Patterns of testicular activity in captive and wild Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis)

Science.gov (United States)

Kerry Fanson; Nadja C. Wielebnowski; Tanya M. Shenk; Walter J. Jakubas; John R. Squires; Jeffrey R. Lucas

2010-01-01

Canada lynx are listed as a threatened species in the contiguous US. Understanding the reproductive characteristics (i.e., mating system, behavior, physiology) of a species is useful for ensuring effective in situ and ex situ management plans. The goal of this study was to describe patterns of androgen expression in both captive and wild male Canada lynx using...

Assessment of a recombinant F1-V fusion protein vaccine intended to protect Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) from plague

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfe, Lisa L.; Shenk, Tanya M.; Powell, Bradford; Rocke, Tonie E.

2011-01-01

As part of an ongoing restoration program in Colorado, USA, we evaluated adverse reactions and seroconversion in captive Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) after vaccination with a recombinant F1-V fusion protein vaccine against Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague. Ten adult female lynx received the F1-V vaccine; 10 source- and age-matched lynx remained unvaccinated as controls. All of the vaccinated and control lynx remained apparently healthy throughout the confinement period. We observed no evidence of injection site or systemic reactions to the F1-V vaccine. Among vaccinated lynx, differences in log10 reciprocal antibody titers measured in sera collected before and after vaccination (two doses) ranged from 1.2 to 5.2 for anti-F1 antibodies and from 0.6 to 5.2 for anti-V antibodies; titers in unvaccinated lynx did not change appreciably over the course of confinement prior to release, and thus differences in anti-F1 (P=0.003) and anti-V (P=0.0005) titers were greater among vaccinated lynx than among controls. Although our findings suggest that the F1-V fusion protein vaccine evaluated here is likely to stimulate antibody responses that may help protect Canada lynx from plague, we observed no apparent differences in survival between vaccinated and unvaccinated subject animals. Retrospectively, 22 of 50 (44%; 95% confidence interval 29–59%) unvaccinated lynx captured or recaptured in Colorado during 2000–08 had passive hemagglutination antibody titers >1:16, consistent with exposure to Y. pestis; paired pre- and postrelease titers available for eight of these animals showed titer increases similar in magnitude to those seen in response to vaccination, suggesting at least some lynx may naturally acquire immunity to plague in Colorado habitats.

Feline leukemia virus and other pathogens as important threats to the survival of the critically endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus.

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Marina L Meli

Full Text Available The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus is considered the most endangered felid species in the world. In order to save this species, the Spanish authorities implemented a captive breeding program recruiting lynxes from the wild. In this context, a retrospective survey on prevalence of selected feline pathogens in free-ranging lynxes was initiated.We systematically analyzed the prevalence and importance of seven viral, one protozoan (Cytauxzoon felis, and several bacterial (e.g., hemotropic mycoplasma infections in 77 of approximately 200 remaining free-ranging Iberian lynxes of the Doñana and Sierra Morena areas, in Southern Spain, between 2003 and 2007. With the exception of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV, evidence of infection by all tested feline pathogens was found in Iberian lynxes. Fourteen lynxes were feline leukemia virus (FeLV provirus-positive; eleven of these were antigenemic (FeLV p27 positive. All 14 animals tested negative for other viral infections. During a six-month period in 2007, six of the provirus-positive antigenemic lynxes died. Infection with FeLV but not with other infectious agents was associated with mortality (p<0.001. Sequencing of the FeLV surface glycoprotein gene revealed a common origin for ten of the eleven samples. The ten sequences were closely related to FeLV-A/61E, originally isolated from cats in the USA. Endogenous FeLV sequences were not detected.It was concluded that the FeLV infection most likely originated from domestic cats invading the lynx's habitats. Data available regarding the time frame, co-infections, and outcome of FeLV-infections suggest that, in contrast to the domestic cat, the FeLV strain affecting the lynxes in 2007 is highly virulent to this species. Our data argue strongly for vaccination of lynxes and domestic cats in and around lynx's habitats in order to prevent further spread of the virus as well as reduction the domestic cat population if the lynx population is to be maintained.

The missing lynx of Eurasia at its Southern edge: a connection to the critically endangered Balkan lynx.

Science.gov (United States)

Cömert, Numan; Carlı, Oya; Dinçtürk, H Benan

2018-03-08

The populations of Eurasian lynx in Anatolia are as fragmented as the European populations. Although the origins of and the connections between the European lynx populations have been elucidated, there have been no genetic studies on the lynx populations in Turkey. The lack of genetic and evolutionary information about lynx in Anatolia, which is considered to be a biodiversity hotspot, makes it difficult to track the migration routes during the Quaternary. In this study, we present the genetic characteristics of two isolated lynx populations in Southwest Taurus Mountains and the Turkish Caucasus as well as two individuals from Erzincan area. DNA purified from the ecological scat samples collected from Çığlıkara Nature Reserve in Elmalı-Antalya and Allahuekber Mountains in Sarıkamış-Kars, as well as two roadkill samples from Erzincan, has been analysed for phylogenetic markers such as the mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochrome b. The DNA sequences were compared with haplotypes previously detected in populations from Europe and the Caucasus in order to determine the evolutionary relationships of the populations. This study compares the current genetic structure of some of the Turkish lynx populations to the other lynx genetic data, mostly carried out with museum samples around the world. Three haplotypes were found in three different regions of Anatolia. The Northeast and Southwest populations harbour genetically distinct haplotypes, the latter one, a new haplotype: H13-TR is the only phylogenetic connection to the critically endangered Balkan lynx yet to be described.

Polonium-210 and Caesium-137 in lynx (Lynx lynx), wolverine (Gulo gulo) and wolves (Canis lupus).

Science.gov (United States)

Gjelsvik, Runhild; Holm, Elis; Kålås, John Atle; Persson, Bertil; Asbrink, Jessica

2014-12-01

Wolves, lynx and wolverines are on the top of the food-chain in northern Scandinavia and Finland. (210)Po and (137)Cs have been analysed in samples of liver, kidney and muscle from 28 wolves from Sweden. In addition blood samples were taken from 27 wolves. In 9 of the wolves, samples of muscle, liver and blood were analysed for (210)Po. Samples of liver and muscle were collected from 16 lynx and 16 wolverines from Norway. The liver samples were analysed for (210)Po and (137)Cs. Only (137)Cs analyses were carried out for the muscle samples. The wolves were collected during the winter 2010 and 2011, while the samples for lynx and wolverines were all from 2011. The activity concentrations of (210)Po in wolves were higher for liver (range 20-523 Bq kg(-1) d.w.) and kidney (range 24-942 Bq kg(-1) d.w.) than muscle (range 1-43 Bq kg(-1) d.w.) and blood (range 2-54 Bq kg(-1) d.w.). Activity ratios, (210)Po/(210)Pb, in wolf samples of muscle, liver and blood were in the ranges 2-77, 9-56 and 2-54. Using a wet weight ratio of 3.8 the maximal absorbed dose from (210)Po to wolf liver was estimated to 3500 μGy per year. Compared to wolf, the ranges of (210)Po in liver samples were lower in lynx (range 22-211 Bq kg(-1) d.w.) and wolverine (range16-160 Bq kg(-1) d.w.). Concentration of (137)Cs in wolf samples of muscle, liver, kidney and blood were in the ranges 70-8410 Bq kg(-1) d.w., 36-4050 Bq kg(-1) d.w., 31-3453 Bq kg(-1) d.w. and 4-959 Bq kg(-1) d.w., respectively. (137)Cs in lynx muscle and liver samples were in the ranges 44-13393 Bq kg(-1) d.w. and 125-10260 Bq kg(-1) d.w. The corresponding values for (137)Cs in wolverine were 22-3405 Bq kg(-1) d.w. for liver and 53-4780 Bq kg(-1) d.w. for muscle. The maximal absorbed dose from (137)Cs to lynx was estimated to 3000 μGy per year. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Richard Rufus's theory of mixture: a medieval explanation of chemical combination.

Science.gov (United States)

Weisberg, Michael; Wood, Rega

2003-05-01

Richard Rufus of Cornwall offered a novel solution to the problem of mixture raised by Aristotle. The puzzle is that mixts or mixed bodies (blood, flesh, wood, etc.) seem to be unexplainable through logic, even though the world is full of them. Rufus's contribution to this long-standing theoretical debate is the development of a modal interpretation of certain Averroistic doctrines. Rufus's account, which posits that the elemental forms in a mixt are in accidental potential, avoids many of the problems that plagued non-atomistic medieval theories of mixture. This paper is an initial examination of Rufus' account.

Diet and Predatory Behavior of Lynx in Sweden

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moshøj, Charlotte Margaret

2002-01-01

and hunters who fear predation on livestock and reindeer as well as a general reduction in wild game abundance, especially roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). Prey spectrum and predation of lynx was studied based on stomach analyses of lynx throughout Sweden and on data from a field study in south-central Sweden...... (reindeer and roe deer) comprised the greatest part of the diet, while a regional division indicated that while lynxes from northern regions had a narrower diet niche, they were in better condition than lynxes from south of the reindeer husbandry districts. Lynx gender and status also influenced diet...

Patterns of ovarian and luteal activity in captive and wild Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis)

Science.gov (United States)

Kerry V. Fanson; Nadja C. Wielebnowski; Tanya M. Shenk; Jennifer H. Vashon; John R. Squires; Jeffrey R. Lucas

2010-01-01

Canada lynx face some unique breeding restrictions, which may have implications for population viability and captive management. The goal of this study was to improve our understanding of basic reproductive physiology in Canada lynx. Using fecal hormone metabolite analysis, we established normative patterns of fecal estrogen (fE) and progestagen (fP)...

Status and distribution of the lynx in the German Alps

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Petra Kaczensky

1998-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract The lynx (Lynx lynx had been eradicated in the German Alps by the middle of the 19th century. Since the early 1970s there have been several attempts to initiate the re-introduction of lynx into the German Alps, but none of the projects could be carried out because of the still very controversial attitudes towards the species, and because of competition between institutions. Natural re-colonization of the German Alps by lynx can be expected sooner or later from Switzerland or Austria. Although lynx are already present in some parts of Germany outside the Alps, neither an organized monitoring system nor compensation regulations for losses of livestock exist. For a successful comeback of lynx into Germany, including the German Alps, more efforts than a year-round protection by the federal hunting law is needed. Initiative management actions and intensive public education are necessary to obtain and secure public acceptance of the lynx.

Foraging sites of Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx: relative importance of microhabitat and prey occurrence

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Belotti, E.; Červený, J.; Šustr, Pavel; Kreisinger, Jakub; Gaibani, G.; Bufka, L.

2013-01-01

Roč. 19, č. 2 (2013), s. 188-201 ISSN 0909-6396 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0073 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 ; RVO:67179843 Keywords : Eurasian Lynx * microhabitat * red deer * roe deer * stalking cover * predation Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 1.071, year: 2013

Ancient DNA reveals past existence of Eurasian lynx in Spain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rodríguez-Varela, R.; García, N.; Nores, C.

2016-01-01

. The paleontological record and our data indicate a population replacement of the Iberian lynx by the Eurasian lynx during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition in the Cantabrian cornice of Spain. Phylogeographic patterns of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Eurasian lynx from Iberia, France, Italy and Denmark show...

Lynx web services for annotations and systems analysis of multi-gene disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Sulakhe, Dinanath; Taylor, Andrew; Balasubramanian, Sandhya; Feng, Bo; Xie, Bingqing; Börnigen, Daniela; Dave, Utpal J; Foster, Ian T; Gilliam, T Conrad; Maltsev, Natalia

2014-07-01

Lynx is a web-based integrated systems biology platform that supports annotation and analysis of experimental data and generation of weighted hypotheses on molecular mechanisms contributing to human phenotypes and disorders of interest. Lynx has integrated multiple classes of biomedical data (genomic, proteomic, pathways, phenotypic, toxicogenomic, contextual and others) from various public databases as well as manually curated data from our group and collaborators (LynxKB). Lynx provides tools for gene list enrichment analysis using multiple functional annotations and network-based gene prioritization. Lynx provides access to the integrated database and the analytical tools via REST based Web Services (http://lynx.ci.uchicago.edu/webservices.html). This comprises data retrieval services for specific functional annotations, services to search across the complete LynxKB (powered by Lucene), and services to access the analytical tools built within the Lynx platform. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

O homem dos ratos, Schreber e Kafka: destinos possíveis para a hostilidade El hombre de los ratones, Schreber y Kafka: destinos posibles para la hostilidad The rat man, Schreber and Kafka: possible vicissitudes to hostility

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Sissi Vigil Castiel

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A clínica psicanalítica impõe a observação, por vezes muito presente em determinados quadros, das tendências hostis que aparecem de forma manifesta ou fantasiada. Partindo dessa constatação e sustentado na releitura dos textos freudianos, este trabalho propõe uma reflexão sobre as tendências agressivas e suas implicações na clínica da neurose obsessiva e da paranoia, já que entendemos que a intensidade da hostilidade nessas patologias se coloca, muitas vezes, como um impasse para o tratamento. Os quadros clínicos serão exemplificados por meio do caso do Homem dos Ratos e da história de Schreber. Posteriormente, passaremos a discutir dois textos de Kafka, a fim de indicar uma saída para a elaboração da hostilidade no sentido de simbolizar e de sublimar as tendências agressivas.La clínica psicoanalítica impone la observación, algunas veces muy presente en determinados cuadros, de las tendencias hostiles que aparecen de forma manifiesta o fantaseada. Partiendo de esa constatación y sostenido en la relectura de los textos freudianos, este trabajo propone una reflexión sobre las inclinaciones agresivas y sus implicaciones en la clínica de la neurosis obsesiva y de la paranoia, ya que entendemos que la intensidad de la hostilidad en esas patologías se coloca, muchas veces, como un impasse para el tratamiento. Los cuadros clínicos serán ejemplarizados por medio del caso del Hombre de los Ratones y de la historia de Schreber. Posteriormente, pasaremos a discutir dos textos de Kafka, con el fin de indicar una salida para la elaboración de la hostilidad en el sentido de simbolizar y de sublimar las inclinaciones agresivas.The psychoanalytical practice demands the observation of acted or fantasized hostile tendencies which are very common in certain cases. We believe that the intensity of hostility has an increase in cases like obsessive neurosis and paranoia and often become an impediment to treatment. Considering such

Performance analysis and kernel size study of the Lynx real-time operating system

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yuan-Kwei; Gibson, James S.; Fernquist, Alan R.

1993-01-01

This paper analyzes the Lynx real-time operating system (LynxOS), which has been selected as the operating system for the Space Station Freedom Data Management System (DMS). The features of LynxOS are compared to other Unix-based operating system (OS). The tools for measuring the performance of LynxOS, which include a high-speed digital timer/counter board, a device driver program, and an application program, are analyzed. The timings for interrupt response, process creation and deletion, threads, semaphores, shared memory, and signals are measured. The memory size of the DMS Embedded Data Processor (EDP) is limited. Besides, virtual memory is not suitable for real-time applications because page swap timing may not be deterministic. Therefore, the DMS software, including LynxOS, has to fit in the main memory of an EDP. To reduce the LynxOS kernel size, the following steps are taken: analyzing the factors that influence the kernel size; identifying the modules of LynxOS that may not be needed in an EDP; adjusting the system parameters of LynxOS; reconfiguring the device drivers used in the LynxOS; and analyzing the symbol table. The reductions in kernel disk size, kernel memory size and total kernel size reduction from each step mentioned above are listed and analyzed.

Rufus of Ephesus and his contribution to the development of anatomical nomenclature.

Science.gov (United States)

Bujalkova, Maria

2011-01-01

Rufus of Ephesus, a famous ancient physician, lived about the years 80 - 150 CE. His theories stressed the importance of anatomy and he preferred pragmatic approach to diagnosis and treatment. In his work "On the Names of the Parts of the Human Body", he put in pragmatic effort to make a lexicon of anatomy for his pupils. In the introduction, he described it as a manual for the students of medical art which relied on demonstration in teaching; visible (outer) parts of the body were shown on a demonstrator and invisible (inner) parts were shown on a dissected monkey. The brief explanation of the anatomical terms includes position, shape, and functions of organs, and this is what makes his work a pioneering effort to explain the anatomy clearly, systematically, and using consistent terminology. Rufus stressed the importance of exact nomenclature to prevent misunderstandings in medical practice. This anatomy manual had a major influence on the development of anatomical terminology. It is an important contribution to the history of teaching. The other essential contribution of Rufus' lexicon (also known for its briefer title Onomastikon) is that the author recognised and critically reviewed the knowledge and views of his predecessors, physicians of the pre-Galenic period. No less important was his teaching to anatomists and physicians who followed, as they often cited or paraphrased Rufus in their own works (Galen, Oribasius). Many fragments of Rufus' work have been preserved by medieval Arabic medical writers, especially by Rhazes.

TAXONOMIC REVISION OF THE TIGRINA LEOPARDUS TIGRINUS (SCHREBER, 1775 SPECIES GROUP (CARNIVORA, FELIDAE

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FABIO OLIVEIRA DO NASCIMENTO

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The tigrina Leopardus tigrinus (Schreber, 1775 is a small-sized Neotropical spotted cat found from northern Argentina and southern Brazil to Costa Rica. Four subspecies are traditionally recognized: L. t. tigrinus (Schreber, 1775 from northern Brazil, the Guianas and eastern Venezuela; L. t. pardinoides (Gray, 1867 from western Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru; L. t. guttulus (Hensel, 1872 from southern Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina; and L. t. oncillus (Thomas, 1903 from Costa Rica. We studied external and craniodental morphology in quantitative and qualitative terms from 250 specimens in order to clarify the taxonomic status of tigrina. Based on the characters analyzed in this study, we recognize three diagnosable morphogroups, each with a distinct geographic distribution: northern/northwestern/west (samples from northern Brazil, the Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, northwestern Argentina and Costa Rica, eastern (samples from northeastern and central Brazil, and southern (samples from southern Brazil, Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. Taking into account the morphologic evidence presented here, supported by biogeographic data and molecular studies available, we recognize three full species for tigrinas: L. tigrinus (including the putative subspecies L. t. pardinoides and L. t. oncillus as junior synonyms for northern/northwestern/west group; L. emiliae (Thomas, 1914 for eastern group; and L. guttulus for southern group.

Influence of tourism and traffic on the Eurasian lynx hunting activity and daily movements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belotti, E.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Human presence influences survival of large carnivores in several ways and even outdoor activities can be a source of disturbance. As ungulate prey provide the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx with food for several nights and the pattern of lynx activity is mainly shaped by searching for and consuming large prey, the need to move decreases strongly while the prey is eaten. However, during the day, human activity may drive lynx to move to safe shelters and habitat features such as dense vegetation may increase tolerance. In the Bohemian Forest (Czech Republic, we found 116 prey killed by five GPS–collared lynxes. We tested whether the kill sites were located farther from roads or tourist trails than a set of randomly generated locations and whether presence of roads or tourist trails and habitat structure influenced the distance ‘kill site to daytime resting sites’. At night, with low human activity, lynxes did not avoid roads and even selected the surroundings of tourist trails. The distance ‘kill site to daytime resting sites’ correlated negatively with presence of habitat concealment and distance to tourist trails, suggesting that outdoor activities may have to be considered in lynx management plans.

Maternidad y paranoia en el estado autoritario: leyendo Eltit desde Schreber

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Margarita Saona

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Este ensayo explora el cuerpo materno en tanto símbolo que materializa las amenazas del autoritarismo. Dos textos disímiles, las memorias de Daniel Paul Schreber, que inspiraron algunos de los principales estudios sobre la paranoia, y la novela Los vigilantes de Diamela Eltit, construyen imágenes del cuerpo materno como respuestas paranoicas al advenimiento en un caso del fascismo y en el otro de un neoliberalismo que apenas enmascara el continuismo de un control dictatorial de los ciudadanos. La división del yo que para Julia Kristeva representa una parte fundamental de la experiencia materna se nos presenta en estos textos como el terreno apropiado para revelar y denunciar las perversiones de dos sociedades tentadas por el autoritarismo.The present article explores the maternal body as a symbol that materializes the threat of authoritarianism. Two very different texts, Daniel Paul Schreber memoir, which inspired some of the main studies on paranoia in the 20th century, and the novel The Custody of the Eyes by Diamela Eltit, present the maternal body as paranoid reactions to the advent of fascism, in the first case, and of a neoliberal regime that thinly veils the dictatorial control of the citizen, in the second one. The split of the ego that constitutes for Julia Kristeva a fundamental part of the maternal experience appears in these texts as the most appropriate medium to reveal and denounce the perversion of two societies under the influence of authoritarianism.

Spatial variations in Eulemur fulvus rufus and Lepilemur mustelinus densities in Madagascar.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehman, Shawn M

2007-01-01

I present data on variations in Eulemur fulvus rufus and Lepilemur mustelinus densities as well as tree characteristics (height, diameter and stem frequency) between edge and interior forest habitats in southeastern Madagascar. Line transect surveys were conducted from June 2003 to November 2005 in edge and interior forest habitats in the Vohibola III Classified Forest. Although E. f. rufus densities were significantly lower in edge habitats than in interior habitats, density estimates for L. mustelinus did not differ significantly between habitats. Trees in edge habitats were significantly shorter, had smaller diameters and had lower stem frequencies (for those >25 cm in diameter) than trees in interior habitats. Spatial characteristics of food abundance and quality may explain lemur density patterns in Vohibola III. Low E. f. rufus densities may reduce seed dispersal in edge habitats, which has important consequences for the long-term viability of forest ecosystems in Madagascar. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Missing lynx and trophic cascades in food webs: A reply to Ripple et al.

Science.gov (United States)

John R. Squires; Nicholas J. DeCesare; Mark Hebblewhite; Joel Berger

2012-01-01

Ripple et al. (2011) proposed a hypothesis that the recovery of gray wolves (Canis lupus) may positively affect the viability of threatened Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) populations in the contiguous United States through indirect species interactions. Ripple et al. (2011) proposed 2 key trophic linkages connecting wolf restoration with lynx recovery. First, recovering...

UnLynx: A Decentralized System for Privacy-Conscious Data Sharing

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Froelicher David

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Current solutions for privacy-preserving data sharing among multiple parties either depend on a centralized authority that must be trusted and provides only weakest-link security (e.g., the entity that manages private/secret cryptographic keys, or leverage on decentralized but impractical approaches (e.g., secure multi-party computation. When the data to be shared are of a sensitive nature and the number of data providers is high, these solutions are not appropriate. Therefore, we present UnLynx, a new decentralized system for efficient privacy-preserving data sharing. We consider m servers that constitute a collective authority whose goal is to verifiably compute on data sent from n data providers. UnLynx guarantees the confidentiality, unlinkability between data providers and their data, privacy of the end result and the correctness of computations by the servers. Furthermore, to support differentially private queries, UnLynx can collectively add noise under encryption. All of this is achieved through a combination of a set of new distributed and secure protocols that are based on homomorphic cryptography, verifiable shuffling and zero-knowledge proofs. UnLynx is highly parallelizable and modular by design as it enables multiple security/privacy vs. runtime tradeoffs. Our evaluation shows that UnLynx can execute a secure survey on 400,000 personal data records containing 5 encrypted attributes, distributed over 20 independent databases, for a total of 2,000,000 ciphertexts, in 24 minutes.

Ecology and conservation of lynx in the United States [Preface

Science.gov (United States)

Leonard F. Ruggiero

2000-01-01

When we began the task of elucidating the scientific basis for lynx conservation in June 1998, I had little idea how constrained our time would be. The request to do this job came from a consortium of federal land management agencies in response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s "proposed rule" to list the Canada lynx as a threatened or endangered...

Lynx1 and Aβ1-42 bind competitively to multiple nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Morten S; Arvaniti, Maria; Jensen, Majbrit M

2016-01-01

Lynx1 regulates synaptic plasticity in the brain by regulating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). It is not known to which extent Lynx1 can bind to endogenous nAChR subunits in the brain or how this interaction is affected by Alzheimer's disease pathology. We apply affinity purification....... Incubation with Ws-Lynx1 decreases nicotine-mediated extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation in PC12 cells and striatal neurons, indicating that binding of Ws-Lynx1 is sufficient to inhibit signaling downstream of nAChRs. The effect of nicotine in PC12 cells is independent of α7 or α4β2 n...

Assessing the suitability of central European landscapes for the reintroduction of Eurasian lynx

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Schadt, S.; Revilla, E.; Wiegand, T.; Knauer, F.; Kaczensky, P.; Breitenmoser, U.; Bufka, L.; Červený, Jaroslav; Koubek, Petr; Huber, T.; Staniša, C.; Trepl, L.

2002-01-01

Roč. 39, č. 2 (2002), s. 189-203 ISSN 0021-8901 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KSK6005114 Grant - others:Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt(DE) AZ6000/596 Keywords : Lynx lynx * GIS * species reintroduction Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 2.902, year: 2002

Eurasian lynx hunting red deer: is there an influence of a winter enclosure system?

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Belotti, E.; Kreisinger, Jakub; Romportl, D.; Heurich, M.; Bufka, L.

2014-01-01

Roč. 60, č. 3 (2014), s. 441-457 ISSN 1612-4642 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : Cervus elaphus * Habitat heterogeneity * Lynx lynx * Predation probability * Prey density * Supplementary feeding Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 1.634, year: 2014

Fear or food ? abundance of red fox in relation to occurrence of lynx and wolf

OpenAIRE

Wikenros, Camilla; Aronsson, Malin; Liberg, Olof; Jarnemo, Anders; Hansson, Jessica; Wallgren, M?rtha; Sand, H?kan; Bergstr?m, Roger

2017-01-01

Apex predators may affect mesopredators through intraguild predation and/or supply of carrion from their prey, causing a trade-off between avoidance and attractiveness. We used wildlife triangle snow-tracking data to investigate the abundance of red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in relation to lynx (Lynx lynx) and wolf (Canis lupus) occurrence as well as land composition and vole (Microtus spp.)?density. Data from the Swedish wolf-monitoring system and VHF/GPS-collared wolves were used to study the eff...

The flight of the Rufus hummingbird

Science.gov (United States)

Bocanegra-Evans, Humberto; Pena, Jeremy; Hightower, Scott; Tobalske, Bret; Allen, James

2007-11-01

This paper will present preliminary experimental data for the flow field around a robotic model hummingbird ``flying'' in the New Mexico State large water channel. The Rufus hummingbird, which fly's with a wing beat frequency of 45Hz, in the Reynolds number range of 8,000 and a Strouhal number of 0.3 is mimicked by a two degree of freedom mechanical model operating in a large water channel. Phase locked PIV data and flow visualization results for hovering and relatively slow forward flight will be presented. Non-intrusive techniques will be used to estimate the hummingbirds lift and drag.

A review of the Pteropus rufus (É. Geoffroy, 1803) colonies within the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ecological value of Pteropus rufus both as an important pollinator and seed disperser amid highly fragmented landscapes (Bollen and Elsacker. 2002, Mackinnon ...... a community-level ap- proach. Journal of Tropical Ecology 20, 6: 599–612.

Fear or food - abundance of red fox in relation to occurrence of lynx and wolf.

Science.gov (United States)

Wikenros, Camilla; Aronsson, Malin; Liberg, Olof; Jarnemo, Anders; Hansson, Jessica; Wallgren, Märtha; Sand, Håkan; Bergström, Roger

2017-08-22

Apex predators may affect mesopredators through intraguild predation and/or supply of carrion from their prey, causing a trade-off between avoidance and attractiveness. We used wildlife triangle snow-tracking data to investigate the abundance of red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in relation to lynx (Lynx lynx) and wolf (Canis lupus) occurrence as well as land composition and vole (Microtus spp.) density. Data from the Swedish wolf-monitoring system and VHF/GPS-collared wolves were used to study the effect of wolf pack size and time since wolf territory establishment on fox abundance. Bottom-up processes were more influential than top-down effects as the proportion of arable land was the key indicator of fox abundance at the landscape level. At this spatial scale, there was no effect of wolf abundance on fox abundance, whereas lynx abundance had a positive effect. In contrast, at the wolf territory level there was a negative effect of wolves on fox abundance when including detailed information of pack size and time since territory establishment, whereas there was no effect of lynx abundance. This study shows that different apex predator species may affect mesopredator abundance in different ways and that the results may be dependent on the spatiotemporal scale and resolution of the data.

Climate and nest opening orientation in Furnarius rufus (Furnariidae Clima e orientação da abertura dos ninhos de joão-de-barro, Furnarius rufus (Furnariidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Franco L. Souza

Full Text Available The Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus is one of the most common bird species in Brazil. Anecdotal information indicates that nest opening orientation in this species is contrary to wind or rainfall direction. To check for the existence of such a pattern, F. rufus nests were randomly sampled within an urban area in central Brazil to assess whether factors such as wind and vegetation cover influence nest opening orientation. Using circular statistics, no evidence was found that nest-opening orientation was important for the species. These results refuse the expected pattern for tree hollow or enclosed nests. The results suggest that factors such as nesting architecture, nest material, nest microclimate or a combination of these, instead of local climate, must be conditioning nesting behavior in this species.O joão-de-barro (Furnarius rufus é uma das espécies de aves mais comuns do Brasil. Informações sugerem que a orientação da abertura dos ninhos desse furnarídeo seria direcionada em posição contrária das direções de incidência dos ventos e das chuvas. Para averiguar tal padrão de nidificação, ninhos de F. rufus foram aleatoriamente amostrados em uma área urbana da região Centro-Oeste do Brasil para verificar se fatores como vento e cobertura vegetal exerciam influência sobre a orientação de suas aberturas. Testes envolvendo estatística circular revelaram que a abertura dos ninhos refletiu um padrão aleatório de orientação, algo não esperado para aquelas espécies que nidificam em ocos de árvores ou que constroem seus ninhos de maneira a proteger a câmara de incubação. Ao invés do clima da região, os resultados sugerem que a arquitetura e o material de construção do ninho, o microclima dentro do ninho ou uma combinação desses fatores possam estar condicionando o comportamento de nidificação dessa espécie.

Invertebrates outcompete vertebrate facultative scavengers in simulated lynx kills in the Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany

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Ray, R.–R.

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Understanding the role of scavengers in ecosystems is important for species conservation and wildlife management. We used road–killed animals, 15 in summer 2003 (June–August and nine in winter 2003/2004 (from November to January, to test the following hypotheses: (1 vertebrate scavengers such as raven (Corvus corax, red fox (Vulpes vulpes and wild boar (Sus scrofa consume a higher proportion of the carcasses than invertebrates; (2 the consumption rate is higher in winter than in summer due to the scarcity of other food resources; and (3 vertebrate scavengers are effective competitors of Eurasian lynx. We monitored 65 animals belonging to eight different mammal and bird species with camera traps. Surprisingly, Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx was the most important vertebrate scavenger. However, in both seasons, the consumption of vertebrate scavengers was of minor impact. In summer, the carcasses were completely consumed within 10 days, mostly by invertebrates. In winter, only 5% of the carcasses were consumed within 10 days and 16% within 15 days. We conclude that vertebrates in the Bavarian Forest National Park are not strong competitors for lynx.

Abundance and food habits of cougars and bobcats in the Sierra San Luis, Sonora, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Hugo Luna Soria; Carlos A. Lopez Gonzalez

2005-01-01

Cougars (Puma concolor) and bobcats (Lynx rufus) are present throughout the Sky Islands of the Sonoran desert. We determined the abundance and food habits in northeastern Sonora, Mexico. Abundance indicated that cougars were common (4.19±5.57 cougars/100 km2 and 0.05±0.05 scats/km). According to the scat index, bobcats were more...

Habitat selection and risk of predation: re-colonization by lynx had limited impact on habitat selection by roe deer.

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Gustaf Samelius

Full Text Available Risk of predation is an evolutionary force that affects behaviors of virtually all animals. In this study, we examined how habitat selection by roe deer was affected by risk of predation by Eurasian lynx - the main predator of roe deer in Scandinavia. Specifically, we compared how habitat selection by roe deer varied (1 before and after lynx re-established in the study area and (2 in relation to habitat-specific risk of predation by lynx. All analyses were conducted at the spatial and temporal scales of home ranges and seasons. We did not find any evidence that roe deer avoided habitats in which the risk of predation by lynx was greatest and information-theoretic model selection showed that re-colonization by lynx had limited impact on habitat selection by roe deer despite lynx predation causing 65% of known mortalities after lynx re-colonized the area. Instead we found that habitat selection decreased when habitat availability increased for 2 of 5 habitat types (a pattern referred to as functional response in habitat selection. Limited impact of re-colonization by lynx on habitat selection by roe deer in this study differs from elk in North America altering both daily and seasonal patterns in habitat selection at the spatial scales of habitat patches and home ranges when wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Our study thus provides further evidence of the complexity by which animals respond to risk of predation and suggest that it may vary between ecosystems and predator-prey constellations.

Habitat selection and risk of predation: re-colonization by lynx had limited impact on habitat selection by roe deer.

Science.gov (United States)

Samelius, Gustaf; Andrén, Henrik; Kjellander, Petter; Liberg, Olof

2013-01-01

Risk of predation is an evolutionary force that affects behaviors of virtually all animals. In this study, we examined how habitat selection by roe deer was affected by risk of predation by Eurasian lynx - the main predator of roe deer in Scandinavia. Specifically, we compared how habitat selection by roe deer varied (1) before and after lynx re-established in the study area and (2) in relation to habitat-specific risk of predation by lynx. All analyses were conducted at the spatial and temporal scales of home ranges and seasons. We did not find any evidence that roe deer avoided habitats in which the risk of predation by lynx was greatest and information-theoretic model selection showed that re-colonization by lynx had limited impact on habitat selection by roe deer despite lynx predation causing 65% of known mortalities after lynx re-colonized the area. Instead we found that habitat selection decreased when habitat availability increased for 2 of 5 habitat types (a pattern referred to as functional response in habitat selection). Limited impact of re-colonization by lynx on habitat selection by roe deer in this study differs from elk in North America altering both daily and seasonal patterns in habitat selection at the spatial scales of habitat patches and home ranges when wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Our study thus provides further evidence of the complexity by which animals respond to risk of predation and suggest that it may vary between ecosystems and predator-prey constellations.

The return of the Iberian lynx to Portugal: local voices.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes-Fernandes, Margarida; Espírito-Santo, Clara; Frazão-Moreira, Amélia

2018-01-11

Ethnographic research can help to establish dialog between conservationists and local people in reintroduction areas. Considering that predator reintroductions may cause local resistance, we assessed attitudes of different key actor profiles to the return of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) to Portugal before reintroduction started in 2015. We aimed to characterize a social context from an ethnoecological perspective, including factors such as local knowledge, perceptions, emotions, and opinions. We conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 131) in three different protected areas and observed practices and public meetings in order to describe reintroduction contestation, emotional involvement with the species, and local perceptions about conservation. Detailed content data analysis was undertaken and an open-ended codification of citations was performed with the support of ATLAS.ti. Besides the qualitative analyses, we further explored statistic associations between knowledge and opinions and compared different geographical areas and hunters with non-hunters among key actors. Local ecological knowledge encompassed the lynx but was not shared by the whole community. Both similarities and differences between local and scientific knowledge about the lynx were found. The discrepancies with scientific findings were not necessarily a predictor of negative attitudes towards reintroduction. Contestation issues around reintroduction differ between geographical areas but did not hinder an emotional attachment to the species and its identification as a territory emblem. Among local voices, financial compensation was significantly associated to hunters and nature tourism was cited the most frequent advantage of lynx presence. Materialistic discourses existed in parallel with non-economic factors and the existence of moral agreement with its protection. The considerable criticism and reference to restrictions by local actors concerning protected areas and conservation

Distribution and status of lynx in the border region between Czech Republic, Germany and Austria

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Wölfl, M.; Bufka, L.; Červený, Jaroslav; Koubek, Petr; Heurich, M.; Habel, H.; Huber, T.; Poost, W.

2001-01-01

Roč. 46, č. 2 (2001), s. 181-194 ISSN 0001-7051 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IBS6093003 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z6093917 Keywords : Lynx lynx * Šumava mountains Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 0.652, year: 2001 http://acta.zbs.bialowieza.pl/contents/?art=2001-046-2-0181

LYNX community advocacy & service engagement (CASE) project final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-05-14

This report is a final assessment of the Community Advocacy & Service Engagement (CASE) project, a LYNX-FTA research project designed : to study transit education and public engagement methods in Central Florida. In the Orlando area, as in other part...

Dr. Rufus B. Weaver and his intriguing dissection of Harriet Cole

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Chidinma Nwaogbe

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Dr. Rufus Benjamin Weaver was a professor of human anatomy at Hahnemann Medical College and a pioneer in the field of anatomy. Among his greatest accomplishments was his complete dissection of the cerebrospinal nervous system. Known as Harriet, the dissection remains displayed at Drexel University College of Medicine and continues to appear in educational materials around the world.

Questioning the Patient, Questioning Hippocrates: Rufus of Ephesus and the Pursuit of Knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Letts, Melinda

2016-01-01

Rufus of Ephesus' short treatise, Quaestiones Medicinales, the only ancient medical work that takes as its topic the dialogue between doctor and patient, has usually been seen as a procedural practical handbook serving an essentially operational purpose. In this paper I argue that the treatise, with its insistent message that doctors cannot properly understand and treat illnesses unless they supplement their own knowledge by questioning patients, and its remarkable appreciation of the singularity of each patient's experience, shows itself to be no mere handbook but a work addressing the place of questioning in the clinical encounter. I illustrate some of the differences between Rufus' conceptualisation of the relevance and use of questioning and that which can be seen in the theoretical and descriptive writings of Galen and in the Hippocratic corpus, and show how apparent resonances with some of the preoccupations of modern Western healthcare can be used judiciously to elucidate the significance of those differences.

Environmental Assessment for the Construction of Facilities in Support of the 343d Training Squadron, 37th Training Group, Security Forces Apprentice Course at JBSA-Camp Bullis, Texas

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-01

territorial seas . Jurisdictional boundaries for waters of the U.S. are defined in the field as the ordinary high water mark, which is that line on...Lynx rufus), gray fox, coyote, and occasionally mountain lion (Felis concolor) (U.S. Army 2007). The northern cardinal (Cardinal cardinalis) and... parasitism . Surveys have been conducted for golden-cheeked warbler on JBSA-Camp Bullis since 1991, and individuals have been detected in every training

Nuutuuyiglu Tuttuglu (The Lynx and the Two Caribou).

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, Mary L.; And Others

This second grade elementary language text, designed for children in bilingual Inupiat-English programs in Ambler, Kobuk, Kiana, Noorvik, and Shungnak, contains a story about a lynx who tries to kill two caribou at one time but who is himself killed. Each page of text is illustrated with a black-and-white drawing. The English equivalent is given…

Gene Sets for Utilization of Primary and Secondary Nutrition Supplies in the Distal Gut of Endangered Iberian Lynx

Science.gov (United States)

Alcaide, María; Messina, Enzo; Richter, Michael; Bargiela, Rafael; Peplies, Jörg; Huws, Sharon A.; Newbold, Charles J.; Golyshin, Peter N.; Simón, Miguel A.; López, Guillermo; Yakimov, Michail M.; Ferrer, Manuel

2012-01-01

Recent studies have indicated the existence of an extensive trans-genomic trans-mural co-metabolism between gut microbes and animal hosts that is diet-, host phylogeny- and provenance-influenced. Here, we analyzed the biodiversity at the level of small subunit rRNA gene sequence and the metabolic composition of 18 Mbp of consensus metagenome sequences and activity characteristics of bacterial intra-cellular extracts, in wild Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) fecal samples. Bacterial signatures (14.43% of all of the Firmicutes reads and 6.36% of total reads) related to the uncultured anaerobic commensals Anaeroplasma spp., which are typically found in ovine and bovine rumen, were first identified. The lynx gut was further characterized by an over-representation of ‘presumptive’ aquaporin aqpZ genes and genes encoding ‘active’ lysosomal-like digestive enzymes that are possibly needed to acquire glycerol, sugars and amino acids from glycoproteins, glyco(amino)lipids, glyco(amino)glycans and nucleoside diphosphate sugars. Lynx gut was highly enriched (28% of the total glycosidases) in genes encoding α-amylase and related enzymes, although it exhibited low rate of enzymatic activity indicative of starch degradation. The preponderance of β-xylosidase activity in protein extracts further suggests lynx gut microbes being most active for the metabolism of β-xylose containing plant N-glycans, although β-xylosidases sequences constituted only 1.5% of total glycosidases. These collective and unique bacterial, genetic and enzymatic activity signatures suggest that the wild lynx gut microbiota not only harbors gene sets underpinning sugar uptake from primary animal tissues (with the monotypic dietary profile of the wild lynx consisting of 80–100% wild rabbits) but also for the hydrolysis of prey-derived plant biomass. Although, the present investigation corresponds to a single sample and some of the statements should be considered qualitative, the data most likely

Gene sets for utilization of primary and secondary nutrition supplies in the distal gut of endangered Iberian lynx.

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María Alcaide

Full Text Available Recent studies have indicated the existence of an extensive trans-genomic trans-mural co-metabolism between gut microbes and animal hosts that is diet-, host phylogeny- and provenance-influenced. Here, we analyzed the biodiversity at the level of small subunit rRNA gene sequence and the metabolic composition of 18 Mbp of consensus metagenome sequences and activity characteristics of bacterial intra-cellular extracts, in wild Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus fecal samples. Bacterial signatures (14.43% of all of the Firmicutes reads and 6.36% of total reads related to the uncultured anaerobic commensals Anaeroplasma spp., which are typically found in ovine and bovine rumen, were first identified. The lynx gut was further characterized by an over-representation of 'presumptive' aquaporin aqpZ genes and genes encoding 'active' lysosomal-like digestive enzymes that are possibly needed to acquire glycerol, sugars and amino acids from glycoproteins, glyco(aminolipids, glyco(aminoglycans and nucleoside diphosphate sugars. Lynx gut was highly enriched (28% of the total glycosidases in genes encoding α-amylase and related enzymes, although it exhibited low rate of enzymatic activity indicative of starch degradation. The preponderance of β-xylosidase activity in protein extracts further suggests lynx gut microbes being most active for the metabolism of β-xylose containing plant N-glycans, although β-xylosidases sequences constituted only 1.5% of total glycosidases. These collective and unique bacterial, genetic and enzymatic activity signatures suggest that the wild lynx gut microbiota not only harbors gene sets underpinning sugar uptake from primary animal tissues (with the monotypic dietary profile of the wild lynx consisting of 80-100% wild rabbits but also for the hydrolysis of prey-derived plant biomass. Although, the present investigation corresponds to a single sample and some of the statements should be considered qualitative, the data most likely

Expression of the Ly-6 family proteins Lynx1 and Ly6H in the rat brain is compartmentalized, cell-type specific, and developmentally regulated

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Morten Skøtt; Cinar, Betül; Jensen, Majbrit Myrup

2014-01-01

regarding the distribution and developmental regulation of these proteins in the brain. We use protein cross-linking and synaptosomal fractions to demonstrate that the Ly-6 proteins Lynx1 and Ly6H are membrane-bound proteins in the brain, which are present on the cell surface and localize to synaptic...... demonstrate that Lynx1 and Ly6H are expressed in cultured neurons, but not cultured micro- or astroglial cultures. In addition, Lynx1, but not Ly6H was detected in the CSF. Finally, we show that the Ly-6 proteins Lynx1, Lynx2, Ly6H, and PSCA, display distinct expression patterns during postnatal development...

Magnetic resonance imaging findings in a red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) with otitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Okeson, Danelle M; Coke, Rob L; Kochunov, Peter; Davis, M Duff

2008-12-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on an adult, male Red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) with a history of nonspecific neurologic signs and acute discharge from the left ear. MRI revealed findings consistent with otitis and possible osteomyelitis of the temporal and mastoid bones. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of otitis and MRI findings in a kangaroo.

Reproductive traits in captive and free-ranging males of the critically endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus).

Science.gov (United States)

Gañán, Natalia; Sestelo, Adrián; Garde, J Julián; Martínez, Fernando; Vargas, Astrid; Sánchez, Iñigo; Pérez-Aspa, María José; López-Bao, José Vicente; Palomares, Francisco; Gomendio, Montserrat; Roldan, Eduardo R S

2010-01-01

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is the most endangered felid in the world. Adequate genetic management of in situ and ex situ populations, and linkage between both, require knowledge on male reproductive biology and factors influencing it. We examined the influence of age, free-ranging versus captive conditions and seasonality on phenotypic, endocrine and semen traits, and links between reproductive traits and male fertility. Males had relatively small testes, produced low sperm numbers, a low proportion of normal sperm, and a high proportion of motile sperm. Young (2-year-old) males had lower testosterone levels, fewer sperm, and a lower proportion of motile and normal sperm than > or =4-year-old males. No major differences were found in semen traits before and after the mating season or between free-ranging and captive males, although the latter had better sperm motility. Males with larger relative testes weight and more sperm copulated more frequently, whereas males that produced more sperm with higher motility produced more cubs per female. In conclusion, small relative testes size and low sperm quality could indicate either low levels of sperm competition or high levels of inbreeding. Young males are probably subfertile; there is a slight trend for males in the captive breeding programme to have better semen quality than wild males, and males with higher sperm production are sexually more active and more fertile. These findings have major implications for decisions regarding which males should breed, provide samples for the genetic resource bank, or participate in programmes involving the use of assisted reproductive techniques.

Appendix B: Fisher, lynx, wolverine summary of distribution information

Science.gov (United States)

Mary Maj

1994-01-01

We present maps depicting distributions of fisher, lynx, and wolverine in the western United States since 1961. Comparison of past and current distributions of species can shed light on population persistence, periods of population isolation, meta-population structure, and important connecting landscapes. Information on the distribution of the American marten is not...

Detection of Sarcocystis spp. infection in bobcats (Lynx rufus)

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, S. K.; Calero-Bernal, R.; Lovallo, M. J.; Sweeny, A. R.; Grigg, M. E.; Dubey, J. P.

2015-01-01

The protozoan Sarcocystis neurona is an important cause of severe clinical disease of horses (called equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, EPM), marine mammals, companion animals, and several species of wildlife animals in the Americas. The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is its definitive host in the USA and other animals act as intermediate or aberrant hosts. Samples of tongue and heart from 35 bobcats hunted for fur and food from Mississippi State, USA in February, 2014 were used for the present study. Muscles were examined for Sarcocystis infection by microscopic examination of either unfixed muscle squash preparations or pepsin digests, by histopathology of fixed samples, and by molecular methods. Sarcocystis-like bradyzoites were found in digests of 14 hearts and 10 tongues of 35 bobcats. In histological sections, sarcocysts were found in 26 of 35 bobcats; all appeared relatively thin-walled similar to S. felis sarcocysts under light microscope at 1000x magnification. S. neurona-like sarcocysts having thickened villar tips were seen in unstained muscle squash of tongue of two bobcats and PCR-DNA sequencing identified them definitively as S. neurona-like parasite. DNA extracted from bradyzoites obtained from tongue and heart muscle digests was analyzed by PCR-DNA sequencing at the ITS1 locus. Results indicated the presence of S. neurona-like parasite in 26 of 35 samples. ITS1 sequences identical to S. dayspi were identified in 3 bobcats, 2 of which were also co-infected with S. neurona-like parasite. The high prevalence of sarcocysts in bobcat tissues suggested an efficient sylvatic cycle of Sarcocystis spp. in the remote regions of Mississippi State with the bobcat as a relevant intermediate host. PMID:26138150

Ecology and conservation of lynx in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Leonard F. Ruggiero; Keith B. Aubry; Steven W. Buskirk; Gary M. Koehler; Charles J. Krebs; Kevin S. McKelvey; John R. Squires

1999-01-01

Once found throughout the Rocky Mountains and forests of the northern states, the lynx now hides in pockets of its former range while feeding mostly on small animals like snowshoe hares. A team of government and university scientists review the newest scientific knowledge of this unique cat's history, distribution, and ecology. The chapters on this web site...

Notes on the lesser white-lined bat, Saccopteryx leptura (Schreber (Chiroptera, Emballonuridae, from southeastern Brazil

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Marcelo R. Nogueira

2002-12-01

Full Text Available Saccopteryx leptura (Schreber, 1774 is reported from two new localities in southeastern Brazil, both in Atlantic forest remains in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Analysisof food material showed that individuals from both localities had preyedon insects in the order Hymenoptera. Cheek contents were available from one specimen, and in this case identification of the food item (flying ants achieved generic level (Pheidole Westwood, 1841. Aspects in the social behavior observed in a colony suggest that the same traits documented in Central American populations (small colonies, monogamic mating system, and retention of young for up to a year in the parental unit may also characterize this species in the southern most part of its range. In both external and craniodental selected measurements, specimens from Rio de Janeiro were close to the upper limits of the ranges known for the species.

O homem dos ratos, Schreber e Kafka: destinos possíveis para a hostilidade

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Sissi Vigil Castiel

Full Text Available A clínica psicanalítica impõe a observação, por vezes muito presente em determinados quadros, das tendências hostis que aparecem de forma manifesta ou fantasiada. Partindo dessa constatação e sustentado na releitura dos textos freudianos, este trabalho propõe uma reflexão sobre as tendências agressivas e suas implicações na clínica da neurose obsessiva e da paranoia, já que entendemos que a intensidade da hostilidade nessas patologias se coloca, muitas vezes, como um impasse para o tratamento. Os quadros clínicos serão exemplificados por meio do caso do Homem dos Ratos e da história de Schreber. Posteriormente, passaremos a discutir dois textos de Kafka, a fim de indicar uma saída para a elaboração da hostilidade no sentido de simbolizar e de sublimar as tendências agressivas.

Sustainably Harvesting a Large Carnivore? Development of Eurasian Lynx Populations in Norway During 160 Years of Shifting Policy

Science.gov (United States)

Linnell, John D. C.; Broseth, Henrik; Odden, John; Nilsen, Erlend Birkeland

2010-05-01

The management of large carnivores in multiuse landscapes is always controversial, and managers need to balance a wide range of competing interests. Hunter harvest is often used to limit population size and distribution but is proving to be both controversialand technically challenging. Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx) are currently managed as a game species in Norway. We describe an adaptive management approach where quota setting is based on an annual census and chart the population development through the period 1996-2008, as management has become significantly more sophisticated and better informed by the increased availability of scientific data. During this period the population has been through a period of high quotas and population decline caused by fragmented management authority and overoptimistic estimates of lynx reproduction, followed by a period of recovery due to quota reductions. The modern management regime is placed in the context of shifting policy during the last 160 years, during which management goals have moved from extermination stimulated by bounties, through a short phase of protection, and now to quota-regulated harvest. Much management authority has also been delegated from central to local levels. We conclude that adaptive management has the potential to keep the population within some bounded limits, although there will inevitably be fluctuation.

Observations on the lynx Felis caracal in the Bedford district

African Journals Online (AJOL)

with, including mass and length, killing and feeding habits, breeding and litters ... van 108 eksemplare oor 'n tydperk van 3! jaar word ontleed. Verskeie ... Poison proved ineffective ... a lynx is reported the hounds are taken to the area before dawn (this is .... within a week of each other, but in each case the localities were far ...

Implications from XMM and Chandra Source Catalogs for Future Studies with Lynx

Science.gov (United States)

Ptak, Andrew

2018-01-01

Lynx will perform extremely sensitive X-ray surveys by combining very high-resolution imaging over a large field of view with a high effective area. These will include deep planned surveys and serendipitous source surveys. Here we discuss implications that can be gleaned from current Chandra and XMM-Newton serendipitous source surveys. These current surveys have discovered novel sources such as tidal disruption events, binary AGN, and ULX pulsars. In addition these surveys have detected large samples of normal galaxies, low-luminosity AGN and quasars due to the wide-area coverage of the Chandra and XMM-Newton source catalogs, allowing the evolution of these phenonema to be explored. The wide area Lynx surveys will probe down further in flux and will be coupled with very sensitive wide-area surveys such as LSST and SKA, allowing for detailed modeling of their SEDs and the discovery of rare, exotic sources and transient events.

FF-LYNX: protocol and interfaces for the control and readout of future Silicon detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amendola, A; Bianchi, G; Fanucci, L; Saponara, S; Tongiani, C [Universita di Pisa, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell' Informazione (DII-EIT), Via G. Caruso 16, 56122 Pisa (Italy); Castaldi, R; Minuti, M; Verdini, P G [INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56018 Pisa (Italy); Incandela, J; Magazzu, G; Rossin, R, E-mail: Guido.Magazzu@pi.infn.i [University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), Department of Physics, 5113 Broida Hall, CA 93106 Santa Barbara (United States)

2010-06-15

The FF-LYNX protocol provides an innovative solution for the integrated distribution of Timing, Trigger and Control signals and the data readout in future High Energy Physics experiments. Transmitter and receiver interfaces implementing the FF-LYNX protocol have been simulated with a high-level simulator and in an FPGA based emulator. The design of the interfaces in a commercial CMOS technology as radiation tolerant and low power modules is ongoing and the submission of a test circuit is foreseen in fall 2010. The key features of the protocol are described in this paper as well as its possible application for the transmission from Silicon Trackers to trigger processors with short and constant latency of data to be used for the L1 trigger generation.

Long-range gene flow and the effects of climatic and ecological factors on genetic structuring in a large, solitary carnivore: the Eurasian lynx.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirosław Ratkiewicz

Full Text Available Due to their high mobility, large terrestrial predators are potentially capable of maintaining high connectivity, and therefore low genetic differentiation among populations. However, previous molecular studies have provided contradictory findings in relation to this. To elucidate patterns of genetic structure in large carnivores, we studied the genetic variability of the Eurasian lynx, Lynx lynx throughout north-eastern Europe using microsatellite, mitochondrial DNA control region and Y chromosome-linked markers. Using SAMOVA we found analogous patterns of genetic structure based on both mtDNA and microsatellites, which coincided with a relatively little evidence for male-biased dispersal. No polymorphism for the cytochrome b and ATP6 mtDNA genes and Y chromosome-linked markers were found. Lynx inhabiting a large area encompassing Finland, the Baltic countries and western Russia formed a single genetic unit, while some marginal populations were clearly divergent from others. The existence of a migration corridor was suggested to correspond with distribution of continuous forest cover. The lowest variability (in both markers was found in lynx from Norway and Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF, which coincided with a recent demographic bottleneck (Norway or high habitat fragmentation (BPF. The Carpathian population, being monomorphic for the control region, showed relatively high microsatellite diversity, suggesting the effect of a past bottleneck (e.g. during Last Glacial Maximum on its present genetic composition. Genetic structuring for the mtDNA control region was best explained by latitude and snow cover depth. Microsatellite structuring correlated with the lynx's main prey, especially the proportion of red deer (Cervus elaphus in its diet. Eurasian lynx are capable of maintaining panmictic populations across eastern Europe unless they are severely limited by habitat continuity or a reduction in numbers. Different correlations of mtDNA and

Rufus of Ephesus and his contribution to the Development of Anatomical nomenclature

OpenAIRE

Bujalkova, Maria

2011-01-01

Rufus of Ephesus, a famous ancient physician, lived about the years 80 - 150 CE. His theories stressed the importance of anatomy and he preferred pragmatic approach to diagnosis and treatment. In his work “On the Names of the Parts of the Human Body”, he put in pragmatic effort to make a lexicon of anatomy for his pupils. In the introduction, he described it as a manual for the students of medical art which relied on demonstration in teaching; visible (outer) parts of the body were shown on a...

Primeros registros de 4 especies de felinos en el sur de Puebla, México

OpenAIRE

Farías, Verónica; Téllez, Oswaldo; Botello, Francisco; Hernández, Omar; Berruecos, Jessica; Olivares, Saúl J.; Hernández, Julio C.

2015-01-01

Se presentan los primeros registros de margay (Leopardus wiedii), gato montés (Lynx rufus), puma (Puma concolor) y jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) en el sur del estado de Puebla. El trabajo de campo fue parte de una monitorización participativa que incluyó a las autoridades civiles del ejido. Se colocaron 11 estaciones de cámaras-trampa digitales que funcionaron del 18 de diciembre de 2012 al 18 de febrero de 2014. Con un esfuerzo de muestreo de 2,669 días-trampa y dentro del conjunto de regis...

Relative accuracy of spatial predictive models for lynx Lynx canadensis derived using logistic regression-AIC, multiple criteria evaluation and Bayesian approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shelley M. ALEXANDER

2009-02-01

Full Text Available We compared probability surfaces derived using one set of environmental variables in three Geographic Information Systems (GIS-based approaches: logistic regression and Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC, Multiple Criteria Evaluation (MCE, and Bayesian Analysis (specifically Dempster-Shafer theory. We used lynx Lynx canadensis as our focal species, and developed our environment relationship model using track data collected in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, during winters from 1997 to 2000. The accuracy of the three spatial models were compared using a contingency table method. We determined the percentage of cases in which both presence and absence points were correctly classified (overall accuracy, the failure to predict a species where it occurred (omission error and the prediction of presence where there was absence (commission error. Our overall accuracy showed the logistic regression approach was the most accurate (74.51%. The multiple criteria evaluation was intermediate (39.22%, while the Dempster-Shafer (D-S theory model was the poorest (29.90%. However, omission and commission error tell us a different story: logistic regression had the lowest commission error, while D-S theory produced the lowest omission error. Our results provide evidence that habitat modellers should evaluate all three error measures when ascribing confidence in their model. We suggest that for our study area at least, the logistic regression model is optimal. However, where sample size is small or the species is very rare, it may also be useful to explore and/or use a more ecologically cautious modelling approach (e.g. Dempster-Shafer that would over-predict, protect more sites, and thereby minimize the risk of missing critical habitat in conservation plans[Current Zoology 55(1: 28 – 40, 2009].

First records of Casiornis rufus (Vieillot, 1816) (Aves, Tyrannidae) for the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vizentin-Bugoni, Jeferson; Bellagamba-Oliveira, Danielle; Bellagamba, Gina

2015-01-01

The Rufous Casiornis, Casiornis rufus (Vielliot, 1916), is widespread in central South America, reaching its southernmost distribution in northern Argentina and Uruguay. Here we present the first nine records of the species for Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil. The records were documented...

Lynx: a scalable solution utilising FPGAs for high performance data processing

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Focke, R

2009-12-01

Full Text Available .csir.co.za 1. HDL Uses • HDL for hardware simulation only - Model 3rd party hardware - Test bench for functional verification - Read and write files - Dynamic structures • HDL for FPGA firmware (or ASIC) - Not all language features - Register transfer... Topics © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za A. Mentor Graphics HDL Author & Modelsim • Lynx LVDS Design © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za A. Mentor Graphics HDL Author • Hierarchical Graphical Design for HDL & Modelsim...

Mutual tolerance or reproductive competition? Patterns of reproductive skew among male redfronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus)

OpenAIRE

Kappeler, Peter M.; Port, Markus

2008-01-01

The social organization of gregarious lemurs significantly deviates from predictions of the socioecological model, as they form small groups in which the number of males approximately equals the number of females. This study uses models of reproductive skew theory as a new approach to explain this unusual group composition, in particular the high number of males, in a representative of these lemurs, the redfronted lemur (Eulemur fulvus rufus). We tested two central predictions of “concession”...

Bacteriological Analysis and Hygine Level of Food Outlets within Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.

OpenAIRE

Ibrahim TA; Akenroye OM; Osabiya OJ

2013-01-01

The bacteriological quality of three major food outlets in Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, was assessed using standard bacteriological methods. Swabs of hands of food vendors, table and plates in these outlets were assessed for total bacterial count, total coliform count and total E. coli count. A total of 789 bacterial colonies were isolated from hands of food handlers, tables and plates used for eating in the outlets. Eleven genera of bacteria were isolated and identified, they were; klebsiell...

Gastric spiral bacteria in small felids.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinsel, M J; Kovarik, P; Murnane, R D

1998-06-01

Nine small cats, including one bobcat (Felis rufus), one Pallas cat (F. manul), one Canada lynx (F. lynx canadensis), two fishing cats (F. viverrina), two margays (F. wiedii), and two sand cats (F. margarita), necropsied between June 1995 and March 1997 had large numbers of gastric spiral bacteria, whereas five large cats, including one African lion (Panthera leo), two snow leopards (P. uncia), one Siberian tiger (P. tigris altaica), and one jaguar (P. onca), necropsied during the same period had none. All of the spiral organisms from the nine small cats were histologically and ultrastructurally similar. Histologically, the spiral bacteria were 5-14 microm long with five to nine coils per organism and were located both extracellularly within gastric glands and surface mucus, and intracellularly in parietal cells. Spiral bacteria in gastric mucosal scrapings from the Canada lynx, one fishing cat, and the two sand cats were gram negative and had corkscrewlike to tumbling motility when viewed with phase contrast microscopy. The bacteria were 0.5-0.7 microm wide, with a periodicity of 0.65-1.1 microm in all cats. Bipolar sheathed flagella were occasionally observed, and no periplasmic fibrils were seen. The bacteria were extracellular in parietal cell canaliculi and intracellular within parietal cells. Culture of mucosal scrapings from the Canada lynx and sand cats was unsuccessful. Based on morphology, motility, and cellular tropism, the bacteria were probably Helicobacter-like organisms. Although the two margays had moderate lymphoplasmacytic gastritis, the other cats lacked or had only mild gastric lymphoid infiltrates, suggesting that these organisms are either commensals or opportunistic pathogens.

Software Development for the Kinematic Analysis of a Lynx 6 Robot Arm

OpenAIRE

Baki Koyuncu; Mehmet Güzel

2007-01-01

The kinematics of manipulators is a central problem in the automatic control of robot manipulators. Theoretical background for the analysis of the 5 Dof Lynx-6 educational Robot Arm kinematics is presented in this paper. The kinematics problem is defined as the transformation from the Cartesian space to the joint space and vice versa. The Denavit-Harbenterg (D-H) model of representation is used to model robot links and joints in this study. Both forward and inverse kinematics solutions for th...

Ectoparásitos Asociados a Machos y Hembras de Oxymycterus rufus (Rodentia: Muridae: Estudio comparativo en la Selva Marginal del río de La Plata, Argentina Ectoparasites Associated with Males and Females of Oxymycterus rufus (Rodentia: Muridae: Comparative Study in La Plata River Marshland, Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcela Lareschi

2004-12-01

Full Text Available El objetivo del presente estudio es comparar parámetros e índices de infestación de los ectoparásitos asociados a cada sexo de Oxymycterus rufus (Fischer. El índice de densidad relativa de los machos fue 4,4% y el de las hembras 5,0%. Se recolectaron 873 ectoparásitos de 38 machos y 1015 de 43 hembras. La riqueza y la diversidad específica de los ectoparásitos fueron 12,0 y 1,2 en los machos, 11,0 y 0,7 en las hembras. La similitud entre machos y hembras de acuerdo a sus ectoparásitos fue del 87%. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que el sexo del huésped influenciaría la prevalencia y abundancia media de aquellas especies ectoparásitas que en estudios previos mostraron preferencia por O. rufus, tales como Androlaelaps fahrenholzi (Berlese (abundancia media = 3,5 y prevalencia = 65,8% en los machos; abundancia media = 1,6 y prevalencia = 50,0% en las hembras, Eutrombicula alfreddugesi (Oudemans (abundancia media = 10,9 y prevalencia = 29,0% en los machos; abundancia media = 18,7 y prevalencia = 32,6% en los machos y Ornithonyssus bacoti (Hirst (abundancia media = 7,8 y prevalencia = 63,0% en los machos; abundancia media = 2,7 y prevalencia = 52,6% en las hembras. Esta información es importante desde un punto de vista epidemiológico.Infestation parameters and indexes of ectoparasites associated with each sex of Oxymycterus rufus (Fischer are compared. Males relative density index = 4.4%, females RDI = 5.0%. A total of 873 ectoparasites were collected on 38 males, and 1015 on 43 females; specific richness = 12.0, specific diversity = 1.2 on males, and S = 11.0 H = 0.7 on females. The similarity between both sexes according to their ectoparasites was of 87.0%. The results obtained show that host sex may influence on the prevalence and mean abundance of those ectoparasites which in previous studies have showed preference for O. rufus, such as Androlaelaps fahrenholzi (Berlese (mean abundance = 3.5 and prevalence = 65.8% in males; mean

Characterization of the commercially-available fluorescent chloroquine-BODIPY conjugate, LynxTag-CQGREEN, as a marker for chloroquine resistance and uptake in a 96-well plate assay.

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Cheryl C Y Loh

Full Text Available Chloroquine was a cheap, extremely effective drug against Plasmodium falciparum until resistance arose. One approach to reversing resistance is the inhibition of chloroquine efflux from its site of action, the parasite digestive vacuole. Chloroquine accumulation studies have traditionally relied on radiolabelled chloroquine, which poses several challenges. There is a need for development of a safe and biologically relevant substitute. We report here a commercially-available green fluorescent chloroquine-BODIPY conjugate, LynxTag-CQGREEN, as a proxy for chloroquine accumulation. This compound localized to the digestive vacuole of the parasite as observed under confocal microscopy, and inhibited growth of chloroquine-sensitive strain 3D7 more extensively than in the resistant strains 7G8 and K1. Microplate reader measurements indicated suppression of LynxTag-CQGREEN efflux after pretreatment of parasites with known reversal agents. Microsomes carrying either sensitive- or resistant-type PfCRT were assayed for uptake; resistant-type PfCRT exhibited increased accumulation of LynxTag-CQGREEN, which was suppressed by pretreatment with known chemosensitizers. Eight laboratory strains and twelve clinical isolates were sequenced for PfCRT and Pgh1 haplotypes previously reported to contribute to drug resistance, and pfmdr1 copy number and chloroquine IC50s were determined. These data were compared with LynxTag-CQGREEN uptake/fluorescence by multiple linear regression to identify genetic correlates of uptake. Uptake of the compound correlated with the logIC50 of chloroquine and, more weakly, a mutation in Pgh1, F1226Y.

Lynx: Automatic Elderly Behavior Prediction in Home Telecare

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Jose Manuel Lopez-Guede

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces Lynx, an intelligent system for personal safety at home environments, oriented to elderly people living independently, which encompasses a decision support machine for automatic home risk prevention, tested in real-life environments to respond to real time situations. The automatic system described in this paper prevents such risks by an advanced analytic methods supported by an expert knowledge system. It is minimally intrusive, using plug-and-play sensors and machine learning algorithms to learn the elder’s daily activity taking into account even his health records. If the system detects that something unusual happens (in a wide sense or if something is wrong relative to the user’s health habits or medical recommendations, it sends at real-time alarm to the family, care center, or medical agents, without human intervention. The system feeds on information from sensors deployed in the home and knowledge of subject physical activities, which can be collected by mobile applications and enriched by personalized health information from clinical reports encoded in the system. The system usability and reliability have been tested in real-life conditions, with an accuracy larger than 81%.

Lynx: Automatic Elderly Behavior Prediction in Home Telecare

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez-Guede, Jose Manuel; Moreno-Fernandez-de-Leceta, Aitor; Martinez-Garcia, Alexeiw; Graña, Manuel

2015-01-01

This paper introduces Lynx, an intelligent system for personal safety at home environments, oriented to elderly people living independently, which encompasses a decision support machine for automatic home risk prevention, tested in real-life environments to respond to real time situations. The automatic system described in this paper prevents such risks by an advanced analytic methods supported by an expert knowledge system. It is minimally intrusive, using plug-and-play sensors and machine learning algorithms to learn the elder's daily activity taking into account even his health records. If the system detects that something unusual happens (in a wide sense) or if something is wrong relative to the user's health habits or medical recommendations, it sends at real-time alarm to the family, care center, or medical agents, without human intervention. The system feeds on information from sensors deployed in the home and knowledge of subject physical activities, which can be collected by mobile applications and enriched by personalized health information from clinical reports encoded in the system. The system usability and reliability have been tested in real-life conditions, with an accuracy larger than 81%. PMID:26783514

Comparative VME Performance Tests for MEN A20 Intel-L865 and RIO-3 PPC-LynxOS platforms

CERN Document Server

Andersen, M; CERN. Geneva. BE Department

2009-01-01

This benchmark note presents test results from reading values over VME using different methods and different sizes of data registers, running on two different platforms Intel-L865 and PPC-LynxOS. We find that the PowerPC is a factor 3 faster in accessing an array of contiguous VME memory locations. Block transfer and DMA read accesses are also tested and compared with conventional single access reads.

A gene expression signature of confinement in peripheral blood of red wolves (Canis rufus).

Science.gov (United States)

Kennerly, Erin; Ballmann, Anne; Martin, Stanton; Wolfinger, Russ; Gregory, Simon; Stoskopf, Michael; Gibson, Greg

2008-06-01

The stresses that animals experience as a result of modification of their ecological circumstances induce physiological changes that leave a signature in profiles of gene expression. We illustrate this concept in a comparison of free range and confined North American red wolves (Canis rufus). Transcription profiling of peripheral blood samples from 13 red wolf individuals in the Alligator River region of North Carolina revealed a strong signal of differentiation. Four hundred eighty-two out of 2980 transcripts detected on Illumina HumanRef8 oligonucleotide bead arrays were found to differentiate free range and confined wolves at a false discovery rate of 12.8% and P stress responses in confined animals. Consequently, characterization of differential transcript abundance in an accessible tissue such as peripheral blood identifies biomarkers that could be useful in animal management practices and for evaluating the impact of habitat changes on population health, particularly as attention turns to the impact of climate change on physiology and in turn species distributions.

Cranial and dental abnormalities of the endangered red wolf Canis rufus

Science.gov (United States)

Federoff, Nicholas E.; Nowak, Ronald M.

1998-01-01

Three skulls of captive-raised female endangered red wolves (Canis rufus) exhibited severe malocclusion of the jaws. Cranial and dental abnormalities (including crowding of upper toothrows, and an extra tooth behind the lower left M3 in one of the three mandibles) were also evident. Ratios of alveolar length of maxillary toothrow to maximum width across the outer sides of crowns of P4 were significantly different (p=0.008) compared to unaffected skulls. Significant differences were also evident when ratios of maximum width across inner edges of alveoli of P1 to alveolar length of maxillary toothrow and maximum width across outer sides of crowns of P4 were compared between the two groups. Although the three skulls all exhibited malocclusion, the abnormality expressed itself differently in relation to the effects to each skull. Captive inbreeding may increase the probability and frequency of expressing these anomalies, although inbreeding coefficients calculated for the wolves expressing malocclusion were not considered high (0.0313-0.0508). A wild female red wolf specimen captured in 1921 in Arkansas also exhibited the malocclusion, although not as severely as in the captive females. This demonstrates that this trait was present in wild populations prior to, and not a result of, the captive breeding program.

Sylvatic trichinellosis in Texas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pence D.B.

2001-06-01

Full Text Available There are no published reports of domestic or sylvatic trichinellosis in Texas. The aim of the present survey was to determine the presence of Trichinella species in selected representative species of potential wildlife reservoirs in southern Texas. In 1998-99, tongues of 211 wild mammals were collected in southern Texas: 154 coyotes (Canis latrans, three bobcats (Lynx rufus, 32 racoons (Procyon lotor, 1 3 opossum (Didelphis marsupialis, four ocelots (Leopardus pardalis and five wild boars (Sus scrofa. Presence of Trichinella sp. larvae was investigated by artificial digestion and larvae of positive samples were identified at the species level by a multiple-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Nine (5.8 % coyotes had trichinellosis ; in the muscles of seven of these coyotes, the larvae were identified as Trichinella murrelli. This is the first report of sylvatic trichinellosis in Texas.

High-resolution GPS tracking reveals habitat selection and the potential for long-distance seed dispersal by Madagascan flying foxes Pteropus rufus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryszard Oleksy

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Long-distance seed dispersal can be important for the regeneration of forested habitats, especially in regions where deforestation has been severe. Old World fruit bats (Pteropodidae have considerable potential for long-distance seed dispersal. We studied the movement patterns and feeding behaviour of the endemic Madagascan flying fox Pteropus rufus, in Berenty Reserve, southeast Madagascar. Between July and September 2012 (the dry season nine males and six females were tagged with customised GPS loggers which recorded fixes every 2.5 min between 18.00 and 06.00 h. The combined home range of all of the tagged bats during 86 nights exceeded 58,000 ha. Females had larger home ranges and core foraging areas and foraged over longer distances (average 28.1 km; median 26.7 km than males (average 15.4 km; median 9.5 km. Because the study was conducted during the gestation period, the increased energy requirements of females may explain their greater mean foraging area. Compositional analysis revealed that bats show strong preferences for overgrown sisal (Agave sisalana plantations (a mix of shrub, trees and sisal plants and remnant riverside forest patches. Sisal nectar and pollen were abundant food sources during the tracking period and this probably contributed to the selective use of overgrown sisal plantations. The bats also ate large quantities of figs (Ficus grevei during the study, and dispersed seeds of this important pioneer species. The bats flew at an average speed of 9.13 m/s, perhaps to optimise gliding performance. The study confirms that P. rufus has the potential to be a long-distance seed disperser, and is able to fly over a large area, often crossing cleared parts of its habitat. It potentially plays an important role in the regeneration of threatened forest habitats in this biodiversity hotspot.

A hybrid concept (segmented plus monolithic fused silica shells) for a high-throughput and high-angular resolution x-ray mission (Lynx/X-Ray Surveyor like)

Science.gov (United States)

Basso, Stefano; Civitani, Marta; Pareschi, Giovanni; Parodi, Giancarlo

2017-09-01

Lynx is a large area and high angular resolution X-ray mission being studied by NASA to be presented to the next Decadal Survey for the implementation in the next decade. It aims to realize an X-ray telescope with the effective area similar to Athena (2 m2 at 1 keV) but with the same angular resolution of Chandra and a much larger Field Of View (up 20 arcmin x 20 arcmin). The science of X-ray Surveyor requires a large-throughput mirror assembly with sub-arcsec angular resolution. These future X-ray mirrors have a set of requirements which, collectively, represents very substantial advances over any currently in operation or planned for missions other than X-ray Surveyor. Of particular importance is achieving low mass per unit collecting area, while maintaining Chandra like angular resolution. Among the possible solutions under study, the direct polishing of both thin monolithic pseudo-cylindrical shells and segments made of fused silica are being considered as viable solutions for the implementation of the mirrors. Fused silica has very good thermomechanical parameters (including a very low CTE), making the material particularly well suited for for the production of the Lynx mirrors. It should be noted that the use of close shells is also very attractive, since the operations for the integration of the shells will be greatly simplified and the area lost due to the vignetting from the interfacing structures minimized even if the management of such big (diameter of 3 m) and thin shells have to be demonstrated. In this paper we will discuss a possible basic layout for a full shell mirror and a hybrid concept (segmented plus monolithic shells made of fused silica) as a second solution, for the Lynx/XRS telescope, discussing preliminary results in terms of optical and mechanical performance.

Observations of Sympatric Populations of Least Chipmunks (Tamias minimus) and Hopi Chipmunks (Tamias rufus) in Western Colorado, 1995-2006

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doty, J.B.; Root, J.J.; Calisher, C.H.; Root, J.J.

2009-01-01

From 1995 through 2006, we studied a rodent community in western Colorado, observing weather conditions and their effects on least chipmunk (Tamias minimus) and Hopi chipmunk (T. rufus) populations. There are few studies that have assessed relative abundances of chipmunks over long durations and none have been conducted on least chipmunks or Hopi chipmunks. This study is unique in that it assesses abundances of sympatric populations of these chipmunks over a 12-year period. We captured 116 least chipmunks and 62 Hopi chipmunks during 47,850 trap nights of effort. Results indicated that year-to-year precipitation and temperature fluctuations had little effect on these chipmunk populations. However, the relative abundances of Hopi chipmunks and least chipmunks appear to have an inverse relationship with each other, suggesting the potential for resource competition between these congeners.

CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS VAR. GRUBII-ASSOCIATED RENAL AMYLOIDOSIS CAUSING PROTEIN-LOSING NEPHROPATHY IN A RED KANGAROO (MACROPUS RUFUS).

Science.gov (United States)

Thurber, Mary Irene; Gjeltema, Jenessa; Sheley, Matthew; Wack, Ray F

2017-09-01

A 10-year-old male castrated red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) presented with mandibular swelling. Examination findings included pitting edema with no dental disease evident on examination or radiographs. The results of blood work were moderate azotemia, hypoalbuminemia, and severely elevated urine protein:creatinine ratio (9.9). Radiographs showed an interstitial pattern of the caudal right lung, and an abdominal ultrasound demonstrated scant effusion. Symptomatic and empirical therapy with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor did not resolve clinical signs. Due to poor prognosis and declining quality of life, euthanasia was elected. Necropsy revealed chronic granulomatous pneumonia of the caudal right lung lobe with intralesional Cryptococcus, identified as C. neoformans var. grubii by DNA sequencing. Severe bilateral glomerular and tubulointerstitial amyloidosis induced protein-losing nephropathy, leading to tri-cavitary effusion, subcutaneous edema, and cachexia. The authors speculate that renal amyloidosis was associated with chronic cryptococcal pneumonia in this red kangaroo.

Linking movement behavior and fine-scale genetic structure to model landscape connectivity for bobcats (Lynx rufus)

Science.gov (United States)

Dawn M. Reding; Samuel A. Cushman; Todd E. Gosselink; William R. Clark

2013-01-01

Spatial heterogeneity can constrain the movement of individuals and consequently genes across a landscape, influencing demographic and genetic processes. In this study, we linked information on landscape composition, movement behavior, and genetic differentiation to gain a mechanistic understanding of how spatial heterogeneity may influence movement and gene flow of...

USE OF CORTICAL BONE FENESTRATION, AUTOGENOUS FREE SKIN GRAFT, AND THERMOGRAPHY FOR WOUND TREATMENT AND MONITORING IN A RED WOLF (CANIS RUFUS GREGORYI).

Science.gov (United States)

Hurley-Sanders, Jennifer L; Sladky, Kurt K; Nolan, Elizabeth C; Loomis, Michael R

2015-09-01

A 2-yr-old female red wolf (Canis rufus gregoryi) sustained a degloving injury to the left thoracic limb while in a display habitat. Initial attempts to resolve the extensive wound by using conservative measures were unsuccessful. Subsequent treatment using a free skin graft consisted first of establishment of an adequate granulation bed via cortical bone fenestration. After establishment of a healthy granulation bed was achieved, free skin graft was harvested and transposed over the bed. To monitor viability and incorporation of the graft, serial thermographic imaging was performed. Thermography noninvasively detects radiant heat patterns and can be used to assess vascularization of tissue, potentially allowing early detection of graft failure. In this case, thermography documented successful graft attachment.

Duration of immunity in red wolves (Canis rufus) following vaccination with a modified live parvovirus and canine distemper vaccine.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Kadie; Case, Allison; Woodie, Kathleen; Waddell, William; Reed, Holly H

2014-09-01

There is growing information available regarding duration of immunity for core vaccines in both domestic and nondomestic species. Vaccination protocols in nondomestic canids have frequently followed guidelines developed for the domestic dog; however, these protocols can be inappropriate for nondomestic canids such as the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), leaving some animals susceptible to infectious disease and others at risk for contracting vaccine-induced disease. In this study, red wolves (Canis rufus) were vaccinated against canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine parvovirus (CPV) and vaccination titers were followed annually for 3 yr. One hundred percent of wolves developed and maintained a positive titer to CDV for 3 yr and 96.9% of wolves developed and maintained a positive titer to CPV for 3 yr. Seroconversion for canine adenovirus was sporadic. The results of this study support decreasing the frequency of vaccine administration in the red wolf population to a triennial basis.

Diagnosis and treatment of mesenteric volvulus in a red kangaroo (Macropus rufus).

Science.gov (United States)

Knafo, S Emmanuelle; Rosenblatt, Alana J; Morrisey, James K; Flanders, James A; Thompson, Margret S; Knapp-Hoch, Heather M

2014-04-01

An 8-year-old male red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) was evaluated with a 2-week history of vomiting and anorexia. Four days prior, the patient became refractory to medical management. The kangaroo was admitted for diagnostic testing and treatment including whole body CT, blood work, and emergency laparotomy. CT findings of a severely enlarged stomach, splenic displacement, and a whirl sign were indicative of mesenteric volvulus with gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV). Contrast enhancement of abdominal viscera suggested intact arterial blood supply; however, compression of the caudal vena cava and portal vein indicated venous obstruction. Results of preoperative blood work suggested biliary stasis without evidence of inflammation. Additionally, a tooth root abscess was diagnosed on the basis of results of CT. Exploratory laparotomy confirmed the diagnosis of mesenteric volvulus and GDV. The volvuli were corrected by clockwise derotation, and a gastropexy was performed. Tissue samples were obtained from the spleen and liver for evaluation. The kangaroo recovered from surgery, and the abscessed tooth was extracted 6 days later. Eight days after initial evaluation, the kangaroo was discharged. In the present report, the CT whirl sign was used to diagnose volvulus of the abdominal viscera, which suggests that this diagnostic indicator has utility in veterinary patients. Mesenteric volvulus with GDV was successfully treated in a nondomestic species. The tooth root abscess, a common condition in macropods, may explain the historic episodes of anorexia reported by the owner and may have contributed to the development of mesenteric volvulus and GDV in this kangaroo.

What Is It Going to Be? Pattern and Potential Function of Natal Coat Change in Sexually Dichromatic Redfronted Lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barthold, Julia A; Fichtel, Claudia; Kappeler, Peter M

2009-01-01

In some primate species, pelage colorations at birth contrast with adult colorations. The intensity of natal coats and their phylogenetic distribution is highly variable within primates. Natal coat coloration seems to change to adult coloration in most species when infants become independent from...... their mothers, but an accepted functional explanation for natal coats is not available. Here we describe pelage coloration change in sexually dichromatic redfronted lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus) in Kirindy Forest, and propose a new functional hypothesis for this phenomenon. In this species, infants are born...... infants and 2) examined behavioral developmental correlates of the coloration change. The color change took place between 7 and 17 weeks of age and coincided with advanced physical independence; a pattern also found in monochromatic primate species with natal coats. No behavioral differences between male...

Going further South: new data on the breeding of Nyctalus noctula (Schreber, 1774 in Central Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tamás Görföl

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract We collected data on the reproduction of Nyctalus noctula in Hungary by mist-netting and monitoring bat boxes. The capture or observation of juveniles and lactating females were considered evidence of breeding. A total of 1413 N. noctula were mist-netted in four study areas, corresponding to 24 new breeding locations for Hungary. In southern Hungary, one breeding colony with 20-25 individuals was observed in a bat box in a protected park, while another was found in the hollow of a white poplar. Twenty lactating females and 3 juveniles were mist-netted in the Zemplén Mountains. Our data document the regular breeding of the species in Hungary, the breeding area being wider than previously reported. Further breeding colonies are likely to be located in the floodplain forests of some main rivers, such as the Tisza and the Danube. Riassunto Sempre più a sud: nuovi dati sull’areale riproduttivo di Nyctalus noctula (Schreber, 1774 in Europa centrale Tramite cattura con reti e il monitoraggio di cassette nido, sono stati raccolti dati inediti sulla riproduzione di Nyctalus noctula in Ungheria. Sono stati considerati prove certe di attività riproduttiva la cattura o l’osservazione di giovani o di femmine in allattamento. Sono stati censiti 1413 esemplari, per un totale di 24 nuovi siti di riproduzione ungheresi. Nell’Ungheria meridionale sono state osservate due nursery, una, con 20-25 individui, in una cassetta nido posizionata in un’area protetta e una nella cavità di un pioppo bianco. Venti femmine in allattamento e 3 giovani sono stati catturati nelle Zemplén Mountains. I dati raccolti dimostrano che la specie si riproduce regolarmente in Ungheria e che il suo areale riproduttivo è più esteso di quanto precedentemente segnalato. Ulteriori colonie riproduttive potrebbero essere localizzate nelle foreste ripariali dei principali fiumi

Infection with Toxoplasma gondii in a red kangaroo (Macropus rufus and a Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum in captivity

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Nataly Díaz-Ayala

Full Text Available Abstract Toxoplasmosis is an infectious, zoonotic and parasitic disease, caused by Toxoplasma gondii. In this manucript, two cases of infection with T. gondii in captive animals from a zoological park in the central region of Chile are described. One case was a red kangaroo (Macropus rufus, which is highly susceptible to the infection, and the other was a Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum, a rodent in which there is no previous report of the infection. Both animals had myocarditis, with the presence of intralesional tachizoites and cysts suggestive of infection with T. gondii. This infection was confirmed by immunohistochemistry in both animals. The origin of the infection is unknown, but it is likely that free ranging domestic felines were associated with the dissemination of the parasites. This highlights the importance of controlling the domestic animal populations in zoological parks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that T. gondii infection is described in a Patagonian mara, adding a new host for this infectious agent.

The importance of linear landscape elements for the pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus and the serotine bat Eptesicus serotinus.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verboom, B.; Huitema, H.

1997-01-01

The relation between two species of bats, the pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber, 1774)) and the serotine (Eptesicus serotinus (Schreber, 1774)) and linear landscape elements such as hedgerows, tree lines and tree lanes was studied in an agricultural area in The Netherlands. The

Urban landscapes can change virus gene flow and evolution in a fragmentation-sensitive carnivore

Science.gov (United States)

Fountain-Jones, Nicholas M.; Craft, Meggan E.; Funk, W. Chris; Kozakiewicz, Chris; Trumbo, Daryl; Boydston, Erin E.; Lyren, Lisa M.; Crooks, Kevin R.; Lee, Justin S.; VandeWoude, Sue; Carver, Scott

2017-01-01

Urban expansion has widespread impacts on wildlife species globally, including the transmission and emergence of infectious diseases. However, there is almost no information about how urban landscapes shape transmission dynamics in wildlife. Using an innovative phylodynamic approach combining host and pathogen molecular data with landscape characteristics and host traits, we untangle the complex factors that drive transmission networks of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) in bobcats (Lynx rufus). We found that the urban landscape played a significant role in shaping FIV transmission. Even though bobcats were often trapped within the urban matrix, FIV transmission events were more likely to occur in areas with more natural habitat elements. Urban fragmentation also resulted in lower rates of pathogen evolution, possibly owing to a narrower range of host genotypes in the fragmented area. Combined, our findings show that urban landscapes can have impacts on a pathogen and its evolution in a carnivore living in one of the most fragmented and urban systems in North America. The analytical approach used here can be broadly applied to other host-pathogen systems, including humans.

Mercury accumulation in native mammals of the Southeast

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cumbie, P.M.; Jenkins, J.H.

1974-01-01

Mercury levels in tissues of mammals collected in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina were compared using hair mercury concentration as an index of total mercury content. Bobcats (Lynx rufus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) and gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) from the Lower Coastal Plain of Georgia had higher mercury levels than specimens from the Upper Coastal Plain or Piedmont. The highest individual mercury levels in raccoons and bobcats occurred in specimens from the Georgia Lower Coastal Plain flatwoods. Skeletal muscle and liver of individual raccoons and bobcats taken in the coastal flatwoods exceeded the 0.5 ppm limit for mercury in human foodstuffs. No pattern of mercury accumulation was detected in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Hair analysis revealed elevated mercury levels in mammals from a region exposed to mercury pollution. Mercury levels in wildlife exhibit a pattern similar to that of certain fallout radioisotopes such as /sub 137/Cs. These observations indicate that significant biomagnification of mercury may occur in native mammals in certain southeastern habitats. 28 references, 6 tables.

Space Use and Habitat Selection by Resident and Transient Red Wolves (Canis rufus.

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Joseph W Hinton

Full Text Available Recovery of large carnivores remains a challenge because complex spatial dynamics that facilitate population persistence are poorly understood. In particular, recovery of the critically endangered red wolf (Canis rufus has been challenging because of its vulnerability to extinction via human-caused mortality and hybridization with coyotes (Canis latrans. Therefore, understanding red wolf space use and habitat selection is important to assist recovery because key aspects of wolf ecology such as interspecific competition, foraging, and habitat selection are well-known to influence population dynamics and persistence. During 2009-2011, we used global positioning system (GPS radio-telemetry to quantify space use and 3rd-order habitat selection for resident and transient red wolves on the Albemarle Peninsula of eastern North Carolina. The Albemarle Peninsula was a predominantly agricultural landscape in which red wolves maintained spatially stable home ranges that varied between 25 km2 and 190 km2. Conversely, transient red wolves did not maintain home ranges and traversed areas between 122 km2 and 681 km2. Space use by transient red wolves was not spatially stable and exhibited shifting patterns until residency was achieved by individual wolves. Habitat selection was similar between resident and transient red wolves in which agricultural habitats were selected over forested habitats. However, transients showed stronger selection for edges and roads than resident red wolves. Behaviors of transient wolves are rarely reported in studies of space use and habitat selection because of technological limitations to observed extensive space use and because they do not contribute reproductively to populations. Transients in our study comprised displaced red wolves and younger dispersers that competed for limited space and mating opportunities. Therefore, our results suggest that transiency is likely an important life-history strategy for red wolves that

Space use and habitat selection by resident and transient red wolves (Canis rufus)

Science.gov (United States)

Hinton, Joseph W.; Proctor, Christine; Kelly, Marcella J.; van Manen, Frank T.; Vaughan, Michael R.; Chamberlain, Michael J.

2016-01-01

Recovery of large carnivores remains a challenge because complex spatial dynamics that facilitate population persistence are poorly understood. In particular, recovery of the critically endangered red wolf (Canis rufus) has been challenging because of its vulnerability to extinction via human-caused mortality and hybridization with coyotes (Canis latrans). Therefore, understanding red wolf space use and habitat selection is important to assist recovery because key aspects of wolf ecology such as interspecific competition, foraging, and habitat selection are well-known to influence population dynamics and persistence. During 2009–2011, we used global positioning system (GPS) radio-telemetry to quantify space use and 3rd-order habitat selection for resident and transient red wolves on the Albemarle Peninsula of eastern North Carolina. The Albemarle Peninsula was a predominantly agricultural landscape in which red wolves maintained spatially stable home ranges that varied between 25 km2 and 190 km2. Conversely, transient red wolves did not maintain home ranges and traversed areas between 122 km2 and 681 km2. Space use by transient red wolves was not spatially stable and exhibited shifting patterns until residency was achieved by individual wolves. Habitat selection was similar between resident and transient red wolves in which agricultural habitats were selected over forested habitats. However, transients showed stronger selection for edges and roads than resident red wolves. Behaviors of transient wolves are rarely reported in studies of space use and habitat selection because of technological limitations to observed extensive space use and because they do not contribute reproductively to populations. Transients in our study comprised displaced red wolves and younger dispersers that competed for limited space and mating opportunities. Therefore, our results suggest that transiency is likely an important life-history strategy for red wolves that facilitates

Forecasts for the Canadian Lynx time series using method that bombine neural networks, wavelet shrinkage and decomposition

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Levi Lopes Teixeira

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Time series forecasting is widely used in various areas of human knowledge, especially in the planning and strategic direction of companies. The success of this task depends on the forecasting techniques applied. In this paper, a hybrid approach to project time series is suggested. To validate the methodology, a time series already modeled by other authors was chosen, allowing the comparison of results. The proposed methodology includes the following techniques: wavelet shrinkage, wavelet decomposition at level r, and artificial neural networks (ANN. Firstly, a time series to be forecasted is submitted to the proposed wavelet filtering method, which decomposes it to components of trend and linear residue. Then, both are decomposed via level r wavelet decomposition, generating r + 1 Wavelet Components (WCs for each one; and then each WC is individually modeled by an ANN. Finally, the predictions for all WCs are linearly combined, producing forecasts to the underlying time series. For evaluating purposes, the time series of Canadian Lynx has been used, and all results achieved by the proposed method were better than others in existing literature.

Secretion of whey acidic protein and cystatin is down regulated at mid-lactation in the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus)

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Nicholas, K.R.; Fisher, J.A.; Muths, E.; Trott, J.; Janssens, P.A.; Reich, C.; Shaw, D.C.

2001-01-01

Milk collected from the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) between day 100 and 260 of lactation showed major changes in milk composition at around day 200 of lactation, the time at which the pouch young begins to temporarily exit the pouch and eat herbage. The carbohydrate content of milk declined abruptly at this time and although there was only a small increase in total protein content, SDS PAGE analysis of milk revealed asynchrony in the secretory pattern of individual proteins. The levels of ??-lactalbumin, ??-lactoglobulin, serum albumin and transferrin remain unchanged during lactation. In contrast, the protease inhibitor cystatin, and the putative protease inhibitor whey acidic protein (WAP) first appeared in milk at elevated concentrations after approximately 150 days of lactation and then ceased to be secreted at approximately 200 days. In addition, a major whey protein, late lactation protein, was first detected in milk around the time whey acidic protein and cystatin cease to be secreted and was present at least until day 260 of lactation. The co-ordinated, but asynchronous secretion of putative protease inhibitors in milk may have several roles during lactation including tissue remodelling in the mammary gland and protecting specific proteins in milk required for physiological development of the dependent young. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science Inc.

Study of the Lynx-Cancer void galaxies. - V. The extremely isolated galaxy UGC 4722

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Chengalur, J. N.; Pustilnik, S. A.; Makarov, D. I.; Perepelitsyna, Y. A.; Safonova, E. S.; Karachentsev, I. D.

2015-04-01

We present a detailed study of the extremely isolated Sdm galaxy UGC 4722 (MB = -17.4) located in the nearby Lynx-Cancer void. UGC 4722 is a member of the Catalogue of Isolated Galaxies, and has also been identified as one of the most isolated galaxies in the Local Supercluster. Optical images of the galaxy however show that it has a peculiar morphology with an elongated ˜14 kpc-long plume. New observations with the Russian 6-m telescope (BTA) and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) of the ionized and neutral gas in UGC 4722 reveal the second component responsible for the disturbed morphology of the system. This is a small, almost completely destroyed, very gas-rich dwarf (MB = -15.2, M(H I)/LB ˜ 4.3) We estimate the oxygen abundance for both galaxies to be 12 + log (O/H) ˜ 7.5-7.6 which is two to three times lower than what is expected from the luminosity-metallicity relation for similar galaxies in denser environments. The ugr colours of the plume derived from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) images are consistent with a simple stellar population with a post starburst age of 0.45-0.5 Gyr. This system hence appears to be the first known case of a minor merger with a prominent tidal feature consisting of a young stellar population.

New World feline APOBEC3 potently controls inter-genus lentiviral transmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Konno, Yoriyuki; Nagaoka, Shumpei; Kimura, Izumi; Yamamoto, Keisuke; Kagawa, Yumiko; Kumata, Ryuichi; Aso, Hirofumi; Ueda, Mahoko Takahashi; Nakagawa, So; Kobayashi, Tomoko; Koyanagi, Yoshio; Sato, Kei

2018-04-10

The apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3; A3) gene family appears only in mammalian genomes. Some A3 proteins can be incorporated into progeny virions and inhibit lentiviral replication. In turn, the lentiviral viral infectivity factor (Vif) counteracts the A3-mediated antiviral effect by degrading A3 proteins. Recent investigations have suggested that lentiviral vif genes evolved to combat mammalian APOBEC3 proteins, and have further proposed that the Vif-A3 interaction may help determine the co-evolutionary history of cross-species lentiviral transmission in mammals. Here we address the co-evolutionary relationship between two New World felids, the puma (Puma concolor) and the bobcat (Lynx rufus), and their lentiviruses, which are designated puma lentiviruses (PLVs). We demonstrate that PLV-A Vif counteracts the antiviral action of APOBEC3Z3 (A3Z3) of both puma and bobcat, whereas PLV-B Vif counteracts only puma A3Z3. The species specificity of PLV-B Vif is irrespective of the phylogenic relationships of feline species in the genera Puma, Lynx and Acinonyx. We reveal that the amino acid at position 178 in the puma and bobcat A3Z3 is exposed on the protein surface and determines the sensitivity to PLV-B Vif-mediated degradation. Moreover, although both the puma and bobcat A3Z3 genes are polymorphic, their sensitivity/resistance to PLV Vif-mediated degradation is conserved. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study suggesting that the host A3 protein potently controls inter-genus lentiviral transmission. Our findings provide the first evidence suggesting that the co-evolutionary arms race between lentiviruses and mammals has occurred in the New World.

Postmortem evaluation of reintroduced migratory whooping cranes in eastern North America.

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Gretchen A; Thomas, Nancy J; Spalding, Marilyn; Stroud, Richard; Urbanek, Richard P; Hartup, Barry K

2009-01-01

Reintroduction of endangered Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) in eastern North America has successfully established a migratory population between Wisconsin and Florida. Eighty birds (47 males, 33 females) were released between 2001 and 2006, and all birds were tracked following release with satellite and/or VHF monitoring devices. By the end of 2006, 17 deaths (12 males, five females) were recorded from this population. Postmortem findings and field data were evaluated for each bird to determine the cause of death. Causes included predation (n=8, 47%), trauma (n=2, 12%), and degenerative disease (n=1, 6%); the cause of death was undetermined for 35% (n=6) of the birds. Based on physical evidence, the primary predator of the birds was the bobcat (Lynx rufus). Limited roosting habitat availability or bird behavior were likely prime factors in the occurrence of predation. Traumatic injuries and mortality were caused by gunshot, electrical utility lines, and an unknown source. The lone case of degenerative disease was due to chronic exertional myopathy associated with translocation. Available postmortem testing did not indicate the presence of infectious disease in this limited sample.

West Foster Creek Expansion Project 2007 HEP Report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ashley, Paul R.

2008-02-01

During April and May 2007, the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority's (CBFWA) Regional HEP Team (RHT) conducted baseline Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) (USFWS 1980, 1980a) analyses on five parcels collectively designated the West Foster Creek Expansion Project (3,756.48 acres). The purpose of the HEP analyses was to document extant habitat conditions and to determine how many baseline/protection habitat units (HUs) to credit Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) for funding maintenance and enhancement activities on project lands as partial mitigation for habitat losses associated with construction of Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph Dams. HEP evaluation models included mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), sharp-tailed grouse, (Tympanuchus phasianellus), Bobcat (Lynx rufus), mink (Neovison vison), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), and black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus). Combined 2007 baseline HEP results show that 4,946.44 habitat units were generated on 3,756.48 acres (1.32 HUs per acre). HEP results/habitat conditions were generally similar for like cover types at all sites. Unlike crediting of habitat units (HUs) on other WDFW owned lands, Bonneville Power Administration received full credit for HUs generated on these sites.

Data from camera surveys identifying co-occurrence and occupancy linkages between fishers (Pekania pennanti, rodent prey, mesocarnivores, and larger predators in mixed-conifer forests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rick A. Sweitzer

2016-03-01

Full Text Available These data provide additional information relevant to the frequency of fisher detections by camera traps, and single-season occupancy and local persistence of fishers in small patches of forest habitats detailed elsewhere, “Landscape Fuel Reduction, Forest Fire, and Biophysical Linkages to Local Habitat Use and Local Persistence of Fishers (Pekania pennanti in Sierra Nevada Mixed-conifer Forests” [10]. The data provides insight on camera trap detections of 3 fisher predators (bobcat [Lynx rufus]. Coyote [Canis latrans], mountain lion [Puma concolor], 5 mesocarnivores in the same foraging guild as fishers (gray fox [Urocyon cinereoargenteus] ringtail [Bassariscus astutus], marten [Martes americana], striped skunk [Mephitis mephitis] spotted skunk [Spilogale gracilis], and 5 Sciuridae rodents that fishers consume as prey (Douglas squirrel [Tamiasciurus douglasii], gray squirrel [Sciurus griseus], northern flying squirrel [Glaucomys sabrinus], long-eared chipmunk [Neotamias quadrimaculatus], California ground squirrel [Spermophilus beecheyi]. We used these data to identify basic patterns of co-occurrence with fishers, and to evaluate the relative importance of presence of competing mesocarnivores, rodent prey, and predators for fisher occupancy of small, 1 km2 grid cells of forest habitat. Keywords: Carnivores, Competition, Distribution, Foraging guild, Predation, Tree squirrels

Mycorrhization helper bacteria: a case of specificity for altering ectomycorrhiza architecture but not ectomycorrhiza formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Aspray, Thomas J; Frey-Klett, Pascale; Jones, Julie E; Whipps, John M; Garbaye, Jean; Bending, Gary D

2006-11-01

Mycorrhization helper bacteria (MHB), isolated from phylogenetically distinct ectomycorrhizal symbioses involving Lactarius rufus, Laccaria bicolor or Suillus luteus, were tested for fungus specificity to enhance L. rufus-Pinus sylvestris or L. bicolor-P. sylvestris mycorrhiza formation. As MHB isolated from the L. rufus and S. luteus mycorrhiza were originally characterised using a microcosm system, we assessed their ability to enhance mycorrhiza formation in a glasshouse system in order to determine the extent to which MHB are system-specific. Paenibacillus sp. EJP73, an MHB for L. rufus in the microcosm, significantly enhanced L. bicolor mycorrhiza formation in the glasshouse, demonstrating that the MHB effect of this bacterium is neither fungus-specific nor limited to the original experimental system. Although the five MHB strains studied were unable to significantly enhance L. rufus mycorrhiza formation, two of them did have a significant effect on dichotomous short root branching by L. rufus. The effect was specific to Paenibacillus sp. EJP73 and Burkholderia sp. EJP67, the two strains isolated from L. rufus mycorrhiza, and was not associated with auxin production. Altered mycorrhiza architecture rather than absolute number of mycorrhizal roots may be an important previously overlooked parameter for defining MHB effects.

Non-Deforming, High-Reflectance X-ray Coatings for Lynx and Other Future Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Windt, David

The overarching challenge addressed by this proposal is the development of highreflectance, high-resolution X-ray mirrors, to be used for the construction of lightweight X-ray telescopes for future NASA astronomy missions such as Lynx and others. The proposal's two specific aims are: 1) the development of optimized iridium-based interference coatings for the 0.1–10 keV band; and 2) the development of methods to mitigate coating-stress-induced substrate deformations in thin-shell glass and Si mirror segments. These goals will be achieved by building on established film deposition techniques and metrology infrastructure for X-ray optics that have been developed and advanced by the PI through APRA funding since 1999. Specific Aim #1: Interference Coatings for the 0.1–10 keV Energy Band Telescope effective area can be maximized by using Ir-based reflective coatings that exploit optical interference to provide higher reflectance than Ir alone. However, only preliminary investigations of such coatings have been conducted thus far; more research is required to fully optimize these coatings for maximum performance, to experimentally determine the coating designs that are feasible, and to determine the achievable X-ray reflectance, film stress, surface roughness, and thermal and temporal stability. The first specific aim of this proposal is to reach these very goals through a comprehensive research program. Demonstration of the achievable reflectance, stress, and roughness in stable, optimized coatings will in turn facilitate global telescope design optimization, by identifying the best coating for each mirror shell based on incidence angle, and on telescope effective-area and field-of-view requirements. The research has the potential to greatly increase the effective area of future X-ray telescopes. Specific Aim #2: Mitigation of Coating-Stress-Induced Substrate Deformations High-quality films of Ir and other candidate materials (e.g., B4C) to be investigated for the 0

Size‐assortative choice and mate availability influences hybridization between red wolves (Canis rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans)

Science.gov (United States)

Hinton, Joseph W.; Gittleman, John L.; van Manen, Frank T.; Chamberlain, Michael J.

2018-01-01

Anthropogenic hybridization of historically isolated taxa has become a primary conservation challenge for many imperiled species. Indeed, hybridization between red wolves (Canis rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans) poses a significant challenge to red wolf recovery. We considered seven hypotheses to assess factors influencing hybridization between red wolves and coyotes via pair‐bonding between the two species. Because long‐term monogamy and defense of all‐purpose territories are core characteristics of both species, mate choice has long‐term consequences. Therefore, red wolves may choose similar‐sized mates to acquire partners that behave similarly to themselves in the use of space and diet. We observed multiple factors influencing breeding pair formation by red wolves and found that most wolves paired with similar‐sized conspecifics and wolves that formed congeneric pairs with nonwolves (coyotes and hybrids) were mostly female wolves, the smaller of the two sexes. Additionally, we observed that lower red wolf abundance relative to nonwolves and the absence of helpers increased the probability that wolves consorted with nonwolves. However, successful pairings between red wolves and nonwolves were associated with wolves that maintained small home ranges. Behaviors associated with territoriality are energetically demanding and behaviors (e.g., aggressive interactions, foraging, and space use) involved in maintaining territories are influenced by body size. Consequently, we propose the hypothesis that size disparities between consorting red wolves and coyotes influence positive assortative mating and may represent a reproductive barrier between the two species. We offer that it may be possible to maintain wild populations of red wolves in the presence of coyotes if management strategies increase red wolf abundance on the landscape by mitigating key threats, such as human‐caused mortality and hybridization with coyotes. Increasing red wolf abundance would

Scat removal: A source of bias in feces-related studies

Science.gov (United States)

Livingston, T.R.; Gipson, P.S.; Ballard, W.B.; Sanchez, D.M.; Krausman, P.R.

2005-01-01

Consumption of feces (coprophagy) may alter findings of dietary studies and population estimates based on fecal analyses, but its magnitude is poorly understood. We investigated seasonal incidence of scat removal on Fort Riley, Kansas, from January through December 2000. We placed feces from captive bobcats (Lynx rufus), captive coyotes (Canis latrans), and free-ranging coyotes randomly on tracking stations in forest and prairie landscapes to determine rates of scat removal by local wildlife. Rates of removal of feces from captive bobcats, captive coyotes, and free-ranging coyotes varied from 7% during spring to 50% during summer. We identified opossums (Didelphis virginiana) as the most common species present at stations where scat removal occurred. Feces may be an important seasonal source of food for opossums and may provide seasonal dietary supplements for other species. Other factors responsible for disturbance of feces included a woodrat (Neotoma floridana) caching coyote feces, removal of captive coyote feces by free-ranging coyotes accompanied by deposition of fresh feces, a bobcat burying a captive bobcat sample and depositing fresh feces, and rain storms. Dietary studies based on fecal analyses could be biased by scat removal, assuming that contents in feces are representative of the proportion of foods consumed.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in captive mammals in three zoos in Mexico City, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarado-Esquivel, Cosme; Gayosso-Dominguez, Edgar Arturo; Villena, Isabelle; Dubey, J P

2013-09-01

Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were determined in 167 mammals in three zoos in Mexico City, Mexico, using the modified agglutination test (MAT). Overall, antibodies to T. gondii were found in 89 (53.3%) of the 167 animals tested. Antibodies were found in 35 of 43 wild Felidae: 2 of 2 bobcats (Lynx rufus); 4 of 4 cougars (Puma concolor); 10 of 13 jaguars (Panthera onca); 5 of 5 leopards (Panthera pardus); 7 of 7 lions (Panthera leo); 2 of 3 tigers (Panthera tigris); 2 of 3 ocelots (Leopardus pardalis); 2 of 2 Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae); lof 2 Jaguarundi (Herpailurus jagouaroundi); but not in 0 of 2 oncillas (Leopardus tigrinus). Such high seroprevalence in wild felids is of public health significance because of the potential of oocyst shedding. Four of 6 New World primates (2 of 2 Geoffroy's spider monkeys [Ateles geoffroyi], 1 of 3 Patas monkeys [Erythrocebus patas], and 1 of 1 white-headed capuchin [Cebus capucinus]) had high MAT titers of 3,200, suggesting recently acquired infection; these animals are highly susceptible to clinical toxoplasmosis. However, none of these animals were ill. Seropositivity to T. gondii was found for the first time in a number of species.

Isolation of Bartonella henselae, Bartonella koehlerae subsp. koehlerae, Bartonella koehlerae subsp. bothieri and a new subspecies of B. koehlerae from free-ranging lions (Panthera leo) from South Africa, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) from Namibia and captive cheetahs from California.

Science.gov (United States)

Molia, S; Kasten, R W; Stuckey, M J; Boulouis, H J; Allen, J; Borgo, G M; Koehler, J E; Chang, C C; Chomel, B B

2016-11-01

Bartonellae are blood- and vector-borne Gram-negative bacteria, recognized as emerging pathogens. Whole-blood samples were collected from 58 free-ranging lions (Panthera leo) in South Africa and 17 cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) from Namibia. Blood samples were also collected from 11 cheetahs (more than once for some of them) at the San Diego Wildlife Safari Park. Bacteria were isolated from the blood of three (5%) lions, one (6%) Namibian cheetah and eight (73%) cheetahs from California. The lion Bartonella isolates were identified as B. henselae (two isolates) and B. koehlerae subsp. koehlerae. The Namibian cheetah strain was close but distinct from isolates from North American wild felids and clustered between B. henselae and B. koehlerae. It should be considered as a new subspecies of B. koehlerae. All the Californian semi-captive cheetah isolates were different from B. henselae or B. koehlerae subsp. koehlerae and from the Namibian cheetah isolate. They were also distinct from the strains isolated from Californian mountain lions (Felis concolor) and clustered with strains of B. koehlerae subsp. bothieri isolated from free-ranging bobcats (Lynx rufus) in California. Therefore, it is likely that these captive cheetahs became infected by an indigenous strain for which bobcats are the natural reservoir.

Use of non-invasive genetics to generate core-area population estimates of a threatened predator in the Superior National Forest, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Barber-Meyer, Shannon; Ryan, Daniel; Grosshuesch, David; Catton, Timothy; Malick-Wahls, Sarah

2018-01-01

Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) are found in boreal forests of Canada and Alaska and range southward into the contiguous United States. Much less is understood about lynx in their southern range compared to northern populations. Because lynx are currently listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act but have recently been recommended for delisting, information on their southern populations is important for lynx recovery, conservation, and management. We used non-invasive, genetic data collected during lynx snowtracking surveys from 2012-2017 to generate core-area estimates of abundance, trend and density in selected core areas of the Superior National Forest of Minnesota, USA. Lynx abundance estimates averaged 41.8 (SD=14.7, range=24-67) during 2012-2017 in the smaller

Fused silica segments: a possible solution for x-ray telescopes with very high angular resolution like Lynx/XRS

Science.gov (United States)

Salmaso, Bianca; Basso, Stefano; Civitani, Marta; Ghigo, Mauro; Hołyszko, Joanna; Spiga, Daniele; Vecchi, Gabriele; Pareschi, Giovanni

2017-09-01

In order to look beyond Chandra, the Lynx/XRS mission has been proposed in USA and is currently studied by NASA. The optic will have an effective area of 2.5 m2 and an angular resolution of 0.5 arcsec HEW at 1 keV. In order to fulfill these requirements different technologies are considered, with the approaches of both full and segmented shells (that, possibly, can be also combined together). Concerning the production of segmented mirrors, a variety of thin substrates (glass, metal, silicon) are envisaged, that can be produced using both direct polishing or replication methods. Innovative post-fabrication correction methods (such as piezoelectric or magneto-restrictive film actuators on the back surface, differential deposition, ion implantation) are being also considered in order to reach the final tolerances. In this paper we are presenting a technology development based on fused silica (SiO2) segmented substrates, owing the low coefficient of thermal expansion of Fused Silica and its high chemical stability compared to other glasses. Thin SiO2 segmented substrates (typically 2 mm thick) are figured by direct polishing combined with final profile ion figuring correction, while the roughness reduction is reached with pitch tools. For the profile and roughness correction, the segments are glued to a substrate. In this paper we present the current status of this technology.

Environmental Assessment: Space Innovation and Development Center Schriever AFB, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

2006-03-01

coloradensis T Greenback cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki stomias T Least tern (interior population) .A Sterna antillarum E Mexican spotted owl Strix...Haliaeetus leucocephalus T Boreal toad Bufo boreas boreas c Canada lynx Lynx canadensis T Greenback cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki stomias T Least...T CUSTER Bald eagle IIaliaeetus leucocephalus T Canada lynx Lynx canadensis T Greenback cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki stomias T Mexican

Assessing transmissible spongiform encephalopathy species barriers with an in vitro prion protein conversion assay

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Christopher J.; Carlson, Christina M.; Morawski, Aaron R.; Manthei, Alyson; Cashman, Neil R.

2015-01-01

Studies to understanding interspecies transmission of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs, prion diseases) are challenging in that they typically rely upon lengthy and costly in vivo animal challenge studies. A number of in vitro assays have been developed to aid in measuring prion species barriers, thereby reducing animal use and providing quicker results than animal bioassays. Here, we present the protocol for a rapid in vitroprion conversion assay called the conversion efficiency ratio (CER) assay. In this assay cellular prion protein (PrPC) from an uninfected host brain is denatured at both pH 7.4 and 3.5 to produce two substrates. When the pH 7.4 substrate is incubated with TSE agent, the amount of PrPC that converts to a proteinase K (PK)-resistant state is modulated by the original host’s species barrier to the TSE agent. In contrast, PrPC in the pH 3.5 substrate is misfolded by any TSE agent. By comparing the amount of PK-resistant prion protein in the two substrates, an assessment of the host’s species barrier can be made. We show that the CER assay correctly predicts known prion species barriers of laboratory mice and, as an example, show some preliminary results suggesting that bobcats (Lynx rufus) may be susceptible to white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) chronic wasting disease agent.

Predicting carnivore occurrence with noninvasive surveys and occupancy modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Robert A.; Donovan, Therese M.; MacKay, Paula; Zielinski, William J.; Buzas, Jeffrey S.

2011-01-01

Terrestrial carnivores typically have large home ranges and exist at low population densities, thus presenting challenges to wildlife researchers. We employed multiple, noninvasive survey methods—scat detection dogs, remote cameras, and hair snares—to collect detection–nondetection data for elusive American black bears (Ursus americanus), fishers (Martes pennanti), and bobcats (Lynx rufus) throughout the rugged Vermont landscape. We analyzed these data using occupancy modeling that explicitly incorporated detectability as well as habitat and landscape variables. For black bears, percentage of forested land within 5 km of survey sites was an important positive predictor of occupancy, and percentage of human developed land within 5 km was a negative predictor. Although the relationship was less clear for bobcats, occupancy appeared positively related to the percentage of both mixed forest and forested wetland habitat within 1 km of survey sites. The relationship between specific covariates and fisher occupancy was unclear, with no specific habitat or landscape variables directly related to occupancy. For all species, we used model averaging to predict occurrence across the study area. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses of our black bear and fisher models suggested that occupancy modeling efforts with data from noninvasive surveys could be useful for carnivore conservation and management, as they provide insights into habitat use at the regional and landscape scale without requiring capture or direct observation of study species.

Effects of urbanization on carnivore species distribution and richness

Science.gov (United States)

Ordenana, Miguel A.; Crooks, Kevin R.; Boydston, Erin E.; Fisher, Robert N.; Lyren, Lisa M.; Siudyla, Shalene; Haas, Christopher D.; Harris, Sierra; Hathaway, Stacie A.; Turschak, Greta M.; Miles, A. Keith; Van Vuren, Dirk H.

2010-01-01

Urban development can have multiple effects on mammalian carnivore communities. We conducted a meta-analysis of 7,929 photographs from 217 localities in 11 camera-trap studies across coastal southern California to describe habitat use and determine the effects of urban proximity (distance to urban edge) and intensity (percentage of area urbanized) on carnivore occurrence and species richness in natural habitats close to the urban boundary. Coyotes (Canis latrans) and bobcats (Lynx rufus) were distributed widely across the region. Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), raccoons (Procyon lotor), gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), mountain lions (Puma concolor), and Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) were detected less frequently, and long-tailed weasels (Mustela frenata), American badgers (Taxidea taxus), western spotted skunks (Spilogale gracilis), and domestic cats (Felis catus) were detected rarely. Habitat use generally reflected availability for most species. Coyote and raccoon occurrence increased with both proximity to and intensity of urbanization, whereas bobcat, gray fox, and mountain lion occurrence decreased with urban proximity and intensity. Domestic dogs and Virginia opossums exhibited positive and weak negative relationships, respectively, with urban intensity but were unaffected by urban proximity. Striped skunk occurrence increased with urban proximity but decreased with urban intensity. Native species richness was negatively associated with urban intensity but not urban proximity, probably because of the stronger negative response of individual species to urban intensity.

Use of stratigraphic models as soft information to constrain stochastic modeling of rock properties: Development of the GSLIB-Lynx integration module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cromer, M.V.; Rautman, C.A.

1995-10-01

Rock properties in volcanic units at Yucca Mountain are controlled largely by relatively deterministic geologic processes related to the emplacement, cooling, and alteration history of the tuffaceous lithologic sequence. Differences in the lithologic character of the rocks have been used to subdivide the rock sequence into stratigraphic units, and the deterministic nature of the processes responsible for the character of the different units can be used to infer the rock material properties likely to exist in unsampled regions. This report proposes a quantitative, theoretically justified method of integrating interpretive geometric models, showing the three-dimensional distribution of different stratigraphic units, with numerical stochastic simulation techniques drawn from geostatistics. This integration of soft, constraining geologic information with hard, quantitative measurements of various material properties can produce geologically reasonable, spatially correlated models of rock properties that are free from stochastic artifacts for use in subsequent physical-process modeling, such as the numerical representation of ground-water flow and radionuclide transport. Prototype modeling conducted using the GSLIB-Lynx Integration Module computer program, known as GLINTMOD, has successfully demonstrated the proposed integration technique. The method involves the selection of stratigraphic-unit-specific material-property expected values that are then used to constrain the probability function from which a material property of interest at an unsampled location is simulated

Energy, water and space use by free-living red kangaroos Macropus rufus and domestic sheep Ovis aries in an Australian rangeland.

Science.gov (United States)

Munn, A J; Dawson, T J; McLeod, S R; Dennis, T; Maloney, S K

2013-08-01

We used doubly labelled water to measure field metabolic rates (FMR) and water turnover rates (WTR) in one of Australia's largest native herbivores, the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) and one of Australia's dominant livestock species, the wool-breed Merino sheep, under free-living conditions in a typical Australian rangeland. Also, we used GPS technology to examine animal space use, along with the comparisons of urine concentration, diet, diet digestibility, and subsequent grazing pressures. We found smaller space-use patterns than previously reported for kangaroos, which were between 14 and 25 % those of sheep. The FMR of a 25-kg kangaroo was 30 % that of a 45-kg sheep, while WTR was 15 % and both were associated with smaller travel distances, lower salt intakes, and higher urine concentration in kangaroos than sheep. After accounting for differences in dry matter digestibility of food eaten by kangaroos (51 %) and sheep (58 %), the relative grazing pressure of a standard (mature, non-reproductive) 25-kg kangaroo was 35 % that of a 45-kg sheep. Even for animals of the same body mass (35 kg), the relative grazing pressure of the kangaroo was estimated to be only 44 % that of the sheep. After accounting for the energetic costs of wool growth by sheep, the FMRs of our sheep and kangaroos were 2-3 times their expected BMRs, which is typical for mammalian FMR:BMRs generally. Notably, data collected from our free-living animals were practically identical to those from animals confined to a semi-natural enclosure (collected in an earlier study under comparable environmental conditions), supporting the idea that FMRs are relatively constrained within species.

A baseline and watershed assessment in the Lynx Creek, Brenot Creek, and Portage Creek watersheds near Hudson's Hope, BC : summary report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matscha, G.; Sutherland, D.

2005-06-01

This report summarized a baseline monitoring program for the Lynx Creek, Brenot Creek, and Portage Creek watersheds located near Hudson's Hope, British Columbia (BC). The monitoring program was designed to more accurately determine the effects of potential coalbed gas developments in the region, as well as to assess levels of agricultural and forest harvesting, and the impacts of current land use activities on water quantity and quality. Water quality was sampled at 18 sites during 5 different flow regimes, including summer and fall low flows; ice cover; spring run-off; and high flows after a heavy summer rain event. Sample sites were located up and downstream of both forest and agricultural activities. The water samples were analyzed for 70 contaminants including ions, nutrients, metals, hydrocarbons, and hydrocarbon fractions. Results showed that while many analyzed parameters met current BC water quality guidelines, total organic carbon, manganese, cadmium, E. coli, fecal coliforms, and fecal streptococci often exceeded recommended guidelines. Aluminum and cobalt values exceeded drinking water guidelines. The samples also had a slightly alkaline pH and showed high conductance. A multiple barrier approach was recommended to reduce potential risks of contamination from the watersheds. It was concluded that a more refined bacteria source tracking method is needed to determine whether fecal pollution has emanated from human, livestock or wildlife sources. 1 tab., 9 figs

[Early sibling aggression in mammals and its hormonal correlates].

Science.gov (United States)

Antonevich, A L; Naĭdenko, S V

2007-01-01

Early sibling aggression is a widespread phenomenon in birds. Ornithologists distinguish species with "obligate" and "facultative" siblicide. Sibling aggression was described in some mammal species: the domestic pig (Sus scrofa), the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), and the Iberian lynx (L. par-dinus). In all of them, sibling aggression corresponds well with the "facultative" siblicide model in birds. Sibling aggression was observed at the age of 36-64 days in both lynx species. It is usually restricted to a single fight and can change the hierarchical structure and growth rate of the kittens. In the spotted hyena and the domestic pig, the frequency and intensity of aggressive interactions between siblings are strongest during the first days of postnatal ontogeny and then decrease gradually. The newborns of these species are much developed than newborn lynx kittens. Usually adult lynx females, in contrast to hyenas and pigs, try to stop sibling fights. This is probably related to the larger parental investment at the time of the fight in lynxes (a kitten's body weight is about 10% of the mother's) than in pigs (0.5%) and hyenas (1.9%). Sibling aggression in spotted hyenas could be related to the high level of androstenedione and is not related to testosterone concentration. In the Eurasian lynx, female sibs attack their littermates slightly more often than male sibs do, and sibling aggression is not testosterone-dependent. Hormones secreted by the adrenal glands may play an important role in this phenomenon. The data available so far, however, do not positively confirm the presence of hormonal trigger effects in mammal sibling aggression.

Selective Predation of a Stalking Predator on Ungulate Prey.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Heurich

Full Text Available Prey selection is a key factor shaping animal populations and evolutionary dynamics. An optimal forager should target prey that offers the highest benefits in terms of energy content at the lowest costs. Predators are therefore expected to select for prey of optimal size. Stalking predators do not pursue their prey long, which may lead to a more random choice of prey individuals. Due to difficulties in assessing the composition of available prey populations, data on prey selection of stalking carnivores are still scarce. We show how the stalking predator Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx selects prey individuals based on species identity, age, sex and individual behaviour. To address the difficulties in assessing prey population structure, we confirm inferred selection patterns by using two independent data sets: (1 data of 387 documented kills of radio-collared lynx were compared to the prey population structure retrieved from systematic camera trapping using Manly's standardized selection ratio alpha and (2 data on 120 radio-collared roe deer were analysed using a Cox proportional hazards model. Among the larger red deer prey, lynx selected against adult males-the largest and potentially most dangerous prey individuals. In roe deer lynx preyed selectively on males and did not select for a specific age class. Activity during high risk periods reduced the risk of falling victim to a lynx attack. Our results suggest that the stalking predator lynx actively selects for size, while prey behaviour induces selection by encounter and stalking success rates.

Epizootic and zoonotic helminths of the bobcat (Lynx rufus in Illinois and a comparison of its helminth component communities across the American Midwest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiestand Shelby J.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A total of 6257 helminths of 19 taxa were recovered from the digestive tract and lungs of 67 bobcats in Illinois. Infections caused by Alaria mustelae, Diphyllobothrium latum, and Macracanthorhynchus ingens are reported for the first time in bobcats. From all the taxa recovered, only three species occurred in high prevalence and caused intense infections: Taenia rileyi, Alaria marcianae, and Toxocara cati, with prevalence and mean intensity of 70% and 6; 42% and 193, and 25% and 14 individuals, respectively. Prevalence lower than 15% of 14 helminth species suggests bobcats are not continuously exposed to infective stages of a single parasite, and may be exposed to a large variety of generalists during their lifespan. No significant difference in parasite species according to host sex or age was detected, except for Diphyllobothrium spp., which were found more frequently in females and in trapped bobcats, and the hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum, which infected juveniles more frequently. Average species richness per infracommunity was 2.4 (±1.2, and the parasite component community showed low qualitative similarity with neighbor communities. The taxa A. caninum, Alaria spp., Diphyllobothrium spp., Paragonimus kellicotti, and T. cati are etiological agents of epizootic and zoonotic diseases.

Usability of large carnivore as a keystone species in Eastern Black ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of the study was to investigate the keystone species property of Brown bear (Ursus arctos), Wolf (Canis lupus) and Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). The main selecting criteria for keystone species can be summarized as top predator or large carnivore important prey species or provide key resources and species having ...

ENS Implementation - Part of the PSO Eltra contract 4524/2003

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Teodorescu, Remus; Blaabjerg, Frede; Asiminoaei, Lucian

with PowerLynx A/S for the development of the ENS function for the PowerLynx PV inverters. The work started 01.01.03 and ended 29.02.04 and involved Frede Blaabjerg, Remus Teodorescu, Lucian Asiminoaei and Adrian Timbus from Aalborg University and Uffe Borup from PowerLynx A/S. The objective was ...

Selecting habitat to survive: the impact of road density on survival in a large carnivore.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathieu Basille

Full Text Available Habitat selection studies generally assume that animals select habitat and food resources at multiple scales to maximise their fitness. However, animals sometimes prefer habitats of apparently low quality, especially when considering the costs associated with spatially heterogeneous human disturbance. We used spatial variation in human disturbance, and its consequences on lynx survival, a direct fitness component, to test the Hierarchical Habitat Selection hypothesis from a population of Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx in southern Norway. Data from 46 lynx monitored with telemetry indicated that a high proportion of forest strongly reduced the risk of mortality from legal hunting at the home range scale, while increasing road density strongly increased such risk at the finer scale within the home range. We found hierarchical effects of the impact of human disturbance, with a higher road density at a large scale reinforcing its negative impact at a fine scale. Conversely, we demonstrated that lynx shifted their habitat selection to avoid areas with the highest road densities within their home ranges, thus supporting a compensatory mechanism at fine scale enabling lynx to mitigate the impact of large-scale disturbance. Human impact, positively associated with high road accessibility, was thus a stronger driver of lynx space use at a finer scale, with home range characteristics nevertheless constraining habitat selection. Our study demonstrates the truly hierarchical nature of habitat selection, which aims at maximising fitness by selecting against limiting factors at multiple spatial scales, and indicates that scale-specific heterogeneity of the environment is driving individual spatial behaviour, by means of trade-offs across spatial scales.

Strategic Integration of Multiple Bioinformatics Resources for System Level Analysis of Biological Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Souza, Mark; Sulakhe, Dinanath; Wang, Sheng; Xie, Bing; Hashemifar, Somaye; Taylor, Andrew; Dubchak, Inna; Conrad Gilliam, T; Maltsev, Natalia

2017-01-01

Recent technological advances in genomics allow the production of biological data at unprecedented tera- and petabyte scales. Efficient mining of these vast and complex datasets for the needs of biomedical research critically depends on a seamless integration of the clinical, genomic, and experimental information with prior knowledge about genotype-phenotype relationships. Such experimental data accumulated in publicly available databases should be accessible to a variety of algorithms and analytical pipelines that drive computational analysis and data mining.We present an integrated computational platform Lynx (Sulakhe et al., Nucleic Acids Res 44:D882-D887, 2016) ( http://lynx.cri.uchicago.edu ), a web-based database and knowledge extraction engine. It provides advanced search capabilities and a variety of algorithms for enrichment analysis and network-based gene prioritization. It gives public access to the Lynx integrated knowledge base (LynxKB) and its analytical tools via user-friendly web services and interfaces. The Lynx service-oriented architecture supports annotation and analysis of high-throughput experimental data. Lynx tools assist the user in extracting meaningful knowledge from LynxKB and experimental data, and in the generation of weighted hypotheses regarding the genes and molecular mechanisms contributing to human phenotypes or conditions of interest. The goal of this integrated platform is to support the end-to-end analytical needs of various translational projects.

First evidence of hemoplasma infection in free-ranging Namibian cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).

Science.gov (United States)

Krengel, Annika; Meli, Marina L; Cattori, Valentino; Wachter, Bettina; Willi, Barbara; Thalwitzer, Susanne; Melzheimer, Jörg; Hofer, Heribert; Lutz, Hans; Hofmann-Lehmann, Regina

2013-03-23

Infections with feline hemotropic mycoplasmas (hemoplasmas) have been documented in domestic cats and free-ranging feline species with high prevalences in Iberian lynxes (Lynx pardinus), Eurasian lynxes (Lynx lynx), European wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris), African lions (Panthera leo) in Tanzania and domestic cats in South Africa. The prevalence of hemoplasmas has not yet been investigated in free-ranging felids in southern Africa. In this study we screened 73 blood samples from 61 cheetahs in central Namibia for the presence of hemoplasmas using quantitative real-time PCR. One of the cheetahs tested PCR-positive. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA and RNAse P genes revealed that the isolate belongs to the Mycoplasma haemofelis/haemocanis group. This is the first molecular evidence of a hemoplasma infection in a free-ranging cheetah. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ventilatory accommodation of oxygen demand and respiratory water loss in kangaroos from mesic and arid environments, the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) and the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus).

Science.gov (United States)

Dawson, T J; Munn, A J; Blaney, C E; Krockenberger, A; Maloney, S K

2000-01-01

We studied ventilation in kangaroos from mesic and arid environments, the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) and the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus), respectively, within the range of ambient temperatures (T(a)) from -5 degrees to 45 degrees C. At thermoneutral temperatures (Ta=25 degrees C), there were no differences between the species in respiratory frequency, tidal volume, total ventilation, or oxygen extraction. The ventilatory patterns of the kangaroos were markedly different from those predicted from the allometric equation derived for placentals. The kangaroos had low respiratory frequencies and higher tidal volumes, even when adjustment was made for their lower basal metabolism. At Ta>25 degrees C, ventilation was increased in the kangaroos to facilitate respiratory water loss, with percent oxygen extraction being markedly lowered. Ventilation was via the nares; the mouth was closed. Differences in ventilation between the two species occurred at higher temperatures, and at 45 degrees C were associated with differences in respiratory evaporative heat loss, with that of M. giganteus being higher. Panting in kangaroos occurred as a graded increase in respiratory frequency, during which tidal volume was lowered. When panting, the desert red kangaroo had larger tidal volumes and lower respiratory frequencies at equivalent T(a) than the eastern grey kangaroo, which generally inhabits mesic forests. The inference made from this pattern is that the red kangaroo has the potential to increase respiratory evaporative heat loss to a greater level.

Description and life-cycle of Taenia lynciscapreoli sp. n. (Cestoda, Cyclophyllidea)

Science.gov (United States)

Haukisalmi, Voitto; Konyaev, Sergey; Lavikainen, Antti; Isomursu, Marja; Nakao, Minoru

2016-01-01

Abstract A new species of tapeworm, Taenia lynciscapreoli sp. n. (Cestoda, Cyclophyllidea), is described from the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the main definitive host, and the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus and Capreolus pygargus), the main intermediate hosts, from Finland and Russia (Siberia and the Russian Far East). The new species was found once also in the wolf (Canis lupus) and the Eurasian elk/moose (Alces alces), representing accidental definitive and intermediate hosts, respectively. The conspecificity of adult specimens and metacestodes of Taenia lynciscapreoli sp. n. in various host species and regions, and their distinction from related species of Taenia, was confirmed by partial nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene. Morphologically, Taenia lynciscapreoli sp. n. can be separated unambiguously from all other species of Taenia by the shape of its large rostellar hooks, particularly the characteristically short, wide and strongly curved blade. If the large rostellar hooks are missing, Taenia lynciscapreoli may be separated from related species by a combination of morphological features of mature proglottids. It is suggested that Taenia lynciscapreoli has been present in published materials concerning the tapeworms of Lynx lynx and Lynx pardinus in Europe, but has been misidentified as Taenia pisiformis (Bloch, 1780). Taenia lynciscapreoli sp. n. has not been found in lynx outside the range of roe deer, suggesting a transmission pathway based on a specific predator–prey relationship. The present study applies a novel, simple approach to compare qualitative interspecific differences in the shape of rostellar hooks. PMID:27199592

Le survivant sans le syndrome Schreber

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Figuier

2006-09-01

Full Text Available On a pensé la catastrophe, mais a-t-on suffisamment pensé la survivance et la figure du survivant ? Ce n'est pas un hasard si celle-ci est au centre de Masse et puissance, oeuvre dans laquelle Canetti interroge la « mauvaise » survivance responsable de la poursuite de la logique de guerre. Mais où trouver la « bonne » ? Revenir de la catastrophe ne suffit pas pour être un « survivant authentique », selon l'expression de Kafka. Il faut avoir dépassé, avec Primo Levi et Robert Antelme, l'opposition de la vie comme croissance continue et de la mort comme son horrible contraire, par le don, dans la pauvreté solidaire, de cette vie retrouvée.Hemos reflexionado acerca de la catástrofe, pero ¿hemos meditado lo suficiente sobre la supervivencia y el superviviente? No es una coincidencia si el superviviente es el tema principal de Masse et puissance, obra en la cual Canetti analiza la «mala» supervivencia responsable de la persistencia de la lógica de guerra ¿Dónde sin embargo podemos encontrar la «buena» supervivencia? Superar la catástrofe no es suficiente para ser un «auténtico superviviente», según Kafka. Es fundamental ir más allá, con Primo Levi y Robert Antelme, de la oposición entre la vida, como crecimiento continuo, y la muerte, como su espantoso contrario, mediante la donación de forma solidaria de esta vida reencontrada.Disaster is the theme of many studies, but what about survival and of the figure of the survivor? This issue is central in Mass and power, work in which Canetti questions the “bad” survival, responsible for the continuation of the logic of war. But is there any “good” survival? Coming back from the catastrophe is not enough to be an “authentic survivor”, according to Kafka’s expression. To achieve this, it is necessary to have exceeded, with PrimoLevi and Robert Antelme, the opposition of life as a continuous growth and of death as its horrible opposite, by the gift, in a shared poverty, of this found again life.

Mapping the social network: tracking lice in a wild primate (Microcebus rufus population to infer social contacts and vector potential

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zohdy Sarah

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Studies of host-parasite interactions have the potential to provide insights into the ecology of both organisms involved. We monitored the movement of sucking lice (Lemurpediculus verruculosus, parasites that require direct host-host contact to be transferred, in their host population of wild mouse lemurs (Microcebus rufus. These lemurs live in the rainforests of Madagascar, are small (40 g, arboreal, nocturnal, solitary foraging primates for which data on population-wide interactions are difficult to obtain. We developed a simple, cost effective method exploiting the intimate relationship between louse and lemur, whereby individual lice were marked, without removal from their host, with an individualized code, and tracked throughout the lemur population. We then tested the hypotheses that 1 the frequency of louse transfers, and thus interactions, would decrease with increasing distance between paired individual lemurs; 2 due to host polygynandry, social interactions and hence louse transfers would increase during the onset of the breeding season; and 3 individual mouse lemurs would vary in their contributions to the spread of lice. Results We show that louse transfers involved 43.75% of the studied lemur population, exclusively males. Louse transfers peaked during the breeding season, perhaps due to increased social interactions between lemurs. Although trap-based individual lemur ranging patterns are restricted, louse transfer rate does not correlate with the distance between lemur trapping locales, indicating wider host ranging behavior and a greater risk of rapid population-wide pathogen transmission than predicted by standard trapping data alone. Furthermore, relatively few lemur individuals contributed disproportionately to the rapid spread of lice throughout the population. Conclusions Using a simple method, we were able to visualize exchanges of lice in a population of cryptic wild primates. This method not only

Sensitivity of a methematical model used to optimize revenue in a predation-competative farming environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Swart

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Sheep farmers in the Cape Midlands region of South Africa frequently sustain stock losses through predation by caracal lynx. Further losses are incurred when hyrax compete with sheep for available pasture. Hyrax constitute the natural prey for lynx with the result that culling either hyrax or lynx has complicated feedback effects. In order to investigate the spill-over problems from the natural predator-prey system on farming revenue, a differential equations model was previously formulated, comprising the sectors Hyrax, Lynx, Sheep, Pasture and Revenue and an optimisation procedure was used to determine the optimal culling rate policy for farmers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the numerical, behavioural and policy sensitivity of this model to parameter uncertainty.

Njv Magazine 3 final

African Journals Online (AJOL)

En-Joy

diseases, including neoplasia (Done, 1996), viral (Buffetaut and Upton, 1997;. Jacopson, 1989), bacterial (Foggin, 1987) mycotic (Jacopson, 1989) and parasitic .... LECLAIR Jr., R and CASTANET, J. A. (1987): Skeletochronological assessment of age and growth in the frog Rana pipiens Schreber. (Amphibia, Anura) from.

Top predators, mesopredators and their prey: interference ecosystems along bioclimatic productivity gradients.

Science.gov (United States)

Elmhagen, B; Ludwig, G; Rushton, S P; Helle, P; Lindén, H

2010-07-01

1. The Mesopredator Release Hypothesis (MRH) suggests that top predator suppression of mesopredators is a key ecosystem function with cascading impacts on herbivore prey, but it remains to be shown that this top-down cascade impacts the large-scale structure of ecosystems. 2. The Exploitation Ecosystems Hypothesis (EEH) predicts that regional ecosystem structures are determined by top-down exploitation and bottom-up productivity. In contrast to MRH, EEH assumes that interference among predators has a negligible impact on the structure of ecosystems with three trophic levels. 3. We use the recolonization of a top predator in a three-level boreal ecosystem as a natural experiment to test if large-scale biomass distributions and population trends support MRH. Inspired by EEH, we also test if top-down interference and bottom-up productivity impact regional ecosystem structures. 4. We use data from the Finnish Wildlife Triangle Scheme which has monitored top predator (lynx, Lynx lynx), mesopredator (red fox, Vulpes vulpes) and prey (mountain hare, Lepus timidus) abundance for 17 years in a 200 000 km(2) study area which covers a distinct productivity gradient. 5. Fox biomass was lower than expected from productivity where lynx biomass was high, whilst hare biomass was lower than expected from productivity where fox biomass was high. Hence, where interference controlled fox abundance, lynx had an indirect positive impact on hare abundance as predicted by MRH. The rates of change indicated that lynx expansion gradually suppressed fox biomass. 6. Lynx status caused shifts between ecosystem structures. In the 'interference ecosystem', lynx and hare biomass increased with productivity whilst fox biomass did not. In the 'mesopredator release ecosystem', fox biomass increased with productivity but hare biomass did not. Thus, biomass controlled top-down did not respond to changes in productivity. This fulfils a critical prediction of EEH. 7. We conclude that the cascade

A Borrelia afzelii Infection Increases Larval Tick Burden on Myodes glareolus (Rodentia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duijvendijk, van Gilian; Andel, van Wouter; Fonville, Manoj; Gort, Gerrit; Hovius, Joppe W.; Sprong, Hein; Takken, Willem

2017-01-01

Several microorganisms have been shown to manipulate their host or vector to enhance their own transmission. Here we examined whether an infection with Borrelia afzelii affects its transmission between its bank vole (Myodes glareolus, Schreber, 1780) host and tick vector. Captive-bred bank voles

Carnivore distributions across chaparral habitats exposed to wildfire and rural housing in southern California

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Schuette, P.A.; Diffendorfer, J.E.; Deutschman, D.H.; Tremor, S.; Spencer, W.

2014-01-01

Chaparral and coastal sage scrub habitats in southern California support biologically diverse plant and animal communities. However, native plant and animal species within these shrubland systems are increasingly exposed to human-caused wildfires and an expansion of the human–wildland interface. Few data exist to evaluate the effects of fire and anthropogenic pressures on plant and animal communities found in these environments. This is particularly true for carnivore communities. To address this knowledge gap, we collected detection–non-detection data with motion-sensor cameras and track plots to measure carnivore occupancy patterns following a large, human-caused wildfire (1134 km2) in eastern San Diego County, California, USA, in 2003. Our focal species set included coyote (Canis latrans), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), bobcat (Lynx rufus) and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis). We evaluated the influence on species occupancies of the burned environment (burn edge, burn interior and unburned areas), proximity of rural homes, distance to riparian area and elevation. Gray fox occupancies were the highest overall, followed by striped skunk, coyote and bobcat. The three species considered as habitat and foraging generalists (gray fox, coyote, striped skunk) were common in all conditions. Occupancy patterns were consistent through time for all species except coyote, whose occupancies increased through time. In addition, environmental and anthropogenic variables had weak effects on all four species, and these responses were species-specific. Our results helped to describe a carnivore community exposed to frequent fire and rural human residences, and provide baseline data to inform fire management policy and wildlife management strategies in similar fire-prone ecosystems.

Trypanosoma cruzi strain TcIV infects raccoons from Illinois

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Cailey Vandermark

Full Text Available BACKGROUND The northern limits of Trypanosoma cruzi across the territory of the United States remain unknown. The known vectors Triatoma sanguisuga and T. lecticularia find their northernmost limits in Illinois; yet, earlier screenings of those insects did not reveal the presence of the pathogen, which has not been reported in vectors or reservoir hosts in this state. OBJECTIVES Five species of medium-sized mammals were screened for the presence of T. cruzi. METHODS Genomic DNA was isolated from heart, spleen and skeletal muscle of bobcats (Lynx rufus, n = 60, raccoons (Procyon lotor, n = 37, nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus, n = 5, Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana, n = 3, and a red fox (Vulpes vulpes. Infections were detected targeting DNA from the kinetoplast DNA minicircle (kDNA and satellite DNA (satDNA. The discrete typing unit (DTU was determined by amplifying two gene regions: the Spliced Leader Intergenic Region (SL, via a multiplex polymerase chain reaction, and the 24Sα ribosomal DNA via a heminested reaction. Resulting sequences were used to calculate their genetic distance against reference DTUs. FINDINGS 18.9% of raccoons were positive for strain TcIV; the rest of mammals tested negative. MAIN CONCLUSIONS These results confirm for the first time the presence of T. cruzi in wildlife from Illinois, suggesting that a sylvatic life cycle is likely to occur in the region. The analyses of sequences of SL suggest that amplicons resulting from a commonly used multiplex reaction may yield non-homologous fragments.

Roads influence movement and home ranges of a fragmentation-sensitive carnivore, the bobcat, in an urban landscape

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Poessel, Sharon A; Boydston, Erin E.; Lyren, Lisa M.; Fisher, Robert N.; Burdett, Christopher L.; Alonso, Robert S.; Crooks, Kevin R.

2014-01-01

Roads in urbanized areas can impact carnivore populations by constraining their movements and increasing mortality. Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are felids capable of living in urban environments, but are sensitive to habitat fragmentation and, thus, useful indicators of landscape connectivity; in particular, bobcat habitat selection, movement, and mortality may be affected by roads. We analyzed movement patterns of 52 bobcats in southern California in three study sites and investigated: (1) how bobcats responded to two types of roads within their home ranges; (2) how they placed their home ranges with respect to roads within the study area; and (3) whether male and female bobcats differed in their behavioral responses to roads. Within home ranges, primary and secondary roads did not influence movements, but bobcats more frequently crossed secondary roads when road densities were higher within their home ranges, thus increasing mortality risk. However, road densities within each study site were several times higher than road densities within home ranges, suggesting bobcats selected against roaded areas in home-range placement. Male home ranges bordering roads were smaller than home ranges for other males, but male home ranges containing roads were larger than those without roads. Male bobcats also were more likely to cross roads than females, potentially reflecting larger male home range sizes. Our results suggest roads have important impacts on urban bobcats, with stronger effects on males than females, and continued efforts to mitigate the effects of roads on carnivores and other fragmentation-sensitive species would help promote connectivity conservation in urban systems.

Novel Hepatozoon in vertebrates from the southern United States.

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Allen, Kelly E; Yabsley, Michael J; Johnson, Eileen M; Reichard, Mason V; Panciera, Roger J; Ewing, Sidney A; Little, Susan E

2011-08-01

Novel Hepatozoon spp. sequences collected from previously unrecognized vertebrate hosts in North America were compared with documented Hepatozoon 18S rRNA sequences in an effort to examine phylogenetic relationships between the different Hepatozoon organisms found cycling in nature. An approximately 500-base pair fragment of 18S rDNA common to Hepatozoon spp. and some other apicomplexans was amplified and sequenced from the tissues or blood of 16 vertebrate host species from the southern United States, including 1 opossum (Didelphis virginiana), 2 bobcats (Lynx rufus), 1 domestic cat (Felis catus), 3 coyotes (Canis latrans), 1 gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), 4 raccoons (Procyon lotor), 1 pet boa constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator), 1 swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus), 1 cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus), 4 woodrats (Neotoma fuscipes and Neotoma micropus), 3 white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus), 8 cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus), 1 cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus), 1 eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), and 1 woodchuck (Marmota monax). Phylogenetic analyses and comparison with sequences in the existing database revealed distinct groups of Hepatozoon spp., with clusters formed by sequences obtained from scavengers and carnivores (opossum, raccoons, canids, and felids) and those obtained from rodents. Surprisingly, Hepatozoon spp. sequences from wild rabbits were most closely related to sequences obtained from carnivores (97.2% identical), and the sequence from the boa constrictor was most closely related to the rodent cluster (97.4% identical). These data are consistent with recent work identifying prey-predator transmission cycles in Hepatozoon spp. and suggest this pattern may be more common than previously recognized.

The importance of motivation, weapons, and foul odors in driving encounter competition in carnivores.

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Allen, Maximilian L; Wilmers, Christopher C; Elbroch, L Mark; Golla, Julie M; Wittmer, Heiko U

2016-08-01

Encounter competition is interference competition in which animals directly contend for resources. Ecological theory predicts the trait that determines the resource holding potential (RHP), and hence the winner of encounter competition, is most often body size or mass. The difficulties of observing encounter competition in complex organisms in natural environments, however, has limited opportunities to test this theory across diverse species. We studied the outcome of encounter competition contests among mesocarnivores at deer carcasses in California to determine the most important variables for winning these contests. We found some support for current theory in that body mass is important in determining the winner of encounter competition, but we found that other factors including hunger and species-specific traits were also important. In particular, our top models were "strength and hunger" and "size and hunger," with models emphasizing the complexity of variables influencing outcomes of encounter competition. In addition, our wins above predicted (WAP) statistic suggests that an important aspect that determines the winner of encounter competition is species-specific advantages that increase their RHP, as bobcats (Lynx rufus) and spotted skunks (Spilogale gracilis) won more often than predicted based on mass. In complex organisms, such as mesocarnivores, species-specific adaptations, including strategic behaviors, aggressiveness, and weapons, contribute to competitive advantages and may allow certain species to take control or defend resources better than others. Our results help explain how interspecific competition shapes the occurrence patterns of species in ecological communities. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Prey-mediated avoidance of an intraguild predator by its intraguild prey

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Wilson, R.R.; Blankenship, T.L.; Hooten, M.B.; Shivik, J.A.

2010-01-01

Intraguild (IG) predation is an important factor influencing community structure, yet factors allowing coexistence of IG predator and IG prey are not well understood. The existence of spatial refuges for IG prey has recently been noted for their importance in allowing coexistence. However, reduction in basal prey availability might lead IG prey to leave spatial refuges for greater access to prey, leading to increased IG predation and fewer opportunities for coexistence. We determined how the availability of prey affected space-use patterns of bobcats (Lynx rufus, IG prey) in relation to coyote space-use patterns (Canis latrans, IG predators). We located animals from fall 2007 to spring 2009 and estimated bobcat home ranges and core areas seasonally. For each bobcat relocation, we determined intensity of coyote use, distance to water, small mammal biomass, and mean small mammal biomass of the home range during the season the location was collected. We built generalized linear mixed models and used Akaike Information Criteria to determine which factors best predicted bobcat space use. Coyote intensity was a primary determinant of bobcat core area location. In bobcat home ranges with abundant prey, core areas occurred where coyote use was low, but shifted to areas intensively used by coyotes when prey declined. High spatial variability in basal prey abundance allowed some bobcats to avoid coyotes while at the same time others were forced into more risky areas. Our results suggest that multiple behavioral strategies associated with spatial variation in basal prey abundance likely allow IG prey and IG predators to coexist. ?? 2010 Springer-Verlag.

Anthropogenic influences on macro-level mammal occupancy in the Appalachian Trail corridor.

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Peter L Erb

Full Text Available Anthropogenic effects on wildlife are typically assessed at the local level, but it is often difficult to extrapolate to larger spatial extents. Macro-level occupancy studies are one way to assess impacts of multiple disturbance factors that might vary over different geographic extents. Here we assess anthropogenic effects on occupancy and distribution for several mammal species within the Appalachian Trail (AT, a forest corridor that extends across a broad section of the eastern United States. Utilizing camera traps and a large volunteer network of citizen scientists, we were able to sample 447 sites along a 1024 km section of the AT to assess the effects of available habitat, hunting, recreation, and roads on eight mammal species. Occupancy modeling revealed the importance of available forest to all species except opossums (Didelphis virginiana and coyotes (Canis latrans. Hunting on adjoining lands was the second strongest predictor of occupancy for three mammal species, negatively influencing black bears (Ursus americanus and bobcats (Lynx rufus, while positively influencing raccoons (Procyon lotor. Modeling also indicated an avoidance of high trail use areas by bears and proclivity towards high use areas by red fox (Vulpes vulpes. Roads had the lowest predictive power on species occupancy within the corridor and were only significant for deer. The occupancy models stress the importance of compounding direct and indirect anthropogenic influences operating at the regional level. Scientists and managers should consider these human impacts and their potential combined influence on wildlife persistence when assessing optimal habitat or considering management actions.

Energy requirements of the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus): impacts of age, growth and body size in a large desert-dwelling herbivore.

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Munn, A J; Dawson, T J

2003-09-01

Generally, young growing mammals have resting metabolic rates (RMRs) that are proportionally greater than those of adult animals. This is seen in the red kangaroo ( Macropus rufus), a large (>20 kg) herbivorous marsupial common to arid and semi-arid inland Australia. Juvenile red kangaroos have RMRs 1.5-1.6 times those expected for adult marsupials of an equivalent body mass. When fed high-quality chopped lucerne hay, young-at-foot (YAF) kangaroos, which have permanently left the mother's pouch but are still sucking, and recently weaned red kangaroos had digestible energy intakes of 641+/-27 kJ kg(-0.75) day(-1) and 677+/-26 kJ kg(-0.75) day(-1), respectively, significantly higher than the 385+/-37 kJ kg(-0.75) day(-1) ingested by mature, non-lactating females. However, YAF and weaned red kangaroos had maintenance energy requirements (MERs) that were not significantly higher than those of mature, non-lactating females, the values ranging between 384 kJ kg(-0.75) day(-1) and 390 kJ kg(-0.75) day(-1) digestible energy. Importantly, the MER of mature female red kangaroos was 84% of that previously reported for similarly sized, but still growing, male red kangaroos. Growth was the main factor affecting the proportionally higher energy requirements of the juvenile red kangaroos relative to non-reproductive mature females. On a good quality diet, juvenile red kangaroos from permanent pouch exit until shortly after weaning (ca. 220-400 days) had average growth rates of 55 g body mass day(-1). At this level of growth, juveniles had total daily digestible energy requirements (i.e. MER plus growth energy requirements) that were 1.7-1.8 times the MER of mature, non-reproductive females. Our data suggest that the proportionally higher RMR of juvenile red kangaroos is largely explained by the additional energy needed for growth. Energy contents of the tissue gained by the YAF and weaned red kangaroos during growth were estimated to be 5.3 kJ g(-1), within the range found for

GENETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF CANINE PARVOVIRUS IN SYMPATRIC FREE-RANGING WILD CARNIVORES IN PORTUGAL.

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Miranda, Carla; Santos, Nuno; Parrish, Colin; Thompson, Gertrude

2017-10-01

Since its emergence in the 1970s, canine parvovirus (CPV) has been reported in domestic and nondomestic carnivores worldwide with severe implications on their health and survival. Here, we aim to better understand CPV circulation in multihost-pathogens systems by characterizing CPV DNA or viruses in 227 free-ranging wild carnivores of 12 species from Portugal. Collected samples during 1995-2011 were analyzed by PCR and sequence analysis. The canine parvovirus DNA was detected in 4 (2%) animals of two species, namely in wolves (Canis lupus; 3/63, 5%, 95% confidence interval=1.6-3.15) and in a stone marten (Martes foina; 1/36, 3%, 95% confidence interval=0.5-14.2). Viruses in two wolves had VP2 residue 426 as aspartic acid (so-called CPV-2b) and the third had VP2 residue 426 as asparagine (CPV-2a), while the virus in the stone marten uniquely had VP2 residue 426 as glutamic acid (CPV-2c). The comparative analysis of the full-length VP2 gene of our isolates showed other nonsynonymous mutations. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the sequences from wolves clustered together, showing a close relationship with European domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and wolf strains while the viral sequence from the stone marten grouped with other viruses contained the glutamic acid VP2 426 along with raccoon (Procyon lotor), bobcat (Lynx rufus), and domestic dog strains. This study confirmed that wild carnivores in Portugal are infected by CPV variants, strongly suggesting viral transmission between the wild and domestic populations and suggesting a need for a better understanding of the epidemiology of the disease and its management in wild populations.

Isolation of Bartonella henselae and Two New Bartonella Subspecies, Bartonella koehlerae Subspecies boulouisii subsp. nov. and Bartonella koehlerae Subspecies bothieri subsp. nov. from Free-Ranging Californian Mountain Lions and Bobcats

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Chomel, Bruno B.; Molia, Sophie; Kasten, Rickie W.; Borgo, Gina M.; Stuckey, Matthew J.; Maruyama, Soichi; Chang, Chao-chin; Haddad, Nadia; Koehler, Jane E.

2016-01-01

Domestic cats are the natural reservoir of Bartonella henselae, B. clarridgeiae and B. koehlerae. To determine the role of wild felids in the epidemiology of Bartonella infections, blood was collected from 14 free-ranging California mountain lions (Puma concolor) and 19 bobcats (Lynx rufus). Bartonella spp. were isolated from four (29%) mountain lions and seven (37%) bobcats. These isolates were characterized using growth characteristics, biochemical reactions, molecular techniques, including PCR-RFLP of selected genes or interspacer region, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), partial sequencing of several genes, and DNA-DNA hybridization. Two isolates were identical to B. henselae genotype II. All other isolates were distinguished from B. henselae and B. koehlerae by PCR-RFLP of the gltA gene using endonucleases HhaI, TaqI and AciI, with the latter two discriminating between the mountain lion and the bobcat isolates. These two novel isolates displayed specific PFGE profiles distinct from B. henselae, B. koehlerae and B. clarridgeiae. Sequences of amplified gene fragments from the three mountain lion and six bobcat isolates were closely related to, but distinct from, B. henselae and B. koehlerae. Finally, DNA-DNA hybridization studies demonstrated that the mountain lion and bobcat strains are most closely related to B. koehlerae. We propose naming the mountain lion isolates B. koehlerae subsp. boulouisii subsp. nov. (type strain: L-42-94), and the bobcat isolates B. koehlerae subsp. bothieri subsp. nov. (type strain: L-17-96), and to emend B. koehlerae as B. koehlerae subsp. koehlerae. The mode of transmission and the zoonotic potential of these new Bartonella subspecies remain to be determined. PMID:26981874

Wood anatomy of the Brazilian species of Swartizia and considerations within the tribe Swartzieae

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Veronica Angyalossy-Alfonso

2002-01-01

Fifty-one Brazilian species and varieties of Swartzia Schreber and eight other genera from the tribe Swartzieae were examined. Features with the greatest diagnostic value for the tribe are intervascular pit size, ray width and frequency, storied structure, axial parenchyma strand length, parenchyma band width, and vessel diameter. We analyzed the wood anatomical data...

The influence of snowmobile trails on coyote movements during winter in high-elevation landscapes.

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Eric M Gese

Full Text Available Competition between sympatric carnivores has long been of interest to ecologists. Increased understanding of these interactions can be useful for conservation planning. Increased snowmobile traffic on public lands and in habitats used by Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis remains controversial due to the concern of coyote (Canis latrans use of snowmobile trails and potential competition with lynx. Determining the variables influencing coyote use of snowmobile trails has been a priority for managers attempting to conserve lynx and their critical habitat. During 2 winters in northwest Wyoming, we backtracked coyotes for 265 km to determine how varying snow characteristics influenced coyote movements; 278 km of random backtracking was conducted simultaneously for comparison. Despite deep snow (>1 m deep, radio-collared coyotes persisted at high elevations (>2,500 m year-round. All coyotes used snowmobile trails for some portion of their travel. Coyotes used snowmobile trails for 35% of their travel distance (random: 13% for a mean distance of 149 m (random: 59 m. Coyote use of snowmobile trails increased as snow depth and penetrability off trails increased. Essentially, snow characteristics were most influential on how much time coyotes spent on snowmobile trails. In the early months of winter, snow depth was low, yet the snow column remained dry and the coyotes traveled off trails. As winter progressed and snow depth increased and snow penetrability increased, coyotes spent more travel distance on snowmobile trails. As spring approached, the snow depth remained high but penetrability decreased, hence coyotes traveled less on snowmobile trails because the snow column off trail was more supportive. Additionally, coyotes traveled closer to snowmobile trails than randomly expected and selected shallower snow when traveling off trails. Coyotes also preferred using snowmobile trails to access ungulate kills. Snow compaction from winter recreation influenced

The influence of snowmobile trails on coyote movements during winter in high-elevation landscapes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gese, Eric M; Dowd, Jennifer L B; Aubry, Lise M

2013-01-01

Competition between sympatric carnivores has long been of interest to ecologists. Increased understanding of these interactions can be useful for conservation planning. Increased snowmobile traffic on public lands and in habitats used by Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) remains controversial due to the concern of coyote (Canis latrans) use of snowmobile trails and potential competition with lynx. Determining the variables influencing coyote use of snowmobile trails has been a priority for managers attempting to conserve lynx and their critical habitat. During 2 winters in northwest Wyoming, we backtracked coyotes for 265 km to determine how varying snow characteristics influenced coyote movements; 278 km of random backtracking was conducted simultaneously for comparison. Despite deep snow (>1 m deep), radio-collared coyotes persisted at high elevations (>2,500 m) year-round. All coyotes used snowmobile trails for some portion of their travel. Coyotes used snowmobile trails for 35% of their travel distance (random: 13%) for a mean distance of 149 m (random: 59 m). Coyote use of snowmobile trails increased as snow depth and penetrability off trails increased. Essentially, snow characteristics were most influential on how much time coyotes spent on snowmobile trails. In the early months of winter, snow depth was low, yet the snow column remained dry and the coyotes traveled off trails. As winter progressed and snow depth increased and snow penetrability increased, coyotes spent more travel distance on snowmobile trails. As spring approached, the snow depth remained high but penetrability decreased, hence coyotes traveled less on snowmobile trails because the snow column off trail was more supportive. Additionally, coyotes traveled closer to snowmobile trails than randomly expected and selected shallower snow when traveling off trails. Coyotes also preferred using snowmobile trails to access ungulate kills. Snow compaction from winter recreation influenced coyote

78 FR 53002 - Notice of Proposed Buy America Waiver for a Video Ready Access Device Cabinet

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2013-08-27

... relocation associated with the LYNX Blue Line Extension project. This notice is to inform the public of the... by AT&T. This utility relocation will be performed in connection with the CATS LYNX Blue Line... of the components of the product must be of U.S. origin. A component is considered of U.S. origin if...

Landscape location affects genetic variation of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis)

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M. K. Schwartz; L. S. Mills; Y. Ortega; L. F. Ruggiero; F. W. Allendorf

2003-01-01

The effect of a population's location on the landscape on genetic variation has been of interest to population genetics for more than half a century. However, most studies do not consider broadscale biogeography when interpreting genetic data. In this study, we propose an operational definition of a peripheral population, and then explore whether peripheral...

Mapping trends of large and medium size carnivores of conservation interest in Romania

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Constantin Cazacu

2014-07-01

Full Text Available We analysed yearly estimates of population size data during 2001-2012 for five carnivores species of conservation interest (Ursus arctos, Canis lupus, Lynx lynx, Felis silvestris and Canis aureus. Population size estimations were done by the game management authorities and integrated by the competent authorities on the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. Trends in data were detected using non-parametric Mann-Kendall test. This test was chosen considering the short length of data series and its usefulness for non-normal distributed data. The trend was tested at three spatial scales: game management units (n=1565, biogeographical region (n=5 and national. Trends depicted for each game management unit were plotted using ArcGIS, resulting species trend distribution maps. For the studied period increasing population trends were observed for Ursus arctos, Canis lupus, Canis aureus and Lynx lynx, while for Felis silvestris there was no trend recorded. Such an analysis in especially useful for conservation proposes, game management and reporting obligations under article 17 of the EC Habitat Directive, using population trend as a proxy for population dynamics. We conclude that the status of the five carnivore species is favourable during the study period.

Historical Allotment Gardens in Wrocław - The Need to Protection

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Kononowicz, Wanda; Gryniewicz-Balińska, Katarzyna

2016-06-01

Since about the mid-nineteenth century, together with the changing socio-economic situation, different types of allotments appeared in Wrocław. Initially, they were rented gardens, gardens for the poor or for factory workers. At the beginning of the twentieth century, school gardens and the so called Schreber gardens with a large common square were set up as part of Dr. Schreber's educational health program. In 1914-1918, "war" vegetable gardens were commonly cultivated. In the 1920s allotment gardens began to be systematically introduced to the city plan as permanent, purposefully designed elements of urban greenery. They were often designed together with urban parks, or so called "Folk Parks" of a recreational and sport character. In the 1930s, during the economic crisis, allotments with garden houses were adapted for the unemployed and the homeless to live in. Wrocław allotment gardens have undeniable historical, social, recreational, economic and compositional value. These gardens are a cultural heritage that should be protected. In Western Europe we are witnessing a renaissance of the idea of allotments, while in Poland - a tendency to eliminate them from urban landscapes.

Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi Among Eleven Potential Reservoir Species from Six States Across the Southern United States

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Brown, Emily L.; Roellig, Dawn M.; Gompper, Matthew E.; Monello, Ryan J.; Wenning, Krista M.; Gabriel, Mourad W.

2010-01-01

Abstract Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease, is a substantial public health concern in Latin America. Although rare in humans and domestic animals in the United States, T. cruzi is commonly detected in some wildlife species, most commonly raccoons (Procyon lotor) and Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana). To increase our understanding of the reservoir host species range and geographic distribution, 11 species of mammals from six states spanning the known range of T. cruzi (Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and Virginia) were tested for antibodies to T. cruzi using indirect immunofluorescent antibody testing. In addition, culture isolation attempts were conducted on a limited number of animals from Georgia and Florida. Evidence of T. cruzi was found in every state except California; however, low numbers of known reservoirs were tested in California. In general, the highest seroprevalence rates were found in raccoons (0–68%) and opossums (17–52%), but antibodies to T. cruzi were also detected in small numbers of striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) from Arizona and Georgia, bobcats (Lynx rufus) from Georgia, two coyotes (Canis latrans) from Georgia and Virginia, and a ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) from Arizona. Culture-based prevalence rates for raccoons were significantly greater than those for opossums; however, seroprevalences of raccoons and opossums from several geographic locations in Georgia and Florida were not different, indicating that exposure rates of these two species are similar within these areas. For both raccoons and opossums, seroprevalence was significantly higher in females than in males. No difference was detected in seroprevalence between adults and juveniles and between animals caught in urban and rural locations. Our results indicate that T. cruzi prevalence varies by host species, host characteristics, and geographic region and provides data to guide future studies on the natural history of T. cruzi

Impacts of Mesopredator Control on Conservation of Mesopredators and Their Prey.

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L Mike Conner

Full Text Available Declining large carnivore populations, increased habitat fragmentation, declining interests in fur trapping, and other anthropogenic factors can all lead to increased mesopredator populations and these may negatively impact biodiversity. Lethal mesopredator control potentially mitigates some of these effects but can be controversial, largely because impacts on mesopredator populations have not been evaluated. Estimating these impacts may reduce controversies while increasing our understanding of when lethal control may be beneficial. Therefore, we analyzed published mesopredator removal data to determine if mesopredator removal rates changed over time. Removals of medium,(e.g., raccoons (Procyon lotor or red foxes (Vulpes vulpes, and large, i.e., bobcats (Lynx rufus or coyotes (Canis latrans, mesopredators were consistent from year to year and over the duration of study (i.e., number removed during the first and last years of studies were similar. In contrast, removals of small mesopredators, e.g., weasels (Mustela spp. or spotted skunks (Spilogale putorius, declined over the duration of study. Study area size, number of species targeted for removal, and duration of removal effort were poor predictors of removal rates. Our analyses suggest that: (1 control, as typically implemented, is unlikely to cause negative long-term impacts on populations of medium and large mesopredators but may negatively impact small mesopredators, (2 if mesopredator control benefits prey, recurring removals will generally be needed to maintain benefits, and (3 timing of removals will be important to achieve management goals. We suggest that mesopredator control efforts are frequently spatially structured harvests from continuously distributed populations. This may explain (1 why removal of small mesopredators declined over time; whereas, medium and large mesopredator removals remained consistent, and (2 why some prey failed to respond to mesopredator control efforts.

High Trypanosoma cruzi infection prevalence associated with minimal cardiac pathology among wild carnivores in central Texas

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Rachel Curtis-Robles

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Infection with the zoonotic vector-borne protozoal parasite Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease in humans and dogs throughout the Americas. Despite the recognized importance of various wildlife species for perpetuating Trypanosoma cruzi in nature, relatively little is known about the development of cardiac disease in infected wildlife. Using a cross-sectional study design, we collected cardiac tissue and blood from hunter-donated wildlife carcasses- including raccoon (Procyon lotor, coyote (Canis latrans, gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus, and bobcat (Lynx rufus – from central Texas, a region with established populations of infected triatomine vectors and increasing diagnoses of Chagas disease in domestic dogs. Based on PCR analysis, we found that 2 bobcats (14.3%, 12 coyotes (14.3%, 8 foxes (13.8%, and 49 raccoons (70.0% were positive for T. cruzi in at least one sample (right ventricle, apex, and/or blood clot. Although a histologic survey of right ventricles showed that 21.1% of 19 PCR-positive hearts were characterized by mild lymphoplasmocytic infiltration, no other lesions and no amastigotes were observed in any histologic section. DNA sequencing of the TcSC5D gene revealed that raccoons were infected with T. cruzi strain TcIV, and a single racoon harbored a TcI/TcIV mixed infection. Relative to other wildlife species tested here, our data suggest that raccoons may be important reservoirs of TcIV in Texas and a source of infection for indigenous triatomine bugs. The overall high level of infection in this wildlife community likely reflects high levels of vector contact, including ingestion of bugs. Although the relationship between the sylvatic cycle of T. cruzi transmission and human disease risk in the United States has yet to be defined, our data suggest that hunters and wildlife professionals should take precautions to avoid direct contact with potentially infected wildlife tissues.

Radiocaesium in fruitbodies and mycorrhizae in ectomycorrhizal fungi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikolova, Ivanka; Johanson, K.J.; Dahlberg, Anders

1997-01-01

Fruitbodies of Suillus variegatus and Lactarius rufus and, at a maximum distance of 50 cm, the corresponding mycorrhizae, were collected on a rocky area in a coniferous forest. The tuberculate mycorrhizae collected close to S. variegatus fruitbodies were identified by the RFLP pattern to be S. variegatus mycorrhizae. In contrast the smooth brown mycorrhizae collected close to fruitbodies of L. rufus were found to be of various species - L. rufus, but also Russula sp. The 137 Cs activity concentrations in fruitbodies and the fungal part of the tuburculate mycorrhizae of S. variegatus were about the same. A local enrichment of 137 Cs within fruitbodies was studied by collecting fruitbodies growing in clusters. Between 13 and 64% of the mean ground 137 Cs deposition of the cluster area (400 or 625 cm 2 ) was found in the fruitbodies. This indicates that there might be an important fungal redistribution of 137 Cs in the forest floor during the production of fruitbodies. The distribution of 137 Cs within the fruitbodies was heterogenous. For example in Cortinarious armillatus, the 137 Cs level in the cap was 2.7 times higher compared to in the stripe. (Author)

Radiocaesium in fruitbodies and mycorrhizae in ectomycorrhizal fungi

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nikolova, Ivanka [N. Pouskharov Inst. of Soil Sciences and Agroecology, Sofia (Bulgaria); Johanson, K.J. [Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Radioecology Dept., Uppsala (Sweden); Dahlberg, Anders [Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Forest Mycology and Pathology Dept., Uppsala (Sweden)

1997-12-31

Fruitbodies of Suillus variegatus and Lactarius rufus and, at a maximum distance of 50 cm, the corresponding mycorrhizae, were collected on a rocky area in a coniferous forest. The tuberculate mycorrhizae collected close to S. variegatus fruitbodies were identified by the RFLP pattern to be S. variegatus mycorrhizae. In contrast the smooth brown mycorrhizae collected close to fruitbodies of L. rufus were found to be of various species - L. rufus, but also Russula sp. The {sup 137}Cs activity concentrations in fruitbodies and the fungal part of the tuburculate mycorrhizae of S. variegatus were about the same. A local enrichment of {sup 137}Cs within fruitbodies was studied by collecting fruitbodies growing in clusters. Between 13 and 64% of the mean ground {sup 137}Cs deposition of the cluster area (400 or 625 cm{sup 2}) was found in the fruitbodies. This indicates that there might be an important fungal redistribution of {sup 137}Cs in the forest floor during the production of fruitbodies. The distribution of {sup 137}Cs within the fruitbodies was heterogenous. For example in Cortinarious armillatus, the {sup 137}Cs level in the cap was 2.7 times higher compared to in the stripe. (Author).

Dermatitis caused by the tropical fowl mite Ornithonyssus bursa (Berlese (Acari: Macronyssidae: a case report in humans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Márcia Bohrer Mentz

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract: We herein report human dermatitis caused by the tropical fowl mite Ornithonyssus bursa (Berlese. The cases occurred in an apartment in a residential district of Porto Alegre City, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where three members of the same family presented with pruritic lesions on the arms and legs. On inspecting the bathroom, several mites measuring approximately 1.0mm in length were observed coming from a nest of Rufous Hornero, Furnarius rufus (Gmelin. This is the first report of O. bursa in the urban area of Porto Alegre City, from a nest of F. rufus that bites humans.

Environmental Impact Analysis Process. Draft Environmental Impact Statement Proposed Alaskan Radar System Over-the-Horizon Backscatter Radar Program

Science.gov (United States)

1986-08-01

Mustela vison wolverine Gulo Kulo river otter Lutra canadensis lynx Lynx canadensis moose Alces alces caribou Rangifer tarandus Dall’s sheep Ovic dalli...tissue respiratory chain function at a power density of 5 mW/cm2 . It is unlikely that such effects would be detectable at the power densities at ground...Vulves vulpes black bear Ursus americanus grizzly bear Ursus arctos marten Martes americana ermine Mustela erminea least weasel Mustela nivalis mink

The high aerobic capacity of a small, marsupial rat-kangaroo (Bettongia penicillata) is matched by the mitochondrial and capillary morphology of its skeletal muscles.

Science.gov (United States)

Webster, Koa N; Dawson, Terence J

2012-09-15

We examined the structure-function relationships that underlie the aerobic capacities of marsupial mammals that hop. Marsupials have relatively low basal metabolic rates (BMR) and historically were seen as 'low energy' mammals. However, the red kangaroo, Macropus rufus (family Macropodidae), has aerobic capacities equivalent to athletic placentals. It has an extreme aerobic scope (fAS) and its large locomotor muscles feature high mitochondrial and capillary volumes. M. rufus belongs to a modern group of kangaroos and its high fAS is not general for marsupials. However, other hopping marsupials may have elevated aerobic capacities. Bettongia penicillata, a rat-kangaroo (family Potoroidae), is a small (1 kg), active hopper whose fAS is somewhat elevated. We examined the oxygen delivery system in its muscles to ascertain links with hopping. An elevated fAS of 23 provided a relatively high maximal aerobic oxygen consumption ( ) in B. penicillata; associated with this is a skeletal muscle mass of 44% of body mass. Ten muscles were sampled to estimate the total mitochondrial and capillary volume of the locomotor muscles. Values in B. penicillata were similar to those in M. rufus and in athletic placentals. This small hopper had high muscle mitochondrial volume densities (7.1-11.9%) and both a large total capillary volume (6 ml kg(-1) body mass) and total capillary erythrocyte volume (3.2 ml kg(-1)). Apparently, a considerable aerobic capacity is required to achieve the benefits of the extended stride in fast hopping. Of note, the ratio of to total muscle mitochondrial volume in B. penicillata was 4.9 ml O(2) min(-1) ml(-1). Similar values occur in M. rufus and also placental mammals generally, not only athletic species. If such relationships occur in other marsupials, a fundamental structure-function relationship for oxygen delivery to muscles likely originated with or before the earliest mammals.

Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles as an Opportunity to Consolidate and Calibrate Ground Based and Satellite Instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Papadopoulos, K.

2014-12-01

XCOR Aerospace, a commercial space company, is planning to provide frequent, low cost access to near-Earth space on the Lynx suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle (sRLV). Measurements in the external vacuum environment can be made and can launch from most runways on a limited lead time. Lynx can operate as a platform to perform suborbital in situ measurements and remote sensing to supplement models and simulations with new data points. These measurements can serve as a quantitative link to existing instruments and be used as a basis to calibrate detectors on spacecraft. Easier access to suborbital data can improve the longevity and cohesiveness of spacecraft and ground-based resources. A study of how these measurements can be made on Lynx sRLV will be presented. At the boundary between terrestrial and space weather, measurements from instruments on Lynx can help develop algorithms to optimize the consolidation of ground and satellite based data as well as assimilate global models with new data points. For example, current tides and the equatorial electrojet, essential to understanding the Thermosphere-Ionosphere system, can be measured in situ frequently and on short notice. Furthermore, a negative-ion spectrometer and a Faraday cup, can take measurements of the D-region ion composition. A differential GPS receiver can infer the spatial gradient of ionospheric electron density. Instruments and optics on spacecraft degrade over time, leading to calibration drift. Lynx can be a cost effective platform for deploying a reference instrument to calibrate satellites with a frequent and fast turnaround and a successful return of the instrument. A calibrated reference instrument on Lynx can make collocated observations as another instrument and corrections are made for the latter, thus ensuring data consistency and mission longevity. Aboard a sRLV, atmospheric conditions that distort remotely sensed data (ground and spacecraft based) can be measured in situ. Moreover, an

A psicose na contemporaneidade e seus novos sintomas: do pathos ao orthos The psychosis in the contem porary and its new symptoms: from pathos to orthos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rogério Paes Henriques

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Expõe-se aqui a psicose clássica, "freudo-lacaniana", formulada por Lacan, a partir da herança freudiana, em seu ensino linguístico-estrutural na década de 1950, cujo caso paradigmático é Schreber, e a "psicose lacano-milleriana", surgida com a clínica borromeana de Lacan em meados da década de 1970, com base no sinthoma joyceano, denominada recentemente "psicose ordinária", segundo a orientação dos teóricos ligados ao Campo Freudiano. Pretende-se estabelecer uma análise comparativa entre esses dois conceitos com ênfase nos seus modos de suplência.The psychosis in the contemporary and its new symptoms: from pathos to orthos. It explains the Classic Psychosis as formulated by Freud's paradigmatic "Schreber case" and, lately, as developed by Lacan's linguistic-structural teaching, back in the 1950's. It explains also the "neopsychosis" that appeared in the Lacan's Borromean clinic in the 1970's based on the Joycean sinthome, called recently "Ordinary Psychosis", under the guidance of authors related to the Freudian Field. It is intended to establish a comparative analysis between these two concepts with emphasis on their ways of suplency.

The chiggerflea Hectopsylla pulex (Siphonaptera: Tungidae as an ectoparasite of free-tailed bats (Chiroptera: Molossidae

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Júlia Lins Luz

2009-07-01

Full Text Available In the present study, we investigated the prevalence and intensity of Hectopsylla pulex infection in Molossus rufus and Molossus molossus, the parasite's choice of attachment site, and whether this host-parasite system varies with host size. Twenty-four bats were captured by hand from the roof of a house in Southeastern Brazil. M. rufus exhibited a prevalence of 71.4% and the mean intensity averaged 5 ectoparasites per bat. M. molossus exhibited a prevalence of 90%, and the average mean intensity was 2.11 ectoparasites. The attachment sites were: ear, tragus, shoulder blade and tibia, anus, wing, axilla, mouth and dactylopatagium. A positive correlation was observed between the bats' weight and the number of fleas.

Kuula. Kellele ei meeldiks James Blunt? / Mart Juur

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Juur, Mart, 1964-

2007-01-01

Heliplaatidest: James Blunt "Back To Bedlam", Enrique Iglesias "Insomniac", Prince "Planet Earth", Garbage "Absolut Garbage", Justice "Cross", Interpol "Our Love To Admire", Rufus Wainwright "Release The Stars"

Karyotypic Evolution in Malagasy Flying Foxes (Pteropodidae, Chiroptera) and Their Hipposiderid Relatives as Determined by Comparative Chromosome Painting.

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Leigh R; Rambau, Ramugondo V; Goodman, Steven M; Taylor, Peter J; Schoeman, M Corrie; Yang, Fengtang; Lamb, Jennifer M

2016-01-01

Pteropodidae and Hipposideridae are 2 of the 9 chiropteran families that occur on Madagascar. Despite major advancements in the systematic study of the island's bat fauna, few karyotypic data exist for endemic species. We utilized G- and C-banding in combination with chromosome painting with Myotismyotis probes to establish a genome-wide homology among Malagasy species belonging to the families Pteropodidae (Pteropus rufus 2n = 38; Rousettus madagascariensis, 2n = 36), Hipposideridae (Hipposideros commersoni s.s., 2n = 52), and a single South African representative of the Rhinolophidae (Rhinolophus clivosus, 2n = 58). Painting probes of M. myotis detected 26, 28, 28, and 29 regions of homology in R. madagascariensis, P. rufus, H. commersoni s.s, and R. clivosus, respectively. Translocations, pericentric inversions, and heterochromatin additions were responsible for karyotypic differences amongst the Malagasy pteropodids. Comparative chromosome painting revealed a novel pericentric inversion on P. rufus chromosome 4. Chromosomal characters suggest a close evolutionary relationship between Rousettus and Pteropus. H. commersoni s.s. shared several chromosomal characters with extralimital congeners but did not exhibit 2 chromosomal synapomorphies proposed for Hipposideridae. This study provides further insight into the ancestral karyotypes of pteropodid and hipposiderid bats and corroborates certain molecular phylogenetic hypotheses. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Using Stable Isotopes to Infer the Impacts of Habitat Change on the Diets and Vertical Stratification of Frugivorous Bats in Madagascar.

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Kim E Reuter

Full Text Available Human-modified habitats are expanding rapidly; many tropical countries have highly fragmented and degraded forests. Preserving biodiversity in these areas involves protecting species-like frugivorous bats-that are important to forest regeneration. Fruit bats provide critical ecosystem services including seed dispersal, but studies of how their diets are affected by habitat change have often been rather localized. This study used stable isotope analyses (δ15N and δ13C measurement to examine how two fruit bat species in Madagascar, Pteropus rufus (n = 138 and Eidolon dupreanum (n = 52 are impacted by habitat change across a large spatial scale. Limited data for Rousettus madagascariensis are also presented. Our results indicated that the three species had broadly overlapping diets. Differences in diet were nonetheless detectable between P. rufus and E. dupreanum, and these diets shifted when they co-occurred, suggesting resource partitioning across habitats and vertical strata within the canopy to avoid competition. Changes in diet were correlated with a decrease in forest cover, though at a larger spatial scale in P. rufus than in E. dupreanum. These results suggest fruit bat species exhibit differing responses to habitat change, highlight the threats fruit bats face from habitat change, and clarify the spatial scales at which conservation efforts could be implemented.

Habitat use of bats in relation to wind turbines revealed by GPS tracking

OpenAIRE

Manuel Roeleke; Torsten Blohm; Stephanie Kramer-Schadt; Yossi Yovel; Christian C. Voigt

2016-01-01

Worldwide, many countries aim at countering global climate change by promoting renewable energy. Yet, recent studies highlight that so-called green energy, such as wind energy, may come at environmental costs, for example when wind turbines kill birds and bats. Using miniaturized GPS loggers, we studied how an open-space foraging bat with high collision risk with wind turbines, the common noctule Nyctalus noctula (Schreber, 1774), interacts with wind turbines. We compared actual flight trajec...

LYNX: A Linked Eulerian and Lagrangian Code. Volume II. LYNX Computer Listing

Science.gov (United States)

1975-11-01

AS »TOUMP ,PMlN it« , JMAX • NCYC , ISEP .OELZZ »BND ,RHOZ .DTOUMP .VSCALE ,XPl , IMAXM , 1CR ,JSEP FAK HMU TCP EPS XP2 JMAXM JCR... ISEP 0005 0003 0000 1 0005 0000 I 000006 12 JOUO I 000002 J 0001 000054 JCR 0003 077307 JCRACK 0001 000015 JHAA uoji 000017 JMAXM 0030 1 OOOOOS JP...OTOUMP 000’ OYP OOOM I FB 0003 FT OOOM I GOT OOOM 1EDJT 0000 1 IMAS OOOM ISEP ooos JMAX OOOM KMAX ooos NOUMP OOOM PART 0005 REV 0003 SMALL

Disease-mediated bottom-up regulation: An emergent virus affects a keystone prey, and alters the dynamics of trophic webs.

Science.gov (United States)

Monterroso, Pedro; Garrote, Germán; Serronha, Ana; Santos, Emídio; Delibes-Mateos, Miguel; Abrantes, Joana; Perez de Ayala, Ramón; Silvestre, Fernando; Carvalho, João; Vasco, Inês; Lopes, Ana M; Maio, Elisa; Magalhães, Maria J; Mills, L Scott; Esteves, Pedro J; Simón, Miguel Ángel; Alves, Paulo C

2016-10-31

Emergent diseases may alter the structure and functioning of ecosystems by creating new biotic interactions and modifying existing ones, producing cascading processes along trophic webs. Recently, a new variant of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV2 or RHDVb) arguably caused widespread declines in a keystone prey in Mediterranean ecosystems - the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). We quantitatively assess the impact of RHDV2 on natural rabbit populations and in two endangered apex predator populations: the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) and the Spanish Imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti). We found 60-70% declines in rabbit populations, followed by decreases of 65.7% in Iberian lynx and 45.5% in Spanish Imperial eagle fecundities. A revision of the web of trophic interactions among rabbits and their dependent predators suggests that RHDV2 acts as a keystone species, and may steer Mediterranean ecosystems to management-dependent alternative states, dominated by simplified mesopredator communities. This model system stresses the importance of diseases as functional players in the dynamics of trophic webs.

Mammal (Mammalia Fauna of Kapıdağ Peninsula

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Erdem HIZAL

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The number of studies on mammals of Kapıdag Peninsula is insufficent. The present study is based on mammal species collected and observed in Kapıdag Peninsula. Kapıdag Peninsula was visited as a total of 226 days between 2001-2007. Field collections yielded 32 mammal species from 6 orders: Insectivora (5, Chiroptera (9,Lagomorpha (1, Rodentia (7, Carnivora (7, Artiodactyla (3. Of the species recorded in this study are rare for Kapıdag Peninsula: Lynx lynx and Felis silvestris.

155 Appraisal of Strategic Alliances and Corporate Effectiveness

African Journals Online (AJOL)

First Lady

2013-01-28

Jan 28, 2013 ... Aigbepue, Stephen - Department of Business and Management Studies,. Auchi Polytechnic ... Olabisi Joseph Olu - Department of Marketing, Rufus Giwa ... In Nigeria, the major problem asides competition facing most firms.

Antinutrient and antioxidant quality of waxed and unwaxed pawpaw ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2008-08-18

Aug 18, 2008 ... Food Science and Technology Department; Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, ..... salivary proline - rich protein: interaction, induction and defence ... Relationship between the occurrence of chilling injury and the.

Can only poorer European countries afford large carnivores?

Science.gov (United States)

Kojola, Ilpo; Hallikainen, Ville; Helle, Timo; Swenson, Jon E

2018-01-01

One of the classic approaches in environmental economics is the environmental Kuznets curve, which predicts that when a national economy grows from low to medium levels, threats to biodiversity conservation increase, but they decrease when the economy moves from medium to high. We evaluated this approach by examining how population densities of the brown bear (Ursus arctos), gray wolf (Canis lupus), and Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) were related to the national economy in 24 European countries. We used forest proportions, the existence of a compensation system, and country group (former socialist countries, Nordic countries, other countries) as covariates in a linear model with the first- and the second-order polynomial terms of per capita gross domestic product (GDP). Country group was treated as a random factor, but remained insignificant and was ignored. All models concerning brown bear and wolf provided evidence that population densities decreased with increasing GDP, but densities of lynx were virtually independent of GDP. Models for the wolf explained >80% of the variation in densities, without a difference between the models with all independent variables and the model with only GDP. For the bear, the model with GDP alone accounted for 10%, and all three variables 33%, of the variation in densities. Wolves exhibit a higher capacity for dispersal and reproduction than bear or lynx, but still exists at the lowest densities in wealthy European countries. We are aware that several other factors, not available for our models, influenced large carnivore densities. Based on the pronounced differences among large carnivore species in their countrywide relationships between densities and GDP, and a strikingly high relationship for the gray wolf, we suggest that our results reflected differences in political history and public acceptance of these species among countries. The compensation paid for the damages caused by the carnivores is not a key to higher carnivore

Description of a remarkable new Asilid

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wulp, van der F.M.

1884-01-01

Tener, pallide rufus; abdominis segmentis ultimis fuscescentibus; facie fronteque angustis, argenteis; femoribus anticis extrinsecus pilis binis longis nigris, mediis spinula unica nigra munitis; tarsis anterioribus subtus nigro-notatis, anticorum articulo secundo primo sublongiori, intermediorum

Feeding associations between capybaras Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Linnaeus (Mammalia, Hydrochaeridae and birds in the Lami Biological Reserve, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Associações alimentares entre capivaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Linnaeus (Mammalia, Hydrochaeridae e aves na Reserva Biológica do Lami, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana C. Tomazzoni

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Feeding associations between capybaras Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Linnaeus, 1766 and some bird species were registered in the Lami Biological Reserve, southern Brazil, through observations in a set of transects established in the five major vegetation types of the study area: shrubby and herbaceous swamps, wet grasslands, sandy grasslands and forests. Data included: date and time, vegetation type, bird species, number of individuals (birds and capybaras, type of prey consumed, foraging strategy of the birds and the behavior of the capybaras in relation to the presence of birds. Five species of birds were registered: Caracara plancus (Miller, 1777, Furnarius rufus (Gmelin, 1788, Machetornis rixosus (Vieillot, 1819, Milvago chimachima (Vieillot, 1816 and Molothrus bonariensis (Gmelin, 1789. The interactions were observed in the shrubby swamp (M. bonariensis, forest (C. plancus and wet grassland (F. rufus, M. rixosus, M. chimachima. The foraging strategies were: (1 use of the capybara as a perch, hunting from its back (M. rixosus, M. bonariensis; (2 use of the capybara as a beater, hunting in the ground (F. rufus, M. rixosus, M. bonariensis; (3 foraging in the skin of the capybara, by picking the ectoparasites (C. plancus, F. rufus, M. chimachima. Strategies (1 and (2 were employed to catch arthropods flushed from the vegetation. Sometimes, capybaras lay down and exposed the abdomen and lateral areas of their bodies to facilitate cleaning by M. chimachima, but the presence of other bird species seemed to be neutral to capybaras.Foram registradas associações alimentares entre capivaras Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Linnaeus, 1766 e aves na Reserva Biológica do Lami, sul do Brasil, por meio de observações em um conjunto de transecções estabelecidas nos cinco principais tipos de vegetação existentes na área: banhado arbustivo, banhado herbáceo, campo úmido, campo arenoso e mata. As informações coletadas foram: data, horário, tipo de vegeta

Fausto como paradigma da melancolia

OpenAIRE

Pedro Heliodoro de Moraes Branco Tavares

2009-01-01

In the present article we intend to demonstrate, by following Freudian ways of constructing his theories on the psychoanalytical nosography based on paradigmatic cases - such as Dora, for hysteria; the Ratman, for the obsessive neurosis and Schreber, for psychosis - how we could think of a model for demonstration and debate, on the controversial structure or clinical type of melancholy in the literary subject of Faust as it's best example. Since the same Freud has taught us to learn with the ...

Mega starbirth cluster is biggest, brightest and hottest ever seen

Science.gov (United States)

2003-10-01

Artist’s impression of the Lynx Arc hi-res Size hi-res: 4519 kb Credits: European Space Agency, NASA and Robert A.E. Fosbury (European Space Agency/Space Telescope-European Coordinating Facility, Germany) Artist’s impression of the Lynx Arc This illustration shows an artist’s impression of the so-called Lynx arc, a newly identified distant super-cluster that contains a million blue-white stars twice as hot as similar stars in our Milky Way galaxy. The Lynx arc is one million times brighter than the well-known Orion Nebula, a nearby prototypical ‘starbirth’ region visible with small telescopes. The stars in the Lynx arc are more than twice as hot as the Orion Nebula’s central stars, with surface temperatures up to 80 000°C. Though there are much bigger and brighter star-forming regions than the Orion Nebula in our local Universe, none are as bright as the Lynx arc, nor do they contain such large numbers of hot stars. The stars are so hot that a very large fraction of their light is emitted in the ultraviolet that makes the gas glow with the green and red colours illustrated here. The so-called Lynx Arc is one million times brighter than the well-known Orion Nebula, a nearby prototypical 'starbirth' region visible with small telescopes. The newly identified super-cluster contains a million blue-white stars that are twice as hot as similar stars in our Milky Way galaxy. It is a rarely glimpsed example of the early days of the Universe where furious firestorms of starbirth blazed across the skies. The spectacular cluster's opulence is dimmed when seen from Earth only by the fact that it is 12 000 million light years away. The discovery of this unique and tantalising object was the result of a systematic study of distant clusters of galaxies carried out with major X-ray, optical and infrared telescopes, including the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, ROSAT and the Keck Telescopes. Bob Fosbury, of the European Space Agency's Space Telescope

Trans-Boundary Edge Effects in the Western Carpathians: The Influence of Hunting on Large Carnivore Occupancy

Science.gov (United States)

Váňa, Martin; Suchomel, Josef; Chapron, Guillaume; López-Bao, José Vicente

2016-01-01

The conservation and management of wolves Canis lupus in the periphery of their distribution is challenging. Edges of wolf distribution are characterized by very few and intermittent occurrences of individuals, which are modulated by multiple factors affecting the overall population such as human-caused mortality, management targets and food availability. The knowledge of population dynamics in the edges becomes crucial when hunting takes place nearby the edges, which may preclude population expansion. Here, using as example the occurrence of wolves in the Beskydy Mountains (Czech-Slovak border), which are the edge distribution of the wolf and Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx populations in the West Carpathians, we explored how food availability and hunting in the Slovakian core area affected the dynamics of wolves in the edges of this population. During 2003–2012, we monitored large carnivore occurrence by snow-tracking surveys and tested potential differences in the occurrence of these species in Beskydy Mountains and potential mechanisms behind detected patterns. Despite the proximity to the core area, with several wolf reproductions being confirmed at least in recent years, the wolf was a very rare species in Beskydy and was recorded 14 times less often than the lynx. The expected abundance of wolves in the Beskydy Mountains was inversely related to prey availability in the Slovakian core area. Wolf hunting the year before influenced the expected abundance of wolves in Beskydy area. We discuss how different life histories and legal status of both species probably account for most of the observed difference of occurrence at range margins. PMID:28002475

Trans-Boundary Edge Effects in the Western Carpathians: The Influence of Hunting on Large Carnivore Occupancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kutal, Miroslav; Váňa, Martin; Suchomel, Josef; Chapron, Guillaume; López-Bao, José Vicente

2016-01-01

The conservation and management of wolves Canis lupus in the periphery of their distribution is challenging. Edges of wolf distribution are characterized by very few and intermittent occurrences of individuals, which are modulated by multiple factors affecting the overall population such as human-caused mortality, management targets and food availability. The knowledge of population dynamics in the edges becomes crucial when hunting takes place nearby the edges, which may preclude population expansion. Here, using as example the occurrence of wolves in the Beskydy Mountains (Czech-Slovak border), which are the edge distribution of the wolf and Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx populations in the West Carpathians, we explored how food availability and hunting in the Slovakian core area affected the dynamics of wolves in the edges of this population. During 2003-2012, we monitored large carnivore occurrence by snow-tracking surveys and tested potential differences in the occurrence of these species in Beskydy Mountains and potential mechanisms behind detected patterns. Despite the proximity to the core area, with several wolf reproductions being confirmed at least in recent years, the wolf was a very rare species in Beskydy and was recorded 14 times less often than the lynx. The expected abundance of wolves in the Beskydy Mountains was inversely related to prey availability in the Slovakian core area. Wolf hunting the year before influenced the expected abundance of wolves in Beskydy area. We discuss how different life histories and legal status of both species probably account for most of the observed difference of occurrence at range margins.

FF-EMU: a radiation tolerant ASIC for the distribution of timing, trigger and control signals in the CMS End-Cap Muon detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campagnari, C; Costantino, N; Magazzù, G; Tongiani, Claudio

2012-01-01

A radiation tolerant integrated circuit for the distribution of clock, trigger and control signals in the Front-End electronics of the CMS End-Cap Muon detector has been developed in the IBM CMOS 130nm technology. The circuit houses transmitter and receiver interfaces to serial links implementing the FF-LYNX protocol that allows the integrated transmission of triggers and data frames with different latency constraints. Encoder and decoder modules associate signal transitions to FF-LYNX frames. The system and the ASIC architecture and behavior and the results of test and characterization of the ASIC prototypes will be presented.

Camera trap arrays improve detection probability of wildlife: Investigating study design considerations using an empirical dataset.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Kelly M; Nathan, Lucas R; Liberati, Marjorie R; Tingley, Morgan W; Vokoun, Jason C; Rittenhouse, Tracy A G

2017-01-01

Camera trapping is a standard tool in ecological research and wildlife conservation. Study designs, particularly for small-bodied or cryptic wildlife species often attempt to boost low detection probabilities by using non-random camera placement or baited cameras, which may bias data, or incorrectly estimate detection and occupancy. We investigated the ability of non-baited, multi-camera arrays to increase detection probabilities of wildlife. Study design components were evaluated for their influence on wildlife detectability by iteratively parsing an empirical dataset (1) by different sizes of camera arrays deployed (1-10 cameras), and (2) by total season length (1-365 days). Four species from our dataset that represented a range of body sizes and differing degrees of presumed detectability based on life history traits were investigated: white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), bobcat (Lynx rufus), raccoon (Procyon lotor), and Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana). For all species, increasing from a single camera to a multi-camera array significantly improved detection probability across the range of season lengths and number of study sites evaluated. The use of a two camera array increased survey detection an average of 80% (range 40-128%) from the detection probability of a single camera across the four species. Species that were detected infrequently benefited most from a multiple-camera array, where the addition of up to eight cameras produced significant increases in detectability. However, for species detected at high frequencies, single cameras produced a season-long (i.e, the length of time over which cameras are deployed and actively monitored) detectability greater than 0.75. These results highlight the need for researchers to be critical about camera trap study designs based on their intended target species, as detectability for each focal species responded differently to array size and season length. We suggest that researchers a priori identify

Camera trap arrays improve detection probability of wildlife: Investigating study design considerations using an empirical dataset.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelly M O'Connor

Full Text Available Camera trapping is a standard tool in ecological research and wildlife conservation. Study designs, particularly for small-bodied or cryptic wildlife species often attempt to boost low detection probabilities by using non-random camera placement or baited cameras, which may bias data, or incorrectly estimate detection and occupancy. We investigated the ability of non-baited, multi-camera arrays to increase detection probabilities of wildlife. Study design components were evaluated for their influence on wildlife detectability by iteratively parsing an empirical dataset (1 by different sizes of camera arrays deployed (1-10 cameras, and (2 by total season length (1-365 days. Four species from our dataset that represented a range of body sizes and differing degrees of presumed detectability based on life history traits were investigated: white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus, bobcat (Lynx rufus, raccoon (Procyon lotor, and Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana. For all species, increasing from a single camera to a multi-camera array significantly improved detection probability across the range of season lengths and number of study sites evaluated. The use of a two camera array increased survey detection an average of 80% (range 40-128% from the detection probability of a single camera across the four species. Species that were detected infrequently benefited most from a multiple-camera array, where the addition of up to eight cameras produced significant increases in detectability. However, for species detected at high frequencies, single cameras produced a season-long (i.e, the length of time over which cameras are deployed and actively monitored detectability greater than 0.75. These results highlight the need for researchers to be critical about camera trap study designs based on their intended target species, as detectability for each focal species responded differently to array size and season length. We suggest that researchers a priori

Tracking cats: problems with placing feline carnivores on δO, δD isoscapes.

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Stephanie J Pietsch

Full Text Available Several felids are endangered and threatened by the illegal wildlife trade. Establishing geographic origin of tissues of endangered species is thus crucial for wildlife crime investigations and effective conservation strategies. As shown in other species, stable isotope analysis of hydrogen and oxygen in hair (δD(h, δ(18O(h can be used as a tool for provenance determination. However, reliably predicting the spatial distribution of δD(h and δ(18O(h requires confirmation from animal tissues of known origin and a detailed understanding of the isotopic routing of dietary nutrients into felid hair.We used coupled δD(h and δ(18O(h measurements from the North American bobcat (Lynx rufus and puma (Puma concolor with precipitation-based assignment isoscapes to test the feasibility of isotopic geo-location of felidae. Hairs of felid and rabbit museum specimens from 75 sites across the United States and Canada were analyzed. Bobcat and puma lacked a significant correlation between H/O isotopes in hair and local waters, and also exhibited an isotopic decoupling of δ(18O(h and δD(h. Conversely, strong δD and δ(18O coupling was found for key prey, eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus; hair and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; collagen, bone phosphate.Puma and bobcat hairs do not adhere to expected pattern of H and O isotopic variation predicted by precipitation isoscapes for North America. Thus, using bulk hair, felids cannot be placed on δ(18O and δD isoscapes for use in forensic investigations. The effective application of isotopes to trace the provenance of feline carnivores is likely compromised by major controls of their diet, physiology and metabolism on hair δ(18O and δD related to body water budgets. Controlled feeding experiments, combined with single amino acid isotope analysis of diets and hair, are needed to reveal mechanisms and physiological traits explaining why felid hair does not follow isotopic patterns

Weather and Prey Predict Mammals' Visitation to Water.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grant Harris

Full Text Available Throughout many arid lands of Africa, Australia and the United States, wildlife agencies provide water year-round for increasing game populations and enhancing biodiversity, despite concerns that water provisioning may favor species more dependent on water, increase predation, and reduce biodiversity. In part, understanding the effects of water provisioning requires identifying why and when animals visit water. Employing this information, by matching water provisioning with use by target species, could assist wildlife management objectives while mitigating unintended consequences of year-round watering regimes. Therefore, we examined if weather variables (maximum temperature, relative humidity [RH], vapor pressure deficit [VPD], long and short-term precipitation and predator-prey relationships (i.e., prey presence predicted water visitation by 9 mammals. We modeled visitation as recorded by trail cameras at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA (June 2009 to September 2014 using generalized linear modeling. For 3 native ungulates, elk (Cervus Canadensis, mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus, and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana, less long-term precipitation and higher maximum temperatures increased visitation, including RH for mule deer. Less long-term precipitation and higher VPD increased oryx (Oryx gazella and desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus audubonii visitation. Long-term precipitation, with RH or VPD, predicted visitation for black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus. Standardized model coefficients demonstrated that the amount of long-term precipitation influenced herbivore visitation most. Weather (especially maximum temperature and prey (cottontails and jackrabbits predicted bobcat (Lynx rufus visitation. Mule deer visitation had the largest influence on coyote (Canis latrans visitation. Puma (Puma concolor visitation was solely predicted by prey visitation (elk, mule deer, oryx. Most ungulate visitation peaked during

Weather and Prey Predict Mammals’ Visitation to Water

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Grant; Sanderson, James G.; Erz, Jon; Lehnen, Sarah E.; Butler, Matthew J.

2015-01-01

Throughout many arid lands of Africa, Australia and the United States, wildlife agencies provide water year-round for increasing game populations and enhancing biodiversity, despite concerns that water provisioning may favor species more dependent on water, increase predation, and reduce biodiversity. In part, understanding the effects of water provisioning requires identifying why and when animals visit water. Employing this information, by matching water provisioning with use by target species, could assist wildlife management objectives while mitigating unintended consequences of year-round watering regimes. Therefore, we examined if weather variables (maximum temperature, relative humidity [RH], vapor pressure deficit [VPD], long and short-term precipitation) and predator-prey relationships (i.e., prey presence) predicted water visitation by 9 mammals. We modeled visitation as recorded by trail cameras at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA (June 2009 to September 2014) using generalized linear modeling. For 3 native ungulates, elk (Cervus Canadensis), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), less long-term precipitation and higher maximum temperatures increased visitation, including RH for mule deer. Less long-term precipitation and higher VPD increased oryx (Oryx gazella) and desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus audubonii) visitation. Long-term precipitation, with RH or VPD, predicted visitation for black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus). Standardized model coefficients demonstrated that the amount of long-term precipitation influenced herbivore visitation most. Weather (especially maximum temperature) and prey (cottontails and jackrabbits) predicted bobcat (Lynx rufus) visitation. Mule deer visitation had the largest influence on coyote (Canis latrans) visitation. Puma (Puma concolor) visitation was solely predicted by prey visitation (elk, mule deer, oryx). Most ungulate visitation peaked during May and

Greater sage-grouse nest predators in the Virginia Mountains of northwestern Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Lockyer, Zachary B.; Coates, Peter S.; Casazza, Michael L.; Espinosa, Shawn; Delehanty, David J.

2013-01-01

Greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus, hereafter sage-grouse, populations have declined across their range due to the loss, degradation, and fragmentation of habitat. Habitat alterations can lead not only to vegetative changes but also to shifts in animal behavior and predator composition that may influence population vital rates, such as nest success. For example, common ravens Corvus corax are sage-grouse nest predators, and common raven abundance is positively associated with human-caused habitat alterations. Because nest success is a central component to sage-grouse population persistence, research that identifies factors influencing nest success will better inform conservation efforts. We used videography to unequivocally identify sage-grouse nest predators within the Virginia Mountains of northwestern Nevada, USA, from 2009 to 2011 and used maximum likelihood to calculate daily probability of nest survival. In the Virginia Mountains, fires, energy exploration, and other anthropogenic activities have altered historic sage-grouse habitat. We monitored 71 sage-grouse nests during the study, placing video cameras at 39 nests. Cumulative nest survival for all nests was 22.4% (95% CI, 13.0–33.4%), a survival rate that was significantly lower than other published results for sage-grouse in the Great Basin. Depredation was the primary cause for nest failure in our study (82.5%), and common ravens were the most frequent sage-grouse nest predator, accounting for 46.7% of nest depredations. We also successfully documented a suite of mammalian and reptilian species depredating sage-grouse nests, including some predators never previously confirmed in the literature to be sage-grouse nest predators (i.e., bobcats Lynx rufus and long-tailed weasels Mephitis frenata). Within the high elevation, disturbed habitat of the Virginia Mountains, low sage-grouse nest success may be limiting sage-grouse population growth. These results suggest that management actions that

Comparative sacral morphology and the reconstructed tail lengths of five extinct primates: Proconsul heseloni, Epipliopithecus vindobonensis, Archaeolemur edwardsi, Megaladapis grandidieri, and Palaeopropithecus kelyus.

Science.gov (United States)

Russo, Gabrielle A

2016-01-01

This study evaluated the relationship between the morphology of the sacrum-the sole bony link between the tail or coccyx and the rest of the body-and tail length (including presence/absence) and function using a comparative sample of extant mammals spanning six orders (Primates, Carnivora, Rodentia, Diprotodontia, Pilosa, Scandentia; N = 472). Phylogenetically-informed regression methods were used to assess how tail length varied with respect to 11 external and internal (i.e., trabecular) bony sacral variables with known or suspected biomechanical significance across all mammals, only primates, and only non-primates. Sacral variables were also evaluated for primates assigned to tail categories ('tailless,' 'nonprehensile short-tailed,' 'nonprehensile long-tailed,' and 'prehensile-tailed'). Compared to primates with reduced tail lengths, primates with longer tails generally exhibited sacra having larger caudal neural openings than cranial neural openings, and last sacral vertebrae with more mediolaterally-expanded caudal articular surfaces than cranial articular surfaces, more laterally-expanded transverse processes, more dorsally-projecting spinous processes, and larger caudal articular surface areas. Observations were corroborated by the comparative sample, which showed that shorter-tailed (e.g., Lynx rufus [bobcat]) and longer-tailed (e.g., Acinonyx jubatus [cheetah]) non-primate mammals morphologically converge with shorter-tailed (e.g., Macaca nemestrina) and longer-tailed (e.g., Macaca fascicularis) primates, respectively. 'Prehensile-tailed' primates exhibited last sacral vertebrae with more laterally-expanded transverse processes and greater caudal articular surface areas than 'nonprehensile long-tailed' primates. Internal sacral variables performed poorly compared to external sacral variables in analyses of extant primates, and were thus deemed less useful for making inferences concerning tail length and function in extinct primates. The tails lengths of

Pop / Mart Juur

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Juur, Mart, 1964-

2005-01-01

Heliplaatidest: Athlete "Tourist", The Phazz "Natural Fake", David Sylvian "The Good Son Vs The Only Daughter: The Blemish Remixes", Konono No. 1 "Congotronics", Halo "Värvid", Rufus Wainwright "Want Two", New Order "Waiting For The Sirens' Call"

Pop / Tristan Priimägi

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Priimägi, Tristan, 1976-

2007-01-01

Heliplaatidest: Rufus Wainwright "Release The Stars", Poiskõsõ "Tii päält iist!", Mice Parade "Mice Parade", John Martyn "BBC Live In Concert", Feedle "Leave Now for Adventure", Korpi Ensemble "Trails", Michael Andrews "Hand On String"

A High Resolution, Light-Weight, Synthetic Aperture Radar for UAV Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doerry, A.W.; Hensley, W.H.; Stence, J.; Tsunoda, S.I.; Pace, F.; Walker, B.C.; Woodring, M.

1999-06-01

(U) Sandia National Laboratories in collaboration with General Atomics (GA) has designed and built a high resolution, light-weight, Ku-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) known as ''Lynx''. Although Lynx can be operated on a wide variety of manned and unmanned platforms, its design is optimized for use on medium altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS). In particular, it can be operated on the Predator, I-GNAT, and Prowler II platforms manufactured by GA. (U) The radar production weight is less than 120 lb and operates within a 3 GHz band from 15.2 GHz to 18.2 GHz with a peak output power of 320 W. Operating range is resolution and mode dependent but can exceed 45 km in adverse weather (4 mm/hr rain). Lynx has operator selectable resolution and is capable of 0.1 m resolution in spotlight mode and 0.3 m resolution in strip map mode, over substantial depression angles (5 to 60 deg) and squint angles (broadside and ±45 deg). Real-time Motion Compensation is implemented to allow high-quality image formation even during vehicle turns and other maneuvers

EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES AT z = 1.3. I. THE LYNX SUPERCLUSTER: CLUSTER AND GROUPS AT z = 1.3. MORPHOLOGY AND COLOR-MAGNITUDE RELATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mei, Simona; Raichoor, Anand; Huertas-Company, Marc; Adam Stanford, S.; Rettura, Alessandro; Jee, Myungkook J.; Holden, Brad P.; Illingworth, Garth D.; Postman, Marc; Nakata, Fumiaki; Kodama, Tadayuki; Finoguenov, Alexis; Ford, Holland C.; Rosati, Piero; Tanaka, Masayuki; Koyama, Yusei; Shankar, Francesco; Carrasco, Eleazar R.; Demarco, Ricardo; Eisenhardt, Peter

2012-01-01

We confirm the detection of three groups in the Lynx supercluster, at z ≈ 1.3, through spectroscopic follow-up and X-ray imaging, and we give estimates for their redshifts and masses. We study the properties of the group galaxies compared to the two central clusters, RX J0849+4452 and RX J0848+4453. Using spectroscopic follow-up and multi-wavelength photometric redshifts, we select 89 galaxies in the clusters, of which 41 are spectroscopically confirmed, and 74 galaxies in the groups, of which 25 are spectroscopically confirmed. We morphologically classify galaxies by visual inspection, noting that our early-type galaxy (ETG) sample would have been contaminated at the 30%-40% level by simple automated classification methods (e.g., based on Sérsic index). In luminosity-selected samples, both clusters and groups show high fractions of bulge-dominated galaxies with a diffuse component that we visually identified as a disk and which we classified as bulge-dominated spirals, e.g., Sas. The ETG fractions never rise above ≈50% in the clusters, which is low compared to the fractions observed in other massive clusters at z ≈ 1. In the groups, ETG fractions never exceed ≈25%. However, overall bulge-dominated galaxy fractions (ETG plus Sas) are similar to those observed for ETGs in clusters at z ∼ 1. Bulge-dominated galaxies visually classified as spirals might also be ETGs with tidal features or merger remnants. They are mainly red and passive, and span a large range in luminosity. Their star formation seems to have been quenched before experiencing a morphological transformation. Because their fraction is smaller at lower redshifts, they might be the spiral population that evolves into ETGs. For mass-selected samples of galaxies with masses M > 10 10.6 M ☉ within Σ > 500 Mpc –2 , the ETG and overall bulge-dominated galaxy fractions show no significant evolution with respect to local clusters, suggesting that morphological transformations might occur at lower

Daily activity patterns of large and medium-sized mammals based on camera traps data in the Central Forest Nature Reserve, Valdai Upland, Russia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey S. Ogurtsov

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Here are presented the results of the analysis of daily activity patterns obtained from the data of camera traps for five large mammals (elk Alces alces, wild boar Sus scrofa, brown bear Ursus arctos, grey wolf Canis lupus, Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx and three medium ones (European badger Meles meles, raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides, mountain hare Lepus timidus for the territory of the Central Forest Nature Reserve, Valdai Upland, Russia. Data were collected in the period 2010–2017 and the trap effort was 30 158 camera days from 21 locations. Most of the mammals surveyed showed activity at night and twilight hours (71% of the pictures. The hare was most active among all and dominant at night. In many respects it is similar to the activity of a raccoon dog, which type can be defined as nocturnal too. Unlike a hare, a raccoon dog has a weak peak in the daytime and less activity in the night. Badgers movements are confined to the twilight and nighttime. The share of nocturnal activity of large ungulates such as elk and wild boar was approximately the same and amounted to about 45% of all registrations. The wild boar is slightly more active during the day and in the evening and is not active at all in the morning. The elk is active in the morning, and in the daytime and to a lesser extent in the evening. The lynx and the bear have similar cathemeral activity patterns: almost half of all their meetings occurred at daylight hours and only slightly – less than 40% – at night. The brown bear had the maximum number of registrations in the daytime among all the studied species. Despite the fact that the main object of lynx feeding in the reserve is the hare, there was no high degree of overlap between them (γˆ = 0.75. In the group of large carnivores, the wolf was noticeably distinguished, more than half of its registrations were at night, and a third – on daytime. Daily activities of the wolf and its main prey elk showed a large overlap (�

Water use and the thermoregulatory behaviour of kangaroos in arid regions: insights into the colonisation of arid rangelands in Australia by the Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus).

Science.gov (United States)

Dawson, Terence J; McTavish, Kirsten J; Munn, Adam J; Holloway, Joanne

2006-01-01

The Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) occurs mostly in the wetter regions of eastern Australia. However, in the past 30-40 years it has moved into more arid regions (rainfall Kangaroo (Macropus rufus). An increased access to water (supplied for domestic stock) may explain this range extension, but changes in the availability of preferred feed could also be involved. The water use, drinking patterns and thermoregulatory behaviour of these two species of kangaroo have been examined in a semi-free range study, during summer at an arid rangeland site. Foraging was largely nocturnal in both species and during the day they behaved to reduce heat loads. This was especially so for M. giganteus, which showed greater shade seeking. However, it still used more water (72 +/- 2.6 mL kg(-1) day(-1), mean +/- SE) than M. rufus (56 +/- 7.6 mL kg(-1) day(-1)) and drank twice as frequently. Although M. giganteus produced a less concentrated urine (1422 +/- 36 mosmol kg(-1)) than M. rufus (1843 +/- 28 mosmol kg(-1)), kidney physiology did not explain all of the differences in water metabolism between the species. Water from the feed and faecal water retention also appear to be involved. Broadly, a better access to reliable water and the utilisation of mesic microhabitats has enabled M. giganteus to make inroads into the changing rangelands of eastern Australia. However, changes in the vegetation, due to stock grazing, have also favoured M. giganteus, which is a grass eating specialist.

BODILOPSIS OGLOBLINI (SEMENOV ET SI MEDVEDEV, 1928 (COLEOPTERA, SCARABAEIDAE, APHODIINAE – A CIRCUMCASPIAN SPECIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. M. Abdurakhmanov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Bodilopsis ogloblini (Semenov et Medvedev, 1928 comb.n. (previously included in the subgenera Mendidius and Bodilus of the genus Aphodius are recorded as new for the fauna of Dagestan, Azerbaijan, the Caucasus and Russia. This species belongs to a subgenus Bodilopsis and is close to widely distributed species: B. sordidus (Fabricius, 1775 and B. rufus (Moll, 1782. B. ogloblini differs from all close species first of all by color of certain parts: dark (from dark-brown to black antennal club, black head (sometimes clypeal margins a little lighter, darkbrown and dark-brown abdomen. All species mentioned above have light antennal club (often yellow, sometimes brownish, head light (from yellow to red-brown or light with dark-brown maculae, abdomen also light (from yellow to reddish, sometimes brownish. Coarse, rugose clypeal sculpture (without distinct punctation is typical for B. ogloblini. Other species have more or less densely roughly punctured clypeus, never rugose. Besides new species differs from species of the Alocoderus by not framed anterior pronotal margin and by mostly black (sometimes dark-brown pronotum (in A. hydrochaeris and A. digitalis anterior pronotal margin distinctly framed; pronotum in A. digitalis yellow, in A. hydrochaeris – yellow with brown spot in the middle. B. ogloblini also differs from A. sordidus by shining punctured elytral apices (in B. sordidus elytral apices distinctly shagreened, mat, without punctation. It differs from B. rufus by normal sharp lower spur of middle male tibia (male of A. rufus with modified lower spur of middle tibia, truncated at apex.

Journal of East African Natural History - Vol 106, No 2 (2017)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Two red-capped robin-chats Cossypha natalensis imitate antiphonal duet of black-faced rufous warblers Bathmocercus rufus · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT. Thomas T. Struhsaker, 53-56. http://dx.doi.org/10.2982/028.106.0201 ...

Conservation challenges of managing lynx

Science.gov (United States)

John R. Squires

2005-01-01

Yellowstone National Park is hallowed ground when it comes to wildlife in America. The very word “Yellowstone” conjures up images of grizzly bears digging tubers, bands of elk dotting the landscape, and gray wolves pursuing elk along the Lamar River. However, Yellowstone also provides habitat to one of the rarest cats in the continental United States: the...

Real-time Linux operating system for plasma control on FTU--implementation advantages and first experimental results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vitale, V.; Centioli, C.; Iannone, F.; Mazza, G.; Panella, M.; Pangione, L.; Podda, S.; Zaccarian, L.

2004-01-01

In this paper, we report on the experiment carried out at the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (FTU) on the porting of the plasma control system (PCS) from a LynxOS architecture to an open source Linux real-time architecture. The old LynxOS system was implemented on a VME/PPC604r embedded controller guaranteeing successful plasma position, density and current control. The new RTAI-Linux operating system has shown to easily adapt to the VME hardware via a VME/INTELx86 embedded controller. The advantages of the new solution versus the old one are not limited to the reduced cost of the new architecture (based on the open-source characteristic of the RTAI architecture) but also enhanced by the response time of the real-time system which, also through an optimization of the real-time code, has been reduced from 150 μs (LynxOS) to 70 μs (RTAI). The new real-time operating system is also shown to be suitable for new extended control activities, whose implementation is also possible based on the reduced duty cycle duration, which leaves space for the real-time implementation of nonlinear control laws. We report here on recent experiments related to the optimization of the coupling between additional radiofrequency power and plasma

Real-time Linux operating system for plasma control on FTU--implementation advantages and first experimental results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vitale, V. E-mail: vitale@frascati.enea.it; Centioli, C.; Iannone, F.; Mazza, G.; Panella, M.; Pangione, L.; Podda, S.; Zaccarian, L

2004-06-01

In this paper, we report on the experiment carried out at the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (FTU) on the porting of the plasma control system (PCS) from a LynxOS architecture to an open source Linux real-time architecture. The old LynxOS system was implemented on a VME/PPC604r embedded controller guaranteeing successful plasma position, density and current control. The new RTAI-Linux operating system has shown to easily adapt to the VME hardware via a VME/INTELx86 embedded controller. The advantages of the new solution versus the old one are not limited to the reduced cost of the new architecture (based on the open-source characteristic of the RTAI architecture) but also enhanced by the response time of the real-time system which, also through an optimization of the real-time code, has been reduced from 150 {mu}s (LynxOS) to 70 {mu}s (RTAI). The new real-time operating system is also shown to be suitable for new extended control activities, whose implementation is also possible based on the reduced duty cycle duration, which leaves space for the real-time implementation of nonlinear control laws. We report here on recent experiments related to the optimization of the coupling between additional radiofrequency power and plasma.

The psychosis in the contem porary and its new symptoms: from pathos to orthos

OpenAIRE

Henriques, Rogério Paes

2012-01-01

Expõe-se aqui a psicose clássica, "freudo-lacaniana", formulada por Lacan, a partir da herança freudiana, em seu ensino linguístico-estrutural na década de 1950, cujo caso paradigmático é Schreber, e a "psicose lacano-milleriana", surgida com a clínica borromeana de Lacan em meados da década de 1970, com base no sinthoma joyceano, denominada recentemente "psicose ordinária", segundo a orientação dos teóricos ligados ao Campo Freudiano. Pretende-se estabelecer uma análise comparativa entre ess...

Feeding behaviour of the caracal Felis caracal Schreber 1776 in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A total of 21 caracal kills were recorded in the Mountain Zebra. National Park of .... lowing morning the kill was found about 65 m away, par-. S.-Afr. Tydskr. Dierk. .... of exercise, this was probably an indication of consump- tion when food is ...

Radiosensitivity of two populations of Clethrionomys glareolus Schreber from East Lithuania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazheikyte, R.

1997-01-01

The basic radiosensitivity of bank vole population inhabiting the region of the Ignalina NPP (INPP) and the control zones, 50 km to the south-west from the INPP, i.e., radiosensitivity of bank voles overwintered and bank vole underyearlings as well as that of males and females in spring and autumn was investigated. In the investigated points the bank voles were caught in May and September 1984. In all, in the experiment there were used 18 bank voles overwintered at the age of 10-13 months and 42 bank vole underyearlings of 2 months. The investigations were carried out using cytologic method because it was shown that there is a direct relationship between the radiosensitivity of animal and that of its organs and tissues to ionizing radiation. The investigations of radiosensitivity of bank voles overwintered and bank vole underyearlings in spring and autumn have shown that the number of cells with spontaneous chromosome structure aberrations in tissues of bank voles of all the investigated age groups was almost the same, i.e., ecological living conditions of bank voles in population A and population B were the same. It should be noted that some differences in radiosensitivity of the investigated populations revealed the different genetic structure of these populations during the abundance dynamics of bank voles. (author).3 tabs

76 FR 62442 - Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement for Upper Truckee River...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-07

... all factors leading to the decision. In late fall 2011, the California Parks and Recreation Commission... restoration with a reconfigured 18-hole golf course. DATES: Reclamation will complete a Record of Decision at... desk, 1000 Rufus Allen Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. Hard copies can be printed for purchase...

tion in rufous mouse lemurs (Microcebus rufus)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

tance in many ecological studies, as well as in disease research. (i.e., Coop ..... interaction suggests that individuals in Talatakely engage in more ..... parasite defences and trade-offs in evolutionary ecology. ... Predation, pollination and tor-.

Discussion 2: David Dobbs

OpenAIRE

Dobbs, David; Murray-Rust, Peter; Hatcher, Jordan; Pollock, Rufus

2010-01-01

David Dobbs writes on science, medicine and culture. He has contributed to a diversity of publications, including Scientific American, Slate magazine, Wired, Audubon, Atlantic Monthly, and the New York Times magazine. He has also authored a number of books. Other participants in this discussion were Peter Murray-Rust, Jordan Hatcher, and Rufus Pollock.

Florida DOT Orlando ITS World Congress Vehicle Awareness Device

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation — Florida DOT (FDOT) installed Vehicle Awareness Devices (VADs) on a set of Lynx transit buses as part of a demonstration for the ITS World Congress held in Orlando in...

New Platforms for Suborbital Astronomical Observations and In Situ Atmospheric Measurements: Spacecraft, Instruments, and Facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Rodway, K.; DeForest, C. E.; Diller, J.; Vilas, F.; Sollitt, L. S.; Reyes, M. F.; Filo, A. S.; Anderson, E.

2014-12-01

Suborbital astronomical observations have over 50 years' history using NASA's sounding rockets and experimental space planes. The new commercial space industry is developing suborbital reusable launch vehicles (sRLV's) to provide low-cost, flexible, and frequent access to space at ~100 km altitude. In the case of XCOR Aerospace's Lynx spacecraft, the vehicle design and capabilities work well for hosting specially designed experiments that can be flown with a human-tended researcher or alone with the pilot on a customized mission. Some of the first-generation instruments and facilities that will conduct solar observations on dedicated Lynx science missions include the SwRI Solar Instrument Pointing Platform (SSIPP) and Atsa Suborbital Observatory, as well as KickSat sprites, which are picosatellites for in situ atmospheric and solar phenomena measurements. The SSIPP is a demonstration two-stage pointed solar observatory that operates inside the Lynx cockpit. The coarse pointing stage includes the pilot in the feedback loop, and the fine stage stabilizes the solar image to achieve arcsecond class pointing. SSIPP is a stepping-stone to future external instruments that can operate with larger apertures and shorter wavelengths in the solar atmosphere. The Planetary Science Institute's Atsa Suborbital Observatory combines the strengths of ground-based observatories and space-based observing to create a facility where a telescope is maintained and used interchangeably with either in-house facility instruments or user-provided instruments. The Atsa prototype is a proof of concept, hand-guided camera that mounts on the interior of the Lynx cockpit to test target acquisition and tracking for human-operated suborbital astronomy. KickSat sprites are mass-producible, one inch printed circuit boards (PCBs) populated by programmable off the shelf microprocessors and radios for real time data transmission. The sprite PCBs can integrate chip-based radiometers, magnetometers

Pathogen exposure varies widely among sympatric populations of wild and domestic felids across the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Carver, Scott; Bevins, Sarah N; Lappin, Michael R; Boydston, Erin E; Lyren, Lisa M; Alldredge, Mathew; Logan, Kenneth A; Sweanor, Linda L; Riley, Seth P D; Serieys, Laurel E K; Fisher, Robert N; Vickers, T Winston; Boyce, Walter; Mcbride, Roy; Cunningham, Mark C; Jennings, Megan; Lewis, Jesse; Lunn, Tamika; Crooks, Kevin R; Vandewoude, Sue

2016-03-01

Understanding how landscape, host, and pathogen traits contribute to disease exposure requires systematic evaluations of pathogens within and among host species and geographic regions. The relative importance of these attributes is critical for management of wildlife and mitigating domestic animal and human disease, particularly given rapid ecological changes, such as urbanization. We screened > 1000 samples from sympatric populations of puma (Puma concolor), bobcat (Lynx rufus), and domestic cat (Felis catus) across urban gradients in six sites, representing three regions, in North America for exposure to a representative suite of bacterial, protozoal, and viral pathogens (Bartonella sp., Toxoplasma gondii, feline herpesvirus-1, feline panleukopenea virus, feline calicivirus, and feline immunodeficiency virus). We evaluated prevalence within each species, and examined host trait and land cover determinants of exposure; providing an unprecedented analysis of factors relating to potential for infections in domesticated and wild felids. Prevalence differed among host species (highest for puma and lowest for domestic cat) and was greater for indirectly transmitted pathogens. Sex was inconsistently predictive of exposure to directly transmitted pathogens only, and age infrequently predictive of both direct and indirectly transmitted pathogens. Determinants of pathogen exposure were widely divergent between the wild felid species. For puma, suburban land use predicted increased exposure to Bartonella sp. in southern California, and FHV-1 exposure increased near urban edges in Florida. This may suggest interspecific transmission with domestic cats via flea vectors (California) and direct contact (Florida) around urban boundaries. Bobcats captured near urban areas had increased exposure to T. gondii in Florida, suggesting an urban source of prey Bobcats captured near urban areas in Colorado and Florida had higher FIV exposure, possibly suggesting increased intraspecific

Behavioral profiles of the captive juvenile whooping crane (Grus americana) as an indicator of reintroduction behavior and survival

Science.gov (United States)

Kreger, M.D.

2003-01-01

Predation by bobcats (Lynx rufus) has been the greatest cause of mortality of whooping cranes (Grus americana) in the reintroduced population in Florida. This study investigated whether the behavior of juvenile cranes during captive rearing and shortly after release can be used to predict their chances of survival once released in the wild. This study also examined differences in behavior based on rearing treatments and whether differences observed during rearing continued at the release site. Experimental rearing treatments were parent reared (PR), hand reared (RR), and hand reared with exercise (HRE). Two annual cycles of cranes were observed from hatch to 20 weeks of age in captivity (n=56 birds). Post-release bebavioral data were collected at the release site for a minimum of two weeks (n=34 birds), with mortality data collected up to one year post release (n=38 birds). Behavioral time budgets were compared using repeated measures ANOVA. Logistic regression was used to build a model to identify behaviors that were associated with first-year survival. During rearing, PR birds were the most vigilant. There were no behavioral differences between HR and HRE birds. Generally, rearing treatments had few long-term effects on the post-release behavior of the birds. The main behavioral differences during rearing and after release were the frequency of bouts and the percentage of time spent performing different behaviors. This may be attributed to foraging strategies and adaptation from captive conditions to the wild. Survival was not related to rearing treatment. Fifty-five percent of the birds survived the first year post-release based upon data pooled over two years. During rearing, the frequency of foraging bouts was positively correlated to survival. Survival was negatively correlated to the frequency of walking bouts during rearing, and release weight of the birds. These correlations accounted for 32 percent of the variability in survival. At the release site, 20

Medium-Sized Mammals around a Radioactive Liquid Waste Lagoon at Los Alamos National Laboratory: Uptake of Contaminants and Evaluation of Radio-Frequency Identification Technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leslie A. Hansen; Phil R. Fresquez; Rhonda J. Robinson; John D. Huchton; Teralene S. Foxx

1999-11-01

Use of a radioactive liquid waste lagoon by medium-sized mammals and levels of tritium, other selected radionuclides, and metals in biological tissues of the animals were documented at Technical Area 53 (TA-53) of Los Alamos National Laboratory during 1997 and 1998. Rock squirrel (Spermophilus variegates), raccoon (Procyon lotor), striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), and bobcat (Lynx rufus) were captured at TA-53 and at a control site on the Santa Fe National Forest. Captured animals were anesthetized and marked with radio-frequency identification (RFD) tags and/or ear tags. We collected urine and hair samples for tritium and metals (aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, silver, and thallium) analyses, respectively. In addition, muscle and bone samples from two rock squirrels collected from each of TA-53, perimeter, and regional background sites were tested for tritium, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 90}Sr, {sup 238}Pu, {sup 239,240}Pu, {sup 241}Am, and total uranium. Animals at TA-53 were monitored entering and leaving the lagoon area using a RFID monitor to read identification numbers from the RFID tags of marked animals and a separate camera system to photograph all animals passing through the monitor. Cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus spp.), rock squirrel, and raccoon were the species most frequently photographed going through the RFID monitor. Less than half of all marked animals in the lagoon area were detected using the lagoon. Male and female rock squirrels from the lagoon area had significantly higher tritium concentrations compared to rock squirrels from the control area. Metals tested were not significantly higher in rock squirrels from TA-53, although there was a trend toward increased levels of lead in some individuals at TA-53. Muscle and bone samples from squirrels in the lagoon area appeared to have higher levels of tritium, total uranium, and {sup 137}Cs than samples collected from perimeter and

Pathogen exposure varies widely among sympatric populations of wild and domestic felids across the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Carver, Scott; Bevins, Sarah N.; Lappin, Michael R.; Boydston, Erin E.; Lyren, Lisa M.; Alldredge, Mathew W.; Logan, Kenneth A.; Sweanor, Linda L.; Riley, Seth P.D.; Serieys, Laurel E.K.; Fisher, Robert N.; Vickers, T. Winston; Boyce, Walter M.; McBride, Roy; Cunnigham, Mark C.; Jennings, Megan; Lewis, Jesse S.; Lunn, Tamika; Crooks, Kevin R.; VandeWoude, Sue

2016-01-01

Understanding how landscape, host, and pathogen traits contribute to disease exposure requires systematic evaluations of pathogens within and among host species and geographic regions. The relative importance of these attributes is critical for management of wildlife and mitigating domestic animal and human disease, particularly given rapid ecological changes, such as urbanization. We screened >1,000 samples from sympatric populations of puma (Puma concolor), bobcat (Lynx rufus) and domestic cat (Felis catus) across urban gradients in six sites, representing three regions, in North America for exposure to a representative suite of bacterial, protozoal and viral pathogens (Bartonella sp., Toxoplasma gondii, feline herpesvirus-1, feline panleukopenea virus, feline calicivirus, feline immunodeficiency virus). We evaluated prevalence within each species, and examined host trait and land cover determinants of exposure-providing an unprecedented analysis of factors relating to potential for infections in domesticated and wild felids. Prevalence differed among host species (highest for puma and lowest for domestic cat) and was greater for indirectly transmitted pathogens. Sex was inconsistently predictive of exposure to directly transmitted pathogens only, and age infrequently predictive of both direct and indirectly transmitted pathogens. Determinants of pathogen exposure were widely divergent between the wild felid species. For puma, suburban landuse predicted increased exposure to Bartonella sp. in southern California, and FHV-1 exposure increased near urban edges in Florida. This may suggest inter-specific transmission with domestic cats via flea vectors (California) and direct contact (Florida) around urban boundaries. Bobcats captured near urban areas had increased exposure to T. gondii in Florida, suggesting an urban source of prey. Bobcats captured near urban areas in Colorado and Florida had higher FIV exposure, possibly suggesting increased intra

Methods in Lexicography and Dictionary Research

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

Access Structures in Printed Dictionaries. Gouws,. Rufus H., Ulrich Heid, Wolfgang Schweickard and Herbert Ernst Wiegand (Eds.). 2013: 110-149. Wiegand, Herbert Ernst and Mª Teresa Fuentes Morán. 2010. Estructuras lexicográficas. Aspectos centrales de una teoría de la forma del diccionario. Colección Lexicografía 2.

The Atsa Suborbital Observatory: An Observatory for a Commercial Suborbital Spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

Vilas, F.; Sollitt, L. S.

2012-12-01

instruments or user-provided instruments. Rapid turnaround will depend only on flight frequency. Data are stored on-board for retrieval when the spacecraft lands. We provide robust instrumentation that can survive suborbital spaceflight, assessment of the feasibility of the requested observations, rigorous scripting of the telescope operation, integration of the telescope plus instrument in a provider spacecraft, and periodic preventive maintenance for the telescope and instrument suite. XCOR Aerospace's Lynx III spacecraft is the best candidate vehicle to host a suborbital astronomical observatory. Unlike other similar vehicles, the Lynx will operate with only 1 or 2 people onboard (the pilot and an operator), allowing for each mission to be totally dedicated to the observation (no tourists will be bumping about; no other experiments will affect spacecraft pointing). A stable platform, the Lynx can point to an accuracy of ± 0.5o. Fine pointing is done by the telescope system. Best of all, the Lynx has a dorsal pod that opens directly to space. For astronomical observations, the best window is NO window. Currently, we plan to deploy a 20" diameter telescope in the Lynx III dorsal pod. XCOR Aerospace has the goal of eventually maintaining a Lynx flight frequency capability of 4 times/day. As with any observatory, Atsa will be available for observations by the community at large.

Cytauxzoon Infections in Wild Felids from Carpathian-Danubian-Pontic Space: Further Evidence for a Different Cytauxzoon Species in European Felids

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Gallusová, M.; Jirsová, D.; Mihalca, A. D.; Gherman, C.M.; D’Amico, G.; Qablan, M. A.; Modrý, David

2016-01-01

Roč. 102, č. 3 (2016), s. 377-380 ISSN 0022-3395 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Lynx * domestic cats * molecular characterization Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine Impact factor: 1.326, year: 2016

Sarcoptic mange in Swedish wildlife.

Science.gov (United States)

Mörner, T

1992-12-01

Mange caused by Sarcoptes scabiei var. vulpes appeared among red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Scandinavia (south-west Finland) for the first time in this century in 1967. The disease was most probably introduced by foxes crossing the Gulf of Finland from Estonia. The mange epizootic spread northwards through Finland and reached Sweden in late 1975, when mangy foxes appeared in the northern part of the country. In 1984, mange was observed in most parts of Sweden. The disease was observed to spread rapidly in boreal areas, whereas it spread more slowly in agricultural areas. Mortality due to mange was very high. The duration of the disease before death due to emaciation has been shown experimentally to be over 90 days. An outbreak of fox mange among Arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) occurred in 1986. The local population of Arctic foxes was caught and successfully treated. The following year, treated foxes were caught again and no signs of disease were found. Sporadic cases of fox mange have also been diagnosed in lynx (Lynx lynx), pine marten (Martes martes) and domestic dogs. Single cases have been observed in other species: wolf (Canis lupus), mountain hare (Lepus timidus), domestic cat and horse. No cases of sarcoptic mange have been recorded in the badger (Meles meles). At present, although fox mange occurs as an epizootic in local populations, the number of foxes has increased again in many parts of Sweden.

High-Redshift Radio Galaxies from Deep Fields

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2016-01-27

Jan 27, 2016 ... High-Redshift Radio Galaxies from Deep Fields ... Here we present results from the deep 150 MHz observations of LBDS-Lynx field, which has been imaged at 327, ... Articles are also visible in Web of Science immediately.

10 lineas de investigacion para empezar el curso Del big bang del proyecto LHC a la polipildora de Valentin Fuster

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

The entrails of the universe, the keys of the biological clock, diseases like Alzheimer and the processes that govern our brain, the mother celles, the physic of materials, the survival of the lynx, the fight against cancer, etc...(2,5 pages)

Monitoring velkých šelem v Beskydech

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Koubek, Petr; Barančeková, Miroslava; Krojerová, Jarmila; Homolka, Miloslav; Konupka, Petr; Vallo, Peter

2013-01-01

Roč. 14, č. 6 (2013), s. 12-15 ISSN 1212-8422 R&D Projects: GA MŠk EE2.3.35.0026 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : European lynx * brown bear * wolf * telemetry * camera-traps * monitoring Subject RIV: EG - Zoology

Do rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) use visual beacons?

Science.gov (United States)

Hurly, T Andrew; Franz, Simone; Healy, Susan D

2010-03-01

Animals are often assumed to use highly conspicuous features of a goal to head directly to that goal ('beaconing'). In the field it is generally assumed that flowers serve as beacons to guide pollinators. Artificial hummingbird feeders are coloured red to serve a similar function. However, anecdotal reports suggest that hummingbirds return to feeder locations in the absence of the feeder (and thus the beacon). Here we test these reports for the first time in the field, using the natural territories of hummingbirds and manipulating flowers on a scale that is ecologically relevant to the birds. We compared the predictions from two distinct hypotheses as to how hummingbirds might use the visual features of rewards: the distant beacon hypothesis and the local cue hypothesis. In two field experiments, we found no evidence that rufous hummingbirds used a distant visual beacon to guide them to a rewarded location. In no case did birds abandon their approach to the goal location from a distance; rather they demonstrated remarkable accuracy of navigation by approaching to within about 70 cm of a rewarded flower's original location. Proximity varied depending on the size of the training flower: birds flew closer to a previously rewarded location if it had been previously signalled with a small beacon. Additionally, when provided with a beacon at a new location, birds did not fly directly to the new beacon. Taken together, we believe these data demonstrate that these hummingbirds depend little on visual characteristics to beacon to rewarded locations, but rather that they encode surrounding landmarks in order to reach the goal and then use the visual features of the goal as confirmation that they have arrived at the correct location.

Functional interaction between Lypd6 and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arvaniti, Maria; Jensen, Majbrit M; Soni, Neeraj

2016-01-01

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) affect multiple physiological functions in the brain and their functions are modulated by regulatory proteins of the Lynx family. Here, we report for the first time a direct interaction of the Lynx protein LY6/PLAUR domain-containing 6 (Lypd6) with n...... brain. Additionally, soluble recombinant Lypd6 protein attenuates nicotine-induced hippocampal inward currents in rat brain slices and decreases nicotine-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation in PC12 cells, suggesting that binding of Lypd6 is sufficient to inhibit n......AChR-mediated intracellular signaling. We further show that perinatal nicotine exposure in rats (4 mg/kg/day through minipumps to dams from embryonic day 7 to post-natal day 21) significantly increases Lypd6 protein levels in the hippocampus in adulthood, which did not occur after exposure to nicotine in adulthood only. Our...

Emergence of canine distemper virus strains with modified molecular signature and enhanced neuronal tropism leading to high mortality in wild carnivores.

Science.gov (United States)

Origgi, F C; Plattet, P; Sattler, U; Robert, N; Casaubon, J; Mavrot, F; Pewsner, M; Wu, N; Giovannini, S; Oevermann, A; Stoffel, M H; Gaschen, V; Segner, H; Ryser-Degiorgis, M-P

2012-11-01

An ongoing canine distemper epidemic was first detected in Switzerland in the spring of 2009. Compared to previous local canine distemper outbreaks, it was characterized by unusually high morbidity and mortality, rapid spread over the country, and susceptibility of several wild carnivore species. Here, the authors describe the associated pathologic changes and phylogenetic and biological features of a multiple highly virulent canine distemper virus (CDV) strain detected in and/or isolated from red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), Eurasian badgers (Meles meles), stone (Martes foina) and pine (Martes martes) martens, from a Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), and a domestic dog. The main lesions included interstitial to bronchointerstitial pneumonia and meningopolioencephalitis, whereas demyelination--the classic presentation of CDV infection--was observed in few cases only. In the brain lesions, viral inclusions were mainly in the nuclei of the neurons. Some significant differences in brain and lung lesions were observed between foxes and mustelids. Swiss CDV isolates shared together with a Hungarian CDV strain detected in 2004. In vitro analysis of the hemagglutinin protein from one of the Swiss CDV strains revealed functional and structural differences from that of the reference strain A75/17, with the Swiss strain showing increased surface expression and binding efficiency to the signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM). These features might be part of a novel molecular signature, which might have contributed to an increase in virus pathogenicity, partially explaining the high morbidity and mortality, the rapid spread, and the large host spectrum observed in this outbreak.

Carnivore-caused livestock mortality in Trans-Himalaya.

Science.gov (United States)

Namgail, Tsewang; Fox, Joseph L; Bhatnagar, Yash Veer

2007-04-01

The loss of livestock to wild predators is an important livelihood concern among Trans-Himalayan pastoralists. Because of the remoteness and inaccessibility of the region, few studies have been carried out to quantify livestock depredation by wild predators. In the present study, we assessed the intensity of livestock depredation by snow leopard Uncia uncia, Tibetan wolf Canis lupus chanku, and Eurasian lynx Lynx l. isabellina in three villages, namely Gya, Rumtse, and Sasoma, within the proposed Gya-Miru Wildlife Sanctuary in Ladakh, India. The three villages reported losses of 295 animals to these carnivores during a period of 2.5 years ending in early 2003, which represents an annual loss rate of 2.9% of their livestock holdings. The Tibetan wolf was the most important predator, accounting for 60% of the total livestock loss because of predation, followed by snow leopard (38%) and lynx (2%). Domestic goat was the major victim (32%), followed by sheep (30%), yak (15%), and horse (13%). Wolves killed horses significantly more and goats less than would be expected from their relative abundance. Snow leopards also killed horses significantly more than expected, whereas they killed other livestock types in proportion to their abundance. The three villages combined incurred an estimated annual monetary loss of approximately $USD 12,120 amounting to approximately $USD 190/household/y. This relatively high total annual loss occurred primarily because of depredation of the most valuable livestock types such as yak and horse. Conservation actions should initially attempt to target decrease of predation on these large and valuable livestock species.

Seroprevalences of antibodies to Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in zoo animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Sedlák, K; Bártová, E

2006-03-31

Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan parasite that causes neuromuscular disease in dogs and abortions in cattle. Little is known about the prevalence of antibodies to this parasite in zoo animals. Sera from 556 animals, from 13 Czech and Slovak zoos were tested for antibodies to N. caninum and Toxoplasma gondii by indirect fluorescent antibody test. Antibodies to N. caninum were found in 31 of 556 zoo animals (5.6%), representing 18 of 114 species tested: Eurasian wolf (Canis lupus lupus), Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), fennec (Vulpes zerda), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarondi), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), Indian lion (Panthera leo goojratensis), fisher (Martes pennanti), blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), European bison (Bison bonasus), lechwe (Kobus leche), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer), eland (Taurotragus oryx), sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekei gratus), Thorold's deer (Cervus albirostris), Eastern elk (C. elaphus canadensis), Vietnam sika deer (C. nippon pseudaxis) and Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus). Titres ranged from 1:40 to 1:2560. The highest prevalence 50% was found in family mustelidae of the order carnivora. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 193 of 556 zoo animals (34.7%) representing 72 of 114 species tested, with titres ranging from 1:40 to 1:40960. The highest prevalence 100% was found in families: hyaenidae, mustelidae, ursidae and viveridae of the order carnivora. The results of this study indicate that zoo animals have more exposure to T. gondii than to N. caninum. It is the first report of seroprevalence of antibodies to N. caninum in European zoo animals.

78 FR 17632 - Caribou-Targhee National Forest; Idaho and Wyoming; Amendment to the Targhee Revised Forest Plan...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-22

...; Amendment to the Targhee Revised Forest Plan--Canada Lynx Habitat AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION... Forest proposes to amend the Targhee Revised Forest Plan (1997) to include a map identifying specific... Administrative Review Process: The decision on this proposed plan amendment will be subject to the objection...

Usefulness of the wildlife species as a focal species in the forest ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

yasinucarlı

2011-03-14

Mar 14, 2011 ... keystone species are the most important species in that ecosystems to sustainability. ... bear, Wolf and Eurasian Lynx can be also used as a flagship, indicator and ... Washington's Pacific coast. ... sidered keystones because their effect is not dispro- ..... conservation of South American terrestrial mammals.

Temporal Loss of Tsc1: Neural Development and Brain Disease in Tuberous Sclerosis

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

recorded using a Cheetah Data Acquisition System (NeuraLynx). The probe was lowered 1,600 mm and responses to vibrissa deflections confirmed electrode...Local field potential (LFP) signals were sampled (30303 Hz), filtered (0.9 to 9000 Hz), and recorded using a Cheetah Data Acquisition System

Bovine Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) in Wildlife in Spain

Science.gov (United States)

Aranaz, Alicia; de Juan, Lucía; Montero, Natalia; Sánchez, Celia; Galka, Margarita; Delso, Consuelo; Álvarez, Julio; Romero, Beatriz; Bezos, Javier; Vela, Ana I.; Briones, Victor; Mateos, Ana; Domínguez, Lucas

2004-01-01

Mycobacterium bovis infection in wildlife and feral species is a potential source of infection for livestock and a threat to protected and endangered species. The aim of this study was to identify Spanish wild animal species infected with M. bovis through bacteriological culture and spacer oligonucleotide typing (spoligotyping) of isolates for epidemiological purposes. This study included samples from red deer (Cervus elaphus), fallow deer (Dama dama), wild boar (Sus scrofa), Iberian lynx (Lynx pardina), hare (Lepus europaeus), and cattle (Bos taurus). They were collected in several geographical areas that were selected for their unique ecological value and/or known relationships between wildlife and livestock. In the areas included in this survey, M. bovis strains with the same spoligotyping pattern were found infecting several wild species and livestock, which indicates an epidemiological link. A locally predominant spoligotype was found in these areas. Better understanding of the transmission and distribution of disease in these populations will permit more precise targeting of control measures. PMID:15184440

Quantification of the humoral immune response and hemoplasma blood and tissue loads in cats coinfected with 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' and feline leukemia virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf-Jäckel, Godelind A; Cattori, Valentino; Geret, Catrina P; Novacco, Marilisa; Meli, Marina L; Riond, Barbara; Boretti, Felicitas S; Lutz, Hans; Hofmann-Lehmann, Regina

2012-08-01

'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' (CMhm) is a hemotropic mycoplasma (aka hemoplasma) of domestic cats and wild felids. In a transmission study, we exposed eight specified pathogen-free cats to blood from Iberian lynxes (Lynx pardinus) infected with CMhm. The cats were coinfected with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) from an Iberian lynx or with a prototype FeLV. The goal of the present study was to quantify the humoral immune response to CMhm and to identify potential target tissues and sequestration sites. Antibodies were measured by a recombinant antigen-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and blood and tissue loads were quantified using real-time PCR. Seven out of eight cats became CMhm-infected; all of these cats seroconverted between 3 and 13 weeks after inoculation. Antibody levels correlated with the CMhm blood loads. The peak CMhm blood loads were inversely correlated with the incubation period. PCR-positive results were found in all 24 tissues tested but not for all samples. Although all tissues were PCR-positive in one cat euthanized ten weeks after infection, many tissues tested negative in six cats euthanized at week 20 after infection. In several cats, the spleen, lung, liver, heart and aorta contained more copies than expected given the tissue's blood supply, but most tissues contained fewer copies than expected. In conclusion, this is the first study to quantify the humoral immune response and tissue loads in CMhm-FeLV-coinfected cats. The tissue loads appeared to correlate with the duration of infection and with the blood loads, but no evidence of significant CMhm tissue sequestration was found. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the status of Snow Leopard Panthera uncial (Schreber, 1775 in Annapurna, Nepal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S.B. Ale

2014-03-01

Full Text Available We conducted a status-survey on Snow Leopard Panthera uncia and its main prey, the Blue Sheep Pseudois nayaur, in the Mustang District of Nepal’s Annapurna Conservation Area, in 2010 and 2011. Sign transects, covering a total linear distance of 19.4km, revealed an average density of 5.8 signs per kilometer, which compares with those from other Snow Leopard range countries. This also roughly corresponded with the minimum number of three adult Snow Leopards we obtained from nine remote cameras, deployed to monitor areas of c. 75km2 in extent. We obtained 42 pictures of Snow Leopards during nine capture events. We conclude that Mustang harbors at least three adult Snow Leopards, and probably more, along with a healthy Blue Sheep population (a total of 528 individuals, along 37.6km of Snow Leopard transect lines. We suggest that people-wildlife conflicts exist but that the local people tolerate Snow Leopards based on their Buddhist socio-religious values.

Studies on Colombian cryptogams XVIII. The genus Stereocaulon (Schreber) Hoffmann (Lichenès)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boekhout, T.

1982-01-01

Nineteen species of Stereocaulon are treated from the northern Andes, mainly from Colombia. Descriptions and keys are given, with notes on the north-Andean distribution and ecology. Seven species are new for the Colombian flora, viz. St. atlanticum, St. claviceps, St. corticatulum (chem. strain with

77 FR 75646 - Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, AK; Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-21

... intermingled with hundreds of lakes. Boreal forests are home to moose, wolves, black and brown bears, lynx... FXRS12650700000] 123 Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, AK; Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the... . Send your comments or requests for information by any one of the following methods: Email: fw7_kenai...

78 FR 32270 - Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, AK; Environmental Impact Statement for the Shadura...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-29

... and brown bears, lynx, snowshoe hares, and numerous species of Neotropical birds, such as olive-sided... FXRS12650700000 123] Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, AK; Environmental Impact Statement for the Shadura...: EMail: fw7_kenai[email protected] ; Fax: Attn: Peter Wikoff, (907) 786-3976; U.S. Mail: Peter Wikoff...

Copépodes parasitos de Oligoplites spp. (Osteichthyes, Carangidae) da costa brasileira, com a redescrição de Tuxophorus caligodes Wilson, 1908 (Siphonostomatoida, Tuxophoridae)

OpenAIRE

Takemoto, Ricardo Massato; Universidade Estadual de Matingá; Luque, José Luis; UFRRJ; Luque, José Luis; UFRRJ

2008-01-01

Four species of caligid copepods, parasites of Oligoplites palometa (Cuvier, 1833), O. saurus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) and O. saliens (Bloch, 1793) (Osteichthyes: Carangidae) from the Sepetiba Bay, coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are presented. New geographical and host records for Caligus robustus Bassett-Smith, 1898, C. rufimaculatus Wilson, 1905, C. bonito Wilson, 1905 and Metacaligus rufus (Wilson, 1908) are given. Caligus oligoplitisi Carvalho, 1954 is considered a new jun...

Dietary items as possible sources of "1"3"7Cs in large carnivores in the Gorski Kotar forest ecosystem, Western Croatia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Šprem, Nikica; Piria, Marina; Barišić, Domagoj; Kusak, Josip; Barišić, Delko

2016-01-01

The mountain forest ecosystem of Gorski Kotar is distant from any significant sources of environmental pollution, though recent findings have revealed that this region is among the most intense "1"3"7Cs contaminated area in Croatia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate "1"3"7Cs and "4"0K load in three large predator species in the mountain forest ecosystem. Radionuclides mass activities were determined by the gamma-spectrometric method in the muscle tissue of brown bear (47), wolf (7), lynx (1) and golden jackal (2). The highest "1"3"7Cs mass activity was found in lynx (153 Bq kg"−"1), followed by brown bear (132 Bq kg"−"1), wolf (22.2 Bq kg"−"1), and golden jackal (2.48 Bq kg"−"1). Analysis of 63 samples of dietary items suggests that they are not all potentially dominant sources of "1"3"7Cs for wildlife. The most important source of radionuclides for the higher parts of the food-chain from the study area were found to be the mushroom species wood hedgehog (Hydnum repandum), with a transfer factor TF of 5.166, and blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) as a plant species (TF = 2.096). Food items of animal origin indicated higher mass activity of radionuclides and therefore are possible moderate bioindicators of environmental pollution. The results also revealed that possible unknown wild animal food sources are a caesium source in the study region, and further study is required to illuminate this issue. - Highlights: • Radionuclide mass activities were determined by the gamma-spectrometric method. • The highest "1"3"7Cs mass activity in brown bear was 132, wolf 22.2 and lynx 153 Bq kg"−"1. • The best bioindicators are a wood hedgehog (TF = 5.166) and blueberry (TF = 2.096).

Dietary items as possible sources of {sup 137}Cs in large carnivores in the Gorski Kotar forest ecosystem, Western Croatia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Šprem, Nikica, E-mail: nsprem@agr.hr [University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Beekeeping, Game Management and Special Zoology, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb (Croatia); Piria, Marina; Barišić, Domagoj [University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Beekeeping, Game Management and Special Zoology, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb (Croatia); Kusak, Josip [University of Zagreb, Veterinary Faculty, Department of Biology, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb (Croatia); Barišić, Delko [Laboratory for Radioecology, Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, PO Box 160, Bijenička 54, 10002 Zagreb (Croatia)

2016-01-15

The mountain forest ecosystem of Gorski Kotar is distant from any significant sources of environmental pollution, though recent findings have revealed that this region is among the most intense {sup 137}Cs contaminated area in Croatia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate {sup 137}Cs and {sup 40}K load in three large predator species in the mountain forest ecosystem. Radionuclides mass activities were determined by the gamma-spectrometric method in the muscle tissue of brown bear (47), wolf (7), lynx (1) and golden jackal (2). The highest {sup 137}Cs mass activity was found in lynx (153 Bq kg{sup −1}), followed by brown bear (132 Bq kg{sup −1}), wolf (22.2 Bq kg{sup −1}), and golden jackal (2.48 Bq kg{sup −1}). Analysis of 63 samples of dietary items suggests that they are not all potentially dominant sources of {sup 137}Cs for wildlife. The most important source of radionuclides for the higher parts of the food-chain from the study area were found to be the mushroom species wood hedgehog (Hydnum repandum), with a transfer factor TF of 5.166, and blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) as a plant species (TF = 2.096). Food items of animal origin indicated higher mass activity of radionuclides and therefore are possible moderate bioindicators of environmental pollution. The results also revealed that possible unknown wild animal food sources are a caesium source in the study region, and further study is required to illuminate this issue. - Highlights: • Radionuclide mass activities were determined by the gamma-spectrometric method. • The highest {sup 137}Cs mass activity in brown bear was 132, wolf 22.2 and lynx 153 Bq kg{sup −1}. • The best bioindicators are a wood hedgehog (TF = 5.166) and blueberry (TF = 2.096).

Game statistics for the island of Olkiluoto in 2013-2014

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niemi, M.; Nieminen, M.

2015-05-01

The game statistics for the island of Olkiluoto were updated in the summer 2014 and compared with earlier statistics. In addition, the estimated biomass of hunted animals was calculated. The reported game bag and population size estimates are based on the annual action report of local hunting club (Olkiluodon Metsaestysseura ry) and interviews of hunting club's secretary. No moose or deer inventories were made in the winter 2013-2014. The moose population has been a slightly increasing when comparing the previous year; there were 4-6 individuals on the island after hunting season. The number of moose varies because they tend to move between the island and mainland. Winter 2013-2014 was relatively easy for white-tailed deer and roe deer but the predation caused by lynxes inhibits the increase of populations. However, the current amount of lynxes on the island is unknown because the lack of snow in the winter 2013-2014. In the summer of 2014, there were several lynx observations. The number of hunted raccoon dogs was almost four times as large as in the previous year; altogether 26 individuals were killed. There were no noticeable changes in the number of other hunted small or medium-sized predators. American minks were not killed at all. The total number of hunted hares decreased from eleven to seven. Once again, mallard was the most common hunted bird species followed by hooded crow. Other bird species hunted were wood pigeon, herring gull, hazel grouse, wigeon, teal and common pochard. The total biomass hunted was approximately 1 225 kilos (1 170 for mammals and 55 for birds) which was 305 kilos more than in the previous year. The biomass destined to human consumption (i.e. game meat) was approximately 415 kilos (400 kilos for mammals, 15 for birds). (orig.)

Game statistics for the island of Olkiluoto in 2013-2014

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Niemi, M.; Nieminen, M. [Faunatica Oy, Espoo (Finland)

2015-05-15

The game statistics for the island of Olkiluoto were updated in the summer 2014 and compared with earlier statistics. In addition, the estimated biomass of hunted animals was calculated. The reported game bag and population size estimates are based on the annual action report of local hunting club (Olkiluodon Metsaestysseura ry) and interviews of hunting club's secretary. No moose or deer inventories were made in the winter 2013-2014. The moose population has been a slightly increasing when comparing the previous year; there were 4-6 individuals on the island after hunting season. The number of moose varies because they tend to move between the island and mainland. Winter 2013-2014 was relatively easy for white-tailed deer and roe deer but the predation caused by lynxes inhibits the increase of populations. However, the current amount of lynxes on the island is unknown because the lack of snow in the winter 2013-2014. In the summer of 2014, there were several lynx observations. The number of hunted raccoon dogs was almost four times as large as in the previous year; altogether 26 individuals were killed. There were no noticeable changes in the number of other hunted small or medium-sized predators. American minks were not killed at all. The total number of hunted hares decreased from eleven to seven. Once again, mallard was the most common hunted bird species followed by hooded crow. Other bird species hunted were wood pigeon, herring gull, hazel grouse, wigeon, teal and common pochard. The total biomass hunted was approximately 1 225 kilos (1 170 for mammals and 55 for birds) which was 305 kilos more than in the previous year. The biomass destined to human consumption (i.e. game meat) was approximately 415 kilos (400 kilos for mammals, 15 for birds). (orig.)

Chapter 6: The scientific basis for conserving forest carnivores: considerations for management

Science.gov (United States)

L. Jack Lyon; Keith B. Aubry; William J. Zielinski; Steven W. Buskirk; Leonard F. Ruggiero

1994-01-01

The reviews presented in previous chapters reveal substantial gaps in our knowledge about marten, fisher, lynx, and wolverine. These gaps severely constrain our ability to design reliable conservation strategies. This problem will be explored in depth in Chapter 7. In this chapter, our objective is to discuss management considerations resulting from what we currently...

Efficiency of box-traps and leg-hold traps with several bait types for capturing small carnivores (Mammalia in a disturbed area of Southeastern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernanda Michalski

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Capturing small carnivores is often necessary for obtaining key ecological data. We compared the efficiency of box and leg-hold traps, using live and dead bait, to capture six carnivore species (Herpailurus yagouaroundi (É. Geoffroyi, 1803, Leopardus tigrinus (Schreber, 1775, Nasua nasua (Linnaeus, 1766, Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1766, Eira barbara (Linnaeus, 1758, and Galictis cuja (Molina, 1782. The use of leg-hold traps significantly increased the capture rate of carnivores (5.77% and non-target species (non-carnivores, 11.54%. Dead bait significantly attracted more non-carnivores than carnivores and live bait was more efficient for capturing carnivores (2.56% than non-carnivores (0.77%. Both box and leg-hold traps caused some minor injuries (swelling and claw loss. We provide recommendations for the ethical use of these trap and bait types. Rev. Biol. Trop. 55 (1: 315-320. Epub 2007 March. 31.La captura de pequeños carnívoros es una práctica común para obtener datos ecológicos. Comparamos la eficiencia de cepos (trampas acolchadas y trampas tomahawk para capturar seis especies carnívoras (Herpailurus yagouaroundi (É. Geoffroyi, 1803, Leopardus tigrinus (Schreber, 1775, Nasua nasua (Linnaeus, 1766, Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1766, Eira barbara (Linnaeus, 1758, and Galictis cuja (Molina, 1782, utilizando carnadas vivas y muertas. Con los cepos se incrementó significativamente la tasa de captura de carnívoros (5.77% y otros mamíferos (no-carnívoros, 11.54%. La carnada muerta atrajo significativamente mas no-carnívoros que carnívoros, mientras que con la carnada viva se capturaron más carnívoros (2.56% vs 0.77% no-carnívoros. Ambos tipos de trampas; cepos y tomahawk, causaron algunas pequeñas lastimaduras (inflamación y pérdida de garras. Hacemos algunas recomendaciones para el uso ético de este tipo de trampas y cebos.

"Sailing in Paper Boats" Sexual Trauma, Psychosis, and a Critical Examination of the Freudian Metaphor in Antonia White's Autobiographical Fiction.

Science.gov (United States)

Newton, Marcia Anne

2016-01-01

This paper is part of a larger project on Catholic writer Antonia White’s series of autobiographical novels, Frost in May, The Lost Traveller, and The Sugar House, in which readers are presented with a Freudian Oedipal drama that reaches a dramatic climax in the last autobiographical novel in the series, Beyond the Glass, where the main protagonist spirals into psychosis. A central question addressed is whether or not White’s autobiographical fiction is an unconscious projection of sexual trauma from her own history. Psychoanalytically speaking, the answer depends upon whether one subscribes to Freudian or Ferenczian perspectives. The paper also addresses the question of whether White’s accounts of psychosis in her autobiographical fiction are real and meaningful descriptions of lived traumatic experiences. Jacques Lacan asserts that it is impossible to authenticate narratives of psychosis and for readers to draw any meaningful value from them because they lack a coherent transfer of metaphorical language from the unconscious to the conscious in the pursuit of truth of a lived experience. He uses Judge Daniel Paul Schreber’s Memoirs of My Nervous Illness to support his case, a text in which Schreber confesses to only being able to communicate his experiences in similes and metaphors; therefore, he claims his experiences cannot be understood. I argue that Lacan does not give due credit to Schreber’s attempts to grapple with spiritual and sexual preservation in the throes of delusion through the agency of his alter egos. These alter egos are the other “self,” a deluded self that offers, paradoxically, truth to emotional experience of a man’s ego in crisis. Schreber shares these pursuits with White’s alter egos in her autobiographical fiction, “The House of Clouds” and Beyond the Glass. In an analysis of White’s texts as recollections of her personal history, I highlight how White’s experiences shape her testimony in its raw portrayal of an

A rapid field test for sylvatic plague exposure in wild animals

Science.gov (United States)

Abbott, Rachel C.; Hudak, Robert; Mondesire, Roy; Baeten, Laurie A.; Russell, Robin E.; Rocke, Tonie E.

2014-01-01

Plague surveillance is routinely conducted to predict future epizootics in wildlife and exposure risk for humans. The most common surveillance method for sylvatic plague is detection of antibodies to Yersinia pestis F1 capsular antigen in sentinel animals, such as coyotes (Canis latrans). Current serologic tests for Y. pestis, hemagglutination (HA) test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), are expensive and labor intensive. To address this need, we developed a complete lateral flow device for the detection of specific antibodies to Y. pestis F1 and V antigens. Our test detected anti-F1 and anti-V antibodies in serum and Nobuto filter paper samples from coyotes, and in serum samples from prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), lynx (Lynx canadensis), and black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes). Comparison of cassette results for anti-F1 and anti-V antibodies with results of ELISA or HA tests showed correlations ranging from 0.68 to 0.98. This device provides an affordable, user-friendly tool that may be useful in plague surveillance programs and as a research tool.

XCOR, developing the next generation spaceplane

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

Employing the same informational approach Erik Seedhouse used in "SpaceX" and "Bigelow Aerospace", this new book familiarizes space enthusiasts with the company XCOR Aerospace and examines the design of the two-seater Lynx. The new spaceplane's low weight and high octane fuel confer important advantages, such as direct runway launches and the ability to fly several times per day. Over the last 15 years, XCOR has developed and built 13 different rocket engines, built and flown two manned rocket-powered aircraft and has accumulated over 4,000 engine firings and nearly 500 minutes of run time on their engines.  This book serves as a go-to reference guide for suborbital scientists and those seeking to learn how one company has found success. Additionally, it describes the medical and training requirements for those flying on board the Lynx and the related critical roles of the astronaut trainers and a new breed of commercial space pilots. The end result is a thorough chronicle of the development o...

The relative contribution of fruits and arthropods to the diet of three trogon species (Aves, Trogonidae in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest A contribuição relativa de frutos e artrópodes para a dieta de três espécies de surucuás (Aves, Trogonidae na Mata Atlântica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Aurélio Pizo

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Trogons are pan-tropical forest birds that eat a mix of fruits and arthropods. With direct observations of wild feeding birds, I assessed the relative contribution of fruits and arthropods to the diet of three trogon species (Trogonviridis, T.surrucura, and T.rufus at Parque Estadual Intervales, southeast Brazil. Fruits and arthropods made the bulk of the food items recorded, with a tendency of frugivory increasing with body mass. The Trogon species differed in the proportion of fruits and arthropods taken, with T.viridis being the most frugivorous species (66% of feeding bouts, n = 47. The relative contribution of fruits and arthropods did not differ between the wet and dry seasons for any species. In the omnivorous gradient, T.viridis is close to the frugivorous extreme, whereas T.surrucura and T.rufus is next to the insectivorous end. Such a distinction may have important consequences for the territoriality and social behavior of these birds.Os surucuás são aves florestais pantropicais que se alimentam de frutos e artrópodes. Com observações diretas de aves forrageando na natureza, estudei a contribuição relativa de frutos e artrópodes para a dieta de três espécies de surucuás (Trogonviridis, T.surrucura, and T.rufus no Parque Estadual Intervales, sudeste do Brasil. Frutos e artrópodes foram os itens mais registrados, com uma tendência do grau de frugivoria aumentar com o aumento da massa corporal da ave. As três espécies diferiram em relação à proporção de frutos e artrópodes de que se alimentam; T.viridisfoi a espécie mais frugívora (66% dos registros, n = 47. As contribuições relativas de frutos e artrópodes para a dieta não diferiram entre as estações seca e úmida para nenhuma das três espécies. A diferença no grau de frugivoria aqui revelada pode ter conseqüências importantes para a territorialidade e organização social dos surucuás.

Interacciones entre el estornino pinto (Sturnus vulgaris) y aves nativas de Argentina por el uso de cavidades

OpenAIRE

Ibañez, Lucía M.; Girini, Juan M.; Palacio, Facundo X.; Fiorini, Vanina D.; Montalti, Diego

2017-01-01

Resumen: El estornino pinto, Sturnus vulgaris, es un ave introducida en Argentina que nidifica en cavidades y puede desplazar a otras aves de sus nidos. Durante las temporadas reproductivas 2010 y 2011 observamos en el parque Pereyra Iraola 3 intentos de usurpación de nidos de aves nativas, hornero (Furnarius rufus), carpintero real (Colaptes melanochloros) y carpintero campestre (C. campestris). Además, en 2 ocasiones se observaron estorninos nidificando en cavidades que estaban construyendo...

Presencia de Caminicimex furnarii (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) en nidos de golondrina (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae) en Argentina Presence of Caminicimex furnarii (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) in nests of swallows and martins (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae) in Argentina

OpenAIRE

Diego L. Carpintero; Rosana M. Aramburú

2007-01-01

Se examinaron nidos de cuatro especies de golondrinas que nidifican en la República Argentina, en búsqueda de Cimicidae. Caminicimex furnarii (Cordero & Vogelsang), chinche conocida como ectoparásita de Furnarius rufus (Gmelin) (Furnaridae) («hornero») y de Passer domesticus (L.) (Ploceidae) («gorrión»), fue encontrada en nidos de tres especies de golondrinas: Progne chalybea (Gmelin) («golondrina doméstica»), Progne elegans Baird («golondrina negra») e Hirundo rustica erythrogaster Boddaert ...

[Helminth fauna of the bank vole myodes glareolus (Schreber, 1780) in the Kizhi Archipelago].

Science.gov (United States)

Bugmyrin, S V; Korosov, A V; Bespyatova, L A; Ieshko, E P

2015-01-01

The present study was aimed to examine the specific features of the helminth fauna in insular populations of the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) in the north of the species range. The material was collected in and nearby the Kizhi Archipelago (Lake Onega, 62°1' N 35°12' E) during August 1997, 2005-2007, 2012 and 2013. Small mammals were trapped on 23 islands (varying from 2 to 15,000 ha) and on the mainland. Helminthological met- hods were applied to examine 301 specimens of M glareolus. Fourteen helminth species were found: trematodes--Skrjabinoplagiorchis vigisi; cestodes--Paranoplocephala omphalodes, P. gracilis, Catenotaenia henttoneni, Taenia mustelae, Cladotaenia globife- ra, Spirometra erinacei; nematodes--Trichocephalus muris, Aonchotheca murissylvatici, Hepaticola hepatica, Heligmosomum mixtum, Heligmosomoides glareoli, Longistriata minuta, Syphacia petrusewiczi. The parasites S. vigisi, S. erinaci, H. hepatica and T. muris were identified in the bank vole in Karelia for the first time. Significant differences were detected between the helminth faunas of local insular populations of the bank vole. A distinctive feature of all small islands was that samples from them lacked the widespread pa- rasitic nematode Heligmosomum mixtum. The studies have confirmed the general trends observed in the parasite fauna of most isolated populations of small mammals: a poorer species diversity and high infestation rates with certain species of parasites. The Kizhi Archipelago is characterized by the specific high abundance of regionally rare parasite species (H hepatica, A. murissylvatici), and by the absence of common parasites (H. mixtum, H. glareoli).

Field Expedient Armor Modifications to US Armored Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

2006-06-01

Report on US vs. German Armor,” Exhibit 3, p. 42. 37Ibid., Exhibit 2, p. 38. 38Kenneth W. Estes, Marines Under Armor , The Marine Corps and the...Washington, D.C., 1945), 62. 43Estes, Marines Under Armor , 81. 44Ibid. 45Cameron, “Armor Combat Development 1917-1945,” 17. 46Mayo, The Technical...Marines Under Armor , 53. 72William E. Bennett, Charles W. Fletcher, French G. Lewis, Gerald H. Shea, Rufus J. Cleghorn, James F. Beaver and Thomas

Shuttleworth presentations

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2011-01-01

Part 1: Open Education and Open Access Kathi Fletcher – Education highways Gavin Weale – Live Magazine Mark Horner – Siyavula Philip Schmidt – Peer-to-peer university Steve Vosloo - Yoza Part 2: Open Source and Open Standards Andrew Rens – Creative Commons law Kabir Sanjay Bavikatte - Bio-cultural Community Protocols Mark Surman – Mozilla Drumbeat Steve Song – Village Telco Part 3: Open Data and Open Science Rufus Pollock – The Open Knowledge Foundation Francois Grey – Citizen Cyberscience

Installation and management of the SPS and LEP control system computers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bland, Alastair

1994-01-01

Control of the CERN SPS and LEP accelerators and service equipment on the two CERN main sites is performed via workstations, file servers, Process Control Assemblies (PCAs) and Device Stub Controllers (DSCs). This paper describes the methods and tools that have been developed to manage the file servers, PCAs and DSCs since the LEP startup in 1989. There are five operational DECstation 5000s used as file servers and boot servers for the PCAs and DSCs. The PCAs consist of 90 SCO Xenix 386 PCs, 40 LynxOS 486 PCs and more than 40 older NORD 100s. The DSCs consist of 90 OS-968030 VME crates and 10 LynxOS 68030 VME crates. In addition there are over 100 development systems. The controls group is responsible for installing the computers, starting all the user processes and ensuring that the computers and the processes run correctly. The operators in the SPS/LEP control room and the Services control room have a Motif-based X window program which gives them, in real time, the state of all the computers and allows them to solve problems or reboot them. ((orig.))

Game statistics for the Island of Olkiluoto in 2011-2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Niemi, M.; Nieminen, M. [Faunatica Oy, Espoo (Finland); Jussila, I. [Turku Univ. (Finland)

2012-11-15

The game statistics for the island of Olkiluoto were updated in the summer 2012 and compared with earlier statistics. Population size estimates are based on interviews of the local hunters. No moose or deer inventories were made in the winter 2011-2012. The moose population has been decreasing slightly during the past ten years. The increasing lynx population has decreasing effect on small ungulate (white-tailed deer and roe deer) populations. The number of hunted mountain hares and European brown hares decreased when comparing the previous year. In addition, the number of hunted raccoon dogs was about 50 per cent lower than in the year 2010. Altogether 27 waterfowls were hunted in 2011. The population of mountain hare is abundant, despite that there were lynx living on the eastern part of island during the winter 2011. Based on track observations, there are pine martens living on the area as well. In addition, there were some observations of wolves visiting on the area. The winter 2011-2012 was milder than the previous one, and it seemed that young swans wintering on the area survived better that in the previous winter. (orig.)

Game statistics for the Island of Olkiluoto in 2011-2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niemi, M.; Nieminen, M.; Jussila, I.

2012-11-01

The game statistics for the island of Olkiluoto were updated in the summer 2012 and compared with earlier statistics. Population size estimates are based on interviews of the local hunters. No moose or deer inventories were made in the winter 2011-2012. The moose population has been decreasing slightly during the past ten years. The increasing lynx population has decreasing effect on small ungulate (white-tailed deer and roe deer) populations. The number of hunted mountain hares and European brown hares decreased when comparing the previous year. In addition, the number of hunted raccoon dogs was about 50 per cent lower than in the year 2010. Altogether 27 waterfowls were hunted in 2011. The population of mountain hare is abundant, despite that there were lynx living on the eastern part of island during the winter 2011. Based on track observations, there are pine martens living on the area as well. In addition, there were some observations of wolves visiting on the area. The winter 2011-2012 was milder than the previous one, and it seemed that young swans wintering on the area survived better that in the previous winter. (orig.)

A functional model for characterizing long-distance movement behaviour

Science.gov (United States)

Buderman, Frances E.; Hooten, Mevin B.; Ivan, Jacob S.; Shenk, Tanya M.

2016-01-01

Advancements in wildlife telemetry techniques have made it possible to collect large data sets of highly accurate animal locations at a fine temporal resolution. These data sets have prompted the development of a number of statistical methodologies for modelling animal movement.Telemetry data sets are often collected for purposes other than fine-scale movement analysis. These data sets may differ substantially from those that are collected with technologies suitable for fine-scale movement modelling and may consist of locations that are irregular in time, are temporally coarse or have large measurement error. These data sets are time-consuming and costly to collect but may still provide valuable information about movement behaviour.We developed a Bayesian movement model that accounts for error from multiple data sources as well as movement behaviour at different temporal scales. The Bayesian framework allows us to calculate derived quantities that describe temporally varying movement behaviour, such as residence time, speed and persistence in direction. The model is flexible, easy to implement and computationally efficient.We apply this model to data from Colorado Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) and use derived quantities to identify changes in movement behaviour.

Energetics and biomechanics of locomotion by red kangaroos (Macropus rufus).

Science.gov (United States)

Kram, R; Dawson, T J

1998-05-01

As red kangaroos hop faster over level ground, their rate of oxygen consumption (indicating metabolic energy consumption) remains nearly the same. This phenomenon has been attributed to exceptional elastic energy storage and recovery via long compliant tendons in the legs. Alternatively, red kangaroos may have exceptionally efficient muscles. To estimate efficiency, we measured the metabolic cost of uphill hopping, where muscle fibers must perform mechanical work against gravity. We found that uphill hopping was much more expensive than level hopping. The maximal rate of oxygen consumption measured (3 ml O2 kg-1 s-1) exceeds all but a few vertebrate species. However, efficiency values were normal, approximately 30%. At faster level hopping speeds the effective mechanical advantage of the extensor muscles of the ankle joint remained the same. Thus, kangaroos generate the same muscular force at all speeds but do so more rapidly at faster hopping speeds. This contradicts a recent hypothesis for what sets the cost of locomotion. The cost of transport (J kg-1 m-1) decreases at faster hopping speeds, yet red kangaroos prefer to use relatively slow speeds that avoid high levels of tendon stress.

The Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus) nest as an incubation chamber.

Science.gov (United States)

Shibuya, Felipe L S; Braga, Talita V; Roper, James J

2015-01-01

Foraging and incubation are mutually exclusive activities for parent birds. A trade-off is generated when a combination of food availability and temperature regulation force birds to choose one and neglect the other, at least temporarily. The Rufous Hornero builds large, oven-like, mud nests, the evolutionary cause of which remains unknown. We tested that temperature variation inside the nest is that which is expected if one function of the nest were for temperate regulation. If so, this would suggest that the nest works as an incubation chamber (but which now may serve more than one function). We divided nests into two natural treatments: nests that received more continuous direct sunshine (sun), and those that received less direct sunshine, due to shade from trees or buildings (shade). Thermometer data loggers were placed in the nest cavity and outside, in the shade of the nest, and temperature was measured every 10min. We predicted that temperatures would consistently be higher and less variable in nests than outside nests. Also, at higher ambient temperatures the nest would function better as an incubation chamber as a consequence of having evolved in a hotter climate. Thus, in Curitiba, where temperatures are lower than where the species (and nest) evolved, nests in greater sunshine should have thermal characteristics that support the incubation chamber hypothesis. Predictions were supported: with Repeated Measures ANOVA and t-tests, we found that temperatures were more constant and higher in nests, especially when in the sun, and as the season progressed (hotter ambient temperatures). We conclude that the large mud nest of the Rufous Hornero works as an incubation chamber that likely evolved to help resolve the incubation-foraging trade-off in the very seasonal and hot regions where the bird evolved. Thus, as an incubation chamber, the nest allows the bird to forage rather than incubate thereby resolving the foraging-incubation trade-off and potentially favoring survival of the adults and their foraging for, rather than incubating, their young. Counter intuitively, in the study area, where the Rufous Hornero is a recent arrival following deforestation, and where the climate is very different from where it evolved, there seems to be no clear thermal benefits for the birds from their energetically expensive mud nest. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential immediate and sustained memory enhancing effects of alpha7 nicotinic receptor agonists and allosteric modulators in rats.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morten S Thomsen

Full Text Available The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR is a potential target for the treatment of cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia, ADHD and Alzheimer's disease. Here we test the hypothesis that upregulation of α7 nAChR levels underlies the enhanced and sustained procognitive effect of repeated administration of α7 nAChR agonists. We further compare the effect of agonists to that of α7 nAChR positive allosteric modulators (PAMs, which do not induce upregulation of the α7 nAChR. Using the social discrimination test as a measure of short-term memory, we show that the α7 nAChR agonist A-582941 improves short-term memory immediately after repeated (7× daily, but not a single administration. The α7 nAChR PAMs PNU-120596 and AVL-3288 do not affect short-term memory immediately after a single or repeated administration. This demonstrates a fundamental difference in the behavioral effects of agonists and PAMs that may be relevant for clinical development. Importantly, A-582941 and AVL-3288 increase short-term memory 24 hrs after repeated, but not a single, administration, suggesting that repeated administration of both agonists and PAMs may produce sustained effects on cognitive performance. Subsequent [(125I]-bungarotoxin autoradiography revealed no direct correlation between α7 nAChR levels in frontal cortical or hippocampal brain regions and short-term memory with either compound. Additionally, repeated treatment with A-582941 did not affect mRNA expression of RIC-3 or the lynx-like gene products lynx1, lynx2, PSCA, or Ly6H, which are known to affect nAChR function. In conclusion, both α7 nAChR agonists and PAMs exhibit sustained pro-cognitive effects after repeated administration, and altered levels of the α7 nAChR per se, or that of endogenous regulators of nAChR function, are likely not the major cause of this effect.

PAnalyzer: A software tool for protein inference in shotgun proteomics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prieto Gorka

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Protein inference from peptide identifications in shotgun proteomics must deal with ambiguities that arise due to the presence of peptides shared between different proteins, which is common in higher eukaryotes. Recently data independent acquisition (DIA approaches have emerged as an alternative to the traditional data dependent acquisition (DDA in shotgun proteomics experiments. MSE is the term used to name one of the DIA approaches used in QTOF instruments. MSE data require specialized software to process acquired spectra and to perform peptide and protein identifications. However the software available at the moment does not group the identified proteins in a transparent way by taking into account peptide evidence categories. Furthermore the inspection, comparison and report of the obtained results require tedious manual intervention. Here we report a software tool to address these limitations for MSE data. Results In this paper we present PAnalyzer, a software tool focused on the protein inference process of shotgun proteomics. Our approach considers all the identified proteins and groups them when necessary indicating their confidence using different evidence categories. PAnalyzer can read protein identification files in the XML output format of the ProteinLynx Global Server (PLGS software provided by Waters Corporation for their MSE data, and also in the mzIdentML format recently standardized by HUPO-PSI. Multiple files can also be read simultaneously and are considered as technical replicates. Results are saved to CSV, HTML and mzIdentML (in the case of a single mzIdentML input file files. An MSE analysis of a real sample is presented to compare the results of PAnalyzer and ProteinLynx Global Server. Conclusions We present a software tool to deal with the ambiguities that arise in the protein inference process. Key contributions are support for MSE data analysis by ProteinLynx Global Server and technical replicates

Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in zoo animals in selected zoos in the midwestern United States.

Science.gov (United States)

de Camps, Silvia; Dubey, J P; Saville, W J A

2008-06-01

Toxoplasma gondii infections in zoo animals are of interest because many captive animals die of clinical toxoplasmosis and because of the potential risk of exposure of children and elderly to T. gondii oocysts excreted by cats in the zoos. Seroprevalence of T. gondii antibodies in wild zoo felids, highly susceptible zoo species, and feral cats from 8 zoos of the midwestern United States was determined by using the modified agglutination test (MAT). A titer of 1:25 was considered indicative of T. gondii exposure. Among wild felids, antibodies to T. gondii were found in 6 (27.3%) of 22 cheetahs (Acynonyx jubatus jubatus), 2 of 4 African lynx (Caracal caracal), 1 of 7 clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa), 1 of 5 Pallas cats (Otocolobus manul), 12 (54.5%) of 22 African lions (Panthera leo), 1 of 1 jaguar (Panthera onca), 1 of 1 Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), 1 of 1 Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor), 5 (27.8%) of 18 Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), 1 of 4 fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus), 3 of 6 pumas (Puma concolor), 2 of 2 Texas pumas (Puma concolor stanleyana), and 5 (35.7%) of 14 snow leopards (Uncia uncia). Antibodies were found in 10 of 34 feral domestic cats (Felis domesticus) trapped in 3 zoos. Toxoplasma gondii oocysts were not found in any of the 78 fecal samples from wild and domestic cats. Among the macropods, antibodies were detected in 1 of 3 Dama wallabies (Macropus eugenii), 1 of 1 western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus), 1 of 2 wallaroos (Macropus robustus), 6 of 8 Bennett's wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus), 21 (61.8%) of 34 red kangaroos (Macropus rufus), and 1 of 1 dusky pademelon (Thylogale brunii). Among prosimians, antibodies were detected in 1 of 3 blue-eyed black lemurs (Eulemur macaco flavifrons), 1 of 21 ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), 2 of 9 red-ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata rubra), and 2 of 4 black- and white-ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata variegata). Among the avian species tested, 2 of 3 bald

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Cross-Species Transmission: Implications for Emergence of New Lentiviral Infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Justin; Malmberg, Jennifer L; Wood, Britta A; Hladky, Sahaja; Troyer, Ryan; Roelke, Melody; Cunningham, Mark; McBride, Roy; Vickers, Winston; Boyce, Walter; Boydston, Erin; Serieys, Laurel; Riley, Seth; Crooks, Kevin; VandeWoude, Sue

2017-03-01

Owing to a complex history of host-parasite coevolution, lentiviruses exhibit a high degree of species specificity. Given the well-documented viral archeology of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) emergence following human exposures to simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), an understanding of processes that promote successful cross-species lentiviral transmissions is highly relevant. We previously reported natural cross-species transmission of a subtype of feline immunodeficiency virus, puma lentivirus A (PLVA), between bobcats ( Lynx rufus ) and mountain lions ( Puma concolor ) for a small number of animals in California and Florida. In this study, we investigate host-specific selection pressures, within-host viral fitness, and inter- versus intraspecies transmission patterns among a larger collection of PLV isolates from free-ranging bobcats and mountain lions. Analyses of proviral and viral RNA levels demonstrate that PLVA fitness is severely restricted in mountain lions compared to that in bobcats. We document evidence of diversifying selection in three of six PLVA genomes from mountain lions, but we did not detect selection among 20 PLVA isolates from bobcats. These findings support the hypothesis that PLVA is a bobcat-adapted virus which is less fit in mountain lions and under intense selection pressure in the novel host. Ancestral reconstruction of transmission events reveals that intraspecific PLVA transmission has occurred among panthers ( Puma concolor coryi ) in Florida following the initial cross-species infection from bobcats. In contrast, interspecific transmission from bobcats to mountain lions predominates in California. These findings document outcomes of cross-species lentiviral transmission events among felids that compare to the emergence of HIV from nonhuman primates. IMPORTANCE Cross-species transmission episodes can be singular, dead-end events or can result in viral replication and spread in the new species. The factors that determine which

Highly Structured Duets in the Song of the South American Hornero

Science.gov (United States)

Laje, Rodrigo; Mindlin, Gabriel B.

2003-12-01

The South American Hornero (Furnarius rufus) is a suboscine bird widely known for its mud-made, oven-looking nest. Beyond their architectural skills, the male and female Horneros sing in highly structured duets. The analysis of field recordings reported in this work reveals that as the male increases the note production rate the female responds by switching to different locking states: the ones predicted by the theory of nonlinear forced oscillators. This gives the duet a most appealing rhythm, and unveils the nonlinear nature of the underlying brain activity needed to generate the song.

The wounding of Alexander the Great in Cyropolis (329 BC): the first reported case of the syndrome of transient cortical blindness?

Science.gov (United States)

Lascaratos, J

1997-01-01

I believe that the transient blindness which presented Alexander the Great after his being wounded on his head and/or his neck by a stone from a catapult during the siege of Cyropolis (329 BC) was in all probability a case of transient cortical blindness that was recognized as a special entity in the 1960s. I reached this conclusion after the comparative study of the Emperor's clinical picture provided by ancient texts, especially those of Plutarch and Quintus Curtius Rufus, with that of a modern medical bibliography.

4. Thursday

OpenAIRE

Carroll, John W.

2016-01-01

It is 7:00 am. Dr. Rufus and Willie are sitting at the computer console with cups of coffee, talking. Tad enters. Tad: Wow, I thought that I was getting an early start! Carlene [looking up]: Oh, Tad, I didn’t hear you come in; we’re having an absolutely stimulating conversation. Tad [yawning]: I think I need to have some stimulating caffeine before I can have any stimulating conversation. Willie: Sorry, Tad. Tad [seeing empty coffee pot]: Hey, don’t you know that the first one in is supposed ...

Exploration of the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles along with Other Assets to Enhance Border Protection

Science.gov (United States)

2009-06-01

Border Initiative SUAV Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle SAR Synthetic Aperture Radar TTPs Tactics, Techniques, And Procedures TRVS Trailer Remote...2008). 4 3. Overview of Illegal Activities According to the CBP, 178,770 pounds of cocaine, 2,178 pounds of heroin, 2,471,931 pounds of marijuana ...Raytheon Company Web Site) Another component of Predator B is the high- resolution Lynx Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). In their study, Tsunoda, et

Large Scale Visual Recognition

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

Miniature pinscher Figure 2.5: Visualization of the mammal hierarchy. 23 900 1000 1100 elephant okapi panda platypus Caltech101 Lossless JPG size in...limousine taxi Flat Ours Golden Retriever dog Chihuahua dog Husky domes c animal canine English Se er hyena canine polar bear carnivore...snow leopard feline o er living thing conch en y wheelbarrow carnivore orangutan mammal meerkat mammal carnivore polar bear lynx lion Flat

Development of device drivers embedded in real time OS for SPring-8 SR control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masuda, T.; Fujiwara, S.; Nakamura, T.; Takebe, H.; Wada, T.

1994-01-01

A distributed computer system has been adopted for the SPring-8 SR control system. For lower level computers, we intend to adopt VMEbus computer systems with the real time OS which are compliant with POSIX. For R and D study, we introduced LynxOS and wrote device drivers for Digital Output(DO), Digital Input(DI) and Analog Input(AI) boards on VMEbus. They were successfully operated with device drivers. (author)

Agents of Law: Psychoanalytic Perspective on Parenthood Practices as Socially Accepted Violence.

Science.gov (United States)

Even-Tzur, Efrat; Hadar, Uri

2017-02-01

This paper presents a theoretical model of parental authority from the vantage point of parental subjecthood, using a roughly Lacanian formulation of what it means to take a (parental) subject position. For Freud, the parental role involves the acceptance of social rules that may, at times, involve a socially acceptable degree of violence. Nevertheless, psychoanalytic discussions have disregarded the parents' subjective experience as agents of the Law and purveyors of threatening authority. The authors elaborate on Freud's and Lacan's ideas and delineate several prime types of parental identifications as agents of Law. The Lacanian theoretical constructs expanded in this discussion include two basic parental positions of authority, termed the Symbolic Father and the Imaginary Father, and one derivative position, called the Perverse Father, which are demonstrated through the story of Dr. Moritz Schreber. The paper discusses how these theoretical constructs bear upon the philosophical conceptualizations of law, violence, and legitimacy.

The influence of climate variability on polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and ringed seal (Pusa hispida) population dynamics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosing-Asvid, A.

2006-01-01

Unusually high polar bear (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) predation on ringed seal (Pusa hispida (Schreber, 1775)) pups and increased survival of polar bear cubs during mild springs is documented in published articles. Strong predation on newborn ringed seal pups in early spring, however, is likely...... to lower the overall energy intake of polar bears if ringed seal pups are their main food, because the energetic value of ringed seal pups increases 7-8 times during the 6 week lactation period. So although hunting success in early spring increases cub survival during the period after den emergence......,when they are most vulnerable, it is likely to increase the number of starving bears later in the season. This negative-feedback effect of strong spring predation will not occur in areas where other seal species are abundant during summer, and polar bears in such areas are likely to exhibit population growth during...

Proteomic profile of serum of pregnant women carring a fetus with Down syndrome using nano uplc Q-tof ms/ms technology.

Science.gov (United States)

López Uriarte, Graciela Arelí; Burciaga Flores, Carlos Horacio; Torres de la Cruz, Víctor Manuel; Medina Aguado, María Magdalena; Gómez Puente, Viviana Maricela; Romero Gutiérrez, Liliana Nayeli; Martínez de Villarreal, Laura Elia

2018-06-01

Prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome (DS) is based on the calculated risk of maternal age, biochemical and ultrasonographic markers and recently by cfDNA. Differences in proteomic profiles may give an opportunity to find new biomarkers. Characterize proteome of serum of mothers carrying DS fetus. Blood serum samples of three groups of women were obtained, (a) 10 non-pregnant, (b) 10 pregnant with healthy fetus by ultrasound evaluation, (c) nine pregnant with DS fetus. Sample preparation was as follows: Albumin/IgG depletion, desalting, and trypsin digestion; the process was performed in nanoUPLC MS/MS. Data analysis was made with Mass Lynx 4.1 and ProteinLynx Global Server 3.0, peptide and protein recognition by MASCOT algorithm and UNIPROT-Swissprot database. Each group showed different protein profiles. Some proteins were shared between groups. Only sera from pregnant women showed proteins related to immune and clot pathways. Mothers with DS fetus had 42 specific proteins. We found a different serum protein profile in mothers carrying DS fetuses that do not reflect expression of genes in the extra chromosome. Further studies will be necessary to establish the role of these proteins in aneuploid fetus and analyze their possible use as potential biomarkers.

Statistical core design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oelkers, E.; Heller, A.S.; Farnsworth, D.A.; Kearfott, K.J.

1978-01-01

The report describes the statistical analysis of DNBR thermal-hydraulic margin of a 3800 MWt, 205-FA core under design overpower conditions. The analysis used LYNX-generated data at predetermined values of the input variables whose uncertainties were to be statistically combined. LYNX data were used to construct an efficient response surface model in the region of interest; the statistical analysis was accomplished through the evaluation of core reliability; utilizing propagation of the uncertainty distributions of the inputs. The response surface model was implemented in both the analytical error propagation and Monte Carlo Techniques. The basic structural units relating to the acceptance criteria are fuel pins. Therefore, the statistical population of pins with minimum DNBR values smaller than specified values is determined. The specified values are designated relative to the most probable and maximum design DNBR values on the power limiting pin used in present design analysis, so that gains over the present design criteria could be assessed for specified probabilistic acceptance criteria. The results are equivalent to gains ranging from 1.2 to 4.8 percent of rated power dependent on the acceptance criterion. The corresponding acceptance criteria range from 95 percent confidence that no pin will be in DNB to 99.9 percent of the pins, which are expected to avoid DNB

The Gastropod Menace: Slugs on Brassica Plants Affect Caterpillar Survival through Consumption and Interference with Parasitoid Attraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Desurmont, Gaylord A; Zemanova, Miriam A; Turlings, Ted C J

2016-03-01

Terrestrial molluscs and insect herbivores play a major role as plant consumers in a number of ecosystems, but their direct and indirect interactions have hardly been explored. The omnivorous nature of slugs makes them potential disrupters of predator-prey relationships, as a direct threat to small insects and through indirect, plant-mediated effects. Here, we examined the effects of the presence of two species of slugs, Arion rufus (native) and A. vulgaris (invasive) on the survivorship of young Pieris brassicae caterpillars when feeding on Brassica rapa plants, and on plant attractiveness to the main natural enemy of P. brassicae, the parasitoid Cotesia glomerata. In two separate predation experiments, caterpillar mortality was significantly higher on plants co-infested with A. rufus or A. vulgaris. Moreover, caterpillar mortality correlated positively with slug mass and leaf consumption by A. vulgaris. At the third trophic level, plants infested with slugs and plants co-infested with slugs and caterpillars were far less attractive to parasitoids than plants damaged by caterpillars only, independently of slug species. Chemical analyses confirmed that volatile emissions, which provide foraging cues for parasitoids, were strongly reduced in co-infested plants. Our study shows that the presence of slugs has the potential to affect insect populations, directly via consumptive effects, and indirectly via changes in plant volatiles that result in a reduced attraction of natural enemies. The fitness cost for P. brassicae imposed by increased mortality in presence of slugs may be counterbalanced by the benefit of escaping its parasitoids.

Parasitic copepods on Oligoplites spp. (Osteichthyes, Carangidae from the Brazilian coastal zone, with the redescription of Tuxophorus caligodes Wilson, 1908 (Siphonostomatoida, Tuxophoridae Copépodes parasitos de Oligoplites spp. (Osteichthyes, Carangidae da costa brasileira, com a redescrição de Tuxophorus caligodes Wilson, 1908 (Siphonostomatoida, Tuxophoridae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Massato Takemoto

2002-05-01

Full Text Available Four species of caligid copepods, parasites of Oligoplites palometa (Cuvier, 1833, O. saurus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801 and O. saliens (Bloch, 1793 (Osteichthyes: Carangidae from the Sepetiba Bay, coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are presented. New geographical and host records for Caligus robustus Bassett-Smith, 1898, C. rufimaculatus Wilson, 1905, C. bonito Wilson, 1905 and Metacaligus rufus (Wilson, 1908 are given. Caligus oligoplitisi Carvalho, 1954 is considered a new junior synonym of C. robustus. Fishes of the genus Oligoplites are new host records for this species of copepod. Redescription and illustration of Tuxophorus caligodes Wilson, 1908, collected on the body surface of Oligoplites saliens, O. palometa and O. saurus, are provided.Quatro espécies de copépodes caligídeos, parasitos de Oligoplites palometa (Cuvier, 1833, O. saurus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801 e O. saliens (Bloch, 1793 (Osteichthyes, Carangidae da Baia de Sepetiba, litoral do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, são descritos. São apresentados o registro de novo hospedeiro e nova distribuição geográfica para Caligus robustus Bassett-Smith, 1898, C. rufimaculatus Wilson, 1905, C. bonito Wilson, 1905 e Metacaligus rufus (Wilson, 1908. Caligus oligoplitisi Carvalho, 1954, é considerado novo sinônimo júnior de C. robustus. Tuxophorus caligodes Wilson, 1908, coletado na superfície do corpo de Oligoplites saliens, O. palometa e O. saurus é redescrito e ilustrado. Peixes do gênero Oligoplites são novos hospedeiros para estas espécies de copépodes.

The effect of habitat geology on calcium intake and calcium status of wild rodents.

Science.gov (United States)

Shore, R F; Balment, R J; Yalden, D W

1991-12-01

Calcium is essential for normal physiological function, reproduction and growth in mammals but its distribution in the natural environment is heterogeneous. Spatial variation in calcium soil content is especially marked in the Peak District, United Kingdom, where both calcium-rich limestone and calcium-poor gritstone rock types occur. Wood mice Apodemus sylvaticus (L) and bank voles Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber 1780) from limestone areas had significantly higher calcium concentrations in stomach contents and in faeces compared with their counterparts from gritstone areas. Calcium status was assessed from serum calcium concentration, femur weight, ash content of the body, calcium concentration in the femur and body ash. There was no significant difference in serum calcium concentration, femur calcium concentration and body ash calcium concentration between animals from the limestone and the gritstone. However, on the limestone, bank voles, but not wood mice, had significantly heavier femora and a greater proportion of ash in the body compared with their gritstone counterparts.

Key role of European rabbits in the conservation of the Western Mediterranean basin hotspot.

Science.gov (United States)

Delibes-Mateos, Miguel; Delibes, Miguel; Ferreras, Pablo; Villafuerte, Rafael

2008-10-01

The Mediterranean Basin is a global hotspot of biodiversity. Hotspots are said to be experiencing a major loss of habitat, but an added risk could be the decline of some species having a special role in ecological relationships of the system. We reviewed the role of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as a keystone species in the Iberian Peninsula portion of the Mediterranean hotspot. Rabbits conspicuously alter plant species composition and vegetation structure through grazing and seed dispersal, which creates open areas and preserves plant species diversity. Moreover, rabbit latrines have a demonstrable effect on soil fertility and plant growth and provide new feeding resources for many invertebrate species. Rabbit burrows provide nest sites and shelter for vertebrates and invertebrates. In addition, rabbits serve as prey for a number of predators, including the critically endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) and Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti). Thus, the Mediterranean ecosystem of the Iberian Peninsula should be termed "the rabbit's ecosystem." To our knowledge, this is the first empirical support for existence of a multifunctional keystone species in a global hotspot of biodiversity. Rabbit populations have declined drastically on the Iberian Peninsula, with potential cascading effects and serious ecological and economic consequences. From this perspective, rabbit recovery is one of the biggest challenges for conservation of the Mediterranean Basin hotspot.

Computer gaming comes to service rig training

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mowers, J.

2007-05-15

This article addressed the challenge of providing service rig workers with a good understanding of the tasks and risks involved in the job before they even step out into the field. The product, SimuLynx was presented. SimuLynx is based on video and gaming technology to immerse the user in the service rig work environment with other crew members. The user tries to perform the different steps of a junior floorhand's job while a coach gives directions. The article discussed how the system works. For example, when faced with a task, the user chooses from several options. The coach informs the virtual junior floorhand if the decision was right or wrong. He will also give warnings and let the user realize the consequences of a wrong action. The benefits of the system were also presented. For example, instead of 30 days of on-the-job training, an employee may only need several days after going through the program. Other benefits that were reviewed included reduced accident risk-levels for new workers; higher rig efficiency; and, lower training costs. In addition, a potential recruit can decide if the job is right for him before signing up for an expensive course or starting off with a service rig company. As well, the rig company can decide if someone is suitable before hiring that person. 3 figs.

Behavior of ruthenium, cesium and antimony during simulated HLLW vitrification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klein, M.; Weyers, C.; Goossens, W.R.A.

1985-01-01

The behavior of ruthenium, cesium, and antimony during the vitrification of simulated high-level radioactive liquid wastes (HLLW) in a liquid fed melter was studied on a laboratory scale and on a semi-pilot scale. In the laboratory melter of a 2.5 kg capacity, a series of tests with the simulate traced with 103 Ru, 134 Cs and 124 Sb, has shown that the Ru and Cs losses to the melter effluent are generally higher than 10% whereas the antimony losses remain lower than 0.4%. A wet purification system comprising in series, a dust scrubber, a condenser, an ejector venturi and an NOx washing column retains most of the activity present in the off-gas so that the release fractions for Ru at the absolute filter inlet ranges between 5.10 -3 to 5.10 -5 % of the Ru fed, for Cs the corresponding release fraction ranges between 3.10 -3 to 10 -4 % and for Sb the release fraction ranges between 1.7 10 -4 to 1.7 10 -5 %. The same experiments were performed at a throughput of 1 to 2 1 h -1 of simulated solution in the semi-pilot scale unit RUFUS. The RUFUS unit comprises a glass melter with a 50 kg molten glass capacity and the wet purification train comprises in series a dust scrubber, a condenser, an ejector venturi and an NOx washing column. The tracer tests were restricted to 103 Ru and 134 Cs since the laboratory tests had shown that the antimony losses were very low. The results of the tests are presented

The ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of the Strandzha Mountain and adjacent coastal territories (Bulgaria and Turkey).

Science.gov (United States)

Kostova, Rumyana; Guéorguiev, Borislav

2016-01-01

The knowledge of the ground-beetle fauna of Strandzha is currently incomplete, and is largely based on data from the Bulgarian part of the region and on records resulting from casual collecting. This study represents a critical revision of the available literature, museum collections and a three years field study of the carabid beetles of the Bulgarian and Turkish parts of Strandzha Mountain and the adjacent Black Sea Coast territories. A total of 328 species and subspecies of Carabidae, belonging to 327 species from the region of Strandzha Mountain and adjacent seacoast area, have been listed. Of these, 77 taxa represent new records for the Bulgarian part of the region, and 110 taxa new records for Turkish part of the studied region. Two taxa, one subgenus (Haptotapinus Reitter, 1886) and one species (Pterostichus crassiusculus), are new to the fauna of Bulgaria. Based on a misidentification, the species Apotomus testaceus is excluded from the list of the Bulgarian fauna. Seven species (Carabus violaceus azurescens, Apotomus rufus, Platynus proximus, Molops alpestris kalofericus, M. dilatatus angulicollis, Pterostichus merklii, and Calathus metallicus) are treated as doubtful for the regional fauna, and one (Apotomus rufus) also for the Bulgarian fauna. Altogether, 43 taxa collected in the Turkish part of the region are new for European Turkey. New taxa for Turkey are the genera Myas and Oxypselaphus, the subgenus Feronidius, and nine species and subspecies (Carabus granulatus granulatus, Dyschirius tristis, Bembidion normannum apfelbecki, B. subcostatum vau, Acupalpus exiguus, Myas chalybaeus, Oxypselaphus obscurus, Pterostichus leonisi, Pt. melas). In addition, there are a further seven species that are here confirmed for Turkey.

SPIDERS (ARANEI OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH OSSETIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander V. Ponomarev

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. Until recently, spider fauna of the Republic of South Ossetia has been the least studied among the regional araneofaunas of the Caucasus. According to the literature data, as little as 30 spider species have been known from the republic’s territory (Mkheidze, 1997, Mikhailov, 1990; Ponomarev, Dvadnenko, 2013; Trilicauscas, Komarov, 2014. Therefore, the aim of the present article is to summarize available data on the spider fauna of South Ossetia.Location. Republic of South Ossetia.Methods. The material was collected in various districts of South Ossetia in 2011-2014 by Yu.E. Komarov. Mainly, the collecting was performed in the city of Tskhinvali and its environs, and in the South Ossetian State Reserve. Spiders were sampled with pitfall traps and sweep netting. The time of traps’ exposure is April–December.Results and main conclusions. To date, the spider fauna of the Republic of South Ossetia includes 230 species from 29 families. 222 species were registered by the authors, eight species (Clubiona pseudosimilis, Gnaphosa lugubris, Linyphia hortensis, Neriene peltata, Geolycosa vultuosa, Pardosa azerifalcata, Ero aphana, and Philodromus rufus are known from the literature only. Seven species are new to the Caucasus (Clubiona pseudosimilis, Gnaphosa lugubris, Linyphia hortensis, Neriene peltata, Geolycosa vultuosa, Pardosa azerifalcata, Ero aphana, and Philodromus rufus. Of these, two species were known earlier only from Turkey (Pardosa consimilis, Ozyptila spirembolus, and one species (Tegenaria pseudolyncea only from Azerbaijan. Against the background of the widespread species predominance, the Caucasian element is small and presented by twelve species (Tegenaria pseudolyncea, Dysdera tkibuliensis, Haplodrassus caucasius, Zelotes khostensis, Mansuphantes ovalis, Sintula oseticus, Tenuiphantes teberdaensis, Pardosa azerifalcata, P. caucasica, Piratula hurkai, Trochosa cachetiensis, and Xysticus ukrainicus.

The new generation of PowerPC VMEbus front end computers for the CERN SPS and LEP accelerators control system

OpenAIRE

Van den Eynden, M

1995-01-01

The CERN SPS and LEP PowerPC project is aimed at introducing a new generation of PowerPC VMEbus processor modules running the LynxOS real-time operating system. This new generation of front end computers using the state-of-the-art microprocessor technology will first replace the obsolete Xenix PC based systems (about 140 installations) successfully used since 1988 to control the LEP accelerator. The major issues addressed in the scope of this large scale project are the technical specificatio...

The new generation of PowerPC VMEbus front end computers for the CERN SPS and LEP accelerators system

OpenAIRE

Charrue, P; Bland, A; Ghinet, F; Ribeiro, P

1995-01-01

The CERN SPS and LEP PowerPC project is aimed at introducing a new generation of PowerPC VMEbus processor modules running the LynxOS real-time operating system. This new generation of front end computers using the state-of-the-art microprocessor technology will first replace the obsolete XENIX PC based systems (about 140 installations) successfully used since 1988 to control the LEP accelerator. The major issues addressed in the scope of this large scale project are the technical specificatio...

First Student Project at the University of Tennessee at Martin Observatory

Science.gov (United States)

Crews, Lionel J.; Turner, K.; Wesner, P.

2011-05-01

The University of Tennessee at Martin has recently completed the construction and setup of an observatory. The dome houses a 16" Meade telescope with SBIG STL-11000M CCD. For its first project, observations of the Delta Scuti type variable SZ Lynx were taken in March and analyzed using MiraPRO. A simple ephemeris calculation was done, and compared to previous results. This project was done under the University Scholars program, a four year scholarship program which includes a faculty-mentored research project.

The genus Alphitobius Stephens (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae, Alphitobiini in Africa and adjacent islands

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Wolfgang Schawaller

2014-06-01

Full Text Available All species of the genus Alphitobius Stephens, 1829 (Alphitobiini Reitter, 1917, subfamily Tenebrioninae Latreille, 1802 from Africa and adjacent islands are revised. New species: Alphitobius capitaneus sp. n. from Kenya. New synonyms: Cryptops ulomoides Solier, 1851, syn. n. of Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer, 1796; Alphitobius rufus Ardoin, 1976, syn. n. of Alphitobius hobohmi Koch, 1953; Peltoides (Micropeltoides crypticoides Pic, 1916, syn. n. of Peltoides (Micropeltoides opacus (Gerstaecker, 1871, comb. n. Homonym: Alphitobius ulomoides Koch, 1953 = Alphitobius arnoldi nom. n. New combinations from Alphitobius: Ulomoides basilewskyi (Ardoin, 1969, comb. n.; Peltoides (Micropeltoides opacus (Gerstaecker, 1871, comb. n. Figures of all examined species are added and a species key is compiled.

Equilibrium states and the ergodic theory of Anosov diffeomorphisms

CERN Document Server

2008-01-01

For this printing of R. Bowen's book, J.-R. Chazottes has retyped it in TeX for easier reading, thereby correcting typos and bibliographic details. From the Preface by D. Ruelle: "Rufus Bowen has left us a masterpiece of mathematical exposition... Here a number of results which were new at the time are presented in such a clear and lucid style that Bowen's monograph immediately became a classic. More than thirty years later, many new results have been proved in this area, but the volume is as useful as ever because it remains the best introduction to the basics of the ergodic theory of hyperbolic systems."

Parasitoid (Hymenoptera, Parasitica) diversity in fruit orchards of Terceira Island (Azores), with new records for the Azores and Portugal.

OpenAIRE

Santos, Ana M. C.; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Lopes, David João Horta

2008-01-01

XI Congresso Ibérico de Entomologia. Funchal (Madeira), 13 a 17 de Setembro de 2004. Copyright © 2008 Museu Municipal do Funchal (História Natural). Apresenta-se uma lista de géneros e espécies de Himenópteros parasitóides encontrados em culturas frutícolas da ilha Terceira. Foram identificados 34 géneros, 10 espécies e 37 morfoespécies, destacando-se a presença de duas espécies novas para Portugal (Meteorus ictericus e Meteorus rufus) e uma espécie do género Encarsia ainda não descrita...

Red Wolf (Canis rufus Recovery: A Review with Suggestions for Future Research

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Michael J. Chamberlain

2013-08-01

Full Text Available By the 1970s, government-supported eradication campaigns reduced red wolves to a remnant population of less than 100 individuals on the southern border of Texas and Louisiana. Restoration efforts in the region were deemed unpromising because of predator-control programs and hybridization with coyotes. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS removed the last remaining red wolves from the wild and placed them in a captive-breeding program. In 1980, the USFWS declared red wolves extinct in the wild. During 1987, the USFWS, through the Red Wolf Recovery Program, reintroduced red wolves into northeastern North Carolina. Although restoration efforts have established a population of approximately 70–80 red wolves in the wild, issues of hybridization with coyotes, inbreeding, and human-caused mortality continue to hamper red wolf recovery. We explore these three challenges and, within each challenge, we illustrate how research can be used to resolve problems associated with red wolf-coyote interactions, effects of inbreeding, and demographic responses to human-caused mortality. We hope this illustrates the utility of research to advance restoration of red wolves.

Evaluating the operations capability of Freedom's Data Management System

Science.gov (United States)

Sowizral, Henry A.

1990-01-01

Three areas of Data Management System (DMS) performance are examined: raw processor speed, the subjective speed of the Lynx OS X-Window system, and the operational capacity of the Runtime Object Database (RODB). It is concluded that the proposed processor will operate at its specified rate of speed and that the X-Window system operates within users' subjective needs. It is also concluded that the RODB cannot provide the required level of service, even with a two-order of magnitude (100 fold) improvement in speed.

Extraordinary Genetic Diversity in a Wood Decay Mushroom.

Science.gov (United States)

Baranova, Maria A; Logacheva, Maria D; Penin, Aleksey A; Seplyarskiy, Vladimir B; Safonova, Yana Y; Naumenko, Sergey A; Klepikova, Anna V; Gerasimov, Evgeny S; Bazykin, Georgii A; James, Timothy Y; Kondrashov, Alexey S

2015-10-01

Populations of different species vary in the amounts of genetic diversity they possess. Nucleotide diversity π, the fraction of nucleotides that are different between two randomly chosen genotypes, has been known to range in eukaryotes between 0.0001 in Lynx lynx and 0.16 in Caenorhabditis brenneri. Here, we report the results of a comparative analysis of 24 haploid genotypes (12 from the United States and 12 from European Russia) of a split-gill fungus Schizophyllum commune. The diversity at synonymous sites is 0.20 in the American population of S. commune and 0.13 in the Russian population. This exceptionally high level of nucleotide diversity also leads to extreme amino acid diversity of protein-coding genes. Using whole-genome resequencing of 2 parental and 17 offspring haploid genotypes, we estimate that the mutation rate in S. commune is high, at 2.0 × 10(-8) (95% CI: 1.1 × 10(-8) to 4.1 × 10(-8)) per nucleotide per generation. Therefore, the high diversity of S. commune is primarily determined by its elevated mutation rate, although high effective population size likely also plays a role. Small genome size, ease of cultivation and completion of the life cycle in the laboratory, free-living haploid life stages and exceptionally high variability of S. commune make it a promising model organism for population, quantitative, and evolutionary genetics. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Design exploration and verification platform, based on high-level modeling and FPGA prototyping, for fast and flexible digital communication in physics experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magazzù, G; Borgese, G; Costantino, N; Fanucci, L; Saponara, S; Incandela, J

2013-01-01

In many research fields as high energy physics (HEP), astrophysics, nuclear medicine or space engineering with harsh operating conditions, the use of fast and flexible digital communication protocols is becoming more and more important. The possibility to have a smart and tested top-down design flow for the design of a new protocol for control/readout of front-end electronics is very useful. To this aim, and to reduce development time, costs and risks, this paper describes an innovative design/verification flow applied as example case study to a new communication protocol called FF-LYNX. After the description of the main FF-LYNX features, the paper presents: the definition of a parametric SystemC-based Integrated Simulation Environment (ISE) for high-level protocol definition and validation; the set up of figure of merits to drive the design space exploration; the use of ISE for early analysis of the achievable performances when adopting the new communication protocol and its interfaces for a new (or upgraded) physics experiment; the design of VHDL IP cores for the TX and RX protocol interfaces; their implementation on a FPGA-based emulator for functional verification and finally the modification of the FPGA-based emulator for testing the ASIC chipset which implements the rad-tolerant protocol interfaces. For every step, significant results will be shown to underline the usefulness of this design and verification approach that can be applied to any new digital protocol development for smart detectors in physics experiments.

Design exploration and verification platform, based on high-level modeling and FPGA prototyping, for fast and flexible digital communication in physics experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Magazzù, G.; Borgese, G.; Costantino, N.; Fanucci, L.; Incandela, J.; Saponara, S.

2013-02-01

In many research fields as high energy physics (HEP), astrophysics, nuclear medicine or space engineering with harsh operating conditions, the use of fast and flexible digital communication protocols is becoming more and more important. The possibility to have a smart and tested top-down design flow for the design of a new protocol for control/readout of front-end electronics is very useful. To this aim, and to reduce development time, costs and risks, this paper describes an innovative design/verification flow applied as example case study to a new communication protocol called FF-LYNX. After the description of the main FF-LYNX features, the paper presents: the definition of a parametric SystemC-based Integrated Simulation Environment (ISE) for high-level protocol definition and validation; the set up of figure of merits to drive the design space exploration; the use of ISE for early analysis of the achievable performances when adopting the new communication protocol and its interfaces for a new (or upgraded) physics experiment; the design of VHDL IP cores for the TX and RX protocol interfaces; their implementation on a FPGA-based emulator for functional verification and finally the modification of the FPGA-based emulator for testing the ASIC chipset which implements the rad-tolerant protocol interfaces. For every step, significant results will be shown to underline the usefulness of this design and verification approach that can be applied to any new digital protocol development for smart detectors in physics experiments.

A framework for quantitative assessment of impacts related to energy and mineral resource development

Science.gov (United States)

Haines, Seth S.; Diffendorfer, James; Balistrieri, Laurie S.; Berger, Byron R.; Cook, Troy A.; Gautier, Donald L.; Gallegos, Tanya J.; Gerritsen, Margot; Graffy, Elisabeth; Hawkins, Sarah; Johnson, Kathleen; Macknick, Jordan; McMahon, Peter; Modde, Tim; Pierce, Brenda; Schuenemeyer, John H.; Semmens, Darius; Simon, Benjamin; Taylor, Jason; Walton-Day, Katherine

2013-01-01

Natural resource planning at all scales demands methods for assessing the impacts of resource development and use, and in particular it requires standardized methods that yield robust and unbiased results. Building from existing probabilistic methods for assessing the volumes of energy and mineral resources, we provide an algorithm for consistent, reproducible, quantitative assessment of resource development impacts. The approach combines probabilistic input data with Monte Carlo statistical methods to determine probabilistic outputs that convey the uncertainties inherent in the data. For example, one can utilize our algorithm to combine data from a natural gas resource assessment with maps of sage grouse leks and piñon-juniper woodlands in the same area to estimate possible future habitat impacts due to possible future gas development. As another example: one could combine geochemical data and maps of lynx habitat with data from a mineral deposit assessment in the same area to determine possible future mining impacts on water resources and lynx habitat. The approach can be applied to a broad range of positive and negative resource development impacts, such as water quantity or quality, economic benefits, or air quality, limited only by the availability of necessary input data and quantified relationships among geologic resources, development alternatives, and impacts. The framework enables quantitative evaluation of the trade-offs inherent in resource management decision-making, including cumulative impacts, to address societal concerns and policy aspects of resource development.

The influence of Augustean ideology in the decoration of Pompeii and Herculaneum | La influencia de la ideología augustea en la decoración de Pompeya y Herculano

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Umberto Pappalardo

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Herculaneum and Pompeii, well-preserved typical Italic provincial cities, demonstrate, as we can observe in the examples analysed here, the change of political regime in Rome during the Augustan period, with its new cultural tastes, expression of a triumphant ideology, the virtues of the new leader. It would have been the most influential families and the parvenus who identified themselves most closely with the cultural preferences and ideology of the princeps, and who transmitted the new values to their fellow citizens, as in the case of M. Nonius Balbus in Herculaneum and M. Holconius Rufus and Eumachia in Pompeii. This can be discerned in the décor of the Suburban Baths and the College of the Augustales in Herculaneum, or the Eumachia building and the Temple of Vespasian in Pompeii. | Herculano y Pompeya, buenos exponentes de las ciudades itálicas y provinciales, y mejor conservadas, nos ilustran, como se observa en los ejemplos aquí analizados, sobre el cambio de régimen político en Roma en la época de Augusto, con sus nuevos gustos culturales, expresión de la ideología triunfante, de las virtutes del líder emergente. Serán las familias más influyentes y los parvenues quienes se identifiquen mejor con el programa cultural y con la ideología del princeps, y actuarán de transmisores de los nuevos valores a sus propios conciudadanos, como en los casos de M. Nonius Balbus en Herculano, y M. Holconius Rufus y Eumachia en Pompeya. Esto es lo que se trasluce al examinar el programa decorativo de las Termas Suburbanas y del Colegio de los Augustales en Herculano, así como en el edificio de Eumachia y el Templo de Vespasiano en Pompeya.

The socio-matrix reloaded: from hierarchy to dominance profile in wild lemurs.

Science.gov (United States)

Norscia, Ivan; Palagi, Elisabetta

2015-01-01

Dominance hierarchy influences the life quality of social animals, and its definition should in principle be based on the outcome of agonistic interactions. However, defining and comparing the dominance profile of social groups is difficult due to the different dominance measures used and because no one measure explains it all. We applied different analytical methods to winner-loser sociomatrices to determine the dominance profile of five groups of wild lemurs (species: Lemur catta, Propithecus verreauxi, and Eulemur rufus x collaris) from the Berenty forest (Madagascar). They are an excellent study model because they share the same habitat and an apparently similar dominance profile: linear hierarchy and female dominance. Data were collected over more than 1200 h of observation. Our approach included four steps: (1) by applying the binary dyadic dominance relationship method (I&SI) on either aggressions or supplant sociomatrices we verified whether hierarchy was aggression or submission based; (2) by calculating normalized David's scores and measuring steepness from aggression sociomatrices we evaluated whether hierarchy was shallow or steep; (3) by comparing the ranking orders obtained with methods 1 and 2 we assessed whether hierarchy was consistent or not; and (4) by assessing triangle transitivity and comparing it with the linearity index and the level of group cohesion we determined if hierarchy was more or less cohesive. Our results show that L. catta groups have got a steep, consistent, highly transitive and cohesive hierarchy. P. verreauxi groups are characterized by a moderately steep and consistent hierarchy, with variable levels of triangle transitivity and cohesion. E. rufus x collaris group possesses a shallow and inconsistent hierarchy, with lower (but not lowest) levels of transitivity and cohesion. A multiple analytical approach on winner-loser sociomatrices other than leading to an in-depth description of the dominance profile, allows intergroup

The socio-matrix reloaded: from hierarchy to dominance profile in wild lemurs

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Ivan Norscia

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Dominance hierarchy influences the life quality of social animals, and its definition should in principle be based on the outcome of agonistic interactions. However, defining and comparing the dominance profile of social groups is difficult due to the different dominance measures used and because no one measure explains it all. We applied different analytical methods to winner-loser sociomatrices to determine the dominance profile of five groups of wild lemurs (species: Lemur catta, Propithecus verreauxi, and Eulemur rufus x collaris from the Berenty forest (Madagascar. They are an excellent study model because they share the same habitat and an apparently similar dominance profile: linear hierarchy and female dominance. Data were collected over more than 1200 h of observation. Our approach included four steps: (1 by applying the binary dyadic dominance relationship method (I&SI on either aggressions or supplant sociomatrices we verified whether hierarchy was aggression or submission based; (2 by calculating normalized David’s scores and measuring steepness from aggression sociomatrices we evaluated whether hierarchy was shallow or steep; (3 by comparing the ranking orders obtained with methods 1 and 2 we assessed whether hierarchy was consistent or not; and (4 by assessing triangle transitivity and comparing it with the linearity index and the level of group cohesion we determined if hierarchy was more or less cohesive. Our results show that L. catta groups have got a steep, consistent, highly transitive and cohesive hierarchy. P. verreauxi groups are characterized by a moderately steep and consistent hierarchy, with variable levels of triangle transitivity and cohesion. E. rufus x collaris group possesses a shallow and inconsistent hierarchy, with lower (but not lowest levels of transitivity and cohesion. A multiple analytical approach on winner-loser sociomatrices other than leading to an in-depth description of the dominance profile

Morphological and histological characters of penile organization in eleven species of molossid bats.

Science.gov (United States)

Comelis, Manuela T; Bueno, Larissa M; Góes, Rejane M; Taboga, S R; Morielle-Versute, Eliana

2018-04-01

The penis is the reproductive organ that ensures efficient copulation and success of internal fertilization in all species of mammals, with special challenges for bats, where copulation can occur during flight. Comparative anatomical analyses of different species of bats can contribute to a better understanding of morphological diversity of this organ, concerning organization and function. In this study, we describe the external morphology and histomorphology of the penis and baculum in eleven species of molossid bats. The present study showed that penile organization in these species displayed the basic vascular mammalian pattern and had a similar pattern concerning the presence of the tissues constituting the penis, exhibiting three types of erectile tissue (the corpus cavernosum, accessory cavernous tissue, and corpus spongiosum) around the urethra. However, certain features varied among the species, demonstrating that most species are distinguishable by glans and baculum morphology and glans histological organization. Major variations in glans morphology were genus-specific, and the greatest similarities were shared by Eumops species and N. laticaudatus. The greatest interspecific similarities occurred between M. molossus and M. rufus and between Eumops species. Save for M. molossus and M. rufus, morphology of the baculum was species-specific; and in E. perotis, it did not occur in all specimens, indicating that it is probably under selection. In the histological organization, the most evident differences were number of septa and localization of the corpora cavernosa. In species with a baculum (Molossus, Eumops and Nyctinomops species), the corpora cavernosa predominantly occupied the dorsal region of the penile glans and is associated with the proximal (basal) portion of the baculum. In species that do not have a baculum (Cynomops, Molossops and Neoplatymops species), the corpora cavernosa predominantly occupied the ventro-lateral region of the glans

A medieval fallacy: the crystalline lens in the center of the eye.

Science.gov (United States)

Leffler, Christopher T; Hadi, Tamer M; Udupa, Akrithi; Schwartz, Stephen G; Schwartz, Daniel

2016-01-01

To determine whether, as most modern historians have written, ancient Greco-Roman authors believed the crystalline lens is positioned in the center of the eye. Historians have written that statements about cataract couching by Celsus, or perhaps Galen of Pergamon, suggested a centrally located lens. Celsus specifically wrote that a couching needle placed intermediate between the corneal limbus and the lateral canthus enters an empty space, presumed to represent the posterior chamber. Ancient ophthalmic literature was analyzed to understand where these authors believed the crystalline lens was positioned. In order to estimate where Celsus proposed entering the eye during couching, we prospectively measured the distance from the temporal corneal limbus to the lateral canthus in 30 healthy adults. Rufus of Ephesus and Galen wrote that the lens is anterior enough to contact the iris. Galen wrote that the lens equator joins other ocular structures at the corneoscleral junction. In 30 subjects, half the distance from the temporal corneal limbus to the lateral canthus was a mean of 4.5 mm (range: 3.3-5.3 mm). Descriptions of couching by Celsus and others are consistent with pars plana entry of the couching needle. Anterior angulation of the needle would permit contact of the needle with the lens. Ancient descriptions of anatomy and couching do not establish the microanatomic relationships of the ciliary region with any modern degree of accuracy. Nonetheless, ancient authors, such as Galen and Rufus, clearly understood that the lens is located anteriorly. There is little reason to believe that Celsus or other ancient authors held a variant understanding of the anatomy of a healthy eye. The notion of the central location of the lens seems to have arisen with Arabic authors in 9th century Mesopotamia, and lasted for over 7 centuries.

Presencia de Caminicimex furnarii (Hemiptera: Cimicidae en nidos de golondrina (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae en Argentina Presence of Caminicimex furnarii (Hemiptera: Cimicidae in nests of swallows and martins (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae in Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diego L. Carpintero

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Se examinaron nidos de cuatro especies de golondrinas que nidifican en la República Argentina, en búsqueda de Cimicidae. Caminicimex furnarii (Cordero & Vogelsang, chinche conocida como ectoparásita de Furnarius rufus (Gmelin (Furnaridae («hornero» y de Passer domesticus (L. (Ploceidae («gorrión», fue encontrada en nidos de tres especies de golondrinas: Progne chalybea (Gmelin («golondrina doméstica», Progne elegans Baird («golondrina negra» e Hirundo rustica erythrogaster Boddaert («golondrina tijerita». El parásito no fue hallado en cajas-nido de Tachycineta leucorrhoa Vieillot («golondrina de ceja blanca». Nuestros resultados constituyen la primera cita de Caminicimex furnarii para golondrinas. La interacción poblacional entre estas aves, asociada al hábito de usar nidos ajenos, explicaría la presencia de la misma especie de chinche en sus nidos. En función de esta idea, se sugieren otros posibles huéspedes para C. furnarii.Nests of four species of Hirundinidae that nest in Argentina were prospected for Cimicidae. Caminicimex furnarii (Cordero & Vogelsang, a parasite of Furnarius rufus (Gmelin (Furnaridae («oven bird» and Passer domesticus (L. (Ploceidae («house sparrow» was found in nests of three species of Hirundinidae: Progne chalybea (Gmelin («gray-breasted martin», Progne elegans Baird («southern martin» and Hirundo rustica erythrogaster Boddaert («barn swallow». The parasite was not found in nest boxes of Tachycineta leucorrhoa Vieillot («white-rumped swallow». Caminicimex furnarii is recorded for first time parasitizing swallows and martins. Interaction among these bird populations, associated with usurpation nests behavior, may explain the presence of the same cimicid species at the nests. According this idea, other possible C. furnarii hosts are suggested.

Prostate stem cell antigen interacts with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and is affected in Alzheimer's disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Majbrit Myrup; Mikkelsen, Jens D.; Arvaniti, Maria

2015-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder involving impaired cholinergic neurotransmission and dysregulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Ly-6/neurotoxin (Lynx) proteins have been shown to modulate cognition and neural plasticity by binding to nAChR subtypes...... are present in the human brain. We further showed that PSCA forms stable complexes with the α4 nAChR subunit and decreases nicotine-induced extracellular-signal regulated kinase phosphorylation in PC12 cells. In addition, we analyzed protein levels of PSCA and Lypd6 in postmortem tissue of medial frontal...

VMEbus based computer and real-time UNIX as infrastructure of DAQ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasu, Y.; Fujii, H.; Nomachi, M.; Kodama, H.; Inoue, E.; Tajima, Y.; Takeuchi, Y.; Shimizu, Y.

1994-01-01

This paper describes what the authors have constructed as the infrastructure of data acquisition system (DAQ). The paper reports recent developments concerned with HP VME board computer with LynxOS (HP742rt/HP-RT) and Alpha/OSF1 with VMEbus adapter. The paper also reports current status of developing a Benchmark Suite for Data Acquisition (DAQBENCH) for measuring not only the performance of VME/CAMAC access but also that of the context switching, the inter-process communications and so on, for various computers including Workstation-based systems and VME board computers

The Development of Astronomy in Korea and the Emergence of Astrophysics in South Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Nha, Il-Seong; L. Nha, Sarah; Orchiston, Wayne

There are two books and one review paper that have been written about the history of astronomy in Korea. Chronologically, they are the review paper "Astronomy in Korea" (Rufus, Transactions of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, XXVI, 1-69, 1936), and the books The Hall of Heavenly Records, Korean Astronomical Instruments and Clocks 1380-1780 (Needham et al., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1986a) and History of Astronomy in Korea (Nha, Seoul National University Press, Seoul, 2000). In order to overview the emergence and development of modern astronomy and astrophysics in South Korea, much of the present chapter is based on these three references, along with various papers published by the present authors and other astronomers.

Análise eletromiográfica e força do grupo muscular extensor do punho durante isquemia induzida Electromyographic analysis and strength of the wrist extensor muscle group during induced ischemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CCA Bandeira

2009-02-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar o efeito da isquemia induzida sobre os parâmetros do sinal eletromiográfico e a força do grupo muscular extensor do punho (GMEP em mulheres saudáveis. MÉTODOS: Participaram 13 voluntárias, destras, sedentárias, com idade de 23,38±2,32 anos e índice de massa corporal (IMC de 20,68±1,87kg/m². Para determinar a força do GMEP, foram realizadas 3 contrações isométricas voluntárias máximas (CIVM, utilizando-se uma célula de carga por 15 segundos, com intervalos de 2 minutos entre cada contração, sendo todo procedimento repetido por 3 dias não consecutivos. A isquemia foi realizada por 5 minutos, utilizando um esfigmomanômetro posicionado no braço dominante e inflado até a ausência do fluxo sanguíneo, confirmada pelo ultrassom Doppler. Para coleta do sinal eletromiográfico do GMEP, utilizou-se o equipamento EMG1000 (Lynx® com eletrodo de superfície diferencial (Lynx®. Foram coletadas 3 CIVM por 15 segundos, com intervalo de 30 segundos entre elas, nas situações de pré-isquemia; isquemia; pós-isquemia imediata (pós-1 e pós-isquemia tardia (pós-2 - após 10 minutos do início da isquemia. Para análise dos parâmetros do sinal eletromiográfico, root mean square (RMS, e frequência mediana do espectro de potência do sinal foi utilizado o software MATLAB 6.5.1. Para análise estatística, foram utilizados os testes de Friedman e ANOVA two-way. RESULTADOS: A isquemia promoveu redução significativa (pOBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of induced ischemia on the parameters of electromyographic signals and the strength of the wrist extensor muscle group (WEMG in healthy women. METHODS: Thirteen right-handed sedentary subjects aged 23.38±2.32 years old, with body mass index (BMI of 20.68±1.87kg/m², took part. To determine WEMG strength, three maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC were performed using a load cell for 15 seconds, with 2 minutes intervals between contractions. The entire

Babesia lengau sp. nov., a novel Babesia species in cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus, Schreber, 1775) populations in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Bosman, Anna-Mari; Oosthuizen, Marinda C; Peirce, Michael A; Venter, Estelle H; Penzhorn, Barend L

2010-08-01

In a previous paper, we reported on a large number of cheetah blood specimens that gave positive signals only for Babesia and/or Theileria genus-specific probes on the reverse line blot (RLB) assay, indicating the presence of a novel species or variant of an existing species. Some of these specimens were investigated further by microscopic, serological, sequencing, and phylogenetic analyses. The near-full-length 18S rRNA genes of 13 samples, as well as the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) region, were amplified, cloned, and sequenced. A species-specific RLB probe, designed to target the hypervariable V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene for detection of the novel Babesia sp., was used to screen an additional 137 cheetah blood specimens for the presence of the species. The prevalence of infection was 28.5%. Here we describe the morphology and phylogenetic relationships of the novel species, which we have named Babesia lengau sp. nov.

Ecotourism Destinations in Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iuliana Ioana Merce

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Romania has about 800 protected areas, which now covers about 5% of the country. Most ecotourism destinations are located within or adjacent to these protected areas such as Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, northern communities National Park, Yosemite National Park, Apuseni Natural Park. In Romania there are still non-fragmented forest, and over a third of the population of bears, wolves and lynx in Europe, unique paradise of birds in the Danube Delta, more than 12 000 caves and, not least, full of authentic local traditions. Ecotourism allows recovery and conservation of the country's natural capital.

Beginning Ubuntu Linux

CERN Document Server

Raggi, Emilio; Channelle, Andy; Parsons, Trevor; Van Vugt, Sander

2010-01-01

Ubuntu Linux is the fastest growing Linux-based operating system, and Beginning Ubuntu Linux, Fifth Edition teaches all of us - including those who have never used Linux - how to use it productively, whether you come from Windows or the Mac or the world of open source. Beginning Ubuntu Linux, Fifth Edition shows you how to take advantage of the newest Ubuntu release, Lucid Lynx. Based on the best-selling previous edition, Emilio Raggi maintains a fine balance between teaching Ubuntu and introducing new features. Whether you aim to use it in the home or in the office, you'll be introduced to th

Simple neural substrate predicts complex rhythmic structure in duetting birds

Science.gov (United States)

Amador, Ana; Trevisan, M. A.; Mindlin, G. B.

2005-09-01

Horneros (Furnarius Rufus) are South American birds well known for their oven-looking nests and their ability to sing in couples. Previous work has analyzed the rhythmic organization of the duets, unveiling a mathematical structure behind the songs. In this work we analyze in detail an extended database of duets. The rhythms of the songs are compatible with the dynamics presented by a wide class of dynamical systems: forced excitable systems. Compatible with this nonlinear rule, we build a biologically inspired model for how the neural and the anatomical elements may interact to produce the observed rhythmic patterns. This model allows us to synthesize songs presenting the acoustic and rhythmic features observed in real songs. We also make testable predictions in order to support our hypothesis.

Historical Allotment Gardens in Wrocław - The Need to Protection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kononowicz Wanda

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Since about the mid-nineteenth century, together with the changing socio-economic situation, different types of allotments appeared in Wrocław. Initially, they were rented gardens, gardens for the poor or for factory workers. At the beginning of the twentieth century, school gardens and the so called Schreber gardens with a large common square were set up as part of Dr. Schreber’s educational health program. In 1914-1918, “war” vegetable gardens were commonly cultivated. In the 1920s allotment gardens began to be systematically introduced to the city plan as permanent, purposefully designed elements of urban greenery. They were often designed together with urban parks, or so called “Folk Parks” of a recreational and sport character. In the 1930s, during the economic crisis, allotments with garden houses were adapted for the unemployed and the homeless to live in. Wrocław allotment gardens have undeniable historical, social, recreational, economic and compositional value. These gardens are a cultural heritage that should be protected. In Western Europe we are witnessing a renaissance of the idea of allotments, while in Poland - a tendency to eliminate them from urban landscapes.

La intuición clínica de Sigmund Freud en el campo de la psicosis

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Joceline Zanchettin

Full Text Available Resumen Delimitar la intuición clínica de Sigmund Freud en el campo de la psicosis implica analizar las consecuencias de lo no analizable de dicha entidad clínica, tal como lo plantea el propio autor. En este trabajo, se delimita y se discute el lugar de garante de la teoría psicoanalítica, ocupado por el psicótico, y se subraya la suposición de un sujeto en las psicosis, en términos de «no querer saber». La imposibilidad de transferencia vacila ante el análisis que el propio Freud hace del caso Schreber. La Verwerfung se enlaza a un particular modo de retorno, excluyéndose de la relación biunívoca entre mecanismo y estructura clínica. Se manifiesta la intuición clínica de Freud en el punto donde hace del delirio o de las demás producciones en la psicosis una obra que porta la firma de un autor. Dicho recorrido nos permite sostener la importancia y actualidad del texto freudiano al campo de las psicosis.

Arte & Psicose: A Obra de Arthur Bispo do Rosário

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Maria Cristina Poli

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Este trabalho se propõe a analisar o enlace entre clínica e pesquisa no campo da Psicanálise e suas consequências na leitura do sujeito do inconsciente. Partimos, pois, da constatação de que, além dos casos clínicos, Freud também se valeu do estudo de artistas e de produções culturais. Em especial, no estudo da psicose, a contribuição precursora de Freud se deu a partir da leitura das Memórias publicadas por Schreber. Foi pela leitura e análise desse livro que o psicanalista baseou suas principais teses acerca da paranoia. Neste artigo, destacamos sua proposição de que o delírio é uma tentativa de reconstrução do mundo, abalado pela crise psicótica. A partir dessa leitura de Freud, buscamos analisar como, de modo similar, a obra de um louco genial, Arthur Bispo do Rosário, demonstra a atualidade do método freudiano e a importância de apreender a psicose, especificamente, nesse enlace com a produção cultural.

Dietary effects of four phytoecdysteroids on growth and development of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella.

Science.gov (United States)

Rharrabe, Kacem; Sayan, Fouad; Lafont, René

2010-01-01

Using pure phytoecdysteroids isolated from Ajuga iva (L.) Schreber (Lamiales: Lamiaceae) and Silene nutans L. (Caryophyllales: Caryophyllaceae), plants known for their high ecdysteroid content, a study was carried out on the effects of ingestion of four different phytoecdysteroids (20-hydroxyecdysone, polypodine B, ponasterone A and makisterone A) on the growth and development of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella Hübner (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae when added at a concentration of 200 ppm in their diet. The experiments clearly showed the susceptibility of P. interpunctella to phytoecdysteroid ingestion. The toxicity of phytoecdysteroids manifested itself by a decrease in larval weight, induction of cannibalism and an increase of mortality, together with disruption of development. The severity of the phytoecdysteroid effect on P. interpunctella depended on the structure of the molecule. The results demonstrate that the minimal structural differences existing between these four phytoecdysteroids significantly affected their toxicity toward P. interpunctella. Makisterone A was the most toxic of the four compounds towards P. interpunctella larvae. In conclusion, phytoecdysteroids ingestion evokes disruptive growth effects on P. interpunctella. This work supports a role for phytoecdysteroids in plant defence against phytophagous insects.

Polonium (²¹⁰Po), uranium (²³⁴U, ²³⁸U) isotopes and trace metals in mosses from Sobieszewo Island, northern Poland.

Science.gov (United States)

Boryło, Alicja; Nowicki, Waldemar; Olszewski, Grzegorz; Skwarzec, Bogdan

2012-01-01

The activity of polonium (210)Po and uranium (234)U, (238)U radionuclides, as well as trace metals in mosses, collected from Sobieszewo Island area (northern Poland), were determined using the alpha spectrometry, AAS (atomic absorption spectrometry) and OES-ICP (atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma). The concentrations of mercury (directly from the solid sample) were determined by the cold vapor technique of CV AAS. The obtained results revealed that the concentrations of (210)Po, (234)U, and (238)U in the two analyzed kinds of mosses: schrebers big red stem moss (Pleurozium schreberi) and broom moss (Dicranum scoparium) were similar. The higher polonium concentrations were found in broom moss (Dicranum scoparium), but uranium concentrations were relatively low for both species of analyzed mosses. Among the analyzed trace metals the highest concentration in mosses was recorded for iron, while the lowest for nickel, cadmium and mercury. The obtained studies showed that the sources of polonium and uranium isotopes, as well as trace metals in analyzed mosses are air city contaminations transported from Gdańsk and from existing in the vicinity the phosphogypsum waste heap in Wiślinka (near Gdańsk).

[Reference relationships between human and animal in Hildegard von Bingen].

Science.gov (United States)

Riethe, Peter

2012-01-01

In "De animalibus", the 7th book in the "Liber simplicis medicinae", Hildegard von Bingen describes the characteristics of four-footed land animals. Some of these have a special relationship with humans in that they embody moral qualities. An explanation for this is already given in the preface, which states that human intelligence recognizes these qualities, declaring that "You are this or that sort of creature". Since the relationship that animals have with nature shares a degree of similarity with that of man's, they can be regarded as symbolic representatives for particular human traits and characteristics. The article at hand presents Hildegard von Bingen's descriptions of the monkey, the lion, the bear, the rabbit, the dog, the cat, the wolf, the lynx, and the donkey. While the monkey just mimics man's behaviour and is imperfect in both settings, the lion embodies will power. The bear on the other hand stands for unbridled sexual desire, while in the rabbit the gentleness of a sheep is united with the bounce of a deer. The lynx is regarded as hedonistic, the donkey as stupid, and the wolf as surrounded by dangerous sylphs. In Hildegard's depictions, exotic and native animal species display rather extraordinary behavioural traits, and the medieval Christian world view of the author conveys unexpected relationships between humans and animals. In addition to empirical observation and experience, Hildegard also relies on folkloristic beliefs and magical practices related to explanatory models of her time. She allows largely unknown sources into her animal lore but never strays from her ultimate goal of having it serve to instruct people. In doing so, Hildegard removed herself far from the common tradition of medieval animal portraits.

The taxonomy, life cycle and pathology of Sarcoptes scabiei and Notoedres cati (Acarina, Sarcoptidae: A review in a Fennoscandian wildlife perspective

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Morten Kraabøl

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Mites constitute an old cosmopolitan group, abundant in various terrestrial and aquatic habitats of considerable environmental variations. The majority of mites are free-living, whereas some have evolved parasitic relationships with a variety of animals either as endo- or ectoparasites. The ectoparasitic and skin burrowing Sarcoptes scabiei and Notoedres cati, cause sarcoptic and notoedric mange among a variety of mammalian species, including humans. In a non-adequate host these mites lead to pseudo-scabies which is often self-curable. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of recent knowledge on the taxonomy, life cycles and pathology of these two mites, which are of relevance to Fennoscandian wildlife, by considering knowledge on transmission vectors, host immunology, and some documented outbreaks. These mites affect the health and survival of mammals in four ways; 1 skin tissue damages, 2 loss of body fluids, 3 allergic reactions and 4 secondary bacterial infections. A short-term effect of outbreaks is usually high mortality, and long-term effects vary from extinction to biased population structure to no effect at all. Red foxes are generalist predators that are important end-hosts for mites that develop disease depending on their immunity status, and transmit mites to other hosts. Outbreaks of mange may possibly have ecological consequences on a wider scale. In an endangered species, like the arctic fox or Eurasian lynx, loss of only a few individuals can be critical. It might be wise for management authorities to develop emergency plans to minimize consequences of outbreaks of sarcoptic or notoedric mange in threatened species such as the arctic fox and the lynx.

Sinks without borders: Snowshoe hare dynamics in a complex landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Griffin, Paul C.; Mills, L. Scott

2009-01-01

A full understanding of population dynamics of wide-ranging animals should account for the effects that movement and habitat use have on individual contributions to population growth or decline. Quantifying the per-capita, habitat-specific contribution to population growth can clarify the value of different patch types, and help to differentiate population sources from population sinks. Snowshoe hares, Lepus americanus, routinely use various habitat types in the landscapes they inhabit in the contiguous US, where managing forests for high snowshoe hare density is a priority for conservation of Canada lynx, Lynx canadensis. We estimated density and demographic rates via mark–recapture live trapping and radio-telemetry within four forest stand structure (FSS) types at three study areas within heterogeneous managed forests in western Montana. We found support for known fate survival models with time-varying individual covariates representing the proportion of locations in each of the FSS types, with survival rates decreasing as use of open young and open mature FSS types increased. The per-capita contribution to overall population growth increased with use of the dense mature or dense young FSS types and decreased with use of the open young or open mature FSS types, and relatively high levels of immigration appear to be necessary to sustain hares in the open FSS types. Our results support a conceptual model for snowshoe hares in the southern range in which sink habitats (open areas) prevent the buildup of high hare densities. More broadly, we use this system to develop a novel approach to quantify demographic sources and sinks for animals making routine movements through complex fragmented landscapes.

Teeth, sex, and testosterone: aging in the world's smallest primate.

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Sarah Zohdy

Full Text Available Mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp. are an exciting new primate model for understanding human aging and disease. In captivity, Microcebus murinus develops human-like ailments of old age after five years (e.g., neurodegeneration analogous to Alzheimer's disease but can live beyond 12 years. It is believed that wild Microcebus follow a similar pattern of senescence observed in captive animals, but that predation limits their lifespan to four years, thus preventing observance of these diseases in the wild. Testing whether this assumption is true is informative about both Microcebus natural history and environmental influences on senescence, leading to interpretation of findings for models of human aging. Additionally, the study of Microcebus longevity provides an opportunity to better understand mechanisms of sex-biased longevity. Longevity is often shorter in males of species with high male-male competition, such as Microcebus, but mouse lemurs are sexually monomorphic, suggesting similar lifespans. We collected individual-based observations of wild brown mouse lemurs (Microcebus rufus from 2003-2010 to investigate sex-differences in survival and longevity. Fecal testosterone was measured as a potential mechanism of sex-based differences in survival. We used a combination of high-resolution tooth wear techniques, mark-recapture, and hormone enzyme immunoassays. We found no dental or physical signs of senescence in M. rufus as old as eight years (N = 189, ages 1-8, mean = 2.59 ± 1.63 SE, three years older than captive, senescent congeners (M. murinus. Unlike other polygynandrous vertebrates, we found no sex difference in age-dependent survival, nor sex or age differences in testosterone levels. While elevated male testosterone levels have been implicated in shorter lifespans in several species, this is one of the first studies to show equivalent testosterone levels accompanying equivalent lifespans. Future research on captive aged individuals can

Babesia lengau sp. nov., a Novel Babesia Species in Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus, Schreber, 1775) Populations in South Africa ▿

Science.gov (United States)

Bosman, Anna-Mari; Oosthuizen, Marinda C.; Peirce, Michael A.; Venter, Estelle H.; Penzhorn, Barend L.

2010-01-01

In a previous paper, we reported on a large number of cheetah blood specimens that gave positive signals only for Babesia and/or Theileria genus-specific probes on the reverse line blot (RLB) assay, indicating the presence of a novel species or variant of an existing species. Some of these specimens were investigated further by microscopic, serological, sequencing, and phylogenetic analyses. The near-full-length 18S rRNA genes of 13 samples, as well as the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) region, were amplified, cloned, and sequenced. A species-specific RLB probe, designed to target the hypervariable V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene for detection of the novel Babesia sp., was used to screen an additional 137 cheetah blood specimens for the presence of the species. The prevalence of infection was 28.5%. Here we describe the morphology and phylogenetic relationships of the novel species, which we have named Babesia lengau sp. nov. PMID:20519464

Alexander the Great's relationship with alcohol.

Science.gov (United States)

Liappas, J A; Lascaratos, J; Fafouti, S; Christodoulou, G N

2003-05-01

This study sought to clarify if Alexander the Great indulged pathologically in alcohol and whether it contributed to his death. The texts of the historians Diodorus of Sicily, Plutarch, Arrian, Curtius Rufus, Athenaeus, Aelian and Justin were studied, with their information concerning wine consumption by Macedonians, and especially Alexander, and were evaluated. The surviving historical texts, all later than Alexander's epoch, are based on a series of contemporary histories and especially on the 'Royal Journals', an official diary written in the imperial court. Alexander consumed large quantities of undiluted wine periodically, reaching pathological intoxication. However, the existing data do not provide convincing evidence that Alexander the Great manifested abuse of or dependence on alcohol according to DSM-IV or ICD-10 criteria and it seems unlikely that alcohol was involved in his untimely death.

Determination of 210Po in Slovak mineral waters by sorption on ZnS(Ag)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krivosik, M.

2009-01-01

In determining of 210 Po it was followed according to the Czech technical standard CSN 75 7626 Water quality - Determination of polonium-210. The aim of this work was to optimize the conditions for sorption of 210 Po on ZnS (Ag) from acidic environment from the model solutions. The effect of pH of the sample, its volume and the presence of NaCl on the sorption of 210 Po on ZnS (Ag) was studied. Three types of filters for filtering ZnS (Ag), Synpor, paper and glass fiber filters were tested. Bulk activity of 210 Po was determined in the samples of Slovak mineral waters and healing waters as well as in water samples from antimony mine (mine Rufus) near the village Poproc (rural Kosice district). (author)

The FINUDA data acquisition system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cerello, P.; Marcello, S.; Filippini, V.; Fiore, L.; Gianotti, P.; Raimondo, A.

1996-07-01

A parallel scalable Data Acquisition System, based on VME, has been developed to be used in the FINUDA experiment, scheduled to run at the DAPHNE machine at Frascati starting from 1997. The acquisition software runs on embedded RTPC 8067 processors using the LynxOS operating system. The readout of event fragments is coordinated by a suitable trigger Supervisor. data read by different controllers are transported via dedicated bus to a Global Event Builder running on a UNIX machine. Commands from and to VME processors are sent via socket based network protocols. The network hardware is presently ethernet, but it can easily changed to optical fiber

Numerical analysis of the three-dimensional aerodynamics of a hovering rufous hummingbird ( Selasphorus rufus)

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Songyuan; Zhang, Weiping

2015-12-01

Hummingbirds have a unique way of hovering. However, only a few published papers have gone into details of the corresponding three-dimensional vortex structures and transient aerodynamic forces. In order to deepen the understanding in these two realms, this article presents an integrated computational fluid dynamics study on the hovering aerodynamics of a rufous hummingbird. The original morphological and kinematic data came from a former researcher's experiments. We found that conical and stable leading-edge vortices (LEVs) with spanwise flow inside their cores existed on the hovering hummingbird's wing surfaces. When the LEVs and other near-field vortices were all shed into the wake after stroke reversals, periodically shed bilateral vortex rings were formed. In addition, a strong downwash was present throughout the flapping cycle. Time histories of lift and drag were also obtained. Combining the three-dimensional flow field and time history of lift, we believe that high lift mechanisms (i.e., rotational circulation and wake capture) which take place at stroke reversals in insect flight was not evident here. For mean lift throughout a whole cycle, it is calculated to be 3.60 g (104.0 % of the weight support). The downstroke and upstroke provide 64.2 % and 35.8 % of the weight support, respectively.

Calf mortality of semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus in the Finnish reindeer-herding area

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Mauri Nieminen

2013-06-01

comprised 53% and wolf-killed 45%. Predation was 70% of total mortality in the Halla cooperative, and predation by wolf, bear, lynx and wolverine comprised on average 38%, 20%, 9% and 2.3%, respectively. The sex and pelt color did not significantly affect survival of calves. Birth weight of calves killed by bears was significantly (P<0.01 lighter than those not killed, but those calves killed by lynxes were significantly (P<0.05 heavier than that survived. Bears killed calves mainly in May-July, wolves in July-October and lynx in August-December.

Snapshot of Viral Infections in Wild Carnivores Reveals Ubiquity of Parvovirus and Susceptibility of Egyptian Mongoose to Feline Panleukopenia Virus

Science.gov (United States)

Duarte, Margarida D.; Henriques, Ana Margarida; Barros, Sílvia Carla; Fagulha, Teresa; Mendonça, Paula; Carvalho, Paulo; Monteiro, Madalena; Fevereiro, Miguel; Basto, Mafalda P.; Rosalino, Luís Miguel; Barros, Tânia; Bandeira, Victor; Fonseca, Carlos; Cunha, Mónica V.

2013-01-01

endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). PMID:23527182

Mammals in the areas adjacent to Forsmark and Oskarshamn. Population density, ecological data and carbon budget

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Truve, Johan; Cederlund, Goeran [Svensk Naturfoervaltning AB, Ramsberg (Sweden)

2005-06-01

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co is in the process of selecting a safe and environmentally acceptable location for the deep-level repository of radioactive waste. SKB has expressed the importance of monitoring mammal species that are of interest both in biodiversity issues and for local hunting and recreational purposes. Two of the major goals are to: 1) monitor dynamics of population density over several years; 2) obtain information that is essential for modelling of energy/carbon flows in the biosphere and ultimately calculations of the risks of exposure to radionuclides. This report contributes to the major goals by presenting: Results from surveys of mammal abundance in the study sites near Forsmark and Oskarshamn, and a comparison with data from other surveys. A summary of traits associated to demography, resource selection and spatial distribution. A model framework that can be used to model the future development of populations. A plausible future scenario for mammal species. Mammal contribution to fluxes of energy and material in the ecosystem. Estimated harvest rates of mammals in the study sites. General conclusions that can be drawn from the survey are that population densities of the most common species are in the same range as many other populations. Lynx, wild boar, red deer and fallow deer are expanding in the areas. Marine mammals have not been surveyed but at least grey seals are important top consumers in the coastal ecosystem. Red listed species resident in the areas are Lynx, Otter, Whiskered bat, Natterer's bat, Nathusius' pipistrelle and Harbour seal. Annual production of the mammal species that were surveyed was 40-50 mg carbon/m2 and year. Hunters harvest nearly half of the production each year. Future developments for the populations are briefly discussed and a model framework that can be used to make better quantitative predictions is presented.

Mammals in the areas adjacent to Forsmark and Oskarshamn. Population density, ecological data and carbon budget

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Truve, Johan; Cederlund, Goeran [Svensk Naturfoervaltning AB, Ramsberg (Sweden)

2005-06-01

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co is in the process of selecting a safe and environmentally acceptable location for the deep-level repository of radioactive waste. SKB has expressed the importance of monitoring mammal species that are of interest both in biodiversity issues and for local hunting and recreational purposes. Two of the major goals are to: 1) monitor dynamics of population density over several years; 2) obtain information that is essential for modelling of energy/carbon flows in the biosphere and ultimately calculations of the risks of exposure to radionuclides. This report contributes to the major goals by presenting: Results from surveys of mammal abundance in the study sites near Forsmark and Oskarshamn, and a comparison with data from other surveys. A summary of traits associated to demography, resource selection and spatial distribution. A model framework that can be used to model the future development of populations. A plausible future scenario for mammal species. Mammal contribution to fluxes of energy and material in the ecosystem. Estimated harvest rates of mammals in the study sites. General conclusions that can be drawn from the survey are that population densities of the most common species are in the same range as many other populations. Lynx, wild boar, red deer and fallow deer are expanding in the areas. Marine mammals have not been surveyed but at least grey seals are important top consumers in the coastal ecosystem. Red listed species resident in the areas are Lynx, Otter, Whiskered bat, Natterer's bat, Nathusius' pipistrelle and Harbour seal. Annual production of the mammal species that were surveyed was 40-50 mg carbon/m2 and year. Hunters harvest nearly half of the production each year. Future developments for the populations are briefly discussed and a model framework that can be used to make better quantitative predictions is presented.

Artificial intelligence: Neural network model as the multidisciplinary team member in clinical decision support to avoid medical mistakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Buzaev, Igor Vyacheslavovich; Plechev, Vladimir Vyacheslavovich; Nikolaeva, Irina Evgenievna; Galimova, Rezida Maratovna

2016-09-01

The continuous uninterrupted feedback system is the essential part of any well-organized system. We propose aLYNX concept that is a possibility to use an artificial intelligence algorithm or a neural network model in decision-making system so as to avoid possible mistakes and to remind the doctors to review tactics once more in selected cases. aLYNX system includes: registry with significant factors, decisions and results; machine learning process based on this registry data; the use of the machine learning results as the adviser. We show a possibility to build a computer adviser with a neural network model for making a choice between coronary aortic bypass surgery (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in order to achieve a higher 5-year survival rate in patients with angina based on the experience of 5107 patients. The neural network was trained by 4679 patients who achieved 5-year survival. Among them, 2390 patients underwent PCI and 2289 CABG. After training, the correlation coefficient ( r ) of the network was 0.74 for training, 0.67 for validation, 0.71 for test and 0.73 for total. Simulation of the neural network function has been performed after training in the two groups of patients with known 5-year outcome. The disagreement rate was significantly higher in the dead patient group than that in the survivor group between neural network model and heart team [16.8% (787/4679) vs. 20.3% (87/428), P  = 0.065)]. The study shows the possibility to build a computer adviser with a neural network model for making a choice between CABG and PCI in order to achieve a higher 5-year survival rate in patients with angina.

Artificial intelligence: Neural network model as the multidisciplinary team member in clinical decision support to avoid medical mistakes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor Vyacheslavovich Buzaev

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: The continuous uninterrupted feedback system is the essential part of any well-organized system. We propose aLYNX concept that is a possibility to use an artificial intelligence algorithm or a neural network model in decision-making system so as to avoid possible mistakes and to remind the doctors to review tactics once more in selected cases. Method: aLYNX system includes: registry with significant factors, decisions and results; machine learning process based on this registry data; the use of the machine learning results as the adviser. We show a possibility to build a computer adviser with a neural network model for making a choice between coronary aortic bypass surgery (CABG and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI in order to achieve a higher 5-year survival rate in patients with angina based on the experience of 5107 patients. Results: The neural network was trained by 4679 patients who achieved 5-year survival. Among them, 2390 patients underwent PCI and 2289 CABG. After training, the correlation coefficient (r of the network was 0.74 for training, 0.67 for validation, 0.71 for test and 0.73 for total. Simulation of the neural network function has been performed after training in the two groups of patients with known 5-year outcome. The disagreement rate was significantly higher in the dead patient group than that in the survivor group between neural network model and heart team [16.8% (787/4679 vs. 20.3% (87/428, P = 0.065]. Conclusion: The study shows the possibility to build a computer adviser with a neural network model for making a choice between CABG and PCI in order to achieve a higher 5-year survival rate in patients with angina. Keywords: Coronary artery bypass grafting, Percutaneous coronary intervention, Artificial intelligence, Decision making

Modelling landscape-level numerical responses of predators to prey: the case of cats and rabbits.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennyffer Cruz

Full Text Available Predator-prey systems can extend over large geographical areas but empirical modelling of predator-prey dynamics has been largely limited to localised scales. This is due partly to difficulties in estimating predator and prey abundances over large areas. Collection of data at suitably large scales has been a major problem in previous studies of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus and their predators. This applies in Western Europe, where conserving rabbits and predators such as Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus is important, and in other parts of the world where rabbits are an invasive species supporting populations of introduced, and sometimes native, predators. In pastoral regions of New Zealand, rabbits are the primary prey of feral cats (Felis catus that threaten native fauna. We estimate the seasonal numerical response of cats to fluctuations in rabbit numbers in grassland-shrubland habitat across the Otago and Mackenzie regions of the South Island of New Zealand. We use spotlight counts over 1645 km of transects to estimate rabbit and cat abundances with a novel modelling approach that accounts simultaneously for environmental stochasticity, density dependence and varying detection probability. Our model suggests that cat abundance is related consistently to rabbit abundance in spring and summer, possibly through increased rabbit numbers improving the fecundity and juvenile survival of cats. Maintaining rabbits at low abundance should therefore suppress cat numbers, relieving predation pressure on native prey. Our approach provided estimates of the abundance of cats and rabbits over a large geographical area. This was made possible by repeated sampling within each season, which allows estimation of detection probabilities. A similar approach could be applied to predator-prey systems elsewhere, and could be adapted to any method of direct observation in which there is no double-counting of individuals. Reliable estimates of numerical

Mammals in the areas adjacent to Forsmark and Oskarshamn. Population density, ecological data and carbon budget

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Truve, Johan; Cederlund, Goeran

2005-06-01

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co is in the process of selecting a safe and environmentally acceptable location for the deep-level repository of radioactive waste. SKB has expressed the importance of monitoring mammal species that are of interest both in biodiversity issues and for local hunting and recreational purposes. Two of the major goals are to: 1) monitor dynamics of population density over several years; 2) obtain information that is essential for modelling of energy/carbon flows in the biosphere and ultimately calculations of the risks of exposure to radionuclides. This report contributes to the major goals by presenting: Results from surveys of mammal abundance in the study sites near Forsmark and Oskarshamn, and a comparison with data from other surveys. A summary of traits associated to demography, resource selection and spatial distribution. A model framework that can be used to model the future development of populations. A plausible future scenario for mammal species. Mammal contribution to fluxes of energy and material in the ecosystem. Estimated harvest rates of mammals in the study sites. General conclusions that can be drawn from the survey are that population densities of the most common species are in the same range as many other populations. Lynx, wild boar, red deer and fallow deer are expanding in the areas. Marine mammals have not been surveyed but at least grey seals are important top consumers in the coastal ecosystem. Red listed species resident in the areas are Lynx, Otter, Whiskered bat, Natterer's bat, Nathusius' pipistrelle and Harbour seal. Annual production of the mammal species that were surveyed was 40-50 mg carbon/m2 and year. Hunters harvest nearly half of the production each year. Future developments for the populations are briefly discussed and a model framework that can be used to make better quantitative predictions is presented

A revision of the Larainae (Coleoptera, Elmidae) of Venezuela, with description of nine new species

Science.gov (United States)

Maier, Crystal A.

2013-01-01

Abstract The species of the riffle beetle subfamily Larainae occurring in Venezuela are revised. Examination of 756 specimens yielded 22 species in nine genera occurring throughout the country. Seven species are newly recorded from the country: Phanoceroides sp. 1, Phanocerus clavicornis Sharp, 1882, Phanocerus congener Grouvelle, 1898, Pharceonus volcanus Spangler & Santiago-Fragoso, 1992, Disersus dasycolus Spangler & Santiago-Fragoso, 1992, Disersus chibcha Spangler & Santiago-Fragoso, 1987, and Disersus inca Spangler & Santiago-Fragoso, 1992. Nine species are found to be new to science, which are here described: Hexanchorus dentitibialis sp. n., H. falconensis sp. n., H. flintorum sp. n., H. homaeotarsoides sp. n., H. inflatus sp. n., Phanocerus rufus sp. n., Pharceonus grandis sp. n., Pharceonus ariasi sp. n., Potamophilops bostrychophallus sp. n. Additionally, a key to species, distribution maps, and photographs and genitalia illustrations are provided for all species. PMID:24146552

Patrones de distribución de felinos silvestres (Carnívora: Felidae en el trópico seco del Centro-Occidente de México

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Felipe Charre-Medellín

2015-09-01

Full Text Available El estado de Michoacán se caracteriza por presentar una importante heterogeneidad ambiental, en términos de clima, topografía y tipos de vegetación, que incluyen al bosque tropical seco que se encuentra en peligro de extinción a nivel mundial. Algunos trabajos mencionan la presencia de las seis especies de felinos que habitan en México, para la región; sin embargo, la evidencia para apoyar estos trabajos es escasa, por lo que llenar esta falta de información es especialmente crítico en el caso de especies o hábitats amenazados. El objetivo de este estudio fue sistematizar la información y analizar los patrones de distribución de los felinos en el estado de Michoacán, dentro del centro-occidente de México. Realizamos una revisión de la información bibliográfica y contenida en bases de datos sobre la presencia de felinos en esta región. Asimismo, realizamos trabajo de campo que en el curso de diez años donde se aplicaron distintos métodos para detectar la presencia de especies de felinos (recorrido de senderos para obtener evidencia directa e indirecta de la presencia de las especies, trampas cámara y entrevistas. Localizamos 29 registros de presencia en literatura y bases de datos. Por otra parte acumulamos un total de 1 107.5 km de transectos recorridos y 8 699 días/cámara-trampa. A través de este esfuerzo de muestreo, generamos 672 registros de presencia de las seis especies. Lynx rufusfue la especie con menos registros totales (n = 3 y cuya distribución contrastó más con la del resto de las especies. La especie con más registros fue Leopardus pardalis(n = 343. En general, el 89% de los registros de felinos se obtuvieron por debajo de los 1 000 msnm. En promedio, la temperatura media anual y la precipitación anual donde se ubicaron los registros fue de 24 °C y 1 040 mm respectivamente. La especie que mostro un patrón más claro en términos de temperatura y precipitación fue L. rufus(15.8 ± 1.3°C y 941 ± 171

Inventory of mammals at Forsmark and Haallnaes; Inventering av daeggdjur i Forsmark och Haallnaes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Truve, Johan [Svensk Naturfoervaltning AB, Goeteborg (Sweden)

2012-08-15

A selection of terrestrial mammals was surveyed in the SKB site investigation areas near Forsmark and Haallnaes between January and April 2012. The methods that were used include snow tracking along line transects, snow tracking along water, aerial survey and fecal pellet counts. The same species were found in 2012 as in previous surveys performed in 2002, 2003 and 2007. Some species show a large variation in density between years and it is difficult to draw any conclusions about their long term development. Several carnivores, i.e. lynx, fox and otter show a positive growth rate in both areas. The wild boar population is also growing whilst moose density remains fairly stable and roe deer are becoming less numerous.

Inventory of mammals at Forsmark and Haallnaes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Truve, Johan

2012-08-01

A selection of terrestrial mammals was surveyed in the SKB site investigation areas near Forsmark and Haallnaes between January and April 2012. The methods that were used include snow tracking along line transects, snow tracking along water, aerial survey and fecal pellet counts. The same species were found in 2012 as in previous surveys performed in 2002, 2003 and 2007. Some species show a large variation in density between years and it is difficult to draw any conclusions about their long term development. Several carnivores, i.e. lynx, fox and otter show a positive growth rate in both areas. The wild boar population is also growing whilst moose density remains fairly stable and roe deer are becoming less numerous

Renewing library Web sites CMS at libraries

CERN Document Server

Vida, A

2006-01-01

The use of the Internet has a ten-year history in Hungary. In the beginning, users were surfing on textual Web sites with the browser Lynx (1991), then a range of graphic browsers appeared: Mosaic (1993) , Netscape (1994), and finally Internet Explorer (1995). More and more institutions, including libraries decided to enter the World Wide Web with their own homepage. The past ten years have brought enormous changes and new requirements in the way that institutional homepages are designed. This article offers an overview of the development phases of Web sites, presents the new tools necessary for the state-of-the-art design and gives advice on their up-to-date maintenance.

A badger in Bannerghatta: an opportunistic record of the Ratel Mellivora capensis (Schreber, 1776 (Mammalia: Carnivora: Mustelidae from Karnataka, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Avinash Krishnan

2016-05-01

Full Text Available A single observation of a Ratel Mellivora capensis has been photo-documented in Bannerghatta National Park on 2 November 2015. This record being the first contemporary evidence of badgers in this region of Karnataka, India, the paper also presents a case study of badgers being close to a highly human-dominated landscape which could be due to some ecological factors that may be conducive as a habitat within the Park. Though a resident population and distribution within the BNP could not be ascertained, it can be proposed that the region may be an extension of range of its most recently documented distribution in the Eastern Ghats landscape. 

Habitat use of bats in relation to wind turbines revealed by GPS tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Roeleke, Manuel; Blohm, Torsten; Kramer-Schadt, Stephanie; Yovel, Yossi; Voigt, Christian C.

2016-07-01

Worldwide, many countries aim at countering global climate change by promoting renewable energy. Yet, recent studies highlight that so-called green energy, such as wind energy, may come at environmental costs, for example when wind turbines kill birds and bats. Using miniaturized GPS loggers, we studied how an open-space foraging bat with high collision risk with wind turbines, the common noctule Nyctalus noctula (Schreber, 1774), interacts with wind turbines. We compared actual flight trajectories to correlated random walks to identify habitat variables explaining the movements of bats. Both sexes preferred wetlands but used conventionally managed cropland less than expected based on availability. During midsummer, females traversed the land on relatively long flight paths and repeatedly came close to wind turbines. Their flight heights above ground suggested a high risk of colliding with wind turbines. In contrast, males recorded in early summer commuted straight between roosts and foraging areas and overall flew lower than the operating range of most turbine blades, suggesting a lower collision risk. Flight heights of bats suggest that during summer the risk of collision with wind turbines was high for most studied bats at the majority of currently installed wind turbines. For siting of wind parks, preferred bat habitats and commuting routes should be identified and avoided.

Dietary biomagnification of organochlorine contaminants in Alaskan polar bears

Science.gov (United States)

Bentzen, T.W.; Follmann, Erich H.; Amstrup, Steven C.; York, G.S.; Wooller, M.J.; Muir, D.C.G.; O'Hara, T. M.

2008-01-01

Concentrations of organochlorine contaminants in the adipose tissue of polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) vary throughout the Arctic. The range in concentrations has not been explained fully by bear age, sex, condition, location, or reproductive status. Dietary pathways expose polar bears to a variety of contaminant profiles and concentrations. Prey range from lower trophic level bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus L., 1758), one of the least contaminated marine mammals, to highly contaminated upper trophic level ringed seals (Phoca hispida (Schreber, 1775)). We used ??15N and ??13C signatures to estimate the trophic status of 42 polar bears sampled along Alaska's Beaufort Sea coast to determine the relationship between organochlorine concentration and trophic level. The ?? 15N values in the cellular portions of blood ranged from 18.2% to 20.7%. We found strong positive relationships between concentrations of the most recalcitrant polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and ??15N values in models incorporating age, lipid content, and ??13C value. Specifically these models accounted for 67% and 76% of the variation in PCB153 and oxychlordane concentration in male polar bears and 85% and 93% in females, respectively. These results are strong indicators of variation in diet and biomagnification of organochlorines among polar bears related to their sex, age, and trophic position. ?? 2008 NRC.

A medieval fallacy: the crystalline lens in the center of the eye

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Leffler CT

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Christopher T Leffler,1 Tamer M Hadi,2 Akrithi Udupa,1 Stephen G Schwartz,3 Daniel Schwartz1 1Department of Ophthalmology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 2Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN, 3Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA Objective: To determine whether, as most modern historians have written, ancient Greco-Roman authors believed the crystalline lens is positioned in the center of the eye. Background: Historians have written that statements about cataract couching by Celsus, or perhaps Galen of Pergamon, suggested a centrally located lens. Celsus specifically wrote that a couching needle placed intermediate between the corneal limbus and the lateral canthus enters an empty space, presumed to represent the posterior chamber. Methods: Ancient ophthalmic literature was analyzed to understand where these authors believed the crystalline lens was positioned. In order to estimate where Celsus proposed entering the eye during couching, we prospectively measured the distance from the temporal corneal limbus to the lateral canthus in 30 healthy adults. Results: Rufus of Ephesus and Galen wrote that the lens is anterior enough to contact the iris. Galen wrote that the lens equator joins other ocular structures at the corneoscleral junction. In 30 subjects, half the distance from the temporal corneal limbus to the lateral canthus was a mean of 4.5 mm (range: 3.3–5.3 mm. Descriptions of couching by Celsus and others are consistent with pars plana entry of the couching needle. Anterior angulation of the needle would permit contact of the needle with the lens. Conclusion: Ancient descriptions of anatomy and couching do not establish the microanatomic relationships of the ciliary region with any modern degree of accuracy. Nonetheless, ancient authors, such as Galen and Rufus, clearly understood that the lens is located anteriorly

An annotated catalogue of the Iranian Euphorinae, Gnamptodontinae, Helconinae, Hormiinae and Rhysipolinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Gadallah, Neveen S; Ghahari, Hassan; Achterberg, Kees Van

2016-01-28

The Iranian species diversity of five braconid subfamilies, Euphorinae (54 species in 16 genera and 8 tribes), Gnamptodontinae (4 species in 1 genus and 1 tribe), Helconinae (9 species in 5 genera and 2 tribes), Hormiinae (8 species in 4 genera and 2 tribe) and Rhysipolinae (3 species in 2 genera) are summarized in this catalogue. A faunistic list is given comprising both local and global distribution of each species under study as well as host records. In the present study ten new records are added to the Iranian fauna: Centistes (Ancylocentrus) ater (Nees), Centistes cuspidatus (Haliday), Meteorus affinis (Wesmael), Meteorus rufus (DeGeer), Microctonus brevicollis (Haliday), Microctonus falciger Ruthe, Peristenus nitidus (Curtis) (Euphorinae), Aspicolpus carinator (Nees), Diospilus capito (Nees) and Diospilus productus Marshall (Helconinae s.l.). Euphorus pseudomitis Hedwig, 1957 is transferred to the subfamily Hormiinae and Hormisca pseudomitis (Hedwig, 1957) is a new combination.

Hummingbirds rely on both paracellular and carrier-mediated intestinal glucose absorption to fuel high metabolism

Science.gov (United States)

McWhorter, Todd J; Bakken, Bradley Hartman; Karasov, William H; del Rio, Carlos Martínez

2005-01-01

Twenty years ago, the highest active glucose transport rate and lowest passive glucose permeability in vertebrates were reported in Rufous and Anna's hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus, Calypte anna). These first measurements of intestinal nutrient absorption in nectarivores provided an unprecedented physiological foundation for understanding their foraging ecology. They showed that physiological processes are determinants of feeding behaviour. The conclusion that active, mediated transport accounts for essentially all glucose absorption in hummingbirds influenced two decades of subsequent research on the digestive physiology and nutritional ecology of nectarivores. Here, we report new findings demonstrating that the passive permeability of hummingbird intestines to glucose is much higher than previously reported, suggesting that not all sugar uptake is mediated. Even while possessing the highest active glucose transport rates measured in vertebrates, hummingbirds must rely partially on passive non-mediated intestinal nutrient absorption to meet their high mass-specific metabolic demands. PMID:17148346

The new generation of PowerPC VMEbus front end computers for the CERN SPS and LEP accelerators control system

CERN Document Server

Van den Eynden, M

1995-01-01

The CERN SPS and LEP PowerPC project is aimed at introducing a new generation of PowerPC VMEbus processor modules running the LynxOS real-time operating system. This new generation of front end computers using the state-of-the-art microprocessor technology will first replace the obsolete Xenix PC based systems (about 140 installations) successfully used since 1988 to control the LEP accelerator. The major issues addressed in the scope of this large scale project are the technical specification for the new PowerPC technology, the re-engineering aspects, the interfaces with other CERN wide projects, and the set up of a development environment. This project offers also support for other major SPS and LEP projects interested in the PowerPC microprocessor technology.

The new generation of PowerPC VMEbus front end computers for the CERN SPS and LEP accelerators system

CERN Document Server

Charrue, P; Ghinet, F; Ribeiro, P

1995-01-01

The CERN SPS and LEP PowerPC project is aimed at introducing a new generation of PowerPC VMEbus processor modules running the LynxOS real-time operating system. This new generation of front end computers using the state-of-the-art microprocessor technology will first replace the obsolete XENIX PC based systems (about 140 installations) successfully used since 1988 to control the LEP accelerator. The major issues addressed in the scope of this large scale project are the technical specification for the new PowerPC technology, the re-engineering aspects, the interfaces with other CERN wide projects, and the set up of a development environment. This project offers also support for other major SPS and LEP projects interested in the PowerPC microprocessor technology.

Metabolite characterization of a novel sedative drug, remimazolam in human plasma and urine using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with synapt high-definition mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ying; Hu, Pei; Jiang, Ji

2017-04-15

Remimazolam is a new chemical entity belonging to the benzodiazepine class of sedative drugs, which shows faster-acting onset and recovery than currently available short-acting sedatives. In the present study, ultra high performance liquid chromatography with synapt high-definition mass spectrometry method combined with MassLynx software was established to characterize metabolites of remimazolam in human plasma and urine. In total, 5 human metabolites were detected, including 3 phase I and 2 phase II metabolites. There was no novel human metabolite detected compared to that in rat. Hydrolysis, glucuronidation and oxidation were the major metabolic reactions. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the human metabolic profile of remimazolam. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multivariate analysis of Morphological characters of Pipistrellus Pipistrellus (Schreber, 1774) and P. Nathusii (Keyserling & Blasius, 1839) (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grol, B.P.F.E.

1985-01-01

Within the Vespertilionidae the genus Pipistrellus Kaup, 1829 is characterized by the presence of a calcar lobe (epiblema) attached to the calcar bone, the presence of two upper premolars on each side and a forearm length smaller than 38 mm. Two representatives of this genus occur in The

Multi-species genetic connectivity in a terrestrial habitat network.

Science.gov (United States)

Marrotte, Robby R; Bowman, Jeff; Brown, Michael G C; Cordes, Chad; Morris, Kimberley Y; Prentice, Melanie B; Wilson, Paul J

2017-01-01

Habitat fragmentation reduces genetic connectivity for multiple species, yet conservation efforts tend to rely heavily on single-species connectivity estimates to inform land-use planning. Such conservation activities may benefit from multi-species connectivity estimates, which provide a simple and practical means to mitigate the effects of habitat fragmentation for a larger number of species. To test the validity of a multi-species connectivity model, we used neutral microsatellite genetic datasets of Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis ), American marten ( Martes americana ), fisher ( Pekania pennanti ), and southern flying squirrel ( Glaucomys volans ) to evaluate multi-species genetic connectivity across Ontario, Canada. We used linear models to compare node-based estimates of genetic connectivity for each species to point-based estimates of landscape connectivity (current density) derived from circuit theory. To our knowledge, we are the first to evaluate current density as a measure of genetic connectivity. Our results depended on landscape context: habitat amount was more important than current density in explaining multi-species genetic connectivity in the northern part of our study area, where habitat was abundant and fragmentation was low. In the south however, where fragmentation was prevalent, genetic connectivity was correlated with current density. Contrary to our expectations however, locations with a high probability of movement as reflected by high current density were negatively associated with gene flow. Subsequent analyses of circuit theory outputs showed that high current density was also associated with high effective resistance, underscoring that the presence of pinch points is not necessarily indicative of gene flow. Overall, our study appears to provide support for the hypothesis that landscape pattern is important when habitat amount is low. We also conclude that while current density is proportional to the probability of movement per unit area

Ups and downs of space tourism development in 60 years from moon register to spaceshiptwo CRASH

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yi-Wei; Chern, Jeng-Shing

2016-10-01

In human imagination, dreams and expectations, the sequence of ;space tourism; has most likely been Moon tourism, Earth orbital tourism and then suborbital tourism. But the sequence in actual development is the reverse: first Earth suborbital tourism, then orbital tourism, and finally Moon tourism. In 1954, three years before the successful launch of the first human artificial satellite, the world's oldest travel company, Thomas Cook in Britain, initiated the ;Moon Register.; Enthusiasts could sign an option for a commercial trip to the Moon and the company guaranteed to provide tickets at the earliest possible date. Sixty years later on 31st October 2014, the first SpaceShip Two (SS2) of Virgin Galactic developed for commercial suborbital space tourism (SST) and scientific research crashed at the Mojave Desert in California during test flight. Although the first privately paid space tourist had traveled to the International Space Station in 2001, this was only for millionaires and not the general public. In 2004, although SpaceShipOne won the Ansari X prize and shed the first light on SST, the commercial SST operations originally planned to be realized in 2008 are now long overdue. The SS2 has been just one of the reusable suborbital launch vehicles developed for SST and other purposes, with others including the Lynx, Spaceplane and Dream Chaser. However a tragedy in which the SS2 crashed and caused the sacrifice of one senior test pilot alerted tourists that the long overdue of SST might still be a few years away. The purposes of this paper are to review and discuss the ups and downs of space tourism development in the 60 years from 1954 to 2014, and to look forward to get more clear future from the unveiling of second SS2 on 19th February 2016 and the continuous development of Lynx Mark I. However in any case, there are still many constraints including economy.

Automated mass correction and data interpretation for protein open-access liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Craig D; Hall, John T; White, Wendy L; Miller, Luke A D; Williams, Jon D

2007-02-01

Characterization of recombinant protein purification fractions and final products by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) are requested more frequently each year. A protein open-access (OA) LC/MS system was developed in our laboratory to meet this demand. This paper compares the system that we originally implemented in our facilities in 2003 to the one now in use, and discusses, in more detail, recent enhancements that have improved its robustness, reliability, and data reporting capabilities. The system utilizes instruments equipped with reversed-phase chromatography and an orthogonal accelerated time-of-flight mass spectrometer fitted with an electrospray source. Sample analysis requests are accomplished using a simple form on a web-enabled laboratory information management system (LIMS). This distributed form is accessible from any intranet-connected company desktop computer. Automated data acquisition and processing are performed using a combination of in-house (OA-Self Service, OA-Monitor, and OA-Analysis Engine) and vendor-supplied programs (AutoLynx, and OpenLynx) located on acquisition computers and off-line processing workstations. Analysis results are then reported via the same web-based LIMS. Also presented are solutions to problems not addressed on commercially available, small-molecule OA-LC/MS systems. These include automated transforming of mass-to-charge (m/z) spectra to mass spectra and automated data interpretation that considers minor variants to the protein sequence-such as common post-translational modifications (PTMs). Currently, our protein OA-LC/MS platform runs on five LC/MS instruments located in three separate GlaxoSmithKline R&D sites in the US and UK. To date, more than 8000 protein OA-LC/MS samples have been analyzed. With these user friendly and highly automated OA systems in place, mass spectrometry plays a key role in assessing the quality of recombinant proteins, either produced at our facilities or bought from external

SU-F-T-152: Experimental Validation and Calculation Benchmark for a Commercial Monte Carlo Pencil BeamScanning Proton Therapy Treatment Planning System in Heterogeneous Media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, L; Huang, S; Kang, M; Ainsley, C; Simone, C; McDonough, J; Solberg, T [University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Eclipse AcurosPT 13.7, the first commercial Monte Carlo pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy treatment planning system (TPS), was experimentally validated for an IBA dedicated PBS nozzle in the CIRS 002LFC thoracic phantom. Methods: A two-stage procedure involving the use of TOPAS 1.3 simulations was performed. First, Geant4-based TOPAS simulations in this phantom were experimentally validated for single and multi-spot profiles at several depths for 100, 115, 150, 180, 210 and 225 MeV proton beams, using the combination of a Lynx scintillation detector and a MatriXXPT ionization chamber array. Second, benchmark calculations were performed with both AcurosPT and TOPAS in a phantom identical to the CIRS 002LFC, with the exception that the CIRS bone/mediastinum/lung tissues were replaced with similar tissues that are predefined in AcurosPT (a limitation of this system which necessitates the two stage procedure). Results: Spot sigmas measured in tissue were in agreement within 0.2 mm of TOPAS simulation for all six energies, while AcurosPT was consistently found to have larger spot sigma (<0.7 mm) than TOPAS. Using absolute dose calibration by MatriXXPT, the agreements between profiles measurements and TOPAS simulation, and calculation benchmarks are over 97% except near the end of range using 2 mm/2% gamma criteria. Overdosing and underdosing were observed at the low and high density side of tissue interfaces, respectively, and these increased with increasing depth and decreasing energy. Near the mediastinum/lung interface, the magnitude can exceed 5 mm/10%. Furthermore, we observed >5% quenching effect in the conversion of Lynx measurements to dose. Conclusion: We recommend the use of an ionization chamber array in combination with the scintillation detector to measure absolute dose and relative PBS spot characteristics. We also recommend the use of an independent Monte Carlo calculation benchmark for the commissioning of a commercial TPS. Partially

Presencia de Caminicimex furnarii (Hemiptera: Cimicidae en nidos de golondrina (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae en Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diego L. CARPINTERO

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Se examinaron nidos de cuatro especies de golondrinas que nidifican en la República Argentina, en búsqueda de Cimicidae. Caminicimex furnarii (Cordero & Vogelsang, chinche conocida como ectoparásita de Furnarius rufus (Gmelin (Furnaridae («hornero» y de Passer domesticus (L. (Ploceidae («gorrión», fue encontrada en nidos de tres especies de golondrinas: Progne chalybea (Gmelin («golondrina doméstica», Progne elegans Baird («golondrina negra» e Hirundo rustica erythrogaster Boddaert («golondrina tijerita». El parásito no fue hallado en cajas-nido de Tachycineta leucorrhoa Vieillot («golondrina de ceja blanca». Nuestros resultados constituyen la primera cita de Caminicimex furnarii para golondrinas. La interacción poblacional entre estas aves, asociada al hábito de usar nidos ajenos, explicaría la presencia de la misma especie de chinche en sus nidos. En función de esta idea, se sugieren otros posibles huéspedes para C. furnarii.

Claudia Quinta (Pro Caelio 34 and an altar to Magna Mater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eleanor Winsor Leach

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Among the items of sculpture from the Capitoline collection now housed in the Museum of the Power Station Montemartini is a marble relief altar of the Claudian Period (E. Simon's dating dedicated to the mater deorum and the navis salvia and depicting the arrival of the goddess Cybele at Rome by ship. The dedicator is one Claudia Syntyche and the sculpture alludes to the legends attached to a much honored woman of the Claudian family whom Cicero, in his oration pro Caelio brought on stage in a cameo appearance to bolster his case against the controversial contemporary woman Clodia Metelli as one of the accusers of his client M. Caelius Rufus. This paper will consider questions raised by the iconography of the altar with reference to the development of Claudia's legend in Roman mythology and subsequently ask who was this Claudia the dedicator and why did she choose Magna Mater for her vow?

Ornitofauna en cuatro ecosistemas naturales del laboratorio natural Snaki-URACCAN, Costa Caribe Norte de Nicaragua

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rudy A Salas Tathum

2018-02-01

Full Text Available El estudio se realizó en el laboratorio natural Snaki ubicado en el la comunidad de Moss, municipio de Waspam, Región Autónoma de la Costa Caribe Norte. Se ha diagnosticado la ornitofauna en los ecosistemas bosque ripario, bosque latifoliado, área agrícola y área pecuaria del laboratorio natural Snaki-URACCAN. Se realizaron transectos lineales y entrevistas informales a cazadores de la zona que permitió crear un listado de aves y su estado de conservación. Los resultados de los diferentes ecosistemas re ejaron la existencia de 49 diferentes especies de aves, pertenecientes a 23 familias y 12 órde- nes. Las especies representativas son: Aratinga nana, Cyanocorax Morio, Ramphocelus Passerinii, Quiscalus nicaraguensis, Procnias tricarunculata, Tachyponus rufus. Al com- parar los índices de diversidad, Shannon y Simpson encontraron similitudes en sus resultados, existiendo una diversidad considerable en el bosque, principalmente en el de galería.

Lion (Panthera leo) and caracal (Caracal caracal) type IIx single muscle fibre force and power exceed that of trained humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohn, Tertius A; Noakes, Timothy D

2013-03-15

This study investigated for the first time maximum force production, shortening velocity (Vmax) and power output in permeabilised single muscle fibres at 12°C from lion, Panthera leo (Linnaeus 1758), and caracal, Caracal caracal (Schreber 1776), and compared the values with those from human cyclists. Additionally, the use and validation of previously frozen tissue for contractile experiments is reported. Only type IIx muscle fibres were identified in the caracal sample, whereas type IIx and only two type I fibres were found in the lion sample. Only pure type I and IIa, and hybrid type IIax fibres were identified in the human samples - there were no pure type IIx fibres. Nevertheless, compared with all the human fibre types, the lion and caracal fibres were smaller (Plion: 3008±151 μm(2), caracal: 2583±221 μm(2)). On average, the felid type IIx fibres produced significantly greater force (191-211 kN m(-2)) and ~3 times more power (29.0-30.3 kN m(-2) fibre lengths s(-1)) than the human IIax fibres (100-150 kN m(-2), 4-11 kN m(-2) fibre lengths s(-1)). Vmax values of the lion type IIx fibres were also higher than those of human type IIax fibres. The findings suggest that the same fibre type may differ substantially between species and potential explanations are discussed.

Reuse of urban waste water, recovered by deep on in farms; Reutilizacion de aguas residuales urbanas, regeneradas mediante lagunaje profundo, en riego de praderas forrajeras

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arauzo Sanchez, M.; Colmenarejo Morcillo, M.F.; Bustos Aragon, A.; Hernaiz Algarra, P.J.; Martinez Alavarez, E.

1998-10-01

The reuse of regenerated urban wastewater in agriculture irrigation is a practice that is having an increasing leading role in Mediterranean Countries. it is, therefore, fundamental to safeguard the chemical and sanitary qualities of the regenerated wastewater by regeneration technologies improvement, as well as storing-regulation flow systems. The Research Group has started up a deep wastewater stabilization pond and a nearby experimental agricultural system, to study the reuse of regenerated wastewater in agriculture irrigation. The deep stabilization pond, 4,75 m deep and 2161 m``3 volume, is supplied continuously with urban wastewater from the secondary effluent of a conventional purifying plant. Hydraulic retention time is about 9 days. The experimental agricultural system consists of 6 plots (12.5x8 m each) sown with Festuca arundianacea Schreber, next to the deep stabilization pond. Plots were surface flooding irrigated from spring to autumn, and corp was cut 2 times, in July and October. Two treatments have been established; the irrigation with the deep stabilization pond effluent, and the second, irrigation with water from the Jarama river (which is normally used by farmers nearby the experimental area). Our intention is to compare both treatments in order to verify the suitability of wastewater reuse, stabilised and stored in a deep pond, in surface flooding irrigation of pastures. (Author) 13 refs.

Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) Report : Hellsgate Project, 1999-2000 Technical Report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berger, Matthew

2000-05-01

A Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP) study was conducted on lands acquired and/or managed (4,568 acres total) by the Hellsgate Big Game Winter Range Wildlife Mitigation Project (Hellsgate project) to mitigate some of the losses associated with the original construction and operation of Grand Coulee Dam and inundation of habitats behind the dams. Three separate properties, totaling 2,224 acres were purchased in 1998. One property composed of two separate parcels, mostly grassland lies southeast of the town of Nespelem in Okanogan County (770 acres) and was formerly called the Hinman property. The former Hinman property lies within an area the Tribes have set aside for the protection and preservation of the sharp-tailed grouse (Agency Butte unit). This special management area minus the Hinman acquisition contains 2,388 acres in a long-term lease with the Tribes. The second property lies just south of the Silver Creek turnoff (Ferry County) and is bisected by the Hellsgate Road (part of the Friedlander unit). This parcel contains 60 acres of riparian and conifer forest cover. The third property (now named the Sand Hills unit) acquired for mitigation (1,394 acres) lies within the Hellsgate Reserve in Ferry County. This new acquisition links two existing mitigation parcels (the old Sand Hills parcels and the Lundstrum Flat parcel, all former Kuehne purchases) together forming one large unit. HEP team members included individuals from the Colville Confederated Tribes Fish and Wildlife Department (CTCR), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The HEP team conducted a baseline habitat survey using the following HEP species models: mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), mink (Mustela vison), downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), bobcat (Lynx rufus), yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia), and sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus). HEP analysis and results are discussed within the body of the text. The cover types

Mechanosynthesis, crystal structure and magnetic characterization of neodymium orthoferrite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serna, Pedro Vera; Campos, Cecilio Garcia [Division de Ingenierias, Universidad Politecnica de Tecamac (UPTECAMAC), Tecamac de Felipe Villanueva, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); De Jesus, Felix Sanchez; Miro, Ana Maria Bolarin [Area Academica de Ciencias de la Tierra y Materiales, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo (Mexico); Loran, Jose Antonio Juanico [Division de Ingenieria Industrial Nanotecnologia, Universidad Politecnica del Valle de Mexico (UPVM), Tultitlan, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); Longwell, Jeffrey, E-mail: pedrovera.upt@gmail.com [Department of Languages and Linguistics, New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, NM (United States)

2016-03-15

Neodymium orthoferrite NdFeO{sub 3} was obtained at room temperature by mechanosynthesis with a stoichiometric ratio of Nd2O{sub 3} and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} powders, whereas the traditional synthesis requires a temperature of approximately 1000 °C. The crystal structure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction analysis using Cu radiation and a LynxEye XE detector, whose strong fluorescence filtering enabled a high signal intensity. The analysis indicated that the obtained crystallites were nano-sized. The particle morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy, and the magnetic saturation was tested by vibrating sample magnetometry. The synthesis of NdFeO{sub 3} was detected after a few hours of milling, indicating that the milling imparted mechanical energy to the system. (author)

Design and Optimization of Multi-Pixel Transition-Edge Sensors for X-Ray Astronomy Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Stephen J.; Adams, Joseph S.; Bandler, Simon R.; Chervenak, James A.; Datesman, Aaron Michael; Eckart, Megan E.; Ewin, Audrey J.; Finkbeiner, Fred M.; Kelley, Richard L.; Kilbourne, Caroline A.;

Chemical restraint of captive Kinkajous Potos flavus (Schreber, 1774 (Carnivora: Procyonidae using a ketamine, xylazine and midazolam combination and reversal with yohimbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesús Lescano

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Detailed information on the anaesthetic and cardiorespiratory effects of drug combinations used for the chemical immobilization of Kinkajous (Potos flavus is scarce.  This study assessed the effects of ketamine (2.5mg/kg, xylazine (1mg/kg and midazolam (0.5mg/kg combination in P. flavus.  Five clinically healthy adult Kinkajous of both sexes were included.  Heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure and body temperature were recorded at five-minute intervals for 25 minutes.  Then, animals received 0.125mg/kg of yohimbine by intramuscular injection.  Anaesthetic depth was assessed based on stimulus response and muscle tone.  Induction, immobilization, and recovery periods were recorded and qualitatively assessed based on the absence of adverse effects.  The durations of the induction, immobilization, and recovery periods were 9.42±1.73, 33.33±2.16, and 31.37±5.82 minutes.  All periods showed good quality and adequate anaesthetic depth was achieved.  Mean heart and respiratory rates were 99±20 beats/minute and 44±9 breaths/minute.  Both parameters decreased over the duration of the anaesthesia but they did not reach levels suggesting either bradycardia or bradypnea.  Mean body temperature was 37.1±1.5 0C and it also showed a decreasing trend over the duration of the anaesthesia.  Mean oxygen saturation was 92±6% and it showed a mildly increasing trend over the duration of the anesthesia.  Mean blood pressure was 129±23 mmHg and mild to moderate hypertension was observed.  No mortality occurred and no adverse effects were observed in any of the individuals during the three months following immobilization.  The assessed anaesthetic combination effectively immobilized the P. flavus individuals, provided good quality and acceptable duration of both induction and recovery periods.  It should, however, not be used in Kinkajous with either known hypertension record or pre-existing target organ disease (e.g., renal failure, retinopathy.

Abundância e frugivoria da quiropterofauna (Mammalia, chiroptera de um fragmento no noroeste do Estado do Paraná, Brasil = Chiropterofauna abundance and frugivory in a forest remnant in northwestern Paraná State, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

João Eduardo Cavalcanti Brito

2010-07-01

Full Text Available A abundância e a frugivoria de morcegos que compõem a taxocenose em uma área de mata ripária, à margem esquerda do rio Ivaí, foram foco do presente estudo. O Recanto Marista possui 57,6 hectares, dos quais 40,8 são cobertos por Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, situado no município de Doutor Camargo, região Noroeste do Estado do Paraná. Foram realizadas 14 noites de capturas de morcegos de maio de 2007 a janeiro de 2008, com redesneblina (7 x 2,5 m, totalizando 13.475 m² h de esforço amostral, distribuído em 72h de esforço. Foram capturados 193 indivíduos, representantes de dez espécies, pertencentes a duas famílias: Phyllostomidae (Artibeus lituratus, Sturnira lilium, Carollia perspicillata, Artibeus cf. fimbriatus, Artibeus planirotris, Desmodus rotundus e Pygoderma bilabiatum e Vespertilionidae (Myotis nigricans, Eptesicus sp. e Lasiurus blossevillii. Um representante da família Molossidae (Molossus rufus foi encontrado morto no solo. Foram consumidos frutos pertencentes às famílias Moraceae (Ficus guaranitica, Ficus insipida, Ficus sp. e Maclura tinctoria, Solanaceae (Solanum aspero-lanatum e Solanum sp., Piperaceae (Piper aduncum, Piper amalago e Piper sp. e Urticaceae (Cecropia pachystachya e Cecropia sp..This study aims to evaluate the abundance and frugivory of bats from the Recanto Marista, a small riparian forest remnant in the margins of the Ivaí river. The Recanto Marista has 57.6 ha, of which 40.8 ha are covered by semideciduous seasonal forest and is located in the Doutor Camargo municipality. Collections were conducted from May 2007to January 2008 using mist nets (7 x 2.5 m totaling 13,475 m² h and comprising about 72 hours. Ten species were found pertaining to two families, Phyllostomidae (Artibeus lituratus, Sturnira lilium, Carollia perspicillata, Artibeus cf. fimbriatus, Artibeus planirotris, Desmodus rotundus and Pygoderma bilabiatum and Vespertilionidae (Myotis nigricans, Eptesicus sp. and Lasiurus

Primer registro de Dasypsyllus (Avesopsylla lasius lasius (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae en nidos de golondrina chilena, Tachycineta meyeni (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae, en Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina First record of Dasypsyllus (Avesopsylla lasius lasius (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae in Chilean swallow nests Tachycineta meyeni (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae in Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosana Aramburú

2009-12-01

Full Text Available La golondrina chilena, Tachycineta meyeni (Cabanis, nidifica en el centro de Chile y suroeste de Argentina. En invierno migra a Bolivia, Paraguay y al sureste de Brasil. Estas golondrinas ocuparon una serie de cajas-nido en Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego. Luego de la temporada de cría, tratamos los nidos con acetato de etilo y los revisamos en búsqueda de artrópodos hematófagos. Encontramos pulgas adultas, que fueron fijadas, aclaradas, deshidratadas, diafanizadas y montadas en un derivado de clavo de olor para su observación al microsocopio óptico. Identificamos machos y hembras de Dasypsyllus (Avesopsylla lasius lasius (Rothschild. En Argentina, esta pulga es conocida solamente en Sierra de la Ventana (Buenos Aires, donde se la halló parasitando la golondrina barranquera, Notiochelidon cyanoleuca patagonica (Vieillot. La información disponible debería complementarse con prospecciones en localidades intermedias. Otras aves relacionadas con ambas golondrinas por la ocupación de nidos, como el rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda (Gmelin, ratona común (Troglodytes aedon Vieillot, caminera común (Geositta cunicularia (Vieillot, hornero (Furnarius rufus (Gmelin, podrían contribuir a la dispersión de la pulga entre las dos localidades registradas.Chilean swallows Tachycineta meyeni (Cabanis nest in the central area in Chile and Southwest in Argentina. In winter, they migrate to Bolivia, Paraguay and Southeast of Brazil. A nest box population of Chilean swallows was established in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego. After the breeding season, we collected all nests, treated them with ethyl acetate, and inspected all the nest material for hematophagous arthropods. We found adult fleas, which were fixed, cleared, diaphanized, dehydrated, and mounted in a clove derivative for observation under a microscope. We identified males and females of Dasypsyllus (Avesopsylla lasius lasius (Rothschild. In Argentina, this flea is only known for Sierra de la Ventana

Abundância e frugivoria da quiropterofauna (Mammalia, chiroptera de um fragmento no noroeste do Estado do Paraná, Brasil - doi: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v32i3.5351 Chiropterofauna abundance and frugivory in a forest remnant in northwestern Paraná State, Brazil - doi: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v32i3.5351

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janaina Gazarini

2010-09-01

Full Text Available A abundância e a frugivoria de morcegos que compõem a taxocenose em uma área de mata ripária, à margem esquerda do rio Ivaí, foram foco do presente estudo. O Recanto Marista possui 57,6 hectares, dos quais 40,8 são cobertos por Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, situado no município de Doutor Camargo, região Noroeste do Estado do Paraná. Foram realizadas 14 noites de capturas de morcegos de maio de 2007 a janeiro de 2008, com redes-neblina (7 x 2,5 m, totalizando 13.475 m² h de esforço amostral, distribuído em 72h de esforço. Foram capturados 193 indivíduos, representantes de dez espécies, pertencentes a duas famílias: Phyllostomidae (Artibeus lituratus, Sturnira lilium, Carollia perspicillata, Artibeus cf. fimbriatus, Artibeus planirotris, Desmodus rotundus e Pygoderma bilabiatum e Vespertilionidae (Myotis nigricans, Eptesicus sp. e Lasiurus blossevillii. Um representante da família Molossidae (Molossus rufus foi encontrado morto no solo. Foram consumidos frutos pertencentes às famílias Moraceae (Ficus guaranitica, Ficus insipida, Ficus sp. e Maclura tinctoria, Solanaceae (Solanum aspero-lanatum e Solanum sp. , Piperaceae (Piper aduncum, Piper amalago e Piper sp. e Urticaceae (Cecropia pachystachya e Cecropia sp..This study aims to evaluate the abundance and frugivory of bats from the Recanto Marista, a small riparian forest remnant in the margins of the Ivaí river. The Recanto Marista has 57.6 ha, of which 40.8 ha are covered by semideciduous seasonal forest and is located in the Doutor Camargo municipality. Collections were conducted from May 2007 to January 2008 using mist nets (7 x 2.5 m totaling 13,475 m² h and comprising about 72 hours. Ten species were found pertaining to two families, Phyllostomidae (Artibeus lituratus, Sturnira lilium, Carollia perspicillata, Artibeus cf. fimbriatus, Artibeus planirotris, Desmodus rotundus and Pygoderma bilabiatum and Vespertilionidae (Myotis nigricans, Eptesicus sp. and Lasiurus

The importance of pesticide exposure duration and mode on the foraging of an agricultural pest predator.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Caitlyn; Hanna, Chadwick J; Hanna, Catherine J B

2015-02-01

The striped lynx spider (Oxyopes salticus), is a natural predator of crop pests and therefore frequently encounters pesticides on its substrate and its prey. While pesticide exposure may negatively impact the lifespan of spiders, sublethal effects can also alter their normal behaviors. This study examined how prey capture was affected when spiders and their prey were exposed to bifenthrin and malathion. When spiders were continually exposed to bifenthrin residues, prey capture decreased over time, but mortality was not affected. Malathion exposed spiders, however, showed increased mortality, but their ability to catch prey was unaltered. When spiders encountered pesticide dosed prey, predation was unaffected, implying that spiders are unable to detect residues on prey. These results improve the understanding of how pesticides affect natural pest control and raise questions about the functional roles that spiders play when exposed to different chemicals.

Performance and scalability of the back-end sub-system in the ATLAS DAQ/EF prototype

CERN Document Server

Alexandrov, I N; Badescu, E; Burckhart, Doris; Caprini, M; Cohen, L; Duval, P Y; Hart, R; Jones, R; Kazarov, A; Kolos, S; Kotov, V; Laugier, D; Mapelli, Livio P; Moneta, L; Qian, Z; Radu, A A; Ribeiro, C A; Roumiantsev, V; Ryabov, Yu; Schweiger, D; Soloviev, I V

2000-01-01

The DAQ group of the future ATLAS experiment has developed a prototype system based on the trigger/DAQ architecture described in the ATLAS Technical Proposal to support studies of the full system functionality, architecture as well as available hardware and software technologies. One sub-system of this prototype is the back- end which encompasses the software needed to configure, control and monitor the DAQ, but excludes the processing and transportation of physics data. The back-end consists of a number of components including run control, configuration databases and message reporting system. The software has been developed using standard, external software technologies such as OO databases and CORBA. It has been ported to several C++ compilers and operating systems including Solaris, Linux, WNT and LynxOS. This paper gives an overview of the back-end software, its performance, scalability and current status. (17 refs).

Early-type galaxies: mass-size relation at z ˜ 1.3 for different environments

Science.gov (United States)

Raichoor, A.; Mei, S.; Stanford, S. A.; Holden, B. P.; Nakata, F.; Rosati, P.; Shankar, F.; Tanaka, M.; Ford, H.; Huertas-Company, M.; Illingworth, G.; Kodama, T.; Postman, M.; Rettura, A.; Blakeslee, J. P.; Demarco, R.; Jee, M. J.; White, R. L.

2011-12-01

We combine multi-wavelength data of the Lynx superstructure and GOODS/CDF-S to build a sample of 75 visually selected early-type galaxies (ETGs), spanning different environments (cluster/group/field) at z ˜ 1.3. By estimating their mass, age (SED fitting, with a careful attention to the stellar population model used) and size, we are able to probe the dependence on the environment of the mass-size relation. We find that, for ETGs with 10^{10} < M / M_⊙ < 10^{11.5}, (1) the mass-size relation in the field did not evolve overall from z ˜ 1.3 to present; (2) the mass-size relation in cluster/group environments at z ˜ 1.3 lies at smaller sizes than the local mass-size relation (R_{e,z ˜ 1.3}/R_{e,z = 0} ˜ 0.6-0.8).

Experimental and numerical study of the British Experimental Rotor Programme blade

Science.gov (United States)

Brocklehurst, Alan; Duque, Earl P. N.

1990-01-01

Wind-tunnel tests on the British Experimental Rotor Programme (BERP) tip are described, and the results are compared with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results. The test model was molded using the Lynx-BERP blade tooling to provide a semispan, cantilever wing comprising the outboard 30 percent of the rotor blade. The tests included both surface-pressure measurements and flow visualization to obtain detailed information of the flow over the BERP tip for a range of angles of attack. It was observed that, outboard of the notch, favorable pressure gradients exist which ensure attached flow, and that the tip vortex also remains stable to large angles of attack. On the rotor, these features yield a very gradual break in control loads when the retreating-blade limit is eventually reached. Computational and experimental results were generally found to be in good agreement.

New developments on Tore Supra data acquisition units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leroux, F.; Caulier, G.; Ducobu, L.; Goniche, M.; Antar, G.

2012-01-01

The Tore Supra data acquisition system (DAS) was designed in the early eighties and has considerably evolved since then. Three generations of data acquisition units still coexist. As cost and maintenance of different operating systems is expensive, it was decided to explore an alternative solution based on an open source operating system (OS) with a disk-less system for the fourth generation. In 2010, Linux distributions for VME bus and PCI bus systems have been evaluated and compared to Lynx OS TM real time OS. The results obtained allowed to choose a version of Linux for VME and PC platform for DAS on Tore Supra. In 2011, the Tore Supra DAS dedicated software was ported on a Linux disk-less PCI platform. The new generation was successfully tested during real plasma experiments on one diagnostic, called DCEDRE. (authors)

Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve's 90-anniversary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anatoliy F. Kovshar

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve is located in West Tien Shan in Kazakhstan, on the border of three countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan (70°18'-57' E and 42°08'-30' N, with an area of 1281 km2; its length is 53 km from the most western to the most eastern point and 41 km from the most southern to the most northern point. It occupies the western limit of the Talasskiy Alatau ridge and its north-western spurs: Zhabaglytau mountains, Alatau, Bugultor, Aksutau and Ugam ridges. In the neighbouring Karatau ridge there is a palaeontological site with an area of 2.2 km2 with deposits of flora and fauna of the Jurassic period. The absolute heights above sea level are 1300–4200 m. The relief is alpine – deep canyons with steep slopes. The middle mountain zone (1300–2000 m is occupied by meadow-steppe formations with juniper sparse forests (Juniperus semiglobosa, J. seravschanica; subalpine meadows (2000–3000 m are alternated by creeping juniper thickets (Juniperus turkestanica and rocky outcrops; the alpine zone (higher than 3000 m is dominated by rocks and snowfields, and glaciers above 3500 m. The nature reserve's flora constitutes almost half of all West Tien Shan's flora and counts 1737 species, including: 235 species of fungi, 64 lichens, 63 species each of algae and mosses, as well as 1312 species of higher plants. Among those, 200 species are medicinal and 57 species are listed in the Red Data Books of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The vertebrates fauna includes 320 species: mammals – 52 species, birds – 247 (130 of them are nesting, reptiles and amphibians – 14, fishes – 7 species. Animals inhabiting the territory include argali (Ovis ammon karelini, mountain goat (Capra sibirica, bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus, snow leopart (Uncia uncia, Turkestan lynx (Lynx lynx isabellinus; birds – bearded vulture (Gypaёtus barbatus, Himalayan snowcock (Tetraogallus himalayensis, chukar (Alectoris chukar, blue

Surveys of mammal populations in the areas adjacent to Forsmark and Tierp. A pilot study 2001-2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cederlund, Goeran; Hammarstroem, Angelica; Wallin, Kjell [Svensk Viltfoervaltning AB, Ramsberg (Sweden)

2003-04-01

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co is in the process of selecting a safe and environmentally acceptable location for the deep-level repository of radioactive waste. SKB has expressed the importance of monitoring mammal species that are of interest both in biodiversity issues and for local hunting and recreational purposes. To get relevant data on the dynamics of the mammal populations it is important to estimate the abundance and variations over time. Data achieved can be used to specifically monitor endangered species (like wolf, Canis lupus, and otter, Lutra lutra), detect effects from e.g. drilling activities on populations (important to hunters) and be used for assessment programs (MKB). One of the major goals is to monitor populations over several years and to obtain information that is essential for modelling of energy/carbon flows in the biosphere and ultimately calculations of the risks of exposure to radionuclide. From late 2001 to late spring 2002 a pilot study was accomplished in the areas surrounding the suggested areas in the Tierp region and in Forsmark (Oskarshamn was not included in this pilot study). A reference area was chosen near the coast some 20 km north of Forsmark. The aim was to initiate surveys of most of the larger mammal species that were expected to be found in the region. Selected species were wolf, lynx, otter, marten, mink, red fox, beaver, wild boar, red deer, roe deer, moose, European hare and mountain hare. Several methods were used and adapted to expected habitat use and expected local density of the species. Line transects were used on snow to index (frequency of tracks crossing the transects) or calculate actual number (for example the Buffon method). Pellet counts were used in spring to calculate hare and cervid (moose and deer species) density. In mid winter an aerial (helicopter) survey was conducted along the coast to count moose. The aquatic mammals were tracked on snow along selected parts of the streams and

Surveys of mammal populations in the areas adjacent to Forsmark and Tierp. A pilot study 2001-2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cederlund, Goeran; Hammarstroem, Angelica; Wallin, Kjell

2003-04-01

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co is in the process of selecting a safe and environmentally acceptable location for the deep-level repository of radioactive waste. SKB has expressed the importance of monitoring mammal species that are of interest both in biodiversity issues and for local hunting and recreational purposes. To get relevant data on the dynamics of the mammal populations it is important to estimate the abundance and variations over time. Data achieved can be used to specifically monitor endangered species (like wolf, Canis lupus, and otter, Lutra lutra), detect effects from e.g. drilling activities on populations (important to hunters) and be used for assessment programs (MKB). One of the major goals is to monitor populations over several years and to obtain information that is essential for modelling of energy/carbon flows in the biosphere and ultimately calculations of the risks of exposure to radionuclide. From late 2001 to late spring 2002 a pilot study was accomplished in the areas surrounding the suggested areas in the Tierp region and in Forsmark (Oskarshamn was not included in this pilot study). A reference area was chosen near the coast some 20 km north of Forsmark. The aim was to initiate surveys of most of the larger mammal species that were expected to be found in the region. Selected species were wolf, lynx, otter, marten, mink, red fox, beaver, wild boar, red deer, roe deer, moose, European hare and mountain hare. Several methods were used and adapted to expected habitat use and expected local density of the species. Line transects were used on snow to index (frequency of tracks crossing the transects) or calculate actual number (for example the Buffon method). Pellet counts were used in spring to calculate hare and cervid (moose and deer species) density. In mid winter an aerial (helicopter) survey was conducted along the coast to count moose. The aquatic mammals were tracked on snow along selected parts of the streams and

The catheter and its use from Hippocrates to Galen.

Science.gov (United States)

Moog, Ferdinand Peter; Karenberg, Axel; Moll, Friedrich

2005-10-01

We comprehensively reviewed the history and use of the bladder catheter in Western medicine from 500 BC to 200 AD. Greek and Latin texts were key word searched to identify descriptions of contemporary instruments and their uses. The catheter and its use were mentioned by about 10 ancient authors in more than a total of 20 texts dating to the end of the second century AD. The authors include Hippocrates, Celsus, Soranus, Rufus, Aretaeus and Galen. They described the use of the instrument in reference to contemporary anatomy and physiology, and indications and contraindications in regard to certain conditions, such as urinary retention, bladder stones and intravesical blood clots. Technical details and particularities of use were also reviewed, as were pharmacological considerations and underlying physical principles. Knowledge of the urinary catheter, and its usefulness and risks in ancient medicine can be dated from the 5th century BC. Our study of European texts documents its broad use. Because catheterization was perceived as a practical measure, it generated little scientific controversy.

Hellsgate Big Game Winter Range Wildlife Mitigation Project : Annual Report 2008.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whitney, Richard P.; Berger, Matthew T.; Rushing, Samuel; Peone, Cory

2009-01-01

The Hellsgate Big Game Winter Range Wildlife Mitigation Project (Hellsgate Project) was proposed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (CTCR) as partial mitigation for hydropower's share of the wildlife losses resulting from Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams. At present, the Hellsgate Project protects and manages 57,418 acres (approximately 90 miles2) for the biological requirements of managed wildlife species; most are located on or near the Columbia River (Lake Rufus Woods and Lake Roosevelt) and surrounded by Tribal land. To date we have acquired about 34,597 habitat units (HUs) towards a total 35,819 HUs lost from original inundation due to hydropower development. In addition to the remaining 1,237 HUs left unmitigated, 600 HUs from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife that were traded to the Colville Tribes and 10 secure nesting islands are also yet to be mitigated. This annual report for 2008 describes the management activities of the Hellsgate Big Game Winter Range Wildlife Mitigation Project (Hellsgate Project) during the past year.

Peculiarities of 137Cs accumulation by macromycetes in dry bors of Ukrainian Polessye

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orlov, O.O.; Kurbet, T.B.; Kalyish, O.B.; Prishchepa, O.L.

2001-01-01

The main ecological peculiarities of dry bor in Ukrainian Polessye were given. Research were carried out in Central Polessie of Ukraine during 1997 - 1999. Results were obtained due to spectrometric measurement of specific activity of 137 Cs in fruit bodies of mushrooms and in the soil. Species composition of macromycetes was divided on homogeneous groups on intensity of 13 7Cs accumulation. Amanita porphyria, A. muscaria and Tricholoma portentosum belong to the group of weak 137 Cs accumulation from the soil (TF = 15 - 20); Amanita pantherina, A. phalloides, Cantharellus cibarius, Boletus edulis, Tricholoma flavovirens and Laccaria laccata - to the group of moderate radionuclide accumulation (TF = 30 - 55). The group of strong 137 Cs accumulation (TF = 100 - 180) consists of Suillus variegates, S. bovines and Hydnum imbricatum; and group of very strong accumulation (TF 200 - 280) - of Xerocomus badius, Lactarius rufus, Russula xerampelina, Cortinarius varius and Paxillus involutus. Cortinarius sanguineus (with TF 400) is an accumulator of 137 Cs. Comparative evaluation of dry bor was given from the point of view of purchase of edible macromycetes in it

Role of ectomycorrhizae in the tolerance of Betula papyrifera to copper and nickel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jones, M.D.

1987-01-01

A study was initiated to investigate the effect of infection by ectomycorrhizal fungi collected from a Cu- and Ni-contaminated site near Sudbury, Ontario on the tolerance of birch seedlings to Cu or Ni. Betula papyrifera seedlings were infected with one of four fungi: Laccaria proxima, Lactarius hibbardae, Lactarius rufus, or Scleroderma flavidum, or were left uninoculated. After mycorrhizal formation, seedlings were treated with 32 or 63 ..mu..M Cu or 34 or 85 ..mu..M Ni for 18 weeks. The fungi as a group depressed growth of Cu-treated seedlings relative to uninoculated plants, but at the low level of Ni, infection generally stimulated the relative growth of the birch. At the high Ni treatment however, only S. flavidum increased birch Ni tolerance. While there was no relationship between the axenic growth of the fungi in Ni and their effect on host Ni tolerance, there was a better relationship with Cu tolerance. Still, the recommendation was made that axenic growth tests not be used for rapid screening of metal-tolerance-enhancing fungi.

Insects found in birds' nests from Argentina. Pseudoseisura lophotes Reichenbach, 1853 and Anumbius annumbi (Vieillot, 1817) (Aves: Furnariidae), hosts of Triatoma platensis Neiva, 1913 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae).

Science.gov (United States)

Paola, Turienzo

2014-02-24

The insect fauna of the nests of Pseudoseisura lophotes (Reichenbach, 1853) (Aves: Furnariidae) from Argentina was investigated. A total of 110 species (68 identified to species, 22 identified to genus, 20 identified to family) in 40 families of 10 orders of insects was found in these nests. Triatoma platensis Neiva, 1913 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) was found again in nests of P. lophotes, corroborating after 73 years the first observations made by Mazza in 1936. The occurrence of the insects in nests of P. lophotes is compared with the previously known insect fauna in nests of A. annumbi, Furnarius rufus (Furnariidae), and Myiopsitta monachus (Psittacidae). The insect fauna in additional nests of Anumbius annumbi from the same and/or different localities is given, and used in comparisons. The first occurrence of Cuterebridae (Diptera) in birds' nests, their pupae as the overwintering stage, and the second simultaneous infestation by two species of Philornis (Diptera: Muscidae) on the same nestlings are presented. Other simultaneous infestations of different hematophagous arthropods (Hemiptera: Cimidae; Reduviidae: Triatominae, and Acari: Argasidae) are remarked and discussed.

Studies of wolf x coyote hybridization via artificial insemination

Science.gov (United States)

Mech, L. David; Asa, Cheryl S.; Callahan, Margaret; Christensen, Bruce W.; Smith, Fran; Young, Julie K.

2017-01-01

Following the production of western gray wolf (Canis lupus) x western coyote (Canis latrans) hybrids via artificial insemination (AI), the present article documents that the hybrids survived in captivity for at least 4 years and successfully bred with each other. It further reports that backcrossing one of the hybrids to a male gray wolf by AI also resulted in the birth of live pups that have survived for at least 10 months. All male hybrids (F1 and F2) produced sperm by about 10 months of age, and sperm quality of the F1 males fell within the fertile range for domestic dogs, but sperm motility and morphology, in particular, were low in F2 males at 10 months but improved in samples taken at 22 months of age. These studies are relevant to a long-standing controversy about the identity of the red wolf (Canis rufus), the existence of a proposed new species (Canis lycaon) of gray wolf, and to the role of hybridization in mammalian evolution.

Seasonal Effects of Habitat on Sources and Rates of Snowshoe Hare Predation in Alaskan Boreal Forests.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dashiell Feierabend

Full Text Available Survival and predation of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus has been widely studied, yet there has been little quantification of the changes in vulnerability of hares to specific predators that may result from seasonal changes in vegetation and cover. We investigated survival and causes of mortalities of snowshoe hares during the late increase, peak, and decline of a population in interior Alaska. From June 2008 to May 2012, we radio-tagged 288 adult and older juvenile hares in early successional and black spruce (Picea mariana forests and, using known-fate methods in program MARK, evaluated 85 survival models that included variables for sex, age, and body condition of hares, as well as trapping site, month, season, year, snowfall, snow depth, and air temperature. We compared the models using Akaike's information criterion with correction for small sample size. Model results indicated that month, capture site, and body condition were the most important variables in explaining survival rates. Survival was highest in July, and more generally during summer, when alternative prey was available to predators of hares. Low survival rates coincided with molting periods, breeding activity in the spring, and the introduction of juveniles to the sample population in the fall. We identified predation as the cause of mortality in 86% of hare deaths. When the source of predation could be determined, hares were killed more often by goshawks (Accipiter gentilis than other predators in early successional forest (30%, and more often by lynx (Lynx canadensis than other predators in black spruce forest (31%. Great horned owls (Bubo virginianus and coyotes (Canis latrans represented smaller proportions of hare predation, and non-predatory causes were a minor source (3% of mortality. Because hares rely on vegetative cover for concealment from predators, we measured cover in predation sites and habitats that the hares occupied and concluded that habitat type had a

New Metabolites of Coumarin Detected in Human Urine Using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography/Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Letícia Paula Leonart

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Coumarin (1,2-benzopyrone is a natural compound whose metabolism in humans was established in the 1970s. However, a new metabolite was recently identified in human plasma, indicating that the metabolism of coumarin has not been completely elucidated. To complement the knowledge of its metabolism, a rapid and sensitive method using UPLC-QTOF-MS was developed. A total of 12 metabolites was identified using MetaboLynxTM software, including eight metabolites not previously reported in human urine. The identified biotransformation included hydroxylation, glucuronidation, sulfation, methylation, and conjugation with N-acetylcysteine. The present work demonstrates that the metabolism study of coumarin was incomplete, possibly due to limitations of old techniques. The identification of eight inedited metabolites of such a simple molecule suggests that the information regarding the metabolism of other drugs may also be incomplete, and therefore, new investigations are necessary.

Nonparametric Inference for Periodic Sequences

KAUST Repository

Sun, Ying

2012-02-01

This article proposes a nonparametric method for estimating the period and values of a periodic sequence when the data are evenly spaced in time. The period is estimated by a "leave-out-one-cycle" version of cross-validation (CV) and complements the periodogram, a widely used tool for period estimation. The CV method is computationally simple and implicitly penalizes multiples of the smallest period, leading to a "virtually" consistent estimator of integer periods. This estimator is investigated both theoretically and by simulation.We also propose a nonparametric test of the null hypothesis that the data have constantmean against the alternative that the sequence of means is periodic. Finally, our methodology is demonstrated on three well-known time series: the sunspots and lynx trapping data, and the El Niño series of sea surface temperatures. © 2012 American Statistical Association and the American Society for Quality.

A Testbed For Validating the LHC Controls System Core Before Deployment

CERN Document Server

Nguyen Xuan, J

2011-01-01

Since the start-up of the LHC, it is crucial to carefully test core controls components before deploying them operationally. The Testbed of the CERN accelerator controls group was developed for this purpose. It contains different hardware (PPC, i386) running various operating systems (Linux and LynxOS) and core software components running on front-ends, communication middleware and client libraries. The Testbed first executes integration tests to verify that the components delivered by individual teams interoperate, and then system tests, which verify high-level, end-user functionality. It also verifies that different versions of components are compatible, which is vital, because not all parts of the operational LHC control system can be upgraded simultaneously. In addition, the Testbed can be used for performance and stress tests. Internally, the Testbed is driven by Atlassian Bamboo, a Continuous Integration server, which builds and deploys automatically new software versions into the Test...

Smoothing Motion Estimates for Radar Motion Compensation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doerry, Armin W. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-07-01

Simple motion models for complex motion environments are often not adequate for keeping radar data coherent. Eve n perfect motion samples appli ed to imperfect models may lead to interim calculations e xhibiting errors that lead to degraded processing results. Herein we discuss a specific i ssue involving calculating motion for groups of pulses, with measurements only available at pulse-group boundaries. - 4 - Acknowledgements This report was funded by General A tomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) Mission Systems under Cooperative Re search and Development Agre ement (CRADA) SC08/01749 between Sandia National Laboratories and GA-ASI. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affilia te of privately-held General Atomics, is a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, radars, and electro-optic and rel ated mission systems, includin g the Predator(r)/Gray Eagle(r)-series and Lynx(r) Multi-mode Radar.

An FPGA Based Multiprocessing CPU for Beam Synchronous Timing in CERN's SPS and LHC

CERN Document Server

Ballester, F J; Gras, J J; Lewis, J; Savioz, J J; Serrano, J

2003-01-01

The Beam Synchronous Timing system (BST) will be used around the LHC and its injector, the SPS, to broadcast timing meassages and synchronize actions with the beam in different receivers. To achieve beam synchronization, the BST Master card encodes messages using the bunch clock, with a nominal value of 40.079 MHz for the LHC. These messages are produced by a set of tasks every revolution period, which is every 89 us for the LHC and every 23 us for the SPS, therefore imposing a hard real-time constraint on the system. To achieve determinism, the BST Master uses a dedicated CPU inside its main Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) featuring zero-delay hardware task switching and a reduced instruction set. This paper describes the BST Master card, stressing the main FPGA design, as well as the associated software, including the LynxOS driver and the tailor-made assembler.

Manipulating neuronal circuits with endogenous and recombinant cell-surface tethered modulators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mandë Holford

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Neuronal circuits depend on the precise regulation of cell-surface receptors and ion channels. An ongoing challenge in neuroscience research is deciphering the functional contribution of specific receptors and ion channels using engineered modulators. A novel strategy, termed “tethered toxins”, was recently developed to characterize neuronal circuits using the evolutionary derived selectivity of venom peptide toxins and endogenous peptide ligands, such as lynx1 prototoxins. Herein, the discovery and engineering of cell-surface tethered peptides is reviewed, with particular attention given to their cell-autonomy, modular composition, and genetic targeting in different model organisms. The relative ease with which tethered peptides can be engineered, coupled with the increasing number of neuroactive venom toxins and ligand peptides being discovered, imply a multitude of potentially innovative applications for manipulating neuronal circuits and tissue-specific cell networks, including treatment of disorders caused by malfunction of receptors and ion channels.

Radiocaesium accumulation in the mycorrhizal fungi Lactarius rufus and Inocybe longicystis, in upland Britain, following the Chernbobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dighton, J.; Horrill, A.D.

1988-01-01

Ratios of the radionuclides 137 Cs to 134 Cs show that a large proportion of the 137 Cs present in the fruit bodies is derived from pre-Chernobyl fallout from atomic weapons testing. This suggests accumulation of the radionuclide by fungal mycelia. (author)

Rodent diversity and habitat use in a protected area of Buenos Aires province, Argentina Diversidad y uso del hábitat por roedores en un área protegida de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabel E. Gómez-Villafañe

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Habitat use of rodents is associated to environmental variables, species requirements and biological interactions. The aim of this study was to analyse the macro and microhabitat use and spatial variation in the abundance of small wild rodents that inhabit Otamendi Natural Reserve, Argentina. We studied the rodent communities in 6 habitats: riparian forest, Celtis tala forest, lowland grassland, salt marsh and 2 highland grasslands. We captured a total of 153 individual of Scapteromys aquaticus, Akodon azarae, Oxymycterus rufus, Oligoryzomys flavescens, Deltamys kempi and O. nigripes, with a trapping effort of 3636 trap-nights. The species richness is maintained by the presence of different habitats that satisfy specific requirements from specialist and generalist species, using differentially the reserve and forming communities of different specific composition in each habitat. A differential macrohabitat use was observed by all species, and a certain level of selectivity at microhabitat scale was observed in individuals of 2 species. This study shows that the diversity of environments in the Otamendi Natural Reserve, which allows the maintenance of many wild species of small rodents; confirming the high ecological and conservational value of the reserves inside an urban region.El uso del habitat de los roedores está asociado a variables ambientales, requerimientos específicos e interacciones biológicas. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar el uso del macro y microhábitat y la variación espacial en la abundancia de pequeños roedores que habitan la Reserva Natural Otamendi, Argentina. Estudiamos la comunidad de roedores en 6 ambientes: bosque ribereño, talares, pastizales bajos, pastizal salino y 2 pastizales altos. Capturamos 153 individuos de Scapteromys aquaticus, Akodon azarae, Oxymycterus rufus, Oligoryzomys flavescens, Deltamys kempi y O. nigripes, con un esfuerzo de 3 636 trampas-noche. La riqueza de especies se mantiene

NMR Structure and Action on Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors of Water-soluble Domain of Human LYNX1

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Lyukmanova, E. N.; Shenkarev, Z. O.; Shulepko, M. A.; Mineev, K. S.; D´Hoedt, D.; Kasheverov, I. E.; Filkin, S. Yu.; Krivolapova, A. P.; Janíčková, Helena; Doležal, Vladimír; Dolgikh, D. A.; Arseniev, A. S.; Bertrand, D.; Tsetlin, V.I.; Kirpichnikov, M. P.

2011-01-01

Roč. 286, č. 12 (2011), s. 10618-10627 ISSN 0021-9258 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA305/09/0681 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50110509 Keywords : NMR structure * nicotinic acetylcholine receptor * water-soluble domain Subject RIV: FH - Neurology Impact factor: 4.773, year: 2011

PROFIBUS-DP to G-64 configurable interface

CERN Document Server

Carlier, E; Rochez, J; Serrano, J; CERN. Geneva. SPS and LHC Division

2001-01-01

Since many years, the SL/BT group has developed specific G-64 hardware modules for the control of the fast pulsed magnets. Up to now, the integration of these modules into the accelerator control system has been done using a MIL1553 fieldbus in command/response mode connected to a LynxOS front-end. In 1996 and 1998, recommendations for the use of industrial fieldbuses and programmable logic controllers were issued at CERN. In order to integrate the existing G-64 hardware into this environment based on industrial components, an interface between the G-64 bus and the PROFIBUS-DP fieldbus has been developed. This interface is based on a modular and open hardware architecture with on one side an off-the-shelf industrial, fieldbus independent, interface and on the other side a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). Required functionality has been implemented within the FPGA with VHDL (Very high-speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language).

Intelligent switches of integrated lightwave circuits with core telecommunication functions

Science.gov (United States)

Izhaky, Nahum; Duer, Reuven; Berns, Neil; Tal, Eran; Vinikman, Shirly; Schoenwald, Jeffrey S.; Shani, Yosi

2001-05-01

We present a brief overview of a promising switching technology based on Silica on Silicon thermo-optic integrated circuits. This is basically a 2D solid-state optical device capable of non-blocking switching operation. Except of its excellent performance (insertion lossvariable output power control (attenuation), for instance, to equalize signal levels and compensate for unbalanced different optical input powers, or to equalize unbalanced EDFA gain curve. We examine the market segments appropriate for the switch size and technology, followed by a discussion of the basic features of the technology. The discussion is focused on important requirements from the switch and the technology (e.g., insertion loss, power consumption, channel isolation, extinction ratio, switching time, and heat dissipation). The mechanical design is also considered. It must take into account integration of optical fiber, optical planar wafer, analog electronics and digital microprocessor controls, embedded software, and heating power dissipation. The Lynx Photon.8x8 switch is compared to competing technologies, in terms of typical market performance requirements.

Replacing PS controls front end minicomputers by VME based 32-bit processors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gagnaire, A.; Metz Noblat, N. de; Serre, Ch.; Sicard, Cl.H.

1992-01-01

The PS controls have started the first phase of system rejuvenation, targeted towards the LEP Preinjector Controls. The main impact of this phase is in the architectural change, as both the front-end minicomputers and the CAMAC embedded microprocessors are replaced by microprocessor based VME crates called Device Stub Controllers (DSC). This paper discusses the different steps planned for this first phase, i.e: (1) implementing the basic set of CERN Accelerator common facilities for DSCs (error handling, system surveillance, remote boot and network access); (2) porting the equipment access software layer; (3) applying the Real-time tasks to the LynxOS operating system and I/O architecture, conforming to the real-time constraints for control and acquisition; (4) defining the number and contents of the different DSC needed, according to geographical and cpu-load constraints; (5) providing the general services outside the DSC crates (file servers, data-base services); (6) emulating the current Console programs onto the new workstations. (author)

An authentication and authorization infrastructure: The PAPI system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro, R.; Lopez, D.R.; Vega, J.

2006-01-01

PAPI is a system for providing access control to restricted information resources across the Internet. It intends to keep authentication as an issue local to the organization the user belongs to, while leaving information providers full control over the resources they offer. The authentication mechanisms are designed to be as flexible as possible, allowing each organization to use its own authentication schema, keeping user privacy, and offering information providers data enough for statistics. Moreover, access control mechanisms are transparent to the user and compatible: with the most commonly employed Web browsers (i.e., Netscape/MSIE/Mozilla/Lynx), with any HTTP based java application solution, and any operating system. This solution is being successfully used in different research organizations in Spain and Europe as a control access system to restricted resources in a transparent and single sign-on way. It is allowing mobile and external users to access to resources that are internal to organizations, contributing to remote participations in results of experiments and inter-institutional resource collaboration

The historical and recent distribution and status of mammals in Portugal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margarida Santos-Reis

1996-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Historical and recent data on Portuguese mammals are presented in this paper, occurring on the mainland and/or in the Azores and Madeira Atlantic islands. Nowadays, 95 species of mammals are known in Portugal, of which only one (Nyctalus azoreum is an endemic species and three others (Pipistrellus maderensis, Microtus cabrerae and Lynx pardina are exclusive for Portugal and Spain. Moreover, two other species, Mustela vison and Sciurus vulgaris are recent records for the Portuguese fauna, the first due to an accidental introduction and the second resulting from a recolonization by Spanish populations. Of the remaining species, around 50% (46 species are threatened in different degrees, 34.8% (16 species being considered endangered or vulnerable. Mammals extinct in Portugal are the Gerês goat (Capra pyrenaica lusitanica and the bear (Ursus arctos.

Recognition and Reconstruction of Zebra Crossings on Roads from Mobile Laser Scanning Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin Li

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Zebra crossings provide guidance and warning to pedestrians and drivers, thereby playing an important role in traffic safety management. Most previous studies have focused on detecting zebra stripes but have not provided full information about the areas, which is critical to both driver assistance systems and guide systems for blind individuals. This paper presents a stepwise procedure for recognizing and reconstructing zebra crossings using mobile laser scanning data. First, we propose adaptive thresholding based on road surface partitioning to reduce the impact of intensity unevenness and improve the accuracy of road marking extraction. Then, dispersion degree filtering is used to reduce the noise. Finally, zebra stripes are recognized according to the rectangular feature and fixed size, which is followed by area reconstruction according to arrangement patterns. We test our method on three datasets captured by an Optech Lynx mobile mapping system. The total recognition rate of 90.91% demonstrates the effectiveness of the method.

Evolution in controls methods for the SPS power converters

CERN Document Server

Dinius, A H; Brazier, J C L

1995-01-01

In common with much accelerator specific material, there is a constant need to improve both hardware and software for power converter control. Maintenance and performance improvements of older systems have become extremely tedious and in some areas impossible. By using modern real-time software and the latest high-performance processors, such problems should be substantially reduced. This paper describes the software concepts and the hardware chosen for the upgrade of the existing facilities. Using the UNIX compatible LynxOS real time kernel, running on a PowerPC 603 in a VME environment, this new approach provides excellent performance while retaining the desired flexibility for future enhancements. The 64 channel system is implemented as a set of cooperating processes, several of which are multi-threaded. Processes include analogue function generation, analogue measurement and digital I/O, all of which are accurately scheduled by the accelerator timing system. This generalised structure, which performs comp...

An authentication and authorization infrastructure: The PAPI system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castro, R. [Spanish Research Network RedIRIS, Red.es (Edif. Bronce) Plz. Manuel Gomez Moreno s/n, 28020 Madrid (Spain)]. E-mail: rodrigo.castro@rediris.es; Lopez, D.R. [Spanish Research Network RedIRIS, Red.es (Edif. Bronce) Plz. Manuel Gomez Moreno s/n, 28020 Madrid (Spain); Vega, J. [Asociacion EURATOM/CIEMAT, Avda. Complutense no. 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

2006-07-15

PAPI is a system for providing access control to restricted information resources across the Internet. It intends to keep authentication as an issue local to the organization the user belongs to, while leaving information providers full control over the resources they offer. The authentication mechanisms are designed to be as flexible as possible, allowing each organization to use its own authentication schema, keeping user privacy, and offering information providers data enough for statistics. Moreover, access control mechanisms are transparent to the user and compatible: with the most commonly employed Web browsers (i.e., Netscape/MSIE/Mozilla/Lynx), with any HTTP based java application solution, and any operating system. This solution is being successfully used in different research organizations in Spain and Europe as a control access system to restricted resources in a transparent and single sign-on way. It is allowing mobile and external users to access to resources that are internal to organizations, contributing to remote participations in results of experiments and inter-institutional resource collaboration.

Evolution of the SPS Power Converter Controls towards the LHC Era

CERN Document Server

Brazier, J.C.L.; Semanaz, P.

2001-01-01

By the end of the nineties, the power converter control system (Mugef) of the CERN proton accelerator (SPS) had undergone a complete modernization. This resulted in newly developed hardware for function generation, measurement and I/O in a VME environment, under the LynxOS real-time operating system. This has provided a platform on which extensions can be developed for future operation in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) era. This paper describes some of these extensions, in particular a fast Surveillance and Interlock system for monitoring the power converter output currents. This will be mandatory for the safe operation of the SPS transfer lines TI2 & TI8 to LHC and for similar applications in the future. The strategies employed to cope with various failure modes of the power converters and the timely activation of the interlock are outlined. The new SPS controls infrastructure now under development, will give rise to new modes of operation for the Mugef systems. Integration with the proposed middleware ...

High performance message passing for the ATLAS DAQ/EF-1 project

CERN Document Server

Mornacchi, Giuseppe

1999-01-01

Summary form only. A message passing library has been developed in the context of the ATLAS DAQ/EF-1 project. It is used for time critical applications within the front-end part of the DAQ system, mainly to exchange data control messages between I/O processors. Key objectives of the design were low message overheads, efficient use of the data transfer buses, provision of broadcast functionality and a hardware and operating system independent implementation of the application interface. The design and implementation of the message passing library are presented. As required by the project, the implementation is based on commercial components, namely VMEbus, PCI, the Lynx-OS real-time operating system and an additional inter- processor link, PVIC. The latter offers broadcast functionality identified as being important to the overall performance of the message passing. In addition, performance benchmarks for all implementing buses are presented for both simple test programs and the full DAQ applications. (0 refs)...

Control server for the PS orbit acquisition system Status 2009

CERN Document Server

Bart-Pedersen, S; CERN. Geneva. BE Department

2009-01-01

CERN’s Proton Synchrotron (CPS) has been fitted with a new Trajectory Measurement System (TMS). Analogue signals from forty Beam Position Monitors (BPM) are digitized at 125 MS/s, and then further treated in the digital domain to derive positions of all individual particle bunches on the fly. Large FPGAs are used to handle the digital processing. The system fits in fourteen plug-in modules distributed over three half-width cPCI crates that store data in circular buffers. They are connected to a Linux computer by means of a private Gigabit Ethernet segment. Dedicated server software, running under Linux, knits the system into a coherent whole [1]. The corresponding low-level software using FESA (BPMOPS class) was implemented while respecting the standard interface for beam position measurements. The BPMOPS server publishes values on request after data extraction and conversion from the TMS server. This software is running on a VME Lynx-OS platform and through dedicated electronics it can therefore control th...

Game statistics for the island of Olkiluoto in 2010-2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nieminen, M.; Niemi, M.; Jussila, I.

2011-10-01

The game statistics for the island of Olkiluoto were updated in the summer 2011 and compared with earlier statistics. Population size estimates are based on interviews of the local hunters. No moose or deer inventories were made in the winter 2010-2011. The moose population is stable when compared with the previous year. The white-tailed deer population is stable or slightly increasing when compared with the previous year. The changes in the roe deer population are not accurately known, but population size varies somewhat from year to year. The number of hunted raccoon dogs approximately doubled in the latest hunting season. Altogether two waterfowl were hunted in 2010 (17 in the previous year). The populations of mountain hare and red squirrel are abundant, and the number of hunted mountain hares approximately doubled when compared with the previous hunting season. The brown hare population is still small. In the winter, there were observations of one lynx spending time in the area. (orig.)

Game statistics for the island of Olkiluoto in 2010-2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nieminen, M. [Faunatica Oy, Espoo (Finland); Niemi, M. [Helsinki Univ. (Finland), Dept. of Forest Sciences; Jussila, I. [Turku Univ. (Finland), Satakunta Environmental Research Inst.

2011-10-15

The game statistics for the island of Olkiluoto were updated in the summer 2011 and compared with earlier statistics. Population size estimates are based on interviews of the local hunters. No moose or deer inventories were made in the winter 2010-2011. The moose population is stable when compared with the previous year. The white-tailed deer population is stable or slightly increasing when compared with the previous year. The changes in the roe deer population are not accurately known, but population size varies somewhat from year to year. The number of hunted raccoon dogs approximately doubled in the latest hunting season. Altogether two waterfowl were hunted in 2010 (17 in the previous year). The populations of mountain hare and red squirrel are abundant, and the number of hunted mountain hares approximately doubled when compared with the previous hunting season. The brown hare population is still small. In the winter, there were observations of one lynx spending time in the area. (orig.)

Electronic system for the automation of current measurements produced by ionization chambers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brancaccio, Franco; Dias, Mauro da Silva

2002-01-01

Ionization Chambers in current mode operation are usually used in Nuclear Metrology in the determination of radionuclide activity. For this purpose measurements of very low ionization currents, in the range of 10 -8 to 10 -14 A, are required. Usually, electrometers perform the current integration method under command of signals from an automation system, in order to reduce the measurement uncertainties. In the present work, an automation system, developed for current integration measurements at the Laboratorio de Metrologia Nuclear (LMN) of Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN), is described. This automation system is composed by software (graphic interface and control) and an electronic module connected to a microcomputer, by means of a commercial data acquisition card CAD12/32 (LYNX Tecnologia Eletronica Ltda.). Measurements, using an electrometer Keithley 616 (Keithley Instruments, Inc) and an ionization chamber IG12/A20 (20 th Century Electronics Ltd.), were performed in order to check the system and for validating the project. (author)

A Modular VME Data Acquisition System for Counter Applications at the GSI Synchrotron

CERN Document Server

Liakin, D A

2003-01-01

Particle counters perform the control of beam loss and slowly extracted currents at the heavy ion synchrotron (SIS) at GSI. A new VME/Lynx - PC/Linux based data acquisition system has been developed to combine the operating purposes beam loss measurement, spill analysis, spill structure measurement and matrix switching functionality in one single assembly. In this paper a detailed PC-side software description is presented. To achieve best system stability, the software has been divided into time critical networking and data deploying threads and low or normal priority interface tasks. Some new abilities in the fields of data computation and presentation are reported. A hardware description is presented, in detail a programmable GSI-EVENT controller, which is based on an ordinary 8 bit RISC microprocessor and which has been integrated into the system, to synchronize the data acquisition with the sophisticated “virtual accelerator” timing at GSI. First experiences gained while the commission...

Identification of Hepatozoon erhardovae Krampitz, 1964 from bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and fleas in Southern Hungary.

Science.gov (United States)

Rigó, Krisztina; Majoros, Gábor; Szekeres, Sándor; Molnár, Imola; Jablonszky, Mónika; Majláthová, Viktória; Majláth, Igor; Földvári, Gábor

2016-06-01

In order to investigate the prevalence and life cycle of apicomplexan parasites, small mammals were live-trapped with modified Sherman traps in Southern Hungary between 2010 and 2012. Altogether, 528 rodents (Apodemus flavicollis Melchior, 1834, Apodemus agrarius Pallas, 1771, Myodes glareolus Schreber, 1780, Microtus agrestis Linnaeus, 1761, Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 and Micromys minutus Pallas, 1771) were collected and four shrews (Sorex spp.) were by-catched. Captured animals belonging to non-protected species were euthanized, and spleen samples were preserved for histological and molecular analyses. During the examination of spleen smears, Hepatozoon parasites were observed in eight out of 48 bank voles (M. glareolus). DNA was isolated from altogether 221 spleen samples, and 18S rDNA was amplified using two different PCR protocols. The eight bank vole samples were positive with PCR, but none of the other M. glareolus spleen samples or any of the tissue samples from other species were found to be infected. Sequenced amplicons were very similar to Hepatozoon spp. detected in M. glareolus in Spain and Poland. Ectoparasites were collected from the small mammal carcasses and from the vegetation. Hepatozoon DNA was not found in the 181 ticks removed from the small mammals or in the 162 ticks collected with flagging, but was detected in all three flea species (4/43 Megabothris turbidus Rothschild, 1909, 3/10 Ctenophthalmus assimilis Taschenberg, 1880 and 7/78 Ctenophthalmus agyrtes Heller, 1896). Based on gamont morphology, vertebrate and arthropod host species and DNA sequences, the parasites in our study can be identified as Hepatozoon erhardovae.

War and hunting poisons of the New World. Part 1. Notes on the early history of curare.

Science.gov (United States)

Bisset, N G

1992-02-01

The history to about 1850 of the muscle-relaxant poison curare is discussed, especially the developments leading to the botanical identification of the plants that yield the alkaloidal active principles: Loganiaceae (Strychnos species) and Menispermaceae (Abuta, Chondrodendron, and Curarea species). One of the earliest encounters with the poison appears to have been during the exploration of the Lake Maracaibo region in Colombia by Alonso Pérez de Tolosa in 1548. It is pointed out (yet again) that Sir Walter Ralegh did not bring back the poison to Europe in 1595 and that it was Keymis who first came across the word ourari when exploring the lower reaches of the Orinoco in 1596. Gumilla, La Condamine, Ulloa, Veigl, and others gave much additional information about the poison during the 18th century. Scientific studies began in the latter part of the century when Schreber listed the botanical identities of four of the plant components entering into the curare prepared by the Akawai Indians of Surinam. As far as is known, none of these people actually saw curare being made. Thereafter, progress was rapid. Humboldt and Bonpland were the first trained scientists to witness the preparation of the poison, at the very beginning of the 19th century. Subsequent exploration by Martius and Spix, Poeppig, Youd, the Schomburgk brothers, De Castelnau and Deville, Spruce, and others, up to the middle of the century, extended and deepened botanical and ethnological knowledge of curare. Study of its physiology started at about that time with the classical experiments of Rudolf von Koelliker and Claude Bernard.

Výskyt velkých šelem – rysa ostrovida (Lynx lynx), vlka obecného (Canis lupus) a medvěda hnědého (Ursus arctos) – a kočky divoké (Felis silvestris)\

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kutal, M.; Belotti, E.; Volfová, J.; Mináriková, T.; Bufka, L.; Poledník, L.; Krojerová, Jarmila; Bojda, M.; Váňa, M.; Kutalová, L.; Beneš, J.; Flousek, J.; Tomášek, V.; Kafka, P.; Poledníková, K.; Pospíšková, J.; Dekař, P.; Machciník, B.; Koubek, Petr; Duľa, M.

2017-01-01

Roč. 48, č. 48 (2017), s. 93-107 ISSN 0024-7774 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : Large carnivores * species distribution * Central Europe * trans-boundary populations Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour OBOR OECD: Ecology

Birds in an urban area of Ipatinga city, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan Loures-Ribeiro

2008-09-01

Full Text Available The development of urban areas results in changes of natural landscapes, including the creation of several artificial environments. Thus, many animals find new opportunities for survival in these areas. This study aimed to obtain information about the richness, composition, and frequency of occurrence of the trophic guilds of an urban avian community in Ipatinga city, Minas Gerais State, followed by a general description. Between August 2005 and July 2006, 81 days were spent in sampling. From the method of direct observation, 57 species were recorded. The richness estimate for the area was 74.86 species (Chao2. The number of species between rainy and dry periods did not differ (p>0.05. Trophic guilds remained with a ratio of relatively similar species throughout the year, with a predominance of the omnivores and insectivores. Species such as Pitangus sulphuratus, Furnarius rufus and Sicalis flaveola were favored in the open areas. Two exotic species, Columba livia and Passer domesticus, were abundant. These results emphasize the necessity of the existence of natural areas within the urban context, considering not only the protection of the wildlife, but also the improvement of the quality of life in the cities.

Object permanence in lemurs.

Science.gov (United States)

Deppe, Anja M; Wright, Patricia C; Szelistowski, William A

2009-03-01

Object permanence, the ability to mentally represent objects that have disappeared from view, should be advantageous to animals in their interaction with the natural world. The objective of this study was to examine whether lemurs possess object permanence. Thirteen adult subjects representing four species of diurnal lemur (Eulemur fulvus rufus, Eulemur mongoz, Lemur catta and Hapalemur griseus) were presented with seven standard Piagetian visible and invisible object displacement tests, plus one single visible test where the subject had to wait predetermined times before allowed to search, and two invisible tests where each hiding place was made visually unique. In all visible tests lemurs were able to find an object that had been in clear view before being hidden. However, when lemurs were not allowed to search for up to 25-s, performance declined with increasing time-delay. Subjects did not outperform chance on any invisible displacements regardless of whether hiding places were visually uniform or unique, therefore the upper limit of object permanence observed was Stage 5b. Lemur species in this study eat stationary foods and are not subject to stalking predators, thus Stage 5 object permanence is probably sufficient to solve most problems encountered in the wild.

Colony size, sex ratio and cohabitation in roosts of Phyllostomus hastatus (Pallas (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae

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LM. Costa

Full Text Available Phyllostomus hastatus bat is species broadly distributed over the Neotropical region, which uses as diurnal roosts caves, hollow trees, palm leaves and human buildings. Thirteen diurnal roosts of P. hastatus were analysed from 1990 to 2009 in several localities of Rio de Janeiro State, regarding environment (rural, urban or protected area, type of roost (hollow tree, basement or roof, sex ratio and cohabitation. A nocturnal roost was also analysed. Sex ratio of P. hastatus varied considerably among roosts what may be explained by the fact this species can roost alone, in couples, in harems or in groups of bachelor males. Phyllostomus hastatus was observed in cohabitation with three other species: Molossus rufus, Molossus molossus and Myotis nigricans. Due to the frequency of cohabitation observed between P. hastatus and species of the genus Molossus, one or more advantages for the members of this association may be expected. The simultaneous usage of a feeding roost by a group of bachelor males is unknown information in the literature, and may suggest that this kind of group may interact with each other even when away from their diurnal roosts.

Bovine tuberculosis in free-ranging carnivores from Michigan.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruning-Fann, C S; Schmitt, S M; Fitzgerald, S D; Fierke, J S; Friedrich, P D; Kaneene, J B; Clarke, K A; Butler, K L; Payeur, J B; Whipple, D L; Cooley, T M; Miller, J M; Muzo, D P

2001-01-01

During a survey of carnivores and omnivores for bovine tuberculosis conducted in Michigan (USA) since 1996, Mycobacterium bovis was cultured from lymph nodes pooled from six coyotes (Canis latrans) (four adult female, two adult male), two adult male raccoons (Procyon lotor), one adult male red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and one 1.5-yr-old male black bear (Ursus americanus). One adult, male bobcat (Felis rufus) with histologic lesions suggestive of tuberculosis was negative on culture but positive for organisms belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex when tested by polymerase chain reaction. All the tuberculous animals were taken from three adjoining counties where M. bovis is known to be endemic in the free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population. There were two coyotes, one raccoon, one red fox, and one bobcat infected in Alpena county. Montmorency County had two coyotes and one raccoon with M. bovis. Two coyotes and a bear were infected from Alcona County. These free-ranging carnivores/omnivores probably became infected with M. bovis through consumption of tuberculous deer. Other species included in the survey were opossum (Didelphis virginiana), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), and badger (Taxidea taxus); these were negative for M. bovis.

Respiratory evaporative water loss during hovering and forward flight in hummingbirds.

Science.gov (United States)

Powers, Donald R; Getsinger, Philip W; Tobalske, Bret W; Wethington, Susan M; Powers, Sean D; Warrick, Douglas R

2012-02-01

Hummingbirds represent an end point for small body size and water flux in vertebrates. We explored the role evaporative water loss (EWL) plays in management of their large water pool and its use in dissipating metabolic heat. We measured respiratory evaporative water loss (REWL) in hovering hummingbirds in the field (6 species) and over a range of speeds in a wind tunnel (1 species) using an open-circuit mask respirometry system. Hovering REWL during the active period was positively correlated with operative temperature (T(e)) likely due to some combination of an increase in the vapor-pressure deficit, increase in lung ventilation rate, and reduced importance of dry heat transfer at higher T(e). In rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus; 3.3g) REWL during forward flight at 6 and 10 m/s was less than half the value for hovering. The proportion of total dissipated heat (TDH) accounted for by REWL during hovering at T(e)> 40°C was hummingbirds is a relatively small component of the water budget compared with other bird species (hummingbirds. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Gynecology and obstetrics in Ancient Rome].

Science.gov (United States)

Dumont, M

1992-10-01

Gods and Goddesses were invoked by the Romans for the termination of a good delivery. Diana, Juno, Lucina and Cybele were the preferred ones. Sterility was sometimes treated by the whip of the Lupercali of ministers of Pan. The first doctors in Rome were coming from Greece. Celsus, Pliny the Elder were encyclopedists, Rufus an anatomist, Dioscorides a pharmacologist. Archigenes, Aretaeus and Antyllus surgeons. Soranus from Ephesus, was the first to recommend podalic version. His works was a long time buried in a profound oblivion and discovered by scholars during the nineteenth century. Galen was looked as the most famous medical man after Hippocrates. During the Roman Empire of Occident (Byzantine Empire), Oribasius, Aurelianus Caelius, Moschion and above all Aetius and Paul of Aegina wrote many works which were many times plagiarized. Roman laws concerning public health were severe. Midwives took an important action in the care of pregnant women. Roman poets as Plautus, Terence, Lucilius, Catullus, Virgil, Tibullus, Ovid and Martial were many times concerned in their writings with gynecologic or obstetric subjects. Children were easily forsaken. Three Emperors, Trajan, Marcus-Aurelius and Alexander Severius, a writer, Aulu-Gelles, and a rhetor, Quintilian, took protection of them.

Molecular characterization and multi-locus genotypes of Enterocytozoon bieneusi from captive red kangaroos (Macropus Rufus in Jiangsu province, China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhijun Zhong

Full Text Available Enterocytozoon bieneusi is the most common pathogen of microsporidian species infecting humans worldwide. Although E. bieneusi has been found in a variety of animal hosts, information on the presence of E. bieneusi in captive kangaroos in China is limited. The present study was aimed at determining the occurrence and genetic diversity of E. bieneusi in captive kangaroos. A total of 61 fecal specimens (38 from red kangaroos and 23 from grey kangaroos were collected from Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo and Hongshan Kangaroo Breeding Research Base, Jiangsu province, China. Using the nested PCR amplification ITS gene of rRNA of E. bieneusi, totally 23.0% (14/61 of tested samples were PCR-positive with three genotypes (i.e. one known genotype, CHK1, and two novel genotypes, CSK1 and CSK2. Multi-locus sequence typing using three microsatellites (MS1, MS3, and MS7 and one minisatellite (MS4 revealed one, five, two, and one types at these four loci, respectively. In phylogenetic analysis, the two genotypes, CHK1 and CSK1, were clustered into a new group of unknown zoonotic potential, and the novel genotype CSK2 was clustered into a separate clade with PtEb and PtEbIX. To date, this is the first report on the presence of E. bieneusi in captive red kangaroos in Jiangsu province, China. Furthermore, a high degree of genetic diversity was observed in the E. bieneusi genotype and seven MLGs (MLG1-7 were found in red kangaroos. Our findings suggest that infected kangaroo may act as potential reservoirs of E. bieneusi and be source to transmit infections to other animal.

Los felinos: ¿Una alternativa en estudios de toxicología genética?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Zamora-Perez

2008-06-01

results and also lion (Panthera leo, yaguaroundi (Felis yagoaroundi, lynx (Lynx ruffus, jaguar (Panthera onca, puma (Puma concolor, tiger (Panthera tigris, ocelote (Felis padalis and leopard (Panthera pardus display spontaneous MNE, and with this characteristic this Family can be propose like a potential group to be used in toxicogenetic studies. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (2: 969-974. Epub 2008 June 30.

DNA analysis of hair and scat collected along snow tracks to document the presence of Canada Lynx.

Science.gov (United States)

Kevin S. McKelvey; Jeffrey von Kienast; Keith B. Aubry; Gary M. Koehler; Bejamin T. Maletzke; John R. Squires; Edward L. Lindquist; Steve Loch; Michael K. Schwartz

2006-01-01

Snow tracking is often used to inventory carnivore communities, but species identification using this method can produce ambiguous and misleading results. DNA can be extracted from hair and scat samples collected from tracks made in snow. Using DNA analysis could allow positive track identification across a broad range of snow conditions, thus increasing survey...

Toward a defensible lynx conservation strategy: A framework for planning in the face of uncertainty [Chapter 1

Science.gov (United States)

Leonard F. Ruggiero; Kevin S. McKelvey

2000-01-01

On April 2, 1993, the incumbent U.S. President traveled to Portland, Oregon, to intervene in a national political crisis engendered by public concern over the conservation of native wildlife on public lands. Environmentalists had successfully used existing statutes, most notably the National Forest Management Act and pursuant regulations, to shut down timber industry...

Conservation of lynx in the United States: A systematic approach to closing critical knowledge gaps [Chapter 17

Science.gov (United States)

Keith B. Aubry; Leonard F. Ruggiero; John R. Squires; Kevin S. McKelvey; Gary M. Koehler; Steven W. Buskirk; Charles J. Krebs

2000-01-01

Large-scale ecological studies and assessments are often implemented only after the focus of study generates substantial social, political, or legal pressure to take action (e.g., Thomas et al. 1990; Ruggiero et al. 1991; FEMAT 1993). In such a funding environment, the coordinated planning of research may suffer as the pressure to produce results escalates. To avoid...

Changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of the tick Ixodes ricinus during the past 30 years in Sweden

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaenson Thomas GT

2012-01-01

respondents, the abundance of ticks had increased markedly in LB- and TBE-endemic areas in South (Götaland and Central Sweden. Conclusions The results suggest that I. ricinus has expanded its range in North Sweden and has become distinctly more abundant in Central and South Sweden during the last three decades. However, in the northern mountain region I. ricinus is still absent. The increased abundance of the tick can be explained by two main factors: First, the high availability of large numbers of important tick maintenance hosts, i.e., cervids, particularly roe deer (Capreolus capreolus during the last three decades. Second, a warmer climate with milder winters and a prolonged growing season that permits greater survival and proliferation over a larger geographical area of both the tick itself and deer. High reproductive potential of roe deer, high tick infestation rate and the tendency of roe deer to disperse great distances may explain the range expansion of I. ricinus and particularly the appearance of new TBEV foci far away from old TBEV-endemic localities. The geographical presence of LB in Sweden corresponds to the distribution of I. ricinus. Thus, LB is now an emerging disease risk in many parts of North Sweden. Unless countermeasures are undertaken to keep the deer populations, particularly C. capreolus and Dama dama, at the relatively low levels that prevailed before the late 1970s - especially in and around urban areas where human population density is high - by e.g. reduced hunting of red fox (Vulpes vulpes and lynx (Lynx lynx, the incidences of human LB and TBE are expected to continue to be high or even to increase in Sweden in coming decades.

Changes in the geographical distribution and abundance of the tick Ixodes ricinus during the past 30 years in Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaenson, Thomas G T; Jaenson, David G E; Eisen, Lars; Petersson, Erik; Lindgren, Elisabet

2012-01-10

markedly in LB- and TBE-endemic areas in South (Götaland) and Central Sweden. The results suggest that I. ricinus has expanded its range in North Sweden and has become distinctly more abundant in Central and South Sweden during the last three decades. However, in the northern mountain region I. ricinus is still absent. The increased abundance of the tick can be explained by two main factors: First, the high availability of large numbers of important tick maintenance hosts, i.e., cervids, particularly roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) during the last three decades. Second, a warmer climate with milder winters and a prolonged growing season that permits greater survival and proliferation over a larger geographical area of both the tick itself and deer. High reproductive potential of roe deer, high tick infestation rate and the tendency of roe deer to disperse great distances may explain the range expansion of I. ricinus and particularly the appearance of new TBEV foci far away from old TBEV-endemic localities. The geographical presence of LB in Sweden corresponds to the distribution of I. ricinus. Thus, LB is now an emerging disease risk in many parts of North Sweden. Unless countermeasures are undertaken to keep the deer populations, particularly C. capreolus and Dama dama, at the relatively low levels that prevailed before the late 1970s--especially in and around urban areas where human population density is high--by e.g. reduced hunting of red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and lynx (Lynx lynx), the incidences of human LB and TBE are expected to continue to be high or even to increase in Sweden in coming decades.

Animal Magnetism, Psychiatry and Subjective Experience in Nineteenth-Century Germany: Friedrich Krauß and his Nothschrei.

Science.gov (United States)

Brückner, Burkhart

2016-01-01

Friedrich Krauß (1791-1868) is the author of Nothschrei eines Magnetisch-Vergifteten [Cry of Distress by a Victim of Magnetic Poisoning] (1852), which has been considered one of the most comprehensive self-narratives of madness published in the German language. In this 1018-page work Krauß documents his acute fears of 'mesmerist' influence and persecution, his detainment in an Antwerp asylum and his encounter with various illustrious physicians across Europe. Though in many ways comparable to other prominent nineteenth-century first-person accounts (eg. John Thomas Perceval's 1838 Narrative of the Treatment Experienced by a Gentleman or Daniel Paul Schreber's 1903 Memoirs of my Nervous Illness), Krauß's story has received comparatively little scholarly attention. This is especially the case in the English-speaking world. In this article I reconstruct Krauß's biography by emphasising his relationship with physicians and his under-explored stay at the asylum. I then investigate the ways in which Krauß appropriated nascent theories about 'animal magnetism' to cope with his disturbing experiences. Finally, I address Krauß's recently discovered calligraphic oeuvre, which bears traces of his typical fears all the while showcasing his artistic skills. By moving away from the predominantly clinical perspective that has characterised earlier studies, this article reveals how Friedrich Krauß sought to make sense of his experience by selectively appropriating both orthodox and non-orthodox forms of medical knowledge. In so doing, it highlights the mutual interaction of discourses 'from above' and 'from below' as well as the influence of broader cultural forces on conceptions of self and illness during that seminal period.

Butterfly species richness and diversity in the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in South Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Majumder, Joydeb; Lodh, Rahul; Agarwala, B K

2013-01-01

Several wildlife sanctuaries in the world are home to the surviving populations of many endemic species. Trishna wildlife sanctuary in northeast India is protected by law, and is home to the last surviving populations of Asian bison (Bos gorus Smith), spectacle monkey (Trachypithecus phayrie Blyth), capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus Blyth), slow loris (Nycticebus coucang Boddaert), wild cat (Felis chaus Schreber), and wild boars (Sus scrofa L.), among many other animals and plants. The sanctuary was explored for species richness and diversity of butterflies. A six-month-long study revealed the occurrence of 59 butterfly species that included 21 unique species and 9 species listed in the threatened category. The mixed moist deciduous mature forest of the sanctuary harbored greater species richness and species diversity (39 species under 31 genera) than other parts of the sanctuary, which is comprised of regenerated secondary mixed deciduous forest (37 species under 32 genera), degraded forests (32 species under 28 genera), and open grassland with patches of plantations and artificial lakes (24 species under 17 genera). The majority of these species showed a distribution range throughout the Indo-Malayan region and Australasia tropics, and eight species were distributed in the eastern parts of South Asia, including one species, Labadea martha (F.), which is distributed in the eastern Himalayas alone. Estimator Chao 2 provided the best-predicted value of species richness. The steep slope of the species accumulation curve suggested the occurrence of a large number of rare species, and a prolonged gentle slope suggested a higher species richness at a higher sample abundance. The species composition of vegetation-rich habitats showed high similarity in comparison to vegetation-poor habitats.

Rail Track Detection and Modelling in Mobile Laser Scanner Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Oude Elberink

2013-10-01

Full Text Available We present a method for detecting and modelling rails in mobile laser scanner data. The detection is based on the properties of the rail tracks and contact wires such as relative height, linearity and relative position with respect to other objects. Points classified as rail track are used in a 3D modelling algorithm. The modelling is done by first fitting a parametric model of a rail piece to the points along each track, and estimating the position and orientation parameters of each piece model. For each position and orientation parameter a smooth low-order Fourier curve is interpolated. Using all interpolated parameters a mesh model of the rail is reconstructed. The method is explained using two areas from a dataset acquired by a LYNX mobile mapping system in a mountainous area. Residuals between railway laser points and 3D models are in the range of 2 cm. It is concluded that a curve fitting algorithm is essential to reliably and accurately model the rail tracks by using the knowledge that railways are following a continuous and smooth path.

Cosmic veto gamma-spectrometry for Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burnett, J.L.; Davies, A.V.

2014-01-01

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is supported by a global network of monitoring stations that perform high-resolution gamma-spectrometry on air filter samples for the identification of 85 radionuclides. At the UK CTBT Radionuclide Laboratory (GBL15), a novel cosmic veto gamma-spectrometer has been developed to improve the sensitivity of station measurements, providing a mean background reduction of 80.8% with mean MDA improvements of 45.6%. The CTBT laboratory requirement for a 140 Ba MDA is achievable after 1.5 days counting compared to 5–7 days using conventional systems. The system consists of plastic scintillation plates that detect coincident cosmic-ray interactions within an HPGe gamma-spectrometer using the Canberra Lynx TM multi-channel analyser. The detector is remotely configurable using a TCP/IP interface and requires no dedicated coincidence electronics. It would be especially useful in preventing false-positives at remote station locations (e.g. Halley, Antarctica) where sample transfer to certified laboratories is logistically difficult. The improved sensitivity has been demonstrated for a CTBT air filter sample collected after the Fukushima incident

Further development of a cosmic veto gamma-spectrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burnett, J.L.; Davies, A.V.; McLarty, J.L.

2013-01-01

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is supported by a network of certified laboratories that perform high-resolution gamma-spectrometry on global air filter samples for the identification of 85 radionuclides. At the UK CTBT Radionuclide Laboratory (GBL15), a novel cosmic veto gamma-spectrometer has been developed to improve the sensitivity of measurements for treaty compliance. The system consists of plastic scintillation plates operated in time-stamp mode to detect coincident cosmic-ray interactions within an HPGe gamma-spectrometer. This provides a mean background reduction of 75.2 % with MDA improvements of 45.6 %. The CTBT requirement for a 140 Ba MDA is achievable after 1.5 days counting compared to 5-7 days using conventional systems. The system does not require dedicated coincidence electronics, and remains easily configurable with dual acquisition of unsuppressed and suppressed spectra. Performance has been significantly improved by complete processing of the cosmic-ray spectrum (0-25 MeV) combined with the Canberra Lynx TM multi-channel analyser. The improved sensitivity has been demonstrated for a CTBT air filter sample collected after the Fukushima incident. (author)

Cosmic veto gamma-spectrometry for Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty samples

Science.gov (United States)

Burnett, J. L.; Davies, A. V.

2014-05-01

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is supported by a global network of monitoring stations that perform high-resolution gamma-spectrometry on air filter samples for the identification of 85 radionuclides. At the UK CTBT Radionuclide Laboratory (GBL15), a novel cosmic veto gamma-spectrometer has been developed to improve the sensitivity of station measurements, providing a mean background reduction of 80.8% with mean MDA improvements of 45.6%. The CTBT laboratory requirement for a 140Ba MDA is achievable after 1.5 days counting compared to 5-7 days using conventional systems. The system consists of plastic scintillation plates that detect coincident cosmic-ray interactions within an HPGe gamma-spectrometer using the Canberra LynxTM multi-channel analyser. The detector is remotely configurable using a TCP/IP interface and requires no dedicated coincidence electronics. It would be especially useful in preventing false-positives at remote station locations (e.g. Halley, Antarctica) where sample transfer to certified laboratories is logistically difficult. The improved sensitivity has been demonstrated for a CTBT air filter sample collected after the Fukushima incident.

DATE V1 - Data Aquisition Test Environment Users Manual

CERN Document Server

Grandegger, W; CERN. Geneva

1996-01-01

The Data Aquisition presented here has been developed for maximum portability and generality. If you are lucky you will have tailored the system to your experimental set-up in less than a day and start taking data. It should run any UNIX system and some non-UNIX system and has already been tested on the following systems: Linux (IBM PC and compatible) OSF (Alpha workstations and Medulla VME board) HP-UX (workstation + 743 VME board) HP-RT AIX OS91) LynxOS (tested on a 68040 and a PowerPC) 1) The system was originally developed under UNIX. Only due to popular request of people who wanted to reuse old hardware it was ported to OS9. This is, however, not the recommended hardware and future improvements of the system are not going to be refitted to OS9. Currently we distribute only the OS9 and HP-UX binary versions, but you get the code and can compile it on any of the above systems and with some luck on others.

On the selection of ordinary differential equation models with application to predator-prey dynamical models.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xinyu; Cao, Jiguo; Carroll, Raymond J

2015-03-01

We consider model selection and estimation in a context where there are competing ordinary differential equation (ODE) models, and all the models are special cases of a "full" model. We propose a computationally inexpensive approach that employs statistical estimation of the full model, followed by a combination of a least squares approximation (LSA) and the adaptive Lasso. We show the resulting method, here called the LSA method, to be an (asymptotically) oracle model selection method. The finite sample performance of the proposed LSA method is investigated with Monte Carlo simulations, in which we examine the percentage of selecting true ODE models, the efficiency of the parameter estimation compared to simply using the full and true models, and coverage probabilities of the estimated confidence intervals for ODE parameters, all of which have satisfactory performances. Our method is also demonstrated by selecting the best predator-prey ODE to model a lynx and hare population dynamical system among some well-known and biologically interpretable ODE models. © 2014, The International Biometric Society.

Upgrading NASA/DOSE laser ranging system control computers

Science.gov (United States)

Ricklefs, Randall L.; Cheek, Jack; Seery, Paul J.; Emenheiser, Kenneth S.; Hanrahan, William P., III; Mcgarry, Jan F.

1993-01-01

Laser ranging systems now managed by the NASA Dynamics of the Solid Earth (DOSE) and operated by the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation, the University of Hawaii, and the University of Texas have produced a wealth on interdisciplinary scientific data over the last three decades. Despite upgrades to the most of the ranging station subsystems, the control computers remain a mix of 1970's vintage minicomputers. These encompass a wide range of vendors, operating systems, and languages, making hardware and software support increasingly difficult. Current technology allows replacement of controller computers at a relatively low cost while maintaining excellent processing power and a friendly operating environment. The new controller systems are now being designed using IBM-PC-compatible 80486-based microcomputers, a real-time Unix operating system (LynxOS), and X-windows/Motif IB, and serial interfaces have been chosen. This design supports minimizing short and long term costs by relying on proven standards for both hardware and software components. Currently, the project is in the design and prototyping stage with the first systems targeted for production in mid-1993.

Application of the Scalable Coherent Interface to Data Acquisition at LHC

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

RD24 : The RD24 activities in 1996 were dominated by test and integration of PCI-SCI bridges for VME-bus and for PC's for the 1996 milestones. In spite of the dispersion of RD24 membership into the ATLAS, ALICE and the proposed LHC-B experiments, collaboration and sharing of resources of SCI laboratories and equipment continued with excellent results and several doctoral theses. The availability of cheap PCI-SCI adapters has allowed construction of VME multicrate testbenches based on a variety of VME processors and work-stations. Transparent memory-to-memory accesses between remote PCI buses over SCI have been established under the Linux, Lynx-OS and Windows-NT operating systems as a proof that scalable multicrate systems are ready to be implemented with off-the-shelf products. Commercial SCI-PCI adapters are based on a PCI-SCI ASIC from Dolphin. The FPGA based PCI-SCI adapter, designed by CERN and LBL for data acquisition at LHC and STAR allows addition of DAQ functions. The step from multicrate systems towa...

Cosmic veto gamma-spectrometry for Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burnett, J.L., E-mail: jonathan.burnett@awe.co.uk; Davies, A.V.

2014-05-21

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is supported by a global network of monitoring stations that perform high-resolution gamma-spectrometry on air filter samples for the identification of 85 radionuclides. At the UK CTBT Radionuclide Laboratory (GBL15), a novel cosmic veto gamma-spectrometer has been developed to improve the sensitivity of station measurements, providing a mean background reduction of 80.8% with mean MDA improvements of 45.6%. The CTBT laboratory requirement for a {sup 140}Ba MDA is achievable after 1.5 days counting compared to 5–7 days using conventional systems. The system consists of plastic scintillation plates that detect coincident cosmic-ray interactions within an HPGe gamma-spectrometer using the Canberra Lynx{sup TM} multi-channel analyser. The detector is remotely configurable using a TCP/IP interface and requires no dedicated coincidence electronics. It would be especially useful in preventing false-positives at remote station locations (e.g. Halley, Antarctica) where sample transfer to certified laboratories is logistically difficult. The improved sensitivity has been demonstrated for a CTBT air filter sample collected after the Fukushima incident.

Molecular evidence of shared hookworm Ancylostoma tubaeforme haplotypes between the critically endangered Iberian lynx and sympatric domestic cats

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Millán, J.; Blasco-Costa, Maria Isabel

2012-01-01

Roč. 186, 3-4 (2012), s. 518-522 ISSN 0304-4017 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Ancylostomiasis * Hookworm * Reservoir * Spain Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 2.381, year: 2012 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030440171100759X#

The wounded male persona and the mysterious feminine in the poetry of James Wright: a study in the transformation of the self.

Science.gov (United States)

Graves, M; Schermer, V L

1998-12-01

known about Wright's childhood to attempt to reconstruct such a trauma, and a definitive biography is long overdue. (Wright died in 1980). However, the concept of "soul murder" as used by Shengold (1989) with respect to psychological trauma does seem pertinent. For example, Wright's powerful identification with the downtrodden, and especially with certain murderers (Doty, Judas) echoes the paranoiac Schreber's identification with his abusive father as "soul murderer": "I, myself, have been 'represented' as the one who had committed soul murder" (Shengold, 1989, p. 22, quoting Schreber). Certainly, the theme of damage to the self is prominent in Wright, and the poet's striving for reparation, restitution, and the restoration of lost goodness is not only characteristic of Melanie Klein's "depressive position" (Segal, 1980, pp. 76-89), which she saw as a normal developmental process, but also of the character structures of profoundly traumatized individuals. In addition, the rapid, "leaping" shifts of imagery in Wright's poems bear some resemblance to the shifts in mood and the dissociated and "autohypnotic" states (Shengold, 1989, pp. 138-154) of posttraumatic stress and related disorders. However much that may be the case, Wright's work moves toward healing and integration, and forces us to reconsider the psychoanalytic shibboleth that all that represents a lack of distinctiveness between self and other is pathological. This assumption denies the richness of that part of the psyche which originates in the symbiotic union of mother and infant. Wright's work does not so much force us to doubt our own perceptions of reality as it gently yet forthrightly guides us into other realms where feeling and thought are in dialogue, where the uniquely human and the universal mythos converge, and where--perhaps most importantly--possibility and transformation are imminent. The abandoned male persona and the mysterious feminine are part of that world, that cosmos, that Wright has cr

Predicting red wolf release success in the southeastern United States

Science.gov (United States)

van Manen, Frank T.; Crawford, Barron A.; Clark, Joseph D.

2000-01-01

Although the red wolf (Canis rufus) was once found throughout the southeastern United States, indiscriminate killing and habitat destruction reduced its range to a small section of coastal Texas and Louisiana. Wolves trapped from 1973 to 1980 were taken to establish a captive breeding program that was used to repatriate 2 mainland and 3 island red wolf populations. We collected data from 320 red wolf releases in these areas and classified each as a success or failure based on survival and reproductive criteria, and whether recaptures were necessary to resolve conflicts with humans. We evaluated the relations between release success and conditions at the release sites, characteristics of released wolves, and release procedures. Although <44% of the variation in release success was explained, model performance based on jackknife tests indicated a 72-80% correct prediction rate for the 4 operational models we developed. The models indicated that success was associated with human influences on the landscape and the level of wolf habituation to humans prior to release. We applied the models to 31 prospective areas for wolf repatriation and calculated an index of release success for each area. Decision-makers can use these models to objectively rank prospective release areas and compare strengths and weaknesses of each.

Primer registro de Dasypsyllus (Avesopsylla lasius lasius (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae en nidos de golondrina chilena, Tachycineta meyeni (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae, en Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosana ARAMBURÚ

2009-01-01

Full Text Available La golondrina chilena, Tachycineta meyeni (Cabanis, nidifica en el centro de Chile y suroeste de Argentina. En invierno migra a Bolivia, Paraguay y al sureste de Brasil. Estas golondrinas ocuparon una serie de cajas-nido en Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego. Luego de la temporada de cría, tratamos los nidos con acetato de etilo y los revisamos en búsqueda de artrópodos hematófagos. Encontramos pulgas adultas, que fueron fijadas, aclaradas, deshidratadas, diafanizadas y montadas en un derivado de clavo de olor para su observación al microsocopio óptico. Identificamos machos y hembras de Dasypsyllus (Avesopsylla lasius lasius (Rothschild. En Argentina, esta pulga es conocida solamente en Sierra de la Ventana (Buenos Aires, donde se la halló parasitando la golondrina barranquera, Notiochelidon cyanoleuca patagonica (Vieillot. La información disponible debería complementarse con prospecciones en localidades intermedias. Otras aves relacionadas con ambas golondrinas por la ocupación de nidos, como el rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda (Gmelin, ratona común (Troglodytes aedon Vieillot, caminera común (Geositta cunicularia (Vieillot, hornero (Furnarius rufus (Gmelin, podrían contribuir a la dispersión de la pulga entre las dos localidades registradas.

Serum concentrations of vitamin D metabolites, vitamins A and E, and carotenoids in six canid and four ursid species at four zoos.

Science.gov (United States)

Crissey, S; Ange, K; Slifka, K; Bowen, P; Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis, M; Langman, C; Sadler, W; Ward, A

2001-01-01

Nutritional status for six captive canid species (n=34) and four captive ursid species (n=18) were analyzed. The species analyzed included: African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), arctic fox (Alopex lagopus), gray wolf (Canis lupus), maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baleiyi), red wolf (Canis rufus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), polar bear (Ursus maritimus), spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), and sun bear (Ursus malayanus). Diet information was collected for these animals from each participating zoo (Brookfield Zoo, Fort Worth Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, and North Carolina Zoological Park). The nutritional composition of the diet for each species at each institution met probable dietary requirements. Blood samples were collected from each animal and analyzed for vitamin D metabolites 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)(2)D, vitamin A (retinol, retinyl stearate, retinyl palmitate), vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol) and selected carotenoids. Family differences were found for 25(OH)D, retinol, retinyl stearate, retinyl palmitate and gamma-tocopherol. Species differences were found for all detectable measurements. Carotenoids were not detected in any species. The large number of animals contributing to these data, provides a substantial base for comparing the nutritional status of healthy animals and the differences among them.

Morcegos (Chiroptera da área urbana de Londrina, Paraná, Brasil Bats (Chiroptera of the urban area of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil

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Nélio Roberto dos Reis

2002-09-01

Full Text Available Study carried out within the urban perimeter of Londrina, which is located in the North of the state of Paraná. The objectives were the identification of urban species of bats and diurnal roosts used by them and the verification of the problems they can cause to the population. The fire brigade, the Autarquia Municipal do Ambiente de Londrina (Municipal Environment Autarchy of Londrina, the Biology Department of the Universidade Estadual de Londrina (State University of Londrina and local residents helped spot the roosts. The collections were carried out in regular intervals between April 1998 and March 1999. By the end of them, 815 bats of 23 different species had been captured. Among these, 12 were found near or inside human constructions: Noctilio albiventris Desmarest, 1818; Artibeits lituratus (Olfers, 1818; Platyrrhinus lineatus (E. Geoffroy, 1810; Eptesicus brasiliensis Desmarest 1819; Lasiurus bore-alls (Muller 1776; Lasiurus ega (Gervais, 1856; Eumops glaucinus (Wagner, 1843; Molossus rufus (E. Geoffroy, 1805; Molossus molossus (Pallas, 1766; Nyctinomops laticaudatus (E. Geoffroy, 1805; Nyctinomops macrotis (Gray, 1840 e Tadarida brasiliensis (i. Geoffroy, 1824. Roost sites comprised expansion joints, roofs, attics and parks, among others. It can be concluded that bats are treated as undesirable animals by the population due to the lack of knowledge about the subject.

Wild hummingbirds rely on landmarks not geometry when learning an array of flowers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hurly, T Andrew; Fox, Thomas A O; Zwueste, Danielle M; Healy, Susan D

2014-09-01

Rats, birds or fish trained to find a reward in one corner of a small enclosure tend to learn the location of the reward using both nearby visual features and the geometric relationships of corners and walls. Because these studies are conducted under laboratory and thereby unnatural conditions, we sought to determine whether wild, free-living rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) learning a single reward location within a rectangular array of flowers would similarly employ both nearby visual landmarks and the geometric relationships of the array. Once subjects had learned the location of the reward, we used test probes in which one or two experimental landmarks were moved or removed in order to reveal how the birds remembered the reward location. The hummingbirds showed no evidence that they used the geometry of the rectangular array of flowers to remember the reward. Rather, they used our experimental landmarks, and possibly nearby, natural landmarks, to orient and navigate to the reward. We believe this to be the first test of the use of rectangular geometry by wild animals, and we recommend further studies be conducted in ecologically relevant conditions in order to help determine how and when animals form complex geometric representations of their local environments.

Habitat composition and connectivity predicts bat presence and activity at foraging sites in a large UK conurbation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hale, James D; Fairbrass, Alison J; Matthews, Tom J; Sadler, Jon P

2012-01-01

Urbanization is characterized by high levels of sealed land-cover, and small, geometrically complex, fragmented land-use patches. The extent and density of urbanized land-use is increasing, with implications for habitat quality, connectivity and city ecology. Little is known about densification thresholds for urban ecosystem function, and the response of mammals, nocturnal and cryptic taxa are poorly studied in this respect. Bats (Chiroptera) are sensitive to changing urban form at a species, guild and community level, so are ideal model organisms for analyses of this nature. We surveyed bats around urban ponds in the West Midlands conurbation, United Kingdom (UK). Sites were stratified between five urban land classes, representing a gradient of built land-cover at the 1 km(2) scale. Models for bat presence and activity were developed using land-cover and land-use data from multiple radii around each pond. Structural connectivity of tree networks was used as an indicator of the functional connectivity between habitats. All species were sensitive to measures of urban density. Some were also sensitive to landscape composition and structural connectivity at different spatial scales. These results represent new findings for an urban area. The activity of Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber 1774) exhibited a non-linear relationship with the area of built land-cover, being much reduced beyond the threshold of ∼60% built surface. The presence of tree networks appears to mitigate the negative effects of urbanization for this species. Our results suggest that increasing urban density negatively impacts the study species. This has implications for infill development policy, built density targets and the compact city debate. Bats were also sensitive to the composition and structure of the urban form at a range of spatial scales, with implications for land-use planning and management. Protecting and establishing tree networks may improve the resilience of some bat

Habitat composition and connectivity predicts bat presence and activity at foraging sites in a large UK conurbation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James D Hale

Full Text Available Urbanization is characterized by high levels of sealed land-cover, and small, geometrically complex, fragmented land-use patches. The extent and density of urbanized land-use is increasing, with implications for habitat quality, connectivity and city ecology. Little is known about densification thresholds for urban ecosystem function, and the response of mammals, nocturnal and cryptic taxa are poorly studied in this respect. Bats (Chiroptera are sensitive to changing urban form at a species, guild and community level, so are ideal model organisms for analyses of this nature.We surveyed bats around urban ponds in the West Midlands conurbation, United Kingdom (UK. Sites were stratified between five urban land classes, representing a gradient of built land-cover at the 1 km(2 scale. Models for bat presence and activity were developed using land-cover and land-use data from multiple radii around each pond. Structural connectivity of tree networks was used as an indicator of the functional connectivity between habitats. All species were sensitive to measures of urban density. Some were also sensitive to landscape composition and structural connectivity at different spatial scales. These results represent new findings for an urban area. The activity of Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber 1774 exhibited a non-linear relationship with the area of built land-cover, being much reduced beyond the threshold of ∼60% built surface. The presence of tree networks appears to mitigate the negative effects of urbanization for this species.Our results suggest that increasing urban density negatively impacts the study species. This has implications for infill development policy, built density targets and the compact city debate. Bats were also sensitive to the composition and structure of the urban form at a range of spatial scales, with implications for land-use planning and management. Protecting and establishing tree networks may improve the resilience of some

Detection of Perkinsus marinus in the oyster Crassostrea rhizophorae in southern Bahia by proteomic analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thiago Ramos Pinto

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study reports the presence of the pathogen Perkinsus marinus, notifiable to the World Organization for Animal Health (Office International des Èpizooties = OIE in the oyster Crassostrea rhizophorae in southern Bahia via proteomic analysis. We analyzed Crassostrea brasiliana from a long-line cultivation system and C. rhizophorae from an adjacent mangrove in Porto do Campo, Camamu Bay, Bahia, Brazil. The collections (n = 100 were performed in October 2012. In the laboratory, the oysters were measured and opened to remove the meat, which was steeped in dry ice. For extraction of proteins, adaptation of a protocol used for mussels was used, after which separation in the first dimension was taken by isoelectric focusing (IEF. The peptides were transferred to a Mass Spectrometer. The obtained spectra were analyzed with the ProteinLynx Global Server 4.2 software tool and also by MASCOT (Matrix Science and compared to the databases of the SWISSPROT and NCBI, respectively. The identification was evidenced by beta-tubulin, Perkinsus marinus ATCC 50983 and protein homology code in the database NCBI = gi | 294889481. This is the first record of P. marinus in Bahia and the fourth in Brazil.

Speed of light exceeded in 31st CERN Relay

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

In the closest-ever finish of the CERN relay race, Florian Marinet (number 54) of the Neutrinos to Gran Sasso team just fails to catch Pierre Maesen of The Shabbys on the line. The AThLetic AceS team (number 76) won the Veterans category by just 3 seconds from long-time participants The Lynx Runners, who didn't leave empty handed. They picked up the cup that is drawn at random. Evidence for new physics? No, simply evidence for faster legs. Only at CERN could the speed of light come third to a team called The Shabbys. But that's exactly what happened on Wednesday 23 May when the team from PS Division lifted the Opitz cup after winning the 31st CERN relay race. The Shabbys sped home in 10 minutes 53 seconds, just 0.3 of a second ahead of the 'Neutrinos to Gran Sasso' team. There's some logic there since it is the PS complex that will provide the protons that will give rise to the neutrino beam. As for 'c0 the speed of light', they took a relatively leisurely 11 minutes 1.6 seconds to cover the course. A total...

The equipment access software for a distributed UNIX-based accelerator control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trofimov, Nikolai; Zelepoukine, Serguei; Zharkov, Eugeny; Charrue, Pierre; Gareyte, Claire; Poirier, Herve

1994-01-01

This paper presents a generic equipment access software package for a distributed control system using computers with UNIX or UNIX-like operating systems. The package consists of three main components, an application Equipment Access Library, Message Handler and Equipment Data Base. An application task, which may run in any computer in the network, sends requests to access equipment through Equipment Library calls. The basic request is in the form Equipment-Action-Data and is routed via a remote procedure call to the computer to which the given equipment is connected. In this computer the request is received by the Message Handler. According to the type of the equipment connection, the Message Handler either passes the request to the specific process software in the same computer or forwards it to a lower level network of equipment controllers using MIL1553B, GPIB, RS232 or BITBUS communication. The answer is then returned to the calling application. Descriptive information required for request routing and processing is stored in the real-time Equipment Data Base. The package has been written to be portable and is currently available on DEC Ultrix, LynxOS, HPUX, XENIX, OS-9 and Apollo domain. ((orig.))

A study on the fusion reactor - Design study for tokamak control system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ko, In Soo; Nam, Kung Won; Cho, Moo Hyun; Kim, Ji Hwa; Kim, Jae Myung; Kim, Sung Chul; Lee, Ki Sun [Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang (Korea, Republic of)

1996-09-01

Based on the experience accumulated during the construction of Pohang Light Source, we strongly suggest that the control system must have a hierarchical structure linked with multiple ethernets. Some UNIX-based workstation are recommended in the top layer where KSTAR operators are faced with several control/monitoring windows. As a supervisors to individual subsystem, realtime computers such as VME system are recommended. Choice of realtime operating system is up to the actual developer. However, we strongly suggest to use Lynx which is UNIX-based realtime OS and is getting more attentions after its introduction in the market. Graphic interface for operators will be developed by adopting development toolkit such as RTWorks and EPICS. We also recommend to use EPICS because it is introduced by Los Alamos National Laboratory, U. S. A. and several laboratories around world are now adopting it to their control system. This report is also pointing out several key issues relating the system development. Among them are the cabling plan, signal list, and noise suppressions. It is also suggested that early decision of communication protocol will help to integrated control system in the future. 11 refs., 5 tabs., 4 figs. (author)

Black hole-galaxy co-evolution in the Mufasa simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Dave, Romeel; Angles-Alcazar, Daniel

2017-08-01

The Mufasa simulations are large-scale cosmological and zoom simulations of galaxy formation that employ novel state of the art modules for star formation and feedback physics, resulting in very good agreement with many key galaxy observables over most of cosmic time. We have recently included black hole growth and feedback using the torque-limited accretion model, which has several advantages over the commonly-used Bondi accretion. We also include AGN feedback using a BAL mode at high Eddington rates and low black hole masses, and a jet mode at low Eddington rates that successfully quenches galaxies. In this talk I will describe preliminary results of the AGN population and its evolution over cosmic time within our new simulations, including cosmological simulations of the general black hole population as well as zoom simulations targeting massive galaxies, with a focus on understanding the co-growth of black holes and galaxies as a function of mass, environment, and cosmic epoch. I will also discuss multi-wavelength approaches to testing and constraining our black hole model in particular using upcoming X-ray and radio facilities such as Lynx and the SKA.

Infusing considerations of trophic dependencies into species distribution modelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Trainor, Anne M; Schmitz, Oswald J

2014-12-01

Community ecology involves studying the interdependence of species with each other and their environment to predict their geographical distribution and abundance. Modern species distribution analyses characterise species-environment dependency well, but offer only crude approximations of species interdependency. Typically, the dependency between focal species and other species is characterised using other species' point occurrences as spatial covariates to constrain the focal species' predicted range. This implicitly assumes that the strength of interdependency is homogeneous across space, which is not generally supported by analyses of species interactions. This discrepancy has an important bearing on the accuracy of inferences about habitat suitability for species. We introduce a framework that integrates principles from consumer-resource analyses, resource selection theory and species distribution modelling to enhance quantitative prediction of species geographical distributions. We show how to apply the framework using a case study of lynx and snowshoe hare interactions with each other and their environment. The analysis shows how the framework offers a spatially refined understanding of species distribution that is sensitive to nuances in biophysical attributes of the environment that determine the location and strength of species interactions. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Virological Survey in free-ranging wildcats (Felis silvestris) and feral domestic cats in Portugal.

Science.gov (United States)

Duarte, A; Fernandes, M; Santos, N; Tavares, L

2012-08-17

To determine the presence of viral pathogens in natural areas a survey was conducted on an opportunistic sample of fifty eight wild (Felis silvestris silvestris) and feral cats (F. s. catus). The biological materials included serum, lung tissue extract and stool. Feline leukemia virus p27 antigen was detected in 13/50 serum/lung tissue extract samples (26%), canine distemper virus antibodies were detected in 2/26 serum/lung tissue extract samples (7.7%), feline coronavirus RNA was present in 6/29 stool samples (20.7%) and feline parvovirus DNA in 2/29 stool samples (6.9%). Canine distemper virus RNA was not detected. Feline immunodeficiency virus and feline coronavirus antibodies were not detected. Evidence of exposure to feline leukemia virus, canine distemper virus, feline coronavirus and feline parvovirus was found in wild and feral cats raising the importance of performing a comprehensive survey to correctly evaluate the potential threat of infectious diseases to endangered species, namely to the wildcat and to the Iberian lynx, which is meant to be reintroduced after 2012 in Portugal. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relay Runners Catch The Rays

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

Athletes sizzled around CERN on Wednesday 19 May at the 34th annual relay race. On one of the warmest days of the year so far, sunkissed competitors ran for the finish line and then straight for the drinks table. The Shabbys were on fire again, hurtling across the line first in a time of 10 min. 42.6 sec. and making an even stronger claim to being hailed as the traditional winners of the race with their fourth triumph in a row. Also on form were the Lynx Runners who won the Veteran's trophy, continuing their winning ways since 2002 and placing 29th overall. Ildefons Magrans of the ALICE Quarks on the Loose team ran the fastest 1000m in a time of 2 min. 47 sec. Second-placed Charmilles Technologies won the Open category in a time of 11 min. 03 sec., taking the prize for teams whose members work in different departments or who come from outside CERN. The OPALadies won the women's trophy and placed 48th. With 9 trophies up for grabs, more than 300 people in 55 teams ran the fun run, covering distances of 1000m ...

Human neuroglobin protein in cerebrospinal fluid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Whalen Gail

2005-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Neuroglobin is a hexacoordinated member of the globin family of proteins. It is predominantly localized to various brain regions and retina where it may play a role in protection against ischemia and nitric oxide-induced neural injury. Cerebrospinal fluid was collected from 12 chronic regional or systemic pain and 5 control subjects. Proteins were precipitated by addition of 50% 0.2 N acetic acid, 50% ethanol, 0.02% sodium bisulfite. The pellet was extensively digested with trypsin. Peptides were separated by capillary liquid chromatography using a gradient from 95% water to 95% acetonitrile in 0.2% formic acid, and eluted through a nanoelectrospray ionization interface into a quadrapole – time-of-flight dual mass spectrometer (QToF2, Waters, Milford, MA. Peptides were sequenced (PepSeq, MassLynx v3.5 and proteins identified using MASCOT ®. Results Six different neuroglobin peptides were identified in various combinations in 3 of 9 female pain subjects, but none in male pain, or female or male control subjects. Conclusion This is the first description of neuroglobin in cerebrospinal fluid. The mechanism(s leading to its release in chronic pain states remain to be defined.

Using diets of Canis breeding pairs to assess resource partitioning between sympatric red wolves and coyotes

Science.gov (United States)

Hinton, Joseph W.; Ashley, Annaliese K.; Dellinger, Justin A.; Gittleman, John L.; van Manen, Frank T.; Chamberlain, Michael J.

2017-01-01

Foraging behaviors of red wolves (Canis rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans) are complex and their ability to form congeneric breeding pairs and hybridize further complicates our understanding of factors influencing their diets. Through scat analysis, we assessed prey selection of red wolf, coyote, and congeneric breeding pairs formed by red wolves and coyotes, and found that all 3 had similar diets. However, red wolf and congeneric pairs consumed more white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) than coyote pairs. Coyotes forming breeding pairs with red wolves had 12% more white-tailed deer in their diet than conspecifics paired with coyotes. Contrary to many studies on coyotes in the southeastern United States, we found coyotes in eastern North Carolina to be primarily carnivorous with increased consumption of deer during winter. Although prey selection was generally similar among the 3 groups, differences in diet among different breeding pairs were strongly associated with body mass. Larger breeding pairs consumed more white-tailed deer, and fewer rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.) and other small mammals. Partitioning of food resources by sympatric red wolves and coyotes is likely via differences in the proportions of similar prey consumed, rather than differences in types of prey exploited. Consequently, our results suggest coexistence of red wolves and coyotes in the southeastern United States may not be possible because there are limited opportunities for niche partitioning to reduce competitive interactions.

Impacts of visitor number on Kangaroos housed in free-range exhibits.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherwen, Sally L; Hemsworth, Paul H; Butler, Kym L; Fanson, Kerry V; Magrath, Michael J L

2015-01-01

Free range exhibits are becoming increasingly popular in zoos as a means to enhance interaction between visitors and animals. However very little research exists on the impacts of visitors on animal behaviour and stress in free range exhibits. We investigated the effects of visitor number on the behaviour and stress physiology of Kangaroo Island (KI) Kangaroos, Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus, and Red Kangaroos, Macropus rufus, housed in two free range exhibits in Australian zoos. Behavioural observations were conducted on individual kangaroos at each site using instantaneous scan sampling to record activity (e.g., vigilance, foraging, resting) and distance from the visitor pathway. Individually identifiable faecal samples were collected at the end of each study day and analysed for faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentration. When visitor number increased, both KI Kangaroos and Red Kangaroos increased the time spent engaged in visitor-directed vigilance and KI Kangaroos also increased the time spent engaged in locomotion and decreased the time spent resting. There was no effect of visitor number on the distance kangaroos positioned themselves from the visitor pathway or FGM concentration in either species. While there are limitations in interpreting these results in terms of fear of visitors, there was no evidence of adverse effects animal welfare in these study groups based on avoidance behaviour or stress physiology under the range of visitor numbers that we studied. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Isolation and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from black bears (Ursus americanus), bobcats (Felis rufus), and feral cats (Felis catus) from Pennsylvania

Science.gov (United States)

Toxoplasma gondii infects virtually all warm-blooded hosts worldwide. Recently, attention has been focused on the genetic diversity of the parasite to explain its pathogenicity in different hosts. It has been hypothesized that interaction between feral and domestic cycles of T. gondii may increase u...

What Is It Going to Be? Pattern and Potential Function of Natal Coat Change in Sexually Dichromatic Redfronted Lemurs (Eulemur fulvus rufus)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barthold, Julia A; Fichtel, Claudia; Kappeler, Peter M

2009-01-01

with adult male coloration and female infants subsequently undergo a change in coloration. Using digital pictures and behavioral data collected on eight mother-offspring dyads from birth until the end of the coloration change, we 1) described timing and pattern of pelage development in redfronted lemur...... infants and 2) examined behavioral developmental correlates of the coloration change. The color change took place between 7 and 17 weeks of age and coincided with advanced physical independence; a pattern also found in monochromatic primate species with natal coats. No behavioral differences between male...

Status sulle conoscenze dei mammiferi molisani

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicola Norante

2003-10-01

Full Text Available Il Molise risulta poco studiato dal punto di vista teriologico e, per colmare almeno in parte tale lacuna, il GMSO si è proposto di raccogliere dati bibliografici e inediti e promuovere qualche progetto. Si riportano sinteticamente dati relativi ad alcune specie. Sciurus vulgaris risulta comune in Prov. di Isernia, più localizzato in quella di Campobasso, presente nelle riserve MAB, nel Parco Naz. d?Abruzzo, Matese e Venafrano, nei pressi della zona ospedaliera di Campobasso ed anche al centro del capoluogo. Hystrix cristata, segnalata fino agli anni anni ?60 a Campomarino è stata trovata di recente (aculei in Alto Molise, sporadiche le segnalazioni nell?agro di S. Croce di Magliano-Colletorto (CB. Canis lupus ha recentemente allargato il suo areale raggiungendo anche siti in collina (per l?immissione dei Daini. Presente oltre che nel PNA, in tutta la Prov. di Isernia, Matese, montagna di Frosolone fino a Castropignano-Casalciprano. Preoccupante invece il randagismo canino verso il quale è auspicabile prendere dei provvedimenti. Ursus arctos è in aumento con massimi in Val di Mezzo, Val Fiorita, Val Pagana, M .te Marrone ed in tutto il gruppo delle Mainarde; fuori dal PNA è sempre più frequente: Matese, Carpinone e recentemente (27.04.03 una coppia in Valle del Sangro a S. Angelo in Pesco (IS. Nel 1995 una femmina è stata investita dal treno nei pressi di Carpinone (IS. Lutra lutra invece è diminuita rispetto al passato. La si incontrava fino agli anni ?70/80 fino alla foce dei fiumi Trigno, Biferno e T. Saccione. Attualmente è segnalata in prov. di Isernia (es. Venafrano, Matese, Montagna di Frosolone. Felis silvestris è presente soprattutto in Prov. di Isernia dove è segnalato in 38 Comuni. In quella di Campobasso appare più localizzato a nord e nel Matese. Riguardo Lynx lynx pare che qualche soggetto sia stato osservato nell?area limitrofa al P.N.A. dove è stata

[WILD MAMMALS OF THE GRAND DUCHY OF LITHUANIA IN THE WORKS OF JEAN-EMMANUEL GILIBERT].

Science.gov (United States)

Samojlik, Tomasz; Daszkiewicz, Piotr

2015-01-01

Among the many topics of lively scientific work that Jean Emmanuel Gilibert (1741-1814) conducted in Grodno and Vilnius, an important place is occupied by his observations of wild mammals. Royal patronage and care from Antoni Tyzenhauz, Treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the governor of Grodno, allowed Gilibert to keep and observe wild fauna captured by royal services in royal forests, including Białowieża Primeval Forest. Such was an origin of a female bison kept by Gilibert in Grodno. Its description, published in Indagatores naturae in Lithuania (Vilnius 1781) for decades became the primary source of information about the behaviour, food preferences and the anatomy of European bison. European science has just begun to take interest in European bison, therefore Gilibert's account entered scientific circulation by way of French natural history encyclopaedias (mainly Georges Buffon's Histoire naturelle) and works by Georges Cuvier or Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. Apart from the description of European bison, Gilibert left an entire series of observations of wild mammals inhabiting the forests of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. His accounts of moose were important in building a knowledge base for this species. In the first half of the 18th century, moose was known mainly from fantastic descriptions in Renaissance works and from prescriptions devoted to using moose hoof as the epilepsy treatment. Gilibert's observations helped to overthrow such superstitions. Similarly, Gilibert's first-hand information verified the widespread legends concerning brown bear (e.g. the belief that white bears, belonging to other species than polar bears, occur in Lithuania) . List of species kept and thoroughly watched by the scholar is much longer and includes lynx, wolf (and hybrids of wolves and dogs), beaver, badger, fox, hedgehog, and even white mouse. Also his comments on the species of mammals then absent in Lithuania but known either from farming or from the fur

Secreted Isoform of Human Lynx1 (SLURP-2): Spatial Structure and Pharmacology of Interactions with Different Types of Acetylcholine Receptors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Lyukmanova, E. N.; Shulepko, M. A.; Shenkarev, Z. O.; Bychkov, M. L.; Paramonov, A. S.; Chugunov, A. O.; Kulbatskii, D. S.; Arvaniti, M.; Dolejší, Eva; Schaer, T.; Arseniev, A. S.; Efremov, R. G.; Thomsen, M. S.; Doležal, Vladimír; Bertrand, D.; Dolgikh, D. A.; Kirpichnikov, M. P.

2016-01-01

Roč. 6, Aug 3 (2016), s. 30698 ISSN 2045-2322 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-05696S Institutional support: RVO:67985823 Keywords : ion channel * signalling * molecular modelling * protein–protein interaction networks * solution-state NMR Subject RIV: ED - Physiology Impact factor: 4.259, year: 2016

Comunidades vegetales de las transiciones terrestre-acuáticas del páramo de Chingaza, Colombia

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Udo Schmidt-Mumm

2012-03-01

Full Text Available La vegetación acuática y semiacuática de los páramos andinos ha sido estudiada generalmente bajo un enfoque fitosociológico tradicional, el cual se basa en muestreos de áreas homogéneas y excluye los fenómenos de borde o transicionales. En el presente estudio se analizó la vegetación acuática y semiacuática del Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza a lo largo de diferentes gradientes hídricos. Asimismo se registran un total de 89 especies en 30 transectos; mediante clasificación numérica y el análisis de especies indicadoras se caracterizan las siguientes 18 comunidades: 1 Calamagrostis effusa, 2 Sphagnum cuspidatum, 3 Cyperus rufus, 4 Eleocharis stenocarpa, 5 Carex acutata, 6 Poa annua, 7 Valeriana sp., 8 Ranunculus flagelliformis, 9 Carex bonplandii, 10 Festuca andicola, 11 Muhlenbergia fastigiata, 12 Elatine paramoana, 13 Isoëtes palmeri, 14 Crassula venezuelensis, 15 Lilaeopsis macloviana, 16 Callitriche nubigena, 17 Potamogeton paramoanus y 18 Potamogeton illinoensis. La ordenación de las comunidades indica la presencia de tres gradientes terrestre-acuáticos diferentes, los cuales se relacionan con las formas de vida de las especies que caracterizan las comunidades. Además se considera que gran parte de la heterogeneidad presentada por la vegetación es el resultado de las alteraciones ambientales generadas por diversas actividades humanas (quemas, ganadería, extracción de material para la construcción de carreteras y la represa.Plant communities in the terrestrial-aquatic transition zone in the paramo of Chingaza, Colombia. High Andean paramo ecosystems are an important water resource for many towns, and major cities in this region. The aquatic and wetland vegetation of different paramo lakes, pond, swamps and bogs was studied according to the classical phytosociological approach, which is based on homogenous stands, but excludes any border phenomena or transitional zone. The present research aimed at determining the

La importancia de Palenque, Chiapas, para la conservación de los murciélagos de México The importance of Palenque, Chiapas, for the conservation of Mexican bats

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Luis Gerardo Avila-Torresagatón

2012-03-01

Full Text Available La fauna de murciélagos de Chiapas, una de las más estudiadas del país, representa cerca del 77% de las especies registradas para México. Sin embargo, se ha prestado poca atención a los murciélagos de la región selva-norte, área convergente entre la Planicie del Golfo, la Sierra Chiapaneca y la porción más norteña de la Selva Lacandona. Con el objetivo de complementar el listado de las especies de la Región Selva Norte, entre febrero de 2008 y mayo de 2010 se capturaron murciélagos en 130 sitios mediante redes de niebla en Palenque, Chiapas. Los muestreos se realizaron en el continuo de vegetación del Parque Nacional Palenque (PNP y en fragmentos aislados de vegetación en diferente grado de sucesión, así como en cercas vivas, corredores riparios y pastizales inducidos, localizados desde 1 hasta 14 kilómetros al norte del Parque. Con un esfuerzo de muestreo de 432 m-red/noche, en 130 noches se registraron 52 especies de murciélagos; 10 catalogadas como especies hábitat-dependientes, 26 vulnerables a la fragmentación y 16 tolerables a la fragmentación. Entre las especies registradas se encuentran Noctilio leporinus, Mimon crenulatum, Chiroderma salvini, Myotis californicus, M. elegans, Rhogeessa tumida, Molosus rufus y M. sinaloae que no se habían registrado previamente en la zona. Los resultados de este trabajo muestran que la diversidad de murciélagos encontrada en Palenque representa el 42% de la fauna de quirópteros mexicanos, por lo que el PNP y su periferia deben considerarse como área focal para la conservación de este grupo de mamíferos.The bat fauna of Chiapas, is one of the most studied of Mexico, and representing about 77% of the bat species reported to the country. Although, low attention have received the bats from the Selva-Norte region (located in the Plains of the Gulf of Mexico, the Chiapas Mountains and the northern portion of Lacandona. With the objective of obtain a comprehensive list of the bat

Contenção farmacológica do gato-do-mato-pequeno, Leopardus tigrinus, para colheita de sêmen, pela associação de tiletamina zolazepam e xilazina Chemical restraint of tigrinas, Leopardus tigrinus, for semen collection with allometrically scaled doses of tiletamine, zolazepam, and xylazine

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Julio C. Juvenal

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Foram avaliados os efeitos anestésicos da associação de cloridrato de tiletamina, cloridrato de zolazepam e cloridrato de xilazina para contenção farmacológica de gatos-do-mato-pequenos, Leopardus tigrinus Schreber, 1775 (Felidae, submetidos à colheita de sêmen por eletroejaculação. Formularam-se três diferentes protocolos, sendo as doses calculadas individualmente, por meio de extrapolação alométrica interespecífica, com base nas indicações posológicas usuais para o cão doméstico com massa de 10,0 kg. No Protocolo 1 (n=10 a base para o cálculo alométrico foi 5,0mg/kg para tiletamina + zolazepam e 0,5mg/kg para xilazina; no Protocolo 2 (n=12, foi 5,0mg/kg para tiletamina + zolazepam e 0,75mg/kg para xilazina; e no Protocolo 3 (n=11, foi 5,0mg/ kg para tiletamina + zolazepam e 1,0mg/kg para xilazina. Os animais foram anestesiados em três ocasiões, com intervalo mínimo de 30 dias. Após a administração dos fármacos, monitorizaram-se durante 120 minutos freqüência cardíaca, freqüência respiratória, temperatura retal, miorrelaxamento e nocicepção. Também foram avaliados período de latência, período anestésico hábil e contaminação do ejaculado por urina. De um total de 32 colheitas, houve contaminação por urina em 10 colheitas (31,2% e em 18 alíquotas (0,07%, as quais foram desprezadas, não inviabilizando a análise e o processamento do sêmen. Observou-se pequeno aumento da temperatura retal durante a eletroejaculação, justificado pela contração muscular, ocorrendo redução da temperatura após o procedimento. As freqüências cardíaca e respiratória oscilaram durante o experimento, porém se mantiveram dentro dos padrões fisiológicos para a espécie. Nos três protocolos analisados não houve diferença significativa de sensibilidade de membros torácicos entre momentos antes e durante a eletroejaculação (pe"0,10, caracterizando assim a eficácia dos protocolos em propiciar analgesia e

Metais pesados em solos de área de mineração e metalurgia de chumbo: I - Fitoextração Heavy metals in soils of a lead mining and metallurgy area: I - Phytoextraction

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Maurício Gomes de Andrade

2009-12-01

Full Text Available A fitoextração tem sido sugerida como alternativa viável às práticas tradicionais de recuperação de solos contaminados por metais pesados (remoção do solo e destinação em aterros ou coprocessamento em cimento, etc., em razão dos menores custos e por ser menos impactante ao ambiente. Este trabalho objetivou avaliar a fitoextração induzida (uso de ácido cítrico como agente quelante de metais pesados, com o cultivo de aveia-preta (Avena strigosa Schreber, girassol (Helianthus annuus L. e grama-batatais (Paspalum notatum Flügge, em solos poluídos (solos 2, 3 e 4 de uma área de mineração de Pb em Adrianópolis (PR. O solo 1 foi amostrado em área de mata nativa (referência. O experimento foi realizado em casa de vegetação, com três repetições. Foram determinados os teores de Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni, Cr e Zn no solo com HNO3/HCl (3:1 concentrados. Após a colheita das plantas, determinaram-se a massa de matéria seca e os teores de metais pesados nas raízes e parte aérea (digestão nítrico-perclórica. Os solos contaminados (2, 3 e 4 apresentaram as seguintes faixas de teores de metais pesados (mg kg-1: Pb - 2.598,5 a 9.678,2; Cd - 1,9 a 22,2; Cu - 165,5 a 969,2; Ni - 22,6 a 38,4; Cr - 15,2 a 27,8; e Zn - 87,4 a 894,8. A adição de quelante não induziu a uma absorção mais efetiva de metais pesados pelas plantas. O solo 2 possibilitou melhor crescimento das plantas, e o girassol deve ser preferido na fitorremediação das áreas sob as mesmas condições. Na área próxima à planta fabril (solo 3 e nas áreas com grande ocorrência de rejeitos (solo 4, a fitoextração não foi eficiente. Nesses ambientes, recomenda-se o estudo de outras plantas nativas e, ou, exóticas resistentes a altos teores de Pb (solo 3 ou a remobilização de solo mais rejeito para aterros industriais (solo 4.Phytoextraction has been suggested as a viable alternative to traditional restoration practices for heavy metal-contaminated soils (e.g., soil

Characterization of the multiple components of Acanthopanax Senticosus stem by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Hui; Liu, Jianhua; Zhang, Aihua; Zhang, Ying; Meng, Xiangcai; Han, Ying; Zhang, Yingzhi; Wang, Xijun

2016-02-01

Acanthopanax Senticosus Harms. has been used widely in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of chronic bronchitis, neurasthenia, hypertension and ischemic heart disease. However, the in vivo constituents of the stem of Acanthopanax Senticosus remain unknown. In this paper, ultra high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and the MarkerLynx(TM) software combined with multiple data processing approach were used to study the constituents in vitro and in vivo. The aqueous extract from the Acanthopanax Senticosus stem and the compositions in rat serum after intragastric administration were completely analyzed. Consequently, 115 compounds in the aqueous extract from Acanthopanax Senticosus stem and 41 compounds absorbed into blood were characterized. Of the 115 compounds in vitro, 54 were reported for first time, including sinapyl alcohol, sinapyl alcohol diglucoside, and 1-O-sinapoyl-β-D-glucose. In the 41 compounds in vivo, 7 were prototype components and 34 were metabolites which were from 21 components of aqueous extract from Acanthopanax Senticosus stem, and the metabolic pathways of the metabolites were elucidated for first time. The results narrowed the range of screening the active components and provided a basis for the study of action mechanism and pharmacology. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Roadside Multiple Objects Extraction from Mobile Laser Scanning Point Cloud Based on DBN

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LUO Haifeng

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This paper proposed an novel algorithm for exploring deep belief network (DBN architectures to extract and recognize roadside facilities (trees,cars and traffic poles from mobile laser scanning (MLS point cloud.The proposed methods firstly partitioned the raw MLS point cloud into blocks and then removed the ground and building points.In order to partition the off-ground objects into individual objects,off-ground points were organized into an Octree structure and clustered into candidate objects based on connected component.To improve segmentation performance on clusters containing overlapped objects,a refining processing using a voxel-based normalized cut was then implemented.In addition,multi-view features descriptor was generated for each independent roadside facilities based on binary images.Finally,a deep belief network (DBN was trained to extract trees,cars and traffic pole objects.Experiments are undertaken to evaluate the validities of the proposed method with two datasets acquired by Lynx Mobile Mapper System.The precision of trees,cars and traffic poles objects extraction results respectively was 97.31%,97.79% and 92.78%.The recall was 98.30%,98.75% and 96.77% respectively.The quality is 95.70%,93.81% and 90.00%.And the F1 measure was 97.80%,96.81% and 94.73%.

PARTICULARITIES AND THREATS ON THE BIODIVERSITY FROM CROATIA

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Andreea BĂLTĂREŢU

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Because it has a specific geographic position and it’s situated at the crossroads of several bio-geographical regions and as a result of its ecological characteristics, the climate and geo-morphological conditions, Croatia is one of the wealthiest countries from Europe concerning the biodiversity. The great variety of the territory, maritime and underground habitats has determined the existence of numerous species and subspecies, including a significant number of endemic species. Although the climate of Croatia has a great value, many of its components are threatened. The most important threats of wild species are losing the habitats and the degradation. Because of its shape and its position in Europe, Croatia has very rich landscape diversity. Croatia contains significant populations of many species that are threatened at the European level. These are connected to preserved large areas of their habitats. Vast mountain beech and fir forests are rich in bear, wolf and lynx populations. Large wetland complexes with alluvial forests are important breeding, the migration and wintering sites for European water birds and for wetland birds nesting in forests. The wealth of marine biodiversity, in combination with the immense diversity of islands and cliffs with endemic life forms, gives the Croatian coastal area international significance.

Rodent foraging is affected by indirect, but not by direct, cues of predation risk.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orrock, John, L.; Danielson, Brent, J.; Brinkerhoff, R., Jory

2004-01-01

Behavioral Ecology Vol. 15 No. 3: 433 - 437 We used foraging trays to determine whether old field mice, Peromyscus polionotus , altered foraging in response to direct cues of predation risk (urine of native and nonnative predators) and indirect cues of predation risk (foraging microhabitat, precipitation, and moon illumination). The proportion of seeds remaining in each tray (a measure of the giving-up density [GUD]) was used to measure risk perceived by mice. Mice did not alter their GUD when presented with cues of native predators (bobcats, Lynx r ufus , and red foxes, Vulpes vulpes), recently introduced predators (coyotes, Canis latrans ), nonnative predators (ocelots, Leopardus pardalis ), a native herbivore (white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus), or a water control. Rather, GUD was related to microhabitat: rodents removed more seeds from foraging trays sheltered beneath vegetative cover compared with exposed trays outside of cover. Rodents also removed more seeds during nights with precipitation and when moon illumination was low. Our results suggest that P. polionotus used indirect cues rather than direct cues to assess risk of vertebrate predation. Indirect cues may be more reliable than are direct scent cues for estimating risk from multiple vertebrate predators that present the most risk in open environments.

Mammalian fauna of the Temessos National Park, Turkey

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Anna De Marinis

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The National Park of Termessos, Southern Turkey, is one of the Turkey’s biggest national park not only with its archeological richness but also with its great natural wild life. We provided a checklist of the mammalian fauna of the park on the base of direct observations, interviews and a comparative analysis of the available literature. Sixteen species have been reported in the park. Hedgehogs, hares, porcupines and Persian squirrels and, among flying mammals, Egyptian rousette and Mouse-eared bat have been recorded. Carnivores are represented by Golden jackal, Wolf, Red fox, Stone marten, Badger, Otter and Wild cat. Very recently (2005 the presence of the Caracal in the park has been confirmed, whereas no signs of the presence of the Lynx were detected. The last Anatolian leopards seems to have definitively disappeared from the region. The occurrence in the area of striped hyaenas and brown bears is documented up to a few decades ago. The Park is regarded as the only geographical range in the whole world where the European or Common fallow deer has persisted as a native form. Other ungulates too, such as Wild goat and Wild boar are dispersed within the boundary of the park. Management implications are discussed.

Advancing the technology of monolithic CMOS detectors for use as x-ray imaging spectrometers

Science.gov (United States)

Kenter, Almus; Kraft, Ralph; Gauron, Thomas; Amato, Stephen

2017-08-01

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) in collaboration with SRI/Sarnoff has been engaged in a multi year effort to advance the technology of monolithic back-thinned CMOS detectors for use as X-ray imaging spectrometers. The long term goal of this campaign is to produce X-ray Active Pixel Sensor (APS) detectors with Fano limited performance over the 0.1-10keV band while incorporating the many benefits of CMOS technology. These benefits include: low power consumption, radiation "hardness", high levels of integration, and very high read rates. Such devices would be ideal for candidate post 2020 decadal missions such as LYNX and for smaller more immediate applications such as CubeX. Devices from a recent fabrication have been back-thinned, packaged and tested for soft X-ray response. These devices have 16μm pitch, 6 Transistor Pinned Photo Diode (6TPPD) pixels with ˜135μV/electron sensitivity and a highly parallel signal chain. These new detectors are fabricated on 10μm epitaxial silicon and have a 1k by 1k format. We present details of our camera design and device performance with particular emphasis on those aspects of interest to single photon counting X-ray astronomy. These features include read noise, X-ray spectral response and quantum efficiency.

Survey of wildlife, including aquatic mammals, associated with riparian habitat on the Syncrude Canada Ltd. Aurora Mine environmental impact assessment local study area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Surrendi, D.C.

1996-12-31

A general overview of the wildlife associated with riparian habitats at Syncrude`s proposed Aurora Mine, located 70 km northeast of Fort McMurray, Alberta on the east side of the Athabasca River, was presented. The area is underlain by bitumen and is being considered for bitumen extraction and production of synthetic crude oil. Two surveys were conducted with the help of experienced trappers from the community at Fort McKay. One was an aerial survey on November 3, 1995, the other a ground survey on November 29-30, 1995. The two surveys yielded 248 observed tracks on four 500 metre transects. The study area was comprised of boreal forest with natural drainage via Stanley Creek into the Muskeg River and via Fort Creek into the Athabasca River. Beavers, fox, weasel, mink, rabbit, wolf, moose, deer, ptarmigan, sharp-tailed grouse and ruffed grouse, lynx, coyote, river otter and mice were associated with riparian habitat on the study area. There was no sign of muskrat in the study area. It was concluded that in order to develop an understanding of reclamation alternatives for mined areas in the region, future detailed examination of the site should be approached through the integration of traditional ecological knowledge and conventional scientific methodology. 26 refs., 12 tabs., 2 figs.

Survey of wildlife, including aquatic mammals, associated with riparian habitat on the Syncrude Canada Ltd. Aurora Mine environmental impact assessment local study area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surrendi, D.C.

1996-01-01

A general overview of the wildlife associated with riparian habitats at Syncrude's proposed Aurora Mine, located 70 km northeast of Fort McMurray, Alberta on the east side of the Athabasca River, was presented. The area is underlain by bitumen and is being considered for bitumen extraction and production of synthetic crude oil. Two surveys were conducted with the help of experienced trappers from the community at Fort McKay. One was an aerial survey on November 3, 1995, the other a ground survey on November 29-30, 1995. The two surveys yielded 248 observed tracks on four 500 metre transects. The study area was comprised of boreal forest with natural drainage via Stanley Creek into the Muskeg River and via Fort Creek into the Athabasca River. Beavers, fox, weasel, mink, rabbit, wolf, moose, deer, ptarmigan, sharp-tailed grouse and ruffed grouse, lynx, coyote, river otter and mice were associated with riparian habitat on the study area. There was no sign of muskrat in the study area. It was concluded that in order to develop an understanding of reclamation alternatives for mined areas in the region, future detailed examination of the site should be approached through the integration of traditional ecological knowledge and conventional scientific methodology. 26 refs., 12 tabs., 2 figs

Shedding light on the microbial community of the macropod foregut using 454-amplicon pyrosequencing.

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Lisa-Maree Gulino

Full Text Available Twenty macropods from five locations in Queensland, Australia, grazing on a variety of native pastures were surveyed and the bacterial community of the foregut was examined using 454-amplicon pyrosequencing. Specifically, the V3/V4 region of 16S rRNA gene was examined. A total of 5040 OTUs were identified in the data set (post filtering. Thirty-two OTUs were identified as 'shared' OTUS (i.e. present in all samples belonging to either Firmicutes or Bacteroidetes (Clostridiales/Bacteroidales. These phyla predominated the general microbial community in all macropods. Genera represented within the shared OTUs included: unclassified Ruminococcaceae, unclassified Lachnospiraceae, unclassified Clostridiales, Peptococcus sp. Coprococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Blautia sp., Ruminoccocus sp., Eubacterium sp., Dorea sp., Oscillospira sp. and Butyrivibrio sp. The composition of the bacterial community of the foregut samples of each the host species (Macropus rufus, Macropus giganteus and Macropus robustus was significantly different allowing differentiation between the host species based on alpha and beta diversity measures. Specifically, eleven dominant OTUs that separated the three host species were identified and classified as: unclassified Ruminococcaceae, unclassified Bacteroidales, Prevotella spp. and a Syntrophococcus sucromutans. Putative reductive acetogens and fibrolytic bacteria were also identified in samples. Future work will investigate the presence and role of fibrolytics and acetogens in these ecosystems. Ideally, the isolation and characterization of these organisms will be used for enhanced feed efficiency in cattle, methane mitigation and potentially for other industries such as the biofuel industry.

Colour cues facilitate learning flower refill schedules in wild hummingbirds.

Science.gov (United States)

Samuels, Michael; Hurly, T Andrew; Healy, Susan D

2014-11-01

Free-living hummingbirds can learn the refill schedules of individual experimental flowers but little is known about what information they use to do this. Colour cues, in particular, may be important to hummingbirds when learning about rewarded flower properties. We investigated, therefore, whether colour cues facilitated the learning of flower refill schedules in wild, free-living rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus). In the Cued condition, we presented birds with an array of six flowers, three of one colour, each of which were refilled 10min after being emptied by the bird and three of a different colour, which were refilled 20min after being emptied. In the Uncued condition we presented birds with six flowers of the same colour, three of which were refilled after 10min and three of which were refilled after 20min as for the birds in the Cued condition. In the second part of the experiment, we moved the array 2m and changed the shape of the array. Across both phases, birds in the Cued condition learned to discriminate between 10 and 20-min flowers more quickly than did the birds in the Uncued condition. The Cued birds were also better at discriminating between the two distinct refill intervals. Colour cues can, therefore, facilitate learning the refill schedules of experimental flowers in these birds. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cognition in the wild. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Food preferences of the Golden Jackal Canis aureus in the Gir National Park and Sanctuary, Gujarat, India

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M. Shamshad Alam

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The feeding habits of the Golden Jackal Canis aureus were investigated by analysis of its scat contents (n=81, collected between October 2007 and June 2008 in Gir National Park and Sanctuary, Gujarat, India. Jackal dietary habits reflected the availability of a wide variety of food items and the differential vulnerability of prey. Potential animal and plant foods available to jackal varied because of their seasonal variability. About 32.69% scats were found to have only one prey item, whereas 48.08% of scats represented two prey items. Overall, it was found that the large mammalian prey was the most important food item which was significantly supplemented by vegetative material particularly Zizyphus spp. Amongst mammalian prey, the percentage frequency of occurrence (percentage±SE of Chital Axis axis was 25.93±2.84, Buffalo Bubalus arnee bubalis was 27.16±2.98 followed by Indian Hare Rufus nigricollis 19.75±2.15 and Sambar Rusa unicolor 11.11±1.19 while the least was found for Langur Semnopithecus entellus 2.47±0.21 and Bluebull Boselaphus tragocamelus 2.47±0.21. Although, there is substantial availability of wild prey kills, the results suggest the presence of domestic mammals and human waste matter in the scats which could be assumed as a fortification of the Jackal’s dietary spectrum, substantiating the scavenging tendency of the jackal to forage near human settlements.

Shedding light on the microbial community of the macropod foregut using 454-amplicon pyrosequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Gulino, Lisa-Maree; Ouwerkerk, Diane; Kang, Alicia Y H; Maguire, Anita J; Kienzle, Marco; Klieve, Athol V

2013-01-01

Twenty macropods from five locations in Queensland, Australia, grazing on a variety of native pastures were surveyed and the bacterial community of the foregut was examined using 454-amplicon pyrosequencing. Specifically, the V3/V4 region of 16S rRNA gene was examined. A total of 5040 OTUs were identified in the data set (post filtering). Thirty-two OTUs were identified as 'shared' OTUS (i.e. present in all samples) belonging to either Firmicutes or Bacteroidetes (Clostridiales/Bacteroidales). These phyla predominated the general microbial community in all macropods. Genera represented within the shared OTUs included: unclassified Ruminococcaceae, unclassified Lachnospiraceae, unclassified Clostridiales, Peptococcus sp. Coprococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Blautia sp., Ruminoccocus sp., Eubacterium sp., Dorea sp., Oscillospira sp. and Butyrivibrio sp. The composition of the bacterial community of the foregut samples of each the host species (Macropus rufus, Macropus giganteus and Macropus robustus) was significantly different allowing differentiation between the host species based on alpha and beta diversity measures. Specifically, eleven dominant OTUs that separated the three host species were identified and classified as: unclassified Ruminococcaceae, unclassified Bacteroidales, Prevotella spp. and a Syntrophococcus sucromutans. Putative reductive acetogens and fibrolytic bacteria were also identified in samples. Future work will investigate the presence and role of fibrolytics and acetogens in these ecosystems. Ideally, the isolation and characterization of these organisms will be used for enhanced feed efficiency in cattle, methane mitigation and potentially for other industries such as the biofuel industry.

Exogenous Calcium Enhances the Photosystem II Photochemistry Response in Salt Stressed Tall Fescue.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Guangyang; Bi, Aoyue; Amombo, Erick; Li, Huiying; Zhang, Liang; Cheng, Cheng; Hu, Tao; Fu, Jinmin

2017-01-01

Calcium enhances turfgrass response to salt stress. However, little is known about PSII photochemical changes when exogenous calcium was applied in salinity-stressed turfgrass. Here, we probe into the rearrangements of PSII electron transport and endogenous ion accumulation in tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea Schreber) treated with exogenous calcium under salt stress. Three-month-old seedlings of genotype "TF133" were subjected to the control (CK), salinity (S), salinity + calcium nitrate (SC), and salinity + ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (SE). Calcium nitrate and ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid was used as exogenous calcium donor and calcium chelating agent respectively. At the end of a 5-day duration treatment, samples in SC regime had better photochemistry performance on several parameters than salinity only. Such as the Area (equal to the plastoquinone pool size), N (number of [Formula: see text] redox turnovers until F m is reached), ψE 0 , or δRo (Efficiencdy/probability with which a PSII trapped electron is transferred from Q A to Q B or PSI acceptors), ABS/RC (Absorbed photon flux per RC). All the above suggested that calcium enhanced the electron transfer of PSII (especially beyond [Formula: see text]) and prevented reaction centers from inactivation in salt-stressed tall fescue. Furthermore, both grass shoot and root tissues generally accumulated more C, N, Ca 2+ , and K + in the SC regime than S regime. Interrelated analysis indicated that ψE 0 , δRo, ABS/RC, C, and N content in shoots was highly correlated to each other and significantly positively related to Ca 2+ and K + content in roots. Besides, high salt increased ATP6E and CAMK2 transcription level in shoot at 1 and 5 day, respectively while exogenous calcium relieved it. In root, CAMK2 level was reduced by Salinity at 5 day and exogenous calcium recovered it. These observations involved in electron transport capacity and ion accumulation assist in understanding better the protective role

Exogenous Calcium Enhances the Photosystem II Photochemistry Response in Salt Stressed Tall Fescue

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Guangyang Wang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Calcium enhances turfgrass response to salt stress. However, little is known about PSII photochemical changes when exogenous calcium was applied in salinity-stressed turfgrass. Here, we probe into the rearrangements of PSII electron transport and endogenous ion accumulation in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreber treated with exogenous calcium under salt stress. Three-month-old seedlings of genotype “TF133” were subjected to the control (CK, salinity (S, salinity + calcium nitrate (SC, and salinity + ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (SE. Calcium nitrate and ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid was used as exogenous calcium donor and calcium chelating agent respectively. At the end of a 5-day duration treatment, samples in SC regime had better photochemistry performance on several parameters than salinity only. Such as the Area (equal to the plastoquinone pool size, N (number of QA- redox turnovers until Fm is reached, ψE0, or δRo (Efficiencdy/probability with which a PSII trapped electron is transferred from QA to QB or PSI acceptors, ABS/RC (Absorbed photon flux per RC. All the above suggested that calcium enhanced the electron transfer of PSII (especially beyond QA- and prevented reaction centers from inactivation in salt-stressed tall fescue. Furthermore, both grass shoot and root tissues generally accumulated more C, N, Ca2+, and K+ in the SC regime than S regime. Interrelated analysis indicated that ψE0, δRo, ABS/RC, C, and N content in shoots was highly correlated to each other and significantly positively related to Ca2+ and K+ content in roots. Besides, high salt increased ATP6E and CAMK2 transcription level in shoot at 1 and 5 day, respectively while exogenous calcium relieved it. In root, CAMK2 level was reduced by Salinity at 5 day and exogenous calcium recovered it. These observations involved in electron transport capacity and ion accumulation assist in understanding better the protective role of exogenous calcium in tall

Improved ultra-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole-time-of-flight high-definition mass spectrometry method for the rapid analysis of the chemical constituents of a typical medical formula: Liuwei Dihuang Wan.

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Wang, Ping; Lv, Hai tao; Zhang, Ai hua; Sun, Hui; Yan, Guang li; Han, Ying; Wu, Xiu hong; Wang, Xi jun

2013-11-01

Liuwei Dihuang Wan (LDW), a classic Chinese medicinal formula, has been used to improve or restore declined functions related to aging and geriatric diseases, such as impaired mobility, vision, hearing, cognition, and memory. It has attracted increasing attention as one of the most popular and valuable herbal medicines. However, the systematic analysis of the chemical constituents of LDW is difficult and thus has not been well established. In this paper, a rapid, sensitive, and reliable ultra-performance LC with ESI quadrupole TOF high-definition MS method with automated MetaboLynx analysis in positive and negative ion mode was established to characterize the chemical constituents of LDW. The analysis was performed on a Waters UPLC™ HSS T3 using a gradient elution system. MS/MS fragmentation behavior was proposed for aiding the structural identification of the components. Under the optimized conditions, a total of 50 peaks were tentatively characterized by comparing the retention time and MS data. It is concluded that a rapid and robust platform based on ultra-performance LC with ESI quadrupole TOF high-definition MS has been successfully developed for globally identifying multiple constituents of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. This is the first report on the systematic analysis of the chemical constituents of LDW. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Metabolism of Genipin in Rat and Identification of Metabolites by Using Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography/Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Tandem Mass Spectrometry

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Yue Ding

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The in vivo and in vitro metabolism of genipin was systematically investigated in the present study. Urine, plasma, feces, and bile were collected from rats after oral administration of genipin at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight. A rapid and sensitive method using ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF MS was developed for analysis of metabolic profile of genipin in rat biological samples (urine, plasma, feces, and bile. A total of ten metabolites were detected and identified by comparing their fragmentation patterns with that of genipin using MetaboLynx software tools. On the basis of the chromatographic peak area, the sulfated and glucuronidated conjugates of genipin were identified as major metabolites. And the existence of major metabolites G1 and G2 was confirmed by the in vitro enzymatic study further. Then, metabolite G1 was isolated from rat bile by semipreparative HPLC. Its structure was unambiguously identified as genipin-1-o-glucuronic acid by comparison of its UV, IR, ESI-MS, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR spectra with conference. In general, genipin was a very active compound that would transform immediately, and the parent form of genipin could not be observed in rats biological samples. The biotransformation pathways of genipin involved demethylated, ring-opened, cysteine-conjugated, hydroformylated, glucuronidated, and sulfated transformations.

The Conservation Measures of NATURA 2000 "Someşul Rece" Site Management Plan

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Marian Proorocu

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Natura 2000 is a European network of protected natural areas including a significant number of natural habitats and wild species for the interest of comunnity. Natura 2000 ROSCI 0233 "Someşul Rece"  Site is situated in the south-western county of Cluj, on the administrative territory of Măguri-Răcătău and Ierii Valley. It has an area of 8529 ha and is a framed area of the Apuseni Mountains Alpine bioregions. The site preserves the following natural habitats: Rough mountain beech forests Asperulo-Fagetum, beech forests of Luzulo-Fagetum, forests acidophilous Picea Abies mountain region and protect important species and active fish fauna, flora and fauna of the Apuseni Mountains. It is also home for several species (mammals, amphibians, fish and beetles like: lynx, wolf or otter. The conservation measures of Natura 2000 Somesul Rece Site, elaborated in order to protect the habitats and the species are part of the management plan. These measures were developed in close connection with the conservation status of habitats and species, but also taking into account the needs of local communities. These measures include: maintaining habitats in favorable conservation status; maintain the current habitat areas; preventing and combating poaching and overfishing;ensuring peace in areas of rock (for large mammals.

Automated Techniques for the Qualitative Analysis of Ecological Models: Continuous Models

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Lynn van Coller

1997-06-01

Full Text Available The mathematics required for a detailed analysis of the behavior of a model can be formidable. In this paper, I demonstrate how various computer packages can aid qualitative analyses by implementing techniques from dynamical systems theory. Because computer software is used to obtain the results, the techniques can be used by nonmathematicians as well as mathematicians. In-depth analyses of complicated models that were previously very difficult to study can now be done. Because the paper is intended as an introduction to applying the techniques to ecological models, I have included an appendix describing some of the ideas and terminology. A second appendix shows how the techniques can be applied to a fairly simple predator-prey model and establishes the reliability of the computer software. The main body of the paper discusses a ratio-dependent model. The new techniques highlight some limitations of isocline analyses in this three-dimensional setting and show that the model is structurally unstable. Another appendix describes a larger model of a sheep-pasture-hyrax-lynx system. Dynamical systems techniques are compared with a traditional sensitivity analysis and are found to give more information. As a result, an incomplete relationship in the model is highlighted. I also discuss the resilience of these models to both parameter and population perturbations.

SPring-8 beamline control system.

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Ohata, T; Konishi, H; Kimura, H; Furukawa, Y; Tamasaku, K; Nakatani, T; Tanabe, T; Matsumoto, N; Ishii, M; Ishikawa, T

1998-05-01

The SPring-8 beamline control system is now taking part in the control of the insertion device (ID), front end, beam transportation channel and all interlock systems of the beamline: it will supply a highly standardized environment of apparatus control for collaborative researchers. In particular, ID operation is very important in a third-generation synchrotron light source facility. It is also very important to consider the security system because the ID is part of the storage ring and is therefore governed by the synchrotron ring control system. The progress of computer networking systems and the technology of security control require the development of a highly flexible control system. An interlock system that is independent of the control system has increased the reliability. For the beamline control system the so-called standard model concept has been adopted. VME-bus (VME) is used as the front-end control system and a UNIX workstation as the operator console. CPU boards of the VME-bus are RISC processor-based board computers operated by a LynxOS-based HP-RT real-time operating system. The workstation and the VME are linked to each other by a network, and form the distributed system. The HP 9000/700 series with HP-UX and the HP 9000/743rt series with HP-RT are used. All the controllable apparatus may be operated from any workstation.

[Plant communities in the terrestrial-aquatic transition zone in the paramo of Chingaza, Colombia].

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Schmidt-Mumm, Udo; Vargas Ríos, Orlando

2012-03-01

Plant communities in the terrestrial-aquatic transition zone in the paramo of Chingaza, Colombia. High Andean paramo ecosystems are an important water resource for many towns, and major cities in this region. The aquatic and wetland vegetation of different paramo lakes, pond, swamps and bogs was studied according to the classical phytosociological approach, which is based on homogenous stands, but excludes any border phenomena or transitional zone. The present research aimed at determining the aquatic and wetland vegetation along different moisture gradients. A total of 89 species in 30 transects were reported, of which Crassula venezuelensis, Carex honplandii, Callitriche nubigena, Eleocharis macrostachya, Ranunculus flagelliformis, R. nubigenus, Eleocharis stenocarpa, Galium ascendens y Alopecurus aequalis were present in more than one third of the transects. Numerical classification and indicator species analysis resulted in the definition of the next 18 communities: 1) Calamagrostis effusa, 2) Sphagnum cuspidatum, 3) Cyperus rufus, 4) Eleocharis stenocarpa, 5) Carex acutata, 6) Poa annua,7) Valeriana sp., 8) Ranunculus flagelliformis, 9) Carex bonplandii, 10) Festuca andicola. 11) Muhlenbergia fustigiata, 12) Elatine paramoana, 13) Isoëtes palmeri, 14) Crassula venezuelensis, 15) Lilaeopsis macloviana, 16) Callitriche nubigena, 17) Potamogeton paramoanus and 18) Potamogeton illinoensis. The ordination of communities reveals the presence of three different aquatic-terrestrial gradients which are related to the life form structure of species that characterized the various communities. We concluded that patchiness and heterogeneity of the vegetation is mainly the result of alterations caused by human activities (burning, cattle raise and material extraction for road and dam construction).

Is the Red Wolf a Listable Unit Under the US Endangered Species Act?

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Waples, Robin S; Kays, Roland; Fredrickson, Richard J; Pacifici, Krishna; Mills, L Scott

2018-06-08

Defining units that can be afforded legal protection is a crucial, albeit challenging, step in conservation planning. As we illustrate with a case study of the red wolf (Canis rufus) from the southeastern United States, this step is especially complex when the evolutionary history of the focal taxon is uncertain. The US Endangered Species Act (ESA) allows listing of species, subspecies, or Distinct Population Segments (DPSs) of vertebrates. Red wolves were listed as an endangered species in 1973, and their status remains precarious. However, some recent genetic studies suggest that red wolves are part of a small wolf species (C. lycaon) specialized for heavily forested habitats of eastern North America, whereas other authors suggest that red wolves arose, perhaps within the last ~400 years, through hybridization between gray wolves (C. lupus) and coyotes (C. latrans). Using published genetic, morphological, behavioral, and ecological data, we evaluated whether each evolutionary hypothesis would lead to a listable unit for red wolves. Although the potential hybrid origin of red wolves, combined with abundant evidence for recent hybridization with coyotes, raises questions about status as a separate species or subspecies, we conclude that under any proposed evolutionary scenario red wolves meet both criteria to be considered a DPS: they are discrete compared with other conspecific populations, and they are Significant to the taxon to which they belong. As population-level units can qualify for legal protection under endangered-species legislation in many countries throughout the world, this general approach could potentially be applied more broadly.

Establishment of a health surveillance program for reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) into Scotland.

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Goodman, Gidona; Girling, Simon; Pizzi, Romain; Meredith, Anna; Rosell, Frank; Campbell-Palmer, Roisin

2012-10-01

In 2009 and 2010 16 Norwegian Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) were reintroduced to Knapdale, Scotland as part of a 5-yr reintroduction trial (Scottish Beaver Trial). Despite numerous reintroduction programs throughout Europe there is no published information concerning recommended health surveillance during beaver reintroduction and only one publication describing causes of mortality. We describe the establishment of a health surveillance program based on International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and governmental guidelines, and report preliminary results based on the fecal and blood samples following the completion of the first stage of reintroduction. Animals underwent at least one general anesthetic to allow collection of fecal and blood samples and a thorough clinical examination. No bacterial enteric pathogens such as Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., or Yersinia pseudotuberculosis were isolated, nor were Giardia spp. or Cryptosporidium spp. However, numerous helminths including Travassosius rufus and Stichorchis subtriquetrus were detected. Five animals were positive for Leptospira antibodies. This included Leptospira saxkoebing, Leptospira canicola, Leptospira copenhageni, Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae, Leptospira autumnalis, and Leptospira javanica. The highest loss of animals (20%) was during the statutory 6-mo rabies quarantine period. No common cause of death was determined. The rabies quarantine conditions were waived for four remaining animals, three of which were introduced to the wild successfully. The authors recommend the shortest possible quarantine period when introducing beavers, but allowing for the minimum recommended IUCN 35 days to allow for implementation of the initial stage of the health surveillance program, examination of animals, sample collection, and processing.

Individual differences in decision making by foraging hummingbirds.

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Morgan, Kate V; Hurly, T Andrew; Healy, Susan D

2014-11-01

For both humans and animals preference for one option over others can be influenced by the context in which the options occur. In animals, changes in preference could be due to comparative decision-making or to changes in the energy state of the animal when making decisions. We investigated which of these possibilities better explained the response of wild hummingbirds to the addition of a decoy option to a set of two options by presenting Rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) with a foraging experiment with two treatments. In each treatment the birds were presented with a binary choice between two options and a trinary choice with three options. In treatment one the binary choice was between a volume option and a concentration option, whereas in treatment two the same volume option was presented alongside an alternative concentration option. In the trinary choice, birds were presented with the same options as in the binary choice plus one of two inferior options. Birds changed their preferences when a poorer option was added to the choice set: birds increased their preference for the same option when in the presence of either decoy. Which option differed across individuals and the changes in preference were not readily explained by either energy maximisation or the decoy effect. The consistency in response within individuals, however, would suggest that the individual itself brings an extra dimension to context-dependent decision-making. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cognition in the wild. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Book Reviews

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K.G. Tregonning

1969-10-01

Full Text Available - J. Th. Ros-Schrijvers, G.C. Mandersloot, Pakistan. Serie Land-Volk-Cultuur, Het Wereldvenster, Baarn 1968, 219 p., fotomateriaal. - J. Th. Ros-Schrijvers, Cora Vreede-De Stuers, Parda, a study of Muslim women’s life in Northern India. Van Gorcum & Comp. n.v., Assen 1968, 128 pp., fotomateriaal. - Obayashi Taryo, C. Ouwehand, Namazu-e and their themes. An interpretative approach to some aspects of Japanese folk religion. XVI, 271 pp., 10 text figures, 21 plates, 2 maps. E.J. Brill, Leiden 1964. - C. Ouwehand, Chie Nakane, Kinship and economic organization in rural Japan. London School of Economics Monographs on social anthropology No. 32. London 1967, 203 + IX pp. - O.D. van den Muijzenberg, Grant K. Goodman, Four aspects of Philippine-Japanese Relations, 1930-1940. Monograph Series no. 9, Southeast Asia Studies, Yale University, 1967. X + 237 pp. - J.M. Pluvier, John Bastin, A history of modern Southeast Asia; Colonialism, nationalism, and decolonization. Englewood Cliffs (N.J., Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968, viii + 214 blz., bibliografie, index., Harry J. Benda (eds. - K.G. Tregonning, Journal of Southeast Asian History. Vol. x, No. 1, March 1969. “Singapore Commemorative Issue, 1819-1969. 150th Anniversary.” 191 p. - J.C. Anceaux, Rufus S. Hendon, The phonology and morphology of Ulu Muar Malay (Kuala Pilah District, Negri Sembilan, Malaya. Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven 1966. (Yale University Publications in Anthropology, 70. 176 p. - Stephan A. Gasser, D. Drost, Töpferei in Afrika. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin, 1967. 289 S., 58 fig., 18 Karten, English summary.

Oxygen consumption rates in hovering hummingbirds reflect substrate-dependent differences in P/O ratios: carbohydrate as a 'premium fuel'.

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Welch, Kenneth C; Altshuler, Douglas L; Suarez, Raul K

2007-06-01

The stoichiometric relationship of ATP production to oxygen consumption, i.e. the P/O ratio, varies depending on the nature of the metabolic substrate used. The latest estimates reveal a P/O ratio approximately 15% higher when glucose is oxidized compared with fatty acid oxidation. Because the energy required to produce aerodynamic lift for hovering is independent of the metabolic fuel oxidized, we hypothesized that the rate of oxygen consumption, VO2, should decline as the respiratory quotient, RQ (VCO2/VO2), increases from 0.71 to 1.0 as hummingbirds transition from a fasted to a fed state. Here, we show that hovering VO2 values in rufous (Selasphorus rufus) and Anna's hummingbirds (Calypte anna) are significantly greater when fats are metabolized (RQ=0.71) than when carbohydrates are used (RQ=1.0). Because hummingbirds gained mass during our experiments, making mass a confounding variable, we estimated VO2 per unit mechanical power output. Expressed in this way, the difference in VO2 when hummingbirds display an RQ=0.71 (fasted) and an RQ=1.0 (fed) is between 16 and 18%, depending on whether zero or perfect elastic energy storage is assumed. These values closely match theoretical expectations, indicating that a combination of mechanical power estimates and ;indirect calorimetry', i.e. the measurement of rates of gas exchange, enables precise estimates of ATP turnover and metabolic flux rates in vivo. The requirement for less oxygen when oxidizing carbohydrate suggests that carbohydrate oxidation may facilitate hovering flight in hummingbirds at high altitude.

Atributos físicos do solo em sistema de integração lavoura-pecuária sob plantio direto Soil physical attributes in integrated cattle raising-crop production system under no-tillage

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Mastrângello Enívar Lanzanova

2007-10-01

Full Text Available A compactação do solo é um dos principais fatores responsáveis pela queda da produtividade das culturas agrícolas. Por isso, o impacto causado pelo pisoteio bovino sobre o solo e os conseqüentes reflexos nos atributos físicos densidade do solo, porosidade do solo, resistência mecânica à penetração e infiltração de água no solo, em área manejada sob sistema integração lavoura-pecuária, foram investigados em experimento de campo, no município de Jari, na região do Planalto Médio do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Foram avaliados três sistemas de manejo da pastagem de inverno (aveia-preta, Avena strigosa Schreber + azevém, Lolium multiflorum Lam., caracterizados pela freqüência de pastejo: (1 Sem Pastejo (SP, (2 Pastejo a cada 28 dias (P28 e (3 Pastejo a cada 14 dias (P14. Além disso, foi avaliada a influência da cultura de verão, soja [Glycine max (L. Merr.] ou milho (Zea mays L., em rotação com as pastagens de inverno, em amenizar ou agravar a ação compactadora do pisoteio bovino. A compactação do solo, avaliada pela sua densidade, concentrou-se na camada de 0-0,05 m de profundidade, porém houve redução de sua macroporosidade até a camada de 0,10-0,15 m, no sistema com a maior freqüência de pastejo (P14. A resistência mecânica do solo à penetração atingiu valores de 2,61 e 2,49 MPa nos tratamentos P14 e P28, respectivamente, nas profundidades de 0,05 e 0,08 m, enquanto as áreas que não foram pastejadas mantiveram valores inferiores a 1,66 MPa. A taxa de infiltração de água no solo foi alterada significativamente pelo pisoteio bovino e pela cultura de verão antecedente. Com a cultura de milho, o solo mostrou-se menos sensível ao pisoteio bovino, ao passo que com a cultura de soja na maior freqüência de pastejo (P14 a taxa de infiltração de água no solo foi reduzida. A cultura de soja proporcionou os maiores valores de macroporosidade nas camadas avaliadas e, quando conjugada à menor freq

Calodium (Capillaria hepaticum (Nematoda, Capillariidae in insular small rodent populations

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Bugmyrin Sergey

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The data on the distribution of the nematode Calodium hepaticum (Bancroft 1893 Moravec 1982 (syn.: Capillaria hepatica, Hepaticola hepatica on the islands of Kizhi Archipelago are reported (N 62°00'; E 35°12'. Samples were collected on 18 islands and the mainland part of the Kizhi skerries region in the period from August 2005 till 2014. The method of partial helminthological dissection was applied to 346 specimens of rodents belonging to two species – the bank vole Myodes glareolus Schreber 1780 (301 spm. and the field vole Microtus agrestis Linnaeus 1761 (45 spm.. The prevalence and the abundance index of nematode were 16.6% and 1.1 in M. glareolus and 11.1%; 0.3 in M. agrestis, respectively. The highest prevalence and abundance of C. hepaticum were detected in mature voles. No sex-related differences were found. C. hepaticum was present in 12 of 19 sampling sites. On the islands where the sample number (host individuals was over 15, the highest prevalence and abundance values were 57% and 5.8 spm., respectively. Significant positive coefficients of correlation (Spearman’s and Pearson’s ones between nematode numbers and characteristics of the island were found in the pair «Prevalence – degree of isolation» (0.48 and 0.49. Single-factor analysis of variance showed that the size of the island had some effect on the nematode invasion prevalence and abundance. However, no significant regression relationship between the prevalence and abundance of nematodes and characteristics of an island was revealed by multivariate regression analysis (multiple regression: the coefficient of determination of the regression equation R2 < 0.3, and the regression coefficients were insignificant The reasons for high abundance of C. hepaticum in northern insular ecosystems are discussed. Possible key factors for the stable vitality of the parasite populations are: 1 favourable hydrothermal conditions of the soil in the shore (littoral zone; 2 the

Long-term effects of single potassium fertilization on 137Cs levels in plants and fungi in a boreal forest ecosystem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosen, K.; Vinichuk, M.; Nikolova, I.; Johanson, K.

2011-01-01

We examined the long-term effects of a single application of potassium (K) fertilizer (100 kg K ha -1 ) in 1992 on 137 Cs uptake in a forest ecosystem in central Sweden. 137 Cs activity concentrations were determined in three low-growing perennial shrubs, heather (Calluna vulgaris), lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), and in four wild fungal species (Cortinarius semisanguineus, Lactarius rufus, Rozites caperata and Suillus variegatus). Uptake of 137 Cs by plants and fungi growing on K-fertilized plots 17 years after application of the K fertilizer was significantly lower than in corresponding species growing in a non-fertilized control area. The 137 Cs activity concentration was 21-58% lower in fungal sporocarps and 40-61% lower in plants in the K-fertilized area compared with the control. Over the study period, this decrease in 137 Cs activity concentration was more consistent in plants than in fungi, although the effect was statistically significant and strongly pronounced in all species. The effect of K fertilization in reducing 137 Cs activity concentration in fungi and plants decreased over time but was still significant in 2009, 17 years after fertilization. This suggests that application of K fertilizer to forests is an appropriate and effective long-term measure to decrease radiocaesium accumulation in plants and fungi. - Research highlights: → Effects of potassium fertilizer on 137 Cs uptake by plants and fungi are investigated. → 137 Cs activity concentrations in forest plants decreased even within the first year. → The most significant reduction occurred over the first 7-8 years. → The reduction in fungi was less pronounced, but still statistically significant.

Hybridization among three native North American Canis species in a region of natural sympatry.

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Frank Hailer

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Population densities of many species throughout the world are changing due to direct persecution as well as anthropogenic habitat modification. These changes may induce or increase the frequency of hybridization among taxa. If extensive, hybridization can threaten the genetic integrity or survival of endangered species. Three native species of the genus Canis, coyote (C. latrans, Mexican wolf (C. lupus baileyi and red wolf (C. rufus, were historically sympatric in Texas, United States. Human impacts caused the latter two to go extinct in the wild, although they survived in captive breeding programs. Morphological data demonstrate historic reproductive isolation between all three taxa. While the red wolf population was impacted by introgressive hybridization with coyotes as it went extinct in the wild, the impact of hybridization on the Texas populations of the other species is not clear.We surveyed variation at maternally and paternally inherited genetic markers (mitochondrial control region sequence and Y chromosome microsatellites in coyotes from Texas, Mexican wolves and red wolves from the captive breeding programs, and a reference population of coyotes from outside the historic red wolf range. Levels of variation and phylogenetic analyses suggest that hybridization has occasionally taken place between all three species, but that the impact on the coyote population is very small.Our results demonstrate that the factors driving introgressive hybridization in sympatric Texan Canis are multiple and complex. Hybridization is not solely determined by body size or sex, and density-dependent effects do not fully explain the observed pattern either. No evidence of hybridization was identified in the Mexican wolf captive breeding program, but introgression appears to have had a greater impact on the captive red wolves.

The carnivore remains from the Sima de los Huesos Middle Pleistocene site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain).

Science.gov (United States)

García, N; Arsuaga, J L; Torres, T

1997-01-01

Remains of carnivores from the Sima de los Huesos site representing at least 158 adult individuals of a primitive (i.e., not very speleoid) form of Ursus deningeri Von Reichenau 1906, have been recovered through the 1995 field season. These new finds extend our knowledge of this group in the Sierra de Atapuerca Middle Pleistocene. Material previously classified as Cuoninae indet, is now assigned to Canis lupus and a third metatarsal assigned in 1987 to Panthera of gombaszoegensis, is in our opinion only attributable to Panthera sp. The family Mustelidae is added to the faunal list and includes Martes sp. and a smaller species. The presence of Panthera leo cf. fossilis, Lynx pardina spelaea and Felis silvestris, is confirmed. The presence of a not very speloid Ursus deningeri, together with the rest of the carnivore assemblage, points to a not very late Middle Pleistocene age, i.e., oxygen isotope stage 7 or older. Relative frequencies of skeletal elements for the bear and fox samples are without major biases. The age structure of the bear sample, based on dental wear stages, does not follow the typical hibernation mortality profile and resembles a catastrophic profile. The site was not a natal or refuge den. The hypothesis that the site was a natural trap is the most plausible. If the Sima de los Huesos functioned as a natural trap (without an egress out), the human accumulation cannot be attributed to carnivore: activities and must be explained differently.

Regulating Critical Period Plasticity: Insight from the Visual System to Fear Circuitry for Therapeutic Interventions

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Elisa M. Nabel

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Early temporary windows of heightened brain plasticity called critical periods developmentally sculpt neural circuits and contribute to adult behavior. Regulatory mechanisms of visual cortex development –the preeminent model of experience-dependent critical period plasticity- actively limit adult plasticity and have proved fruitful therapeutic targets to reopen plasticity and rewire faulty visual system connections later in life. Interestingly, these molecular mechanisms have been implicated in the regulation of plasticity in other functions beyond vision. Applying mechanistic understandings of critical period plasticity in the visual cortex to fear circuitry may provide a conceptual framework for developing novel therapeutic tools to mitigate aberrant fear responses in post traumatic stress disorder. In this review, we turn to the model of experience-dependent visual plasticity to provide novel insights for the mechanisms regulating plasticity in the fear system. Fear circuitry, particularly fear memory erasure, also undergoes age-related changes in experience-dependent plasticity. We consider the contributions of molecular brakes that halt visual critical period plasticity to circuitry underlying fear memory erasure. A major molecular brake in the visual cortex, perineuronal net formation, recently has been identified in the development of fear systems that are resilient to fear memory erasure. The roles of other molecular brakes, myelin-related Nogo receptor signaling and Lynx family proteins– endogenous inhibitors for nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, are explored in the context of fear memory plasticity. Such fear plasticity regulators, including epigenetic effects, provide promising targets for therapeutic interventions.

Linux OS integrated modular avionics application development framework with apex API of ARINC653 specification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna V. Korneenkova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The framework is made to provide tools to develop the integrated modular avionics (IMA applications, which could be launched on the target platform LynxOs-178 without modifying their source code. The framework usage helps students to form skills for developing modern modules of the avionics. In addition, students obtain deeper knowledge for the development of competencies in the field of technical creativity by using of the framework.The article describes the architecture and implementation of the Linux OS framework for ARINC653 compliant OS application development.The proposed approach reduces ARINC-653 application development costs and gives a unified tool to implement OS vendor independent code that meets specification. To achieve import substitution free and open-source Linux OS is used as an environment for developing IMA applications.The proposed framework is applicable for using as the tool to develop IMA applications and as the tool for development of the following competencies: the ability to master techniques of using software to solve practical problems, the ability to develop components of hardware and software systems and databases, using modern tools and programming techniques, the ability to match hardware and software tools in the information and automated systems, the readiness to apply the fundamentals of informatics and programming to designing, constructing and testing of software products, the readiness to apply basic methods and tools of software development, knowledge of various technologies of software development.

Analysis of membrane proteome by data-dependent LC-MS/MS combined with data-independent LC-MSE technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph Kwon

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Proteomics work resembles the search for a needle in a haystack. The identification of protein biomarker requires the removal of the false protein data from the whole protein mixture. For high quality proteomic data, even a strict filtration step using the false discovery rate (FDR is insufficient for obtaining perfect protein information from the biological samples. In this study, the cyanobacterial whole membrane fraction was applied to the data-dependent analysis (DDA mode of LC-MS/MS, which was used along with the data-independent LC-MSE technique in order to evaluate the membrane proteomic data. Furthermore, the identified MSE-information (MSE-i data based on the peptide mass and the retention time were validated by the other database search, i.e., the probability-based MASCOT and de novo search engine PEAKS. In this present study, 208 cyanobacterial proteins with FDR of 5% were identified using the data-independent nano-UPLC/MSE acquisition with the Protein Lynx Global Server (PLGS, and 56 of these proteins were the predicted membrane proteins. When a total of 208 MSE-i proteomic data were applied to the DDA mode of LC-MS/MS, the number of identified membrane proteins was 26 and 33 from MASCOT and PEAKS with a FDR of 5%, respectively. The number of totally overlapped membrane proteins was 25. Therefore, the data-independent LC-MSE identified more proteins with a high confidence.

Rapidly deteriorating course in Dutch hereditary spastic paraplegia type 11 patients

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de Bot, Susanne T; Burggraaff, Rogier C; Herkert, Johanna C; Schelhaas, Helenius J; Post, Bart; Diekstra, Adinda; van Vliet, Reinout O; van der Knaap, Marjo S; Kamsteeg, Erik-Jan; Scheffer, Hans; van de Warrenburg, Bart P; Verschuuren-Bemelmans, Corien C; Kremer, Hubertus PH

2013-01-01

Although SPG11 is the most common complicated hereditary spastic paraplegia, our knowledge of the long-term prognosis and life expectancy is limited. We therefore studied the disease course of all patients with a proven SPG11 mutation as tested in our laboratory, the single Dutch laboratory providing SPG11 mutation analysis, between 1 January 2009 and 1 January 2011. We identified nine different SPG11 mutations, four of which are novel, in nine index patients. Eighteen SPG11 patients from these nine families were studied by means of a retrospective chart analysis and additional interview/examination. Ages at onset were between 4 months and 14 years; 39% started with learning difficulties rather than gait impairment. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed a thin corpus callosum and typical periventricular white matter changes in the frontal horn region (known as the ‘ears-of the lynx'-sign) in all. Most patients became wheelchair bound after a disease duration of 1 to 2 decades. End-stage disease consisted of loss of spontaneous speech, severe dysphagia, spastic tetraplegia with peripheral nerve involvement and contractures. Several patients died of complications between ages 30 and 48 years, 3–4 decades after onset of gait impairment. Other relevant features during the disease were urinary and fecal incontinence, obesity and psychosis. Our study of 18 Dutch SPG11-patients shows the potential serious long-term consequences of SPG11 including a possibly restricted life span. PMID:23443022

Use of somatic cell banks in the conservation of wild felids.

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Praxedes, Érika A; Borges, Alana A; Santos, Maria V O; Pereira, Alexsandra F

2018-05-03

The conservation of biological resources is an interesting strategy for the maintenance of biodiversity, especially for wild felids who are constantly threatened with extinction. For this purpose, cryopreservation techniques have been used for the long-term storage of gametes, embryos, gonadal tissues, and somatic cells and tissues. The establishment of these banks has been suggested as a practical approach to the preservation of species and, when done in tandem with assisted reproductive techniques, could provide the means for reproducing endangered species. Somatic cell banks have been shown remarkable for the conservation of genetic material of felids; by merely obtaining skin samples, it is possible to sample a large group of individuals without being limited by factors such as gender or age. Thus, techniques for somatic tissue recovery, cryopreservation, and in vitro culture of different wild felids have been developed, resulting in a viable method for the conservation of species. One of the most notable conservation programs for wild felines using somatic samples was the one carried out for the Iberian lynx, the most endangered feline in the world. Other wild felids have also been studied in other continents, such as the jaguar in South America. This review aims to present the technical progress achieved in the conservation of somatic cells and tissues in different wild felids, as well address the progress that has been achieved in a few species. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The O VI Mystery: Mismatch between X-Ray and UV Column Densities

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Mathur, S.; Nicastro, F.; Gupta, A.; Krongold, Y.; McLaughlin, B. M.; Brickhouse, N.; Pradhan, A.

2017-12-01

The UV spectra of Galactic and extragalactic sightlines often show O VI absorption lines at a range of redshifts, and from a variety of sources from the Galactic circumgalactic medium to active galactic nuclei (AGN) outflows. Inner shell O VI absorption is also observed in X-ray spectra (at λ =22.03 Å), but the column density inferred from the X-ray line was consistently larger than that from the UV line. Here we present a solution to this discrepancy for the z = 0 systems. The O II Kβ line {}4{S}0\\to {(}3D)3{p}4P at 562.40 eV (≡22.04 Å) is blended with the O VI Kα line in X-ray spectra. We estimate the strength of this O II line in two different ways, and show that in most cases the O II line accounts for the entire blended line. The small amount of O VI equivalent width present in some cases has column density entirely consistent with the UV value. This solution to the O VI discrepancy, however, does not apply to high column-density systems like AGN outflows. We discuss other possible causes to explain their UV/X-ray mismatch. The O VI and O II lines will be resolved by gratings on board the proposed mission Arcus and the concept mission Lynx, and would allow the detection of weak O VI lines not just at z = 0, but also at higher redshift.

The role of Chandra in ten years from now and for the next few decades of astrophysical research

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D'Abrusco, Raffaele; Becker, Glenn E.; McCollough, Michael L.; Rots, Arnold H.; Thong, Sinh A.; Van Stone, David; Winkelman, Sherry

2018-06-01

For almost twenty years, Chandra has advanced our understanding of the X-ray Universe by allowing astronomers to peer into a previously unexplored region of the high-energy observational parameters space. Thanks to its longevity,the mission has accumulated a large, unique body of observations whose legacy value, already tangible at this point, will only increase with time, and whose long-lasting influence extends well beyond the energy interval probed by Chandra. The Chandra archive, through the extensive characterization of the links between observations and literature, has measured the impact of Chandra on the astrophysical literature at a high level of granularity, providing striking evidence of how deeply and widely Chandra has impacted the advancement of both high-energy astrophysics and astronomical research from a multi-wavelength perspective. In this talk, based on the missions that have been submitted for recommendation at the next decadal survey and the possible outcomes of the evaluation process, I will discuss how Chandra archival data can be used to anticipate the projected scientific success and long-lasting effects of a X-ray mission like Lynx or, differently, how they will become instrumental to maximize the scientific output of a new generation of facilities that will observe in different energies. I will argue that, in either scenario, the centrality of Chandra will extend well after the final demise of the mission, and its data will continue serving the community in many different ways for the foreseeable future.

Radioecological modelling of Polonium-210 and Caesium-137 in lichen-reindeer-man and top predators.

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Persson, Bertil R R; Gjelsvik, Runhild; Holm, Elis

2018-06-01

This work deals with analysis and modelling of the radionuclides 210 Pb and 210 Po in the food-chain lichen-reindeer-man in addition to 210 Po and 137 Cs in top predators. By using the methods of Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) the atmospheric deposition of 210 Pb and 210 Po is predicted at the sample locations. Dynamic modelling of the activity concentration with differential equations is fitted to the sample data. Reindeer lichen consumption, gastrointestinal absorption, organ distribution and elimination is derived from information in the literature. Dynamic modelling of transfer of 210 Pb and 210 Po to reindeer meat, liver and bone from lichen consumption, fitted well with data from Sweden and Finland from 1966 to 1971. The activity concentration of 210 Pb in the skeleton in man is modelled by using the results of studying the kinetics of lead in skeleton and blood in lead-workers after end of occupational exposure. The result of modelling 210 Pb and 210 Po activity in skeleton matched well with concentrations of 210 Pb and 210 Po in teeth from reindeer-breeders and autopsy bone samples in Finland. The results of 210 Po and 137 Cs in different tissues of wolf, wolverine and lynx previously published, are analysed with multivariate data processing methods such as Principal Component Analysis PCA, and modelled with the method of Projection to Latent Structures, PLS, or Partial Least Square Regression PLSR. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comments on 'Origin of British and Irish mammals: disparate post-glacial colonisation and species introductions' by W.I. Montgomery, J. Provan, A.M. McCabe, and D.W. Yalden

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Edwards, Ceiridwen J.

2014-12-01

Montgomery et al.'s recent paper in QSR (2014; vol. 98: 144-165) is a most welcome addition to the ongoing research into the origins of Irish mammals. In their Table 1, the authors have used "calibrated carbon dating, comparable stratigraphy and historical records … to establish the earliest known time of arrival of a species in […] Ireland […] where relevant, the latest record of a mammal species [was] used to establish the earliest date after which it was extinct". It is assumed that the dates mentioned in this table are, therefore, calibrated. However, this is very unclear - when dates generated by the Irish Quaternary Fauna project (Woodman et al., 1997) are compared with those used by Montgomery et al. (2014), the earliest recorded dates of Mountain/Irish hare, Irish stoat, lynx and pine marten seem to be direct uncalibrated dates. It is also unclear whether the earliest and latest records of each species relate to all published data available at the time of writing. Even if only consulting those dates generated by Woodman et al. (1997), there are older earliest records for Arctic Fox, Collared lemming and grey wolf. In addition, Montgomery et al. (2014) do not seem to have included early radiocarbon dates for giant deer, reindeer and red deer (Woodman et al., 1997; Carden et al., 2012), or any of the recent radiocarbon dates for brown bear (Edwards et al., 2011), despite reference to these papers.