was modified to obtain parents' evaluations of their children's circadian preference, while students completed a battery of assessments designed to explore the test-criterion evidence. Structural equation modeling and correlational analyses revealed: (1) morning and evening orientation were two separable factors of children's circadian preference; (2) correlations with behavioral (e.g. sleep and eating times) and psychological (e.g. cognitive ability) data supported the test-criterion validity of both factors; (3) morning orientation was positively related to school achievement and (4) consistent with an expectancy-value framework this relation was mediated by children's academic self-concept (ASC). These findings have important research and policy implications for considering circadian preference in the schooling of elementary students.
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Micro-mechanical properties of different sites on woodpecker's skull.
Ni, Yikun; Wang, Lizhen; Liu, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Hongquan; Lin, Chia-Ying; Fan, Yubo
2017-11-01
The uneven distributed microstructure featured with plate-like spongy bone in woodpecker's skull has been found to further help reduce the impact during woodpecker's pecking behavior. Therefore, this work was to investigate the micro-mechanical properties and composition on different sites of Great Spotted woodpecker's (GSW) skull. Different sites were selected on forehead, tempus and occiput, which were also compared with those of Eurasian Hoopoe (EH) and Lark birds (LB). Micro structural parameters assessed from micro computed tomography (μCT) occurred significantly difference between GSW, EH and LB. The micro finite element (micro-FE) models were developed and the simulation was performed as a compression process. The maximal stresses of GSW's micro-FE models were all lower than those of EH and LB respectively and few concentrated stresses were noticed on GSW's trabecular bone. Fourier transform infrared mapping suggesting a greater organic content in the occiput of GSW's cranial bone compared with others. The nano-hardness of the GSW's occiput was decreasing from forehead to occiput. The mechanical properties, site-dependent hardness distribution and special material composition of GSW's skull bone are newly found in this study. These factors may lead to a new design of bulk material mimicking these characteristics.
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Divergence at the casein haplotypes in dairy and meat goat breeds.
Küpper, Julia; Chessa, Stefania; Rignanese, Daniela; Caroli, Anna; Erhardt, Georg
2010-02-01
Casein genes have been proved to have an influence on milk properties, and are in addition appropriate for phylogeny studies. A large number of casein polymorphisms exist in goats, making their analysis quite complex. The four casein loci were analyzed by molecular techniques for genetic polymorphism detection in the two dairy goat breeds Bunte Deutsche Edelziege (BDE; n=96), Weisse Deutsche Edelziege (WDE; n=91), and the meat goat breed Buren (n=75). Of the 35 analyzed alleles, 18 were found in BDE, and 17 in Buren goats and WDE. In addition, a new allele was identified at the CSN1S1 locus in the BDE, showing a frequency of 0.05. This variant, named CSN1S1*A', is characterized by a t-->c transversion in intron 9. Linkage disequilibrium was found at the casein haplotype in all three breeds. A total of 30 haplotypes showed frequencies higher than 0.01. In the Buren breed only one haplotype showed a frequency higher than 0.1. The ancestral haplotype B-A-A-B (in the order: CSN1S1-CSN2-CSN1S2-CSN3) occurred in all three breeds, showing a very high frequency (>0.8) in the Buren.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Khin Aye San
2018-05-01
Full Text Available Evaluation of metal nanoparticle catalysts functionalized with well-defined thiolate ligands can be potentially important because such systems can provide a spatial control in the reactivity and selectivity of catalysts. A synthetic method utilizing Bunte salts (sodium S-alkylthiosulfates allows the formation of metal nanoparticles (Au, Ag, Pd, Pt, and Ir capped with alkanethiolate ligands. The catalysis studies on Pd nanoparticles show a strong correlation between the surface ligand structure/composition and the catalytic activity and selectivity for the hydrogenation/isomerization of alkenes, dienes, trienes, and allylic alcohols. The high selectivity of Pd nanoparticles is driven by the controlled electronic properties of the Pd surface limiting the formation of Pd–alkene adducts (or intermediates necessary for (additional hydrogenation. The synthesis of water soluble Pd nanoparticles using ω-carboxylate-S-alkanethiosulfate salts is successfully achieved and these Pd nanoparticles are examined for the hydrogenation of various unsaturated compounds in both homogeneous and heterogeneous environments. Alkanethiolate-capped Pt nanoparticles are also successfully synthesized and further investigated for the hydrogenation of various alkynes to understand their geometric and electronic surface properties. The high catalytic activity of activated terminal alkynes, but the significantly low activity of internal alkynes and unactivated terminal alkynes, are observed for Pt nanoparticles.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vrezec Al
2017-12-01
Full Text Available In 2016, data on 176 bird species were gathered during bird ringing activities in Slovenia. A total of 65,711 birds of 165 different species were ringed. Furthermore, 148 recoveries of birds ringed in Slovenia and found abroad, 245 foreign recoveries in Slovenia and 1840 local recoveries were made. The most frequently ringed species was the Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla. Among the ringed nestlings, Great Tits Parus major, Tree Sparrows Passer montanus and White Storks Ciconia ciconia predominated. Considering recoveries of birds ringed or found abroad, the most frequent were finds based on colour rings, especially of Black-headed Gulls Chroicocephalus ridibundus, Mute Swans Cygnus olor and Common Terns Sterna hirundo. As far as local recoveries are concerned, most data were collected for Great Tit and Siskin Spinus spinus. Among rare species, two Yellow-browed Warblers Phylloscopus inornatus were ringed, one Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola, one Little Emberiza pusilla and one Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala, the latter as a singing male, which probably also bred in 2016. The catch frequency of the Yellow-browed Warblers has indeed been increasing in Slovenia in the last 25 years, but this is still a rare and irregular vagrant on autumn migration.
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An historical overview of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, 1985–2015
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Susan L. Speaker
2018-04-01
Full Text Available The National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM, established as the Regional Medical Library Program in 1965, has a rich and remarkable history. The network’s first twenty years were documented in a detailed 1987 history by Alison Bunting, AHIP, FMLA. This article traces the major trends in the network’s development since then: reconceiving the Regional Medical Library staff as a “field force” for developing, marketing, and distributing a growing number of National Library of Medicine (NLM products and services; subsequent expansion of outreach to health professionals who are unaffiliated with academic medical centers, particularly those in public health; the advent of the Internet during the 1990s, which brought the migration of NLM and NNLM resources and services to the World Wide Web, and a mandate to encourage and facilitate Internet connectivity in the network; and the further expansion of the NLM and NNLM mission to include providing consumer health resources to satisfy growing public demand. The concluding section discusses the many challenges that NNLM staff faced as they transformed the network from a system that served mainly academic medical researchers to a larger, denser organization that offers health information resources to everyone. This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.
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Groth, J G
1998-12-01
The complete mitochondrial cytochrome b genes of 53 genera of oscine passerine birds representing the major groups of finches and some allies were compared. Phylogenetic trees resulting from three levels of character partition removal (no data removed, transitions at third positions of codons removed, and all transitions removed [transversion parsimony]) were generally concordant, and all supported several basic statements regarding relationships of finches and finch-like birds, including: (1) larks (Alaudidae) show no close relationship to any finch group; (2) Peucedramus (olive warbler) is phylogenetically far removed from true wood warblers; (3) a clade consisting of fringillids, passerids, motacillids, and emberizids is supported, and this clade is characterized by evolution of a vestigial 10th wing primary; and (4) Hawaiian honeycreepers are derived from within the cardueline finches. Excluding transition substitutions at third positions of codons resulted in phylogenetic trees similar to, but with greater bootstrap nodal support than, trees derived using either all data (equally weighted) or transversion parsimony. Relative to the shortest trees obtained using all data, the topologies obtained after elimination of third-position transitions showed only slight increases in realized treelength and homoplasy. These increases were negligable compared to increases in overall nodal support; therefore, this partition removal scheme may enhance recovery of deep phylogenetic signal in protein-coding DNA datasets. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.
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Horrocks, Nicholas Pc; Hine, Kathryn; Hegemann, Arne; Ndithia, Henry K; Shobrak, Mohammed; Ostrowski, Stéphane; Williams, Joseph B; Matson, Kevin D; Tieleman, B Irene
2014-01-01
All bird eggs are exposed to microbes in the environment, which if transmitted to the developing embryo, could cause hatching failure. However, the risk of trans-shell infection varies with environmental conditions and is higher for eggs laid in wetter environments. This might relate to generally higher microbial abundances and diversity in more humid environments, including on the surface of eggshells, as well as the need for moisture to facilitate microbial penetration of the eggshell. To protect against microbial infection, the albumen of avian eggs contains antimicrobial proteins, including lysozyme and ovotransferrin. We tested whether lysozyme and ovotransferrin activities varied in eggs of larks (Alaudidae) living along an arid-mesic gradient of environmental aridity, which we used as a proxy for risk of trans-shell infection. Contrary to expectations, lysozyme activity was highest in eggs from hotter, more arid locations, where we predicted the risk of trans-shell infection would be lower. Ovotransferrin concentrations did not vary with climatic factors. Temperature was a much better predictor of antimicrobial protein activity than precipitation, a result inconsistent with studies stressing the importance of moisture for trans-shell infection. Our study raises interesting questions about the links between temperature and lysozyme activity in eggs, but we find no support for the hypothesis that antimicrobial protein deposition is higher in eggs laid in wetter environments.
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Baseline avian use and behavior at the CARES wind plant site, Klickitat County, Washington
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Erickson, W.P.; Johnson, G.D.; Strickland, M.D.; Kronner, K.; Becker, P.S.; Orloff, S.
2000-01-03
This report presents a literature review on avian-wind turbine interactions and the results of a one-year avian baseline study conducted in 1998 at the proposed Conservation and Renewable Energy System (CARES) wind development site in Klickitat County, Washington. Avian use of the site ranged from 1.11/survey in the winter to 5.69/survey in the spring. Average use by passerines in the study plots ranged from 1.15 minutes/survey in the winter to 40.98 minutes/survey in the spring. Raptors spent much less time within plots than other groups, ranging from 0.05 minutes/survey in the winter to 0.77 minutes/survey during the fall. Thirteen percent of all flying birds were within the rotor-swept height (25 to 75 m); 41.6% of all raptors were flying at this height. Raptors with the greatest potential turbine exposure are red-tailed hawks and golden eagles. Passerines with the highest turbine exposure are common ravens, American robins, and horned larks. Spatial use data for the site indicate that avian use tends to be concentrated near the rim, indicating that placing turbines away from the rim may reduce risk. Avian use data at the CARES site indicate that if a wind plant is constructed in the future, avian mortality would likely be relatively low.
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Baseline avian use and behavior at the CARES wind plant site, Klickitat County, Washington
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Erickson, W.P.; Johnson, G.D.; Strickland, M.D.; Kronner, K.; Becker, P.S.; Orloff, S.
2000-01-01
This report presents a literature review on avian-wind turbine interactions and the results of a one-year avian baseline study conducted in 1998 at the proposed Conservation and Renewable Energy System (CARES) wind development site in Klickitat County, Washington. Avian use of the site ranged from 1.11/survey in the winter to 5.69/survey in the spring. Average use by passerines in the study plots ranged from 1.15 minutes/survey in the winter to 40.98 minutes/survey in the spring. Raptors spent much less time within plots than other groups, ranging from 0.05 minutes/survey in the winter to 0.77 minutes/survey during the fall. Thirteen percent of all flying birds were within the rotor-swept height (25 to 75 m); 41.6% of all raptors were flying at this height. Raptors with the greatest potential turbine exposure are red-tailed hawks and golden eagles. Passerines with the highest turbine exposure are common ravens, American robins, and horned larks. Spatial use data for the site indicate that avian use tends to be concentrated near the rim, indicating that placing turbines away from the rim may reduce risk. Avian use data at the CARES site indicate that if a wind plant is constructed in the future, avian mortality would likely be relatively low
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Maas, David; Abrook, Ashley; Timms, Rhys; Matthews, Ian; Palmer, Adrian; Milner, Alice; Candy, Ian; Sachse, Dirk
2016-04-01
The Younger Dryas (Loch Lomond) Stadial is a well defined period of cold climate that in North West Europe punctuated the climatic amelioration during the Last Glacial - Interglacial Transition (LGIT ca. 16-8 ka). A palaeolake record from Quoyloo Meadow, Orkney Islands (N59.067, E-3.309) has been analysed for pollen and stable isotopes on biomarker lipids. n-Alkanes from terrestrial and aquatic sources are present throughout the core. The average chain length (ACL) is relatively low during the interstadial (~28.0) and shows a distinct increase during the Younger Dryas (to 29.0 +), attributed to an increase in grasses and drought resistant shrubs (e.g. Artemisia, Castañeda et al., 2009, Bunting, 1994). At the beginning of the Holocene, the ACL rapidly drops to 28.3 and from thereon gently increases again to ~29.0. There is a continued odd-over-even n-alkane predominance, although even n-alkanes are present in greater quantities in the interstadial, indicating an increasing terrestrial contribution in the Holocene. Ongoing deuterium isotope measurements of the n-alkanes will give independent evidence for palaeohydrological changes and can be compared to the other proxy evidence within the same core. Using a combination of nC29 and nC23 (terrestrial and aquatic end-members, respectively), a change in relative humidity (rH) can be qualified. This is based on the idea that terrestrial vegetation is affected by evapotranspiration processes, whereas aquatic vegetation is not (Rach et al., 2014). This data is supported by a high resolution palynological study; the contiguously sampled record demonstrates ecosystem/environmental responses to millennial-scale climatic change and allows for the possible detection of vegetation shifts at the sub-millennial scale. Vegetation aside, the pollen data can further aid in the interpretation of the recorded n-alkanes and isotopic analyses. This data is placed within a chronological framework derived from a high resolution crypto- and
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Examination of the combustion conditions of herbaceous biomass
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Szemmelveisz, K.; Szucs, I.; Palotas, A.B.; Winkler, L. [Department of Combustion Technology and Thermal Energy, University of Miskolc (Hungary); Eddings, E.G. [Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City (United States)
2009-06-15
Power generation from biomass is a fairly new area, and boilers that utilize various types of biomass have in many cases experienced serious problems with slagging, fouling and corrosion of boiler tubes. Mineral matter in these fuels can deposit on the heat-exchanger surfaces in the boiler and generate an insulating layer, which will significantly reduce the degree of heat-transfer from flue gas to water and steam. Our investigations were focused on the slag characteristics of different kinds of herbaceous biomass fuels. Since there is usually a reducing atmosphere present in the direct combustion zone of modern low-NO{sub x} firing systems, it is important to study mineral matter transformation of burned fuel residues in a reducing atmosphere. An excellent device for this type of study is the electric-resistance heated Bunte-Baum softening temperature testing instrument, which was used in this work. Ash chemical composition was analyzed via flame atomic absorption spectrometry and the microstructure of ash was determined using a scanning electron microscope. Crystalline compounds of the ashes were identified by using X-ray powder diffraction. This paper provides an overview of results on the combustion and slag characteristics of herbaceous biomass fuels. The results include chemical compositions, morphology and softening properties of these fuels, with special attention to switch grass and sunflower seed shell. (author)
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Cryptosporidium spp. in pet birds: genetic diversity and potential public health significance.
Qi, Meng; Wang, Rongjun; Ning, Changshen; Li, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Longxian; Jian, Fuchun; Sun, Yanru; Xiao, Lihua
2011-08-01
To characterize the prevalence and assess the zoonotic transmission burden of Cryptosporidium species/genotypes in pet birds in Henan, China, 434 fecal samples were acquired from 14 families of birds in pet shops. The overall prevalence of Cryptopsoridium was 8.1% (35/434) by the Sheather's sugar flotation technique. The Cryptosporidium-positive samples were analyzed by DNA sequence analysis of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene. Three Cryptosporidium species and two genotypes were identified, including C. baileyi (18/35 or 51.4%) in five red-billed leiothrixes (Leiothrix lutea), four white Java sparrows (Padda oryzivora), four common mynas (Acridotheres tristis), two zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), a crested Lark (Galerida cristata), a Gouldian finch (Chloebia gouldiae), and a black-billed magpie (Pica pica); Cryptosporidium meleagridis (3/35 or 8.6%) in a Bohemian waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus), a Rufous turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis), and a fan-tailed pigeon (Columba livia); Cryptosporidium galli (5/35 or 14.3%) in four Bohemian waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) and a silver-eared Mesia (Leiothrix argentauris); Cryptosporidium avian genotype III (3/35 or 8.6%) in two cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) and a red-billed blue magpie (Urocissa erythrorhyncha); and Cryptosporidium avian genotype V (6/35 or 17.1%) in six cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus). Among the pet birds, 12 species represented new hosts for Cryptosporidum infections. The presence of C. meleagridis raises questions on potential zoonotic transmission of cryptosporidiosis from pet birds to humans. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
LINTAL MUNA
2011-11-01
Full Text Available Muna L, Astirin OP, Sugiyarto. 2011. Uji teratogenik ekstrak Pandanus conoideus varietas buah kuning terhadap perkembangan embrio tikus putih (Rattus norvegicus. Bioteknologi 8: 65-77. Penelitiian ini betujuan untuk mengkaji pengaruh pemberian ekstrak Pandanus conoideus Lam. var. buah kuning terhadap persentase fetus hidup, kematian intrauterus, berat dan panjang fetus, keadaan morfologi fetus, serta struktur skeleton fetus tikus putih. Dalam penelitian ini diggunakan 25 tikus bunting yang dibagi menjadi lima kelompok secara acak, sehingga masing-masing kelompok terdiri dari lima ekor tikus. Setiap kelompok diberi dosis yang berbeda. P1 (kontrol diberi 1 mL minyak wijen, P2 , P3, P4 dan P5 diberi ekstrak masing-masing: 0,02 mL, 0,04 mL, 0,08 mL dan 0,16 mL. Ekstrak tersebut diberikan secara oral pada kebuntingan hari ke 5 sampai hari ke 17 (fase organogenesis. Pengamatan dilakukan pada hari ke 18 dengan cara bedah sesar untuk menggambil fetus dari uterus. Morfologi fetu s diamati setelah fetus dikeluarkan dari uterus, sedangkan untuk pengamatan struktur skeleton dibuat preparat wholemount dengan pewarnaan ganda Alcian blue dan Allizarrin Red-S. Hasil percobaan diianalisis dengan ANAVA satu jalur. Hasil penelitiann menunjukkan bahwa pemberian ekstrak tidak berpengaruh terhadap persentase fetus hidup, kematian intrauterus, serta berat dan panjang fetus (P≥0,05. Pemberian ekstrak pada induk mengakibatkan kecacatan skeleton (lordosis fetus pada dosis 0,16 mL dan menghambat osifikasi fetus.
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Avian response to bottomland hardwood reforestation: the first 10 years
Twedt, D.J.; Wilson, R.R.; Henne-Kerr, J.L.; Grosshuesch, D.A.
2002-01-01
Bttomland hardwood forests were planted on agricultural fields in Mississippi and Louisiana using either predominantly Quercus species (oaks) or Populus deltoides (eastern cottonwood). We assessed avian colonization of these reforested sites between 2 and 10 years after planting. Rapid vertical growth of cottonwoods (circa 2 - 3 m / yr) resulted in sites with forest structure that supported greater species richness of breeding birds, increased Shannon diversity indices, and supported greater territory densities than on sites planted with slower-growing oak species. Grassland birds (Spiza americana [Dickcissel], and Sturnella magna [Eastern Meadowlark]) were indicative of species breeding on oak-dominated reforestation # 10 years old. Agelaius phoeniceus (Red-winged Blackbird) and Colinus virginianus (Northern Bobwhite) characterized cottonwood reforestation # 4 years old, whereas 14 species of shrub-scrub birds (e.g., Passerina cyanea [Indigo Bunting]) and early-successional forest birds (e.g., Vireo gilvus [Warbling Vireo]) typified cottonwood reforestation 5 to 9 years after planting. Rates of daily nest survival did not differ between reforestation strategies. Nest parasitism increased markedly in older cottonwood stands, but was overwhelmed by predation as a cause of nest failure. Based on Partners in Flight prioritization scores and territory densities, the value of cottonwood reforestation for avian conservation was significantly greater than that of oak reforestation during their first 10 years. Because of benefits conferred on breeding birds, we recommend reforestation of bottomland hardwoods include a high proportion of fast-growing, early successional species such as cottonwood.
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Flume and field-based calibration of surrogate sensors for monitoring bedload transport
Mao, L.; Carrillo, R.; Escauriaza, C.; Iroume, A.
2016-01-01
Bedload transport assessment is important for geomorphological, engineering, and ecological studies of gravel-bed rivers. Bedload can be monitored at experimental stations that require expensive maintenance or by using portable traps, which allows measuring instantaneous transport rates but at a single point and at high costs and operational risks. The need for continuously measuring bedload intensity and dynamics has therefore increased the use and enhancement of surrogate methods. This paper reports on a set of flume experiments in which a Japanese acoustic pipe and an impact plate have been tested using four well-sorted and three poorly sorted sediment mixtures. Additional data were collected in a glacierized high-gradient Andean stream (Estero Morales) using a portable Bunte-type bedload sampler. Results show that the data provided by the acoustic pipe (which is amplified on 6 channels having different gains) can be calibrated for the grain size and for the intensity of transported sediments coarser than 9 mm (R2 = 0.93 and 0.88, respectively). Even if the flume-based calibration is very robust, upscaling the calibration to field applications is more challenging, and the bedload intensity could be predicted better than the grain size of transported sediments (R2 = 0.61 and 0.43, respectively). The inexpensive impact plate equipped with accelerometer could be calibrated for bedload intensity quite well in the flume but only poorly in the field (R2 = 0.16) and could not provide information on the size of transported sediments.
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Bird ringing in Slovenia in 2014 and results of the first telemetry study of an African migrant
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vrezec Al
2015-12-01
Full Text Available In 2014, 162 bird species were recorded during the bird ringing activities in Slovenia. Of 155 species, 62,275 birds were ringed, and 107 recoveries of birds ringed in Slovenia and found abroad, 148 foreign recoveries in Slovenia and 1395 local recoveries were recorded. The most frequently ringed species were Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla and Great Tit Parus major. As far as ringed nestlings are concerned, Great Tits and Barn Swalllows Hirundo rustica predominated. Considering the recoveries ringed of found birds abroad, the commonest were Black-headed Gulls Chroicocephalus ridibundus and Mute Swans Cygnus olor. The farthest recovery was a Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (5171 km away. Among the more interesting finds was also the so far southernmost recovery of a Sand Martin Riparia riparia found in Israel. Let us also mention the first recovery of a Corncrake Crex crex, which bred and was ringed in 2013 at Planinsko polje (central Slovenia and was found in the 2014 breeding season in the Czech Republic. Among rare species, two Little Buntings Emberiza pusilla were caught and ringed. After nine years, the Roller Coracias garrulus bred again in Slovenia in 2014 and its nestlings were ringed. The paper also brings the description of the migration route of the first African migrant, the Black Stork Ciconia nigra, marked with a GPS/GSM telemetric device, which migrated across the Adriatic Sea, Sicily and Sahara to Nigeria.
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Ogungbuyi, M. G.; Eckardt, F. D.; Martinez, P.
2016-12-01
Nigeria, the largest producer of crude oil in Africa occupies sixth position in the world. Despite such huge oil revenue potentials, its pipeline network system is consistently susceptible to leaks causing oil spills. We investigate ground based spill events which are caused by operational error, equipment failure and most importantly by deliberate attacks along the major pipeline transport system. Sometimes, these spills are accompanied with fire explosion caused by accidental discharge, natural or illegal refineries in the creeds, etc. MODIS satellites fires data corresponding to the times and spill events (i.e. ground based data) of the Area of Interest (AOI) show significant correlation. The open source Quantum Geographical Information System (QGIS) was used to validate the dataset and the spatiotemporal analyses of the oil spill fires were expressed. We demonstrate that through QGIS and Google Earth (using the time sliders), we can identify and monitor oil spills when they are attended with fire events along the pipeline transport system accordingly. This is shown through the spatiotemporal images of the fires. Evidence of such fire cases resulting from bunt vegetation as different from industrial and domestic fire is also presented. Detecting oil spill fires in the study location may not require an enormous terabyte of image processing: we can however rely on a near-real-time (NRT) MODIS data that is readily available twice daily to detect oil spill fire as early warning signal for those hotspots areas where cases of oil seepage is significant in Nigeria.
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Rare birds in Slovenia in 2015 – Slovenian Rarities Committee’s Report
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hanžel Jurij
2016-11-01
Full Text Available This report by the Slovenian Rarities Committee presents records of rare bird species in Slovenia in 2015, with some addenda for previous years. The numbers in brackets refer to the number of records (first number and individuals (second number recorded between 1 Jan 1950 and 31 Dec 2014. Since 1 Jan 2013, submission to the Committee has been required for 37 additional species, 17 of which are regional rarities. Records of these species are not numbered, since records from previous years were not collected by the Committee. One new species, the Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti, was added to category A. Other notable observations were the first record of Parrot Crossbill Loxia pytyopsittacus after 1909, the second record of Baillon’s Crake Zapornia pusilla, the third and fourth records of Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra, the fourth of Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus, the fifth of Richard’s Pipit Anthus richardi and the sixth of Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius. Four species were added to category E: Bahama Pintail Anas bahamensis, Rosy-billed Pochard Netta peposaca, Harris’s Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus and Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria. The list of birds recorded in Slovenia (as of 31 Dec 2015 contains 386 species (371 in category A, 6 in category B, 9 exclusively in category C; 4 species are both in categories A and C. Category D contains 6 species, while category E contains 38, two of which are classified into subcategory E*. These two categories are not part of the list.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Lucia Pagani
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Diurnal behavior in humans is governed by the period length of a circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the brain hypothalamus. Nevertheless, the cell-intrinsic mechanism of this clock is present in most cells of the body. We have shown previously that for individuals of extreme chronotype ("larks" and "owls", clock properties measured in human fibroblasts correlated with extreme diurnal behavior. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we have measured circadian period in human primary fibroblasts taken from normal individuals and, for the first time, compared it directly with physiological period measured in vivo in the same subjects. Human physiological period length was estimated via the secretion pattern of the hormone melatonin in two different groups of sighted subjects and one group of totally blind subjects, each using different methods. Fibroblast period length was measured via cyclical expression of a lentivirally delivered circadian reporter. Within each group, a positive linear correlation was observed between circadian period length in physiology and in fibroblast gene expression. Interestingly, although blind individuals showed on average the same fibroblast clock properties as sighted ones, their physiological periods were significantly longer. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that the period of human circadian behaviour is mostly driven by cellular clock properties in normal individuals and can be approximated by measurement in peripheral cells such as fibroblasts. Based upon differences among sighted and blind subjects, we also speculate that period can be modified by prolonged unusual conditions such as the total light deprivation of blindness.
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Manual of Tesla Experiments; Handbuch Tesla Experimente
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Wahl, Guenter
2009-07-01
The first part, ''Making Lightning and Thunder'', describes a number of Tesla generators that can generate, e.g., coloured light arcs, ball lightning and swords of lightning. The second part, ''New Experiments with EMP, Tesla Waves and Microwaves'', presents a solid state Tesla generator for generating electrodynamic vortices and proposes circuiting alternatives to generate electromagnetic pulses (EMP). Further, mysterious Teslar wave, microwave and scalar wave generators are presented, as well as exotic Star Wars experiments like mass accelerators and plasma guns. The third section describes, among others, a tube-driven Tesla generator with 50 cm streamers. The reader will also find a catalogue of Messrs. Information Unlimited, USA, who are providers of many of the kits, circuiting diagrams and apparatuses presented here. (orig.) [German] Der erste Teil mit dem Titel ''Blitz und Donner selbst erzeugt'' beschreibt eine Reihe von Teslageneratoren, mit denen zum Beispiel bunte Lichtbogen, Kugelblitze und Blitzschwerter erzeugt werden koennen. Im zweiten Teil ''Neue Experimente mit EMPs, Tesla- and Mikrowellen'' findet der Leser einen Solid-State-Teslagenerator zur Erzeugung elektrodynamischer Wirbel sowie Schaltungsvorschlaege zum Thema ''Elektromagnetischer Impuls'' (EMP). Des Weiteren werden geheimnisumwitterte Tesla-, Mikro- und Skalarwellengeneratoren vorgestellt. Exotische Star-Wars-Experimente wie Massenbeschleuniger und Plasmakanonen fehlen ebenfalls nicht. Im dritten Teil wird unter anderem ein roehrenbetriebener Teslagenerator mit Streamern von 50 cm Laenge beschrieben. Ausserdem findet der Leser hier einen Katalog der US-Firma Information Unlimited, bei der viele im Buch besprochenen Bausaetze, Schaltplaene und Fertiggeraete bezogen werden koennen. (orig.)
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Low-NO{sub x}, wood chip combustion
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Saastamoinen, J.; Oravainen, H.; Haemaelaeinen, J.; Paakkinen, K. [VTT Energy, Jyvaeskylae (Finland)
1997-10-01
The regulations for nitrogen oxide emissions vary in different countries, but the general trend in the future will probably be that the emissions limits will be lowered also for wood combustion plants, which are small or medium size units. Thus, the development of wood chip burning furnaces (grate furnaces, fluidized bed combustors, stoker furnaces) with lower nitrogen oxide emissions, is important. The wood used in the combustor, its particle size, moisture and fuel properties (nitrogen content) affect the nitrogen emissions. The nitrogen oxide release is also much affected by the design and operation of the combustor (air staging, fuel air preheat, flue gas circulation, air to fuel mass ratio). The fate of nitrogen compounds originally in the virgin wood depends much on the design of the combustor system and by proper planning it is possible to reduce the emission of nitrogen oxides. Basic knowledge of the release of nitrogen compounds from single wood particles is attained. The release of gaseous nitrogen compounds from wood particles during pyrolysis and combustion is studied experimentally and by modelling. Nitrogen release is studied experimentally by two ways, by analysing the gas and by quenching the particle and analysing the char residue. Formation of nitrogen oxide emissions in a fuel bed is studied by modelling and by combustion experiments with a pot furnace. This research gives general information of nitrogen oxide formation in wood bunting especially in fixed beds. The development of a horizontal stoker burner for wood chips with low emissions is the practical aim of the research. (orig.)
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Microhabitat selection by three common bird species of montane farmlands in Northern Greece.
Tsiakiris, Rigas; Stara, Kalliopi; Pantis, John; Sgardelis, Stefanos
2009-11-01
Common farmland birds are declining throughout Europe; however, marginal farmlands that escaped intensification or land abandonment remain a haven for farmland species in some Mediterranean mountains. The purpose of this study is to identify the most important anthropogenic microhabitat characteristics for Red-Backed Shrike (Lanius collurio), Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra) and Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) in three such areas within the newly established Northern Pindos National Park. We compare land use structural and physiognomic characteristics of the habitat within 133 plots containing birds paired with randomly selected "non-bird" plots. Using logistic regression and classification-tree models we identify the specific habitat requirements for each of the three birds. The three species show a preference for agricultural mosaics dominated by rangelands with scattered shrub or short trees mixed with arable land. Areas with dikes and dirt roads are preferred by all three species, while the presence of fences and periodically burned bushes and hedges are of particular importance for Red-Backed Shrike. Across the gradient of vegetation density and height, M. calandra is mostly found in grasslands with few dwarf shrubs and short trees, S. communis in places with more dense and tall vegetation of shrub, trees and hedges, and L. collurio, being a typical bird of ecotones, occurs in both habitats and in intermediate situations. In all cases those requirements are associated with habitat features maintained either directly or indirectly by the traditional agricultural activities in the area and particularly by the long established extensive controlled grazing that prevent shrub expansion.
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Odeyemi, Olumide A; Ahmad, Asmat
2017-02-01
This study aimed to compare population dynamics, antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation of Aeromonas and Vibrio species from seawater and sediment collected from Northern Malaysia. Isolates with different colony morphology were characterized using both biochemical and molecular methods before testing for antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation. Results obtained from this study showed that in Kedah, the population of Aeromonas isolated from sediment was highest in Pantai Merdeka (8.22 log CFU/ml), Pulau Bunting recorded the highest population of Aeromonas from sediment (8.43 log CFU/g). It was observed that Vibrio species isolated from seawater and sediment were highest in Kuala Sanglang (9.21 log CFU/ml). In Kuala Perlis, the population of Aeromonas isolated from seawater was highest in Jeti (7.94 log CFU/ml). Highest population of Aeromonas from sediment was recorded in Kampong Tanah Baru (7.99 log CFU/g). It was observed that Vibrio species isolated from seawater was highest in Padang Benta (8.42 log CFU/g) while Jeti Kuala Perlis had highest population of Vibrio isolated from sediment. It was observed that location does not influence population of Aeromonas. The results of the independent t - test revealed that there was no significant relationship between location and population of Vibrio (df = 10, t = 1.144, p > 0.05). The occurrence of biofilm formation and prevalence of antibiotic resistant Aeromonas and Vibrio species in seawater and sediment pose danger to human and aquatic animals' health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Darrah, Abigail J.; van Riper, Charles
2018-01-01
Biocontrol of invasive tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) in the arid Southwest using the introduced tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda elongata) has been hypothesized to negatively affect some breeding bird species, but no studies to date have documented the effects of beetle-induced defoliation on riparian bird abundance. We assessed the effects of tamarisk defoliation by monitoring defoliation rates, changes in vegetation composition, and changes in density of six obligate riparian breeding bird species at two sites along the Dolores River in Colorado following the arrival of tamarisk beetles. We conducted bird point counts from 2010 to 2014 and modeled bird density as a function of native vegetation density and extent of defoliation using hierarchical distance sampling. Maximum annual defoliation decreased throughout the study period, peaking at 32–37% in 2009–2010 and dropping to 0.5–15% from 2011–2014. Stem density of both tamarisk and native plants declined throughout the study period until 2014. Density of all bird species declined throughout most of the study, with Song Sparrow disappearing from the study sites after 2011. Blue Grosbeak, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Yellow Warbler densities were negatively related to defoliation in the previous year, while Lazuli Bunting exhibited a positive relationship with defoliation. These findings corroborate earlier predictions of species expected to be sensitive to defoliation as a result of nest site selection. Tamarisk defoliation thus had short-term negative impacts on riparian bird species; active restoration may be needed to encourage the regrowth of native riparian vegetation, which in the longer-term may result in increased riparian bird density.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Joerg Tews
2013-12-01
Full Text Available Mechanical operations such as mowing, tilling, seeding, and harvesting are well-known sources of direct avian mortality in agricultural fields. However, there are currently no mortality rate estimates available for any species group or larger jurisdiction. Even reviews of sources of mortality in birds have failed to address mechanical disturbance in farm fields. To overcome this information gap we provide estimates of total mortality rates by mechanical operations for five selected species across Canada. In our step-by-step modeling approach we (i quantified the amount of various types of agricultural land in each Bird Conservation Region (BCR in Canada, (ii estimated population densities by region and agricultural habitat type for each selected species, (iii estimated the average timing of mechanical agricultural activities, egg laying, and fledging, (iv and used these values and additional demographical parameters to derive estimates of total mortality by species within each BCR. Based on our calculations the total annual estimated incidental take of young ranged from ~138,000 for Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris to as much as ~941,000 for Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis. Net losses to the fall flight of birds, i.e., those birds that would have fledged successfully in the absence of mechanical disturbance, were, for example ~321,000 for Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus and ~483,000 for Savannah Sparrow. Although our estimates are subject to an unknown degree of uncertainty, this assessment is a very important first step because it provides a broad estimate of incidental take for a set of species that may be particularly vulnerable to mechanical operations and a starting point for future refinements of model parameters if and when they become available.
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#TheDress: Categorical perception of an ambiguous color image.
Lafer-Sousa, Rosa; Conway, Bevil R
2017-10-01
We present a full analysis of data from our preliminary report (Lafer-Sousa, Hermann, & Conway, 2015) and test whether #TheDress image is multistable. A multistable image must give rise to more than one mutually exclusive percept, typically within single individuals. Clustering algorithms of color-matching data showed that the dress was seen categorically, as white/gold (W/G) or blue/black (B/K), with a blue/brown transition state. Multinomial regression predicted categorical labels. Consistent with our prior hypothesis, W/G observers inferred a cool illuminant, whereas B/K observers inferred a warm illuminant; moreover, subjects could use skin color alone to infer the illuminant. The data provide some, albeit weak, support for our hypothesis that day larks see the dress as W/G and night owls see it as B/K. About half of observers who were previously familiar with the image reported switching categories at least once. Switching probability increased with professional art experience. Priming with an image that disambiguated the dress as B/K biased reports toward B/K (priming with W/G had negligible impact); furthermore, knowledge of the dress's true colors and any prior exposure to the image shifted the population toward B/K. These results show that some people have switched their perception of the dress. Finally, consistent with a role of attention and local image statistics in determining how multistable images are seen, we found that observers tended to discount as achromatic the dress component that they did not attend to: B/K reporters focused on a blue region, whereas W/G reporters focused on a golden region.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Paola Laiolo
Full Text Available Multilevel selection has rarely been studied in the ecological context of animal populations, in which neighbourhood effects range from competition among territorial neighbours to source-sink effects among local populations. By studying a Dupont's lark Chersophilus duponti metapopulation, we analyze neighbourhood effects mediated by song repertoires on fitness components at the individual level (life-span and population level (growth rate. As a sexual/aggressive signal with strong effects on fitness, birdsong creates an opportunity for group selection via neighbour interactions, but may also have population-wide effects by conveying information on habitat suitability to dispersing individuals. Within populations, we found a disruptive pattern of selection at the individual level and an opposite, stabilizing pattern at the group level. Males singing the most complex songs had the longest life-span, but individuals with the poorest repertoires lived longer than 'average' males, a finding that likely reflects two male strategies with respect to fitness and sexual trait expression. Individuals from groups with intermediate repertoires had the longest life-span, likely benefitting from conspecific signalling to attract females up to the detrimental spread of competitive interactions in groups with superior vocal skills. Within the metapopulation selection was directional but again followed opposite patterns at the two levels: Populations had the highest growth rate when inhabiting local patches with complex repertoires surrounded by patches with simple repertoires. Here the song may impact metapopulation dynamics by guiding prospecting individuals towards populations advertising habitat quality. Two fitness components linked to viability were therefore influenced by the properties of the group, and birdsong was the target of selection, contributing to linking social/sexual processes at the local scale with regional population dynamics.
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#TheDress: Categorical perception of an ambiguous color image
Lafer-Sousa, Rosa; Conway, Bevil R.
2017-01-01
We present a full analysis of data from our preliminary report (Lafer-Sousa, Hermann, & Conway, 2015) and test whether #TheDress image is multistable. A multistable image must give rise to more than one mutually exclusive percept, typically within single individuals. Clustering algorithms of color-matching data showed that the dress was seen categorically, as white/gold (W/G) or blue/black (B/K), with a blue/brown transition state. Multinomial regression predicted categorical labels. Consistent with our prior hypothesis, W/G observers inferred a cool illuminant, whereas B/K observers inferred a warm illuminant; moreover, subjects could use skin color alone to infer the illuminant. The data provide some, albeit weak, support for our hypothesis that day larks see the dress as W/G and night owls see it as B/K. About half of observers who were previously familiar with the image reported switching categories at least once. Switching probability increased with professional art experience. Priming with an image that disambiguated the dress as B/K biased reports toward B/K (priming with W/G had negligible impact); furthermore, knowledge of the dress's true colors and any prior exposure to the image shifted the population toward B/K. These results show that some people have switched their perception of the dress. Finally, consistent with a role of attention and local image statistics in determining how multistable images are seen, we found that observers tended to discount as achromatic the dress component that they did not attend to: B/K reporters focused on a blue region, whereas W/G reporters focused on a golden region. PMID:29090319
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Mu, M.; Randerson, J. T.; van der Werf, G. R.; Giglio, L.; Kasibhatla, P.; Morton, D.; Collatz, G. J.; DeFries, R. S.; Hyer, E. J.; Prins, E. M.;
2011-01-01
Attribution of the causes of atmospheric trace gas and aerosol variability often requires the use of high resolution time series of anthropogenic and natural emissions inventories. Here we developed an approach for representing synoptic- and diurnal-scale temporal variability in fire emissions for the Global Fire Emissions Database version 3 (GFED3). We distributed monthly GFED3 emissions during 2003-2009 on a daily time step using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-derived measurements of active fires from Terra and Aqua satellites. In parallel, mean diurnal cycles were constructed from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) active fire observations. We found that patterns of daily variability in fires varied considerably across different biomes, with short but intense periods of daily emissions in boreal ecosystems and lower intensity (but more continuous) periods of bunting in savannas. On diurnal timescales, our analysis of the GOES active fires indicated that fires in savannas, grasslands, and croplands occurred earlier in the day as compared to fires in nearby forests. Comparison with Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) and Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) column CO observations provided evidence that including daily variability in emissions moderately improved atmospheric model simulations, particularly during the fire season and near regions with high levels of biomass burning. The high temporal resolution estimates of fire emissions developed here may ultimately reduce uncertainties related to fire contributions to atmospheric trace gases and aerosols. Important future directions include reconciling top-down and bottom up estimates of fire radiative power and integrating burned area and active fire time series from multiple satellite sensors to improve daily emissions estimates.
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Longitudinal Outcomes of Start Time Delay on Sleep, Behavior, and Achievement in High School.
Thacher, Pamela V; Onyper, Serge V
2016-02-01
To establish whether sleep, health, mood, behavior, and academics improved after a 45-minute delay in high school start time, and whether changes persisted longitudinally. We collected data from school records and student self-report across a number of domains at baseline (May 2012) and at two follow-up time points (November 2012 and May 2013), at a public high school in upstate New York. Students enrolled during academic years (AY) 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; the DASS-21; the "Owl-Lark" Scale; the Daytime Sleepiness Index; and a brief self-report of health. Reports from school records regarding attendance, tardiness, disciplinary violations, and academic performance were collected for AY 2010-2011 through 2013-2014. Students delayed but did not extend their sleep period; we found lasting improvements in tardiness and disciplinary violations after the start-time delay, but no changes to other variables. At the first follow-up, students reported 20 minutes longer sleep, driven by later rise times and stable bed times. At the second follow-up, students maintained later rise times but delayed bedtimes, returning total sleep to baseline levels. A delay in rise time, paralleling the delay in the start time that occurred, resulted in less tardiness and decreased disciplinary incidents, but larger improvements to sleep patterns may be necessary to affect health, attendance, sleepiness, and academic performance. Later start times improved tardiness and disciplinary issues at this school district. A delay in start time may be a necessary but not sufficient means to increase sleep time and may depend on preexisting individual differences. A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 267. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.
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Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Sychra, O.; Literák, I.; Čapek, Miroslav; Havlíček, M.
2007-01-01
Roč. 1631, - (2007), s. 57-68 ISSN 1175-5326 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60930519 Keywords : Myrsidea * new host -louse associations Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 0.691, year: 2007 http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2007f/zt01631p068.pdf
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Radiological monitoring plan for the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant: Surface Water
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1997-10-01
The Y-12 Plant conducts a surface water monitoring program in response to DOE Orders and state of Tennessee requirements under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The anticipated codification of DOE Order 5400.5 for radiation protection of the public and the environment (10 CFR Part 834) will require an environmental radiation protection plan (ERPP). The NPDES permit issued by the state of Tennessee requires a radiological monitoring plan (RMP) for Y-12 Plant surface waters. In a May 4, 1995 memo, the state of Tennessee, Division of Water Pollution Control, stated their desired needs and goals regarding the content of RMPs, associated documentation, and data resulting from the RMPs required under the NPDES permitting system (L. Bunting, General Discussion, Radiological Monitoring Plans, Tennessee Division of Water Pollution Control, May 4,1995). Appendix A provides an overview of how the Y-12 Plant will begin to address these needs and goals. It provides a more complete, documented basis for the current Y-12 Plant surface water monitoring program and is intended to supplement documentation provided in the Annual Site Environmental Reports (ASERs), NPDES reports, Groundwater Quality Assessment Reports, and studies conducted under the Y-12 Plant Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. The purpose of this update to the Y-12 Plant RMP is to satisfy the requirements of the current NPDES permit, DOE Order 5400.5, and 10 CFR Part 834, as current proposed, by defining the radiological monitoring plan for surface water for the Y-12 Plant. This plan includes initial storm water monitoring and data analysis. Related activities such as sanitary sewer and sediment monitoring are also summarized. The plan discusses monitoring goals necessary to determine background concentrations of radionuclides, to quantify releases, determine trends, satisfy regulatory requirements, support consequence assessments, and meet requirements that releases be ''as low as
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jian-Xu ZHANG et al.
2009-10-01
Full Text Available Over-shadowed by eye-catching vocal and visual signals, chemical communication has long been overlooked in birds. This study aimed at exploring whether volatile composition of the uropygial gland secretion (UGS of birds was associated with the information about sex, individual and species. By using dichloromethane extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS, we analyzed the UGS volatiles of domesticated Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata, Estrildiea which is also known as white-rumped munias. We characterized 16 volatile molecules from the UGS, including eight n-alkanols, five diesters, an ester, an aldehyde and a fatty acid, and quantified them in terms of GC peak area percentages (relative abundances. Among these compounds, hexadecanol and octadecanol were major components in both sexes. The former was richer in males than females and the latter richer in females than males, suggesting that they might be male and female pheromone candidates, respectively. The high inter-individual variations, in relative abundance, of the UGS volatiles implied that they might carry information about individuality. The similarity between GC profiles of the UGS and wing feather from same individuals indicates that the birds might preen the secretion to their feathers to transmit chemical cues. Additionally, by comparing with three sympatric passerine species,i.e., zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata, yellow-bowed buntings Emberiza chrysophrys and rooks Corvus frugilegus, we found that the composition of C13-C18 alkanols in the UGS might contain information about species. Our study also show that quantitative differences (degree of same UGS volatiles might be the key for the Bengalese finch to code for information about sex and individuality whereas both the kind and degree of UGS constituents could be utilized to code for information about species [Current Zoology 55 (5:–2009].
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
W Andrew Cox
Full Text Available Many songbird species have experienced significant population declines, partly because of brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater, which is positively associated with increasing landscape forest cover in the midwestern United States. However, cowbirds are also experiencing long-term population declines, which should reduce parasitism pressure and thus increase productivity of host species. We used 20 years of nest monitoring data from five sites in Missouri across a gradient of landscape forest cover to assess temporal trends in the rate and intensity of brood parasitism for Acadian Flycatchers (Empidonax virescens, Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea, and Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis. We evaluated whether there were concomitant changes in fledging brood size, nest survival, a combination of the two metrics (i.e., host young produced per nest attempt, and whether such changes were more substantial with decreasing landscape forest cover. Parasitism rates and intensities declined substantially during 1991-2010. Fledging brood size and nest survival rates were positively associated with landscape forest cover, confirming the fragmentation hypothesis for Midwest forest birds. Declining parasitism rates were associated with increased fledging brood sizes, with more pronounced increases as landscape forest cover decreased. Nest survival increased insubstantially across time during laying and incubation, but not during the nestling stage. The best predictor of nest survival was parasitism status, with parasitized nests surviving at lower rates than unparasitized nests. Overall, productivity increased during 1991-2010, with more pronounced increases associated with lower levels of landscape forest cover. The negative effects of cowbirds on nest survival in addition to fledging brood size in less forested landscapes suggest that cowbirds may be a primary cause of forest fragmentation effects on songbird productivity in the
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Change in avian abundance predicted from regional forest inventory data
Twedt, Daniel J.; Tirpak, John M.; Jones-Farrand, D. Todd; Thompson, Frank R.; Uihlein, William B.; Fitzgerald, Jane A.
2010-01-01
An inability to predict population response to future habitat projections is a shortcoming in bird conservation planning. We sought to predict avian response to projections of future forest conditions that were developed from nationwide forest surveys within the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. To accomplish this, we evaluated the historical relationship between silvicolous bird populations and FIA-derived forest conditions within 25 ecoregions that comprise the southeastern United States. We aggregated forest area by forest ownership, forest type, and tree size-class categories in county-based ecoregions for 5 time periods spanning 1963-2008. We assessed the relationship of forest data with contemporaneous indices of abundance for 24 silvicolous bird species that were obtained from Breeding Bird Surveys. Relationships between bird abundance and forest inventory data for 18 species were deemed sufficient as predictive models. We used these empirically derived relationships between regional forest conditions and bird populations to predict relative changes in abundance of these species within ecoregions that are anticipated to coincide with projected changes in forest variables through 2040. Predicted abundances of these 18 species are expected to remain relatively stable in over a quarter (27%) of the ecoregions. However, change in forest area and redistribution of forest types will likely result in changed abundance of some species within many ecosystems. For example, abundances of 11 species, including pine warbler (Dendroica pinus), brown-headed nuthatch (Sitta pusilla), and chuckwills- widow (Caprimulgus carolinensis), are projected to increase within more ecoregions than ecoregions where they will decrease. For 6 other species, such as blue-winged warbler (Vermivora pinus), Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus), and indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea), we projected abundances will decrease within more ecoregions than ecoregions where they will
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Urrutia-Fucugauchi, J.; Marin, L.; Trejo-Garcia, A.
As part of the UNAM drilling program at the Chicxulub structure, two 700 m deep continuously cored boreholes were completed between April and July, 1995. The Peto UNAM-6 and Tekax UNAM-7 drilling sites are ˜150 km and 125 km, respectively, SSE of Chicxulub Puerto, near the crater's center. Core samples from both sites show a sequence of post-crater carbonates on top of a thick impact breccia pile covering the disturbed Mesozoic platform rocks. At UNAM-7, two impact breccia units were encountered: (1) an upper breccia, mean magnetic susceptibility is high (˜55 × 10-6 SI units), indicating a large component of silicate basement has been incorporated into this breccia, and (2) an evaporite-rich, low susceptibility impact breccia similar in character to the evaporite-rich breccias observed at the PEMEX drill sites further out. The upper breccia was encountered at ˜226 m below the surface and is ˜125 m thick; the lower breccia is immediately subjacent and is >240 m thick. This two-breccia sequence is typical of the suevite-Bunte breccia sequence found within other well preserved impact craters. The suevitic upper unit is not present at UNAM-6. Instead, a >240 m thick evaporite-rich breccia unit, similar to the lower breccia at UNAM-7, was encountered at a depth of ˜280 m. The absence of an upper breccia equivalent at UNAM-6 suggests some portion of the breccia sequence has been removed by erosion. This is consistent with interpretations that place the high-standing crater rim at 130-150 km from the center. Consequently, the stratigraphic observations and magnetic susceptibiity records on the upper and lower breccias (depth and thickness) support a ˜300 km diameter crater model.
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Tribukait, Arne; Eiken, Ola
2017-11-01
An aircraft's orientation relative to the ground cannot be perceived via the sense of balance or the somatosensory system. When devoid of external visual references, the pilot must rely on instruments. A sudden unexpected instrument indication is a challenge to the pilot, who might have to question the instrument instead of responding with the controls. In this case report we analyze, from a human-factors perspective, how a limited instrument failure led to a fatal accident. During straight-ahead level flight in darkness, at 33,000 ft, the commander of a civil cargo airplane was suddenly confronted by an erroneous pitch-up indication on his primary flight display. He responded by pushing the control column forward, making a bunt maneuver with reduced/negative Gz during approximately 15 s. The pilots did not communicate rationally or cross-check instruments. Recordings of elevator and aileron positions suggest that the commander made intense efforts to correct for several extreme and erroneous roll and pitch indications. Gz displayed an increasing trend with rapid fluctuations and peaks of approximately 3 G. After 50 s the aircraft entered a turn with decreasing radius and finally hit the ground in an inverted attitude. A precipitate maneuvring response can, even if occurring in a large aircraft at high altitude, result in a seemingly inexorable course of events, ending with a crash. In the present case both pilots were probably incapacitated by acute psychological stress and spatial disorientation. Intense variations in Gz may have impaired the copilot's reading of the functioning primary flight display.Tribukait A, Eiken O. Instrument failure, stress, and spatial disorientation leading to a fatal crash with a large aircraft. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(11):1043-1048.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Semczyszyn, D.
2004-01-01
'Full text:' The National Research Council Institute For Fuel Cell Innovation is relocating to a purpose-built 71,343 sq. Ft. (6598 sq. M) Research, Testing, Evaluation, and Industry Incubation Facility in the spring of 2006. The new facility will contain Hydrogen-ready laboratories, the existing relocated Hydrogen Safe Environmental Test Chamber, a hydrogen vehicle maintenance bay, a hydrogen vehicle refuelling station, and the following demonstration projects and features: 1. A Ground Source Heat Pump: This long-proven natural-source heating and cooling technology to provide climate control for the new IFCI's atrium and galleria. It is being designed by Keen Engineering of North Vancouver, BC. 2. 5 KW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System: Fuelled by natural gas and in the future, from biomass, the fuel cell will also produce approximately 15 kW of waste heat, which will be captured and used to supply heat for the building. The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell will be supplied by Fuel Cell Technologies in Kingston, ON. 3. LEED Building certification: Attaining LEED 'green building' certification is considered an important complement to the plans for the new NRC-IFCI, because it will provide respected third-party verification of government's commitment to efficient building design and construction. Project architects Bunting Coady of Vancouver, BC believe the IFCI has strong potential to earn gold LEED certification. 4. Photovoltaic hydrogen source for back-up power fuel cell system: A photovoltaic array will capture energy from sunlight to power an electrolyzer that will produce and store hydrogen for a PEM fuel cell emergency backup power system. The electrolyzer will be provided by Hydrogenics of Mississauga, ON. Photovoltaics are being designed and installed by the British Columbia Institute of Technology. (author)
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PEMFC Optimization Strategy with Auxiliary Power Source in Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tinton Dwi Atmaja
2012-02-01
Full Text Available Page HeaderOpen Journal SystemsJournal HelpUser You are logged in as...aulia My Journals My Profile Log Out Log Out as UserNotifications View (27 new ManageJournal Content SearchBrowse By Issue By Author By Title Other JournalsFont SizeMake font size smaller Make font size default Make font size largerInformation For Readers For Authors For LibrariansKeywords CBPNN Displacement FLC LQG/LTR Mixed PMA Ventilation bottom shear stress direct multiple shooting effective fuzzy logic geoelectrical method hourly irregular wave missile trajectory panoramic image predator-prey systems seawater intrusion segmentation structure development pattern terminal bunt manoeuvre Home About User Home Search Current Archives ##Editorial Board##Home > Vol 23, No 1 (2012 > AtmajaPEMFC Optimization Strategy with Auxiliary Power Source in Fuel Cell Hybrid VehicleTinton Dwi Atmaja, Amin AminAbstractone of the present-day implementation of fuel cell is acting as main power source in Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle (FCHV. This paper proposes some strategies to optimize the performance of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC implanted with auxiliary power source to construct a proper FCHV hybridization. The strategies consist of the most updated optimization method determined from three point of view i.e. Energy Storage System (ESS, hybridization topology and control system analysis. The goal of these strategies is to achieve an optimum hybridization with long lifetime, low cost, high efficiency, and hydrogen consumption rate improvement. The energy storage system strategy considers battery, supercapacitor, and high-speed flywheel as the most promising alternative auxiliary power source. The hybridization topology strategy analyzes the using of multiple storage devices injected with electronic components to bear a higher fuel economy and cost saving. The control system strategy employs nonlinear control system to optimize the ripple factor of the voltage and the current
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hussain, T.; Ishtiaq, M.; Azam, S.; Maqbool, M.; Mushtaq, W.
2017-01-01
Mycopathogens were explored from wheat germplasm cultivars from District Bhimber of Azad Kashmir. In this study, 10 different seed-borne pathogens were isolated from District of Bhimber, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The Agar Plate Method (APM) and Towel Paper Method (TPM) were used for detection of seed borne pathogens. The disease incidence (percentage) and disease severity of fungi varied with respect to type of pathogen and seed sampling sites. Kernel bunt caused by Tilletia indica showed highest incidence (67.25%) and severity (7.0) on 0-9 rating scale. Fusarium graminearum showed the highest infection rate in three sub-divisions of district Bhimber as compared to others. The fungal attacking pathogens on wheat crop were control through fungicides treatment and treatments with plant extracts. Maximum germination rates were calculated in three sub-divisions of Bhimber after treatment of Tilt fungicide. As 86% germination rate in Samahni, 87.5% in Bhimber and 84.5% in Bernala was calculated. Antifungal activity of five plant extracts (Acacia nilotica L., Azadirachta indica L. Juss., Eucalyptus citriodora Hook, Ficus bengalensis L. and Allium sativum L.) were evaluated in four different solvents. Highest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was calculated of all plants in methanolic extracts. Maximum MIC (57.38 mcg/ml) exhibited by extracts of Acacia nilotica leaves against ten fungi. Azadirachta indica extracts in different solvents against wheat-seed fungal pathogens was shown more antimicrobial activity as compared to other four plants. Azadirachta indica extract in methanol showed the highest mean of antifungal activity (62.20 mcg/ml) against ten different fungal pathogens. Antimicrobial activity (MIC) of Ficus bengalensis in different solvents against nine wheat-seed fungal pathogens was also investigated. Highest MIC was measured against B. graminis (57.50 mcg/ml) and S. macrospora (57.00 mcg/ml) by using methanolic extract of Ficus bengalensis
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ISOLASI cDNA SUCROSE TRANSPORTER (SUT DARI BATANG TANAMAN TEBU (Saccharum officinarum L.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
- Slameto
2010-09-01
Full Text Available Sucrose Transporter (SUT is kind of protein transporter that control in sucrose translocation. Sucrose Transporter is intermediate in translocation of sucrose from apoplasmic to simplasmic. SUT facilitates sucrose transportation from vascular tissues to parenchyma cells toward in node sugarcane stem. This research was purposed to isolate cDNA SUT from sugarcane stem, and cloned in Escherichia coli strain DH5α. Total RNA of sugarcane stem was isolated by single step method, then add with oligo dT in order to obtain the first strand of SUT cDNA then used as template for PCR. The primer used for PCR is 5’ –ggg ctg att gtg gcc atg tc- ‘3 (SUT-F and 5’ –tgc cct ttg tct ccg gaa cc- ‘3 (SUT-R. PCR was programmed as follow denaturation at 94°C for 2 minutes and 30 second, annealing at 54°C for 30 s, extension at 72°C 2 min and 7 min, and storage at 4°C for unlimited, It was for 30 cycles. Complementary DNA SUT from PCR ligalized to pTOPO bunt-end, then it cloned in to E. coli strain DH5α. The cloning resulted then be sequenced in order to observe the homologues with other nucleotides sequences of some plant using BLASTn program in GENE BANK NCBI and the level of homology determined by Genetyx program. The concentrated of total RNA isolated was 5,024 μg/μl, with purity of 1,85. Complementary DNA SUT fragment from PCR with size 2037 bp appropriated to the both of primer was used. Complementary DNA SUT fragment showed by analyzed some of restriction enzyme e.g. EcoRI, PstI and BamHI. Homologues of this cDNA SUT fragment was 100% to SoSUT 2A of sugarcane stem and 84% to OsSUT of rice plant (Casu et al ., 2003.
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Power lines, roads, and avian nest survival: effects on predator identity and predation intensity.
DeGregorio, Brett A; Weatherhead, Patrick J; Sperry, Jinelle H
2014-05-01
1 Anthropogenic alteration of landscapes can affect avian nest success by influencing the abundance, distribution, and behavior of predators. Understanding avian nest predation risk necessitates understanding how landscapes affect predator distribution and behavior. 2 From a sample of 463 nests of 17 songbird species, we evaluated how landscape features (distance to forest edge, unpaved roads, and power lines) influenced daily nest survival. We also used video cameras to identify nest predators at 137 nest predation events and evaluated how landscape features influenced predator identity. Finally, we determined the abundance and distribution of several of the principal predators using surveys and radiotelemetry. 3 Distance to power lines was the best predictor of predator identity: predation by brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater), corvids (Corvus sp. and Cyanocitta cristata), racers (Coluber constrictor), and coachwhips (Masticophis flagellum) increased with proximity to power lines, whereas predation by rat snakes (Elaphe obsoleta) and raptors decreased. In some cases, predator density may reliably indicate nest predation risk because racers, corvids, and cowbirds frequently used power line right-of-ways. 4 Of five bird species with enough nests to analyze individually, daily nest survival of only indigo buntings (Passerina cyanea) decreased with proximity to power lines, despite predation by most predators at our site being positively associated with power lines. For all nesting species combined, distance to unpaved road was the model that most influenced daily nest survival. This pattern is likely a consequence of rat snakes, the locally dominant nest predator (28% of predation events), rarely using power lines and associated areas. Instead, rat snakes were frequently associated with road edges, indicating that not all edges are functionally similar. 5 Our results suggest that interactions between predators and landscape features are likely to be specific to
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Landscape and vegetation effects on avian reproduction on bottomland forest restorations
Twedt, Daniel J.; Somershoe, Scott G.; Hazler, Kirsten R.; Cooper, Robert J.
2010-01-01
Forest restoration has been undertaken on >200,000 ha of agricultural land in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, USA, during the past few decades. Decisions on where and how to restore bottomland forests are complex and dependent upon landowner objectives, but for conservation of silvicolous (forest-dwelling) birds, ecologists have espoused restoration through planting a diverse mix of densely spaced seedlings that includes fast-growing species. Application of this planting strategy on agricultural tracts that are adjacent to extant forest or within landscapes that are predominately forested has been advocated to increase forest area and enhance forested landscapes, thereby benefiting area-sensitive, silvicolous birds. We measured support for these hypothesized benefits through assessments of densities of breeding birds and reproductive success of 9 species on 36 bottomland forest restoration sites. Densities of thamnic (shrub-scrub dwelling) and silvicolous birds, such as yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens), indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea), and white-eyed vireo (Vireo griseus) were positively associated with 1) taller trees, 2) greater stem densities, and 3) a greater proportion of forest within the landscape, whereas densities of birds associated with grasslands, such as dickcissel (Spiza americana) and red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), were negatively associated with these variables. Vegetation structure, habitat edge, and temporal effects had greater influence on nest success than did landscape effects. Taller trees, increased density of woody stems, greater vegetation density, and more forest within the landscape were often associated with greater nest success. Nest success of grassland birds was positively related to distance from forest edge but, for thamnic birds, success was greater near edges. Moreover, nest success and estimated fecundity of thamnic species suggested their populations are self-sustaining on forest restoration sites, whereas
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Rocco, Gennaro; Stievano, Alessandro
2007-01-01
Until the early Eighties, critical social theory as a philosophical orientation informing nursing science, theory development and practice did not exist. Interest on this topic began to arise only after the mid-Eighties. In fact, nursing scholars questioned the validity of empiricism as the historical foundation for nursing science and the limitations of interpretivism in strengthening nursing knowledge, and thus started to focus on the lack of epistemological perspectives in nursing, giving particular prominence to the peculiar social, political, historical and economic conditions involving those who needed nursing care. The theoretical reflection began to develop, like the empirical paradigm, the post-positivist paradigm and, later, the interpretative paradigm, expanded thanks to the early works by Martha Rogers and Rosemarie Rizzo Parse, were seen as unable to address issues related to power inequities, structural constraints and oppression suffered by vulnerable groups such as the homeless, mental health individuals, people affected by HIV+ and other infectious diseases, unemployed, etc.. Empiricism and interpretative paradigms did not manage to bridge the gap between theory and praxis, and a new theoretical and philosophical approach gradually gained ground. This paradigm, based on critical social theory, was developed by distinguished scholars and intellectuals, such as Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse of the Frankfurt School in the Thirties, and, in recent years, by Giddens, Bourdieu, Foucault, Habermas. On this social field the first works of Allen, Thompson, Stevens, Campbell and Bunting, Kendall, allowed to work out a new paradigmatic nursing approach that would have predicted the employment of the critical theory for particular nursing aspects, as a conceptual framework for nursing education, as a paradigm to carry out participatory action-research and for the development of the discipline. The purpose of this article was to describe this
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Inventory of montane-nesting birds in Katmai and Lake Clark national parks and preserves
Ruthrauff, Daniel R.; Tibbitts, Lee; Gill, Robert E.; Handel, Colleen M.
2007-01-01
As part of the National Park Service’s Inventory and Monitoring Program, biologists from the U. S. Geological Survey’s Alaska Science Center conducted an inventory of birds in montane regions of Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks and Preserves during 2004–2006. We used a stratified random survey design to allocate samples by ecological subsection. To survey for birds, we conducted counts at 468 points across 29, 10-km x 10-km (6.2-mi x 6.2-mi) sample plots in Katmai and 417 points across 25, 10-km x 10-km sample plots in Lake Clark. We detected 92 and 104 species in Katmai and Lake Clark, respectively, including 40 species of conservation concern. We detected three species not previously recorded in Katmai (Ring-necked Duck [Aythya collaris], Lesser Scaup [Aythya affinis], and White-tailed Ptarmigan [Lagopus leucurus]) and two species not previously recorded in Lake Clark (Northern Flicker [Colaptes auratus ] and Olive-sided Flycatcher [Contopus cooperi]). The most commonly detected species in both parks was Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla); Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca) and American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) were abundant and widely-distributed as well. We defined sites as low (100–350 m), middle (351–600 m), or high (601–1,620 m) elevation based on the distribution of vegetation cover, and similarly categorized the 34 most-commonly detected species based on the mean elevation of sample points at which they were detected. High elevation (i.e., alpine) sites were characterized by high percent cover of dwarf shrub and bare ground habitat and supported species like Rock Ptarmigan (L. mutus), American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica), Wandering Tattler (Tringa incana), Surfbird (Aphriza virgata), and Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis), all species of conservation concern. This inventory represents the first systematic survey of birds nesting in montane regions of both parks. Results from this inventory can form the foundation of
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Ranjbar Jafarabadi, Ali; Riyahi Bakhtiari, Alireza; Aliabadian, Mansour; Laetitia, Hédouin; Shadmehri Toosi, Amirhossein; Yap, Chee Kong
2018-06-15
The coral reefs of the Persian Gulf are the most diverse systems of life in the marine environment of the Middle East. Unfortunately, they are highly threatened by local and global stressors, particularly oil pollutants. This is the first quantitative and qualitative study aimed at assessing the concentration and sources of n-alkanes and POPs (PAHs, PCBs and PCNs) in coral tissues, symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae), reef sediments and seawaters in coral reefs of Lark and Kharg in the Persian Gulf, Iran. This work was conducted on eight species of six genera and three families of hard corals and one family of soft coral. A significant variation in the concentration of ∑30n-alkanes and POPs (∑40PAHs, ∑22PCBs and 20PCNs) was found in the decreasing order: zooxanthellae > coral tissue > skeleton > reef sediment > seawater. The bioaccumulation of these compounds was 2-times higher in ahermatypic than in hermatypic corals, among which significant variations were observed in both sites. In Kharg, Porites lutea had the highest mean concentration of ∑30n-alkanes and ∑40PAHs in soft tissue, whereas the lowest values were in Platygyra daedalea. A contrasting trend was documented for ∑22PCBs and 20PCNs, with the highest level reported in soft tissue of P. daedalea and the lowest in P. lutea at Kharg. Compositional pattern of AHs and PAHs demonstrated the predominance of LMW-PAHs and n-alkanes. In skeleton and reef sediments, tetra, penta and tri-CBs were the most abundant PCBs congeners followed by di-CB > hexa-CB > hepta-CB > octa-CB,whiletri-CB > di-CB > tetra-CB > penta-CB > hexa-CB > hepta-CB > octa-CB was observed for soft tissue, zooxanthellae and seawater. The results of RAD test indicated significantly negative correlation between total concentration of these compounds with zooxanthellae density, the chlorophyll-a and C 2 in corals at both reefs. This is the first report on levels, health assessment and
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Effects of haying on breeding birds in CRP grasslands
Igl, Lawrence D.; Johnson, Douglas H.
2016-01-01
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program that is available to agricultural producers to help protect environmentally sensitive or highly erodible land. Management disturbances of CRP grasslands generally are not allowed unless authorized to provide relief to livestock producers during severe drought or a similar natural disaster (i.e., emergency haying and grazing) or to improve the quality and performance of the CRP cover (i.e., managed haying and grazing). Although CRP grasslands may not be hayed or grazed during the primary bird-nesting season, these disturbances may have short-term (1 yr after disturbance) and long-term (≥2 yr after disturbance) effects on grassland bird populations. We assessed the effects of haying on 20 grassland bird species in 483 CRP grasslands in 9 counties of 4 states in the northern Great Plains, USA between 1993 and 2008. We compared breeding bird densities (as determined by total-area counts) in idle and hayed fields to evaluate changes 1, 2, 3, and 4 years after haying. Haying of CRP grasslands had either positive or negative effects on grassland birds, depending on the species, the county, and the number of years after the initial disturbance. Some species (e.g., horned lark [Eremophila alpestris], bobolink [Dolichonyx oryzivorus]) responded positively after haying, and others (e.g., song sparrow [Melospiza melodia]) responded negatively. The responses of some species changed direction as the fields recovered from haying. For example, densities for common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), sedge wren (Cistothorus platensis), and clay-colored sparrow (Spizella pallida) declined the first year after haying but increased in the subsequent 3 years. Ten species showed treatment × county interactions, indicating that the effects of haying varied geographically. This long-term evaluation on the effects of haying on breeding birds provides important information on the strength and direction of changes in
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Wildlife Response to Riparian Restoration on the Sacramento River
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gregory H Golet
2008-06-01
the restoration projects provide benefits for special-status species, but they also appeared effective in restoring the larger native riparian community. Increases in bird abundance through time were observed both at restoration sites and in remnant habitats, suggesting that restoration efforts may be having positive spill-over effects, although observed increases may have been caused by other factors. Although positive overall, these studies yielded some disconcerting results. The Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena declined at restoration sites and remnant habitats alike, and certain exotic invasive species, such as black rats, appeared to increase as restoration sites matured.
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PENGARUH LINAMARIN TERHADAP PENAMPILAN REPRODUKSI INDUK MENCIT (Mus musculus L.
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Fitra Wahyuni
2017-12-01
Full Text Available ABSTRACTThis study was performed to observe the effect of linamarin on reproductive performance, that consist of the number of live fetuses, reabsorption embryo or fetal, fetal death and fetal body weight together with length. Pregnant mice were divided into one control group with administration of distilled water (0 mg/kgb.w/days and six treatment groups linamarin dose is 0.36; 0.72; 1.26 mg; 2; 4; and 8 mg/kgb.w./days. Linamarin dosing and control begins at 5th to 16th gestation days, at 17-days of gestation caesarean section were performed to pregnant mice to remove foetuses. Statistical analysis used was a variation analysis by ANOVA followed by comparisons between treatments HSD test (Tukey. Giving linamarin observed in the parent mice led to a decrease in average weight gain of the mother during pregnancy compared with controls. In linamarin dose 8 mg/kgb.w/day an increase in embryo reabsorption and fetal death, as well as the observed decrease in fetal body weight and length, but after statistical analysis of the decrease was not significantly different. Linamarin with the doses given in this study is not expected to interfere with pregnancy based on reproductive performance were observed. Keywords: Linamarin, reproductive performance, fetal weight, fetal body length ABSTRAKPenelitian ini dilaksanakan bertujuan untuk mengamati pengaruh linamarin pada penampilan reproduksi yang meliputi jumlah fetus hidup, embrio resorpsi, fetus mati dan berat beserta panjang badan fetus. Induk mencit yang bunting dikelompokkan ke dalam satu kelompok kontrol dengan pemberian akuades (0 mg/kgb.b./hari dan enam kelompok perlakuan dosis linamarin yaitu 0,36; 0,72; 1,26 mg; 2; 4; dan 8 mg/kgb.b./hari. Pemberian dosis linamarin dan kontrol dimulai pada umur kebuntingan 5 sampai 16 hari, setelah itu pada umur kebuntingan 17 hari mencit dikorbankan nyawanya untuk pengambilan fetus. Analisis statistik yang digunakan adalah analisis variasi dengan ANOVA dan
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The fate of the postmodern world: On melancholy and rebellion by Milan Mihajlović
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Vuksanović Ivana
2016-01-01
Full Text Available The musical oeuvre of Milan Mihajlović (b. 1945 enjoys a high reputation and position in contemporary Serbian music. This has been proven by the many awards he has received, countless performances of his compositions at home and abroad, and especially by the warm and approving reactions of the audience. The stylistic consistency in his oeuvre is a result of his creative use of Scriabin’s scale. The concept of this scale was first theoretically elaborated in an extensive study written by Mihajlović in 1980 and, since then the scale has been functioning as a crucial cohesive element in all Mihajlović’s compositions. The novelty in his oeuvre, composed during the 1990s, were intertextual references made by using citations from his own works and those of other composers (Monteverdi, Mozart, Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Vasilije Mokranjac. The most characteristic features of his mature style are also recognizable in his recent works Melancholy (2014 and Rebellion (2015. The interval structure of Skriabin’s scale is projected along the horizontal (melodical and vertical (harmonical axes of the both works while the formal design resulted from shifts of tensions and relaxations. Developmental sections are based on variation and improvisation of the small number of different motifs (three basic ones in Melancholy, four in Rebellion above the metrically moveable ostinato layers and the releases are marked by change of tempo, dynamic, meter and texture. The most significant and radical release is the one which marks the abrupt ending of Rebellion by the physical gesture of slamming down the keyboard lid. As the composition was written for the BUNT festival (Belgrade it fits the festival’s idea of expressing resistance to the government’s neglect of academic musicians and institutions. In the wider sense, it becomes a sign of the resistance to the world we live in, and that is the world of lost ideals. Both works are composed for the wind
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BOOK REVIEW: Physics in the Real World
Jardine, Jim
2000-05-01
Listeners to science programmes on Canadian radio were invited to submit questions which were then answered, on air, by the author of this wee book. Its purpose, he says, is `to indicate that there are many questions in the real world to which there are no perfect answers' but most of the answers given `contain the essence, if not the whole truth, of the solution to the problem.' The questions, many of which are old chestnuts, range from the mythical - Why might Rudolph be red-nosed? Are high-flying larks harbingers of a hot summer? - through the mundane - Why does the glass handle of a cup of hot coffee stay cool? Is it easier to pull or push a wheelbarrow? - to the mystifying - How is it possible to walk barefoot on red-hot coals? - Is it true that when you take a shower large electric fields can be set up or chloroform released? As the answers were originally given on radio programmes and intended for `educated laypeople' they contain few references to mathematics and no equations! Nevertheless many of the problems are discussed in detail and most readers will find at least some of them fascinating and informative. Many of the answers will be of interest and value to science teachers. In this short book the questions and answers fill only 60 pages but there is a lengthy contents section at the beginning and, at the end, a glossary of many of the terms used throughout. At £8.99 for the UK edition it is pricy - so `feel the quality' of these sections! Outdoors contains questions such as: How is artificial snow created? Can fish really give an electric shock? Why do skates glide along ice? How can blowing on your hands sometimes cool them and sometimes warm them? Theoretical. Here questions on exponential growth, global warming, magnetic poles and energy consumption are answered. Home & Kitchen. Can clothes be whiter than white? How can you tell if an egg is boiled or not? How can a ketchup bottle explode? Why do leaves in a cup of tea collect in the centre
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Approaches in the design of 99mTc based peptide radiolabelling for tumour targeting
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yokoyama, A.; Horiuchi, K.; Arano, Y.
2001-01-01
One of the major drawbacks in diagnostic and/or therapeutic uses of peptides radiolabelled with radiometals via bifunctional chelating agents (BCA) is their accumulation in excretory organs such as liver or kidney. Thus, the aim of the project is centred in the search for chemical and radiochemical approaches to reduce radioactivity accumulated in excretory organs while preserving the in vivo receptor binding affinity of the peptide. During the first stage a suitable procedure using the F-moc-chemistry (solid phase) was developed and synthesis of DTPA-D-Phen1-Octreotide and DTPA-L-Phen1-Octreotide was carried out. During the synthesis, the need to improve the yield demanded the synthesis of a DTPA derivative holding only one reactive carboxylic group to avoid side intermolecular reaction. The availability of both isomeric conjugated octreotide led to their radiolabelling with 111 In. Their metabolic studies in animals indicated that the degradation rate of the peptide containing the natural aminoacid, 111 In DTPA-L-Phen1-Octreotide, was slightly higher than the corresponding D-aminoacid derivative, as expected. Stability of the peptide during radiolabelling with 99m Tc was then studied, requiring the use of variable agents such as ascorbic acid, dithionite and stannous ion. The selected peptide, RC-160, was provided by the IAEA and, as reference compounds, corresponding iodinated and radioiodinated peptides were synthesized. Demonstration of the stability of the peptide was carried out using disodium 2-nitro-5-thiosulfobenzoate (NTBS) and the lack of Bunte salt formation served as an indication of the stability of the disulfide bond under various mild conditions required for the future radiolabelling with 99m Tc. The knowledge gained served in moving to the next stage of 99m Tc radiolabelling using HYNIC as the BCA and tricine as co-ligands. The biodistribution studies demonstrated great accumulation on excretory organs. This led us to look for a model protein
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Widjijono Widjijono
2010-06-01
implantasi memberikan keluaran fluor jumlah kecil dan waktu lama. Tujuan: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui apakah induk tikus yang diberi implan-MFP berpengaruh terhadap kandungan fluor gigiseri anak tikus. Metode: Subjek penelitian adalah 20 ekor induk tikus putih bunting 2 hari dibagi 4 kelompok (n=5. Induk diberi implan pada bawah-kulit punggung hingga anak tikus lahir dan pada umur 35 hari (n=5. Kandungan fluor pada gigi seri anak tikus diukur menggunakan Potensiometer. Data yang diperoleh dianalisis dengan Anova 1 jalur dilanjutkan uji LSD (p=0,05. Hasil: penelitian menunjukkan rerata fluor gigiseri anak tikus berturut-turut sebesar: 11956,16±201,35 ppb (K, 27328,04±234.56 ppb (P1, 37267,21±248.86 ppb (P2, dan 18103,50±267,11 ppb (P3. Hasil: Anava membuktikan bahwa ada pengaruh bermakna akibat variasi kadar MFP dalam implan terhadap kandungan fluor gigi anak tikus. Beda rerata antar kelompok perlakuan diuji dengan LSD0,05 memperlihatkan perbedaan bermakna pada semua kelompok. Kesimpulan: Penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa kenaikan secara bermakna terhadap retensi fluor optimal dalam gigiseri tikus putih pada pemberian fluoridasi menggunakan implan dengan muatan MFP: 52,98 mg.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
T Susilawati
2012-04-01
Full Text Available ABSTRAK Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh perbedaan kualitas spermatozoa PTM, terutama dari semen beku yang memiliki kualitas di bawah PTM kelas AI dan deposisi semen untuk keberhasilan kebuntingan pada Filial (PO sapi Ongole. Metodologi yang digunakan adalah percobaan menggunakan 80 PO perempuan sebagai sampel yang diambil secara purposive. Penelitian ini menggunakan 8 perlakuan dengan mengulangi proses di 10 sapi. Perlakuan IB ini yang menggunakan 4 level kualitas PTM dari semen beku (PTM 5-20%, 20-30%, 30-40% dan ³ 40% dan 2 jenis deposisi semen (4 dan 4 +. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kemungkinan kebuntingan dengan kualitas semen dengan PTM 20-30% dan 30-40% yang lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan kualitas semen PTM 5-20%, meskipun , secara statistik persentase kebuntingan tidak berbeda. IB menggunakan deposisi semen 4 + hasil 2.168 kali lebih tinggi dari kebuntingan dibandingkan dengan deposisi semen IB 4. Secara statistik, persentase kebuntingan dari perbedaan kualitas spermatozoa PTM dan deposisi semen itu tidak signifikan. Oleh karena itu, hasil penelitian ini akan menjadi keuntungan besar, terutama jika ditinjau dari aspek reproduksi. Semen beku yang mempunyai kualitas PTM di bawah standar SNI (20 – 40% masih dapat menghasilkan kebuntingan pada ternak akseptor IB yaitu berhasil bunting 85% - 95%. Deposisi semen saat IB pada posisi 4+ menghasilkan kemungkinan kebuntingan lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan IB pada posisi 4. pregnancy successfulness with different quality AND Semen deposition in Filial Ongole (PO cattle ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to finding out the influence of the different quality of spermatozoa’s PTM, especially from frozen semen that has under grade PTM quality and AI semen deposition to the pregnancy successfulness in Filial Ongole (PO cattle. The methodology that is used is experiment using 80 female PO as the sample that is taken
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Dell'Agnese, A.; Mao, L.; Comiti, F.
2012-04-01
The assessment of bedload transport in high-gradient streams is necessary to evaluate and mitigate flood hazards and to understand morphological processes taking place in the whole river network. Bedload transport in steep channels is particularly difficult to predict due to the complex and varying types of flow resistance, the very coarse and heterogeneous sediments, and the activity and connections of sediment sources at the basin scale. Yet, bedload measurements in these environments are still relatively scarce, and long-term monitoring programs are highly valuable to explore spatial and temporal variability of bedload processes. Even fewer are investigations conducted in high-elevation glaciarized basins, despite their relevance in many regions worldwide. The poster will present bedload transport measurements in a newly established (spring 2011) monitoring station in the Saldur basin (Eastern Italian Alps), which presents a 3.3 km2 glacier in its upper part. At 2100 m a.s.l. (20 km2 drainage area), a pressure transducer measures flow stage and bedload transport is monitored continuously by means of a hydrophone (a cylindrical steel pipe with microphones registering particle collisions) and by 4 fixed antennas for tracing clasts equipped with PITs (Passive Integrated Transponders). At the same location bedload samples are collected by using both a "Bunte" bedload trap and a "Helley-Smith" sampler at 5 positions along a 5 m wide cross-section. Bedload was measured from June to August 2011 during daily discharge fluctuations due to snow- and ice- melt flows. Samples were taken at a large range of discharges (1.1 to 4.6 m3 s-1) and bedload rates (0.01 to 700 g s-1 m-1). As expected, samples taken using the two samplers are not directly comparable even if taken virtually at the same time and at the same location across the section. Results indicate that the grain size of the transported material increases with the shear stress acting on the channel bed and with the
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CEREALS ASSESSMENT TOWARDS CONTAMINATION OF PHYTOPATHOGENIC FUNGI IN FOREST-STEPPE AREA OF UKRAINE
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Yekimova V. B.
2014-12-01
according to the procedures used a method of washing and centrifugation, seeds, embryos analysis method, biological method based on the stimulation of development and growth of pathogens in the infected seeds during seed germination in nutrient media. We analyzed 200 samples of wheat and barley grain with 8 games on the definition of the infestation and root rot spores solid and smut. In all the samples studied was dominated latent form of infection grains (outwardly healthy, germinating, well executed seeds had normal luster, patina fungus was absent; but sometimes observed apparent lesion (plaque formation, a different degree of deformation of grains. When the microscope isolated fungi was established dominance of species such as fungi of the genera Alternaria, Helmintosporium, Fusarium, smut fungi. The research of cereal seeds showed that all the tested party for the harvest in 2014 were infected with different pathogens in different degrees. On the basis of literature data and our own observations, comparing infection rates average cereal seeds complex fungal diseases, it may be noted that in 2014 the percentage of infestation was higher than in previous years, there is a trend of growth in incidence. The results showed that the overall percentage of infected root rots seeds of spring wheat in 2014 was 55.5 %, the infestation of spring barley was 64.7 %. Compared to previous years the trend increase in the prevalence of fungal diseases on cereals: wheat infestation grew by 12.8 %, barley - 2.13 %. Smut infected - 11.2 % wheat, barley - 37.4 %. Infection bunt was 4.6 %, including 3.3 % of wheat; Barley 17.6 %. The growth and development of root rot during the growing season depended on the presence of soil infection. Infection of grain crops by smut diseases depend on the quality of seed sown. Reducing the prevalence of smut disease is possible at early winter and late spring sowing to prevent the spore germination at low temperature.
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CEREALS ASSESSMENT TOWARDS CONTAMINATION OF PHYTOPATHOGENIC FUNGI IN FOREST-STEPPE AREA OF UKRAINE
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
V. B. Yekimova
2014-11-01
according to the procedures used a method of washing and centrifugation, seeds, embryos analysis method, biological method based on the stimulation of development and growth of pathogens in the infected seeds during seed germination in nutrient media. We analyzed 200 samples of wheat and barley grain with 8 games on the definition of the infestation and root rot spores solid and smut. In all the samples studied was dominated latent form of infection grains (outwardly healthy, germinating, well executed seeds had normal luster, patina fungus was absent; but sometimes observed apparent lesion (plaque formation, a different degree of deformation of grains. When the microscope isolated fungi was established dominance of species such as fungi of the genera Alternaria, Helmintosporium, Fusarium, smut fungi. The research of cereal seeds showed that all the tested party for the harvest in 2014 were infected with different pathogens in different degrees. On the basis of literature data and our own observations, comparing infection rates average cereal seeds complex fungal diseases, it may be noted that in 2014 the percentage of infestation was higher than in previous years, there is a trend of growth in incidence. The results showed that the overall percentage of infected root rots seeds of spring wheat in 2014 was 55.5 %, the infestation of spring barley was 64.7 %. Compared to previous years the trend increase in the prevalence of fungal diseases on cereals: wheat infestation grew by 12.8 %, barley - 2.13 %. Smut infected - 11.2 % wheat, barley - 37.4 %. Infection bunt was 4.6 %, including 3.3 % of wheat; Barley 17.6 %. The growth and development of root rot during the growing season depended on the presence of soil infection. Infection of grain crops by smut diseases depend on the quality of seed sown. Reducing the prevalence of smut disease is possible at early winter and late spring sowing to prevent the spore germination at low temperature. Keywords: seeds, disease, infection
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Developmental care does not alter sleep and development of premature infants.
Ariagno, R L; Thoman, E B; Boeddiker, M A; Kugener, B; Constantinou, J C; Mirmiran, M; Baldwin, R B
1997-12-01
The Neonatal Individualized Developmental Care Program (NIDCAP) for very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm infants has been suggested by Als et al to improve several medical outcome variables such as time on ventilator, time to nipple feed, the duration of hospital stay, better behavioral performance on Assessment of Preterm Infants' Behavior (APIB), and improved neurodevelopmental outcomes. We have tested the hypothesis of whether the infants who had received NIDCAP would show advanced sleep-wake pattern, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental outcome. Thirty-five VLBW infants were randomly assigned to receive NIDCAP or routine infant care. The goals for NIDCAP intervention were to enhance comfort and stability and to reduce stress and agitation for the preterm infants by: a) altering the environment by decreasing excess light and noise in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and by using covers over the incubators and cribs; b) use of positioning aids such as boundary supports, nests, and buntings to promote a balance of flexion and extension postures; c) modification of direct hands-on caregiving to maximize preparation of infants for, tolerance of, and facilitation of recovery from interventions; d) promotion of self-regulatory behaviors such as holding on, grasping, and sucking; e) attention to the readiness for and the ability to take oral feedings; and f) involving parents in the care of their infants as much as possible. The infants' sleep was recorded at 36 weeks postconceptional age (PCA) and at 3 months corrected age (CA) using the Motility Monitoring System (MMS), an automated, nonintrusive procedure for determining sleep state from movement and respiration patterns. Behavioral and developmental outcome was assessed by the Neurobehavioral Assessment of the Preterm Infant (NAPI) at 36 weeks PCA, the APIB at 42 weeks PCA, and by the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) at 4, 12, and 24 months CA. Sleep developmental measures at 3 months CA showed a
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Count Nouns - Mass Nouns, Neat Nouns - Mess Nouns
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Fred Landman
2010-12-01
Full Text Available In this paper I propose and formalize a theory of the mass-count distinction in which the denotations of count nouns are built from non-overlapping generators, while the denotations of mass nouns are built from overlapping generators. Counting is counting of generators, and it will follow that counting is only correct on count denotations. I will show that the theory allows two kinds of mass nouns: mess mass nouns with denotations built from overlapping minimal generators, and neat mass nouns with denotations built from overlapping generators, where the overlap is not located in the minimal generators. Prototypical mass nouns like meat and mud are of the first kind. I will argue that mass nouns like furniture and kitchenware are of the second type. I will discuss several phenomena—all involving one way or the other explicitly or implicitly individual classifiers like stuks in Dutch—that show that both distinctions mass/count and mess/neat are linguistically robust. I will show in particular that nouns like kitchenware pattern in various ways like count nouns, and not like mess mass nouns, and that these ways naturally involve the neat structure of their denotation. I will also show that they are real mass nouns: they can involve measures in the way mess mass nouns can and count nouns cannot. I will discuss grinding interpretations of count nouns, here rebaptized fission interpretations, and argue that these interpretations differ in crucial ways from the interpretations of lexical mass nouns. The paper will end with a foundational problem raised by fission interpretations, and in the course of this, atomless interpretation domains will re-enter the scene through the back door.ReferencesBarner, D. & Snedeker, J. 2005. ‘Quantity judgements and individuation: evidence that mass nouns count’. Cognition 97: 41–66.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2004.06.009PMid:16139586Bunt, H. 1985. Mass Terms and Model Theoretic Semantics. Cambridge
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Paraconductivity and excess Hall effect of YBa2Cu3Ox thin films
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gueffaf, A.
2001-10-01
and a new substrate heater which can operate reliably in air, vacuum and highly oxidizing atmospheres was built. It has been used routinely and successfully to provide substrate temperature of up to 750 deg C with 200 W power input. The paraconductivity of a number of c-axis-oriented YBa 2 Cu 3 O x thin films, with a range of c-axis lattice parameters and T c -values, was determined as a function of temperature and analyzed in terms of the paraconductivity due to direct and indirect fluctuations contributions. Results are presented for the c-axis coherence length and the phase-relaxation time at 100 K obtained from the fit to the paraconductivity data. The paraconductivity results for optimum doped films were: c-axis coherence length: ξ c (0)=1.25 A; pair breaking parameter: δ=0.05; phase-relaxation time at 100 K: τ φ =0.066 ps; and two-three dimensional crossover temperature: T + =96.6 K. These values are in good agreement with those from other published work. There was considerable scatter in the coherence length and phase relaxation time for films with different critical temperatures and oxygen contents. These results were process dependent but appear to be related to the 60 K phase transition in the T c -x phase diagram. This is reported for the first time. The excess Hall effect of a number of c-axis oriented YBa 2 Cu 3 O x thin films, with a range of T c values, was determined as a function of temperature and analysed in terms of excess Hall effect theories for the direct and indirect fluctuations of the order parameter. Results are presented for the electron-hole asymmetry parameter obtained from the fit to the excess Hall effect data. For all samples studied, β is negative and has a small magnitude, as a result, the fluctuation Hall conductivity are dominated by the Maki-Thompson (MT) process rather than the Aslamazov-Lark in (Al) process. We generally observe that the Aslamazov-Larkin (AL) contribution to the excess Hall effect is negative close to T c
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Rock fragment cover controls the sediment detachment in citrus plantations
Cerdà, Artemi; Keesstra, Saskia; Hamidreza Sadeghi, Seyed; Brevik, Eric; Giménez Morera, Antonio; Novara, Agata; Masto, Reginald E.; Jordán, Antonio; Wang, Juan
2016-04-01
fragment cover on interrill soil erosion from bare soils in Western Andalusia, Spain. Soil Use and Management, 24(1), 108-117. Mwango S. B., Msanya B. M., Mtakwa P. W., Kimaro D. N., Deckers J., Poesen J. 2016. Effectiveness of mulching under miraba in controlling soil erosion, fertility restoration and crop yield in the usambara mountains, Tanzania. Land Degradation and Development, DOI: 10. 1002/ldr. 2332 Nanko K., Giambelluca T. W., Sutherland R. A., Mudd R. G., Nullet M. A., Ziegler A. D. 2015. Erosion potential under miconia calvescens stands on the island of hawai'i. Land Degradation and Development, 26 (3), 218-226. DOI: 10. 1002/ldr. 2200 Ochoa-Cueva, P., Fries, A., Montesinos, P., Rodríguez-Díaz, J.A., Boll, J. 2015. Spatial Estimation of Soil Erosion Risk by Land-cover Change in the Andes OF Southern Ecuador. Land Degradation and Development, 26 (6), 565-573. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2219 Poesen, J. W., Torri, D., Bunte, K. 1994. Effects of rock fragments on soil erosion by water at different spatial scales: a review. Catena, 23(1), 141-166. Poesen, J., Lavee, H. 1994. Rock fragments in top soils: significance and processes. Catena, 23 (1), 1-28. Zavala, L. M., Jordán, A., Bellinfante, N., Gil, J. 2010. Relationships between rock fragment cover and soil hydrological response in a Mediterranean environment. Soil Science & Plant Nutrition, 56 (1), 95-104. Zhao, C., Gao, J., Huang, Y., Wang, G., Zhang, M. 2015. Effects of Vegetation Stems on Hydraulics of Overland Flow Under Varying Water Discharges. Land Degradation and Development, DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2423