WorldWideScience

Sample records for natural abundance technique

  1. Good abundances from bad spectra - I. Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, J. Bryn; Gilmore, Gerard; Wyse, Rosemary F. G.

    1996-01-01

    Stellar spectra derived from multiple-object fibre-fed spectroscopic radial-velocity surveys, of the type feasible with, among other examples, AUTOFIB, 2dF, HYDRA, NESSIE, and the Sloan survey, differ significantly from those traditionally used for determination of stellar abundances. The spectra tend to be of moderate resolution (around 1A) and signal-to-noise ratio (around 10-20 per resolution element), and cannot usually have reliable continuum shapes determined over wavelength ranges in excess of a few tens of Angstroms. None the less, with care and a calibration of stellar effective temperature from photometry, independent of the spectroscopy, reliable iron abundances can be derived. We have developed techniques to extract true iron abundances and surface gravities from low-signal-to-noise ratio, intermediate-resolution spectra of G-type stars in the 4000-5000A wavelength region. Spectroscopic indices sensitive to iron abundance and gravity are defined from a set of narrow (few-several A wide) wavelength intervals. The indices are calibrated theoretically using synthetic spectra. Given adequate data and a photometrically determined effective temperature, one can derive estimates of the stellar iron abundance and surface gravity. We have also defined a single abundance indicator for the analysis of very low-signal-to-noise ratio spectra; with the further assumption of a value for the stellar surface gravity, this is able to provide useful iron abundance information from spectra having signal-to-noise ratios as low as 10 (1-A elements). The theoretical basis and calibration using synthetic spectra are described in this paper. The empirical calibration of these techniques by application to observational data is described in a separate paper (Jones, Wyse & Gilmore). The technique provides precise iron abundances, with zero-point correct to ~0.1 dex, and is reliable, with typical uncertainties being <~0.2 dex. A derivation of the in situ thick disc metallicity

  2. Modelling tick abundance using machine learning techniques and satellite imagery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjær, Lene Jung; Korslund, L.; Kjelland, V.

    satellite images to run Boosted Regression Tree machine learning algorithms to predict overall distribution (presence/absence of ticks) and relative tick abundance of nymphs and larvae in southern Scandinavia. For nymphs, the predicted abundance had a positive correlation with observed abundance...... the predicted distribution of larvae was mostly even throughout Denmark, it was primarily around the coastlines in Norway and Sweden. Abundance was fairly low overall except in some fragmented patches corresponding to forested habitats in the region. Machine learning techniques allow us to predict for larger...... the collected ticks for pathogens and using the same machine learning techniques to develop prevalence maps of the ScandTick region....

  3. A COMPARISON OF STELLAR ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCE TECHNIQUES AND MEASUREMENTS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hinkel, Natalie R.; Young, Patrick A.; Pagano, Michael D.; Desch, Steven J.; Anbar, Ariel D. [School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Adibekyan, Vardan; Mena, Elisa Delgado; Sousa, Sergio G.; Santos, Nuno C. [Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Universidade do Porto, CAUP, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto (Portugal); Blanco-Cuaresma, Sergi [Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, CH-1290 Versoix (Switzerland); Carlberg, Joleen K. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 667, Greenbelt MD 20771 (United States); Liu, Fan [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Cotter Road, Weston Creek, ACT 2611 (Australia); Nordlander, Thomas; Korn, Andreas; Gruyters, Pieter; Heiter, Ulrike [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, 75120 Uppsala (Sweden); Jofré, Paula [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Soubiran, Caroline, E-mail: natalie.hinkel@gmail.com [CNRS/Univ. Bordeaux, LAB, UMR 5804, F-33270, Floirac (France)

    2016-09-01

    Stellar elemental abundances are important for understanding the fundamental properties of a star or stellar group, such as age and evolutionary history, as well as the composition of an orbiting planet. However, as abundance measurement techniques have progressed, there has been little standardization between individual methods and their comparisons. As a result, different stellar abundance procedures determine measurements that vary beyond the quoted error for the same elements within the same stars. The purpose of this paper is to better understand the systematic variations between methods and offer recommendations for producing more accurate results in the future. We invited a number of participants from around the world (Australia, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States) to calculate 10 element abundances (C, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Fe, Ni, Ba, and Eu) using the same stellar spectra for four stars (HD 361, HD 10700, HD 121504, and HD 202206). Each group produced measurements for each star using (1) their own autonomous techniques, (2) standardized stellar parameters, (3) a standardized line list, and (4) both standardized parameters and a line list. We present the resulting stellar parameters, absolute abundances, and a metric of data similarity that quantifies the homogeneity of the data. We conclude that standardization of some kind, particularly stellar parameters, improves the consistency between methods. However, because results did not converge as more free parameters were standardized, it is clear there are inherent issues within the techniques that need to be reconciled. Therefore, we encourage more conversation and transparency within the community such that stellar abundance determinations can be reproducible as well as accurate and precise.

  4. Productive diversification in natural resource abundant countries : limitations, policies and the experience of Argentina in the 2000s

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    L.A. Serino (Leandro)

    2009-01-01

    textabstractThe debate on the pattern of specialization in natural resource abundant countries has re-emerged as demand for raw materials and food products from the rapidly growing East Asian countries, speculation in financial markets, and changes in production techniques augmented the

  5. Chlorine-36 abundance in natural and synthetic perchlorate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heikoop, Jeffrey M [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Dale, M [NON LANL; Sturchio, Neil C [UNIV OF ILLIONOIS; Caffee, M [PURDUE UNIV; Belosa, A D [UNIV OF ILLINOIS; Heraty, Jr., L J [UNIV OF ILLINOIS; Bohike, J K [RESTON, VA; Hatzinger, P B [SHAW ENIVIORNMENTAL C0.; Jackson, W A [TEXAS TECH; Gu, B [ORNL

    2009-01-01

    Perchlorate (ClO{sub 4}{sup -}) is ubiquitous in the environment. It occurs naturally as a product of atmospheric photochemical reactions, and is synthesized for military, aerospace, and industrial applications. Nitrate-enriched soils of the Atacama Desert (Chile) contain high concentrations of natural ClO{sub 4}{sup -}; nitrate produced from these soils has been exported worldwide since the mid-1800's for use in agriculture. The widespread introduction of synthetic and agricultural ClO{sub 4}{sup -} into the environment has complicated attempts to understand the geochemical cycle of ClO{sub 4}{sup -}. Natural ClO{sub 4}{sup -} samples from the southwestern United States have relatively high {sup 36}Cl abundances ({sup 36}Cl/Cl = 3,100 x 10{sup -15} to 28,800 x 10{sup -15}), compared with samples of synthetic ({sup 36}Cl/Cl = 0.0 x 10{sup -15} to 40 x 10{sup -15}) and Atacama Desert ({sup 36}Cl/Cl = 0.9 x 10{sup -15} to 590 x 10{sup -15}) ClO{sub 4}{sup -}. These data give a lower limit for the initial {sup 36}Cl abundance of natural ClO{sub 4}{sup -} and provide temporal and other constraints on its geochemical cycle.

  6. Detection of human muscle glycogen by natural abundance 13C NMR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avison, M.J.; Rothman, D.L.; Nadel, E.; Shulman, R.G.

    1988-01-01

    Natural abundance 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to detect signals from glycogen in the human gastrocnemius muscle. The reproducibility of the measurement was demonstrated, and the ability to detect dynamic changes was confirmed by measuring a decrease in muscle glycogen levels after exercise and its subsequent repletion. Single frequency gated 1 H decoupling was used to obtain decoupled natural abundance 13 C NMR spectra of the C-1 position of muscle glycogen

  7. Elemental abundances in nature - fortuity or conformity to natural laws?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kist, A.A.

    1995-01-01

    Nuclear analytical methods during the last decades have given a lot of new data on elemental composition of various natural materials. These data allow a return to the question of the regularities of element abundance. This question seems to be important from the point view of basic science as well as analytical chemistry (analytical procedure planning, expected element concentrations, choice of sufficient sensitivity and reproducibility, etc.). The most fruitful approach in this connection is the comparison of the elemental composition of some generalized systems with an element's fundamental characteristics and/or its position in the Periodical System. Stronger correlations can be found when the elemental characteristic (its position in the Periodic Table) versus abundance is considered within separate groups of elements. This idea is illustrated by considering elements' abundance in the Universe, Solar Systems, Earth crust, sea water, soils, plants, etc. Simple equations describe these function with acceptable agreement of tabular and calculated data. The coefficients of these equations in many cases were also connected with some fundamental characteristics such as ionization potential, ion potential, melting and boiling point, etc. (author) 9 refs.; 7 figs

  8. Use of N Natural Abundance and N Species Concentrations to Assess N-Cycling in Constructed and Natural Coastal Wetlands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Marjorie Aelion

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Natural abundance of N stable isotopes used in combination with concentrations may be useful indicators of N-cycling in wetlands. Concentrations and N signatures of NO3−, NH4+, and sediment organic nitrogen (SON were measured in two impacted coastal golf course retention ponds and two natural marshes. Limited NO3− was detected in natural site surface water or pore water, but both isotopic signature and concentrations of NO3− in surface water of impacted sites indicated anthropogenic inputs. In natural sites, NH4+ concentrations were greatest in deeper pore water and least in surface water, suggesting diffusion predominates. The natural sites had greater %SON, and N indicated that the natural sites also had greater NH4+ released from SON mineralization than impacted sites. In NO3−-limited systems, neither concentrations nor N natural abundance was able to provide information on N-cycling, while processes associated with NH4+ were better elucidated by using both concentrations and N natural abundance.

  9. Use of 15N Natural Abundance and N Species Concentrations to Assess N-Cycling in Constructed and Natural Coastal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aelion, W.C.M.; Engle, M.R.; Aelion, W.C.M.; Ma, H.

    2010-01-01

    Natural abundance of N stable isotopes used in combination with concentrations may be useful indicators of N-cycling in wetlands. Concentrations and 15 N signatures of NO 3 -, NH 4 and sediment organic nitrogen (SON) were measured in two impacted coastal golf course retention ponds and two natural marshes. Limited NO 3 was detected in natural site surface water or pore water, but both isotopic signature and concentrations of NO 3 - in surface water of impacted sites indicated anthropogenic inputs. In natural sites, NH 4 concentrations were greatest in deeper pore water and least in surface water, suggesting diffusion predominates. The natural sites had greater % SON, and 15 N indicated that the natural sites also had greater NH 4 + released from SON mineralization than impacted sites. In NO 3 --limited systems, neither concentrations nor 15 N natural abundance was able to provide information on N-cycling, while processes associated with NH 4 + were better elucidated by using both concentrations and 15 N natural abundance

  10. Facultative methanotrophs are abundant at terrestrial natural gas seeps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farhan Ul Haque, Muhammad; Crombie, Andrew T; Ensminger, Scott A; Baciu, Calin; Murrell, J Colin

    2018-06-28

    Natural gas contains methane and the gaseous alkanes ethane, propane and butane, which collectively influence atmospheric chemistry and cause global warming. Methane-oxidising bacteria, methanotrophs, are crucial in mitigating emissions of methane as they oxidise most of the methane produced in soils and the subsurface before it reaches the atmosphere. Methanotrophs are usually obligate, i.e. grow only on methane and not on longer chain alkanes. Bacteria that grow on the other gaseous alkanes in natural gas such as propane have also been characterised, but they do not grow on methane. Recently, it was shown that the facultative methanotroph Methylocella silvestris grew on ethane and propane, other components of natural gas, in addition to methane. Therefore, we hypothesised that Methylocella may be prevalent at natural gas seeps and might play a major role in consuming all components of this potent greenhouse gas mixture before it is released to the atmosphere. Environments known to be exposed to biogenic methane emissions or thermogenic natural gas seeps were surveyed for methanotrophs. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed that Methylocella were the most abundant methanotrophs in natural gas seep environments. New Methylocella-specific molecular tools targeting mmoX (encoding the soluble methane monooxygenase) by PCR and Illumina amplicon sequencing were designed and used to investigate various sites. Functional gene-based assays confirmed that Methylocella were present in all of the natural gas seep sites tested here. This might be due to its ability to use methane and other short chain alkane components of natural gas. We also observed the abundance of Methylocella in other environments exposed to biogenic methane, suggesting that Methylocella has been overlooked in the past as previous ecological studies of methanotrophs often used pmoA (encoding the alpha subunit of particulate methane monooxygenase) as a marker gene. New biomolecular tools designed in

  11. Natural Abundance 14C Content of Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP from Three Marine Algae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kazuyo Ukai

    2006-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: Analysis of the natural abundance 14C content of dibutyl phthalate (DBP from two edible brown algae, Undaria pinnatifida and Laminaria japonica, and a green alga, Ulva sp., revealed that the DBP was naturally produced. The natural abundance 14C content of di-(2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP obtained from the same algae was about 50-80% of the standard sample and the 14C content of the petrochemical (industrial products of DBP and DEHP were below the detection limit.

  12. Measurement of isotope abundance variations in nature by gravimetric spiking isotope dilution analysis (GS-IDA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chew, Gina; Walczyk, Thomas

    2013-04-02

    Subtle variations in the isotopic composition of elements carry unique information about physical and chemical processes in nature and are now exploited widely in diverse areas of research. Reliable measurement of natural isotope abundance variations is among the biggest challenges in inorganic mass spectrometry as they are highly sensitive to methodological bias. For decades, double spiking of the sample with a mix of two stable isotopes has been considered the reference technique for measuring such variations both by multicollector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) and multicollector-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (MC-TIMS). However, this technique can only be applied to elements having at least four stable isotopes. Here we present a novel approach that requires measurement of three isotope signals only and which is more robust than the conventional double spiking technique. This became possible by gravimetric mixing of the sample with an isotopic spike in different proportions and by applying principles of isotope dilution for data analysis (GS-IDA). The potential and principle use of the technique is demonstrated for Mg in human urine using MC-TIMS for isotopic analysis. Mg is an element inaccessible to double spiking methods as it consists of three stable isotopes only and shows great potential for metabolically induced isotope effects waiting to be explored.

  13. Meteorological factors associated with abundance of airborne fungal spores over natural vegetation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crandall, Sharifa G.; Gilbert, Gregory S.

    2017-08-01

    The abundance of airborne fungal spores in agricultural and urban settings increases with greater air temperature, relative humidity, or precipitation. The same meteorological factors that affect temporal patterns in spore abundance in managed environments also vary spatially across natural habitats in association with differences in vegetation structure. Here we investigated how temporal and spatial variation in aerial spore abundance is affected by abiotic (weather) and biotic (vegetation) factors as a foundation for predicting how fungi may respond to changes in weather and land-use patterns. We measured the phenology of airborne fungal spores across a mosaic of naturally occurring vegetation types at different time scales to describe (1) how spore abundance changes over time, (2) which local meteorological variables are good predictors for airborne spore density, and (3) whether spore abundance differs across vegetation types. Using an air volumetric vacuum sampler, we collected spore samples at 3-h intervals over a 120-h period in a mixed-evergreen forest and coastal prairie to measure diurnal, nocturnal, and total airborne spore abundance across vegetation types. Spore samples were also collected at weekly and monthly intervals in mixed-evergreen forest, redwood forest, and maritime chaparral vegetation types from 12 field sites across two years. We found greater airborne spore densities during the wetter winter months compared to the drier summer months. Mean total spore abundance in the mixed-evergreen forest was twice than in the coastal prairie, but there were no significant differences in total airborne spore abundance among mixed-evergreen forest, redwood forest, and maritime chaparral vegetation types. Weekly and monthly peaks in airborne spore abundance corresponded with rain events and peaks in soil moisture. Overall, temporal patterns in meteorological factors were much more important in determining airborne fungal spore abundance than the

  14. Growing three-dimensional biomorphic graphene powders using naturally abundant diatomite templates towards high solution processability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ke; Li, Cong; Shi, Liurong; Gao, Teng; Song, Xiuju; Bachmatiuk, Alicja; Zou, Zhiyu; Deng, Bing; Ji, Qingqing; Ma, Donglin; Peng, Hailin; Du, Zuliang; Rümmeli, Mark Hermann; Zhang, Yanfeng; Liu, Zhongfan

    2016-11-01

    Mass production of high-quality graphene with low cost is the footstone for its widespread practical applications. We present herein a self-limited growth approach for producing graphene powders by a small-methane-flow chemical vapour deposition process on naturally abundant and industrially widely used diatomite (biosilica) substrates. Distinct from the chemically exfoliated graphene, thus-produced biomorphic graphene is highly crystallized with atomic layer-thickness controllability, structural designability and less noncarbon impurities. In particular, the individual graphene microarchitectures preserve a three-dimensional naturally curved surface morphology of original diatom frustules, effectively overcoming the interlayer stacking and hence giving excellent dispersion performance in fabricating solution-processible electrodes. The graphene films derived from as-made graphene powders, compatible with either rod-coating, or inkjet and roll-to-roll printing techniques, exhibit much higher electrical conductivity (~110,700 S m-1 at 80% transmittance) than previously reported solution-based counterparts. This work thus puts forward a practical route for low-cost mass production of various powdery two-dimensional materials.

  15. Use of the natural abundance of stable isotopes in animal physiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koyama, Takeo

    1987-01-01

    Recent studies on the natural abundance (δ-value) of stable isotopes in animals are reviewed. The δ 13 C value of livestock varies among different portions of the body and depending on living conditions, etc. Typically, however, it is about 1 percent larger than that of the feed used. The value of δ 15 N of the blood, milk and droppings is reported to be larger than that of the feed while that of urine is smaller with the decrease showing changes through the day. Natural δ 13 C and δ 15 N of animals are known to vary among the various organs and tissues. Investigations on cattle and two types musseks have shown that δ 13 C and δ 15 N have no significant relations with their age. The isotopic ratio of stable isotopes in animals is largely dependent on that of the feed used. Study results are cited on the changes in isotopic ratio of carbon and nitrogen along the digestion process of ruminants. Discussion is made on the causes for the changes in isotopic ratio during the metabolic process. Measurement of natural abundance of stable isotopes can be used as a tool for determining the eating habits of ungulate animals raised on grazing lands. (Nogami, K.)

  16. Natural Enemy Abundance in Southeastern Blueberry Agroecosystems: Distance to Edge and Impact of Management Practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitehouse, T Seth; Sial, Ashfaq A; Schmidt, Jason M

    2018-02-08

    Natural enemies are valuable components of agroecosystems as they provide biological control services to help regulate pest populations. Promoting biocontrol services can improve sustainability by decreasing pesticide usage, which is a major challenge for the blueberry industry. Our research is the first to compare natural enemy populations in managed (conventional and organic) and unmanaged blueberry systems, in addition to the effects of non-crop habitat. We conducted our study in 10 blueberry orchards during the growing season across the major blueberry producing counties in Georgia, United States. To estimate the spatial distribution of natural enemies, we conducted suction sampling at three locations in each orchard: within the forested border, along the edge of blueberry orchard adjacent to forested border, and within the interior of the blueberry orchard. Natural enemies maintained higher abundance over the season in unmanaged areas when compared with organic or conventional production systems. In the conventional orchards, natural enemies were more abundant in the surrounding non-crop area compared with the interior of the orchard. Populations were more evenly distributed in less intensive systems (organic and unmanaged). Our results indicate spatial structure in natural enemy populations is related to management practice, and less intensive management can retain higher abundance of natural enemies in blueberry systems. Considerations must be made towards promoting ecologically based management practices to sustain natural enemy populations and potentially increase the delivery of biological control services. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Abundance and natural food resources of birds in Manusela National Park, Seram, Central Mollucas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    WAHYU WIDODO

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this research was to know the abundance and natural food resources of birds in the Manusela National Park, Seram (Ceram, Central Moluccas. The observations were done by “line-transect methods”, which in observe 70.50 hours totality. The results were found 51 species of birds in area of the national parks and 4 of all, namely red lory (Eos bornea, papuan hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus, shining starling (Aplonis metallica, and grey-necked friarbird (Philemon subcorniculatus were abundant. Fourty seven species of plants were known useful for 19 species of birds as the natural food resources, nesting-sites and roosting trees.

  18. Short-range spatial variability of soil δ15N natural abundance – effects on symbiotic N2-fixation estimates in pea

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holdensen, Lars; Hauggaard-Nielsen, Henrik; Jensen, Erik Steen

    2007-01-01

    abundance in spring barley and N2-fixing pea was measured within the 0.15-4 m scale at flowering and at maturity. The short-range spatial variability of soil δ15N natural abundance and symbiotic nitrogen fixation were high at both growth stages. Along a 4-m row, the δ15N natural abundance in barley......-abundance are that estimates of symbiotic N2-fixation can be obtained from the natural abundance method if at least half a square meter of crop and reference plants is sampled for the isotopic analysis. In fields with small amounts of representative reference crops (weeds) it might be necessary to sow in reference crop...

  19. Growing three-dimensional biomorphic graphene powders using naturally abundant diatomite templates towards high solution processability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ke; Li, Cong; Shi, Liurong; Gao, Teng; Song, Xiuju; Bachmatiuk, Alicja; Zou, Zhiyu; Deng, Bing; Ji, Qingqing; Ma, Donglin; Peng, Hailin; Du, Zuliang; Rümmeli, Mark Hermann; Zhang, Yanfeng; Liu, Zhongfan

    2016-11-07

    Mass production of high-quality graphene with low cost is the footstone for its widespread practical applications. We present herein a self-limited growth approach for producing graphene powders by a small-methane-flow chemical vapour deposition process on naturally abundant and industrially widely used diatomite (biosilica) substrates. Distinct from the chemically exfoliated graphene, thus-produced biomorphic graphene is highly crystallized with atomic layer-thickness controllability, structural designability and less noncarbon impurities. In particular, the individual graphene microarchitectures preserve a three-dimensional naturally curved surface morphology of original diatom frustules, effectively overcoming the interlayer stacking and hence giving excellent dispersion performance in fabricating solution-processible electrodes. The graphene films derived from as-made graphene powders, compatible with either rod-coating, or inkjet and roll-to-roll printing techniques, exhibit much higher electrical conductivity (∼110,700 S m -1 at 80% transmittance) than previously reported solution-based counterparts. This work thus puts forward a practical route for low-cost mass production of various powdery two-dimensional materials.

  20. Direct cerebral and cardiac 17O-MRI at 3 Tesla: initial results at natural abundance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borowiak, Robert; Groebner, Jens; Haas, Martin; Hennig, Jürgen; Bock, Michael

    2014-02-01

    To establish direct (17)O-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for metabolic imaging at a clinical field strength of 3 T. An experimental setup including a surface coil and transmit/receive switch was constructed. Natural abundance in vivo brain images of a volunteer were acquired with a radial three-dimensional (3D) sequence in the visual cortex and in the heart with electrocardiogram (ECG)-gating. In the brain, a signal-to-noise ratio of 36 was found at a nominal resolution of (5.6 mm)(3), and a transverse relaxation time of T(2)* = (1.9 ± 0.2) ms was obtained. In the heart (17)O images were acquired with a temporal resolution of 200 ms. Cerebral and cardiac (17)O-MRI at natural abundance is feasible at 3 T.

  1. At the forefront: evidence of the applicability of using environmental DNA to quantify the abundance of fish populations in natural lentic waters with additional sampling considerations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klobucar, Stephen L.; Rodgers, Torrey W.; Budy, Phaedra

    2017-01-01

    Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has proven to be a valuable tool for detecting species in aquatic ecosystems. Within this rapidly evolving field, a promising application is the ability to obtain quantitative estimates of relative species abundance based on eDNA concentration rather than traditionally labor-intensive methods. We investigated the relationship between eDNA concentration and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) abundance in five well-studied natural lakes; additionally, we examined the effects of different temporal (e.g., season) and spatial (e.g., depth) scales on eDNA concentration. Concentrations of eDNA were linearly correlated with char population estimates ( = 0.78) and exponentially correlated with char densities ( = 0.96 by area; 0.82 by volume). Across lakes, eDNA concentrations were greater and more homogeneous in the water column during mixis; however, when stratified, eDNA concentrations were greater in the hypolimnion. Overall, our findings demonstrate that eDNA techniques can produce effective estimates of relative fish abundance in natural lakes. These findings can guide future studies to improve and expand eDNA methods while informing research and management using rapid and minimally invasive sampling.

  2. Relation of desert pupfish abundance to selected environmental variables in natural and manmade habitats in the Salton Sea basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, B.A.; Saiki, M.K.

    2005-01-01

    We assessed the relation between abundance of desert pupfish, Cyprinodon macularius, and selected biological and physicochemical variables in natural and manmade habitats within the Salton Sea Basin. Field sampling in a natural tributary, Salt Creek, and three agricultural drains captured eight species including pupfish (1.1% of the total catch), the only native species encountered. According to Bray-Curtis resemblance functions, fish species assemblages differed mostly between Salt Creek and the drains (i.e., the three drains had relatively similar species assemblages). Pupfish numbers and environmental variables varied among sites and sample periods. Canonical correlation showed that pupfish abundance was positively correlated with abundance of western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, and negatively correlated with abundance of porthole livebearers, Poeciliopsis gracilis, tilapias (Sarotherodon mossambica and Tilapia zillii), longjaw mudsuckers, Gillichthys mirabilis, and mollies (Poecilia latipinnaandPoecilia mexicana). In addition, pupfish abundance was positively correlated with cover, pH, and salinity, and negatively correlated with sediment factor (a measure of sediment grain size) and dissolved oxygen. Pupfish abundance was generally highest in habitats where water quality extremes (especially high pH and salinity, and low dissolved oxygen) seemingly limited the occurrence of nonnative fishes. This study also documented evidence of predation by mudsuckers on pupfish. These findings support the contention of many resource managers that pupfish populations are adversely influenced by ecological interactions with nonnative fishes. ?? Springer 2005.

  3. Abundance, Disposal Hypsiboas Espaciale lanciformis Natural History (Anura: Hylidae) southwest of the Venezuelan Andes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tovar Rodriguez, William; Chacon Ortiz, Andres; Duran, Rosa de Jesus

    2009-01-01

    Hypsiboas lanciformis is a tree frog belonging to the albopunctatus group. Its distribution ranges from Bolivia, Brazil, Peru to Colombia and Venezuela. We studied the status of a population inhabiting the realms property of Complejo Uribante-Caparo, CORPOELEC, in Tachira state (southwestern Andean Venezuela), by monitoring their call and visual detection across transects, gathering information on their abundance; available space, and other natural history accounts. The abundance decreases as the dry season progresses, while individuals show an aggregate spatial arrangement. Individuals were vocalizing at the edges of secondary forest adjacent to disturbed areas. This species is sympatric with the hylids Hypsiboas pugnax and Scinax manriquei. Some individuals revealed the presence of ectoparasites and endoparasites that might be affecting the species survivalship.

  4. Effects of weed cover composition on insect pest and natural enemy abundance in a field of Dracaena marginata (Asparagales: Asparagaceae) in Costa Rica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadof, Clifford S; Linkimer, Mildred; Hidalgo, Eduardo; Casanoves, Fernando; Gibson, Kevin; Benjamin, Tamara J

    2014-04-01

    Weeds and their influence on pest and natural enemy populations were studied on a commercial ornamental farm during 2009 in the Atlantic Zone of Costa Rica. A baseline survey of the entire production plot was conducted in February, along a 5 by 5 m grid to characterize and map initial weed communities of plants, cicadellids, katydids, and armored scales. In total, 50 plant species from 21 families were found. Seven weed treatments were established to determine how weed manipulations would affect communities of our targeted pests and natural enemies. These treatments were selected based on reported effects of specific weed cover on herbivorous insects and natural enemies, or by their use by growers as a cover crop. Treatments ranged from weed-free to being completely covered with endemic species of weeds. Although some weed treatments changed pest abundances, responses differed among arthropod pests, with the strongest effects observed for Caldwelliola and Empoasca leafhoppers. Removal of all weeds increased the abundance of Empoasca, whereas leaving mostly cyperacaeous weeds increased the abundance of Caldwelliola. Weed manipulations had no effect on the abundance of katydid and scale populations. No weed treatment reduced the abundance of all three of the target pests. Differential responses of the two leafhopper species to the same weed treatments support hypotheses, suggesting that noncrop plants can alter the abundance of pests through their effects on arthropod host finding and acceptance, as well as their impacts on natural enemies.

  5. Study on irradiation conditions of producing 153Sm with natural abundance samarium target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Du Jin; Jin Xiaohai; Bai Hongsheng; Liu Yuemin; Chen Daming; Wang Fan

    1998-01-01

    Irradiation conditions of natural abundance 152 Sm targets in different forms are studied in the heavy water reactor and the light water swimming pool reactor at the China Institute of Atomic Energy. The result shows that the specific activity of 153 Sm in liquid form target irradiated in the light water swimming pool reactor is two times greater than that in solid form target. The radionuclide purity of 153 Sm is more than 99%, which can meet the needs of clinical application

  6. Group decision-making techniques for natural resource management applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coughlan, Beth A.K.; Armour, Carl L.

    1992-01-01

    This report is an introduction to decision analysis and problem-solving techniques for professionals in natural resource management. Although these managers are often called upon to make complex decisions, their training in the natural sciences seldom provides exposure to the decision-making tools developed in management science. Our purpose is to being to fill this gap. We present a general analysis of the pitfalls of group problem solving, and suggestions for improved interactions followed by the specific techniques. Selected techniques are illustrated. The material is easy to understand and apply without previous training or excessive study and is applicable to natural resource management issues.

  7. Effect of Environmental Factors on Cyanobacterial Abundance and Cyanotoxins Production in Natural and Drinking Water, Bangladesh.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Affan, Abu; Khomavis, Hisham S; Al-Harbi, Salim Marzoog; Haque, Mahfuzul; Khan, Saleha

    2015-02-01

    Cyanobacterial blooms commonly appear during the summer months in ponds, lakes and reservoirs in Bangladesh. In these areas, fish mortality, odorous water and fish and human skin irritation and eye inflammation have been reported. The influence of physicochemical factors on the occurrence of cyanobacteria and its toxin levels were evaluated in natural and drinking water in Bangladesh. A highly sensitive immunosorbent assay was used to detect microcystins (MCs). Cyanobacteria were found in 22 of 23 samples and the dominant species were Microcystis aeruginosa, followed by Microcystisflosaquae, Anabeana crassa and Aphanizomenon flosaquae. Cyanobacterial abundance varied from 39 to 1315 x 10(3) cells mL(-1) in natural water and 31 to 49 x 10(3) cells mL(-1) in tap water. MC concentrations were 25-82300 pg mL(-1) with the highest value measured in the fish research pond, followed by Ishakha Lake. In tap water, MC concentrations ranged from 30-32 pg mL(-1). The correlation between nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) concentration and cyanobacterial cell abundance was R2 = 0.62 while that between cyanobacterial abundance and MC concentration was R2 = 0.98. The increased NO3-N from fish feed, organic manure, poultry and dairy farm waste and fertilizer from agricultural land eutrophicated the water bodies and triggered cyanobacterial bloom formation. The increased amount of cyanobacteria produced MCs, subsequently reducing the water quality.

  8. Soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics determined by stable isotope techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerzabek, M. H.

    1998-09-01

    Being aware of limitations and possible bias the 13 C natural abundance technique using the different 13 C enrichments in plants with differing photosynthetic pathways in a powerful tool to quantify turnover processes, both in long-term field studies and short-term laboratory experiments. Special care is needed in choosing reference plots and the proper number of replicate samples. The combination of 13 C and 14 C measurements has a high potential for a further improvement of isotope techniques in SOM studies. Natural abundance of 15 N is less powerful with respect to quantification of SOM processes than the isotope dilution technique. However its usefulness could be distinctly improved by introducing other stable isotopes into the studies.(author)

  9. Suitable activated carbon-13 tracer techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Weicheng; Peng Xiuru; Wang Yuhua

    1995-12-01

    Feasibility and applicability studies of the proton induced gamma ray emission (PIGE) have been performed. The graphite was firstly bombarded at various proton energies to determine gamma ray yield (and, thus, sensitivities) for the reaction of interest. The accuracy for the determination of 13 C abundance was checked, and the precision with which this value and ratios 13 C/ 12 C may be obtained was established by repetitive analysis samples. The performance of different standards in this determination was assessed. The mathematical treatment was developed for the determination of 13 C abundance in tracer studies, and to derive the equations that govern this method of analysis from first principles, to arrive finally at a simple expression by virtue of the observed regularities. The system was calibrated by measuring the gamma ray yield form the 12 C (p, γ) 13 N and 13 C(p,γ) 14 N reaction as a function of known 13 C enrichment. Using this experimentally determined calibration curve, unknown materials can be assayed. This technique is applicable to the analysis of samples with 13 C enrichments between 0.1% and 90%. The samples of human breath natural samples were analyzed against graphite and Cylinder CO 2 standards. Relative standard deviations were 13 C abundance, an increase in 13 C per cent isotopic abundance from the natural 1.11% (average) to only 1.39% may be ascertained. Finally, PIGE is compared with more classical techniques for analysis of 13 C tracer experiments. Ease and speed are important advantages of this technique over mass spectrometry, and its error is compatible with the natural variation of biological results. (9 refs., 11 figs., 9 tabs.)

  10. Natural language processing techniques for automatic test ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Natural language processing techniques for automatic test questions generation using discourse connectives. ... PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH. AFRICAN JOURNALS ... Journal of Computer Science and Its Application.

  11. Species richness and relative abundance of birds in natural and anthropogenic fragments of Brazilian Atlantic forest

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz dos Anjos

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Bird communities were studied in two types of fragmented habitat of Atlantic forest in the State of Paraná, southern Brazil; one consisted of forest fragments that were created as a result of human activities (forest remnants, the other consisted of a set of naturally occurring forest fragments (forest patches. Using quantitative data obtained by the point counts method in 3 forest patches and 3 forest remnants during one year, species richness and relative abundance were compared in those habitats, considering species groups according to their general feeding habits. Insectivores, omnivores, and frugivores presented similar general tendencies in both habitats (decrease of species number with decreasing size and increasing isolation of forest fragment. However, these tendencies were different, when considering the relative abundance data: the trunk insectivores presented the highest value in the smallest patch while the lowest relative abundance was in the smallest remnant. In the naturally fragmented landscape, time permitted that the loss of some species of trunk insectivores be compensated for the increase in abundance of other species. In contrast, the remnants essentially represented newly formed islands that are not yet at equilibrium and where future species losses would make them similar to the patches.Comunidades de aves foram estudadas em duas regiões fragmentadas de floresta Atlântica no Estado do Paraná, sul do Brasil; uma região é constituída de fragmentos florestais que foram criados como resultado de atividades humanas (remanescentes florestais e a outra de um conjunto de fragmentos florestais naturais (manchas de floresta. Usando dados quantitativos (o método de contagens pontuais previamente obtidos em 3 manchas de floresta e em 3 remanescentes florestais durante um ano, a riqueza e a abundância relativa de aves foram comparadas naqueles habitats considerando as espécies pelos seus hábitos alimentares. Inset

  12. Chinook Abundance - Point Features [ds180

    Data.gov (United States)

    California Natural Resource Agency — The CalFish Abundance Database contains a comprehensive collection of anadromous fisheries abundance information. Beginning in 1998, the Pacific States Marine...

  13. Steelhead Abundance - Linear Features [ds185

    Data.gov (United States)

    California Natural Resource Agency — The CalFish Abundance Database contains a comprehensive collection of anadromous fisheries abundance information. Beginning in 1998, the Pacific States Marine...

  14. Steelhead Abundance - Point Features [ds184

    Data.gov (United States)

    California Natural Resource Agency — The CalFish Abundance Database contains a comprehensive collection of anadromous fisheries abundance information. Beginning in 1998, the Pacific States Marine...

  15. Coho Abundance - Linear Features [ds183

    Data.gov (United States)

    California Natural Resource Agency — The CalFish Abundance Database contains a comprehensive collection of anadromous fisheries abundance information. Beginning in 1998, the Pacific States Marine...

  16. Coho Abundance - Point Features [ds182

    Data.gov (United States)

    California Natural Resource Agency — The CalFish Abundance Database contains a comprehensive collection of anadromous fisheries abundance information. Beginning in 1998, the Pacific States Marine...

  17. Abundance, composition and natural infection of Anopheles mosquitoes from two malaria-endemic regions of Colombia

    OpenAIRE

    Carolina Montoya; Priscila Bascuñán; Julián Rodríguez-Zabala; Margarita M. Correa

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: In Colombia there are three Anopheles species implicated in malaria transmission as primary vectors; however, the local role of some Anopheles species must still be defined. Objective: To determine the abundance, composition and natural infection rates for Anopheles mosquitoes with Plasmodium spp. in two malaria-endemic regions of Colombia. Materials and methods: Anopheles mosquitoes were collected using the human-landing catches and while resting in livestock corrals in n...

  18. Natural resource validation: A primer on concepts and techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ulibarri, C.A.; Wellman, K.F.

    1997-07-01

    Natural resource valuation has always had a fundamental role in the practice of cost-benefit analysis of health, safety, and environmental issues. The authors provide an objective overview of resource valuation techniques and describe their potential role in environmental restoration/waste management (ER/WM) activities at federal facilities. This handbook considers five general classes of valuation techniques: (1) market-based techniques, which rely on historical information on market prices and transactions to determine resource values; (2) nonmarket techniques that rely on indirect estimates of resource values; (3) nonmarket techniques that are based on direct estimates of resource values; (4) cross-cutting valuation techniques, which combine elements of one or more of these methods; and (5) ecological valuation techniques used in the emerging field of ecological economics. The various valuation techniques under consideration are described by highlighting their applicability in environmental management and regulation. The handbook also addresses key unresolved issues in the application of valuation techniques generally, including discounting future values, incorporating environmental equity concerns, and concerns over the uncertainties in the measurement of natural resource values and environmental risk.

  19. Natural resource valuation: A primer on concepts and techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ulibarri, C.A.; Wellman, K.F.

    1997-07-01

    Natural resource valuation has always had a fundamental role in the practice of cost-benefit analysis of health, safety, and environmental issues. The authors provide an objective overview of resource valuation techniques and describe their potential role in environmental restoration/waste management (ER/WM) activities at federal facilities. This handbook considers five general classes of valuation techniques: (1) market-based techniques, which rely on historical information on market prices and transactions to determine resource values; (2) nonmarket techniques that rely on indirect estimates of resource values; (3) nonmarket techniques that are based on direct estimates of resource values; (4) cross-cutting valuation techniques, which combine elements of one or more of these methods; and (5) ecological valuation techniques used in the emerging field of ecological economics. The various valuation techniques under consideration are described by highlighting their applicability in environmental management and regulation. The handbook also addresses key unresolved issues in the application of valuation techniques generally, including discounting future values, incorporating environmental equity concerns, and concerns over the uncertainties in the measurement of natural resource values and environmental risk

  20. Finding water scarcity amid abundance using human-natural system models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaeger, William K; Amos, Adell; Bigelow, Daniel P; Chang, Heejun; Conklin, David R; Haggerty, Roy; Langpap, Christian; Moore, Kathleen; Mote, Philip W; Nolin, Anne W; Plantinga, Andrew J; Schwartz, Cynthia L; Tullos, Desiree; Turner, David P

    2017-11-07

    Water scarcity afflicts societies worldwide. Anticipating water shortages is vital because of water's indispensable role in social-ecological systems. But the challenge is daunting due to heterogeneity, feedbacks, and water's spatial-temporal sequencing throughout such systems. Regional system models with sufficient detail can help address this challenge. In our study, a detailed coupled human-natural system model of one such region identifies how climate change and socioeconomic growth will alter the availability and use of water in coming decades. Results demonstrate how water scarcity varies greatly across small distances and brief time periods, even in basins where water may be relatively abundant overall. Some of these results were unexpected and may appear counterintuitive to some observers. Key determinants of water scarcity are found to be the cost of transporting and storing water, society's institutions that circumscribe human choices, and the opportunity cost of water when alternative uses compete. Published under the PNAS license.

  1. Abundance, composition and natural infection of Anopheles mosquitoes from two malaria-endemic regions of Colombia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolina Montoya

    2017-03-01

    Conclusions: Natural infection of A. darlingi and A. nuneztovari indicate that these malaria vectors continue to be effective carriers of Plasmodium in the localities under study in Valle del Cauca and Chocó. Additionally, the infected A. triannulatus s.l. collected in livestock corrals in the locality of the department of Córdoba suggests the need for further studies to define the epidemiological importance of this species given its abundance and opportunistic anthropophilic behavior.

  2. Investigation of four carbon monoxide isotopomers in natural abundance by laser-induced fluorescence in a supersonic jet

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Du Plessis, A

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The four carbon monoxide (CO) isotopomers 12C16O, 13C16O, 12C18O and 12C17O have been detected simultaneously in a CO gas sample of natural isotopic abundance by measuring rovibronic excitation spectra of six vibronic bands in the Fourth Positive...

  3. Pu abundances, concentrations, and isotopics by x- and gamma-ray spectrometry assay techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Camp, D.C.; Gunnink, R.; Ruhter, W.D.; Prindle, A.L.; Gomes, R.J.

    1986-01-01

    Two x- and gamma-ray systems were recently installed at-line in gloveboxes and will measure Pu solution concentrations from 5 to 105 g/L. These NDA technique, developed and refined over the past decade, are now used domestically and internationally for nuclear material process monitoring and accountability needs. In off- and at-line installations, they can measure solution concentrations to 0.2%. The K-XRFA systems use a transmission source to correct for solution density. The gamma-ray systems use peaks from 59- to 208-keV to determine solution concentrations and relative isotopics. A Pu check source monitors system stability. These two NDA techniques can be combined to form a new, NDA measurement methodology. With the instrument located outside of a glovebox, both relative Pu isotopics and absolute Pu abundances of a sample located inside a glovebox can be measured. The new technique works with either single or dual source excitation; the former for a detector 6 to 20 cm away with no geometric corrections needed; the latter requires geometric corrections or source movement if the sample cannot be measured at the calibration distance. 4 refs., 7 figs., 2 tabs

  4. Conventional oil and natural gas infrastructure increases brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) relative abundance and parasitism in mixed-grass prairie.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernath-Plaisted, Jacy; Nenninger, Heather; Koper, Nicola

    2017-07-01

    The rapid expansion of oil and natural gas development across the Northern Great Plains has contributed to habitat fragmentation, which may facilitate brood parasitism of ground-nesting grassland songbird nests by brown-headed cowbirds ( Molothrus ater ), an obligate brood parasite, through the introduction of perches and anthropogenic edges. We tested this hypothesis by measuring brown-headed cowbird relative abundance and brood parasitism rates of Savannah sparrow ( Passerculus sandwichensis ) nests in relation to the presence of infrastructure features and proximity to potential perches and edge habitat. The presence of oil and natural gas infrastructure increased brown-headed cowbird relative abundance by a magnitude of four times, which resulted in four times greater brood parasitism rates at infrastructure sites. While the presence of infrastructure and the proximity to roads were influential in predicting brood parasitism rates, the proximity of perch sites was not. This suggests that brood parasitism associated with oil and natural gas infrastructure may result in additional pressures that reduce productivity of this declining grassland songbird.

  5. Appraisal of the nitrogen-15 natural-abundance method for quantifying dinitrogen fixation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bremer, E.; van Kessel, C.

    1990-01-01

    Several investigators have questioned the use of the 15 N natural-abundance method of estimating N 2 fixation because of variability in soil δ 15 N and small differences between the δ 15 N of soil N and atmospheric N. Investigations were conducted to compare the 15 N natural-abundance and 15 N-isotope-dilution methods for estimating N 2 fixation of field-grown pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.). Spatial variability was assessed at three sites by determining the δ 15 N of non-N 2 -fixing plants. Seasonal variation in δ 15 N for spring and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), rape (Brassica napus L.) and lentil was determined at one site. Comparisons between δ 15 N and 15 N-enriched isotope-dilution methods for estimating N 2 fixation by lentil were conducted at several sites over a 3-yr period. Variability in δ 15 N of the reference plant was site dependent: the δ 15 N ranged from 2.8 to 9.3 at the first site, 3.4 to 8.8 at the second site, and 3.5 to 6.2 at the third site. The average δ 15 N of four of the five non-N 2 -fixing plants increased from 5.4 at 42 d after planting to 6.9 at the final harvest. The fifth non-N 2 -fixing plant, rape, accumulated most of its N during the first 42 d after planting, and its δ 15 N value declined from 8.1 at 42 d after planting to 7.3 at the final harvest. Estimates of N 2 fixation were not significantly different in 18 out of 21 comparisons; in two comparisons in the δ 15 N method and in one comparison the 15 N-enriched method provided higher estimates of N 2 fixation. Overall, both methods appeared to provide equally reliable estimates of N 2 fixation for lentil

  6. Estimate of symbiotically fixed nitrogen in field grown soybeans using variations in 15N natural abundance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amarger, N.; Durr, J.C.; Bourguignon, C.; Lagacherie, B.; Mariotti, A.; Mariotti, F.

    1979-01-01

    The use of variations in natural abundance of 15 N between nitrogen fixing and non nitrogen fixing soybeans was investigated for quantitative estimate of symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Isotopic analysis of 4 varieties of inoculated and non-inoculated soybeans growing under field conditions, with and without N-fertilizer was determined. It was found that inoculated soybeans had a significantly lower 15 N content than non-inoculated ones. Estimates of the participation of fixed N to the total nitrogen content of inoculated soybeans were calculated from these differences. They were compared to estimates calculated from differences in N yield between inoculated and non-inoculated plants and to the nitrogenase activity, measured by the C 2 H 2 reduction assay over the growing season. Estimates given by the 15 N measurements were correlated with the C 2 H 2 reducing activity but not with the differences in the N yield. This shows that the isotopic composition was dependent on the amount of fixed nitrogen and consequently that the estimates of fixed nitrogen based on natural 15 N abundance should be reliable. The absence of correlation between estimates based on 15 N content and estimates based on N yield was explained by differences in the uptake of soil nitrogen between inoculated and non inoculated soybeans. (Auth.)

  7. Carbon dynamics in corn-soybean sequences as estimated from natural carbon-13 abundance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huggins, D.R.; Clapp, C.E.; Allmaras, R.R.; Lamb, J.A.; Layese, M.F.

    1998-01-01

    Carbon flow in terrestrial ecosystems regulates partitioning between soil organic C (SOC) and atmospheric CO2. Our objectives were to assess SOC dynamics using natural 13C abundance in corn (Zea mays L., a C4 species)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr., a C3 species] sequences. Fifteen treatments of continuous corn, continuous soybean, various sequences of corn and soybean, and fallow were initiated in 1981 at Lamberton, MN, on a Webster clay loam (fine-loamy, mixed, mesic Typic Haplaquoll). In 1991, soil and aboveground shoot samples from all treatments were analyzed for total organic C and delta 13C. Carbon inputs, delta 13C, and SOC were integrated into a two-pool model to evaluate C dynamics of corn and soybean. Total SOC was similar across all treatments after 10 yr; however, differences in soil delta 13C occurred between continuous corn (delta 13C = -17.2 per thous and) and continuous soybean (delta 13C = -18.2 per thousand). Modeled C dynamics showed SOC decay rates of 0.011 yr-1 for C4-derived C and 0.007 yr-1 for C3-derived C, and humification rates of 0.16 yr-1 for corn and 0.11 yr-1 for soybean. Decay and humification rates were slightly lower than those found in other Corn Belt studies. Levels of SOC were predicted to decline an additional 7 to 18% with current C inputs from either corn or soybean, respectively. Annual C additions required for SOC maintenance averaged 5.6 Mg C ha-1, 1.4 to 2.1 times greater than previously reported estimates. Controlled variation in natural 13C abundance in corn-soybean rotations during a 10-yr period adequately traced C dynamics

  8. Natural abundant (17) O NMR in a 1.5-T Halbach magnet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sørensen, Morten K; Bakharev, Oleg N; Jensen, Ole; Nielsen, Niels Chr

    2016-06-01

    We present mobile, low-field (17) O NMR as a means for monitoring oxygen in liquids. Whereas oxygen is one of the most important elements, oxygen NMR is limited by a poor sensitivity related to low natural abundance and gyro-magnetic ratio of the NMR active (17) O isotope. Here, we demonstrate (17) O NMR detection at a Larmor frequency of 8.74 MHz in a 1.5-T Halbach neodymium magnet with a home-built digital NMR instrument suitable for large-scale production and in-line monitoring applications. The proposed (17) O NMR sensor may be applied for direct, noninvasive measurements of water content in, for example, oil, manure, or food in automated quality or process control. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Seasonal abundance and development of the Asian longhorned beetle and natural enemy prevalence in different forest types in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houping Liu; Leah S. Bauer; Tonghai Zhao; Ruitong Gao; Therese M. Poland

    2016-01-01

    Seasonal abundance and population development of the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), and prevalence of its natural enemies were studied on Hankow willow (Salix matsudana Koidz.) at an urban forest site (Anci) and a rural forest site (Tangerli) in Hebei province...

  10. Abundance and diversity of CO2-fixing bacteria in grassland soils close to natural carbon dioxide springs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Videmsek, Urska; Hagn, Alexandra; Suhadolc, Marjetka; Radl, Viviane; Knicker, Heike; Schloter, Michael; Vodnik, Dominik

    2009-07-01

    Gaseous conditions at natural CO2 springs (mofettes) affect many processes in these unique ecosystems. While the response of plants to extreme and fluctuating CO2 concentrations ([CO2]) is relatively well documented, little is known on microbial life in mofette soil. Therefore, it was the aim of this study to investigate the abundance and diversity of CO2-fixing bacteria in grassland soils in different distances to a natural carbon dioxide spring. Samples of the same soil type were collected from the Stavesinci mofette, a natural CO2 spring which is known for very pure CO2 emissions, at different distances from the CO2 releasing vents, at locations that clearly differed in soil CO2 efflux (from 12.5 to over 200 micromol CO2 m(-2) s(-1) yearly average). Bulk and rhizospheric soil samples were included into analyses. The microbial response was followed by a molecular analysis of cbbL genes, encoding for the large subunit of RubisCO, a carboxylase which is of crucial importance for C assimilation in chemolitoautotrophic microbes. In all samples analyzed, the "red-like" type of cbbL genes could be detected. In contrast, the "green-like" type of cbbL could not be measured by the applied technique. Surprisingly, a reduction of "red-like" cbbL genes copies was observed in bulk soil and rhizosphere samples from the sites with the highest CO2 concentrations. Furthermore, the diversity pattern of "red-like" cbbL genes changed depending on the CO(2) regime. This indicates that only a part of the autotrophic CO2-fixing microbes could adapt to the very high CO2 concentrations and adverse life conditions that are governed by mofette gaseous regime.

  11. Use of proton-enhanced, natural abundance /sup 13/C NMR to study the molecular dynamics of model and biological membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cornell, B A [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, North Ryde (Australia). Div. of Food Research; Keniry, M [Sydney Univ. (Australia). Dept. of Physical Chemistry; Hiller, R G [Macquarie Univ., North Ryde (Australia). School of Biological Sciences; Smith, R [La Trobe Univ., Bundoora (Australia). Dept. of Biochemistry

    1980-06-16

    Proton-enhanced NMR of the natural abundance /sup 13/C nuclei is used to study the lipid mobility in dispersions containing cholesterol, the polypeptide gramicidin A, and in membrane proparations derived from spinach chloroplasts and bovine brain myelin.

  12. Natural gas hydrates. Experimental techniques and their applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ye, Yuguang; Liu, Changling (eds.) [Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology (China). Gas Hydrate Laboratory

    2013-07-01

    Focuses on gas hydrate experiment in laboratory. Intends to provide practical significant parameters for gas hydrate exploration and exploitation in the oceanic and permafrost environments. Consists of different themes that present up-to-date information on hydrate experiments. ''Natural Gas Hydrates: Experimental Techniques and Their Applications'' attempts to broadly integrate the most recent knowledge in the fields of hydrate experimental techniques in the laboratory. The book examines various experimental techniques in order to provide useful parameters for gas hydrate exploration and exploitation. It provides experimental techniques for gas hydrates, including the detection techniques, the thermo-physical properties, permeability and mechanical properties, geochemical abnormalities, stability and dissociation kinetics, exploitation conditions, as well as modern measurement technologies etc.

  13. Female offspring desertion and male-only care increase with natural and experimental increase in food abundance

    OpenAIRE

    Eldegard, Katrine; Sonerud, Geir A.

    2009-01-01

    In species with biparental care, one parent may escape the costs of parental care by deserting and leaving the partner to care for the offspring alone. A number of theoretical papers have suggested a link between uniparental offspring desertion and ecological factors, but empirical evidence is scarce. We investigated the relationship between uniparental desertion and food abundance in a natural population of Tengmalm's owl Aegolius funereus, both by means of a 5-year observational study and a...

  14. Natural abundance deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: Study of the biosynthesis of monoterpenes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leopold, M.F.

    1990-01-01

    Deuterium NMR spectroscopy at natural abundance (D NMR-na) is a new technique for exploring the biosynthesis of small molecules such as monoterpenes. The analysis of relative site-specific deuterium integration values is an effective means of measuring isotope effects, and examining the regio- and stereochemistry of biosynthetic reactions. The deuterium integration values of linalyl acetate and limonene isolated from the same source were consistent and showed that proton abstraction from the postulated α-terpinyl cation intermediate to form limonene is regioselective from the methyl derived from the Cs methyl of the precursor, geranyl diphosphate. This regiochemistry was observed in limonene samples from different sources and the measured primary kinetic isotope effect ranged from 0.25 to in excess of 100 (no deuterium was removed within experimental error). Various α- and β-pinene samples were isolated and D NMR-na analysis showed evidence of isotopically sensitive partitioning of the pinylcation in the formation of these products. This spectral analysis supported published radiolabeling studies but did not require synthesis of substrates or enzyme purification. The formation of 3-carene occurs without isomerization of the double bond which was previously postulated. The olefinic deuterium of the bicyclic compound was traced to the depleted deuterium at C 2 of isopentyl diphosphate by D NMR-na data and this supported unpublished radiolabeling studies. Study of irregular monoterpenes, chrysanthemyl acetate and lyratyl acetate, showed partitioning of dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) by chrysanthemyl cyclase. The α-secondary kinetic isotope effect of 1.06-1.12, obtained from relative deuterium integration values, suggested that S N 1 ionization of one molecule of DMAPP is the first step in the condensation reaction

  15. Natural 15N abundance of soil N pools and N2O reflect the nitrogen dynamics of forest soils

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pörtl, K.; Zechmeister-Boltenstern, S.; Wanek, W.

    2007-01-01

    Natural N-15 abundance measurements of ecosystem nitrogen (N) pools and N-15 pool dilution assays of gross N transformation rates were applied to investigate the potential of delta N-15 signatures of soil N pools to reflect the dynamics in the forest soil N cycle. Intact soil cores were collected...

  16. Identification of Biodegradation Pathways in a Multi-Process Phytoremediation System (MPPS) Using Natural Abundance 14C Analysis of PLFA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowie, B. R.; Greenberg, B. M.; Slater, G. F.

    2008-12-01

    Optimizing remediation of petroleum-contaminated soils requires thorough understanding of the mechanisms and pathways involved in a proposed remediation system. In many engineered and natural attenuation systems, multiple degradation pathways may contribute to observed contaminant mass losses. In this study, biodegradation in the soil microbial community was identified as a major pathway for petroleum hydrocarbon removal in a Multi-Process Phytoremediation System (MPPS) using natural abundance 14C analysis of Phospholipid Fatty Acids (PLFA). In contaminated soils, PLFA were depleted in Δ14C to less than -800‰, directly demonstrating microbial uptake and utilization of petroleum derived carbon (Δ14C = -992‰) during bioremediation. Mass balance indicated that more than 80% of microbial carbon was derived from petroleum hydrocarbons and a maximum of 20% was produced from metabolism of modern carbon sources. In contrast, in a nearby uncontaminated control soil, the microbial community maintained a nearly modern 14C signature, suggesting preferential degradation of more labile, recent carbon. Mass balance using δ13C and Δ14C of soil CO2 demonstrated that mineralization of petroleum carbon contributed 60-65% of soil CO2 at the contaminated site. The remainder was derived from atmospheric (27-30%) and decomposition of non- petroleum natural organic carbon (5-10%). The clean control exhibited substantially lower CO2 concentrations that were derived from atmospheric (55%) and natural organic carbon (45%) sources. This study highlights the value of using multiple carbon isotopes to identify degradation pathways in petroleum- contaminated soils undergoing phytoremediation and the power of natural abundance 14C to detect petroleum metabolism in natural microbial communities.

  17. Food resources of stream macroinvertebrates determined by natural-abundance stable C and N isotopes and a 15N tracer addition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patrick J. Mulholland; Jennifer L. Tank; Diane M. Sanzone; Wilfrid M. Wollheim; Bruce J. Peterson; Jackson R. Webster; Judy L. Meyer

    2000-01-01

    Trophic relationships were examined using natural-abundance 13C and 15N analyses and a 15N-tracer addition experiment in Walker Branch, a 1st-order forested stream in eastern Tennessee. In the 15N-tracer addition experiment, we added 15NH4...

  18. Bradyrhizobium strain and the 15N natural abundance quantification of biological N2 fixation in soybean Estirpe do Bradyrhizobium e quantificação da fixação biológica de nitrogênio em soja utilizando a técnica da abundância natural de 15N

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Paula Guimarães

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available In commercial plantations of soybean in both the Southern and the Cerrado regions, contributions from biological nitrogen fixation (BNF are generally proportionately high. When using the 15N natural abundance technique to quantify BNF inputs, it is essential to determine, with accuracy, the 15N abundance of the N derived from BNF (the 'B' value. This study aimed to determine the effect of four recommended strains of Bradyrhizobium spp. (two B. japonicum and two B. elkanii on the 'B' value of soybean grown in pots in an open field using an equation based on the determination of δ15N natural abundance in a non-labelled soil, and estimate of the contribution of BNF derived from the use of 15N-isotope dilution in soils enriched with 15N. To evaluate N2 fixation by soybean, three non-N2-fixing reference crops were grown under the same conditions. Regardless of Bradyrhizobium strain, no differences were observed in dry matter, nodule weight and total N between labelled and non-labelled soil. The N2 fixation of the soybeans grown in the two soil conditions were similar. The mean 'B' values of the soybeans inoculated with the B. japonicum strains were -1.84 ‰ and -0.50 ‰, while those inoculated with B. elkanii were -3.67 ‰ and -1.0 ‰, for the shoot tissue and the whole plant, respectively. Finally, the 'B' value for the soybean crop varied considerably in function of the inoculated Bradyrhizobium strain, being most important when only the shoot tissue was utilised to estimate the proportion of N in the plant derived from N2 fixation.Em plantações comerciais de soja na região Sul e do Cerrado, as contribuições da fixação biológica de Nitrogênio (FBN são geralmente elevadas. Quando usamos a técnica da abundância natural de 15N para quantificar a FBN, é essencial determinar com exatidão a abundância de 15N do N derivado da FBN (valor 'B'. Este trabalho buscou determinar o efeito das quatro estirpes de Bradyrhizobium spp. (duas B

  19. Provitamin A-biofortified maize consumption increases serum xanthophylls and 13C-natural abundance of retinol in Zambian children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheftel, Jesse; Gannon, Bryan M; Davis, Christopher R; Tanumihardjo, Sherry A

    2017-09-01

    Plants that undergo C 4 photosynthesis, such as maize, are enriched in the stable isotope of carbon ( 13 C) compared with other dietary plants and foods. Consumption of maize that has been biofortified to contain elevated levels of provitamin A carotenoids (orange maize) increased the abundance of 13 C in serum retinol of Mongolian gerbils. We evaluated this method in humans to determine if it has potential for further use in intervention effectiveness studies. A random subset of samples from a two-month randomized controlled feeding trial of rural three- to five-year old Zambian children were used to determine the impact of orange maize intake on serum carotenoid concentrations ( n = 88) and 13 C-natural abundance in serum retinol ( n = 77). Concentrations of β-cryptoxanthin (a xanthophyll provitamin A carotenoid) and the dihydroxy xanthophylls lutein and zeaxanthin, which do not have vitamin A activity, were elevated in children consuming orange maize compared with those consuming a white maize control ( P  0.3). Furthermore, 13 C natural abundance was higher after two months' intervention in the orange maize group compared with the white maize group ( P = 0.049). Predictions made from equations developed in the aforementioned gerbil study estimated that maize provided 11% (2-21%, 95% confidence interval) of the recent dietary vitamin A to these children. These results demonstrate that orange maize is efficacious at providing retinol to the vitamin A pool in children through provitamin A carotenoids, as monitored by the change in 13 C enrichment, which was not reflected in serum β-carotene concentrations. Further effectiveness studies in countries who have adopted orange maize should consider determining differences in retinol 13 C-enrichment among target groups in addition to profiling serum xanthophyll carotenoids with specific emphasis on zeaxanthin. Impact statement Maize biofortified with provitamin A carotenoids (orange) has been released

  20. Species richness and abundance of hesperioidea and papilionoidea (lepidoptera) in Las Delicias natural reserve, Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vargas Zapata, Maria A; Martinez Hernandez, Neis Jose; Gutierrez Moreno, Luis C and others

    2011-01-01

    In the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, are formations of dry tropical secondary forest hosting a fauna representative of lepidoptera, which can be used as an indicator of group condition, because of their sensitivity to intervention and specificity in the use of resources; in the present study the changes in richness and abundance of butterflies hesperioidea papilionoidea in nature reserve Las Delicias were evaluated. Two sampling sites with different degrees of intervention were selected. The first site is located between 400- 550 over sea level, while the second at 200 m. We performed four samples, from April to July 2008; using two networks lepidopterist and 10 van someren rydon traps baited with macerated fruit and fish. We captured 432 individuals belonging to 66 species, distributed in 52 genera. Nymphalidae were the most rich family (42) and abundance (250); highlighting the species mechanitis lysimnia fabricius (41 specimens), typical in forest with very good coverage. Site 2, was the most diverse (48) and abundance (236), because in this place there was a greater stratification and tree coverage, and the presence of water resources during the sampling. With the arrival of rain in June and July, there was greater flowering and fruiting of vegetation in the area, increasing the availability of resources and therefore a greater richness and abundance of papilionoidea and hesperioidea in the study area.

  1. Estimate of symbiotically fixed nitrogen in field grown soybeans using variations in /sup 15/N natural abundance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amarger, N; Durr, J C; Bourguignon, C; Lagacherie, B [INRA Centre de Recherches de Dijon, 21 (France). Lab. de Microbiologie des Sols; Mariotti, A; Mariotti, F [Paris-6 Univ., 75 (France). Lab. de Geologie Dynamique

    1979-07-01

    The use of variations in natural abundance of /sup 15/N between nitrogen fixing and non nitrogen fixing soybeans was investigated for quantitative estimate of symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Isotopic analysis of 4 varieties of inoculated and non-inoculated soybeans growing under field conditions, with and without N-fertilizer was determined. It was found that inoculated soybeans had a significantly lower /sup 15/N content than non-inoculated ones. Estimates of the participation of fixed N to the total nitrogen content of inoculated soybeans were calculated from these differences. They were compared to estimates calculated from differences in N yield between inoculated and non-inoculated plants and to the nitrogenase activity, measured by the C/sub 2/H/sub 2/ reduction assay over the growing season. Estimates given by the /sup 15/N measurements were correlated with the C/sub 2/H/sub 2/ reducing activity but not with the differences in the N yield. This shows that the isotopic composition was dependent on the amount of fixed nitrogen and consequently that the estimates of fixed nitrogen based on natural /sup 15/N abundance should be reliable. The absence of correlation between estimates based on /sup 15/N content and estimates based on N yield was explained by differences in the uptake of soil nitrogen between inoculated and non inoculated soybeans.

  2. Radiogenic lead-208 abundance 88.34 %

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seneda, Jose A.; Abrao, Alcidio; Dias, Mauro S.; Kakazu, Mauricio H.; Salvador, Vera L.R.; Queiroz, Carlos A.S.; Rocha, Soraya M.R. da; Sato, Key

    2009-01-01

    Brazil has a long tradition in thorium technology, from the monazite ores mining until the production of the nuclear grade thorium compounds. Early in 1969 the Institute of Energy and Nuclear Research (IPEN) designed a project for a pilot plant installation to purify the thorium compounds, based on the solvent extraction technique. Thorium compounds used came from monazite's industrialization. During the course of the operation of this plant, a crude sludge were formed containing thorium not extracted and the whole rare earths, plus minor impurities like sodium, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, iron, silicon, phosphate and the thorium daughters were accumulated. Included is the radiogenic lead-208. This sludge, hereafter named 'RETOTER', was treated with hydrochloric acid and the lead was separated and recovered by anion exchange technology. The lead-208 was analyzed by mass spectrometry (HR-ICPMS) technique. The lead-208 abundance measure was 88.34%, this allowed the calculation of the thermal neutron capture cross section of σ 0 γ = 14,6 +/- 0.7 mb, considerably lower than the σ 0 γ = 174.2 +/- 0.7 mb value of the natural lead. (author)

  3. Minimization of spin-lattice relaxation time with highly viscous solvents for acquisition of natural abundance nitrogen-15 and silicon-29 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bammel, B.P.; Evilia, R.F.

    1982-01-01

    The use of high viscosity solution conditions to decrease T 1 of 15 N and 29 Si nuclei so that natural abundance NMR spectra can be acquired in reasonable times is illustrated. Significant T 1 decreases with negligible increases in peak width are observed. No spectral shifts are observed in any of the cases studied. Highly viscous solutions are produced by using glycerol as a solvent for water-soluble molecules and a mixed solvent consisting of toluene saturated with polystyrene for organic-soluble molecules. The microviscosity in the latter solvent is found to be much less than the observed macroviscosity. Hydrogen bonding of glycerol to the NH 2 of 2-aminopyridine results in a greater than predicted decrease in T 1 for this nitrogen. The technique appears to be a useful alternative to paramagnetic relaxation reagents

  4. Heteronuclear three-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. Natural abundance 13C chemical shift editing of 1H-1H COSY spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fesik, S.W.; Gampe, R.T. Jr.; Zuiderweg, E.R.P.

    1989-01-01

    It has been demonstrated that heteronuclear 3D NMR spectroscopy can be effectively applied to small molecules with 13 C at natural abundance. A 78mM solution of the aminoglycoside, kanamycin A was used for this experiment. The heteronuclear 3D NMR spectroscopy is shown to be a useful method for resolving spectral overlap in all frequency domains. 10 refs., 2 figs

  5. Preparation of Natural Rubber (NR) Based Nano-Sized Materials Using Sol-Gel Technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dahlan Mohd; Mahathir Mohamed

    2011-01-01

    The objectives of this project are to prepare nano-sized natural rubber-based hybrid coating material by sol-gel technique; to explore the possibility of producing ENR-Si (epoxidized natural rubber-silica) cramer with toughening effects; and to use it in radiation curing of surface coating. Since early 1960s Malaysia has introduced various forms of value-added natural rubber such as Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR), methylmethacrylate-grafted natural rubber (MG rubber), followed by liquid natural rubber and epoxidized natural rubber (ENR). Products such as liquid epoxidized natural rubber acrylate (LENRA) and thermoplastic natural rubber (TPNR) are still on-going research projects in Nuclear Malaysia. The former has strong possibility to be used as radiation-sensitive comparabilities in TPNR blends, besides its original purpose for example in radiation curing of surface coating. But earlier findings indicated that, to make it (as for surface coating) more effective, reinforcement system is needed to be introduced. Strong candidate is silica by sol-gel technique, since common reinforcement filler for example carbon black has drawbacks in this particular case. This technique was introduced in late 1960s to produce metal oxides such as silica and titanium oxides in solution. (author)

  6. Understanding and reducing statistical uncertainties in nebular abundance determinations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wesson, R.; Stock, D. J.; Scicluna, P.

    2012-06-01

    Whenever observations are compared to theories, an estimate of the uncertainties associated with the observations is vital if the comparison is to be meaningful. However, many or even most determinations of temperatures, densities and abundances in photoionized nebulae do not quote the associated uncertainty. Those that do typically propagate the uncertainties using analytical techniques which rely on assumptions that generally do not hold. Motivated by this issue, we have developed Nebular Empirical Analysis Tool (NEAT), a new code for calculating chemical abundances in photoionized nebulae. The code carries out a standard analysis of lists of emission lines using long-established techniques to estimate the amount of interstellar extinction, calculate representative temperatures and densities, compute ionic abundances from both collisionally excited lines and recombination lines, and finally to estimate total elemental abundances using an ionization correction scheme. NEATuses a Monte Carlo technique to robustly propagate uncertainties from line flux measurements through to the derived abundances. We show that, for typical observational data, this approach is superior to analytic estimates of uncertainties. NEAT also accounts for the effect of upward biasing on measurements of lines with low signal-to-noise ratio, allowing us to accurately quantify the effect of this bias on abundance determinations. We find not only that the effect can result in significant overestimates of heavy element abundances derived from weak lines, but also that taking it into account reduces the uncertainty of these abundance determinations. Finally, we investigate the effect of possible uncertainties in R, the ratio of selective-to-total extinction, on abundance determinations. We find that the uncertainty due to this parameter is negligible compared to the statistical uncertainties due to typical line flux measurement uncertainties.

  7. Does human activity impact the natural antibiotic resistance background? Abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in 21 Swiss lakes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czekalski, Nadine; Sigdel, Radhika; Birtel, Julia; Matthews, Blake; Bürgmann, Helmut

    2015-08-01

    Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are emerging environmental contaminants, known to be continuously discharged into the aquatic environment via human and animal waste. Freshwater aquatic environments represent potential reservoirs for ARG and potentially allow sewage-derived ARG to persist and spread in the environment. This may create increased opportunities for an eventual contact with, and gene transfer to, human and animal pathogens via the food chain or drinking water. However, assessment of this risk requires a better understanding of the level and variability of the natural resistance background and the extent of the human impact. We have analyzed water samples from 21 Swiss lakes, taken at sampling points that were not under the direct influence of local contamination sources and analyzed the relative abundance of ARG using quantitative real-time PCR. Copy numbers of genes mediating resistance to three different broad-spectrum antibiotic classes (sulfonamides: sul1, sul2, tetracyclines: tet(B), tet(M), tet(W) and fluoroquinolones: qnrA) were normalized to copy numbers of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. We used multiple linear regression to assess if ARG abundance is related to human activities in the catchment, microbial community composition and the eutrophication status of the lakes. Sul genes were detected in all sampled lakes, whereas only four lakes contained quantifiable numbers of tet genes, and qnrA remained below detection in all lakes. Our data indicate higher abundance of sul1 in lakes with increasing number and capacity of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the catchment. sul2 abundance was rather related to long water residence times and eutrophication status. Our study demonstrates the potential of freshwater lakes to preserve antibiotic resistance genes, and provides a reference for ARG abundance from lake systems with low human impact as a baseline for assessing ARG contamination in lake water. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

  8. Identification Of Natural Dyes On Archaeological Textile Objects Using Laser Induced Fluorescent Technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdel-Kareem, O.; Eltokhy, A.; Harith, M. A.

    2011-01-01

    This study aims to evaluate the use of Laser Fluorescent as a non-destructive technique for identification of natural dyes on archaeological textile objects. In this study wool textile samples were dyed with 10 natural dyes such as cochineal, cutch, henna, indigo, Lac, madder, safflower, saffron, sumac and turmeric. These dyes common present on archaeological textile objects to be used as standard dyed textile samples. These selected natural dyes will be used as known references that can be used a guide to identify unknown archaeological dyes. The dyed textile samples were investigated with laser radiation in different wavelengths to detect the best wavelengths for identification each dye. This study confirms that Laser Florescent is very useful and a rapid technique can be used as a non-destructive technique for identification of natural dyes on archaeological textile objects. The results obtained with this study can be a guide for all conservators in identification of natural organic dyes on archaeological textile objects.

  9. Identification Of Natural Dyes On Archaeological Textile Objects Using Laser Induced Fluorescent Technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdel-Kareem, O.; Eltokhy, A.; Harith, M. A.

    2011-09-01

    This study aims to evaluate the use of Laser Fluorescent as a non-destructive technique for identification of natural dyes on archaeological textile objects. In this study wool textile samples were dyed with 10 natural dyes such as cochineal, cutch, henna, indigo, Lac, madder, safflower, saffron, sumac and turmeric. These dyes common present on archaeological textile objects to be used as standard dyed textile samples. These selected natural dyes will be used as known references that can be used a guide to identify unknown archaeological dyes. The dyed textile samples were investigated with laser radiation in different wavelengths to detect the best wavelengths for identification each dye. This study confirms that Laser Florescent is very useful and a rapid technique can be used as a non-destructive technique for identification of natural dyes on archaeological textile objects. The results obtained with this study can be a guide for all conservators in identification of natural organic dyes on archaeological textile objects.

  10. Poly-ethers from Winogradskyella poriferorum: Antifouling potential, time-course study of production and natural abundance

    KAUST Repository

    Dash, Swagatika

    2011-08-01

    A sponge-associated bacterium, Winogradskyella poriferorum strain UST030701-295T was cultured up to 100l for extraction of antifouling bioactive compounds. Five poly-ethers were isolated and partially characterized based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS); two of them showed inhibitory effects on biofilm formation of marine bacteria and larval settlement of macro-foulers but did not produce any adverse effects on the phenotypes of zebra fish embryos at a concentration of 5μgml -1. The effect of culture duration on the production of the poly-ethers and the bioactivity of the relevant extracts was monitored over a period of 12days. The total crude poly-ether production increased from day 2 to day 5 and the highest bioactivity was observed on day 3. The poly-ethers were found to be localized in the cellular fraction of the extracts, implying their natural occurrence. The potent bioactivity of these poly-ethers together with their high natural abundance in bacteria makes them promising candidates as ingredients in antifouling applications. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Using of Natural Language Processing Techniques in Suicide Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azam Orooji

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available It is estimated that each year many people, most of whom are teenagers and young adults die by suicide worldwide. Suicide receives special attention with many countries developing national strategies for prevention. Since, more medical information is available in text, Preventing the growing trend of suicide in communities requires analyzing various textual resources, such as patient records, information on the web or questionnaires. For this purpose, this study systematically reviews recent studies related to the use of natural language processing techniques in the area of people’s health who have completed suicide or are at risk. After electronically searching for the PubMed and ScienceDirect databases and studying articles by two reviewers, 21 articles matched the inclusion criteria. This study revealed that, if a suitable data set is available, natural language processing techniques are well suited for various types of suicide related research.

  12. Abiotic and biotic factors associated with the presence of Anopheles arabiensis immatures and their abundance in naturally occurring and man-made aquatic habitats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gouagna Louis

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera: Culicidae is a potential malaria vector commonly present at low altitudes in remote areas in Reunion Island. Little attention has been paid to the environmental conditions driving larval development and abundance patterns in potential habitats. Two field surveys were designed to determine whether factors that discriminate between aquatic habitats with and without An. arabiensis larvae also drive larval abundance, comparatively in man-made and naturally occurring habitats. Methods In an initial preliminary survey, a representative sample of aquatic habitats that would be amenable to an intensive long-term study were selected and divided into positive and negative sites based on the presence or absence of Anopheles arabiensis larvae. Subsequently, a second survey was prompted to gain a better understanding of biotic and abiotic drivers of larval abundance, comparatively in man-made and naturally occurring habitats in the two studied locations. In both surveys, weekly sampling was performed to record mosquito species composition and larval density within individual habitats, as well as in situ biological characteristics and physico-chemical properties. Results Whilst virtually any stagnant water body could be a potential breeding ground for An. arabiensis, habitats occupied by their immatures had different structural and biological characteristics when compared to those where larvae were absent. Larval occurrence seemed to be influenced by flow velocity, macrofauna diversity and predation pressure. Interestingly, the relative abundance of larvae in man-made habitats (average: 0.55 larvae per dip, 95%CI [0.3–0.7] was significantly lower than that recorded in naturally occurring ones (0.74, 95%CI [0.5–0.8]. Such differences may be accounted for in part by varying pressures that could be linked to a specific habitat. Conclusions If the larval ecology of An. arabiensis is in general very complex

  13. New method for metal-abundance determination in late-type stars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campbell, B.

    1978-01-01

    An empirical technique has been developed for deriving heavy-element abundances from near-infrared blends of weak metallic lines. It is applicable to G and K stars of population I and II and is independent of gravity and microturbulence. A feature of the method is that it gives abundances for ''super-metal-rich'' giants consistent with high-dispersion analyses. The technique may be applicable to abundance problems in galaxies. It is also shown that precision colorimetry unaffected by sky transparency changes is possible with a diode array spectrometer

  14. Spectral unmixing: estimating partial abundances

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Debba, Pravesh

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available techniques is complicated when considering very similar spectral signatures. Iron-bearing oxide/hydroxide/sulfate minerals have similar spectral signatures. The study focuses on how could estimates of abundances of spectrally similar iron-bearing oxide...

  15. Estimates of abundance and diversity of Shewanella genus in natural and engineered aqueous environments with newly designed primers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Bing-Bing; Cheng, Yuan-Yuan; Fan, Yang-Yang; Liu, Dong-Feng; Fang, Cai-Yun; Wu, Chao; Li, Wen-Wei; Yang, Zong-Chuang; Yu, Han-Qing

    2018-05-12

    Shewanella species have a diverse respiratory ability and wide distribution in environments and play an important role in bioremediation and the biogeochemical cycles of elements. Primers with more accuracy and broader coverage are required with consideration of the increasing number of Shewanella species and evaluation of their roles in various environments. In this work, a new primer set of 640F/815R was developed to quantify the abundance of Shewanella species in natural and engineered environments. In silico tools for primer evaluation, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and clone library results showed that 640F/815R had a higher specificity and coverage than the previous primers in quantitative analysis of Shewanella. Another newly developed primer pair of 211F/815cR was also adopted to analyze the Shewanella diversity and demonstrated to be the best candidate in terms of specificity and coverage. We detected more Shewanella-related species in freshwater environments and found them to be substantially different from those in marine environments. Abundance and diversity of Shewanella species in wastewater treatment plants were largely affected by the process and operating conditions. Overall, this study suggests that investigations of abundance and diversity of Shewanella in various environments are of great importance to evaluate their ecophysiology and potential ecological roles. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Chinook Abundance - Linear Features [ds181

    Data.gov (United States)

    California Natural Resource Agency — The dataset 'ds181_Chinook_ln' is a product of the CalFish Adult Salmonid Abundance Database. Data in this shapefile are collected from stream sections or reaches...

  17. GLOBULAR CLUSTER ABUNDANCES FROM HIGH-RESOLUTION, INTEGRATED-LIGHT SPECTROSCOPY. II. EXPANDING THE METALLICITY RANGE FOR OLD CLUSTERS AND UPDATED ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colucci, Janet E.; Bernstein, Rebecca A.; McWilliam, Andrew [The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, 813 Santa Barbara St., Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States)

    2017-01-10

    We present abundances of globular clusters (GCs) in the Milky Way and Fornax from integrated-light (IL) spectra. Our goal is to evaluate the consistency of the IL analysis relative to standard abundance analysis for individual stars in those same clusters. This sample includes an updated analysis of seven clusters from our previous publications and results for five new clusters that expand the metallicity range over which our technique has been tested. We find that the [Fe/H] measured from IL spectra agrees to ∼0.1 dex for GCs with metallicities as high as [Fe/H] = −0.3, but the abundances measured for more metal-rich clusters may be underestimated. In addition we systematically evaluate the accuracy of abundance ratios, [X/Fe], for Na i, Mg i, Al i, Si i, Ca i, Ti i, Ti ii, Sc ii, V i, Cr i, Mn i, Co i, Ni i, Cu i, Y ii, Zr i, Ba ii, La ii, Nd ii, and Eu ii. The elements for which the IL analysis gives results that are most similar to analysis of individual stellar spectra are Fe i, Ca i, Si i, Ni i, and Ba ii. The elements that show the greatest differences include Mg i and Zr i. Some elements show good agreement only over a limited range in metallicity. More stellar abundance data in these clusters would enable more complete evaluation of the IL results for other important elements.

  18. LITERATURE SURVEY ON ISOTOPIC ABUNDANCE RATIO MEASUREMENTS - 2001-2005

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    HOLDEN, N.E.

    2005-01-01

    Along with my usual weekly review of the published literature for new nuclear data, I also search for new candidates for best measurements of isotopic abundances from a single source. Most of the published articles, that I previously had found in the Research Library at the Brookhaven Lab, have already been sent to the members of the Atomic Weights Commission, by either Michael Berglund or Thomas Walczyk. In the last few days, I checked the published literature for any other articles in the areas of natural variations in isotopic abundance ratios, measurements of isotopic abundance ratios on samples of extra-terrestrial material and isotopic abundance ratio measurements performed using ICPMS instruments. Hopefully this information will be of interest to members of the Commission, the sub-committee on isotopic abundance measurements (SIAM), members of the former sub-committee on natural isotopic fractionation (SNIF), the sub-committee on extra-terrestrial isotope ratios (SETIR), the RTCE Task Group and the Guidelines Task Group, who are dealing with ICPMS and TIMS comparisons. In the following report, I categorize the publications in one of four areas. Measurements performed using either positive or negative ions with Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer, TIMS, instruments; measurements performed on Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer, ICPMS, instruments; measurements of natural variations of the isotopic abundance ratios; and finally measurements on extra-terrestrial samples with instrumentation of either type. There is overlap in these areas. I selected out variations and ET results first and then categorized the rest of the papers by TIMS and ICPMS

  19. Subdwarf ultraviolet excesses and metal abundances

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carney, B.W.

    1979-01-01

    The relation between stellar ultraviolet excesses and abundances is reexamined with the aid of new data, and an investigation is made of the accuracy of previous abundance analyses. A high-resolution echellogram of the subdwarf HD 201891 is analyzed to illustrate some of the problems. Generally, the earliest and latest analytical techniques yield consistent results for dwarfs. New UBV data yield normalized ultraviolet excesses, delta (U-B)/sub 0.6/, which are compared to abundances to produce a graphical relation that may be used to estimate [Fe/H] to +- 0.2 dex, given UBV colors accurate to +- 0.01 mag. The relation suggests a possible discontinuity between the halo and old-disk stars

  20. Development of the charcoal adsorption technique for determination of radon content in natural gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paewpanchon, P.; Chanyotha, S.

    2017-01-01

    A technique for the determination of the radon concentration in natural gas using charcoal adsorption has been developed to study the effects of parameters that influence the adsorption efficiency of radon onto activated charcoal. Several sets of experiments were conducted both in the laboratory and in an actual natural gas field for comparison. The results show that the adsorption capability of radon onto activated charcoal varies inversely with temperature, hydrocarbon concentration and the humidity contained within the natural gas. A technique utilizing dry ice as a coolant was found to be the most effective for trapping radon in natural gas samples at the production site. A desiccant can be used to remove moisture from the sampling gas. The technique described here increases the adsorption efficiency of activated charcoal by 10-20% compared to our previous study. (authors)

  1. Carbono, Nitrogênio, Abundância Natural de Δ13C e Δ15N do Solo sob Sistemas Agroflorestais

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wanderson Henrique Couto

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available RESUMO O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar alterações nos teores de C e N e abundância natural de δ13C e δ15N de um Cambissolo Háplico Tb distrófico em uma área com sistema agroflorestal (SAF. Em cada área de estudo foram coletadas amostras de solo, em 8 profundidades de 0,0–1,0 m. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado, em esquema de parcelas subdivididas 2 × 8 (2 áreas florestais e 8 profundidades, com três repetições. Com exceção da camada superficial do solo (0,0-0,10, a área de SAF está preservando os teores de C e aumentando os teores de N (0,2-1,0 em relação à mata nativa. Ambas as áreas avaliadas apresentaram sinais de abundância natural de δ13C referente a plantas do ciclo fotossintético C3, e a área de mata nativa apresentou nas camadas superficiais (0,0-0,20 maiores valores de δ15N, demonstrando maior decomposição da matéria orgânica.

  2. Detecting novel low-abundant transcripts in Drosophila

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lee, Sanggyu; Bao, Jingyue; Zhou, Guolin

    2005-01-01

    Increasing evidence suggests that low-abundant transcripts may play fundamental roles in biological processes. In an attempt to estimate the prevalence of low-abundant transcripts in eukaryotic genomes, we performed a transcriptome analysis in Drosophila using the SAGE technique. We collected 244......,313 SAGE tags from transcripts expressed in Drosophila embryonic, larval, pupae, adult, and testicular tissue. From these SAGE tags, we identified 40,823 unique SAGE tags. Our analysis showed that 55% of the 40,823 unique SAGE tags are novel without matches in currently known Drosophila transcripts...... in the Drosophila genome. Our study reveals the presence of a significant number of novel low-abundant transcripts in Drosophila, and highlights the need to isolate these novel low-abundant transcripts for further biological studies. Udgivelsesdato: 2005-Jun...

  3. Natural gas: intersection of men, techniques and markets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laupretre, J.M.; Rasmusen, H.J.

    1996-01-01

    The 113. gas conference has held in Paris between the 10. to 13. September 1996. Its topic was ''the natural gas: intersection of men, techniques and markets''. Jean-Michel Laupretre, chairman of the technical association of the gas industry in France (TAG), in his opening allocution and Hans Rasmusen, chairman of the international Union of gas industry, in his Union message have stressed on the actuality of such a subject. (O.M.)

  4. The determination of minor isotope abundances in naturally occurring uranium materials. The tracing power of isotopic signatures for uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ovaskainen, R.

    1999-01-01

    The mass spectrometric determination of minor abundant isotopes, 234 U and 236 U in naturally occurring uranium materials requires instruments of high abundance sensitivity and the use of highly sensitive detection systems. In this study the thermal ionisation mass spectrometer Finnigan MAT 262RPQ was used. It was equipped with 6 Faraday cups and a Secondary Electron Multiplier (SEM), which was operated in pulse counting mode for the detection of extremely low ion currents. The dynamic measurement range was increased considerably combining these two different detectors. The instrument calibration was performed carefully. The linearity of each detector, the deadtime of the ion counting detector, the detector normalisation factor, the baseline of each detector and the mass discrimination in the ion source were checked and optimised. A measurement technique based on the combination of a Gas Source Mass Spectrometry (GSMS) and a Thermal Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) was developed for the accurate determination of isotopic composition in naturally occurring uranium materials. Because the expected ratio of n( 234 U)/n( 238 U) exceeded the dynamic measurement range of the Faraday detectors of the TIMS instrument, an experimental design using a combination of two detectors was developed. The n( 234 U)/n( 235 U) and n( 236 U)/n( 235 U) ratios were determined using ion counting in combination with the decelerating device. The n( 235 U)/n( 238 U) ratio was determined by the Faraday detector. This experimental design allowed the detector cross calibration to be circumvented. Precisions of less than 1 percent for the n( 234 U)/n( 235 U) ratios and 5-25 percent for the n( 236 U)/n( 235 U) ratios were achieved. The purpose of the study was to establish a register of isotopic signatures for natural uranium materials. The amount ratio, and isotopic composition of 18 ore concentrates, collected by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from uranium milling and mining

  5. Abundances of presolar silicon carbide grains in primitive meteorites determined by NanoSIMS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davidson, Jemma; Busemann, Henner; Nittler, Larry R.; Alexander, Conel M. O.'D.; Orthous-Daunay, François-Régis; Franchi, Ian A.; Hoppe, Peter

    2014-08-01

    It has been suggested that the matrices of all chondrites are dominated by a common material with Ivuna-like (CI) abundances of volatiles, presolar grains and insoluble organic matter (IOM) (e.g., Alexander, 2005). However, matrix-normalized abundances of presolar silicon carbide (SiC) grains estimated from their noble gas components show significant variations in even the most primitive chondrites (Huss and Lewis, 1995; Huss et al., 2003), in contradiction to there being a common chondrite matrix material. Here we report presolar SiC abundances determined by NanoSIMS raster ion imaging of IOM extracted from primitive members of different meteorite groups. We show that presolar SiC abundance determinations are comparable between NanoSIMS instruments located at three different institutes, between residues prepared by different demineralization techniques, and between microtomed and non-microtomed samples. Our derived SiC abundances in CR chondrites are comparable to those found in the CI chondrites (∼30 ppm) and are much higher than previously determined by noble gas analyses. The revised higher CR SiC abundances are consistent with the CRs being amongst the most primitive chondrites in terms of the isotopic compositions and disordered nature of their organic matter. Similar abundances between CR1, CR2, and CR3 chondrites indicate aqueous alteration on the CR chondrite parent body has not progressively destroyed SiC grains in them. A low SiC abundance for the reduced CV3 RBT 04133 can be explained by parent body thermal metamorphism at an estimated temperature of ∼440 °C. Minor differences between primitive members of other meteorite classes, which did not experience such high temperatures, may be explained by prolonged oxidation at lower temperatures under which SiC grains formed outer layers of SiO2 that were not thermodynamically stable, leading to progressive degassing/destruction of SiC.

  6. DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARCOAL ADSORPTION TECHNIQUE FOR DETERMINATION OF RADON CONTENT IN NATURAL GAS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paewpanchon, P; Chanyotha, S

    2017-11-01

    A technique for the determination of the radon concentration in natural gas using charcoal adsorption has been developed to study the effects of parameters that influence the adsorption efficiency of radon onto activated charcoal. Several sets of experiments were conducted both in the laboratory and in an actual natural gas field for comparison. The results show that the adsorption capability of radon onto activated charcoal varies inversely with temperature, hydrocarbon concentration and the humidity contained within the natural gas. A technique utilizing dry ice as a coolant was found to be the most effective for trapping radon in natural gas samples at the production site. A desiccant can be used to remove moisture from the sampling gas. The technique described here increases the adsorption efficiency of activated charcoal by 10-20% compared to our previous study. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  7. Natural resource valuation: A primer on concepts and techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ulibarri, C.A.; Wellman, K.F.

    1997-07-01

    Natural resource valuation has always had a fundamental role in the practice of cost-benefit analysis of health, safety, and environmental issues. Today, this role is becoming all the more apparent in the conduct of natural resource damage assessments (NRDA) and cost-benefit analyses of environmental restoration (ER) and waste management (WM) activities. As such, environmental professionals are more interested in how natural resource values are affected by ER and WM activities. This professional interest extends to the use of NRDA values as measures of liability and legal causes of action under such environmental status as the Clean Water Act (CWA); the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA, as amended); and the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990. Also, environmental professionals are paying closer attention to NRDA values in cost-benefit analyses of risk and pollution-abatement standards, and in meeting environmental and safety standards - for achievable (ALARA). This handbook reviews natural resource valuation techniques that may be applied to resources at DOE sites within the foregoing contexts.

  8. Natural resource valuation: A primer on concepts and techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ulibarri, C.A.; Wellman, K.F.

    1997-07-01

    Natural resource valuation has always had a fundamental role in the practice of cost-benefit analysis of health, safety, and environmental issues. Today, this role is becoming all the more apparent in the conduct of natural resource damage assessments (NRDA) and cost-benefit analyses of environmental restoration (ER) and waste management (WM) activities. As such, environmental professionals are more interested in how natural resource values are affected by ER and WM activities. This professional interest extends to the use of NRDA values as measures of liability and legal causes of action under such environmental status as the Clean Water Act (CWA); the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA, as amended); and the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990. Also, environmental professionals are paying closer attention to NRDA values in cost-benefit analyses of risk and pollution-abatement standards, and in meeting environmental and safety standards - for achievable (ALARA). This handbook reviews natural resource valuation techniques that may be applied to resources at DOE sites within the foregoing contexts

  9. The natural abundance of 13C with different agricultural management by NIRS with fibre optic probe technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuentes, Mariela; González-Martín, Inmaculada; Hernández-Hierro, Jose Miguel; Hidalgo, Claudia; Govaerts, Bram; Etchevers, Jorge; Sayre, Ken D; Dendooven, Luc

    2009-06-30

    In the present study the natural abundance of (13)C is quantified in agricultural soils in Mexico which have been submitted to different agronomic practices, zero and conventional tillage, retention of crop residues (with and without) and rotation of crops (wheat and maize) for 17 years, which have influenced the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the soil. The natural abundance of C13 is quantified by near infrared spectra (NIRS) with a remote reflectance fibre optic probe, applying the probe directly to the soil samples. Discriminate partial least squares analysis of the near infrared spectra allowed to classify soils with and without residues, regardless of the type of tillage or rotation systems used with a prediction rate of 90% in the internal validation and 94% in the external validation. The NIRS calibration model using a modified partial least squares regression allowed to determine the delta(13)C in soils with or without residues, with multiple correlation coefficients 0.81 and standard error prediction 0.5 per thousand in soils with residues and 0.92 and 0.2 per thousand in soils without residues. The ratio performance deviation for the quantification of delta(13)C in soil was 2.5 in soil with residues and 3.8 without residues. This indicated that the model was adequate to determine the delta(13)C of unknown soils in the -16.2 per thousand to -20.4 per thousand range. The development of the NIR calibration permits analytic determinations of the values of delta(13)C in unknown agricultural soils in less time, employing a non-destructive method, by the application of the fibre optic probe of remote reflectance to the soil sample.

  10. Development of Reservoir Characterization Techniques and Production Models for Exploiting Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wiggins, Michael L.; Brown, Raymon L.; Civan, Frauk; Hughes, Richard G.

    2001-08-15

    Research continues on characterizing and modeling the behavior of naturally fractured reservoir systems. Work has progressed on developing techniques for estimating fracture properties from seismic and well log data, developing naturally fractured wellbore models, and developing a model to characterize the transfer of fluid from the matrix to the fracture system for use in the naturally fractured reservoir simulator.

  11. Comparison of two techniques for natural dose measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ekdal, E.; Ege, A.; Goekce, M.; Karali, T.; Derin, Z.

    2006-01-01

    In the study of luminescence dating, age of an archaeological sample is calculated by the ratio of total exposed dose to annual dose resulted from the environmental radioactivity. Determination of the annual dose level of an archaeological area is one of the most important parameter in calculating the archaeological age of the sample using luminescence techniques. Therefore, the knowledge of the concentrations of the natural radionuclides is important since naturally occurring radioactivity provides major contribution to the annual dose. The natural radioactivity is originated from natural radionuclides consisting mainly of 2 38U, 2 32Th and 4 0K isotopes together with their daughters in soils. In this study, annual dose level of the archaeological site was determined with two different methods: an indirect method that is determining the concentrations of the naturally occurring radioactive elements using gamma spectroscopy and a direct method that uses thermoluminescence dosimeters. Soil samples were collected from the Yesilova Hoeyuek archaeological site located in Izmir City at the Aegean Region of Turkey. The concentrations of the natural radioactivity ( 2 38U, 2 32Th and 4 0K) in soil samples were determined using 3 x 3 N aI (Tl) γ-ray spectrometry system. In direct method, Al 2 O 3 :C thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD's) were used. These dosimeters were chosen because of their sensitivity and usability in dating studies. They were buried in same archaeological site, 30 cm depth from the soil surface for 30 days period. The luminescence intensity of Al 2 O 3 :C dosimeters was measured by a TLD reader and the dose level was calculated by the luminescence signals emitted by the dosimeters. The results obtained from natural radionuclides and Al 2 O 3 :C thermoluminescence dosimeters were compared and the source of the differences between two methods were discussed

  12. Prickly business: abundance of sea urchins on breakwaters and coral reefs in Dubai.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauman, Andrew G; Dunshea, Glenn; Feary, David A; Hoey, Andrew S

    2016-04-30

    Echinometra mathaei is a common echinoid on tropical reefs and where abundant plays an important role in the control of algal communities. Despite high prevalence of E. mathaei on southern Persian/Arabian Gulf reefs, their abundance and distribution is poorly known. Spatial and temporal patterns in population abundance were examined at 12 sites between breakwater and natural reef habitats in Dubai (UAE) every 3 months from 2008 to 2010. Within the breakwater habitat, densities were greatest at shallow wave-exposed sites, and reduced with both decreasing wave-exposure and increasing depth. Interestingly, E. mathaei were significantly more abundant on exposed breakwaters than natural reef sites, presumably due to differences in habitat structure and benthic cover. Population abundances differed seasonally, with peak abundances during summer (July-September) and lower abundances in winter (December-February). Seasonal fluctuations are likely the result of peak annual recruitment pulses coupled with increased fish predation from summer to winter. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Natural stream flow-rates measurements by tracer techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cuellar Mansilla, J.

    1982-01-01

    This paper presents the study of the precision obtained measuring the natural stream flow rates by tracer techniques, especially when the system presents a great slope and a bed constituted by large and extended particle size. The experiences were realized in laboratory pilot channels with flow-rates between 15 and 130 [1/s]; and in natural streams with flow-rates from 1 to 25 m 3 /s. Tracer used were In-133m and Br-82 for laboratory and field measurements respectively. In both cases the tracer was injected as a pulse and its dilution measured collecting samples in the measured section, at constant flow-rates, of 5[1] in laboratory experiences and 60[1] of water in field experiences. Precisions obtained at a 95% confidence level were about 2% for laboratory and 3% for field. (I.V.)

  14. The abundance threshold for plague as a critical percolation phenomenon

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Davis, S; Trapman, P; Leirs, H

    2008-01-01

    . However, no natural examples have been reported. The central question of interest in percolation theory 4 , the possibility of an infinite connected cluster, corresponds in infectious disease to a positive probability of an epidemic. Archived records of plague (infection with Yersinia pestis....... Abundance thresholds are the theoretical basis for attempts to manage infectious disease by reducing the abundance of susceptibles, including vaccination and the culling of wildlife 6, 7, 8 . This first natural example of a percolation threshold in a disease system invites a re-appraisal of other invasion...

  15. Deuterium and oxygen-18 abundance in birds: Implications for DLW energetics studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tatner, P.

    1990-01-01

    The doubly labeled water (DLW) technique for measuring energy expenditure may employ one ( 18 O) or two ( 18 O and deuterium) stable isotopes as tracers. These occur naturally in the environment, so when they are used as tracers it is necessary to subtract the background levels. Few studies report data on background concentrations. This work provides such data for a range of avian species. Overall, there was a strong positive correlation (r = 0.63) between the 18 O and deuterium concentrations in birds' body water. Variation in the deuterium concentration was less extensive than in the 18 O concentration (1:2.7 parts/million). In the European robin, there was a linked, seasonal variation in 18 O and deuterium abundance producing high summer and low winter values. Throughout the year, a high individual variability was greater in 18 O than in deuterium. A difference between the European robin and the dipper suggests that habitat may also influence background abundance. Investigation of the effect of variation in background abundance on measures of energy expenditure for small passerines (20 g) revealed that employing estimates, instead of direct measurements, had a minor influence over an experimental period of 1 day but could potentially introduce errors as large as 54% over a 2-day period

  16. A nondestructive technique to monitor the relative abundance of terrestrial salamanders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richard M. DeGraaf; Mariko. Yamasaki

    1992-01-01

    Salamanders are abundant vertebrates in many forest ecosystems, and their annual biomass production can be important in forest food webs (Pough et al. 1987). Population densities of eastern redback salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) can exceed 2 individuals/m2 in deciduous forests of the United States (Heatwole 1962, Jaeger 1980...

  17. The determination of minor isotope abundances in naturally occurring uranium materials. The tracing power of isotopic signatures for uranium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ovaskainen, R

    1999-11-01

    The mass spectrometric determination of minor abundant isotopes, {sup 234}U and {sup 236}U in naturally occurring uranium materials requires instruments of high abundance sensitivity and the use of highly sensitive detection systems. In this study the thermal ionisation mass spectrometer Finnigan MAT 262RPQ was used. It was equipped with 6 Faraday cups and a Secondary Electron Multiplier (SEM), which was operated in pulse counting mode for the detection of extremely low ion currents. The dynamic measurement range was increased considerably combining these two different detectors. The instrument calibration was performed carefully. The linearity of each detector, the deadtime of the ion counting detector, the detector normalisation factor, the baseline of each detector and the mass discrimination in the ion source were checked and optimised. A measurement technique based on the combination of a Gas Source Mass Spectrometry (GSMS) and a Thermal Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) was developed for the accurate determination of isotopic composition in naturally occurring uranium materials. Because the expected ratio of n({sup 234}U)/n({sup 238}U) exceeded the dynamic measurement range of the Faraday detectors of the TIMS instrument, an experimental design using a combination of two detectors was developed. The n({sup 234}U)/n({sup 235}U) and n({sup 236}U)/n({sup 235}U) ratios were determined using ion counting in combination with the decelerating device. The n({sup 235}U)/n({sup 238}U) ratio was determined by the Faraday detector. This experimental design allowed the detector cross calibration to be circumvented. Precisions of less than 1 percent for the n({sup 234}U)/n({sup 235}U) ratios and 5-25 percent for the n({sup 236}U)/n({sup 235}U) ratios were achieved. The purpose of the study was to establish a register of isotopic signatures for natural uranium materials. The amount ratio, and isotopic composition of 18 ore concentrates, collected by the International

  18. Assessment of Natural Radioactivity in TENORM Samples Using Different Techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salman, Kh.A.; Shahein, A.Y.

    2009-01-01

    In petroleum oil industries, technologically-enhanced, naturally occurring radioactive materials are produced. The presence of TENORM constitutes a significant radiological human health hazard. In the present work, liquid scintillation counting technique was used to determine both 222 Rn and 226 Ra concentrations in TENORM samples, by measuring 222 Rn concentrations in the sample at different intervals of time after preparation. The radiation doses from the TENORM samples were estimated using thermoluminenscent detector (TLD-4000). The estimated radiation doses were found to be proportional to both the measured radiation doses in site and natural activity concentration in the samples that measured with LSC

  19. Urban warming drives insect pest abundance on street trees.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emily K Meineke

    Full Text Available Cities profoundly alter biological communities, favoring some species over others, though the mechanisms that govern these changes are largely unknown. Herbivorous arthropod pests are often more abundant in urban than in rural areas, and urban outbreaks have been attributed to reduced control by predators and parasitoids and to increased susceptibility of stressed urban plants. These hypotheses, however, leave many outbreaks unexplained and fail to predict variation in pest abundance within cities. Here we show that the abundance of a common insect pest is positively related to temperature even when controlling for other habitat characteristics. The scale insect Parthenolecanium quercifex was 13 times more abundant on willow oak trees in the hottest parts of Raleigh, NC, in the southeastern United States, than in cooler areas, though parasitism rates were similar. We further separated the effects of heat from those of natural enemies and plant quality in a greenhouse reciprocal transplant experiment. P. quercifex collected from hot urban trees became more abundant in hot greenhouses than in cool greenhouses, whereas the abundance of P. quercifex collected from cooler urban trees remained low in hot and cool greenhouses. Parthenolecanium quercifex living in urban hot spots succeed with warming, and they do so because some demes have either acclimatized or adapted to high temperatures. Our results provide the first evidence that heat can be a key driver of insect pest outbreaks on urban trees. Since urban warming is similar in magnitude to global warming predicted in the next 50 years, pest abundance on city trees may foreshadow widespread outbreaks as natural forests also grow warmer.

  20. Exploring the Nature of Galaxies with Abundance Gradient Anomalies in the SDSS-IV/MaNGA Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keith, Celeste; Tremonti, Christy; Pace, Zach; Schaefer, Adam

    2018-01-01

    Disk galaxies are known to have radial oxygen abundance gradients with their centers being more chemically enriched than their outskirts. The steepness of the abundance gradient has recently been shown to correlate with galaxy stellar mass, on average. However, individual galaxies sometimes show pronounced deviations from the expected trends, such as flatter or steeper slopes than expected for their mass, abrupt changes in slope, or azimuthal asymmetries. Here we report on a systematic search for galaxies with abundance gradient anomalies using 2-D spectroscopy from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV MaNGA. We construct nebular oxygen and nitrogen abundance maps for 300 moderately inclined non-interacting disk galaxies and use visual inspection to identify the most interesting cases. We use this training set to develop an automated pipeline to flag galaxies with abundance anomalies from the larger MaNGA dataset for visual inspection. We combine the metallicity maps with kinematic data and measurements of the galaxies' local environments to better understand the processes that shape the radial abundance gradients of disk galaxies.

  1. Growth and N2-fixation of Dhaincha C-3/Sorghum C-4 and Dhaincha C-3/Sunflower C-3 intercropping systems using the 15N and 13C natural abundance method technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurdali, F.

    2007-06-01

    A field experiment on dhaincha C 3 (Sesbania aculeata Pers), sunflower C 3 (Helianthus annuus L.) and sorghum C 4 (Sorghum bicolor L.) plants grown in monocropping and intercropping systems was conducted to evaluate seed yield, dry matter production, total N yield, land equivalent ratio (LER), intraspecific competition for soil N uptake, water use efficiency (WUE) and N 2 -fixation using the 15 N natural abundance technique (δ 15 N ). Moreover, carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13 C ) was determined to assess factors responsible for crop performance variability in the different cropping systems. Intercropping of sesbania/sorghum showed greater efficiency over monocropping in producing dry matter, during the entire growth period, as indicated by the LERs (>1); whereas, the efficiency of producing dry matter in the sesbania /sunflower intercropping was similar to that in the monocropping system (LER=1). Moreover, sorghum plants (C 4 ) was more competitive than sesbania (C 3 ) for soil N uptake; whereas, sesbania seemed to be more competitive than its associated sunflower (C 3 ). N uptake in the mixed stand of sesbania/sorghum was improved due to the increase in soil N uptake by the component sorghum and the higher root nodule activity of component sesbania without affecting the amount of N 2 fixed. In both cropping systems, sesbania plants fixed almost the same amount of N 2 (an average of 105 kg N/ha) although the number of rows in the mixed stand was 2/3 of that in the pure stand. This gives an advantage of the intercropping over sole cropping system with regards to N 2 -fixation. 13 C discrimination in plant materials was found to be affected by plant species and the cropping system. Factors affected Δ13 C in plants grown in the mixed stand relative to solely grown crops are discussed.(author)

  2. Use of natural gamma radiation in the coal mining industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wykes, J.S.; Adsley, I.; Cooper, L.R.

    1982-01-01

    The technique of delineating coal seams by the use of natural gamma borehole logging sondes has been known for many years. The principle of the technique is that the gamma fluxes in shales are higher than in coals as the abundance of naturally occurring radionuclides is some twenty times greater in the former. This paper discusses other applications where the differeing natural gamma properties of coals and shales can be used. These are: (a) To distinguish between stone (shale) and run-of-mine coal on conveyor belts. A common situation underground is one in which stone from development headings and normal run-of-mine coal have to be batched along the same conveyor system. A natural gamma device capable of distinguishing between such batches of material, and thus allowing suitable mechanical separation, will be described. (b) To provide an accurate measurement of roof coal thickness by measuring the natural gamma flux penetrating the roof coal. To illustrate this examples will be given where this technique is used to provide automatic controlled steering of Long Wall Shearers and to provide manually assisted steering of In-seam Heading Machines

  3. Determination of plutonium isotopic abundances by gamma-ray spectrometry. Interim report on the status of methods and techniques developed by the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gunnink, R.

    1980-03-01

    This report presents an overview of methods and techniques developed by the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory for determining plutonium isotopic abundances from gamma-ray spectra that have been measured with germanium detectors. The methodology of fitting the spectral features includes discussions of algorithms for gamma-ray and x-ray peak shape fitting and generation of response spectra profiles characteristic of specific isotopes. Applications of the techniques developed at government, commercial, and Japanese reprocessing plants are described. Current development of the methodology for the nondestructive analysis of samples containing nondescript solid materials is also presented

  4. Separomics applied to the proteomics and peptidomics of low-abundance proteins: Choice of methods and challenges - A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baracat-Pereira, Maria Cristina; de Oliveira Barbosa, Meire; Magalhães, Marcos Jorge; Carrijo, Lanna Clicia; Games, Patrícia Dias; Almeida, Hebréia Oliveira; Sena Netto, José Fabiano; Pereira, Matheus Rodrigues; de Barros, Everaldo Gonçalves

    2012-06-01

    The enrichment and isolation of proteins are considered limiting steps in proteomic studies. Identification of proteins whose expression is transient, those that are of low-abundance, and of natural peptides not described in databases, is still a great challenge. Plant extracts are in general complex, and contaminants interfere with the identification of proteins involved in important physiological processes, such as plant defense against pathogens. This review discusses the challenges and strategies of separomics applied to the identification of low-abundance proteins and peptides in plants, especially in plants challenged by pathogens. Separomics is described as a group of methodological strategies for the separation of protein molecules for proteomics. Several tools have been used to remove highly abundant proteins from samples and also non-protein contaminants. The use of chromatographic techniques, the partition of the proteome into subproteomes, and an effort to isolate proteins in their native form have allowed the isolation and identification of rare proteins involved in different processes.

  5. Separomics applied to the proteomics and peptidomics of low-abundance proteins: choice of methods and challenges - a review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Cristina Baracat-Pereira

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The enrichment and isolation of proteins are considered limiting steps in proteomic studies. Identification of proteins whose expression is transient, those that are of low-abundance, and of natural peptides not described in databases, is still a great challenge. Plant extracts are in general complex, and contaminants interfere with the identification of proteins involved in important physiological processes, such as plant defense against pathogens. This review discusses the challenges and strategies of separomics applied to the identification of low-abundance proteins and peptides in plants, especially in plants challenged by pathogens. Separomics is described as a group of methodological strategies for the separation of protein molecules for proteomics. Several tools have been used to remove highly abundant proteins from samples and also non-protein contaminants. The use of chromatographic techniques, the partition of the proteome into subproteomes, and an effort to isolate proteins in their native form have allowed the isolation and identification of rare proteins involved in different processes.

  6. Calculational techniques for estimating population doses from radioactivity in natural gas from nuclearly stimulated wells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barton, C.J.; Moore, R.E.; Rohwer, P.S.; Kaye, S.V.

    1975-01-01

    Techniques for estimating radiation doses from exposure to combustion products of natural gas obtained from wells created by use of nuclear explosives were first developed in the Gasbuggy Project. These techniques were refined and extended by development of a number of computer codes in studies related to the Rulison Project, the second in the series of joint government-industry efforts to demonstrate the feasibility of increasing natural gas production from low-permeability rock formations by use of nuclear explosives. These techniques are described and dose estimates that illustrate their use are given. These dose estimation studies have been primarily theoretical, but we have tried to make our hypothetical exposure conditions correspond as closely as possible with conditions that could exist if nuclearly stimulated natural gas is used commercially. (author)

  7. Female offspring desertion and male-only care increase with natural and experimental increase in food abundance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eldegard, Katrine; Sonerud, Geir A

    2009-05-07

    In species with biparental care, one parent may escape the costs of parental care by deserting and leaving the partner to care for the offspring alone. A number of theoretical papers have suggested a link between uniparental offspring desertion and ecological factors, but empirical evidence is scarce. We investigated the relationship between uniparental desertion and food abundance in a natural population of Tengmalm's owl Aegolius funereus, both by means of a 5-year observational study and a 1-year experimental study. Parents and offspring were fitted with radio-transmitters in order to reveal the parental care strategy (i.e. care or desert) of individual parents, and to keep track of the broods post-fledging. We found that 70 per cent of the females from non-experimental nests deserted, while their partner continued to care for their joint offspring alone. Desertion rate was positively related to natural prey population densities and body reserves of the male partner. In response to food supplementation, a larger proportion of the females deserted, and females deserted the offspring at an earlier age. Offspring survival during the post-fledging period tended to be lower in deserted than in non-deserted broods. We argue that the most important benefit of deserting may be remating (sequential polyandry).

  8. Accelerated Solvent Extraction: An Innovative Sample Extraction Technique for Natural Products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hazlina Ahmad Hassali; Azfar Hanif Abd Aziz; Rosniza Razali

    2015-01-01

    Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is one of the novel techniques that have been developed for the extraction of phytochemicals from plants in order to shorten the extraction time, decrease the solvent consumption, increase the extraction yield and enhance the quality of extracts. This technique combines elevated temperatures and pressure with liquid solvents. This paper gives a brief overview of accelerated solvent extraction technique for sample preparation and its application to the extraction of natural products. Through practical examples, the effects of operational parameters such as temperature, volume of solvent used, extraction time and extraction yields on the performance of ASE are discussed. It is demonstrated that ASE technique allows reduced solvent consumption and shorter extraction time, while the extraction yields are even higher than those obtained with conventional methods. (author)

  9. Combination technique for improving natural convection cooling in electronics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Florio, L.A.; Harnoy, A. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102 (United States)

    2007-01-15

    The combination of an appropriately placed cross-flow opening and a strategically positioned transversely vibrating plate is proposed as a means of augmenting pure natural convection in a vertical channel. This method is intended to provide a more efficient, reliable, and consumer conscious alternative to conventional techniques for lower power dissipating devices where standard natural convection cooling proves insufficient. Two-dimensional numerical simulations are employed to investigate this combination method using models consisting of a vertical channel containing two rectangular heat sources which are attached to a vertical mounting board, as well as a transversely oscillating plate and a cross-flow opening in the mounting board area between the two heat sources. Varied parameters and geometric configurations are studied. The results indicate the combined effects of the vibrating plate and the opening flow have the potential to cause significant improvement in the thermal conditions over pure natural convection. As much as a 70% improvement in the local heat transfer coefficient from that for a system with a board opening but without a vibrating plate was attained. (author)

  10. Literature survey of isotopic abundance data for 1987-1989

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holden, N.E.

    1989-01-01

    I have compiled all of the data on isotopic abundance measurements and their variation in nature for the time period since the last General Assembly. Most of the data deals with the variations in the abundances as given by per mil deviations from some standard. As such, they are not of major interest to the Atomic Weights Commission. However, there were some measurements which are of general interest in this list

  11. Absolute isotopic abundances of Ti in meteorites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niederer, F.R.; Papanastassiou, D.A.; Wasserburg, G.J.

    1985-01-01

    The absolute isotope abundance of Ti has been determined in Ca-Al-rich inclusions from the Allende and Leoville meteorites and in samples of whole meteorites. The absolute Ti isotope abundances differ by a significant mass dependent isotope fractionation transformation from the previously reported abundances, which were normalized for fractionation using 46 Ti/ 48 Ti. Therefore, the absolute compositions define distinct nucleosynthetic components from those previously identified or reflect the existence of significant mass dependent isotope fractionation in nature. We provide a general formalism for determining the possible isotope compositions of the exotic Ti from the measured composition, for different values of isotope fractionation in nature and for different mixing ratios of the exotic and normal components. The absolute Ti and Ca isotopic compositions still support the correlation of 50 Ti and 48 Ca effects in the FUN inclusions and imply contributions from neutron-rich equilibrium or quasi-equilibrium nucleosynthesis. The present identification of endemic effects at 46 Ti, for the absolute composition, implies a shortfall of an explosive-oxygen component or reflects significant isotope fractionation. Additional nucleosynthetic components are required by 47 Ti and 49 Ti effects. Components are also defined in which 48 Ti is enhanced. Results are given and discussed. (author)

  12. Separomics applied to the proteomics and peptidomics of low-abundance proteins: Choice of methods and challenges – A review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baracat-Pereira, Maria Cristina; de Oliveira Barbosa, Meire; Magalhães, Marcos Jorge; Carrijo, Lanna Clicia; Games, Patrícia Dias; Almeida, Hebréia Oliveira; Sena Netto, José Fabiano; Pereira, Matheus Rodrigues; de Barros, Everaldo Gonçalves

    2012-01-01

    The enrichment and isolation of proteins are considered limiting steps in proteomic studies. Identification of proteins whose expression is transient, those that are of low-abundance, and of natural peptides not described in databases, is still a great challenge. Plant extracts are in general complex, and contaminants interfere with the identification of proteins involved in important physiological processes, such as plant defense against pathogens. This review discusses the challenges and strategies of separomics applied to the identification of low-abundance proteins and peptides in plants, especially in plants challenged by pathogens. Separomics is described as a group of methodological strategies for the separation of protein molecules for proteomics. Several tools have been used to remove highly abundant proteins from samples and also non-protein contaminants. The use of chromatographic techniques, the partition of the proteome into subproteomes, and an effort to isolate proteins in their native form have allowed the isolation and identification of rare proteins involved in different processes. PMID:22802713

  13. Production of candidate natural matrix reference materials for micro-analytical techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeisler, R.; Fajgelj, A.; Zeiller, E.

    2002-01-01

    Homogeneity is considered to be the most vital prerequisite for a certified reference material (CRM); more stringent requirements exist for the analysis of small subsamples. Many of the natural matrix CRMs are prepared from bulk samples by grinding and milling them to a certain particle size, which is expected to provide a more homogenous material; however recommended sample sizes for biological and environmental reference materials are found to be more than 100 mg. Since the milling of materials is costly and has some drawbacks, natural materials that already occur as small particles such as air particulate matter, certain sediments, and cellular biological materials may form the basis of the required reference materials. The nature of these materials, i.e. naturally occurring particles, may provide ideal model reference material. We describe here the production of the materials and preliminary tests, the evaluation for the micro-analytical techniques

  14. DEVELOPMENT OF RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUES AND PRODUCTION MODELS FOR EXPLOITING NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIRS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Michael L. Wiggins; Raymon L. Brown; Faruk Civan; Richard G. Hughes

    2002-12-31

    For many years, geoscientists and engineers have undertaken research to characterize naturally fractured reservoirs. Geoscientists have focused on understanding the process of fracturing and the subsequent measurement and description of fracture characteristics. Engineers have concentrated on the fluid flow behavior in the fracture-porous media system and the development of models to predict the hydrocarbon production from these complex systems. This research attempts to integrate these two complementary views to develop a quantitative reservoir characterization methodology and flow performance model for naturally fractured reservoirs. The research has focused on estimating naturally fractured reservoir properties from seismic data, predicting fracture characteristics from well logs, and developing a naturally fractured reservoir simulator. It is important to develop techniques that can be applied to estimate the important parameters in predicting the performance of naturally fractured reservoirs. This project proposes a method to relate seismic properties to the elastic compliance and permeability of the reservoir based upon a sugar cube model. In addition, methods are presented to use conventional well logs to estimate localized fracture information for reservoir characterization purposes. The ability to estimate fracture information from conventional well logs is very important in older wells where data are often limited. Finally, a desktop naturally fractured reservoir simulator has been developed for the purpose of predicting the performance of these complex reservoirs. The simulator incorporates vertical and horizontal wellbore models, methods to handle matrix to fracture fluid transfer, and fracture permeability tensors. This research project has developed methods to characterize and study the performance of naturally fractured reservoirs that integrate geoscience and engineering data. This is an important step in developing exploitation strategies for

  15. Determination Of Natural Boron Concentration In Coffee Leaves, Using de Autobiography by Neutron Capture Technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loria, L. G.; Jimenez, R.; Thellier, M.

    1999-01-01

    Determination of natural boron concentration in coffee leaves, using the autoradiography, by neutron capture technique. The boron absorption coefficient in young coffee leaves was measured using autoradiography by neutron capture. In two experiments carried out in April and November, 1996, it was found that the coefficient varies between 0.9 and 5.3 nmol/h. the concentration of natural boron in coffee leaves in regard to age, symptoms and treatment received was also studied, using the same technique. (Author) [es

  16. Securing abundance : The politics of energy security

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kester, Johannes

    2016-01-01

    Energy Security is a concept that is known in the literature for its ‘slippery’ nature and subsequent wide range of definitions. Instead of another attempt at grasping the essence of this concept, Securing Abundance reformulates the problem and moves away from a definitional problem to a theoretical

  17. Molecular Investigation of the Short-term Sequestration of Natural Abundance 13C -labelled Cow Dung in the Surface Horizons of a Temperate Grassland Soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dungait, J.; Bol, R.; Evershed, R. P.

    2004-12-01

    An adequate understanding of the carbon (C) sequestration potential of grasslands requires that the quantity and residence times of C inputs be measured. Herbivore dung is largely comprised of plant cell wall material, a significant source of stable C in intensively grazed temperate grassland ecosystems that contributes to the soil carbon budget. Our work uses compound-specific isotope analysis to identify the pattern of input of dung-derived compounds from natural abundance 13C/-labelled cow dung into the surface horizons of a temperate grassland soil over one year. C4 dung (δ 13C \\-12.6 ‰ ) from maize fed cows was applied to a temperate grassland surface (δ 13C \\-29.95 ‰ ) at IGER-North Wyke (Devon, UK), and dung remains and soil cores beneath the treatments collected at ŧ = 7, 14, 28, 56, 112, 224 and 372 days. Bulk dung carbon present in the 0\\-1 cm and 1\\-5 cm surface horizons of a grassland soil over one year was estimated using Δ 13C between C4 dung and C3 dung, after Bol {\\et al.} (2000). The major biochemical components of dung were quantified using proximate forage fibre analyses, after Goering and Van Soest (1970) and identified using `wet' chemical and GC-MS methods. Plant cell wall polysaccharides and lignin were found to account for up to 67 {%} of dung dry matter. Hydrolysed polysaccharides were prepared as alditol acetates for analyses (after Docherty {\\et al.}, 2001), and a novel application of an off-line pyrolysis method applied to measure lignin-derived phenolic compounds (after Poole & van Bergen, 2002). This paper focuses on major events in the incorporation of dung carbon, estimated using natural abundance 13C&-slash;labelling technique. This revealed a major bulk input of dung carbon after a period of significant rainfall with a consequent decline in bulk soil δ 13C values until the end of the experiment (Dungait {\\et al.}, submitted). Findings will be presented revealing contribution of plant cell wall polysaccharides and

  18. Species Composition, Relative Abundance and Distribution of the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Species Composition, Relative Abundance and Distribution of the Avian Fauna of Entoto Natural Park and Escarpment, Addis Ababa. ... Eucalyptus plantation, soil erosion, deforestation, habitat fragmentation, settlement and land degradation were the main threats for the distribution of birds in the present study area.

  19. Predicting small mammal and flea abundance using landform and soil properties in a plague endemic area in Lushoto District, Tanzania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meliyo, Joel L; Kimaro, Didas N; Msanya, Balthazar M; Mulungu, Loth S; Hieronimo, Proches; Kihupi, Nganga I; Gulinck, Hubert; Deckers, Jozef A

    2014-07-01

    Small mammals particularly rodents, are considered the primary natural hosts of plague. Literature suggests that plague persistence in natural foci has a root cause in soils. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between on the one hand landforms and associated soil properties, and on the other hand small mammals and fleas in West Usambara Mountains in Tanzania, a plague endemic area. Standard field survey methods coupled with Geographical Information System (GIS) technique were used to examine landform and soils characteristics. Soil samples were analysed in the laboratory for physico-chemical properties. Small mammals were trapped on pre-established landform positions and identified to genus/species level. Fleas were removed from the trapped small mammals and counted. Exploration of landform and soil data was done using ArcGIS Toolbox functions and descriptive statistical analysis. The relationships between landforms, soils, small mammals and fleas were established by generalised linear regression model (GLM) operated in R statistics software. Results show that landforms and soils influence the abundance of small mammals and fleas and their spatial distribution. The abundance of small mammals and fleas increased with increase in elevation. Small mammal species richness also increases with elevation. A landform-soil model shows that available phosphorus, slope aspect and elevation were statistically significant predictors explaining richness and abundance of small mammals. Fleas' abundance and spatial distribution were influenced by hill-shade, available phosphorus and base saturation. The study suggests that landforms and soils have a strong influence on the richness and evenness of small mammals and their fleas' abundance hence could be used to explain plague dynamics in the area.

  20. Utility of natural generalised inverse technique in the interpretation of dyke structures

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rao, M.M.M.; Murty, T.V.R.; Rao, P.R.; Lakshminarayana, S.; Subrahmanyam, A.S.; Murthy, K.S.R.

    environs along the central west coast of India: analysis using EOF, J. Geophys.Res.,91(1986) 8523 -8526. 9 Marquardt D W, An algorithm for least-squares estimation of non-linear parameters, J. Soc. Indust. Appl. Math, 11 (1963) 431-441. INDIAN J. MAR... technique in reconstruction of gravity anomalies due to a fault, Indian J. Pure. Appl. Math., 34 (2003) 31-47. 16 Ramana Murty T V, Somayajulu Y K & Murty C S, Reconstruction of sound speed profile through natural generalised inverse technique, Indian J...

  1. Feasibilty study of renewable energy powered seawater desalination technology using natural vacuum technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ayhan, Teoman; Al Madani, Hussain [Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Bahrain, P.O. box 32038, Isatown 32036 (Bahrain)

    2010-02-15

    With an ever-increasing population and rapid growth of industrialization, there is great demand for fresh water. Desalination has been a key proponent to meet the future challenges due to decreasing availability of fresh water. However, desalination uses significant amount of energy, today mostly from fossil fuels. It is, therefore, reasonable to rely on renewable energy sources such as solar energy, wind energy, ocean thermal energy, waste heat from the industry and other renewable sources. The present study deals with the energy-efficient seawater desalination system utilizing renewable energy sources and natural vacuum technique. A new desalination technology named Natural Vacuum Desalination is proposed. The novel desalination technique achieve remarkable energy efficiency through the evaporation of seawater under vacuum and will be described in sufficient detail to demonstrate that it requires much less electric energy compared to any conventional desalination plant of fresh water production of similar capacity. The discussion will highlight the main operative and maintenance features of the proposed natural vacuum seawater desalination technology which seems to have promising techno-economic potential providing also advantageous coupling with renewable energy sources. (author)

  2. Stress recovery techniques for natural element method in 2-D solid mechanics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, Jin Rae [Dept. of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Hongik University, Sejong (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-11-15

    This paper is concerned with the stress recovery for the natural element method in which the problem domain is discretized with Delaunay triangles and the structural behavior is approximated with Laplace interpolation functions. Basically, the global and local patch recovery techniques based on the L2-projection method are adopted. For the local patch recovery, the local element patches are defined by the supports of each Laplace interpolation function. For the comparison purpose, the local stress recovery is also performed using Lagrange-type basis functions that are used for 3- and 6-node triangular elements. The stresses that are recovered by the present global and local recovery techniques are compared each other and compared with the available analytic solution, in terms of their spatial distributions and the convergence rates. As well, the dependence of the recovered stress field on the type of test basis functions that are used forbnov-Galerkin (BG) and Petrov-Galerkin (PG) natural element methods is also investigated.

  3. Transcriptional profiling of cells sorted by RNA abundance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klemm, Sandy; Semrau, Stefan; Wiebrands, Kay; Mooijman, Dylan; Faddah, Dina A; Jaenisch, Rudolf; van Oudenaarden, Alexander

    We have developed a quantitative technique for sorting cells on the basis of endogenous RNA abundance, with a molecular resolution of 10-20 transcripts. We demonstrate efficient and unbiased RNA extraction from transcriptionally sorted cells and report a high-fidelity transcriptome measurement of

  4. Relationships between salmon abundance and tree-ring δ 15N: three objective tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    D.C. Drake; Paul J. Sheppard; Robert J. Naiman

    2011-01-01

    Quantification of a relationship between salmon escapement in rivers and riparian tree-ring δ 15N could allow reconstruction of prehistorical salmon abundance. Unfortunately, attempts to quantify this link have met with little success. We examined the feasibility of the approach using natural abundance of δ 15...

  5. Empirical research on the correlation between economic development and environmental pollution in natural resource abundant regions: the case of China Shaanxi province

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Bo; Zhang, Jinsuo

    2018-02-01

    This paper investigates the relationship between economic development and environmental pollution in natural resource abundant regions via testing the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis by regression analysis, based on the statistical data of per capita GDP growth and environmental pollution indicators in Shaanxi Province from 1989 to 2015. The results show that the per capita GDP and environmental pollution in Shaanxi Province do not always accord with the “inverted U” Environmental Kuznets Curve, which mainly show “N” shapes; only SO2 show the “Inverted U” shapes.

  6. Visualization and Dissemination of Multidimensional Proteomics Data Comparing Protein Abundance During Caenorhabditis elegans Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riffle, Michael; Merrihew, Gennifer E.; Jaschob, Daniel; Sharma, Vagisha; Davis, Trisha N.; Noble, William S.; MacCoss, Michael J.

    2015-11-01

    Regulation of protein abundance is a critical aspect of cellular function, organism development, and aging. Alternative splicing may give rise to multiple possible proteoforms of gene products where the abundance of each proteoform is independently regulated. Understanding how the abundances of these distinct gene products change is essential to understanding the underlying mechanisms of many biological processes. Bottom-up proteomics mass spectrometry techniques may be used to estimate protein abundance indirectly by sequencing and quantifying peptides that are later mapped to proteins based on sequence. However, quantifying the abundance of distinct gene products is routinely confounded by peptides that map to multiple possible proteoforms. In this work, we describe a technique that may be used to help mitigate the effects of confounding ambiguous peptides and multiple proteoforms when quantifying proteins. We have applied this technique to visualize the distribution of distinct gene products for the whole proteome across 11 developmental stages of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. The result is a large multidimensional dataset for which web-based tools were developed for visualizing how translated gene products change during development and identifying possible proteoforms. The underlying instrument raw files and tandem mass spectra may also be downloaded. The data resource is freely available on the web at http://www.yeastrc.org/wormpes/.

  7. Diversity, abundance, and possible sources of fecal bacteria in the Yangtze River.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Haohao; He, Xiwei; Ye, Lin; Zhang, Xu-Xiang; Wu, Bing; Ren, Hongqiang

    2017-03-01

    The fecal bacteria in natural waters may pose serious risks on human health. Although many source tracking methods have been developed and used to determine the possible sources of the fecal pollution, little is known about the overall diversity and abundance of fecal bacterial community in natural waters. In this study, a method based on fecal bacterial sequence library was introduced to evaluate the fecal bacterial profile in the Yangtze River (Nanjing section). Our results suggested that the Yangtze River water harbors diverse fecal bacteria. Fifty-eight fecal operational taxonomic units (97% identity level) were detected in the Yangtze River water samples and the relative abundance of fecal bacteria in these samples ranged from 0.1 to 8%. It was also found that the relative abundances of the fecal bacteria in locations near to the downstream of wastewater treatment plants were obviously higher than those in other locations. However, the high abundance of fecal bacteria could decrease to the normal level in 2~4 km in the river due to degradation or dilution, and the overall fecal bacteria level changed little when the Yangtze River flew through the Nanjing City. Moreover, the fecal bacteria in the Yangtze River water were found to be highly associated (Spearman rho = 0.804, P Yangtze River and advance our understandings of the fecal bacteria community in the natural waters.

  8. Oklo natural reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujii, Isao

    1985-01-01

    In 1954, Professor Kazuo, Kuroda of Arkansas University in USA published the possibility that spontaneously generated natural nuclear reactors existed in prehistoric age. In 1972, 18 years after that, Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique published that in the Oklo uranium deposit in Gabon, Africa, a natural nuclear reactor was found. This fact was immediately informed to the whole world, but in Japan, its details have not necessarily been well known. The chance of investigating into this fact and visiting the Oklo deposit by the favor of COMUF, the owner of the Oklo deposit, was given, therefore, the state of the natural reactors, which has been known so far, is reported. At present, 12 natural reactors have been found in the vicinity of the Oklo deposit. The natural reactors were generated spontaneously in uranium deposits about 1.7 billion years ago when the isotopic abundance of U-235 was 3 %, and the chain reaction started naturally. When the concentration of U-235 lowered, the reaction stopped naturally. The abnormality in the U-235 abundance in natural uranium was found, and the cause was pursued. The evidence of the existence of natural reactors was shown. (Kako, I.)

  9. The Paradox of Water Abundance in Mato Grosso, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher Schulz

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available While much effort has gone into studying the causes and consequences of water scarcity, the concept of water abundance has received considerably less attention in academic literature. Here, we aim to address this gap by providing a case study on the perceptions and political implications of water abundance in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Combining a political ecology perspective on contemporary water governance (empirically based on stakeholder interviews with members of the state’s water sector with an overview of the environmental history of this hydrosocial territory, we argue, first, that water abundance has become a foundational element of Mato Grosso’s identity, situated in the wider context of natural resource abundance more generally and second, that water abundance today is a contested concept witnessing discursive struggles around its political implications and meaning. More specifically, there is a clash between the dominant conceptualisation of water abundance as a foundation for rich economic, ecological, social, and cultural values and benefits, often espoused by members of the political and economic elite, e.g., for marketing purposes, and a more critical but less widespread conceptualisation of water abundance as a source of carelessness, lack of awareness, and poor water governance, typically put forth by more informed technical staff of the public sector and civil society activists. By providing a distinct treatment and discussion of the concept of water abundance, our research has relevance for other water-rich regions beyond the immediate regional context.

  10. BOND: A quantum of solace for nebular abundance determinations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vale Asari, N.; Stasińska, G.; Morisset, C.; Cid Fernandes, R.

    2017-11-01

    The abundances of chemical elements other than hydrogen and helium in a galaxy are the fossil record of its star formation history. Empirical relations such as mass-metallicity relation are thus seen as guides for studies on the history and chemical evolution of galaxies. Those relations usually rely on nebular metallicities measured with strong-line methods, which assume that H II regions are a one- (or at most two-) parameter family where the oxygen abundance is the driving quantity. Nature is however much more complex than that, and metallicities from strong lines may be strongly biased. We have developed the method BOND (Bayesian Oxygen and Nitrogen abundance Determinations) to simultaneously derive oxygen and nitrogen abundances in giant H II regions by comparing strong and semi-strong observed emission lines to a carefully-defined, finely-meshed grid of photoionization models. Our code and results are public and available at http://bond.ufsc.br.

  11. Normalization and microbial differential abundance strategies depend upon data characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiss, Sophie; Xu, Zhenjiang Zech; Peddada, Shyamal; Amir, Amnon; Bittinger, Kyle; Gonzalez, Antonio; Lozupone, Catherine; Zaneveld, Jesse R; Vázquez-Baeza, Yoshiki; Birmingham, Amanda; Hyde, Embriette R; Knight, Rob

    2017-03-03

    Data from 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) amplicon sequencing present challenges to ecological and statistical interpretation. In particular, library sizes often vary over several ranges of magnitude, and the data contains many zeros. Although we are typically interested in comparing relative abundance of taxa in the ecosystem of two or more groups, we can only measure the taxon relative abundance in specimens obtained from the ecosystems. Because the comparison of taxon relative abundance in the specimen is not equivalent to the comparison of taxon relative abundance in the ecosystems, this presents a special challenge. Second, because the relative abundance of taxa in the specimen (as well as in the ecosystem) sum to 1, these are compositional data. Because the compositional data are constrained by the simplex (sum to 1) and are not unconstrained in the Euclidean space, many standard methods of analysis are not applicable. Here, we evaluate how these challenges impact the performance of existing normalization methods and differential abundance analyses. Effects on normalization: Most normalization methods enable successful clustering of samples according to biological origin when the groups differ substantially in their overall microbial composition. Rarefying more clearly clusters samples according to biological origin than other normalization techniques do for ordination metrics based on presence or absence. Alternate normalization measures are potentially vulnerable to artifacts due to library size. Effects on differential abundance testing: We build on a previous work to evaluate seven proposed statistical methods using rarefied as well as raw data. Our simulation studies suggest that the false discovery rates of many differential abundance-testing methods are not increased by rarefying itself, although of course rarefying results in a loss of sensitivity due to elimination of a portion of available data. For groups with large (~10×) differences in the average

  12. Characterization of threonine side chain dynamics in an antifreeze protein using natural abundance 13C NMR spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daley, Margaret E.; Sykes, Brian D.

    2004-01-01

    The dynamics of threonine side chains of the Tenebrio molitor antifreeze protein (TmAFP) were investigated using natural abundance 13 C NMR. In TmAFP, the array of threonine residues on one face of the protein is responsible for conferring its ability to bind crystalline ice and inhibit its growth. Heteronuclear longitudinal and transverse relaxation rates and the 1 H- 13 C NOE were determined in this study. The CαH relaxation measurements were compared to the previously measured 15 N backbone parameters and these are found to be in agreement. For the analysis of the threonine side chain motions, the model of restricted rotational diffusion about the χ 1 dihedral angle was employed [London and Avitabile (1978) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 100, 7159-7165]. We demonstrate that the motion experienced by the ice binding threonine side chains is highly restricted, with an approximate upper limit of less than ±25 deg

  13. Leak detection and localization in natural and artificial dams using tracer techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Molinari, J.

    1975-01-01

    Leak detection and localization procedures using often-unknown techniques of identification by natural or artificial tracers are reported. From the analysis of data supplied by natural tracers, or by artificial tracer methods which involve the direct observation of warning phenomena, it is possible to estimate the extent of the infiltrations, define their origin and under certain circumstances determine the main hydrodynamic flow parameters so that their development may be followed. The examples of application and interpretation were taken from the numerous studies carried out in this field by the CEA, where many original investigation methods have been employed [fr

  14. Nuclear analytical techniques and their application to environmental samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lieser, K.H.

    1986-01-01

    A survey is given on nuclear analytical techniques and their application to environmental samples. Measurement of the inherent radioactivity of elements or radionuclides allows determination of natural radioelements (e.g. Ra), man-made radioelements (e.g. Pu) and radionuclides in the environment. Activation analysis, in particular instrumental neutron activation analysis, is a very reliable and sensitive method for determination of a great number of trace elements in environmental samples, because the most abundant main constituents are not activated. Tracer techniques are very useful for studies of the behaviour and of chemical reactions of trace elements and compounds in the environment. Radioactive sources are mainly applied for excitation of characteristic X-rays (X-ray fluorescence analysis). (author)

  15. Land use determinants of small mammal abundance and distribution in a plague endemic area of Lushoto District, Tanzania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hieronimo, Proches; Kimaro, Didas N; Kihupi, Nganga I; Gulinck, Hubert; Mulungu, Loth S; Msanya, Balthazar M; Leirs, Herwig; Deckers, Jozef A

    2014-07-01

    Small mammals are considered to be involved in the transmission cycle of bubonic plague, still occurring in different parts of the world, including the Lushoto District in Tanzania. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between land use types and practices and small mammal abundance and distribution. A field survey was used to collect data in three landscapes differing in plague incidences. Data collection was done both in the wet season (April-June 2012) and dry season (August-October 2012). Analysis of variance and Boosted Regression Trees (BRT) modelling technique were used to establish the relationship between land use and small mammal abundance and distribution. Significant variations (p ≤ 0.05) of small mammal abundance among land use types were identified. Plantation forest with farming, natural forest and fallow had higher populations of small mammals than the other aggregated land use types. The influence of individual land use types on small mammal abundance level showed that, in both dry and wet seasons, miraba and fallow tended to favour small mammals' habitation whereas land tillage practices had the opposite effect. In addition, during the wet season crop types such as potato and maize appeared to positively influence the distribution and abundance of small mammals which was attributed to both shelter and food availability. Based on the findings from this study it is recommended that future efforts to predict and map spatial and temporal human plague infection risk at fine scale should consider the role played by land use and associated human activities on small mammal abundance and distribution.

  16. Characterization of natural and modified zeolites using ion beam analysis techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andrade, E. [Instituto de Fisica, Departamento de Fisica Experimental, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apdo. Postal 20-364, 01000 (Mexico)], E-mail: andrade@fisica.unam.mx; Solis, C. [Instituto de Fisica, Departamento de Fisica Experimental, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apdo. Postal 20-364, 01000 (Mexico); Aceves, J.M.; Miranda, R. [Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlan Itzcalli, Departamento de Quimica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, 1 de Mayo S/N, Cuatitlan Itzcalli, Edo. de Mexico, C.P. 74540 (Mexico); Cruz, J. [Instituto de Fisica, Departamento de Fisica Experimental, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apdo. Postal 20-364, 01000 (Mexico); Rocha, M.F. [Escuela Superior de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, U.P. ' Adolfo Lopez Mateos' , Zacatenco, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, Mexico D.F. 07738 (Mexico); Zavala, E.P. [Instituto de Fisica, Departamento de Fisica Experimental, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apdo. Postal 20-364, 01000 (Mexico)

    2008-05-15

    Zeolites are very important materials in catalytic and industrial processes. Natural, modified and synthetic zeolites have a wide range of uses because of their good adsorption, ion exchange capacity and catalytic properties. Mexico is an import source of natural zeolites, however their utilization in the natural form is limited due to the presence of trace metallic impurities. For example, metals such as vanadium and chromium inhibit the elimination of sulfur in hydrocarbons. Therefore, it is important to know the precise composition of the zeolite material. In this work, we report the elemental characterization of zeolites using various IBA techniques. {sup 3}He{sup +} and {sup 2}H{sup +} beams were used to measure the major element concentrations (Si, Al, O, C) by RBS and NRA. PIXE and SEM-EDS were used to measure the total trace element content (V, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Zr, Pb, etc). Additionally, XRD was used to study the zeolite crystal structure.

  17. Study on Natural Convection around a vertical heated rod using PIV/LIF technique,

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szijarto, R.; Yamaji, B.; Aszodi, A.

    2010-01-01

    The Nuclear Training Reactor of the Institute of Nuclear Techniques (Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary) is a pool-type reactor with light water moderator and with a maximum thermal power of 100 kW. The fuel elements are cooled by natural convection. An experimental setup was built to analyse the nature of the natural convection around a heated rod. The flow field was investigated using an electrically heated rod, which models the geometry of a fuel pin in the training reactor. The electric power of the model rod is variable between 0-500 W. The rod was placed in a square-based glass tank. Particle Image Velocimetry and Laser Induced Fluorescence measurement techniques were used to study the velocity and temperature field in a two-dimensional area. The thermal and the hydraulic boundary layers were detected near a rod in a lower section of the aquarium. The laminar-turbulent transition of the flow regime was observed, the maximum velocity of the up-flow was 0.025-0.05 m/s. From the temperature measurements the local heat transfer coefficient was estimated. (Authors)

  18. Basin Visual Estimation Technique (BVET) and Representative Reach Approaches to Wadeable Stream Surveys: Methodological Limitations and Future Directions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lance R. Williams; Melvin L. Warren; Susan B. Adams; Joseph L. Arvai; Christopher M. Taylor

    2004-01-01

    Basin Visual Estimation Techniques (BVET) are used to estimate abundance for fish populations in small streams. With BVET, independent samples are drawn from natural habitat units in the stream rather than sampling "representative reaches." This sampling protocol provides an alternative to traditional reach-level surveys, which are criticized for their lack...

  19. Inventory and assessment of foliar natural enemies of the soybean aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in South Dakota.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hesler, Louis S

    2014-06-01

    Soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a major pest of soybean in northern production regions of North America, and insecticides have been the primary management approach while alternative methods are developed. Knowledge of arthropod natural enemies and their impact on soybean aphid is critical for developing biological control as a management tool. Soybean is a major field crop in South Dakota, but information about its natural enemies and their impact on soybean aphid is lacking. Thus, this study was conducted in field plots in eastern South Dakota during July and August of 2004 and 2005 to characterize foliar-dwelling, arthropod natural enemies of soybean aphid, and it used exclusion techniques to determine impact of natural enemies and ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on soybean aphid densities. In open field plots, weekly soybean aphid densities reached a plateau of several hundred aphids per plant in 2004, and peaked at roughly 400 aphids per plant in 2005. Despite these densities, a relatively high frequency of aphid-infested plants lacked arthropod natural enemies. Lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) were most abundant, peaking at 90 and 52% of all natural enemies sampled in respective years, and Harmonia axyridis Pallas was the most abundant lady beetle. Green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) were abundant in 2005, due mainly to large numbers of their eggs. Abundances of arachnids and coccinellid larvae correlated with soybean aphid densities each year, and chrysopid egg abundance was correlated with aphid density in 2005. Three-week cage treatments of artificially infested soybean plants in 2004 showed that noncaged plants had fewer soybean aphids than caged plants, but abundance of soybean aphid did not differ among open cages and ones that provided partial or total exclusion of natural enemies. In 2005, plants within open cages had fewer soybean aphids than those within cages that excluded natural enemies, and aphid

  20. Abundant natural gas delays nuclear decision for the Netherlands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wasser, P.J.B.

    1978-01-01

    The energy situation in the Netherlands is discussed. A decrease in natural gas reserves and a rise in energy demand will mean a relative decline in the share of natural gas in the economy. The share of primary energy sources in total energy consumption and the development of electricity consumption are shown. Two scenarios for future energy supply are worked out, one assuming cumulative growth and the other considering the case of gradual stabilization. Possible ways of meeting future demand are illustrated and factors to be considered in making a choice, such as the role of nuclear power, are indicated. (UK)

  1. Adjustments of microwave-based measurements on coal moisture using natural radioactivity techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prieto-Fernandez, I.; Luengo-Garcia, J.C.; Alonso-Hidalgo, M.; Folgueras-Diaz, B. [University of Oviedo, Gijon (Spain)

    2006-01-07

    The use of nonconventional on-line measurements of moisture and ash content in coal is presented. The background research is briefly reviewed. The possibilities of adjusting microwave-based moisture measurements using natural radioactive techniques, and vice versa, are proposed. The results obtained from the simultaneous analysis of moisture and ash content as well as the correlation improvements are shown.

  2. Variations in natural abundances of 15N and 13C in potassium fed lentil plants grown under water stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurdali, F.; Al-Shammaa, M.

    2007-12-01

    The impact of two K-fertilizer treatments [K0 (0) and K1 (150 kg K 2 O/ha)] on dry matter production and N 2 fixation (Ndfa) by Lentil (Lens culinaris.) was evaluated in a pot experiment. The plants were also subjected to three soil moisture regimes starting from bud flower initiation stage to pod formation (low, 45-50%; moderate, 55-60% and high 75-80% of field capacity, abbreviated as FC1, FC2 and FC3, respectively). The 15 N natural abundance technique (%δ 1 5 N) was employed to evaluate N 2 fixation using barley as a reference crop. Moreover, the carbon isotope discrimination (%Δ 13 C) was determined to assess factors responsible for crop performance variability in the different treatments. Water restriction occurring during the post-flowering period considerably affects growth and N 2 -fixation. However, K-fertilizer enhanced plant performance by overcoming water shortage influences. The δ 15 N values in lentils ranged from +0.67 to +1.36% depending on soil moisture and K-fertilizer treatments; whereas, those of N 2 fixation and the reference plant were -0.45 and +2.94%, respectively. Consequently, Ndfa% ranged from 45 and 65%. Water stress reduced Δ 13 C values in the FC1K0 And FC1K1 treatments. However, K fertilizer enhanced the whole plants Δ 13 C along with dry matter yield and N 2 fixation. The water stressed plants amended with K (FC1K1) seemed to be the best treatment because of its highest pod yield, high N balance and N 2 -fixation with low consumption of irrigation water. This illustrates the ecological and economical importance of K-fertilizer in alleviating water stress occurring during the post-flowering period of lentil.(Authors)

  3. Variations in natural abundances of 15N and 13C in potassium fed lentil plants grown under water stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurdali, F.; Al-Shammaa, M.

    2009-01-01

    The impact of two K-fertilizer treatments [K0 (0) and K1 (150 kg K 2 O/ha)] on dry matter production and N 2 fixation (Ndfa) by Lentil (Lens culinaris.) was evaluated in a pot experiment. The plants were also subjected to three soil moisture regimes starting from bud flower initiation stage to pod formation (low, 45-50%. Moderate, 55-60% and high 75-80% of field capacity, abbreviated as FC1, FC2 and FC3, respectively). The 15 N natural abundance technique (%δ 15 N) was employed to evaluate N 2 fixation using barley as a reference crop. Moreover, the carbon isotope discrimination (%Δ 13 C) was determined to assess factors responsible for crop performance variability in the different treatments. Water restriction occurring during the post-flowering period considerably affects growth and N 2 -fixation. However, K-fertilizer enhanced plant performance by overcoming water shortage influences. The delta 15 N values in lentils ranged from +0.67 to +1.36% depending on soil moisture and K-fertilizer treatments. Whereas, those of N 2 fixation and the reference plant were -0.45 and +2.94%, respectively. Consequently, Ndfa% ranged from 45 and 65%. Water stress reduced Δ 13 C values in the FC1K0 And FC1K1 treatments. However, K fertilizer enhanced the whole plants Δ 13 C along with dry matter yield and N 2 fixation. The water stressed plants amended with K (FC1K1) seemed to be the best treatment because of its highest pod yield, high N balance and N 2 -fixation with low consumption of irrigation water. This illustrates the ecological and economical importance of K-fertilizer in alleviating water stress occurring during the post-flowering period of lentil.(Authors)

  4. Abundance of introduced species at home predicts abundance away in herbaceous communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Firn, Jennifer; Moore, Joslin L.; MacDougall, Andrew S.; Borer, Elizabeth T.; Seabloom, Eric W.; HilleRisLambers, Janneke; Harpole, W. Stanley; Cleland, Elsa E.; Brown, Cynthia S.; Knops, Johannes M.H.; Prober, Suzanne M.; Pyke, David A.; Farrell, Kelly A.; Bakker, John D.; O'Halloran, Lydia R.; Adler, Peter B.; Collins, Scott L.; D'Antonio, Carla M.; Crawley, Michael J.; Wolkovich, Elizabeth M.; La Pierre, Kimberly J.; Melbourne, Brett A.; Hautier, Yann; Morgan, John W.; Leakey, Andrew D.B.; Kay, Adam; McCulley, Rebecca; Davies, Kendi F.; Stevens, Carly J.; Chu, Cheng-Jin; Holl, Karen D.; Klein, Julia A.; Fay, Phillip A.; Hagenah, Nicole; Kirkman, Kevin P.; Buckley, Yvonne M.

    2011-01-01

    Many ecosystems worldwide are dominated by introduced plant species, leading to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem function. A common but rarely tested assumption is that these plants are more abundant in introduced vs. native communities, because ecological or evolutionary-based shifts in populations underlie invasion success. Here, data for 26 herbaceous species at 39 sites, within eight countries, revealed that species abundances were similar at native (home) and introduced (away) sites - grass species were generally abundant home and away, while forbs were low in abundance, but more abundant at home. Sites with six or more of these species had similar community abundance hierarchies, suggesting that suites of introduced species are assembling similarly on different continents. Overall, we found that substantial changes to populations are not necessarily a pre-condition for invasion success and that increases in species abundance are unusual. Instead, abundance at home predicts abundance away, a potentially useful additional criterion for biosecurity programmes.

  5. Radiocarbon content of synthetic and natural semi-volatile halogenated organic compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reddy, C.M.; Xu Li; Eglinton, T.I.; Boon, J.P.; Faulkner, D.J.

    2002-01-01

    New developments in molecular-level 14 C analysis techniques enable clues about natural versus commercial synthesis of trace organic contaminants. - Some halogenated organic compounds, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), have been suggested to have natural sources but separating these compounds from their commercially synthesized counterparts is difficult. Molecular-level 14 C analysis may be beneficial since most synthetic compounds are manufactured from petrochemicals ( 14 C-free) and natural compounds should have 'modern' or 'contemporary' 14 C levels. As a baseline study, we measured, for the first time, the 14 C abundance in commercial PCB and PBDE mixtures, a number of organochlorine pesticides, as well as one natural product 2-(3', 5'-dibromo-2'-methoxyphenoxy)-3,5-dibromoanisole. The latter compound was isolated from a marine sponge and is similar in structure to a PBDE. All of the synthetic compounds were 14 C-free except for the pesticide toxaphene, which had a modern 14 C abundance, as did the brominated natural compound. The result for toxaphene was not surprising since it was commercially synthesized by the chlorination of camphene derived from pine trees. These results suggest that measuring the 14 C content of halogenated organic compounds may be quite useful in establishing whether organic compounds encountered in the environment have natural or synthetic origins (or both) provided that any synthetic counterparts derive from petrochemical feedstock

  6. CHROMOSPHERIC MODELS AND THE OXYGEN ABUNDANCE IN GIANT STARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dupree, A. K.; Avrett, E. H.; Kurucz, R. L., E-mail: dupree@cfa.harvard.edu [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

    2016-04-10

    Realistic stellar atmospheric models of two typical metal-poor giant stars in Omega Centauri, which include a chromosphere (CHR), influence the formation of optical lines of O i: the forbidden lines (λ6300, λ6363) and the infrared triplet (λλ7771−7775). One-dimensional semi-empirical non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) models are constructed based on observed Balmer lines. A full non-LTE formulation is applied for evaluating the line strengths of O i, including photoionization by the Lyman continuum and photoexcitation by Lyα and Lyβ. Chromospheric models (CHR) yield forbidden oxygen transitions that are stronger than those in radiative/convective equilibrium (RCE) models. The triplet oxygen lines from high levels also appear stronger than those produced in an RCE model. The inferred oxygen abundance from realistic CHR models for these two stars is decreased by factors of ∼3 as compared to values derived from RCE models. A lower oxygen abundance suggests that intermediate-mass AGB stars contribute to the observed abundance pattern in globular clusters. A change in the oxygen abundance of metal-poor field giants could affect models of deep mixing episodes on the red giant branch. Changes in the oxygen abundance can impact other abundance determinations that are critical to astrophysics, including chemical tagging techniques and galactic chemical evolution.

  7. Developing ISM Dust Grain Models with Precision Elemental Abundances from IXO

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valencic, L. A.; Smith, R. K.; Juet, A.

    2009-01-01

    The exact nature of interstellar dust grains in the Galaxy remains mysterious, despite their ubiquity. Many viable models exist, based on available IR-UV data and assumed elemental abundances. However, the abundances, which are perhaps the most stringent constraint, are not well known: modelers must use proxies in the absence of direct measurements for the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM). Recent revisions of these proxy values have only added to confusion over which is the best representative for the diffuse ISM, and highlighted the need for direct, high signal-to-noise measurements from the ISM itself. The International X-ray Observatory's superior facilities will enable high-precision elemental abundance measurements. We ill show how these results will measure both the overall ISM abundances and challenge dust models, allowing us to construct a more realistic picture of the ISM.

  8. Natural Origin Lycopene and Its "Green" Downstream Processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papaioannou, Emmanouil H; Liakopoulou-Kyriakides, Maria; Karabelas, Anastasios J

    2016-01-01

    Lycopene is an abundant natural carotenoid pigment with several biological functions (well-known for its antioxidant properties) which is under intensive investigation in recent years. Lycopene chemistry, its natural distribution, bioavailability, biological significance, and toxicological effects are briefly outlined in the first part of this review. The second, major part, deals with various modern downstream processing techniques, which are assessed in order to identify promising approaches for the recovery of lycopene and of similar lipophilic compounds. Natural lycopene is synthesized in plants and by microorganisms, with main representatives of these two categories (for industrial production) tomato and its by-products and the fungus Blakeslea trispora, respectively. Currently, there is a great deal of effort to develop efficient downstream processing for large scale production of natural-origin lycopene, with trends strongly indicating the necessity for "green" and mild extraction conditions. In this review, emphasis is placed on final product safety and ecofriendly processing, which are expected to totally dominate in the field of natural-origin lycopene extraction and purification.

  9. Endolithic phototrophs in built and natural stone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaylarde, Christine C; Gaylarde, Peter M; Neilan, Brett A

    2012-08-01

    Lichens, algae and cyanobacteria have been detected growing endolithically in natural rock and in stone buildings in various countries of Australasia, Europe and Latin America. Previously these organisms had mainly been described in natural carbonaceous rocks in aquatic environments, with some reports in siliceous rocks, principally from extremophilic regions. Using various culture and microscopy methods, we have detected endoliths in siliceous stone, both natural and cut, in humid temperate and subtropical climates. Such endolithic growth leads to degradation of the stone structure, not only by mechanical means, but also by metabolites liberated by the cells. Using in vitro culture, transmission, optical and fluorescence microscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy, both coccoid and filamentous cyanobacteria and algae, including Cyanidiales, have been identified growing endolithically in the facades of historic buildings built from limestone, sandstone, granite, basalt and soapstone, as well as in some natural rocks. Numerically, the most abundant are small, single-celled, colonial cyanobacteria. These small phototrophs are difficult to detect by standard microscope techniques and some of these species have not been previously reported within stone.

  10. Abundance estimation and Conservation Biology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nichols, J. D.

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Abundance is the state variable of interest in most population–level ecological research and in most programs involving management and conservation of animal populations. Abundance is the single parameter of interest in capture–recapture models for closed populations (e.g., Darroch, 1958; Otis et al., 1978; Chao, 2001. The initial capture–recapture models developed for partially (Darroch, 1959 and completely (Jolly, 1965; Seber, 1965 open populations represented efforts to relax the restrictive assumption of population closure for the purpose of estimating abundance. Subsequent emphases in capture–recapture work were on survival rate estimation in the 1970’s and 1980’s (e.g., Burnham et al., 1987; Lebreton et al.,1992, and on movement estimation in the 1990’s (Brownie et al., 1993; Schwarz et al., 1993. However, from the mid–1990’s until the present time, capture–recapture investigators have expressed a renewed interest in abundance and related parameters (Pradel, 1996; Schwarz & Arnason, 1996; Schwarz, 2001. The focus of this session was abundance, and presentations covered topics ranging from estimation of abundance and rate of change in abundance, to inferences about the demographic processes underlying changes in abundance, to occupancy as a surrogate of abundance. The plenary paper by Link & Barker (2004 is provocative and very interesting, and it contains a number of important messages and suggestions. Link & Barker (2004 emphasize that the increasing complexity of capture–recapture models has resulted in large numbers of parameters and that a challenge to ecologists is to extract ecological signals from this complexity. They offer hierarchical models as a natural approach to inference in which traditional parameters are viewed as realizations of stochastic processes. These processes are governed by hyperparameters, and the inferential approach focuses on these hyperparameters. Link & Barker (2004 also suggest that

  11. Abundance estimation and conservation biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nichols, J.D.; MacKenzie, D.I.

    2004-01-01

    Abundance is the state variable of interest in most population–level ecological research and in most programs involving management and conservation of animal populations. Abundance is the single parameter of interest in capture–recapture models for closed populations (e.g., Darroch, 1958; Otis et al., 1978; Chao, 2001). The initial capture–recapture models developed for partially (Darroch, 1959) and completely (Jolly, 1965; Seber, 1965) open populations represented efforts to relax the restrictive assumption of population closure for the purpose of estimating abundance. Subsequent emphases in capture–recapture work were on survival rate estimation in the 1970’s and 1980’s (e.g., Burnham et al., 1987; Lebreton et al.,1992), and on movement estimation in the 1990’s (Brownie et al., 1993; Schwarz et al., 1993). However, from the mid–1990’s until the present time, capture–recapture investigators have expressed a renewed interest in abundance and related parameters (Pradel, 1996; Schwarz & Arnason, 1996; Schwarz, 2001). The focus of this session was abundance, and presentations covered topics ranging from estimation of abundance and rate of change in abundance, to inferences about the demographic processes underlying changes in abundance, to occupancy as a surrogate of abundance. The plenary paper by Link & Barker (2004) is provocative and very interesting, and it contains a number of important messages and suggestions. Link & Barker (2004) emphasize that the increasing complexity of capture–recapture models has resulted in large numbers of parameters and that a challenge to ecologists is to extract ecological signals from this complexity. They offer hierarchical models as a natural approach to inference in which traditional parameters are viewed as realizations of stochastic processes. These processes are governed by hyperparameters, and the inferential approach focuses on these hyperparameters. Link & Barker (2004) also suggest that our attention

  12. Determinação da fixação biológica de nitrogênio no amendoim forrageiro (Arachis spp. por intermédio da abundância natural de 15N Determination of biological nitrogen fixation by the forage groundnut (Arachis spp. using the 15N natural abundance technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cesar Heraclides Behling Miranda

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available Quantificou-se a fixação biológica de nitrogênio (FBN em cinco acessos de Arachis pintoi (BRA31534, BRA31828, BRA31796, BRA15121 e BRA30333 e dois de A. repens (BRA31801 e BRA31861. Os mesmos foram estabelecidos em um solo Latosolo Vermelho Escuro sujeito a inundação estacional, sendo a FBN estimada segundo a técnica da abundância natural do isótopo 15N (d15N. Estolões dos acessos foram plantados em novembro de 1999, em parcelas de 2,0 m x 2,0 m, com quatro repetições, distribuídas em blocos ao acaso. A massa verde das plantas acima de cinco centímetros do solo foi colhida em janeiro de 2000 e seca em estufa a 65ºC até peso constante, sendo posteriormente pesada e moída para análise dos conteúdos em N e d15N, em espectrômetro de massa. Verificaram-se diferenças significativas entre os genótipos quanto à produção de matéria seca (MS e N total, sobressaindo-se BRA31534 e BRA31828, com produções de 4,2 t/ha e conteúdos totais de N de 102 e 110 kg/ha, respectivamente. Os acessos BRA30333 e BRA31861 produziram apenas 2,6 t de MS/ha, com 59 e 65 kg/ha de N total, respectivamente. As taxas de FBN dos acessos testados, medidas por comparação dos seus teores de d15N com os de plantas não fixadoras crescendo na mesma área, variaram de 36% (BRA15121 a 90% (BRA31828 do N total das plantas, equivalente a 26 e 99 kg de N/ha, respectivamente. Verificou-se correlação positiva e significativa (r = 0,92, pThe biological nitrogen fixation (BNF of five Arachis pintoi (BRA31534, BRA31828, BRA31796, BRA15121 E BRA30333 and two A. repens (BRA31801 e BRA31861 accessions, grown in a Dark Red Latosol prone to seasonal flooding was evaluated using the 15N natural abundance method (d15N. Stolons of each accession were planted in November 1999, in plots of 2.0 m by 2.0 m, with four replications allotted to randomized blocks. Plant mass above five cm was harvested in January 2000. There were significant differences among the tested

  13. Natural abundant solid state NMR studies in designed tripeptides for differentiation of multiple conformers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayanthi, S; Chatterjee, Bhaswati; Raghothama, S

    2009-10-01

    Solid state NMR (SSNMR) experiments on heteronuclei in natural abundance are described for three synthetically designed tripeptides Piv-(L)Pro-(L)Pro-(L)Phe-OMe (1), Piv-(D)Pro-(L)Pro-(L)Phe-OMe (2), and Piv-(D)Pro-(L)Pro-(L)Phe-NHMe (3). These peptides exist in different conformation as shown by solution state NMR and single crystal X-ray analysis (Chatterjee et al., Chem Eur J 2008, 14, 6192). In this study, SSNMR has been used to probe the conformations of these peptides in their powder form. The (13)C spectrum of peptide (1) showed doubling of resonances corresponding to cis/cis form, unlike in solution where the similar doubling is attributed to cis/trans form. This has been confirmed by the chemical shift differences of C(beta) and C(gamma) carbon of Proline in peptide (1) both in solution and SSNMR. Peptide (2) and (3) provided single set of resonances which represented all trans form across the di-Proline segment. The results are in agreement with the X-ray analysis. Solid state (15)N resonances, especially from Proline residues provided additional information, which is normally not observable in solution state NMR. (1)H chemical shifts are also obtained from a two-dimensional heteronuclear correlation experiment between (1)H--(13)C. The results confirm the utility of NMR as a useful tool for identifying different conformers in peptides in the solid state. (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 91: 851-860, 2009.

  14. Characterization of threonine side chain dynamics in an antifreeze protein using natural abundance {sup 13}C NMR spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Daley, Margaret E.; Sykes, Brian D. [University of Alberta, Department of Biochemistry, CIHR Group in Protein Structure and Function and Protein Engineering Network of Centres of Excellence (Canada)

    2004-06-15

    The dynamics of threonine side chains of the Tenebrio molitor antifreeze protein (TmAFP) were investigated using natural abundance {sup 13}C NMR. In TmAFP, the array of threonine residues on one face of the protein is responsible for conferring its ability to bind crystalline ice and inhibit its growth. Heteronuclear longitudinal and transverse relaxation rates and the {sup 1}H-{sup 13}C NOE were determined in this study. The C{alpha}H relaxation measurements were compared to the previously measured {sup 15}N backbone parameters and these are found to be in agreement. For the analysis of the threonine side chain motions, the model of restricted rotational diffusion about the {chi}{sub 1} dihedral angle was employed [London and Avitabile (1978) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 100, 7159-7165]. We demonstrate that the motion experienced by the ice binding threonine side chains is highly restricted, with an approximate upper limit of less than {+-}25 deg.

  15. Depleting high-abundant and enriching low-abundant proteins in human serum: An evaluation of sample preparation methods using magnetic nanoparticle, chemical depletion and immunoaffinity techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jesus, Jemmyson Romário; da Silva Fernandes, Rafael; de Souza Pessôa, Gustavo; Raimundo, Ivo Milton; Arruda, Marco Aurélio Zezzi

    2017-08-01

    The efficiency of three different depletion methods to remove the most abundant proteins, enriching those human serum proteins with low abundance is checked to make more efficient the search and discovery of biomarkers. These methods utilize magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), chemical reagents (sequential application of dithiothreitol and acetonitrile, DTT/ACN), and commercial apparatus based on immunoaffinity (ProteoMiner, PM). The comparison between methods shows significant removal of abundant protein, remaining in the supernatant at concentrations of 4.6±0.2, 3.6±0.1, and 3.3±0.2µgµL -1 (n=3) for MNPs, DTT/ACN and PM respectively, from a total protein content of 54µgµL -1 . Using GeLC-MS/MS analysis, MNPs depletion shows good efficiency in removing high molecular weight proteins (>80kDa). Due to the synergic effect between the reagents DTT and ACN, DTT/ACN-based depletion offers good performance in the depletion of thiol-rich proteins, such as albumin and transferrin (DTT action), as well as of high molecular weight proteins (ACN action). Furthermore, PM equalization confirms its efficiency in concentrating low-abundant proteins, decreasing the dynamic range of protein levels in human serum. Direct comparison between the treatments reveals 72 proteins identified when using MNP depletion (43 of them exclusively by this method), but only 20 proteins using DTT/ACN (seven exclusively by this method). Additionally, after PM treatment 30 proteins were identified, seven exclusively by this method. Thus, MNPs and DTT/ACN depletion can be simple, quick, cheap, and robust alternatives for immunochemistry-based protein depletion, providing a potential strategy in the search for disease biomarkers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Aerial Survey as a Tool to Estimate Abundance and Describe Distribution of a Carcharhinid Species, the Lemon Shark, Negaprion brevirostris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. T. Kessel

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Aerial survey provides an important tool to assess the abundance of both terrestrial and marine vertebrates. To date, limited work has tested the effectiveness of this technique to estimate the abundance of smaller shark species. In Bimini, Bahamas, the lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris shows high site fidelity to a shallow sandy lagoon, providing an ideal test species to determine the effectiveness of localised aerial survey techniques for a Carcharhinid species in shallow subtropical waters. Between September 2007 and September 2008, visual surveys were conducted from light aircraft following defined transects ranging in length between 8.8 and 4.4 km. Count results were corrected for “availability”, “perception”, and “survey intensity” to provide unbiased abundance estimates. The abundance of lemon sharks was greatest in the central area of the lagoon during high tide, with a change in abundance distribution to the east and western regions of the lagoon with low tide. Mean abundance of sharks was estimated at 49 (±8.6 individuals, and monthly abundance was significantly positively correlated with mean water temperature. The successful implementation of the aerial survey technique highlighted the potential of further employment for shark abundance assessments in shallow coastal marine environments.

  17. Attenuation of species abundance distributions by sampling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimadzu, Hideyasu; Darnell, Ross

    2015-01-01

    Quantifying biodiversity aspects such as species presence/ absence, richness and abundance is an important challenge to answer scientific and resource management questions. In practice, biodiversity can only be assessed from biological material taken by surveys, a difficult task given limited time and resources. A type of random sampling, or often called sub-sampling, is a commonly used technique to reduce the amount of time and effort for investigating large quantities of biological samples. However, it is not immediately clear how (sub-)sampling affects the estimate of biodiversity aspects from a quantitative perspective. This paper specifies the effect of (sub-)sampling as attenuation of the species abundance distribution (SAD), and articulates how the sampling bias is induced to the SAD by random sampling. The framework presented also reveals some confusion in previous theoretical studies. PMID:26064626

  18. Validity of photo-identification technique to analyze natural markings in Melanophryniscus montevidensis (Anura: Bufonidae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ernesto Elgue

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Individual identification is useful for answering a variety of biological questions about animal life histories. Most of the techniques used to mark amphibians are invasive and can cause negative effects, compromising individual survivorship and biasing studies. Photo-identification consists in the identification of specimens based on photographic records of unique color-design patterns. This technique has been used with success in several amphibian species. Melanophryniscus montevidensis is an endangered anuran species inhabiting the Uruguayan Atlantic coast. The general pattern of coloration is black with red and yellow blotches on the belly. In this study, we validated the technique of photo-identification assisted by software for individual recognition in M. montevidensis using natural markings. Field trips were performed over 16 months during which, the ventral color pattern of specimens was photographed. The photos were edited and analyzed with the Wild-ID 1.0 software for photographic reconnaissance. An efficiency of 100% was obtained in the visual recognition and 90% in the detection of recaptures using the software. The use of photo-identification using natural marks is an effective technique in this species, because the color pattern of the belly was highly variable among individuals and remained unchanged in individuals over the 16 month period. In this evaluation the use of software for photo-identification was necessary for the treatment of large databases.

  19. In situ characterization of natural pyrite bioleaching using electrochemical noise technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Guo-bao; Yang, Hong-ying; Li, Hai-jun

    2016-02-01

    An in situ characterization technique called electrochemical noise (ECN) was used to investigate the bioleaching of natural pyrite. ECN experiments were conducted in four active systems (sulfuric acid, ferric-ion, 9k culture medium, and bioleaching solutions). The ECN data were analyzed in both the time and frequency domains. Spectral noise impedance spectra obtained from power spectral density (PSD) plots for different systems were compared. A reaction mechanism was also proposed on the basis of the experimental data analysis. The bioleaching system exhibits the lowest noise resistance of 0.101 MΩ. The bioleaching of natural pyrite is considered to be a bio-battery reaction, which distinguishes it from chemical oxidation reactions in ferric-ion and culture-medium (9k) solutions. The corrosion of pyrite becomes more severe over time after the long-term testing of bioleaching.

  20. Dynamic N -occupancy models: estimating demographic rates and local abundance from detection-nondetection data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sam Rossman; Charles B. Yackulic; Sarah P. Saunders; Janice Reid; Ray Davis; Elise F. Zipkin

    2016-01-01

    Occupancy modeling is a widely used analytical technique for assessing species distributions and range dynamics. However, occupancy analyses frequently ignore variation in abundance of occupied sites, even though site abundances affect many of the parameters being estimated (e.g., extinction, colonization, detection probability). We introduce a new model (“dynamic

  1. DEVELOPMENT OF RAPID TECHNIQUE FOR DETERMINATION OF THE TOTAL MINERALIZATION OF NATURAL WATERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. A. Kuchmenko

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A new approach has been proposed for rapid and easy evaluation of a indicator of quality and properties of natural water - soluble salt content (mineralization. The method of quartz crystal microbalance is employed at load of the mass-sensitive resonator electrode (BAW-type with investigated water. The degree of correlation between the various indicators related to the contents of salts and insoluble compounds and the level of mineralization obtained by the standard method (gravimetry has been studied. A procedure for salt weighing by single sensor at unilateral load with small sample of natural water has been developed. The optimal conditions for measurement is established using the design of experiment by model 23 . The possibilities of quartz crystal microbalance for determination of non-volatile compounds in the water are described. The calibration of piezosensor is produced by standard solution NaCl (c = 1.000 g / dm3 at optimal conditions of experiment. The adequacy and accuracy of proposed technique is assessed by the correlation between the results of quartz crystal microbalance and conductometry. The correlation between indicators of mineralization established by quartz crystal microbalance and gravimetry is found. It has been obtained an equation that can be used to calculate the standard indicator of the mineralization by the results of a quartz crystal microbalance using single sensor. The approaches to enhance the analytical capabilities of the developed technique for water with low and high mineralization are proposed. The metrological characteristics of quartz crystal microbalance of insoluble compounds in natural water are estimated. A new technique of determination of the mass concentration of the dry residue in water with a conductivity of 0.2 mS or above has been developed, which can be used for rapid analysis of the water at nonlaboratory conditions and in the laboratory for rapid obtaining the information about a sample.

  2. Estimating abundance of Sitka black-tailed deer using DNA from fecal pellets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todd J. Brinkman; David K. Person; F. Stuart Chapin; Winston Smith; Kris J. Hundertmark

    2011-01-01

    Densely vegetated environments have hindered collection of basic population parameters on forest-dwelling ungulates. Our objective was to develop a mark-recapture technique that used DNA from fecal pellets to overcome constraints associated with estimating abundance of ungulates in landscapes where direct observation is difficult. We tested our technique on Sitka black...

  3. Geographical range and local abundance of tree species in China.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haibao Ren

    Full Text Available Most studies on the geographical distribution of species have utilized a few well-known taxa in Europe and North America, with little research in China and its wide range of climate and forest types. We assembled large datasets to quantify the geographic ranges of tree species in China and to test several biogeographic hypotheses: 1 whether locally abundant species tend to be geographically widespread; 2 whether species are more abundant towards their range-centers; and 3 how abundances are correlated between sites. Local abundances of 651 species were derived from four tree plots of 20-25 ha where all individuals ≥1 cm in stem diameter were mapped and identified taxonomically. Range sizes of these species across China were then estimated from over 460,000 geo-referenced records; a Bayesian approach was used, allowing careful measures of error of each range estimate. The log-transformed range sizes had a bell-shaped distribution with a median of 703,000 km(2, and >90% of 651 species had ranges >10(5 km(2. There was no relationship between local abundance and range size, and no evidence for species being more abundant towards their range-centers. Finally, species' abundances were positively correlated between sites. The widespread nature of most tree species in China suggests few are vulnerable to global extinction, and there is no indication of the double-peril that would result if rare species also had narrow ranges.

  4. Evaluation of natural 15N abundance method in estimating symbiotic dinitrogen fixation by leguminous grasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yao Yunyin; Cheng Ming; Ma Changlin; Wang Zhidong; Hou Jinqin; Zhang Lihong; Luo Yongyun

    1991-01-01

    Natural 15 N abundance method was used to estimate contribution of symbiotic dinitrogen fixation by leguminous grasses. With the method the expensive 15 N fertilizer did not need to be applied to the soil and the normal ecosystem was not disturbed. Collecting samples of shoots of leguminous grasses and measuring the content of 15 N in them wee all to do for estimating potential of symbiotically fixed N 2 . Isotopic fractionation associated with N 2 fixation by legumes was studied. Values for 7 cultivars of alfalfa were ranged between 1.0000 ∼ 1.0015 (δ 15 N values were -0.05 ∼ 1.47 per mille); and the values for white clover, mung bean and whitepopinac lead tree were 0.0079, 0.9983 and 1.0018 (δ 15 N values: 2.15, 1.74 and -1.81 per mille) respectively. According to the δ 15 N values of grasses tested, the potential of N 2 fixation for 6 cultivars of alfalfa was estimated. Glory and rambler had higher potential of N 2 fixation; Baoding, Aigonquin and Minto had lower potential, and Peru was the lowest.N 2 fixing activity of alfalfa varied with different periods. The peak was found between June and July. Effects of non-N 2 -fixing references and different methods on estimates of %Ndfa of leguminous grasses were also discussed

  5. Abundance of non-native crabs in intertidal habitats of New England with natural and artificial structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lovely, Christina M; O'Connor, Nancy J; Judge, Michael L

    2015-01-01

    Marine habitats containing complex physical structure (e.g., crevices) can provide shelter from predation for benthic invertebrates. To examine effects of natural and artificial structure on the abundance of intertidal juvenile crabs, 2 experiments were conducted in Kingston Bay, Massachusetts, USA, from July to September, 2012. In the first experiment, structure was manipulated in a two-factor design that was placed in the high intertidal for 3 one-week periods to test for both substrate type (sand vs. rock) and the presence or absence of artificial structure (mesh grow-out bags used in aquaculture, ∼0.5 m(2) with 62 mm(2) mesh openings). The Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, and small individuals of the green crab, Carcinus maenas, were observed only in the treatments of rocks and mesh bag plus rocks. Most green crabs were small (<6 mm in carapace width) whereas H. sanguineus occurred in a wide range of sizes. In the second experiment, 3 levels of oyster-shell treatments were established using grow-out bags placed on a muddy sand substrate in the low intertidal zone: mesh grow-out bags without shells, grow-out bags with oyster shells, and grow-out bags containing live oysters. Replicate bags were deployed weekly for 7 weeks in a randomized complete block design. All crabs collected in the bags were juvenile C. maenas (1-15 mm carapace width), and numbers of crabs differed 6-fold among treatments, with most crabs present in bags with live oysters (29.5 ± 10.6 m(-2) [mean ± S.D.]) and fewest in bags without shells (4.9 ± 3.7 m(-2)). Both C. maenas and H. sanguineus occurred in habitats with natural structure (cobble rocks). The attraction of juvenile C. maenas to artificial structure consisting of plastic mesh bags containing both oyster shells and living oysters could potentially impact oyster aquaculture operations.

  6. Natural substrate lift-off technique for vertical light-emitting diodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Chia-Yu; Lan, Yu-Pin; Tu, Po-Min; Hsu, Shih-Chieh; Lin, Chien-Chung; Kuo, Hao-Chung; Chi, Gou-Chung; Chang, Chun-Yen

    2014-04-01

    Hexagonal inverted pyramid (HIP) structures and the natural substrate lift-off (NSLO) technique were demonstrated on a GaN-based vertical light-emitting diode (VLED). The HIP structures were formed at the interface between GaN and the sapphire substrate by molten KOH wet etching. The threading dislocation density (TDD) estimated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was reduced to 1 × 108 cm-2. Raman spectroscopy indicated that the compressive strain from the bottom GaN/sapphire was effectively released through the HIP structure. With the adoption of the HIP structure and NSLO, the light output power and yield performance of leakage current could be further improved.

  7. Modelling techniques for predicting the long term consequences of radiation on natural aquatic populations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wallis, I.G.

    1978-01-01

    The purpose of this working paper is to describe modelling techniques for predicting the long term consequences of radiation on natural aquatic populations. Ideally, it would be possible to use aquatic population models: (1) to predict changes in the health and well-being of all aquatic populations as a result of changing the composition, amount and location of radionuclide discharges; (2) to compare the effects of steady, fluctuating and accidental releases of radionuclides; and (3) to evaluate the combined impact of the discharge of radionuclides and other wastes, and natural environmental stresses on aquatic populations. At the onset it should be stated that there is no existing model which can achieve this ideal performance. However, modelling skills and techniques are available to develop useful aquatic population models. This paper discusses the considerations involved in developing these models and briefly describes the various types of population models which have been developed to date

  8. Determination of lunar ilmenite abundances from remotely sensed data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larson, Stephen M.; Johnson, Jeffrey R.; Singer, Robert B.

    1991-01-01

    The mineral ilmenite (FeTiO3) was found in abundance in lunar mare soils returned during the Apollo project. Lunar ilmenite often contains greater than 50 weight-percent titanium dioxide (TiO2), and is a primary potential resource for oxygen and other raw materials to supply future lunar bases. Chemical and spectroscopic analysis of the returned lunar soils produced an empirical function that relates the spectral reflectance ratio at 400 and 560 nm to the weight percent abundance of TiO2. This allowed mapping of the lunar TiO2 distribution using telescopic vidicon multispectral imaging from the ground; however, the time variant photometric response of the vidicon detectors produced abundance uncertainties of at least 2 to 5 percent. Since that time, solid-state charge-coupled device (CCD) detector technology capable of much improved photometric response has become available. An investigation of the lunar TiO2 distribution was carried out utilizing groundbased telescopic CCD multispectral imagery and spectroscopy. The work was approached in phases to develop optimum technique based upon initial results. The goal is to achieve the best possible TiO2 abundance maps from the ground as a precursor to lunar orbiter and robotic sample return missions, and to produce a better idea of the peak abundances of TiO2 for benefaction studies. These phases and the results are summarized.

  9. MEASURING DETAILED CHEMICAL ABUNDANCES FROM CO-ADDED MEDIUM-RESOLUTION SPECTRA. I. TESTS USING MILKY WAY DWARF SPHEROIDAL GALAXIES AND GLOBULAR CLUSTERS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Lei; Peng, Eric W.; Kirby, Evan N.; Guhathakurta, Puragra; Cheng, Lucy

    2013-01-01

    The ability to measure metallicities and α-element abundances in individual red giant branch (RGB) stars using medium-resolution spectra (R ≈ 6000) is a valuable tool for deciphering the nature of Milky Way dwarf satellites and the history of the Galactic halo. Extending such studies to more distant systems like Andromeda is beyond the ability of the current generation of telescopes, but by co-adding the spectra of similar stars, we can attain the necessary signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) to make detailed abundance measurements. In this paper, we present a method to determine metallicities and α-element abundances using the co-addition of medium-resolution spectra. We test the method of spectral co-addition using high-S/N spectra of more than 1300 RGB stars from Milky Way globular clusters and dwarf spheroidal galaxies obtained with the Keck II telescope/DEIMOS spectrograph. We group similar stars using photometric criteria and compare the weighted ensemble average abundances ([Fe/H], [Mg/Fe], [Si/Fe], [Ca/Fe], and [Ti/Fe]) of individual stars in each group with the measurements made on the corresponding co-added spectrum. We find a high level of agreement between the two methods, which permits us to apply this co-added spectra technique to more distant RGB stars, like stars in the M31 satellite galaxies. This paper outlines our spectral co-addition and abundance measurement methodology and describes the potential biases in making these measurements.

  10. Transposases are the most abundant, most ubiquitous genes in nature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aziz, Ramy K; Breitbart, Mya; Edwards, Robert A

    2010-07-01

    Genes, like organisms, struggle for existence, and the most successful genes persist and widely disseminate in nature. The unbiased determination of the most successful genes requires access to sequence data from a wide range of phylogenetic taxa and ecosystems, which has finally become achievable thanks to the deluge of genomic and metagenomic sequences. Here, we analyzed 10 million protein-encoding genes and gene tags in sequenced bacterial, archaeal, eukaryotic and viral genomes and metagenomes, and our analysis demonstrates that genes encoding transposases are the most prevalent genes in nature. The finding that these genes, classically considered as selfish genes, outnumber essential or housekeeping genes suggests that they offer selective advantage to the genomes and ecosystems they inhabit, a hypothesis in agreement with an emerging body of literature. Their mobile nature not only promotes dissemination of transposable elements within and between genomes but also leads to mutations and rearrangements that can accelerate biological diversification and--consequently--evolution. By securing their own replication and dissemination, transposases guarantee to thrive so long as nucleic acid-based life forms exist.

  11. Abundant Solar Nebula Solids in Comets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Messenger, S.; Keller, L. P.; Nakamura-Messenger, K.; Nguyen, A. N.; Clemett, S.

    2016-01-01

    Comets have been proposed to consist of unprocessed interstellar materials together with a variable amount of thermally annealed interstellar grains. Recent studies of cometary solids in the laboratory have shown that comets instead consist of a wide range of materials from across the protoplanetary disk, in addition to a minor complement of interstellar materials. These advances were made possible by the return of direct samples of comet 81P/Wild 2 coma dust by the NASA Stardust mission and recent advances in microscale analytical techniques. Isotopic studies of 'cometary' chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles (CP-IDPs) and comet 81P/Wild 2 Stardust samples show that preserved interstellar materials are more abundant in comets than in any class of meteorite. Identified interstellar materials include sub-micron-sized presolar silicates, oxides, and SiC dust grains and some fraction of the organic material that binds the samples together. Presolar grain abundances reach 1 weight percentage in the most stardust-rich CP-IDPs, 50 times greater than in meteorites. Yet, order of magnitude variations in presolar grain abundances among CP-IDPs suggest cometary solids experienced significant variations in the degree of processing in the solar nebula. Comets contain a surprisingly high abundance of nebular solids formed or altered at high temperatures. Comet 81P/Wild 2 samples include 10-40 micron-sized, refractory Ca- Al-rich inclusion (CAI)-, chondrule-, and ameboid olivine aggregate (AOA)-like materials. The O isotopic compositions of these refractory materials are remarkably similar to their meteoritic counterparts, ranging from 5 percent enrichments in (sup 16) O to near-terrestrial values. Comet 81P/Wild 2 and CP-IDPs also contain abundant Mg-Fe crystalline and amorphous silicates whose O isotopic compositions are also consistent with Solar System origins. Unlike meteorites, that are dominated by locally-produced materials, comets appear to be composed of

  12. Urban warming trumps natural enemy regulation of herbivorous pests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dale, Adam G; Frank, Steven D

    Trees provide ecosystem services that counter negative effects of urban habitats on human and environmental health. Unfortunately, herbivorous arthropod pests are often more abundant on urban than rural trees, reducing tree growth, survival, and ecosystem services. Previous research where vegetation complexity was reduced has attributed elevated urban pest abundance to decreased regulation by natural enemies. However, reducing vegetation complexity, particularly the density of overstory trees, also makes cities hotter than natural habitats. We ask how urban habitat characteristics influence an abiotic factor, temperature, and a biotic factor, natural enemy abundance, in regulating the abundance of an urban forest pest, the gloomy scale, (Melanaspis tenebricosa). We used a map of surface temperature to select red maple trees (Acer rubrum) at warmer and cooler sites in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. We quantified habitat complexity by measuring impervious surface cover, local vegetation structural complexity, and landscape scale vegetation cover around each tree. Using path analysis, we determined that impervious surface (the most important habitat variable) increased scale insect abundance by increasing tree canopy temperature, rather than by reducing natural enemy abundance or percent parasitism. As a mechanism for this response, we found that increasing temperature significantly increases scale insect fecundity and contributes to greater population increase. Specifically, adult female M. tenebricosa egg sets increased by approximately 14 eggs for every 1°C increase in temperature. Climate change models predict that the global climate will increase by 2–3°C in the next 50–100 years, which we found would increase scale insect abundance by three orders of magnitude. This result supports predictions that urban and natural forests will face greater herbivory in the future, and suggests that a primary cause could be direct, positive effects of warming on herbivore

  13. Afforestation impacts microbial biomass and its natural {sup 13}C and {sup 15}N abundance in soil aggregates in central China

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Junjun; Zhang, Qian; Yang, Fan; Lei, Yao; Zhang, Quanfa; Cheng, Xiaoli, E-mail: xlcheng@fudan.edu.cn

    2016-10-15

    We investigated soil microbial biomass and its natural abundance of δ{sup 13}C and δ{sup 15}N in aggregates (> 2000 μm, 250–2000 μm, 53–250 μm and < 53 μm) of afforested (implementing woodland and shrubland plantations) soils, adjacent croplands and open area (i.e., control) in the Danjiangkou Reservoir area of central China. The afforested soils averaged higher microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) levels in all aggregates than in open area and cropland, with higher microbial biomass in micro-aggregates (< 250 μm) than in macro-aggregates (> 2000 μm). The δ{sup 13}C of soil microbial biomass was more enriched in woodland soils than in other land use types, while δ{sup 15}N of soil microbial biomass was more enriched compared with that of organic soil in all land use types. The δ{sup 13}C and δ{sup 15}N of microbial biomass were positively correlated with the δ{sup 13}C and δ{sup 15}N of organic soil across aggregates and land use types, whereas the {sup 13}C and {sup 15}N enrichment of microbial biomass exhibited linear decreases with the corresponding C:N ratio of organic soil. Our results suggest that shifts in the natural {sup 13}C and {sup 15}N abundance of microbial biomass reflect changes in the stabilization and turnover of soil organic matter (SOM) and thereby imply that afforestation can greatly impact SOM accumulation over the long-term. - Highlights: • Afforested soils averaged higher microbial biomass in all aggregates than cropland. • Microbial biomass was higher in micro-aggregates than in macro-aggregates. • δ{sup 13}C and δ{sup 15}N of microbe positively correlated with δ{sup 13}C and δ{sup 15}N of organic soil. • {sup 13}C and {sup 15}N enrichment of microbe was negatively related to with soil C:N ratio.

  14. The bliss (not the problem) of motor abundance (not redundancy).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latash, Mark L

    2012-03-01

    Motor control is an area of natural science exploring how the nervous system interacts with other body parts and the environment to produce purposeful, coordinated actions. A central problem of motor control-the problem of motor redundancy-was formulated by Nikolai Bernstein as the problem of elimination of redundant degrees-of-freedom. Traditionally, this problem has been addressed using optimization methods based on a variety of cost functions. This review draws attention to a body of recent findings suggesting that the problem has been formulated incorrectly. An alternative view has been suggested as the principle of abundance, which considers the apparently redundant degrees-of-freedom as useful and even vital for many aspects of motor behavior. Over the past 10 years, dozens of publications have provided support for this view based on the ideas of synergic control, computational apparatus of the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis, and the equilibrium-point (referent configuration) hypothesis. In particular, large amounts of "good variance"-variance in the space of elements that has no effect on the overall performance-have been documented across a variety of natural actions. "Good variance" helps an abundant system to deal with secondary tasks and unexpected perturbations; its amount shows adaptive modulation across a variety of conditions. These data support the view that there is no problem of motor redundancy; there is bliss of motor abundance.

  15. Validation of abundance estimates from mark–recapture and removal techniques for rainbow trout captured by electrofishing in small streams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenberger, Amanda E.; Dunham, Jason B.

    2005-01-01

    Estimation of fish abundance in streams using the removal model or the Lincoln - Peterson mark - recapture model is a common practice in fisheries. These models produce misleading results if their assumptions are violated. We evaluated the assumptions of these two models via electrofishing of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in central Idaho streams. For one-, two-, three-, and four-pass sampling effort in closed sites, we evaluated the influences of fish size and habitat characteristics on sampling efficiency and the accuracy of removal abundance estimates. We also examined the use of models to generate unbiased estimates of fish abundance through adjustment of total catch or biased removal estimates. Our results suggested that the assumptions of the mark - recapture model were satisfied and that abundance estimates based on this approach were unbiased. In contrast, the removal model assumptions were not met. Decreasing sampling efficiencies over removal passes resulted in underestimated population sizes and overestimates of sampling efficiency. This bias decreased, but was not eliminated, with increased sampling effort. Biased removal estimates based on different levels of effort were highly correlated with each other but were less correlated with unbiased mark - recapture estimates. Stream size decreased sampling efficiency, and stream size and instream wood increased the negative bias of removal estimates. We found that reliable estimates of population abundance could be obtained from models of sampling efficiency for different levels of effort. Validation of abundance estimates requires extra attention to routine sampling considerations but can help fisheries biologists avoid pitfalls associated with biased data and facilitate standardized comparisons among studies that employ different sampling methods.

  16. Simple technique to achieve a natural position of the head for cone beam computed tomography

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Damstra, Janalt; Fourie, Zacharias; Ren, Yijin

    We developed a modified laser level technique to record the natural position of the head in all three planes of space. This is a simple method for use with three-dimensional images and may be valuable in routine craniofacial assessment.

  17. Long-term trends in midwestern milkweed abundances and their relevance to monarch butterfly declines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaya, David N.; Pearse, Ian; Spyreas, Gregory

    2017-01-01

    Declines in monarch butterfly populations have prompted investigation into the sensitivity of their milkweed host plants to land-use change. Documented declines in milkweed abundance in croplands have spurred efforts to promote milkweeds in other habitats. Nevertheless, our current understanding of milkweed populations is poor. We used a long-term plant survey from Illinois to evaluate whether trends in milkweed abundance have caused monarch decline and to highlight the habitat-management practices that promote milkweeds. Milkweed abundance in natural areas has not declined precipitously, although when croplands are considered, changes in agricultural weed management have led to a 68% loss of milkweed available for monarchs across the region. Midsuccessional plant communities with few invasive species provide optimal milkweed habitat. The augmentation of natural areas and the management of existing grasslands, such as less frequent mowing and woody- and exotic-species control, may replace some of the milkweed that has been lost from croplands.

  18. Evaluation of the natural radioactivity using thermoluminescence, gamma spectrometry and neutron activation techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fausto, A.M.; Otsubo, S.M.; Paes, W.S.; Yoshimura, E.M.; Okuno, E.; Hiodo, F.; Marques, L.S.; Alcala, A.L.

    1996-01-01

    The evaluation of the radiation dose in the living species due to the natural radioactivity is the main objective of this paper. The region that had been monitored was Intrusive Suite of Itu near to Sao Paulo city. Lateral[and depth distributions of natural radioactivity of the soil were determined using the techniques of thermoluminescence gamma spectrometry and neutron[activation. From the concentration in the soil of K-40 and radioactive elements of U and Th series experimentally determined, the dose due to gamma rays in air at 1 m from the soil was evaluated and the results compared with the direct dose measured with the portable rate-meter. (authors). 11 refs., 3 figs

  19. Laser spectrometry applied to the simultaneous determination of the δ2H, δ17O, and δ18O isotope abundances in water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kerstel, E.R.T.; Trigt, R. van; Dam, N.; Reuss, J.; Meijer, H.A.J.

    2001-01-01

    We demonstrate the first successful application of infrared laser spectrometry to the accurate, simultaneous determination of the relative 2 H/ 1 H, 17 O/ 16 O, and 18 O/ 16 O isotope abundance ratios in natural water. The method uses a narrow line width color center laser to record the direct absorption spectrum of low-pressure gas-phase water samples (presently 10 μl liquid) in the 3μm spectral region. The precision of the spectroscopic technique is shown to be 0.7 per mille for δ 2 H and 0.5 per mille for δ 17 O and δ 18 O, while the calibrated accuracy for natural waters amounts to about 3 per mille and 1 per mille, respectively. (author)

  20. Natural enemies drive geographic variation in plant defenses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zuest, Tobias; Heichinger, Christian; Grossniklaus, Ueli

    2012-01-01

    Plants defend themselves against attack by natural enemies, and these defenses vary widely across populations. However, whether communities of natural enemies are a sufficiently potent force to maintain polymorphisms in defensive traits is largely unknown. Here, we exploit the genetic resources...... of Arabidopsis thaliana, coupled with 39 years of field data on aphid abundance, to (i) demonstrate that geographic patterns in a polymorphic defense locus (GS-ELONG) are strongly correlated with changes in the relative abundance of two specialist aphids; and (ii) demonstrate differential selection by the two...... aphids on GS-ELONG, using a multigeneration selection experiment. We thereby show a causal link between variation in abundance of the two specialist aphids and the geographic pattern at GS-ELONG, which highlights the potency of natural enemies as selective forces....

  1. Evaluating the ability of regional models to predict local avian abundance

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeBrun, Jaymi J.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Miller, James R.

    2012-01-01

    Spatial modeling over broad scales can potentially direct conservation efforts to areas with high species-specific abundances. We examined the performance of regional models for predicting bird abundance at spatial scales typically addressed in conservation planning. Specifically, we used point count data on wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) and blue-winged warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) from 2 time periods (1995-1998 and 2006-2007) to evaluate the ability of regional models derived via Bayesian hierarchical techniques to predict bird abundance. We developed models for each species within Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 23 in the upper midwestern United States at 800-ha, 8,000-ha, and approximately 80,000-ha scales. We obtained count data from the Breeding Bird Survey and land cover data from the National Land Cover Dataset (1992). We evaluated predictions from the best models, as defined by an information-theoretic criterion, using point count data collected within an ecological subregion of BCR 23 at 131 count stations in the 1990s and again in 2006-2007. Competing (Deviance Information Criteria rs = 0.57; P = 0.14), the survey period that most closely aligned with the time period of data used for regional model construction. Wood thrush models exhibited positive correlations with point count data for all survey areas and years combined (rs = 0.58, P ≤ 0.001). In comparison, blue-winged warbler models performed worse as time increased between the point count surveys and vintage of the model building data (rs = 0.03, P = 0.92 for Iowa and rs = 0.13, P = 0.51 for all areas, 2006-2007), likely related to the ephemeral nature of their preferred early successional habitat. Species abundance and sensitivity to changing habitat conditions seems to be an important factor in determining the predictive ability of regional models. Hierarchical models can be a useful tool for concentrating efforts at the scale of management units and should be one of many tools used by

  2. Utilization of natural variations in the abundance of nitrogen-15 as a tracer in hydrogeology - Initial results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Letolle, R.; Mariotti, A.

    1974-01-01

    Nitrogen compounds dissolved in natural waters exhibit considerable variations in nitrogen-15 content (more than 10 per mille). The authors describe briefly the analytical techniques used in measuring δ 15 N, the main features of the isotopic cycle of nitrogen and the results obtained so far. A simplified model of the nitrogen cycle and its isotopic implications is presented; with this model one can deduce from a number of observed variations the physical or biological mechanism (or mechanisms) involved. Isotopic studies of nitrogen may be a useful additional tool for detecting and interpreting certain forms of pollution. (author) [fr

  3. Fossil Signatures Using Elemental Abundance Distributions and Bayesian Probabilistic Classification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoover, Richard B.; Storrie-Lombardi, Michael C.

    2004-01-01

    Elemental abundances (C6, N7, O8, Na11, Mg12, Al3, P15, S16, Cl17, K19, Ca20, Ti22, Mn25, Fe26, and Ni28) were obtained for a set of terrestrial fossils and the rock matrix surrounding them. Principal Component Analysis extracted five factors accounting for the 92.5% of the data variance, i.e. information content, of the elemental abundance data. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis provided unsupervised sample classification distinguishing fossil from matrix samples on the basis of either raw abundances or PCA input that agreed strongly with visual classification. A stochastic, non-linear Artificial Neural Network produced a Bayesian probability of correct sample classification. The results provide a quantitative probabilistic methodology for discriminating terrestrial fossils from the surrounding rock matrix using chemical information. To demonstrate the applicability of these techniques to the assessment of meteoritic samples or in situ extraterrestrial exploration, we present preliminary data on samples of the Orgueil meteorite. In both systems an elemental signature produces target classification decisions remarkably consistent with morphological classification by a human expert using only structural (visual) information. We discuss the possibility of implementing a complexity analysis metric capable of automating certain image analysis and pattern recognition abilities of the human eye using low magnification optical microscopy images and discuss the extension of this technique across multiple scales.

  4. A comparison of techniques for assessing farmland bumblebee populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, T J; Holland, J M; Goulson, D

    2015-04-01

    Agri-environment schemes have been implemented across the European Union in order to reverse declines in farmland biodiversity. To assess the impact of these schemes for bumblebees, accurate measures of their populations are required. Here, we compared bumblebee population estimates on 16 farms using three commonly used techniques: standardised line transects, coloured pan traps and molecular estimates of nest abundance. There was no significant correlation between the estimates obtained by the three techniques, suggesting that each technique captured a different aspect of local bumblebee population size and distribution in the landscape. Bumblebee abundance as observed on the transects was positively influenced by the number of flowers present on the transect. The number of bumblebees caught in pan traps was positively influenced by the density of flowers surrounding the trapping location and negatively influenced by wider landscape heterogeneity. Molecular estimates of the number of nests of Bombus terrestris and B. hortorum were positively associated with the proportion of the landscape covered in oilseed rape and field beans. Both direct survey techniques are strongly affected by floral abundance immediately around the survey site, potentially leading to misleading results if attempting to infer overall abundance in an area or on a farm. In contrast, whilst the molecular method suffers from an inability to detect sister pairs at low sample sizes, it appears to be unaffected by the abundance of forage and thus is the preferred survey technique.

  5. Natural abundance N stable isotopes in plants and soils as an indicator of N deposition hotspots in urban environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trammell, T. L.

    2017-12-01

    The natural abundance of stable isotopes in plants and soils has been utilized to understand ecological phenomenon. Foliar δ15N is an integrator of soil δ15N, atmospheric N sources, and fractionation processes that occur during plant N uptake, plant N assimilation, and mycorrhizal associations. The amount of reactive N in the environment has greatly increased due to human activities, and urban ecosystems experience excess N deposition that can have cascading effects on plants and soils. Foliar δ15N has been shown to increase with increasing N deposition and nitrification rates suggesting increased foliar δ15N occurs with greater N inputs as a result of accelerated soil N cycling. Thus, foliar δ15N can be an indication of soil N availability for plant uptake and soil N cycling rates, since high N availability results in increased soil N cycling and subsequent loss of 14N. Limited research has utilized foliar and soil δ15N in urban forests to assess the importance of plant uptake of atmospheric N deposition and to gain insight about ecosystem processes. Previous investigations found foliar δ15N of mature trees in urban forests is not only related to elevated pollutant-derived N deposition, but also to soil N availability and soil N cycling rates. Similarly, enriched foliar δ15N of urban saplings was attributed to soil characteristics that indicated higher nitrification, thus, greater nitrate leaching and low N retention in the urban soils. These studies demonstrate the need for measuring the δ15N of various plant and soil N sources while simultaneously measuring soil N processes (e.g., net nitrification rates) in order to use natural abundance δ15N of plants and soils to assess N sources and cycling in urban forests. A conceptual framework that illustrates biogenic and anthropogenic controls on nitrogen isotope composition in urban plants and soils will be presented along with foliar and soil δ15N from urban forests across several cities as a proof of

  6. Earthworm eco-physiological characteristics and quantification of earthworm feeding in vermifiltration system for sewage sludge stabilization using stable isotopic natural abundance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Xiaowei; Xing, Meiyan, E-mail: lixiaowei419@163.com; Yang, Jian; Dai, Xiaohu

    2014-07-15

    Highlights: • Earthworm growth biomass and activity decreased with the VF depth. • Earthworm gut microbial communities were dominated by Gammaproteobacteria. • δ{sup 15}N and δ{sup 13}C in earthworms decreased with time, and increased with the VF depth. • Effect of earthworm feeding in enhanced VSS reduction was analyzed quantitatively. • Earthworm feeding had low contribution to the enhanced VSS reduction. - Abstract: Previous studies showed that the presence of earthworm improves treatment performance of vermifilter (VF) for sewage sludge stabilization, but earthworm eco-physiological characteristics and effects in VF were not fully investigated. In this study, earthworm population, enzymatic activity, gut microbial community and stable isotopic abundance were investigated in the VF. Results showed that biomass, average weight, number and alkaline phosphatase activity of the earthworms tended to decrease, while protein content and activities of peroxidase and catalase had an increasing tendency as the VF depth. Earthworm gut microbial communities were dominated by Gammaproteobacteria, and the percentages arrived to 76–92% of the microbial species detected. {sup 15}N and {sup 13}C natural abundance of the earthworms decreased with operation time, and increased as the VF depth. Quantitative analysis using δ{sup 15}N showed that earthworm feeding and earthworm–microorganism interaction were responsible for approximately 21% and 79%, respectively, of the enhanced volatile suspended solid reduction due to the presence of earthworm. The finding provides a quantitative insight into how earthworms influence on sewage sludge stabilization in vermifiltration system.

  7. Book review: A new view on the species abundance distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeAngelis, Donald L.

    2018-01-01

    The sampled relative abundances of species of a taxonomic group, whether birds, trees, or moths, in a natural community at a particular place vary in a way that suggests a consistent underlying pattern, referred to as the species abundance distribution (SAD). Preston [1] conjectured that the numbers of species, plotted as a histogram of logarithmic abundance classes called octaves, seemed to fit a lognormal distribution; that is, the histograms look like normal distributions, although truncated on the left-hand, or low-species-abundance, end. Although other specific curves for the SAD have been proposed in the literature, Preston’s lognormal distribution is widely cited in textbooks and has stimulated attempts at explanation. An important aspect of Preston’s lognormal distribution is the ‘veil line’, a vertical line drawn exactly at the point of the left-hand truncation in the distribution, to the left of which would be species missing from the sample. Dewdney rejects the lognormal conjecture. Instead, starting with the long-recognized fact that the number of species sampled from a community, when plotted as histograms against population abundance, resembles an inverted J, he presents a mathematical description of an alternative that he calls the ‘J distribution’, a hyperbolic density function truncated at both ends. When multiplied by species richness, R, it becomes the SAD of the sample.

  8. Spatial variation of N-2-fixation in field pea (Pisum sativum L.) at the field scale determined by the N-15 natural abundance method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hauggaard-Nielsen, Henrik; Holdensen, Lars; Wulfsohn, D.

    2010-01-01

    variability could be explained by the variability in selected abiotic soil properties. All measured soil variables showed substantial variability across the field and the pea dry matter production ranged between 4.9 and 13.8 Mg ha−1 at maturity. The percent of total N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa...... dry matter production and N2-fixation. A number of other models were tested, but the best was only able to explain less than 40% of the variance in %Ndfa using seven soil properties. Together with the use of interpolated soil data, high spatial variation of soil 15N natural abundance, a mean increase...

  9. Abundance of large old trees in wood-pastures of Transylvania (Romania).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartel, Tibor; Hanspach, Jan; Moga, Cosmin I; Holban, Lucian; Szapanyos, Árpád; Tamás, Réka; Hováth, Csaba; Réti, Kinga-Olga

    2018-02-01

    Wood-pastures are special types of agroforestry systems that integrate trees with livestock grazing. Wood pastures can be hotspots for large old tree abundance and have exceptional natural values; but they are declining all over Europe. While presence of large old trees in wood-pastures can provide arguments for their maintenance, actual data on their distribution and abundance are sparse. Our study is the first to survey large old trees in Eastern Europe over such a large area. We surveyed 97 wood-pastures in Transylvania (Romania) in order to (i) provide a descriptive overview of the large old tree abundance; and (ii) to explore the environmental determinants of the abundance and persistence of large old trees in wood-pastures. We identified 2520 large old trees belonging to 16 taxonomic groups. Oak was present in 66% of the wood-pastures, followed by beech (33%), hornbeam (24%) and pear (22%). For each of these four species we constructed a generalized linear model with quasi-Poisson error distribution to explain individual tree abundance. Oak trees were most abundant in large wood-pastures and in wood-pastures from the Saxon cultural region of Transylvania. Beech abundance related positively to elevation and to proximity of human settlements. Abundance of hornbeam was highest in large wood-pastures, in wood-pastures from the Saxon cultural region, and in places with high cover of adjacent forest and a low human population density. Large old pear trees were most abundant in large wood-pastures that were close to paved roads. The maintenance of large old trees in production landscapes is a challenge for science, policy and local people, but it also can serve as an impetus for integrating economic, ecological and social goals within a landscape. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Technique for the comparison of light spectra from natural and laboratory generated lightning current arcs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitchard, D.; Clark, D.; Carr, D.; Haddad, A.

    2016-01-01

    A technique was developed for the comparison of observed emission spectra from lightning current arcs generated through self-breakdown in air and the use of two types of initiation wire, aluminum bronze and nichrome, against previously published spectra of natural lightning events. A spectrograph system was used in which the wavelength of light emitted by the lightning arc was analyzed to derive elemental interactions. A lightning impulse of up to 100 kA was applied to a two hemispherical tungsten electrode configuration which allowed the effect of the lightning current and lightning arc length to be investigated. A natural lightning reference spectrum was reconstructed from literature, and generated lightning spectra were obtained from self-breakdown across a 14.0 mm air gap and triggered along initiation wires of length up to 72.4 mm. A comparison of the spectra showed that the generated lightning arc induced via self-breakdown produced a very similar spectrum to that of natural lightning, with the addition of only a few lines from the tungsten electrodes. A comparison of the results from the aluminum bronze initiation wire showed several more lines, whereas results from the nichrome initiation wire differed greatly across large parts of the spectrum. This work highlights the potential use for spectrographic techniques in the study of lightning interactions with surrounding media and materials, and in natural phenomena such as recently observed ball lightning.

  11. Nature's starships. I. Observed abundances and relative frequencies of amino acids in meteorites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cobb, Alyssa K.; Pudritz, Ralph E.

    2014-01-01

    The class of meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites are examples of material from the solar system which have been relatively unchanged from the time of their initial formation. These meteorites have been classified according to the temperatures and physical conditions of their parent planetesimals. We collate available data on amino acid abundance in these meteorites and plot the concentrations of different amino acids for each meteorite within various meteorite subclasses. We plot average concentrations for various amino acids across meteorites separated by subclass and petrologic type. We see a predominance in the abundance and variety of amino acids in CM2 and CR2 meteorites. The range in temperature corresponding to these subclasses indicates high degrees of aqueous alteration, suggesting aqueous synthesis of amino acids. Within the CM2 and CR2 subclasses, we identify trends in relative frequencies of amino acids to investigate how common amino acids are as a function of their chemical complexity. These two trends (total abundance and relative frequencies) can be used to constrain formation parameters of amino acids within planetesimals. Our organization of the data supports an onion shell model for the temperature structure of planetesimals. The least altered meteorites (type 3) and their amino acids originated near cooler surface regions. The most active amino acid synthesis likely took place at intermediate depths (type 2). The most altered materials (type 1) originated furthest toward parent body cores. This region is likely too hot to either favor amino acid synthesis or for amino acids to be retained after synthesis.

  12. Can occupancy-abundance models be used to monitor wolf abundance?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Cecilia Latham

    Full Text Available Estimating the abundance of wild carnivores is of foremost importance for conservation and management. However, given their elusive habits, direct observations of these animals are difficult to obtain, so abundance is more commonly estimated from sign surveys or radio-marked individuals. These methods can be costly and difficult, particularly in large areas with heavy forest cover. As an alternative, recent research has suggested that wolf abundance can be estimated from occupancy-abundance curves derived from "virtual" surveys of simulated wolf track networks. Although potentially more cost-effective, the utility of this approach hinges on its robustness to violations of its assumptions. We assessed the sensitivity of the occupancy-abundance approach to four assumptions: variation in wolf movement rates, changes in pack cohesion, presence of lone wolves, and size of survey units. Our simulations showed that occupancy rates and wolf pack abundances were biased high if track surveys were conducted when wolves made long compared to short movements, wolf packs were moving as multiple hunting units as opposed to a cohesive pack, and lone wolves were moving throughout the surveyed landscape. We also found that larger survey units (400 and 576 km2 were more robust to changes in these factors than smaller survey units (36 and 144 km2. However, occupancy rates derived from large survey units rapidly reached an asymptote at 100% occupancy, suggesting that these large units are inappropriate for areas with moderate to high wolf densities (>15 wolves/1,000 km2. Virtually-derived occupancy-abundance relationships can be a useful method for monitoring wolves and other elusive wildlife if applied within certain constraints, in particular biological knowledge of the surveyed species needs to be incorporated into the design of the occupancy surveys. Further, we suggest that the applicability of this method could be extended by directly incorporating some of its

  13. Trace elemental analysis of Indian natural moonstone gems by PIXE and XRD techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venkateswara Rao, R; Venkateswarulu, P; Kasipathi, C; Sivajyothi, S

    2013-12-01

    A selected number of Indian Eastern Ghats natural moonstone gems were studied with a powerful nuclear analytical and non-destructive Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique. Thirteen elements, including V, Co, Ni, Zn, Ga, Ba and Pb, were identified in these moonstones and may be useful in interpreting the various geochemical conditions and the probable cause of their inceptions in the moonstone gemstone matrix. Furthermore, preliminary XRD studies of different moonstone patterns were performed. The PIXE technique is a powerful method for quickly determining the elemental concentration of a substance. A 3MeV proton beam was employed to excite the samples. The chemical constituents of moonstones from parts of the Eastern Ghats geological formations of Andhra Pradesh, India were determined, and gemological studies were performed on those gems. The crystal structure and the lattice parameters of the moonstones were estimated using X-Ray Diffraction studies, trace and minor elements were determined using the PIXE technique, and major compositional elements were confirmed by XRD. In the present work, the usefulness and versatility of the PIXE technique for research in geo-scientific methodology is established. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Importance of Arboreal Cyanolichen Abundance to Nitrogen Cycling in Sub-Boreal Spruce and Fir Forests of Central British Columbia, Canada

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ania Kobylinski

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The importance of N2-fixing arboreal cyanolichens to the nitrogen (N-balance of sub-boreal interior hybrid spruce (Picea glauca × engelmannii and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa forests was examined at field sites in central BC, Canada. Host trees were accessed by a single-rope climbing technique and foliage as well as arboreal macrolichen functional groups were sampled by branch height in eight random sample trees from each of two high (High Cyano and two low (Low Cyano cyanolichen abundance sites for a total of 32 sample trees. Natural abundances of stable isotopes of N (15N, 14N and carbon (13C, 12C were determined for aggregate host tree and epiphytic lichen samples, as well as representative samples of upper organic and soil horizons (Ae and Bf from beneath host trees. As expected, N2-fixing cyanolichens had 2–6-fold greater N-contents than chlorolichens and a δ15N close to atmospheric N2, while foliage and chlorolichens were more depleted in 15N. By contrast, soils at all trees and sites were 15N-enriched (positive δ15N, with declining (not significant δ15N with increased tree-level cyanolichen abundance. Lichen functional groups and tree foliage fell into three distinct groups with respect to δ13C; the tripartite cyanolichen Lobaria pulmonaria (lightest, host-tree needles (intermediate, and bipartite cyanolichens, hair (Alectoria and Bryoria spp. and chlorolichens (heaviest. Branch height of host trees was an effective predictor of needle δ13C. Our results showed a modest positive correlation between host tree foliage N and cyanolichen abundance, supporting our initial hypothesis that higher cyanolichen abundances would elevate host tree foliar N. Further study is required to determine if high cyanolichen abundance enhances host tree and/or stand-level productivity in sub-boreal forests of central BC, Canada.

  15. Natural gamma ray spectrum analysis technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chevalier, P.; Seeman, B.

    1976-01-01

    In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a method and apparatus is disclosed for determining the presence of a selected number of naturally radioactive materials in an earth formation from the spectrum of natural gamma radiation emitted by the materials in the formation by deriving representations of portions of the detected gamma radiation spectrum and combining the representations to determine therefrom the presence of the selected materials

  16. Abundance of non-native crabs in intertidal habitats of New England with natural and artificial structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christina M. Lovely

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Marine habitats containing complex physical structure (e.g., crevices can provide shelter from predation for benthic invertebrates. To examine effects of natural and artificial structure on the abundance of intertidal juvenile crabs, 2 experiments were conducted in Kingston Bay, Massachusetts, USA, from July to September, 2012. In the first experiment, structure was manipulated in a two-factor design that was placed in the high intertidal for 3 one-week periods to test for both substrate type (sand vs. rock and the presence or absence of artificial structure (mesh grow-out bags used in aquaculture, ∼0.5 m2 with 62 mm2 mesh openings. The Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, and small individuals of the green crab, Carcinus maenas, were observed only in the treatments of rocks and mesh bag plus rocks. Most green crabs were small (<6 mm in carapace width whereas H. sanguineus occurred in a wide range of sizes. In the second experiment, 3 levels of oyster-shell treatments were established using grow-out bags placed on a muddy sand substrate in the low intertidal zone: mesh grow-out bags without shells, grow-out bags with oyster shells, and grow-out bags containing live oysters. Replicate bags were deployed weekly for 7 weeks in a randomized complete block design. All crabs collected in the bags were juvenile C. maenas (1–15 mm carapace width, and numbers of crabs differed 6-fold among treatments, with most crabs present in bags with live oysters (29.5 ± 10.6 m−2 [mean ± S.D.] and fewest in bags without shells (4.9 ± 3.7 m−2. Both C. maenas and H. sanguineus occurred in habitats with natural structure (cobble rocks. The attraction of juvenile C. maenas to artificial structure consisting of plastic mesh bags containing both oyster shells and living oysters could potentially impact oyster aquaculture operations.

  17. Modeling techniques for predicting long-term consequences of the effects of radiation on natural aquatic populations and ecosystems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Winkle, W.

    1977-01-01

    Appropriate modeling techniques already exist for investigating some long-term consequences of the effects of radiation on natural aquatic populations and ecosystems, even if to date these techniques have not been used for this purpose. At the low levels of irradiation estimated to occur in natural aquatic systems, effects are difficult to detect at even the individual level much less the population or ecosystem level where the subtle effects of radiation are likely to be completely overshadowed by the effects of other environmental factors and stresses and the natural variability of the system. The claim that population and ecosystem models can be accurate and reliable predictive tools in assessing any stress has been oversold. Nonetheless, the use of these tools can be useful for learning more about the effects of radioactive releases on aquatic populations and ecosystems

  18. Intrinsic bacterial biodegradation of petroleum contamination demonstrated in situ using natural abundance, molecular-level 14C analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slater, G.F.; Nelson, R.K.; Kile, B.M.; Reddy, C.M.

    2006-01-01

    Natural abundance, molecular-level C 14 analysis was combined with comprehensive gas chromatography (GC x GC) to investigate, in situ, the role of intrinsic biodegradation in the loss of petroleum hydrocarbons from the rocky, inter-tidal zone impacted by the Bouchard 120 oil spill. GC x GC analysis indicated accelerated losses of n-alkane components of the residual petroleum hydrocarbons between day 40 and day 50 after the spill. 14 C analysis of bacterial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) from the impacted zone on day 44 showed that the polyunsaturated fatty acids attributed to the photoautotrophic component of the microbial community had the same ( 14 C as the local dissolved inorganic carbon (DIG), indicating that this DIG was their carbon source. In contrast there was significant (C depletion in the saturated and mono-unsaturated PLFA indicating incorporation of petroleum carbon. This correlation between the observed accelerated n-alkane losses and microbial incorporation of (C-depleted carbon directly demonstrated, in situ, that intrinsic biodegradation was affecting the petroleum. Since the majority of organic contaminants originate from petroleum feed-stocks, in situ molecular-level 14 C analysis of microbial PLFA can provide insights into the occurrence and pathways of biodegradation of a wide range of organic contaminants. (Author)

  19. Natural abundance 15N NMR assignments delineate structural differences between intact and reactive-site hydrolyzed Cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitor III.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishnamoorthi, R; Nemmers, S; Tobias, B

    1992-06-15

    15N NMR assignments were made to the backbone amide nitrogen atoms at natural isotopic abundance of intact and reactive-site (Arg5-Ile6) hydrolyzed Cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitor III (CMTI-III and CMTI-III*, respectively) by means of 2D proton-detected heteronuclear single bond chemical shift correlation (HSBC) spectroscopy, utilizing the previously made sequence-specific 1H NMR assignments (Krishnamoorthi et al. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 898-904). Comparison of the 15N chemical shifts of the two forms of the inhibitor molecule revealed significant changes not only for residues located near the reactive-site region, but also for those distantly located. Residues Cys3, Arg5, Leu7, Met8, Cys10, Cys16, Glu19, His25, Tyr27, Cys28 and Gly29 showed significant chemical shift changes ranging from 0.3 to 6.1 ppm, thus indicating structural perturbations that were transmitted throughout the molecule. These findings confirm the earlier conclusions based on 1H NMR investigations.

  20. Categorizing natural disaster damage assessment using satellite-based geospatial techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myint, S.W.; Yuan, M.; Cerveny, R.S.; Giri, C.

    2008-01-01

    Remote sensing of a natural disaster's damage offers an exciting backup and/or alternative to traditional means of on-site damage assessment. Although necessary for complete assessment of damage areas, ground-based damage surveys conducted in the aftermath of natural hazard passage can sometimes be potentially complicated due to on-site difficulties (e.g., interaction with various authorities and emergency services) and hazards (e.g., downed power lines, gas lines, etc.), the need for rapid mobilization (particularly for remote locations), and the increasing cost of rapid physical transportation of manpower and equipment. Satellite image analysis, because of its global ubiquity, its ability for repeated independent analysis, and, as we demonstrate here, its ability to verify on-site damage assessment provides an interesting new perspective and investigative aide to researchers. Using one of the strongest tornado events in US history, the 3 May 1999 Oklahoma City Tornado, as a case example, we digitized the tornado damage path and co-registered the damage path using pre- and post-Landsat Thematic Mapper image data to perform a damage assessment. We employed several geospatial approaches, specifically the Getis index, Geary's C, and two lacunarity approaches to categorize damage characteristics according to the original Fujita tornado damage scale (F-scale). Our results indicate strong relationships between spatial indices computed within a local window and tornado F-scale damage categories identified through the ground survey. Consequently, linear regression models, even incorporating just a single band, appear effective in identifying F-scale damage categories using satellite imagery. This study demonstrates that satellite-based geospatial techniques can effectively add spatial perspectives to natural disaster damages, and in particular for this case study, tornado damages.

  1. Anomalous behavior of tellurium abundances

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cohen, B L

    1984-01-01

    The cosmic abundance of Te is larger than for any element with atomic number greater than 40, but it is one of the least abundant elements in the earth's lithosphere and it is one of the five elements never reported in sea water. On the other hand, it is the fourth most abundant element in the human body (after Fe, Zn and Rb), and is unusually abundant in human food. It is shown that the high abundance in human food combined with the low abundance in soil requires that it be picked up by plant roots very much more efficiently than any other trace element.

  2. Ammonia oxidation kinetics and temperature sensitivity of a natural marine community dominated by Archaea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horak, Rachel E A; Qin, Wei; Schauer, Andy J; Armbrust, E Virginia; Ingalls, Anitra E; Moffett, James W; Stahl, David A; Devol, Allan H

    2013-01-01

    Archaeal ammonia oxidizers (AOAs) are increasingly recognized as prominent members of natural microbial assemblages. Evidence that links the presence of AOA with in situ ammonia oxidation activity is limited, and the abiotic factors that regulate the distribution of AOA natural assemblages are not well defined. We used quantitative PCR to enumerate amoA (encodes α-subunit of ammonia monooxygenase) abundances; AOA amoA gene copies greatly outnumbered ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and amoA transcripts were derived primarily from AOA throughout the water column of Hood Canal, Puget Sound, WA, USA. We generated a Michaelis–Menten kinetics curve for ammonia oxidation by the natural community and found that the measured Km of 98±14 nmol l−1 was close to that for cultivated AOA representative Nitrosopumilus maritimus SCM1. Temperature did not have a significant effect on ammonia oxidation rates for incubation temperatures ranging from 8 to 20 °C, which is within the temperature range for depths of measurable ammonia oxidation at the site. This study provides substantial evidence, through both amoA gene copies and transcript abundances and the kinetics response, that AOA are the dominant active ammonia oxidizers in this marine environment. We propose that future ammonia oxidation experiments use a Km for the natural community to better constrain ammonia oxidation rates determined with the commonly used 15NH4+ dilution technique. PMID:23657360

  3. Metal and proton adsorption capacities of natural and cloned Sphagnum mosses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez, Aridane G; Pokrovsky, Oleg S; Beike, Anna K; Reski, Ralf; Di Palma, Anna; Adamo, Paola; Giordano, Simonetta; Angel Fernandez, J

    2016-01-01

    Terrestrial mosses are commonly used as bioindicators of atmospheric pollution. However, there is a lack of standardization of the biomonitoring preparation technique and the efficiency of metal adsorption by various moss species is poorly known. This is especially true for in vitro-cultivated moss clones, which are promising candidates for a standardized moss-bag technique. We studied the adsorption of copper and zinc on naturally grown Sphagnum peat moss in comparison with in vitro-cultivated Sphagnum palustre samples in order to provide their physico-chemical characterization and to test the possibility of using cloned peat mosses as bioindicators within the protocol of moss-bag technique. We demonstrate that in vitro-grown clones of S. palustre exhibit acid-base properties similar to those of naturally grown Sphagnum samples, whereas the zinc adsorption capacity of the clones is approx. twice higher than that of the samples from the field. At the same time, the field samples adsorbed 30-50% higher amount of Cu(2+) compared to that of the clones. This contrast may be related to fine differences in the bulk chemical composition, specific surface area, morphological features, type and abundance of binding sites at the cell surfaces and in the aqueous solution of natural and cloned Sphagnum. The clones exhibited much lower concentration of most metal pollutants in their tissues relative to the natural samples thus making the former better indicators of low metal loading. Overall, in vitro-produced clones of S. palustre can be considered as an adequate, environmentally benign substitution for protected natural Sphagnum sp. samples to be used in moss-bags for atmospheric monitoring. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. ASM Inaugural Lecture 2010: Single crystal X-ray structural determination: A powerful technique for natural products research and drug discovery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fun Hoong Kun; Chantrapromma, S.; Boonnak, N.; Lee, V.S.

    2010-01-01

    Drug discovery from natural products resources have been extensively studied worldwide because natural products with their great structural diversity have traditionally provided most of the drugs in use. They offer major opportunities for finding novel low molecular weight leading-structures that are active against a wide range of assay targets. The most important step in the discovery process is the identification of compounds with interesting biological activity. Single crystal X-ray structure determination is a powerful technique for natural products research and drug discovery. The detailed three-dimensional structures that emerge can be co-related to the activities to these structures. In this article the following is presented: (i) co-crystal and disorder structures; (ii) determination of absolute configuration and (iii) the ability to distinguish between whether a natural product compound is a natural product or a natural product artifact. All these three properties are unique to the technique of single crystal X-ray structure determination. Case (iii) was demonstrated with a compound containing a chromene ring, namely macluraxanthone (which was isolated from Cratoxylum formosum subsp. pruniflorum, a Thai medicinal plant). (author)

  5. Characteristics of compressed natural gas jet and jet-wall impingement using the Schlieren imaging technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ismael, M A; Heikal, M R; Baharom, M B

    2013-01-01

    An experimental study was performed to investigate the compressed natural gas jet characteristics and jet-wall impingement using the Schlieren imaging technique and image processing. An injector driver was used to drive the natural gas injector and synchronized with camera triggering. A constant-volume optical chamber was designed to facilitate maximum optical access for the study of the jet macroscopic characteristics and jet-wall impingement at different injection pressures and injectors-wall distances. Measurement of the jet tip penetration and cone angle at different conditions are presented in this paper together with temporal presentation of the jet radial travel along the wall.

  6. 15N natural abundance in warm-core rings of the Gulf Stream: studies of the upper-ocean nitrogen cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Altabet, M.A.

    1984-01-01

    An extensive study of 15 N natural abundance in particulate organic nitrogen (PON) from warm-core rings of the Gulf Stream was carried out to test its use as an in situ tracer of the marine nitrogen cycle. Ring 82-B exhibited large temporal changes in the delta 15 N of PON. It was found that delta 15 N values for euphotic zone PON were low in April before stratification and higher in June after stratification had occurred. Below 400 meters, in the permanent thermocline, the change was opposite going from very high values to ones similar to those at the surface. Examination of vertical profiles for delta 15 N in the upper 200 meters demonstrated that in stratified waters a delta 15 N minimum for PON occurs with both the top of the nitracline and a maximum in PON concentration. Often a minimum in C/N ratio also occurs at the depth of the delta 15 N minimum. A mathematical model of nitrogen flux into and out of the euphotic zone and associated isotopic fractionation qualitatively reproduced the observed patterns for the delta 15 N of PON, PON concentration and NO 3 - concentration. Levels of PON increased as a result of either increasing NO 3 - flux into the euphotic zone or increasing the residence time of PON in the euphotic zone. These results lend general support to current views regarding the nature and significance of the vertical fluxes of nitrogen in the upper-ocean and the hypotheses presented concerning the factors which control the delta 15 N of PON

  7. Uranium abundance in some sudanese phosphate ores

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adam, A.A.; Eltayeb, M.A.H.

    2009-01-01

    This work was carried out mainly to analysis of some Sudanese phosphate ores, for their uranium abundance and total phosphorus content measured as P 2 O 5 %. For this purpose, 30 samples of two types of phosphate ore from Eastern Nuba Mountains, in Sudan namely, Kurun and Uro areas were examined. In addition, the relationship between uranium and major, and trace elements were obtained, also, the natural radioactivity of the phosphate samples was measured, in order to characterize and differentiate between the two types of phosphate ores. The uranium abundance in Uro phosphate with 20.3% P 2 O 5 is five time higher than in Kurun phosphate with 26.7% P 2 O 5 . The average of uranium content was found to be 56.6 and 310 mg/kg for Kurun and Uro phosphate ore, respectively. The main elements in Kurun and Uro phosphate ore are silicon, aluminum, and phosphorus, while the most abundant trace elements in these two ores are titanium, strontium and barium. Pearson correlation coefficient revealed that uranium in Kurun phosphate shows strong positive correlation with P 2 O 5 , and its distribution is essentially controlled by the variations of P2O5 concentration, whereas uranium in Uro phosphate shows strong positive correlation with strontium, and its distribution is controlled by the variations of Sr concentration. Uranium behaves in different ways in Kurun phosphate and in Uro phosphate. Uro phosphate shows higher concentrations of all the estimated radionuclides than Kurun phosphate. According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that Uro phosphate is consider as secondary uranium source, and is more suitable for uranium recovery, because it has high uranium abundance and low P 2 O 5 %, than Kurun phosphate. (authors) [es

  8. Compilation of solar abundance data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hauge, Oe.; Engvold, O.

    1977-01-01

    Interest in the previous compilations of solar abundance data by the same authors (ITA--31 and ITA--39) has led to this third, revised edition. Solar abundance data of 67 elements are tabulated and in addition upper limits for the abundances of 5 elements are listed. References are made to 167 papers. A recommended abundance value is given for each element. (JIW)

  9. Abundances in planetary nebulae near the galactic centre .1. Abundance determinations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ratag, MA; Pottasch, [No Value; Dennefeld, M; Menzies, J

    1997-01-01

    Abundance determinations of about 110 planetary nebulae, which are likely to be in the Galactic Bulge are presented. Plasma diagnostics have been performed by making use of the available forbidden line ratios combined with radio continuum measurements. Chemical abundances of He, O, N, Ne, S, Ar, and

  10. Oxygen abundances in halo stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bessell, Michael S.; Sutherland, Ralph S.; Ruan, Kui

    1991-12-01

    The present study determines the oxygen abundance for a sample of metal-poor G dwarfs by analysis of OH lines between 3080 and 3200 A and the permitted high-excitation far-red O I triple. The oxygen abundances determined from the low-excitation OH lines are up to 0.55 dex lower than those measured from the high-excitation O I lines. The abundances for the far-red O I triplet lines agree with those rederived from Abia and Rebolo (1989), and the abundances from the OH lines in dwarfs and giants are in agreement with the rederived O abundances of Barbuy (1988) and others from the forbidden resonance O I line. Because the chi = 0.1.7 eV OH lines are formed in the same layers as the majority of Fe, Ti, and other neutral metal lines used for abundance analyses, it is argued that the OH lines and the forbidden O I line yield the true oxygen abundances relative to the metals.

  11. Isotopic composition of the elements and their variation in nature: a preliminary report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holden, N.E.

    1977-03-01

    Data in the literature on isotopic abundance values and their variation in nature are reviewed. Recommended values are presented for the isotopic abundances of all stable elements, their natural variation, and the corresponding atomic weights of these elements. 2 tables, 133 references

  12. On the statistical mechanics of species abundance distributions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowler, Michael G; Kelly, Colleen K

    2012-09-01

    A central issue in ecology is that of the factors determining the relative abundance of species within a natural community. The proper application of the principles of statistical physics to species abundance distributions (SADs) shows that simple ecological properties could account for the near universal features observed. These properties are (i) a limit on the number of individuals in an ecological guild and (ii) per capita birth and death rates. They underpin the neutral theory of Hubbell (2001), the master equation approach of Volkov et al. (2003, 2005) and the idiosyncratic (extreme niche) theory of Pueyo et al. (2007); they result in an underlying log series SAD, regardless of neutral or niche dynamics. The success of statistical mechanics in this application implies that communities are in dynamic equilibrium and hence that niches must be flexible and that temporal fluctuations on all sorts of scales are likely to be important in community structure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. THE RAVE CATALOG OF STELLAR ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCES: FIRST DATA RELEASE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boeche, C.; Williams, M.; De Jong, R. S.; Steinmetz, M.; Siebert, A.; Bienaymé, O.; Fulbright, J. P.; Ruchti, G. R.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Campbell, R.; Freeman, K. C.; Gibson, B. K.; Gilmore, G.; Grebel, E. K.; Helmi, A.; Munari, U.; Navarro, J. F.; Parker, Q. A.; Reid, W.; Seabroke, G. M.

    2011-01-01

    We present chemical elemental abundances for 36,561 stars observed by the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE), an ambitious spectroscopic survey of our Galaxy at Galactic latitudes |b| > 25° and with magnitudes in the range 9 DENIS 2 minimization technique. We plan to extend this pipeline to include estimates for other elements, such as oxygen and sulfur, in future data releases.

  14. OXYGEN ABUNDANCES IN CEPHEIDS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luck, R. E.; Andrievsky, S. M.; Korotin, S. N.; Kovtyukh, V. V.

    2013-01-01

    Oxygen abundances in later-type stars, and intermediate-mass stars in particular, are usually determined from the [O I] line at 630.0 nm, and to a lesser extent, from the O I triplet at 615.7 nm. The near-IR triplets at 777.4 nm and 844.6 nm are strong in these stars and generally do not suffer from severe blending with other species. However, these latter two triplets suffer from strong non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) effects and thus see limited use in abundance analyses. In this paper, we derive oxygen abundances in a large sample of Cepheids using the near-IR triplets from an NLTE analysis, and compare those abundances to values derived from a local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) analysis of the [O I] 630.0 nm line and the O I 615.7 nm triplet as well as LTE abundances for the 777.4 nm triplet. All of these lines suffer from line strength problems making them sensitive to either measurement complications (weak lines) or to line saturation difficulties (strong lines). Upon this realization, the LTE results for the [O I] lines and the O I 615.7 nm triplet are in adequate agreement with the abundance from the NLTE analysis of the near-IR triplets.

  15. Stellar Oxygen Abundances

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Jeremy

    1994-04-01

    This dissertation addresses several issues concerning stellar oxygen abundances. The 7774 {\\AA} O I triplet equivalent widths of Abia & Rebolo [1989, AJ, 347, 186] for metal-poor dwarfs are found to be systematically too high. I also argue that current effective temperatures used in halo star abundance studies may be ~150 K too low. New color-Teff relations are derived for metal-poor stars. Using the revised Teff values and improved equivalent widths for the 7774A O I triplet, the mean [O/Fe] ratio for a handful of halo stars is found to be +0.52 with no dependence on Teff or [Fe/H]. Possible cosmological implications of the hotter Teff scale are discussed along with additional evidence supporting the need for a higher temperature scale for metal-poor stars. Our Teff scale leads to a Spite Li plateau value of N(Li)=2.28 +/- 0.09. A conservative minimal primordial value of N(Li)=2.35 is inferred. If errors in the observations and models are considered, consistency with standard models of Big Bang nucleosynthesis is still achieved with this larger Li abundance. The revised Teff scale raises the observed B/Be ratio of HD 140283 from 10 to 12, making its value more comfortably consistent with the production of the observed B and Be by ordinary spallation. Our Teff values are found to be in good agreement with values predicted from both the Victoria and Yale isochrone color-Teff relations. Thus, it appears likely that no changes in globular cluster ages would result. Next, we examine the location of the break in the [O/Fe] versus [Fe/H] plane in a quantitative fashion. Analysis of a relatively homogeneous data set does not favor any unique break point in the range -1.7 /= -3), in agreement with the new results for halo dwarfs. We find that the gap in the observed [O/H] distribution, noted by Wheeler et al. [1989, ARAA, 27, 279], persists despite the addition of more O data and may betray the occurrence of a hiatus in star formation between the end of halo formation and

  16. Rodent Abundance and Hantavirus Infection in Protected Area, East-Central Argentina

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maroli, Malena; Vadell, María Victoria; Padula, Paula

    2018-01-01

    We captured 3 hantavirus rodent hosts in Otamendi Natural Reserve, Argentina, during 2007–2012. Hantavirus antibodies were found only in Akodon azarae grass mice, mainly in males and old animals. Higher abundance of this species was associated with warm and rainy weather and high water levels, which peaked after a strong El Niño event. PMID:29260665

  17. Irradiation techniques for the release of bound heavy metals in natural waters and blood

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batley, G.E.; Farrar, Y.J.

    1978-01-01

    Irradiation techniques are compared with conventional acid digestion procedures for the release of bound heavy metals in natural waters and in blood, before their determination by anodic stripping voltammetry. Ultra-violet irradiation of acidified water with a 550-W mercury vapour lamp releases bound zinc, cadmium, lead and copper after 4 h. The same results can be achieved with a 30 Mrad dose of high-energy γ-irradiation. These techniques are also effective for the release of metals in whole blood and blood plasma, where sample volumes as small as 200 μl are adequate in analyses for zinc, copper and lead. By comparison with acid digestion and solvent extraction methods, irradiation treatments offer the advantages of minimum sample manipulation and negligible reagent blanks. (Auth.)

  18. Abundances in normal and chemically peculiar B, A and F stars: hortatory remarks and prospectus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cowley, C.R.

    1983-01-01

    A variety of new techniques are discussed which make it possible to determine considerably more accurate abundances than are now available for stars near spectral type A. Specific suggestions are made for implementing them. Adoption of the critically evaluated oscillator strengths by the NBS is recommended as a standard. Many references are given to data sources, both physical and astronomical. Suggestions are made for avoiding the most common sources of error in abundance work. (author)

  19. Diet and condition of mesopredators on coral reefs in relation to shark abundance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shanta C Barley

    Full Text Available Reef sharks may influence the foraging behaviour of mesopredatory teleosts on coral reefs via both risk effects and competitive exclusion. We used a "natural experiment" to test the hypothesis that the loss of sharks on coral reefs can influence the diet and body condition of mesopredatory fishes by comparing two remote, atoll-like reef systems, the Rowley Shoals and the Scott Reefs, in northwestern Australia. The Rowley Shoals are a marine reserve where sharks are abundant, whereas at the Scott Reefs numbers of sharks have been reduced by centuries of targeted fishing. On reefs where sharks were rare, the gut contents of five species of mesopredatory teleosts largely contained fish while on reefs with abundant sharks, the same mesopredatory species consumed a larger proportion of benthic invertebrates. These measures of diet were correlated with changes in body condition, such that the condition of mesopredatory teleosts was significantly poorer on reefs with higher shark abundance. Condition was defined as body weight, height and width for a given length and also estimated via several indices of condition. Due to the nature of natural experiments, alternative explanations cannot be discounted. However, the results were consistent with the hypothesis that loss of sharks may influence the diet and condition of mesopredators and by association, their fecundity and trophic role. Regardless of the mechanism (risk effects, competitive release, or other, our findings suggest that overfishing of sharks has the potential to trigger trophic cascades on coral reefs and that further declines in shark populations globally should be prevented to protect ecosystem health.

  20. Diet and condition of mesopredators on coral reefs in relation to shark abundance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barley, Shanta C; Meekan, Mark G; Meeuwig, Jessica J

    2017-01-01

    Reef sharks may influence the foraging behaviour of mesopredatory teleosts on coral reefs via both risk effects and competitive exclusion. We used a "natural experiment" to test the hypothesis that the loss of sharks on coral reefs can influence the diet and body condition of mesopredatory fishes by comparing two remote, atoll-like reef systems, the Rowley Shoals and the Scott Reefs, in northwestern Australia. The Rowley Shoals are a marine reserve where sharks are abundant, whereas at the Scott Reefs numbers of sharks have been reduced by centuries of targeted fishing. On reefs where sharks were rare, the gut contents of five species of mesopredatory teleosts largely contained fish while on reefs with abundant sharks, the same mesopredatory species consumed a larger proportion of benthic invertebrates. These measures of diet were correlated with changes in body condition, such that the condition of mesopredatory teleosts was significantly poorer on reefs with higher shark abundance. Condition was defined as body weight, height and width for a given length and also estimated via several indices of condition. Due to the nature of natural experiments, alternative explanations cannot be discounted. However, the results were consistent with the hypothesis that loss of sharks may influence the diet and condition of mesopredators and by association, their fecundity and trophic role. Regardless of the mechanism (risk effects, competitive release, or other), our findings suggest that overfishing of sharks has the potential to trigger trophic cascades on coral reefs and that further declines in shark populations globally should be prevented to protect ecosystem health.

  1. Application of Image And X-Ray Microtomography Technique To Quantify Filler Distribution In Thermoplastic-Natural Rubber Blend Composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad, Sahrim; Rasid, Rozaidi; Mouad, A. T.; Aziz Mohamed, A.; Abdullah, Jaafar; Dahlan, M.; Mohamad, Mahathir; Jamro, Rafhayudi; Hamzah Harun, M.; Yazid, Hafizal; Abdullah, W. Saffiey W.

    2010-01-01

    X-ray microtomography and ImageJ 1.39 u is used as a tool to quantify volume percentage of B 4 C as fillers in thermoplastic-natural rubber blend composites. The use of percentage of area occupied by fillers as obtain from ImageJ from the microtomography sliced images enables the proposed technique to easily obtain the amount volume percentage of B 4 C in the composite non-destructively. Comparison with other technique such as density measurement and chemical analysis proves the proposed technique as one of the promising approach.

  2. The abundance of pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs in the root zone of plant species in invaded coastal sage scrub habitat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irvine, Irina C; Brigham, Christy A; Suding, Katharine N; Martiny, Jennifer B H

    2012-01-01

    Pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic bacteria (PPFMs) are associated with the roots, leaves and seeds of most terrestrial plants and utilize volatile C(1) compounds such as methanol generated by growing plants during cell division. PPFMs have been well studied in agricultural systems due to their importance in crop seed germination, yield, pathogen resistance and drought stress tolerance. In contrast, little is known about the PPFM abundance and diversity in natural ecosystems, let alone their interactions with non-crop species. Here we surveyed PPFM abundance in the root zone soil of 5 native and 5 invasive plant species along ten invasion gradients in Southern California coastal sage scrub habitat. PPFMs were present in every soil sample and ranged in abundance from 10(2) to 10(5) CFU/g dry soil. This abundance varied significantly among plant species. PPFM abundance was 50% higher in the root zones of annual or biennial species (many invasives) than perennial species (all natives). Further, PPFM abundance appears to be influenced by the plant community beyond the root zone; pure stands of either native or invasive species had 50% more PPFMs than mixed species stands. In sum, PPFM abundance in the root zone of coastal sage scrub plants is influenced by both the immediate and surrounding plant communities. The results also suggest that PPFMs are a good target for future work on plant-microorganism feedbacks in natural ecosystems.

  3. The U.S. natural gas and oil resource base is abundant; but can we produce what the country needs?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ewing, T.E.

    1994-01-01

    Recent studies agree that the United States has abundant resources of gas and oil left to find and produce over the next 50--75 years -- if its exploration and production companies are given the resources to do the job. The NPC's estimate of 1,295 TCF of natural gas (advanced technology case) represents a resource/present production ration of 68 years. A similar estimate for oil gives 62 years. Furthermore, these resource estimates have been increasing through the 1980s, as the effects of new geological, geophysical, and engineering technologies has become more apparent. However, only 30% of this tremendous resource will be available under today's business-as-usual economic regime. The rest of the resource will be accessed if: (1) tax policies (and financial and trade policies) are adopted to stabilize prices and stimulate exploration and production (estimated 27% of the resource base); (2) technology is developed, transferred, and used (17%); (3) environmental regulation is held to a balanced level, considers economic costs as well as environmental benefits, and is applied consistently (13%); (4) access to Federal lands is eased for environmentally responsible drilling and development (13%). To convert America's gas and oil resources into delivered products in a timely manner, assuring the nation's gas users of a reliable supply -- and contribute up to $8.7 trillion to the nation's economy -- a doubling of industry effort is required, even at today's high levels of finding and producing efficiency. Coordinated action by industry, government, and the investment community is required to secure the future development of energy supplies. Government in particular must develop policies that encourage the needed investment in America's natural gas and oil

  4. Spider fauna of semiarid eastern Colorado agroecosystems: diversity, abundance, and effects of crop intensification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerzicnik, Lauren M; Peairs, Frank B; Cushing, Paula E; Draney, Michael L; Merrill, Scott C

    2013-02-01

    Spiders are critical predators in agroecosystems. Crop management practices can influence predator density and diversity, which, in turn, can influence pest management strategies. Crop intensification is a sustainable agricultural technique that can enhance crop production although optimizing soil moisture. To date, there is no information on how crop intensification affects natural enemy populations, particularly spiders. This study had two objectives: to characterize the abundance and diversity of spiders in eastern Colorado agroecosystems, and to test the hypothesis that spider diversity and density would be higher in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in crop-intensified rotations compared with wheat in conventional rotations. We collected spiders through pitfall, vacuum, and lookdown sampling from 2002 to 2007 to test these objectives. Over 11,000 spiders in 19 families from 119 species were captured from all sampling techniques. Interestingly, the hunting spider guild represented 89% of the spider fauna captured from all sites with the families Gnaphosidae and Lycosidae representing 75% of these spiders. Compared with European agroecosystems, these agroecosystems had greater diversity, which can be beneficial for the biological control of pests. Overall, spider densities were low in these semiarid cropping systems, and crop intensification effects on spider densities were not evident at this scale.

  5. Imaging the elusive H-poor gas in planetary nebulae with large abundance discrepancy factors

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Rojas, Jorge; Corradi, Romano L. M.; Boffin, Henri M. J.; Monteiro, Hektor; Jones, David; Wesson, Roger; Cabrera-Lavers, Antonio; Rodríguez-Gil, Pablo

    2017-10-01

    The discrepancy between abundances computed using optical recombination lines (ORLs) and collisionally excited lines (CELs) is a major, unresolved problem with significant implications for the determination of chemical abundances throughout the Universe. In planetary nebulae (PNe), the most common explanation for the discrepancy is that two different gas phases coexist: a hot component with standard metallicity, and a much colder plasma enhanced in heavy elements. This dual nature is not predicted by mass loss theories, and direct observational support for it is still weak. In this work, we present our recent findings that demonstrate that the largest abundance discrepancies are associated with close binary central stars. OSIRIS-GTC tunable filter imaging of the faint O ii ORLs and MUSE-VLT deep 2D spectrophotometry confirm that O ii ORL emission is more centrally concentrated than that of [Oiii] CELs and, therefore, that the abundance discrepancy may be closely linked to binary evolution.

  6. Natural abundance of 15N in barley as influenced by prior cropping or fallow, nitrogen fertilizer and tillage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doughton, J.A.; Saffigna, P.G.; Vallis, I.

    1991-01-01

    The 15 N abundance of nitrogen was measured in barley grown with 0,50 and 100 kg/ha of applied nitrogen after pretreatments of either fallow or grain sorghum, where sorghum stubble was either incorporated, removed or retained on the soil surface (zero-till). Barley 15 N abundance was assumed to reflect that of assimilated soil mineral nitrogen. 15 N enrichment was assumed to be mostly the result of isotope fractionation between 14 N and 15 N during denitrification of the large excess of NO 3 -N present prior to and during the experiment. Nitrogen fertilizer additions caused 15 N depletion of nitrogen in barley. However, where fertilizer additions resulted in excess availability of NO 3 -N, subsequent denitrification and 15 N enrichment of this NO 3 -N levels partially counterbalanced the 15 N depleting effect of fertilizer additions. Where soil NO 3 -N levels were low ( 3 -N/ha) following sorghum there were no differences in 15 N abundance of nitrogen in barley between tillage treatments. With additions of nitrogen fertilizer and the availability of excess NO 3 -N for denitrification, differences between tillage treatments occurred with some being significant. 27 refs., 6 tabs

  7. Abundances in field dwarf stars. II. Carbon and nitrogen abundances

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laird, J.B.

    1985-02-15

    Intermediate-dispersion spectra of 116 field dwarf stars, plus 10 faint field giants and 3 Hyades dwarfs, have been used to derive carbon and nitrogen abundances relative to iron. The program sample includes both disk and halo stars, spanning a range in (Fe/H) of +0.50 to -2.45. Synthetic spectra of CH and NH bands have been used to determine carbon and nitrogen abundances. The C/Fe ratio is solar over the range of metallicity studied, with an estimated intrinsic scatter of 0.10 dex. Down to (Fe/H)roughly-equal-1.8, below which the nitrogen abundance could not be measured, the N/Fe ratio is also constant for the majority of stars, indicating that nitrogen production is largely primary. Four halo stars are found to be enhanced in nitrogen relative to iron, by factors between 5 and 50, although their carbon abundances appear to be normal. These results are discussed in connection with the chemical evolution of the Galaxy and the sites of C, N, and Fe nucleosynthesis. The results require that C, N, and Fe be produced in stars of similar mass. Our current understanding of N production, then, implies that most Type I supernovae have intermediate-mass progenitors. The nitrogen in the N-enhanced halo stars is very probably primordial, indicating that the interstellar medium at early epochs contained substantial inhomogeneities.

  8. Abundances in field dwarf stars. II. Carbon and nitrogen abundances

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laird, J.B.

    1985-01-01

    Intermediate-dispersion spectra of 116 field dwarf stars, plus 10 faint field giants and 3 Hyades dwarfs, have been used to derive carbon and nitrogen abundances relative to iron. The program sample includes both disk and halo stars, spanning a range in [Fe/H] of +0.50 to -2.45. Synthetic spectra of CH and NH bands have been used to determine carbon and nitrogen abundances. The C/Fe ratio is solar over the range of metallicity studied, with an estimated intrinsic scatter of 0.10 dex. Down to [Fe/H]roughly-equal-1.8, below which the nitrogen abundance could not be measured, the N/Fe ratio is also constant for the majority of stars, indicating that nitrogen production is largely primary. Four halo stars are found to be enhanced in nitrogen relative to iron, by factors between 5 and 50, although their carbon abundances appear to be normal. These results are discussed in connection with the chemical evolution of the Galaxy and the sites of C, N, and Fe nucleosynthesis. The results require that C, N, and Fe be produced in stars of similar mass. Our current understanding of N production, then, implies that most Type I supernovae have intermediate-mass progenitors. The nitrogen in the N-enhanced halo stars is very probably primordial, indicating that the interstellar medium at early epochs contained substantial inhomogeneities

  9. Multiple marker abundance profiling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hooper, Cornelia M.; Stevens, Tim J.; Saukkonen, Anna

    2017-01-01

    proteins and the scoring accuracy of lower-abundance proteins in Arabidopsis. NPAS was combined with subcellular protein localization data, facilitating quantitative estimations of organelle abundance during routine experimental procedures. A suite of targeted proteomics markers for subcellular compartment...

  10. High-resolution Spectroscopic Abundances of Red Giant Branch Stars in NGC 6681

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O’Malley, Erin M.; Chaboyer, Brian [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03784 (United States); Knaizev, Alexei [South African Astronomical Observatory, Cape Town (South Africa); McWilliam, Andrew [Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States)

    2017-09-01

    We obtain high-resolution spectra of nine red giant branch stars in NGC 6681 and perform the first detailed abundance analysis of stars in this cluster. We confirm cluster membership for these stars based on consistent radial velocities of 214.5 ± 3.7 km s{sup −1} and find a mean [Fe/H] = −1.63 ± 0.07 dex and [ α /Fe] = 0.42 ± 0.11 dex. Additionally, we confirm the existence of a Na–O anti-correlation in NGC 6681 and identify two populations of stars with unique abundance trends. With the use of HST photometry from Sarajedini et al. and Piotto et al. we are able to identify these two populations as discrete sequences in the cluster CMD. Although we cannot confirm the nature of the polluter stars responsible for the abundance differences in these populations, these results do help put constraints on possible polluter candidates.

  11. Relative abundance of 'Bacillus' spp., surfactant-associated bacterium present in a natural sea slick observed by satellite SAR imagery over the Gulf of Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathryn Lynn Howe

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The damping of short gravity-capillary waves (Bragg waves due to surfactant accumulation under low wind speed conditions results in the formation of natural sea slicks. These slicks are detectable visually and in synthetic aperture radar satellite imagery. Surfactants are produced by natural life processes of many marine organisms, including bacteria, phytoplankton, seaweed, and zooplankton. In this work, samples were collected in the Gulf of Mexico during a research cruise on the R/V 'F.G. Walton Smith' to evaluate the relative abundance of 'Bacillus' spp., surfactant-associated bacteria, in the sea surface microlayer compared to the subsurface water at 0.2 m depth. A method to reduce potential contamination of microlayer samples during their collection on polycarbonate filters was implemented and advanced, including increasing the number of successive samples per location and changing sample storage procedures. By using DNA analysis (real-time polymerase chain reaction to target 'Bacillus' spp., we found that in the slick areas, these surfactant-associated bacteria tended to reside mostly in subsurface waters, lending support to the concept that the surfactants they may produce move to the surface where they accumulate under calm conditions and enrich the sea surface microlayer.

  12. Measuring Detailed Chemical Abundances from Co-added Medium-resolution Spectra. I. Tests Using Milky Way Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies and Globular Clusters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Lei; Kirby, Evan N.; Guhathakurta, Puragra; Peng, Eric W.; Cheng, Lucy

    2013-05-01

    The ability to measure metallicities and α-element abundances in individual red giant branch (RGB) stars using medium-resolution spectra (R ≈ 6000) is a valuable tool for deciphering the nature of Milky Way dwarf satellites and the history of the Galactic halo. Extending such studies to more distant systems like Andromeda is beyond the ability of the current generation of telescopes, but by co-adding the spectra of similar stars, we can attain the necessary signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) to make detailed abundance measurements. In this paper, we present a method to determine metallicities and α-element abundances using the co-addition of medium-resolution spectra. We test the method of spectral co-addition using high-S/N spectra of more than 1300 RGB stars from Milky Way globular clusters and dwarf spheroidal galaxies obtained with the Keck II telescope/DEIMOS spectrograph. We group similar stars using photometric criteria and compare the weighted ensemble average abundances ([Fe/H], [Mg/Fe], [Si/Fe], [Ca/Fe], and [Ti/Fe]) of individual stars in each group with the measurements made on the corresponding co-added spectrum. We find a high level of agreement between the two methods, which permits us to apply this co-added spectra technique to more distant RGB stars, like stars in the M31 satellite galaxies. This paper outlines our spectral co-addition and abundance measurement methodology and describes the potential biases in making these measurements. Data herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and NASA. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

  13. Snake venoms are integrated systems, but abundant venom proteins evolve more rapidly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aird, Steven D; Aggarwal, Shikha; Villar-Briones, Alejandro; Tin, Mandy Man-Ying; Terada, Kouki; Mikheyev, Alexander S

    2015-08-28

    While many studies have shown that extracellular proteins evolve rapidly, how selection acts on them remains poorly understood. We used snake venoms to understand the interaction between ecology, expression level, and evolutionary rate in secreted protein systems. Venomous snakes employ well-integrated systems of proteins and organic constituents to immobilize prey. Venoms are generally optimized to subdue preferred prey more effectively than non-prey, and many venom protein families manifest positive selection and rapid gene family diversification. Although previous studies have illuminated how individual venom protein families evolve, how selection acts on venoms as integrated systems, is unknown. Using next-generation transcriptome sequencing and mass spectrometry, we examined microevolution in two pitvipers, allopatrically separated for at least 1.6 million years, and their hybrids. Transcriptomes of parental species had generally similar compositions in regard to protein families, but for a given protein family, the homologs present and concentrations thereof sometimes differed dramatically. For instance, a phospholipase A2 transcript comprising 73.4 % of the Protobothrops elegans transcriptome, was barely present in the P. flavoviridis transcriptome (king cobra genome, suggesting that rapid evolution of abundant proteins may be generally true for snake venoms. Looking more broadly at Protobothrops, we show that rapid evolution of the most abundant components is due to positive selection, suggesting an interplay between abundance and adaptation. Given log-scale differences in toxin abundance, which are likely correlated with biosynthetic costs, we hypothesize that as a result of natural selection, snakes optimize return on energetic investment by producing more of venom proteins that increase their fitness. Natural selection then acts on the additive genetic variance of these components, in proportion to their contributions to overall fitness. Adaptive

  14. Methane Provenance Determined by CH2D2 and 13CH3D Abundances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohl, I. E.; Giunta, T.; Warr, O.; Ash, J. L.; Ruffine, L.; Sherwood Lollar, B.; Young, E. D.

    2017-12-01

    Determining the provenance of naturally occurring methane gases is of major interest to energy companies and atmospheric climate modelers, among others. Bulk isotopic compositions and other geochemical tracers sometimes fail to provide definitive determinations of sources of methane due to complications from mixing and complicated chemical pathways of origin. Recent measurements of doubly-substituted isotopologues of methane, CH2D2 (UCLA) and 13CH3D (UCLA, CalTech, and MIT) have allowed for major improvements in sourcing natural methane gases. Early work has focused on formation temperatures obtained when the relative abundances of both doubly-substituted mass-18 species are consistent with internal equilibrium. When methane gases do not plot on the thermodynamic equilibrium curve in D12CH2D2 vs D13CH3D space, temperatures determined from D13CH3D values alone are usually spurious, even when appearing reasonable. We find that the equilibrium case is actually rare and almost exclusive to thermogenic gases produced at temperatures exceeding 100°C. All other relevant methane production processes appear to generate gases that are not in isotopologue-temperature equilibrium. When gases show departures from equilibrium as determined by the relationship between CH2D2 and 13CH3D abundances, data fall within empirically defined fields representing formation pathways. These fields are thus far consistent between different geological settings and and between lab experiments and natural samples. We have now defined fields for thermogenic gas production, microbial methanogenesis, low temperature abiotic (Sabatier) synthesis and higher temperature FTT synthesis. The majority of our natural methane data can be explained by mixing between end members originating within these production fields. Mixing can appear complex, resulting in both hyper-clumped and anti-clumped isotopologue abundances. In systems where mixtures dominate and end-members are difficult to sample, mixing models

  15. Natural radioelement mapping by carborne and ground gamma-ray spectrometry in the Philippines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reyes, Rolando Y.; Petrache, Christina A.; Tabora, Estrellita U.; Garcia, Teofilo Y.

    2010-01-01

    Over the past years, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute has been conducting a program aimed at mapping the abundance and distribution of the naturally occurring radioactive elements (radioelements) potassium (K), uranium (U) and thorium (Th) through the use of carborne and ground gamma-ray spectrometric survey techniques. This program was initiated with assistance from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through a technical cooperation project entitled ''Gamma Ray Spectrometric Survey of the Philippines'', in which the carborne and ground gamma-ray spectrometric systems were acquired. The objectives of this project were to generate radioelement maps for geological studies and mineral resource assessment, and establish baseline information on the natural radioactivity of the country for environmental studies and monitoring. The pilot survey for this project, conducted over Marinduque Island, Philippines, is presented in this paper. (author)

  16. Relationships between protein-encoding gene abundance and corresponding process are commonly assumed yet rarely observed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rocca, Jennifer D.; Hall, Edward K.; Lennon, Jay T.; Evans, Sarah E.; Waldrop, Mark P.; Cotner, James B.; Nemergut, Diana R.; Graham, Emily B.; Wallenstein, Matthew D.

    2015-01-01

    For any enzyme-catalyzed reaction to occur, the corresponding protein-encoding genes and transcripts are necessary prerequisites. Thus, a positive relationship between the abundance of gene or transcripts and corresponding process rates is often assumed. To test this assumption, we conducted a meta-analysis of the relationships between gene and/or transcript abundances and corresponding process rates. We identified 415 studies that quantified the abundance of genes or transcripts for enzymes involved in carbon or nitrogen cycling. However, in only 59 of these manuscripts did the authors report both gene or transcript abundance and rates of the appropriate process. We found that within studies there was a significant but weak positive relationship between gene abundance and the corresponding process. Correlations were not strengthened by accounting for habitat type, differences among genes or reaction products versus reactants, suggesting that other ecological and methodological factors may affect the strength of this relationship. Our findings highlight the need for fundamental research on the factors that control transcription, translation and enzyme function in natural systems to better link genomic and transcriptomic data to ecosystem processes.

  17. Effects of fishing technique on assessing species composition in aquatic systems in semi-arid Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ESF Medeiros

    Full Text Available In most ecological field research, appropriate sampling is critical for the understanding of processes underlying fish populations and communities, and is even more important in heterogeneous environments such as the aquatic systems of the semi-arid region of Brazil. This study intends to make a contribution to the development of sampling programs and gear selection in aquatic systems of semi-arid Brazil by evaluating the effects of different fishing techniques on the assessment of richness and composition of the fish fauna in selected aquatic environments. Six sites were selected to represent typical artificial (reservoirs and natural (intermittent streams environments and four different types of sampling gear were applied to each site during four occasions. The present study shows that when selecting sampling techniques to be used in aquatic systems in semi-arid Brazil, one must consider the objectives of the study, e.g. ecological or taxonomic, in order to decide on inclusion of rare species in the sampling population. Also, the effect of the sampling gear on natural abundances of fish must be considered given that some sampling techniques are highly detrimental to fish population numbers.

  18. Solar Photoelectrochemical Energy Conversion using Earth-Abundant Nanomaterials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lukowski, Mark A.

    Although the vast majority of energy consumed worldwide is derived from fossil fuels, the growing interest in making cleaner alternative energies more economically viable has motivated recent research efforts aimed to improve photovoltaic, wind, and biomass power generation. Clean power generation also requires clean burning fuels, such as H2 and O2, so that energy can still be provided on demand at all times, despite the intermittent nature inherent to solar or wind power. My research has focused on the rational approach to synthesizing earth-abundant nanomaterials with applications in the generation of clean alternative fuels and understanding the structure-property relationships which directly influence their performance. Herein, we describe the development of low-cost, earth-abundant layered metal chalcogenides as high-performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution, and hematite photoanodes for photoelectrochemical oxygen evolution. This work has revealed a particularly interesting concept where catalytic performance can be enhanced by controlling the phase behavior of the material and taking advantage of previously unexploited properties to overcome the challenges traditionally limiting the performance of these layered materials for hydrogen evolution catalysis.

  19. The abundance of pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs in the root zone of plant species in invaded coastal sage scrub habitat.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irina C Irvine

    Full Text Available Pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic bacteria (PPFMs are associated with the roots, leaves and seeds of most terrestrial plants and utilize volatile C(1 compounds such as methanol generated by growing plants during cell division. PPFMs have been well studied in agricultural systems due to their importance in crop seed germination, yield, pathogen resistance and drought stress tolerance. In contrast, little is known about the PPFM abundance and diversity in natural ecosystems, let alone their interactions with non-crop species. Here we surveyed PPFM abundance in the root zone soil of 5 native and 5 invasive plant species along ten invasion gradients in Southern California coastal sage scrub habitat. PPFMs were present in every soil sample and ranged in abundance from 10(2 to 10(5 CFU/g dry soil. This abundance varied significantly among plant species. PPFM abundance was 50% higher in the root zones of annual or biennial species (many invasives than perennial species (all natives. Further, PPFM abundance appears to be influenced by the plant community beyond the root zone; pure stands of either native or invasive species had 50% more PPFMs than mixed species stands. In sum, PPFM abundance in the root zone of coastal sage scrub plants is influenced by both the immediate and surrounding plant communities. The results also suggest that PPFMs are a good target for future work on plant-microorganism feedbacks in natural ecosystems.

  20. DNIEPROVSKO-ORELSKIY NATURAL RESERVE AS THE REFUGIUM FOR HERPETOFAUNA IN PRIDNEPROVSK REGION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Missura A. N.

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Species diversity of herpetofauna of Dnieprovsko-Orel'skiy natural reserve was estimated based on long-term monitoring data; relative species’ abundance was determined as well. The retrospective estimation of amphibious populations in biogeocoenoses was performed for the period before and after creation of nature reserve. We also estimated turnover ratio of species between nature reserve biogeocoenoses and adjacent biotopes with high degree of recreation and urbanization. The data were incorporated into management plan for populations’ abundance stabilization and increasing.

  1. THE RAVE CATALOG OF STELLAR ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCES: FIRST DATA RELEASE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boeche, C.; Williams, M.; De Jong, R. S.; Steinmetz, M. [Leibniz-Institut fuer Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), D-14482 Potsdam (Germany); Siebert, A.; Bienayme, O. [Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, Universite de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7550, F-67000 Strasbourg (France); Fulbright, J. P.; Ruchti, G. R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Bland-Hawthorn, J. [Sydney Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics A28, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Campbell, R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY (United States); Freeman, K. C. [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australia National University, Weston Creek, Canberra ACT 2611 (Australia); Gibson, B. K. [Jeremiah Horrocks Institute, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE (United Kingdom); Gilmore, G. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Grebel, E. K. [Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum fuer Astronomie der Universitaet Heidelberg, D-69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Helmi, A. [Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, 9700 AV Groningen (Netherlands); Munari, U. [INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Asiago I-36012 (Italy); Navarro, J. F. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria BC V8W 3P6 (Canada); Parker, Q. A.; Reid, W. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109 (Australia); Seabroke, G. M. [Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury, St. Mary RH5 6NT (United Kingdom); and others

    2011-12-15

    We present chemical elemental abundances for 36,561 stars observed by the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE), an ambitious spectroscopic survey of our Galaxy at Galactic latitudes |b| > 25 Degree-Sign and with magnitudes in the range 9 abundances for the elements Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Fe, and Ni, with a mean error of {approx}0.2 dex, as judged from accuracy tests performed on synthetic and real spectra. Abundances are estimated through a dedicated processing pipeline in which the curve of growth of individual lines is obtained from a library of absorption line equivalent widths to construct a model spectrum that is then matched to the observed spectrum via a {chi}{sup 2} minimization technique. We plan to extend this pipeline to include estimates for other elements, such as oxygen and sulfur, in future data releases.

  2. The distribution and abundance of reef-associated predatory fishes on the Great Barrier Reef

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emslie, Michael J.; Cheal, Alistair J.; Logan, Murray

    2017-09-01

    Predatory fishes are important components of coral-reef ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) through both the ecological functions they perform and their high value to recreational and commercial fisheries, estimated at 30 million in 2014. However, management of GBR predatory fish populations is hampered by a lack of knowledge of their distribution and abundance, aside from that of the highly targeted coral trout ( Plectropomus spp. and Variola spp.). Furthermore, there is little information on how these fishes respond to environmental stressors such as coral bleaching, outbreaks of coral-feeding starfishes ( Acanthaster planci) and storms, which limits adaptive management of their populations as the frequency or severity of such natural disturbances increases under climate change. Here, we document the distribution and abundance of 48 species of reef-associated predatory fishes and assess their vulnerability to a range of natural disturbances. There were clear differences in predatory fish assemblages across the continental shelf, but many species were widespread, with few species restricted to either inshore or offshore waters. There was weak latitudinal structure with only a few species restricted to either the northern or southern GBR. On the whole, predatory fishes were surprisingly resistant to the effects of disturbance, with few clear changes in abundance or species richness following 66 documented disturbances of varying magnitudes.

  3. [Influence of Natural Dissolved Organic Matter on the Passive Sampling Technique and its Application].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Shang-yun; Zhou, Yan-mei

    2015-08-01

    This paper studied the effects of different concentrations of natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the passive sampling technique. The results showed that the presence of DOM affected the organic pollutant adsorption ability of the membrane. For lgK(OW), 3-5, DOM had less impact on the adsorption of organic matter by the membrane; for lgK(OW), > 5.5, DOM significantly increased the adsorption capacity of the membrane. Meanwhile, LDPE passive sampling technique was applied to monitor PAHs and PAEs in pore water of three surface sediments in Taizi River. All of the target pollutants were detected in varying degrees at each sampling point. Finally, the quotient method was used to assess the ecological risks of PAHs and PAEs. The results showed that fluoranthene exceeded the reference value of the aquatic ecosystem, meaning there was a big ecological risk.

  4. [Species-area and species-abundance relationships of arthropod community in various vegetation restoration areas in Zhifanggou watershed, Shaanxi province of Northwest China].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Feng; Hong, Bo; Li, Ying-Mei; Chen, Zhi-Jie; Zhang, Shu-Lian; Zhao, Hui-Yan

    2013-02-01

    Taking the Zhifanggou watershed in Ansai, Shaanxi Province of Northwest China as a study unit, an investigation on the arthropods in 8 forest stands was conducted from 2006 to 2008, with the species-area and species-abundance relationships of the arthropods in these stands analyzed by various mathematical models. In these forest stands, the species-area relationship of the arthropods accorded with the formula S= CAm With the increase of investigation area, the species number approached to a constant, and the corresponding smallest investigation area was in the order of natural bush > natural forest > Populus davidiana+Robinia pseudoacacia forest > Hippaphae rhamnoides +Caragana mocrophylla forest> Periploca sepium forest > Hippaphae rhamnoides forest > Robinia pseudoacacia forest > Caragana mocrophylla forest, indicating that the more complex the stands, the larger the minimum area needed to be investigated. Based on sampling investigation, the species-abundance models of the arthropods in various stands were established. Lognormal distribution model (LN) was most suitable to fit the arthropod community in natural recovery stands, suggesting that in the arthropod community, there were more species with medial individual amount and fewer abundant species and rare species, and no obvious dominant species. LogCauchy distribution model (LC) was most suitable to fit the arthropod community in mixed and pure stands. As compared with natural recovery stand, mixed and pure stands had more abundant and rare species, and more dominant species.

  5. The natural abundance of 15N in litter and soil profiles under six temperate tree species: N cycling depends on tree species traits and site fertility

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Callesen, Ingeborg; Nilsson, Lars Ola; Schmidt, Inger Kappel

    2013-01-01

    We investigated the influence of tree species on the natural 15N abundance in forest stands under elevated ambient N deposition.We analysed δ15N in litter, the forest floor and three mineral soil horizons along with ecosystem N status variables at six sites planted three decades ago with five Eur...... to nitrate leaching or other N transformation processes....... species leached more nitrate.The δ15N pattern reflected tree species related traits affecting the N cycling as well as site fertility and former land use, and possibly differences in N leaching. The tree species δ15N patterns reflected fractionation caused by uptake of N through mycorrhiza rather than due...

  6. The Attractivity of Ornamental Plants to Some Natural Enemies of Pest

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatima Ramdan Muhamed Al Kawan

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available There are several roles of ornamental plants to environment management and human being. One of them is to attract some natural enemies of pest which more ecofriendly and specific target. Related with this role, the objectives of this study are to inventory kind of ornamental plants in the play ground, to inventory kind of ornamental plants which attract natural enemies, and to know the foreign students perception to the function of the ornamental plant species for attracting the natural enemies. This study was conducted using Visual Encounter Survey (VES method with three repetitions. The result showed that there were 5 ornamental plants in the area study as Acalypha siamensis, Osmoxylon lineare, Canna indica, Crinum asiaticum L. and Oleina syzigium. Data analysis using Community structure of Arthropods, Index of Diversity, and Index of Similarity on different area. The result Based on the average of species abundance, O. lineare is the most visited plant by animals. It was showed from range of average of species abundance which reached from 0.17 to 13.72 individu. The second one was A. siamensis which had average of species abundance 0.14 - 13.14 individu. The next plant which visited by many animals are C. indica and C. asiaticum L. The average of species abundance respectively varied from 0.43 to 12.00 individu and from 0.14 to 8.72 individu. Oleina syzigium became the least one, because the average of species abundance reached from 0.14 to 3.14 individu. Overall, the level of respondents (foreign students knowledge about the function of ornamental plants for attracting natural enemies was categorized into high Key words: Attractivity, Natural enemies, Ornamental plants

  7. Velocity Fields Measurement of Natural Circulation Flow inside a Pool Using PIV Technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Seok; Kim, Dong Eok; Youn, Young Jung; Euh, Dong Jin; Song, Chul Hwa

    2012-01-01

    Thermal stratification is encountered in large pool of water increasingly being used as heat sink in new generation of advanced reactors. These large pools at near atmospheric pressure provide a heat sink for heat removal from the reactor or steam generator, and the containment by natural circulation as well as a source of water for core cooling. For examples, the PAFS (passive auxiliary feedwater system) is one of the advanced safety features adopted in the APR+ (Advanced Power Reactor Plus), which is intended to completely replace the conventional active auxiliary feedwater system. The PAFS cools down the steam generator secondary side and eventually removes the decay heat from the reactor core by adopting a natural convection mechanism. In a pool, the heat transfer from the PCHX (passive condensation heat exchanger) contributed to increase the pool temperature up to the saturation condition and induce the natural circulation flow of the PCCT (passive condensate cooling tank) pool water. When a heat rod is placed horizontally in a pool of water, the fluid adjacent to the heat rod gets heated up. In the process, its density reduces and by virtue of the buoyancy force, the fluid in this region moves up. After reaching the top free surface, the heated water moves towards the other side wall of the pool along the free surface. Since this heated water is cooling, it goes downward along the wall at the other side wall. Above heater rod, a natural circulation flow is formed. However, there is no flow below heater rod until pool water temperature increases to saturation temperature. In this study, velocity measurement was conducted to reveal a natural circulation flow structure in a small pool using PIV (particle image velocimetry) measurement technique

  8. Interstellar abundances in dense, moderately reddened lines of sight. I. Observational evidence for density-dependent depletion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joseph, C.L.; Snow, T.P. Jr.; Seab, C.G.; Crutcher, R.M.; NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA; Illinois Univ., Urbana)

    1986-01-01

    The nature of dust-gas interactions, which are capable of modifying the size distribution of interstellar grains and thus causing changes in the selective extinction curve, are investigated through depletion studies. The gaseous abundances of 15 elements have been determined for several lines of sight toward moderately reddened stars, each having an anomalous extinction curve and a large abundance of cyanogen (CN). The basic result of this study is that certain elements appear to deplete preferentially in interstellar clouds having a large abundance of CN. Since CN is a sensitive indicator of the interstellar spatial density, the data might suggest that the unique pattern of enhanced depletion observed here represents the best observational evidence of accretion. 107 references

  9. Multielemental analyses of isomorphous Indian garnet gemstones by XRD and external pixe techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venkateswarulu, P; Srinivasa Rao, K; Kasipathi, C; Ramakrishna, Y

    2012-12-01

    Garnet gemstones were collected from parts of Eastern Ghats geological formations of Andhra Pradesh, India and their gemological studies were carried out. Their study of chemistry is not possible as they represent mixtures of isomorphism nature, and none of the individual specimens indicate independent chemistry. Hence, non-destructive instrumental methodology of external PIXE technique was employed to understand their chemistry and identity. A 3 MeV proton beam was employed to excite the samples. In the present study geochemical characteristics of garnet gemstones were studied by proton induced X-ray emission. Almandine variety of garnet is found to be abundant in the present study by means of their chemical contents. The crystal structure and the lattice parameters were estimated using X-Ray Diffraction studies. The trace and minor elements are estimated using PIXE technique and major compositional elements are confirmed by XRD studies. The technique is found very useful in characterizing the garnet gemstones. The present work, thus establishes usefulness and versatility of the PIXE technique with external beam for research in Geo-scientific methodology. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Radioactive or natural tracer techniques for leak determining of dam abutment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Jiansheng; Du Guoping; Zheng Zheng; Sun Jing

    1995-01-01

    Infiltration and localization of preferential infiltration zones at the dam abutment are measured using radioactive tracer tests of flow in boreholes, meanwhile interconnection between boreholes and the observing water points is analysed. The theory and practice of radioactive tracer synthetic detective method are described to give methods and calculation formulae used under the condition of stable flow in single well to measure permeability coefficient and hydrostatic heads. Major single hole techniques including measurement for seepage line, velocity, rate of seepage flow and relationship of recharge of groundwater in aquifers are introduced briefly. The possibilities offered by natural tracers are analysed, including electric-conduct, ph-value and temperature of water as well as stable isotopes (D, 18 O) and tritium. Furthermore, the sensibilities of this theory and methods were confirmed by detecting seepage flow field of Xinanjiang Dam

  11. CHEMICAL ABUNDANCE PATTERNS IN THE INNER GALAXY: THE SCUTUM RED SUPERGIANT CLUSTERS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davies, Ben; Origlia, Livia; Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter; Figer, Don F.; Rich, R. Michael; Najarro, Francisco; Negueruela, Ignacio; Clark, J. Simon

    2009-01-01

    The location of the Scutum Red Supergiant (RSG) clusters at the end of the Galactic Bar makes them an excellent probe of the Galaxy's secular evolution, while the clusters themselves are ideal testbeds in which to study the predictions of stellar evolutionary theory. To this end, we present a study of the RSG's surface abundances using a combination of high-resolution Keck/NIRSPEC H-band spectroscopy and spectral synthesis analysis. We provide abundance measurements for elements C, O, Si, Mg, Ti, and Fe. We find that the surface abundances of the stars studied are consistent with CNO burning and deep, rotationally enhanced mixing. The average α/Fe ratios of the clusters are solar, consistent with a thin-disk population. However, we find significantly subsolar Fe/H ratios for each cluster, a result which strongly contradicts a simple extrapolation of the Galactic metallicity gradient to lower Galactocentric distances. We suggest that a simple one-dimensional parameterization of the Galaxy's abundance patterns is insufficient at low Galactocentric distances, as large azimuthal variations may be present. Indeed, we show that the abundances of O, Si, and Mg are consistent with independent measurements of objects in similar locations in the Galaxy. In combining our results with other data in the literature, we present evidence for large-scale (∼ kpc) azimuthal variations in abundances at Galactocentric distances of 3-5 kpc. While we cannot rule out that this observed behavior is due to systematic offsets between different measurement techniques, we do find evidence for similar behavior in a study of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 4736 which uses homogeneous methodology. We suggest that these azimuthal abundance variations could result from the intense but patchy star formation driven by the potential of the central bar.

  12. Electrofishing method improves evaluation of amphibian larvae abundance: a case of "beaver rivers".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dgebuadze, Yury Y; Bashinskiy, Ivan V

    2017-07-01

    There are many locations in Russia where Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) populations have been restored. As a keystone species, beavers provide wide-ranging direct and indirect impacts on aquatic ecosystems. In particular, beaver-created ponds are sites for spawning and nursery places for tadpoles of the brown frogs (genus Rana). Because of such impacts, study techniques for assessing aquatic organism abundance are being developed. We compared two methods for estimating tadpole abundance: traditional catches by dipnet and electrofishing. Our results show that the dipnet catch data for the shallower ponds with larger water surface area were five times lower than that obtained by electrofishing. Therefore, we conclude that dipnet catches are not suitable for comparing the relative abundance of tadpoles in the two beaver ponds that were studied. © 2016 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  13. Binarity and the Abundance Discrepancy Problem in Planetary Nebulae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corradi, Romano L. M.; García-Rojas, Jorge; Jones, David; Rodríguez-Gil, Pablo

    2015-04-01

    The discrepancy between abundances computed using optical recombination lines and collisionally excited lines is a major unresolved problem in nebular astrophysics. Here, we show that the largest abundance discrepancies are reached in planetary nebulae with close binary central stars. We illustrate this using deep spectroscopy of three nebulae with a post common-envelope (CE) binary star. Abell 46 and Ou 5 have O2+/H+ abundance discrepancy factors larger than 50, and as high as 300 in the inner regions of Abell 46. Abell 63 has a smaller discrepancy factor around 10, which is still above the typical values in ionized nebulae. Our spectroscopic analysis supports previous conclusions that, in addition to “standard” hot ({{T}e} ˜ 104 K) gas, there exists a colder ({{T}e} ˜ 103 K), ionized component that is highly enriched in heavy elements. These nebulae have low ionized masses, between 10-3 and 10-1 M⊙ depending on the adopted electron densities and temperatures. Since the much more massive red giant envelope is expected to be entirely ejected in the CE phase, the currently observed nebulae would be produced much later, during post-CE mass loss episodes when the envelope has already dispersed. These observations add constraints to the abundance discrepancy problem. We revise possible explanations. Some explanations are naturally linked to binarity such as, for instance, high-metallicity nova ejecta, but it is difficult at this stage to depict an evolutionary scenario consistent with all of the observed properties. We also introduce the hypothesis that these nebulae are the result of tidal destruction, accretion, and ejection of Jupiter-like planets.

  14. CHEMICAL ABUNDANCES OF SEVEN IRREGULAR AND THREE TIDAL DWARF GALAXIES IN THE M81 GROUP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Croxall, Kevin V.; Van Zee, Liese; Lee, Henry; Miller, Bryan W.; Skillman, Evan D.; Lee, Janice C.; Cote, Stephanie; Kennicutt, Robert C.

    2009-01-01

    We have derived nebular abundances for 10 dwarf galaxies belonging to the M81 Group, including several galaxies which do not have abundances previously reported in the literature. For each galaxy, multiple H II regions were observed with GMOS-N at the Gemini Observatory in order to determine abundances of several elements (oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, neon, and argon). For seven galaxies, at least one H II region had a detection of the temperature sensitive [O III] λ4363 line, allowing a 'direct' determination of the oxygen abundance. No abundance gradients were detected in the targeted galaxies, and the observed oxygen abundances are typically in agreement with the well-known metallicity-luminosity relation. However, three candidate 'tidal dwarf' galaxies lie well off this relation: UGC 5336, Garland, and KDG 61. The nature of these systems suggests that UGC 5336 and Garland are indeed recently formed systems, whereas KDG 61 is most likely a dwarf spheroidal galaxy which lies along the same line of sight as the M81 tidal debris field. We propose that these H II regions formed from previously enriched gas which was stripped from nearby massive galaxies (e.g., NGC 3077 and M81) during a recent tidal interaction.

  15. Resource abundance and distribution drive bee visitation within developing tropical urban landscapes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wojcik, Victoria

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Urban landscapes include a mix of biotic and anthropogenic elements that can interact with and influence species occurrence and behaviour. In order to outline the drivers of bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea occurrence in tropical urban landscapes, foraging patterns and community characteristics were examined at a common and broadly attractive food resource, Tecoma stans (Bignoniaceae. Bee visitation was monitored at 120 individual resources in three cities from June 2007 to March 2009. Resource characteristics, spatial distribution, and other local and regional landscape variables were assessed and then used to develop descriptive regression models of forager visitation. The results indicated that increased bee abundance and taxon richness consistently correlated with increased floral abundance. Resource distribution was also influential, with more spatially aggregated resources receiving more foragers. Individual bee guilds had differential responses to the variables tested, but the significant impact of increased floral abundance was generally conserved. Smaller bodied bee species responded to floral abundance, resource structure, and proximity to natural habitats, suggesting that size-related dispersal abilities structure occurrence patterns in this guild. Larger bees favoured spatially aggregated resources in addition to increased floral abundance, suggesting an optimization of foraging energetics. The impact of the urban matrix was minimal and was only seen in generalist feeders (African honey bees. The strongly resource-driven foraging dynamics described in this study can be used to inform conservation and management practices in urban landscapes.

  16. Ammonia abundances in four comets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wickoff, S.; Tegler, S.C.; Engel, L.

    1991-01-01

    NH2 emission band strengths were measured in four comets and the NH2 column densities were determined in order to measure the ammonia content of the comets. The mean ammonia/water abundance ratio derived for the four comets is found to be 0.13 + or - 0.06 percent, with no significant variation among the comets. The uniformity of this abundance attests to a remarkable degree of chemical homogeneity over large scales in the comet-forming region of the primordial solar nebula, and contrasts with the CO abundance variations found previously in comets. The N2 and NH3 abundances indicate a condensation temperature in the range 20-160 K, consistent with virtually all comet formation hypotheses. 64 refs

  17. Abundance and diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in lakes exposed to Chernobyl-derived ionising radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murphy, J.F.; Nagorskaya, L.L.; Smith, J.T.

    2011-01-01

    Littoral (lake shore) macroinvertebrate communities were studied in eight natural lakes affected by fallout from the Chernobyl accident. The lakes spanned a range in 137 Cs contamination from 100 to 15500 kBq m -2 and estimated external dose rates ranged from 0.13 to 30.7 μGy h -1 . General linear models were used to assess whether abundance of individuals, taxon richness, Berger-Parker dominance and Shannon-Wiener diversity varied across the lakes. Step-wise multiple regressions were used to relate variation in total abundance, taxon richness, Berger-Parker dominance, Shannon-Wiener diversity, taxon richness within major groups of macroinvertebrates and abundance of the more common individual taxa to the measured environmental characteristics (conductivity, pH, total hardness and phosphate; lake area, lake maximum depth and total external dose) of the lakes. No evidence was found in this study that the ecological status of lake communities has been influenced by radioactive contamination from the Chernobyl accident. Indeed, the most contaminated lake, Glubokoye, contained the highest richness of aquatic invertebrates. Taxon richness in the eight study lakes varied from 22 (Svyatskoe no. 7) to 42 (Glubokoye) which spans a range typical for uncontaminated lakes in the region. Since 90 Sr is readily-absorbed by Mollusca, estimated dose rates to this group exceeded those for other invertebrate groups in two lakes (Perstok and Glubokoye). However this study found no association between mollusc diversity or abundance of individual snail species and variation between lakes in the external radiation dose. Indeed Glubokoye, the lake most contaminated by 90 Sr, had the highest richness of freshwater snails per sample (an average of 8.9 taxa per sample). - Highlights: → We studied the effect of radiation on macroinvertebrates in Chernobyl affected lakes. → Abundance, taxon richness, Berger-Parker dominance, Shannon-Wiener diversity evaluated. → No relationship between

  18. 2. Workshop 'Isotopes in Nature'. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-11-01

    The workshop was aimed at discussing in detail the following problems: (1) distribution of stable and radioactive isotopes in nature, (2) theoretical and experimental studies of isotopic effects in natural processes, (3) problems of sample preparation and sample measurement in determining the relative abundance of stable isotopes or radioactive isotopes in nature, (4) age estimations of samples from different areas of the geosphere, (5) contributions to the specification of global and regional substance cycles in nature with the aid of isotopic and geochemical studies. 75 summaries are included

  19. Good Abundances from Bad Spectra: II. Application and a New Stellar Color-Temperature Calibration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, J. Bryn; Wyse, Rosemary F. G.; Gilmore, Gerard

    1995-07-01

    Stellar spectra derived from current multiple-object fiber-fed spectroscopic radial-velocity surveys, of the type feasible with, among other examples, AUTOFIB, 2dF, HYDRA, NESSIE, and the Sloan survey, differ significantly from those traditionally used for determination of stellar abundances. The spectra tend to be of moderate resolution (around 1 A) and signal-to-noise ratio (around 10-20 per resolution element), and cannot usually have reliable continuum shapes determined over wavelength ranges in excess of a few tens of Angstroms. Nonetheless, with care and a calibration of stellar effective temperature from photometry, independent of the spectroscopy, reliable iron abundances can be derived. We have developed techniques to extract true iron abundances and surface gravities from low signal-to-noise ratio, intermediate resolution spectra of G-type stars in the 4000-5000A wavelength region. The theoretical basis and calibration using synthetic spectra are described in detail in another paper (Jones, Gilmore and Wyse, 1995). The practical application of these techniques to observational data, which requires some modification from the ideal case of synthetic data, is given in the present paper. An externally-derived estimate of stellar effective temperature is required in order to constrain parameter space sufficiently; a new derivation of the V-I effective temperature relation is thus an integral part of the analysis presented here. We have derived this relationship from analysis of available relevant data for metal-poor G dwarfs, the first such calibration. We test and calibrate our techniques by analysis of spectra of the twilight sky, of member stars of the cluster M67, and of a set of field stars of known metallicity. We show that this method, combined with our new color-temperature calibration, can provide true iron abundances, with an uncertainty of less than 0.2 dex over the range of metallicty found in the Galactic thick and thin disks, from spectra

  20. A membrane inlet mass spectrometry system for noble gases at natural abundances in gas and water samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Visser, Ate; Singleton, Michael J; Hillegonds, Darren J; Velsko, Carol A; Moran, Jean E; Esser, Bradley K

    2013-11-15

    Noble gases dissolved in groundwater can reveal paleotemperatures, recharge conditions, and precise travel times. The collection and analysis of noble gas samples are cumbersome, involving noble gas purification, cryogenic separation and static mass spectrometry. A quicker and more efficient sample analysis method is required for introduced tracer studies and laboratory experiments. A Noble Gas Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometry (NG-MIMS) system was developed to measure noble gases at natural abundances in gas and water samples. The NG-MIMS system consists of a membrane inlet, a dry-ice water trap, a carbon-dioxide trap, two getters, a gate valve, a turbomolecular pump and a quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an electron multiplier. Noble gases isotopes (4)He, (22)Ne, (38)Ar, (84)Kr and (132)Xe are measured every 10 s. The NG-MIMS system can reproduce measurements made on a traditional noble gas mass spectrometer system with precisions of 2%, 8%, 1%, 1% and 3% for He, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe, respectively. Noble gas concentrations measured in an artificial recharge pond were used to monitor an introduced xenon tracer and to reconstruct temperature variations to within 2 °C. Additional experiments demonstrated the capability to measure noble gases in gas and in water samples, in real time. The NG-MIMS system is capable of providing analyses sufficiently accurate and precise for introduced noble gas tracers at managed aquifer recharge facilities, groundwater fingerprinting based on excess air and noble gas recharge temperature, and field and laboratory studies investigating ebullition and diffusive exchange. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  1. When are genetic methods useful for estimating contemporary abundance and detecting population trends?

    Science.gov (United States)

    David A. Tallmon; Dave Gregovich; Robin S. Waples; C. Scott Baker; Jennifer Jackson; Barbara L. Taylor; Eric Archer; Karen K. Martien; Fred W. Allendorf; Michael K. Schwartz

    2010-01-01

    The utility of microsatellite markers for inferring population size and trend has not been rigorously examined, even though these markers are commonly used to monitor the demography of natural populations. We assessed the ability of a linkage disequilibrium estimator of effective population size (Ne) and a simple capture-recapture estimator of abundance (N) to quantify...

  2. Size-based hydroacoustic measures of within-season fish abundance in a boreal freshwater ecosystem.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Riley A Pollom

    Full Text Available Eleven sequential size-based hydroacoustic surveys conducted with a 200 kHz split-beam transducer during the summers of 2011 and 2012 were used to quantify seasonal declines in fish abundance in a boreal reservoir in Manitoba, Canada. Fish densities were sufficiently low to enable single target resolution and tracking. Target strengths converted to log2-based size-classes indicated that smaller fish were consistently more abundant than larger fish by a factor of approximately 3 for each halving of length. For all size classes, in both years, abundance (natural log declined linearly over the summer at rates that varied from -0.067 x day(-1 for the smallest fish to -0.016 x day(-1 for the largest (R2 = 0.24-0.97. Inter-annual comparisons of size-based abundance suggested that for larger fish (>16 cm, mean winter decline rates were an order of magnitude lower (-0.001 x day(-1 and overall survival higher (71% than in the main summer fishing season (mean loss rate -0.038 x day(-1; survival 33%. We conclude that size-based acoustic survey methods have the potential to assess within-season fish abundance dynamics, and may prove useful in long-term monitoring of productivity and hence management of boreal aquatic ecosystems.

  3. Size-based hydroacoustic measures of within-season fish abundance in a boreal freshwater ecosystem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pollom, Riley A; Rose, George A

    2015-01-01

    Eleven sequential size-based hydroacoustic surveys conducted with a 200 kHz split-beam transducer during the summers of 2011 and 2012 were used to quantify seasonal declines in fish abundance in a boreal reservoir in Manitoba, Canada. Fish densities were sufficiently low to enable single target resolution and tracking. Target strengths converted to log2-based size-classes indicated that smaller fish were consistently more abundant than larger fish by a factor of approximately 3 for each halving of length. For all size classes, in both years, abundance (natural log) declined linearly over the summer at rates that varied from -0.067 x day(-1) for the smallest fish to -0.016 x day(-1) for the largest (R2 = 0.24-0.97). Inter-annual comparisons of size-based abundance suggested that for larger fish (>16 cm), mean winter decline rates were an order of magnitude lower (-0.001 x day(-1)) and overall survival higher (71%) than in the main summer fishing season (mean loss rate -0.038 x day(-1); survival 33%). We conclude that size-based acoustic survey methods have the potential to assess within-season fish abundance dynamics, and may prove useful in long-term monitoring of productivity and hence management of boreal aquatic ecosystems.

  4. Temporal comparison and predictors of fish species abundance and richness on undisturbed coral reef patches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena L.E.S. Wagner

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Large disturbances can cause rapid degradation of coral reef communities, but what baseline changes in species assemblages occur on undisturbed reefs through time? We surveyed live coral cover, reef fish abundance and fish species richness in 1997 and again in 2007 on 47 fringing patch reefs of varying size and depth at Mersa Bareika, Ras Mohammed National Park, Egypt. No major human or natural disturbance event occurred between these two survey periods in this remote protected area. In the absence of large disturbances, we found that live coral cover, reef fish abundance and fish species richness did not differ in 1997 compared to 2007. Fish abundance and species richness on patches was largely related to the presence of shelters (caves and/or holes, live coral cover and patch size (volume. The presence of the ectoparasite-eating cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, was also positively related to fish species richness. Our results underscore the importance of physical reef characteristics, such as patch size and shelter availability, in addition to biotic characteristics, such as live coral cover and cleaner wrasse abundance, in supporting reef fish species richness and abundance through time in a relatively undisturbed and understudied region.

  5. The response of natural enemies to selective insecticides applied to soybean.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varenhorst, A J; O'Neal, M E

    2012-12-01

    Natural enemies of the invasive pest Aphis glycines Matsumura can prevent its establishment and population growth. However, current A. glycines management practices include the application of broad-spectrum insecticides that affect pests and natural enemies that are present in the field at the time of application. An alternative is the use of selective insecticides that affect the targeted pest species, although having a reduced impact on the natural enemies. We tested the effects of esfenvalerate, spirotetramat, imidacloprid, and a combination of spirotetramat and imidacloprid on the natural enemies in soybean during the 2009 and 2010 field season. The natural enemy community that was tested differed significantly between 2009 and 2010 (F = 87.41; df = 1, 598; P natural enemy in 2009 was Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (56.0%) and in 2010 was Orius insidiosus (Say) (41.0%). During 2009, the abundance of natural enemies did not vary between the broad-spectrum and selective insecticides; however, the abundance of natural enemies was reduced by all insecticide treatments when compared with the untreated control. In 2010, the selective insecticide imidacloprid had more natural enemies than the broad-spectrum insecticide. Although we did not observe a difference in the abundance of the total natural enemy community in 2009, we did observe more H. axyridis in plots treated with spirotetramat. In 2010, we observed more O. insidiosus in plots treated with imidacloprid. We suggest a couple of mechanisms to explain how the varying insecticides have different impacts on separate components of the natural enemy community.

  6. Diet, abundance and distribution as indices of turbot ( Psetta maxima L.) release habitat suitability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sparrevohn, Claus Reedtz; Støttrup, Josianne

    2008-01-01

    , natural abundance, and depth distribution within the habitats. A marked difference was found among habitats in the timing of the diet change from the suboptimal exoskeleton carrying prey items such as crustaceans to fish. The habitat where the wild turbot had the lowest occurrence of fish in their diet...

  7. Effect of Plant Diversity on Diversity and Abundance of Arthropods in Winter Wheat Fields

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A Khodashenas

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Plant biomass and diversity play an important role in enhancing of biodiversity of other trophic levels, specially arthropods in terrestrial ecosystems. In order to determine the effects of plants on diversity and abundance of arthropods, a study was carried out in three regions of Razavi and northern Khorasan provinces, Shirvan, Mashhad and Gonabad. In each region, high and low input fields of winter wheat and a natural system for comparison were selected. In ripening stage of wheat growth (90 stage of Zadoks, sampling was done by use of quadrate in each system with five replications. Plants in each quadrate were counted and species richness of plants was determined. Insect sampling was done by sweep net from surface of plants, then species richness and abundance of collected insects were determined. As a result, agricultural practices decreased plant species richness but diversity and abundance of insects and spiders increased in agricultural systems. Our finding revealed that abundance of insects and spiders were not affected by plant species richness and plant biomass was the main factor affecting on species richness and abundance of insects, spiders and beneficial insects. Therefore, decreasing plant species richness that arose from agricultural practices doesn’t effect on arthropods diversity and abundance and doesn’t decrease sustainability of agricultural systems. Irregular use of chemical inputs, specially pesticides, is the main factor to decreasing of plants and arthropods species richness in agricultural systems. Keywords: Plant diversity, Arthropod diversity, Arthropod abundance, Plant-insect interactions, Agricultural systems

  8. NATURAL BASEMENT VENTILATION AS A RADON MITIGATION TECHNIQUE

    Science.gov (United States)

    The report documents a study of natural basement ventilation in two research houses during both the summer cooling season and the winter heating season. NOTE: Natural basement ventilation has always been recommended as a way to reduce radon levels in houses. However, its efficacy...

  9. Upper bounds for the changes of natural frequencies due to dynamic partitioning techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peters, K.; Wagner, U.; Albus, E.

    1981-01-01

    Dynamic partitioning or substructuring is the reduction of degrees of freedom by neglecting the dynamical influence of higher modes of certain substructure. One of the major reasons for these techniques not being widely accepted is the lack of criteria to judge the accuracy of the computed data. So far as natural frequencies are concerned a theorem is formulated which gives upper bounds for the error due to dynamic substructuring. The theorem is tested by applying it to a special statically exact substructuring method which is gained from a fixed-mode approach. The error estimation turns out to be strict enough to decide on the validity of DOF-reduction. (orig.)

  10. Trade policies, institutions and the natural resource curse

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arezki, R.; van der Ploeg, F.

    2010-01-01

    We offer new cross-country evidence on the natural resource curse. We investigate the impact of the interaction of natural resource abundance and policies on growth. We find that the resource curse is less severe in countries with less restrictive trade policies and good institutions. However, we

  11. Road Impacts on Abundance, Call Traits, and Body Size of Rainforest Frogs in Northeast Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Conrad J. Hoskin

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Frogs are potentially sensitive indicators of road impacts, with studies indicating particular susceptibility to road mortality. Calling, i.e., breeding, behavior could also be affected by traffic noise. We investigated effects on frog abundance and calling behavior where a busy highway crosses rainforest stream breeding habitat in northeast Australia. Frog abundance was repeatedly surveyed along five stream transects during a summer breeding season. Abundance of two species, Litoria rheocola and Austrochaperina pluvialis, increased significantly with perpendicular distance from the road along two transects. No trends in abundance were detected for A. pluvialis on two other transects where it was common, or for Litoria serrata on one transect where abundance was sufficient for analysis. Both species with lowered abundance near the road, L. rheocola and A. pluvialis, are rare in road kill statistics along this highway, suggesting road mortality is not the cause of reduced frog abundance near the road. We postulate that lowered abundance may reflect traffic noise effects. We analyzed calls of the International Union for Conservation of Nature endangered species L. rheocola along the one stream transect on which it was common. We found significant trends in two call traits over a very fine scale: both call rate and dominant frequency were significantly higher closer to the road. Furthermore, males were significantly smaller closer to the road. These call and body size trends most likely reflect road impacts, but resolving these is complicated by correlations between traits. Potential mechanisms, effects on fitness, and management recommendations to mitigate the impacts of roads on frogs are outlined.

  12. Meiofaunal abundances and faunal similarity on the continental rise off the coast of California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohal, Melissa; Thistle, David; Easton, Erin E.

    2014-11-01

    Metazoan meiofauna (e.g., nematodes, benthic copepods) play important roles in deep-sea sediment communities, but information as basic as standing stocks is not known for much of the world ocean. We therefore sampled six stations: one near the 2700-m isobath and one near the 3700-m isobath off northern, central, and southern California. We counted benthic copepods, both Desmoscolecidae and nondesmoscolecid nematodes, kinorhynchs, nauplii, and ostracods from multiple-corer samples. Nematodes from our 2700-m and 3700-m stations, and ostracods and nauplii from our 3700-m stations, were unusually abundant compared to those from other stations from comparable depths in the Pacific. Off California, the abundances of benthic copepods, kinorhynchs, and nondesmoscolecids at the 2700-m stations were significantly greater than those at the 3700-m stations. Abundance of benthic copepods was correlated with the percentage of medium sand in the sediment, so sediment texture could be important to them. That of kinorhynchs was correlated with the concentration of chloroplastic-pigment equivalents and percentage nitrogen, so consumable material from the euphotic zone could be important to them. In contrast to the usual pattern of decreasing abundance with depth, Desmoscolecidae abundance in the central region was greater at the 3700-m than at the 2700-m station. The three regions differed significantly in both kinorhynch and ostracod abundances, independently of depth. In the food-poor deep sea, animals are expected to be more abundant where food is plentiful. Unexpectedly, ostracod abundance was negatively correlated with all food variables. A possible explanation is that the natural enemies of ostracods are abundant where food is abundant. Multivariate faunal similarity at 2700 m differed significantly from that at 3700 m, independently of regions. Benthic copepods were most responsible for the difference. Regions also differed in multivariate faunal similarity independently of

  13. Natural radionuclides monitoring in Lombardia drinking water by liquid scintillation technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forte, M.; Rusconi, R.; Bellinsona, S.; Sgorbati, G.

    2002-01-01

    Concern about total radionuclides content in water intended for human consumption has been brought to public attention by the recent Council Directive 98/83/EC, subsequently enforced through an Italian law (DL 31, February 2., 2001). Parameter values have been fixed for Tritium content and total indicative dose: the Directive points out that the total indicative dose must be evaluated excluding Tritium, 4 0K , 1 4C , Radon and its decay products, but including all other natural series radionuclides. Maximum concentration values for Radon are separately proposed in Commission Recommendation 2001/928/Euratom. Tritium determination follows a well established procedure, standardised by International Standard Organisation (ISO 9698, 1989). On the contrary, total indicative dose evaluation requires more specific and cumbersome procedures for the measurement of radioactivity content, with special regard to natural series radionuclides. The large number of possibly involved radionuclides and the good sensitivities required make the application of traditional analytical techniques unsuitable in view of a large scale monitoring program. World Health Organisation (WHO 1993 and 1996) guidelines for drinking water suggest performing an indirect evaluation of committed dose by measuring alpha and beta gross radioactivity and checking compliance to derived limit values; the proposed limit values are 0,1 Bq/l for gross alpha and 1 Bq/l for gross beta radioactivity. Nevertheless, it is desirable to identify single radionuclides contribution to alpha and beta activity in order to perform more accurate measurements of committed dose

  14. Natural abundances of 15Nitrogen and 13Carbon indicative of growth and N2 fixation in potassium fed lentil grown under water stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurdali, F.; Alshmmaa, M.

    2010-01-01

    Dual natural abundance analysis of 15 N and 13 C isotopes in lentil plants subjected to different soil moisture levels and rates of potassium fertilizer (K) were determined to assess crop performance variability in terms of growth and N 2 -fixation (Ndfa). δ 15 N values in lentils ranged from +0.67 to +1.36%; whereas, those of the N 2 -fixed and reference plant were -0.45 and +2.94%, respectively. Consequently, the Ndfa% ranged from 45 and 65% of total plant N uptake. Water stress reduced Δ 13 C values. However, K fertilization enhanced whole plant Δ 13 C along with dry matter yield and N 2 -fixation. The water stressed plants amended with K fertilizer seemed to be the best treatment because of its highest pod yield, high N balance and N 2 -fixation with low consumption of irrigation water. This illustrates the ecological and economical importance of K fertilizer in alleviating water stress occurring during the post-flowering period of lentil. (author)

  15. Conformational study of C8 diazocine turn mimics using {sup 3}J{sub CH} coupling constants with {sup 13}C in natural abundance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bean, J.W.; Briand, J.; Burgess, J.L.; Callahan, J.F. [SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, King of Prussia, PA (United States)

    1994-12-01

    The conformations of two diazocine turn mimics, which were later incorporated into GPIIb/IIIa peptide antagonists, were investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. The two compounds, methyl (2,5-dioxo-3-(S)-(3-{omega}-tosylguanidino-propyl)-4-methyl-octahydro-1,4-dazocin-1-yl)acetate (1) and methyl (2,5-dioxo-3-(S)-(3-{omega}-tosyl-guanidino-propyl)-octahydro-1,5-diazocin-1-yl)acetate (2), differ only in their substituent at the diazocine position 4 nitrogen, yet this substitution results in a marked difference in the affinity of the resulting analogs for the GPIIb/IIIa receptor. It was of interest to determine if the difference observed in the antagonistic potency between these analogs was related to constitutional or, perhaps, conformational differences. The backbone conformations of these two molecules can be determined by measuring vicinal coupling constants along the trimethylene portion of the C8 ring backbone and by measuring interproton NOE intensities between the diazocine methine proton and the protons of the trimethylene group. For compound 1, {sup 3}J{sub HH} values measured from a P.E.COSY spectrum and interproton distances calculated from ROESY buildup curves indicated the presence of a single C8 ring backbone conformation where the trimethylene bridge adopted a staggered conformation and the H{alpha}1 and H{gamma}1 protons of the trimethylene group were 2.2 A from the methine proton. For compound 2, however, partial overlap of the central H{beta}1 and H{beta}2 protons made it impossible to measure {sup 3}J{sub HH} values from the P.E.COSY spectrum. We therefore used a {sup 13}C-filtered TOCSY experiment to measure the {sup 3}J{sub CH} values in both compounds 1 and 2. These heteronuclear vicinal coupling constants measured with {sup 13}C in natural abundance in conjunction with measured interproton NOE intensities indicate that these compounds share a common C8 ring backbone conformation.

  16. Magellanic Clouds Cepheids: Thorium Abundances

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yeuncheol Jeong

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The analysis of the high-resolution spectra of 31 Magellanic Clouds Cepheid variables enabled the identification of thorium lines. The abundances of thorium were found with spectrum synthesis method. The calculated thorium abundances exhibit correlations with the abundances of other chemical elements and atmospheric parameters of the program stars. These correlations are similar for both Clouds. The correlations of iron abundances of thorium, europium, neodymium, and yttrium relative to the pulsational periods are different in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC, namely the correlations are negative for LMC and positive or close to zero for SMC. One of the possible explanations can be the higher activity of nucleosynthesis in SMC with respect to LMC in the recent several hundred million years.

  17. Should Ecosystem Management Involve Active Control of Species Abundances?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert B. Lessard

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available We review four case studies in which there is a risk of extinction or severe reduction in highly valued species if we ignore either, or both, of two ecosystem control options. "Symptomatic control" implies direct control of extinction risk through direct harvesting or culling of competitors and predators. "Systemic control" implies treating the causes of the problem that led to an unnaturally high abundance in the first place. We demonstrate, with a discussion of historically observed population trends, how surprising trophic interactions can emerge as a result of alterations to a system. Simulation models were developed for two of the case studies as aids to adaptive policy design, to expose possible abundance changes caused by trophic interactions and to highlight key uncertainties about possible responses to ecosystem management policies involving active intervention to control abundances. With reasonable parameter values, these models predict a wide range of possible responses given available data, but do indicate a good chance that active control would reverse declines and reverse extinction risks. We find that controlling seal (Phoca vitulina populations in the Georgia Strait increases juvenile survival rates of commercial salmon (Oncorhynchus spp. species, but that commensurate increases in hake populations from decreased seal predation could be a compensatory source of predation on juvenile salmon. We also show that wolf (Canis lupus control and moose (Alces alces harvest bring about a recovery in caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou populations, where simple habitat protection policies fail to recover caribou before wolf predation causes severe declines. The results help address a common problem in disturbed ecosystems, where controlling extinction risks can mean choosing between active control of species abundance or establishing policies of protection, and allowing threatened species to recover naturally.

  18. Technical Report: Algorithm and Implementation for Quasispecies Abundance Inference with Confidence Intervals from Metagenomic Sequence Data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McLoughlin, Kevin [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2016-01-11

    This report describes the design and implementation of an algorithm for estimating relative microbial abundances, together with confidence limits, using data from metagenomic DNA sequencing. For the background behind this project and a detailed discussion of our modeling approach for metagenomic data, we refer the reader to our earlier technical report, dated March 4, 2014. Briefly, we described a fully Bayesian generative model for paired-end sequence read data, incorporating the effects of the relative abundances, the distribution of sequence fragment lengths, fragment position bias, sequencing errors and variations between the sampled genomes and the nearest reference genomes. A distinctive feature of our modeling approach is the use of a Chinese restaurant process (CRP) to describe the selection of genomes to be sampled, and thus the relative abundances. The CRP component is desirable for fitting abundances to reads that may map ambiguously to multiple targets, because it naturally leads to sparse solutions that select the best representative from each set of nearly equivalent genomes.

  19. Livestock grazing intensity affects abundance of Common shrews (Sorex araneus) in two meadows in Denmark

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Niels M; Olsen, Henrik; Leirs, Herwig

    2009-01-01

    Background Current nature conservation in semi-natural grasslands often includes grazing and hay cutting, as well as the abandonment of draining. Semi-natural grassland and in particular meadows constitute important habitat type for a large number of animal species in today's fragmented and intensively cultivated landscape of Europe. Here we focus on the population characteristics of Common shrews Sorex araneus in relation to livestock grazing intensity in two wet meadows in western Denmark. Results High grazing intensity had a significant negative effect on Common shrew number compared to low grazing intensity and no grazing. Common shrew abundance was generally, but not significantly, higher on the low grazing intensity plots than on the ungrazed controls. No differences in body mass, sex ratio, or reproductive output between Common shrew individuals from the various grazing treatments were found. Conclusion No negative effects of low intensity grazing on Common shrew abundance were found compared to the ungrazed control. Low intensity grazing thus seems a suitable management regime for Common shrews, when grazing is needed as part of the meadow management scheme. High intensity grazing on the other hand is not a suitable management tool. PMID:19152713

  20. Livestock grazing intensity affects abundance of Common shrews (Sorex araneus in two meadows in Denmark

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olsen Henrik

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Current nature conservation in semi-natural grasslands often includes grazing and hay cutting, as well as the abandonment of draining. Semi-natural grassland and in particular meadows constitute important habitat type for a large number of animal species in today's fragmented and intensively cultivated landscape of Europe. Here we focus on the population characteristics of Common shrews Sorex araneus in relation to livestock grazing intensity in two wet meadows in western Denmark. Results High grazing intensity had a significant negative effect on Common shrew number compared to low grazing intensity and no grazing. Common shrew abundance was generally, but not significantly, higher on the low grazing intensity plots than on the ungrazed controls. No differences in body mass, sex ratio, or reproductive output between Common shrew individuals from the various grazing treatments were found. Conclusion No negative effects of low intensity grazing on Common shrew abundance were found compared to the ungrazed control. Low intensity grazing thus seems a suitable management regime for Common shrews, when grazing is needed as part of the meadow management scheme. High intensity grazing on the other hand is not a suitable management tool.

  1. The seasonal role of field characteristics on seed-eating bird abundances in agricultural landscapes

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Emmanuel ZUFIAURRE; Mariano CODESIDO; Agustín M.ABBA; David BILENCA

    2017-01-01

    In temperate agroecosystems,avian responses in abundance and distribution to landscape attributes may be exacerbated by the coupling of natural seasons and farming practices.We assessed the seasonal roles of field WPe,field use in the surroundings,and distance from a field to the nearest woodlot on the abundance of seed-eating birds in a 225,000 km2 study area in the Pampas of central Argentina.During spring-summer and autumn of 2011-2013,we randomly selected 392 fields and used transect samples to collect data on abundance and presence of seed-eating bird species.We recorded a total of 11,579 individuals belonging to 15 seed-eating bird species.We used generalized lineal mixed models to relate bird abundance to field type,field use in the surroundings,and distance to the nearest woodlot.In spring-summer (breeding season) most bird responses were associated with their nesting requirements.Species that build their nests in trees,such as eared doves Zenaida auriculata,picazuro pigeons Patagioenas picazuro,and monk parakeets Myiopsitta monachus,were more abundant in fields closer to woodlots,whereas grassland yellow-finches Sicalis luteola,which nest at areas with tall grasses,were more abundant in fields with livestock use patches in the field surroundings.In autumn (non-breeding season),most bird responses were associated with foraging and refuge needs.The high abundance of eared doves in crop stubbles and the association of pigeons at field surroundings dominated by croplands or at crop stubbles surrounded by livestock use fields revealed the intimate association of these species to sites with high availability of food resources.In addition,both picazuro pigeons and spot-winged pigeons Patagioenas maculosa were associated with woodlots,which provide suitable roosting sites.Our results show that in temperate agroecosystems,the relationships between field characteristics and seed-eating bird abundances vary with season.

  2. The seasonal role of field characteristics on seed-eating bird abundances in agricultural landscapes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Codesido, Mariano; Abba, Agustín M.; Bilenca, David

    2017-01-01

    Abstract In temperate agroecosystems, avian responses in abundance and distribution to landscape attributes may be exacerbated by the coupling of natural seasons and farming practices. We assessed the seasonal roles of field type, field use in the surroundings, and distance from a field to the nearest woodlot on the abundance of seed-eating birds in a 225,000 km2 study area in the Pampas of central Argentina. During spring-summer and autumn of 2011–2013, we randomly selected 392 fields and used transect samples to collect data on abundance and presence of seed-eating bird species. We recorded a total of 11,579 individuals belonging to 15 seed-eating bird species. We used generalized lineal mixed models to relate bird abundance to field type, field use in the surroundings, and distance to the nearest woodlot. In spring-summer (breeding season) most bird responses were associated with their nesting requirements. Species that build their nests in trees, such as eared doves Zenaida auriculata, picazuro pigeons Patagioenas picazuro, and monk parakeets Myiopsitta monachus, were more abundant in fields closer to woodlots, whereas grassland yellow-finches Sicalis luteola, which nest at areas with tall grasses, were more abundant in fields with livestock use patches in the field surroundings. In autumn (non-breeding season), most bird responses were associated with foraging and refuge needs. The high abundance of eared doves in crop stubbles and the association of pigeons at field surroundings dominated by croplands or at crop stubbles surrounded by livestock use fields revealed the intimate association of these species to sites with high availability of food resources. In addition, both picazuro pigeons and spot-winged pigeons Patagioenas maculosa were associated with woodlots, which provide suitable roosting sites. Our results show that in temperate agroecosystems, the relationships between field characteristics and seed-eating bird abundances vary with season. PMID

  3. Ultrasound assisted extraction of food and natural products. Mechanisms, techniques, combinations, protocols and applications. A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chemat, Farid; Rombaut, Natacha; Sicaire, Anne-Gaëlle; Meullemiestre, Alice; Fabiano-Tixier, Anne-Sylvie; Abert-Vian, Maryline

    2017-01-01

    This review presents a complete picture of current knowledge on ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) in food ingredients and products, nutraceutics, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and bioenergy applications. It provides the necessary theoretical background and some details about extraction by ultrasound, the techniques and their combinations, the mechanisms (fragmentation, erosion, capillarity, detexturation, and sonoporation), applications from laboratory to industry, security, and environmental impacts. In addition, the ultrasound extraction procedures and the important parameters influencing its performance are also included, together with the advantages and the drawbacks of each UAE techniques. Ultrasound-assisted extraction is a research topic, which affects several fields of modern plant-based chemistry. All the reported applications have shown that ultrasound-assisted extraction is a green and economically viable alternative to conventional techniques for food and natural products. The main benefits are decrease of extraction and processing time, the amount of energy and solvents used, unit operations, and CO 2 emissions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Environmental influence on cyanobacteria abundance and microcystin toxin production in a shallow temperate lake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Tammy A; Rollwagen-Bollens, Gretchen; Bollens, Stephen M; Faber-Hammond, Joshua J

    2015-04-01

    The increasing frequency of harmful cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater systems is a commonly recognized problem due to detrimental effects on water quality. Vancouver Lake, a shallow, tidally influenced lake in the flood plain of the Columbia River within the city of Vancouver, WA, USA, has experienced numerous summertime cyanobacterial blooms, dominated by Aphanizomenon sp. and Anabaena sp. Cyanobacteria abundance and toxin (microcystin) levels have been monitored in this popular urban lake for several years; however, no previous studies have identified which cyanobacteria species produce toxins, nor analyzed how changes in environmental variables contribute to the fluctuations in toxic cyanobacteria populations. We used a suite of molecular techniques to analyze water samples from Vancouver Lake over two summer bloom cycles (2009 and 2010). Both intracellular and extracellular microcystin concentrations were measured using an ELISA kit. Intracellular microcystin concentrations exceeded WHO guidelines for recreational waters several times throughout the sampling period. PCR results demonstrated that Microcystis sp. was the sole microcystin-producing cyanobacteria species present in Vancouver Lake, although Microcystis sp. was rarely detected in microscopical counts. qPCR results indicated that the majority of the Microcystis sp. population contained the toxin-producing gene (mcyE), although Microcystis sp. abundance rarely exceeded 1 percent of overall cyanobacteria abundance. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) revealed that PO4-P was the main environmental variable influencing the abundance of toxic and non-toxic cyanobacteria, as well as intracellular microcystin concentrations. Our study underscores the importance of using molecular genetic techniques, in addition to traditional microscopy, to assess the importance of less conspicuous species in the dynamics of harmful algal blooms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. A novel method for collection of soil-emitted nitric oxide (NO) for natural abundance stable N isotope analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Z.; Elliott, E. M.

    2016-12-01

    The global inventory of NO emissions is poorly constrained with a large portion of the uncertainty attributed to soil NO emissions that result from soil abiotic and microbial processes. While natural abundance stable N isotopes (δ15N) in various soil N-containing compounds have proven to be a robust tracer of soil N cycling, soil δ15N-NO is rarely quantified mainly due to the diffuse nature, low concentrations, and high reactivity of soil-emitted NO. Here, we present the development and application of a dynamic flux chamber system capable of simultaneously measuring soil NO fluxes and collecting NO for δ15N-NO measurements. The system couples a widely used flow-through soil chamber with a NO collection train, in which NO can be converted to NO2 through O3 titration in a Teflon reaction coil, followed by NO2 collection in a 20% triethanolamine (TEA) solution as nitrite and nitrate for δ15N analysis using the denitrifier method. The efficiency of NO-NO2 conversion in the reaction coil and the recovery of NO in the TEA solution were determined experimentally and found to be quantitative (>99%) over a 10 to 749 ppbv NO mixing ratio range. An analytical NO tank (δ15N-NO=71.0±0.4‰) was used to calibrate the method for δ15N-NO analysis. The resulting accuracy and precision (1σ) of the method across various environmental conditions were 1.6‰ and 1.2‰, respectively. Using this new method, controlled laboratory incubations have been conducted to characterize NO emissions induced by rewetting of air-dried surface soil sampled from an urban forest. Pulsed NO emissions, up to 30 times higher than maximum soil NO emissions under steady state, were triggered upon the rewetting and lasted for next 36 hours. While the measured δ15N-NO over the course of the NO pulsing ranged from -52.0‰ and -34.6‰, reinforcing the notion that soil δ15N-NO is lower than those of fossil-fuel combustion sources, a transient δ15N-NO shift was captured immediately after the

  6. Experimental study of natural two-phase flow circulation using a visualization technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vinhas, Pedro A.M.; Su, Jian

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents an experimental study of natural two-phase flow in a circuit that simulates, on a smaller scale, a typical residual heat removal system of passive reactors APWR (Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor). The circuit was formed by a heater, a heat exchanger and piping. The experimental study was the application of a visualization technique, using a high speed camera, for measuring the size and speed of vapor bubbles generated in the heater with different power heating. The camera was positioned in the central region of the pipe connecting the heater to the heat exchanger, where there is a clear passage. The flow of images were processed and analyzed using commercial software that allowed the determination of the length and velocity of the bubbles. The results were then compared with correlations available in literature

  7. CHLORINE ABUNDANCES IN COOL STARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maas, Z. G.; Pilachowski, C. A. [Indiana University Bloomington, Astronomy Department, Swain West 319, 727 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-7105 (United States); Hinkle, K., E-mail: zmaas@indiana.edu, E-mail: cpilacho@indiana.edu, E-mail: hinkle@noao.edu [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, AZ 85726 (United States)

    2016-12-01

    Chlorine abundances are reported in 15 evolved giants and 1 M dwarf in the solar neighborhood. The Cl abundance was measured using the vibration-rotation 1-0 P8 line of H{sup 35}Cl at 3.69851 μ m. The high-resolution L -band spectra were observed using the Phoenix infrared spectrometer on the Kitt Peak Mayall 4 m telescope. The average [{sup 35}Cl/Fe] abundance in stars with −0.72 < [Fe/H] < 0.20 is [{sup 35}Cl/Fe] = (−0.10 ± 0.15) dex. The mean difference between the [{sup 35}Cl/Fe] ratios measured in our stars and chemical evolution model values is (0.16 ± 0.15) dex. The [{sup 35}Cl/Ca] ratio has an offset of ∼0.35 dex above model predictions, suggesting that chemical evolution models are underproducing Cl at the high metallicity range. Abundances of C, N, O, Si, and Ca were also measured in our spectral region and are consistent with F and G dwarfs. The Cl versus O abundances from our sample match Cl abundances measured in planetary nebula and H ii regions. In one star where both H{sup 35}Cl and H{sup 37}Cl could be measured, a {sup 35}Cl/{sup 37}Cl isotope ratio of 2.2 ± 0.4 was found, consistent with values found in the Galactic ISM and predicted chemical evolution models.

  8. Sediment Origin Determination in the Sub-Catchment of Mistelbach (Austria) using Fatty Acids Biomarkers and Compound-Specific Stable Isotope Techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mabit, L.; Chen, X.; Resch, C.; Toloza, A.; Meusburger, K.; Alewell, C.; Gibbs, M.; Klik, A.; Eder, A.; Strauss, P.

    2016-01-01

    Compound-specific stable isotope (CSSI) signatures of inherent soil organic biomarkers allow discriminating and apportioning the source of soil contribution from different land uses. Plant communities label the soil where they grow by exuding organic biomarkers. Although all plants produce the same biomarkers, the stable isotopic signature of those biomarkers is different for each plant species. For agri-environmental investigations, the CSSI technique is based on the measurement of carbon-13 ( 13 C) natural abundance signatures of specific organic compounds such as natural fatty acids (FAs) in the soil. By linking fingerprints of land use to the sediment in deposition zones, this approach has been shown to be a useful technique for determining the source of eroded soil and thereby identifying areas prone to soil degradation. The authors have used this innovative technique to investigate a 3 hectares sub-catchment of Mistelbach situated 60 km north of Vienna. Using the 137 Cs technique, Mabit et al. (2009) reported a local maximum sedimentation rate reaching 20 to 50 t ha -1 yr -1 in the lowest part of this Austrian catchment. To test the ability of the CSSI technique to discriminate different sediment sources of these deposited sediments, representative soil samples from four main agricultural fields of the site were analyzed

  9. Landscape Effects on the Presence, Abundance and Diversity of Mosquitoes in Mediterranean Wetlands.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Roiz

    Full Text Available Environment determines the distribution of mosquito-borne diseases in that it influences the vector-host-pathogen transmission cycle, including vector distribution, abundance and diversity. In this study, we analyse the relationship between environmental variables estimated by remote sensing and the spatial distribution (presence, abundance and diversity of seven mosquito species vectors of West Nile and other pathogens (Usutu, avian malaria and dirofilariasis in the Doñana Natural Park, Spain. Traps were distributed over an area of 54,984 ha divided into six ecological units: marshland, sand dunes, scrubland, ricefields, crops and fishponds. We collected mosquitoes once a month from up to 112 locations using BG-Sentinel traps baited with BG-lure and CO2 during March-November 2010. Hydroperiod, NDVI and Inundation surface were estimated at several resolution scales (100, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 metres from corrected and normalized Landsat Images. We sampled 972,346 female mosquitoes, the most abundant species being Culex theileri, Ochlerotatus caspius, Culex modestus, Culex perexiguus, Culex pipiens, Anopheles atroparvus and Ochlerotatus detritus. Our results suggest that: (1 hydroperiod, inundation surface and NDVI are strongly related to the spatial distribution of mosquitoes; (2 the spatial scales used to measure these variables affected quantification of these relationships, the larger scale being more informative; (3 these relationships are species-specific; (4 hydroperiod is negatively related to mosquito presence and richness; (5 Culex abundance is positively related to hydroperiod; (6 NDVI is positively related to mosquito diversity, presence and abundance, except in the case of the two salt marsh species (Oc. caspius and Oc. detritus; and (7 inundation surfaces positively condition the abundance and richness of most species except the salt marsh mosquitoes. Remote sensing data provided reliable information for monitoring mosquito

  10. Production Of Hollow Toy Product From Radiation Pre vulcanized Natural Rubber Latex (RVNRL) By Using Casting And Moulding Technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohd Noorwadi Mat Lazim; Sofian Ibrahim; Muhammad Saiful Omar

    2013-01-01

    Hollow toy products are very synonym to the child from the age of months since it able to stimulating each of their sense such as sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. Most of hollow toy products are made from natural rubber latex by using moulding and casting technique. The moulding and casting technique is a manufacturing process by pored liquid latex into a mould, which contain cavity of the desired shape. The mould made from plaster of Paris able to absorbs water from latex meanwhile the presence of calcium ions from plaster of Paris will tend to diffuse into latex thus promote formation of deposit on surface of cavity mould. To improve the quality and safety of hollow toy product made from latex, Radiation Pre vulcanized Natural Rubber Latex (RVNRL) has been identified to be used because it can fulfill the standard requirement for latex and also due to its special abilities such as lower modulus (soft latex products), nitrosamines free, low in nitrosatables, free from chemical accelerators induced allergies and better biodegradability. This paper identify the problem appears from the process of making hollow toy products from RVNRL by using moulding and casting technique. (author)

  11. High abundance of neotropical drosophilids (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in four cultivated areas of central Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emerich, Pp; Valadão, H; Silva, Jrvp; Tidon, R

    2012-04-01

    The drosophilid assemblages of four cultivated areas (soy, bean, corn, and orange plantations) grown in the core of the Neotropical region were analyzed by comparing their abundances and compositions. The collections, which were gathered using 38 banana traps, captured 12,560 drosophilids, including nine Neotropical and six exotic species. Most of the flies were collected in the bean (43%) and soy (42%) fields. The composition and relative abundance of species also varied among cultivated areas, with orange orchards presenting the highest relative abundance of exotics due to the dominance of the Afrotropical Zaprionus indianus (Gupta). Crop plantations were dominated by a Neotropical species, Drosophila cardini (Sturtevant), which has been shown to be well adapted to dry and disturbed environments. We discuss the drosophilid assemblages of the cultivated areas, comparing them with assemblages from neighbor urban and natural environments. The low drosophilid richness found in this study is similar to the richness found in urban environments and lower than the drosophilid richness of forests, supporting a pattern already known for other taxa. The high abundance of drosophilids in cultivated areas, as well as the dominance of a Neotropical species (D. cardini) in the crop assemblages, was a surprising result.

  12. Abundances, Ionization States, Temperatures, and FIP in Solar Energetic Particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reames, Donald V.

    2018-04-01

    The relative abundances of chemical elements and isotopes have been our most effective tool in identifying and understanding the physical processes that control populations of energetic particles. The early surprise in solar energetic particles (SEPs) was 1000-fold enhancements in {}3He/{}4He from resonant wave-particle interactions in the small "impulsive" SEP events that emit electron beams that produce type III radio bursts. Further studies found enhancements in Fe/O, then extreme enhancements in element abundances that increase with mass-to-charge ratio A/Q, rising by a factor of 1000 from He to Au or Pb arising in magnetic reconnection regions on open field lines in solar jets. In contrast, in the largest SEP events, the "gradual" events, acceleration occurs at shock waves driven out from the Sun by fast, wide coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Averaging many events provides a measure of solar coronal abundances, but A/Q-dependent scattering during transport causes variations with time; thus if Fe scatters less than O, Fe/O is enhanced early and depleted later. To complicate matters, shock waves often reaccelerate impulsive suprathermal ions left over or trapped above active regions that have spawned many impulsive events. Direct measurements of ionization states Q show coronal temperatures of 1-2 MK for most gradual events, but impulsive events often show stripping by matter traversal after acceleration. Direct measurements of Q are difficult and often unavailable. Since both impulsive and gradual SEP events have abundance enhancements that vary as powers of A/Q, we can use abundances to deduce the probable Q-values and the source plasma temperatures during acceleration, ≈3 MK for impulsive SEPs. This new technique also allows multiple spacecraft to measure temperature variations across the face of a shock wave, measurements otherwise unavailable and provides a new understanding of abundance variations in the element He. Comparing coronal abundances from SEPs

  13. Bringing abundance into environmental politics: Constructing a Zionist network of water abundance, immigration, and colonization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alatout, Samer

    2009-06-01

    For more than five decades, resource scarcity has been the lead story in debates over environmental politics. More importantly, and whenever environmental politics implies conflict, resource scarcity is constructed as the culprit. Abundance of resources, if at all visited in the literature, holds less importance. Resource abundance is seen, at best, as the other side of scarcity--maybe the successful conclusion of multiple interventions that may turn scarcity into abundance. This paper reinstates abundance as a politico-environmental category in its own right. Rather than relegating abundance to a second-order environmental actor that matters only on occasion, this paper foregrounds it as a crucial element in modern environmental politics. On the substantive level, and using insights from science and technology studies, especially a slightly modified actor-network framework, I describe the emergence and consolidation of a Zionist network of abundance, immigration, and colonization in Palestine between 1918 and 1948. The essential argument here is that water abundance was constructed as fact, and became a political rallying point around which a techno-political network emerged that included a great number of elements. To name just a few, the following were enrolled in the service of such a network: geologists, geophysicists, Zionist settlement experts, Zionist organizations, political and technical categories of all sorts, Palestinians as the negated others, Palestinian revolts in search of political rights, the British Mandate authorities, the hydrological system of Palestine, and the absorptive capacity of Palestine, among others. The point was to successfully articulate these disparate elements into a network that seeks opening Palestine for Jewish immigration, redefining Palestinian geography and history through Judeo-Christian Biblical narratives, and, in the process, de-legitimizing political Palestinian presence in historic Palestine.

  14. Microbial composition of the Korean traditional food "kochujang" analyzed by a massive sequencing technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nam, Young-Do; Park, So-lim; Lim, Seong-Il

    2012-04-01

    Kochujang is a traditional Korean fermented food that is made with red pepper, glutinous rice, salt, and soybean. Kochujang is fermented by naturally occurring microorganisms through which it obtains various health-promoting properties. In this study, the bacterial diversities of 9 local and 2 commercial brands of kochujang were analyzed with a barcoded pyrosequencing technique targeting the hyper-variable regions V1/V2 of the 16S rRNA gene. Through the analysis of 13524 bacterial pyrosequences, 223 bacterial species were identified, most of which converged on the phylum Firmicutes (average 93.1%). All of the kochujang samples were largely populated (>90.9% of abundance) by 12 bacterial families, and Bacillaceae showed the highest abundance in all but one sample. Bacillus subtilis and B. licheniformis were the most dominant bacterial species and were broadly distributed among the kochujang samples. Each sample contained a high abundance of region-specific bacterial species, such as B. sonorensis, B. pumilus, Weissella salipiscis, and diverse unidentified Bacillus species. Phylotype- and phylogeny-based community comparison analysis showed that the microbial communities of the two commercial brands were different from those of the local brands. Moreover, each local brand kochujang sample had region-specific microbial community reflecting the manufacturing environment. © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®

  15. Variability in Abundances of Meteorites in the Ordovician

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heck, P. R.; Schmitz, B.; Kita, N.

    2017-12-01

    The knowledge of the flux of extraterrestrial material throughout Earth's history is of great interest to reconstruct the collisional evolution of the asteroid belt. Here, we present a review of our investigations of the nature of the meteorite flux to Earth in the Ordovician, one of the best-studied time periods for extraterrestrial matter in the geological record [1]. We base our studies on compositions of extraterrestrial chromite and chrome-spinel extracted by acid dissolution from condensed marine limestone from Sweden and Russia [1-3]. By analyzing major and minor elements with EDS and WDS, and three oxygen isotopes with SIMS we classify the recovered meteoritic materials. Today, the L and H chondrites dominate the meteorite and coarse micrometeorite flux. Together with the rarer LL chondrites they have a type abundance of 80%. In the Ordovician it was very different: starting from 466 Ma ago 99% of the flux was comprised of L chondrites [2]. This was a result of the collisional breakup of the parent asteroid. This event occurred close to an orbital resonance in the asteroid belt and showered Earth with >100x more L chondritic material than today during more than 1 Ma. Although the flux is much lower at present, L chondrites are still the dominant type of meteorites that fall today. Before the asteroid breakup event 467 Ma ago the three groups of ordinary chondrites had about similar abundances. Surprisingly, they were possibly surpassed in abundance by achondrites, materials from partially and fully differentiated asteroids [3]. These achondrites include HED meteorites, which are presumably fragments released during the formation of the Rheasilvia impact structure 1 Ga ago on asteroid 4 Vesta. The enhanced abundance of LL chondrites is possibly a result of the Flora asteroid family forming event at 1 Ga ago. The higher abundance of primitive achondrites was likely due to smaller asteroid family forming events that have not been identified yet but that did

  16. Authentication of the origin of vanillin using quantitative natural abundance 13C NMR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tenailleau, Eve J; Lancelin, Pierre; Robins, Richard J; Akoka, Serge

    2004-12-29

    The use of 13C isotopic distribution as an efficient means to determine the origin of vanillin has been substantiated. Using quantitative 13C NMR, the 13C/12C ratios at all eight carbon positions can be exploited. On a set of 21 samples of vanillin from five different origins, complete discrimination can be achieved. It is shown that, for many purposes, a rapid analysis in which only five sites are used is sufficient. However, improved discrimination using all eight sites is preferable to differentiate between different methods of production from natural ferulic acid or between natural and lignin-derived vanillin on the basis of the 13C/12C ratios characteristic of different origins. The C1 and C8 positions are demonstrated to be the most significant sites for discrimination using principle component analysis. However, aromatic carbon positions make an essential contribution, notably in differentiating between natural and lignin-derived vanillin.

  17. Iron Abundances in Lunar Impact Basin Melt Sheets From Orbital Magnetic Field Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliveira, Joana S.; Wieczorek, Mark A.; Kletetschka, Gunther

    2017-12-01

    Magnetic field data acquired from orbit shows that the Moon possesses many magnetic anomalies. Though most of these are not associated with known geologic structures, some are found within large impact basins within the interior peak ring. The primary magnetic carrier in lunar rocks is metallic iron, but indigenous lunar rocks are metal poor and cannot account easily for the observed field strengths. The projectiles that formed the largest impact basins must have contained a significant quantity of metallic iron, and a portion of this iron would have been retained on the Moon's surface within the impact melt sheet. Here we use orbital magnetic field data to invert for the magnetization within large impact basins using the assumption that the crust is unidirectionally magnetized. We develop a technique based on laboratory thermoremanent magnetization acquisition to quantify the relationship between the strength of the magnetic field at the time the rock cooled and the abundance of metal in the rock. If we assume that the magnetized portion of the impact melt sheet is 1 km thick, we find average abundances of metallic iron ranging from 0.11% to 0.45 wt %, with an uncertainty of a factor of about 3. This abundance is consistent with the metallic iron abundances in sampled lunar impact melts and the abundance of projectile contamination in terrestrial impact melts. These results help constrain the composition of the projectile, the impact process, and the time evolution of the lunar dynamo.

  18. The Origin of B-type Runaway Stars: Non-LTE Abundances as a Diagnostic

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McEvoy, Catherine M.; Dufton, Philip L.; Smoker, Jonathan V.; Keenan, Francis P. [Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); Lambert, David L. [The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Astronomy, RLM 16.316, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Schneider, Fabian R. N. [Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); De Wit, Willem-Jan [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Casilla 19001, Vitacura, Santiago 19 (Chile)

    2017-06-10

    There are two accepted mechanisms to explain the origin of runaway OB-type stars: the binary supernova (SN) scenario and the cluster ejection scenario. In the former, an SN explosion within a close binary ejects the secondary star, while in the latter close multibody interactions in a dense cluster cause one or more of the stars to be ejected from the region at high velocity. Both mechanisms have the potential to affect the surface composition of the runaway star. tlusty non-LTE model atmosphere calculations have been used to determine the atmospheric parameters and the C, N, Mg, and Si abundances for a sample of B-type runaways. These same analytical tools were used by Hunter et al. for their analysis of 50 B-type open-cluster Galactic stars (i.e., nonrunaways). Effective temperatures were deduced using the Si-ionization balance technique, surface gravities from Balmer line profiles, and microturbulent velocities derived using the Si spectrum. The runaways show no obvious abundance anomalies when compared with stars in the open clusters. The runaways do show a spread in composition that almost certainly reflects the Galactic abundance gradient and a range in the birthplaces of the runaways in the Galactic disk. Since the observed Galactic abundance gradients of C, N, Mg, and Si are of a similar magnitude, the abundance ratios (e.g., N/Mg) are as obtained essentially uniform across the sample.

  19. Abundances in galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pagel, B.E.J.

    1991-01-01

    Standard (or mildly inhomogeneous) Big Bang nucleosynthesis theory is well confirmed by abundance measurements of light elements up to 7 Li and the resulting upper limit to the number of neutrino families confirmed in accelerator experiments. Extreme inhomogeneous models with a closure density in form of baryons seem to be ruled out and there is no evidence for a cosmic 'floor' to 9 Be or heavier elements predicted in some versions of those models. Galaxies show a correlation between luminous mass and abundance of carbon and heavier elements, usually attributed to escape of hot gas from shallow potential wells. Uncertainties include the role of dark matter and biparametric behaviour of ellipticals. Spirals have radial gradients which may arise from a variety of causes. In our own Galaxy one can distinguish three stellar populations - disk, halo and bulge - characterised by differing metallicity distribution functions. Differential abundance effects are found among different elements in stars as a function of metallicity and presumably age, notably in the ratio of oxygen and α-particle elements to iron. These may eventually be exploitable to set a time scale for the formation of the halo, bulge and disk. (orig.)

  20. First natural occurrence of coesite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, E.C.T.; Shoemaker, E.M.; Madsen, B.M.

    1960-01-01

    Coesite, the high-pressure polymorph of SiO2, hitherto known only as a synthetic compound, is identified as an abundant mineral in sheared Coconino sandstone at Meteor Crater, Arizona. This natural occurrence has important bearing on the recognition of meteorite impact craters in quartz-bearing geologic formations.

  1. Treatment techniques for removing natural radionuclides from drinking water. Final report of the TENAWA project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Annanmaeki, M.; Turtiainen, T.

    2000-01-01

    TENAWA project (Treatment Techniques for Removing Natural Radionuclides from Drinking Water) was carried out on a cost-shared basic with the European Commission (CEC) under the supervision of Directorate-General XII, Radiation Protection Unit. TENAWA project was started because in several European countries ground water supplies may contain high amounts of natural radionuclides. During the project both laboratory and field research was performed in order to test the applicability of different equipment and techniques for removing natural radionuclides from drinking water. The measurable objectives of the project were: to give recommendations on the most suitable methods for removing radon ( 222 Rn), uranium ( 238,234 U), radium ( 226 , 228 Ra), lead ( 210 Pb) and polonium ( 210 Po) from drinking water of different qualities (i.e. soft, hard, iron-, manganese- and humus-rich, acidic) to test commercially available equipment for its ability to remove radionuclides; to find new materials, absorbents and membranes effective in the removal of radionuclides and to issue guidelines for the treatment and disposal of radioactive wastes produced in water treatment. Radon could be removed efficiently (>95%) from domestic water supplies by both aeration and granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration. Defects in technical reliability or radon removal efficiency were observed in some aerators. The significant drawback of GAC filtration was the elevated gamma dose rates (up to 120 μSv/h) near the filter and the radioactivity of spent GAC. Aeration was found to be a suitable method for removing radon at waterworks, too. The removal efficiencies at waterworks where the aeration process was designed to remove radon or carbon dioxide were 67-99%. If the aeration process was properly designed, removal efficiencies higher than 95% could be attained. Uranium could best be removed (>95%) with strong basic anion exchange resins and radium by applying strong acidic cation exchange resins

  2. Treatment techniques for removing natural radionuclides from drinking water. Final report of the TENAWA project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Annanmaeki, M.; Turtiainen, T. [eds.

    2000-01-01

    TENAWA project (Treatment Techniques for Removing Natural Radionuclides from Drinking Water) was carried out on a cost-shared basic with the European Commission (CEC) under the supervision of Directorate-General XII, Radiation Protection Unit. TENAWA project was started because in several European countries ground water supplies may contain high amounts of natural radionuclides. During the project both laboratory and field research was performed in order to test the applicability of different equipment and techniques for removing natural radionuclides from drinking water. The measurable objectives of the project were: to give recommendations on the most suitable methods for removing radon ({sup 222}Rn), uranium ({sup 238,234}U), radium ({sup 226}, {sup 228}Ra), lead ({sup 210}Pb) and polonium ({sup 210}Po) from drinking water of different qualities (i.e. soft, hard, iron-, manganese- and humus-rich, acidic) to test commercially available equipment for its ability to remove radionuclides; to find new materials, absorbents and membranes effective in the removal of radionuclides and to issue guidelines for the treatment and disposal of radioactive wastes produced in water treatment. Radon could be removed efficiently (>95%) from domestic water supplies by both aeration and granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration. Defects in technical reliability or radon removal efficiency were observed in some aerators. The significant drawback of GAC filtration was the elevated gamma dose rates (up to 120 {mu}Sv/h) near the filter and the radioactivity of spent GAC. Aeration was found to be a suitable method for removing radon at waterworks, too. The removal efficiencies at waterworks where the aeration process was designed to remove radon or carbon dioxide were 67-99%. If the aeration process was properly designed, removal efficiencies higher than 95% could be attained. Uranium could best be removed (>95%) with strong basic anion exchange resins and radium by applying strong

  3. Natural isotope technique for the exploration and exploitation of ground water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zainal Abidin; Hudi Hastowo; Aang Hanafiah

    2007-01-01

    In line with the condition of climate and hydrology, Indonesia has a fast amount of aquifers which are sources of ground water. In several areas large number of springs occurred with small to large debits which is a sign of ground water potential. Ground water is a potential reservoir to be use at maximum for several purposes such as drinking water, industry and tourism. Large cities such as Jakarta, Bandung and others depend on ground water for their industries and hotels. The exploitation of ground water use has to be controlled and monitoring of a management system have to be done. Research carried out only on the exploitation of geophysics and hydrology showed that the amount of ground water reservoirs is not enough to be used when it comes to justification to explore it. Other parameters are still be needed which are the origins and dating of the ground water, these last two factors mentioned have to be taken into consideration in the system of conversion and balance of water. An alternative technology to determine the two factors mentioned in a short time is the natural isotope technique of 18 O, 2 H and 14 C. This technique is used to determine the origin of water, and isotope 14 C is carried out to determine the age of ground water. Isotopes 18 H and 2 H are stable isotopes in the form of water and is integrated in the hydrological cycle. Their specific concentrations in rain water at several elevations are used as fingerprints to locate the area of ground water supplement and its origin. Isotope 14 C is a natural radioactive isotope with a half-life of 5.730 years and is found in the hydrology cycle and enters the ground water system through CO 2 gas which is dissolved in water. 14 C isotope could determine the age of ground water and is also able to indicate the potential/amount of ground water. Studies of exploration and exploration monitoring of ground water should be an integrated study by geohydrology, geophysics and isotope and could be a solution of

  4. ONTOLOGY BASED MEANINGFUL SEARCH USING SEMANTIC WEB AND NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Palaniammal

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The semantic web extends the current World Wide Web by adding facilities for the machine understood description of meaning. The ontology based search model is used to enhance efficiency and accuracy of information retrieval. Ontology is the core technology for the semantic web and this mechanism for representing formal and shared domain descriptions. In this paper, we proposed ontology based meaningful search using semantic web and Natural Language Processing (NLP techniques in the educational domain. First we build the educational ontology then we present the semantic search system. The search model consisting three parts which are embedding spell-check, finding synonyms using WordNet API and querying ontology using SPARQL language. The results are both sensitive to spell check and synonymous context. This paper provides more accurate results and the complete details for the selected field in a single page.

  5. ASSESSING ABUNDANCE DISTRIBUTIONS IN NATURAL COMMUNITIES OF ECTOMYCORRHIZAS ALONG AN ENVIRONMENTAL GRADIENT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alpha diversity indices often fail to distinguish between natural populations that a more detailed investigation of the distribution of ramets among types would show are quite different. We studied the effectiveness of applying SHE analyses to morphotype classifications of ectom...

  6. A search for stars of very low metal abundance. VI. Detailed abundances of 313 metal-poor stars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roederer, Ian U.; Preston, George W.; Thompson, Ian B.; Shectman, Stephen A.; Burley, Gregory S.; Kelson, Daniel D.; Sneden, Christopher

    2014-01-01

    We present radial velocities, equivalent widths, model atmosphere parameters, and abundances or upper limits for 53 species of 48 elements derived from high resolution optical spectroscopy of 313 metal-poor stars. A majority of these stars were selected from the metal-poor candidates of the HK Survey of Beers, Preston, and Shectman. We derive detailed abundances for 61% of these stars for the first time. Spectra were obtained during a 10 yr observing campaign using the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle spectrograph on the Magellan Telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory, the Robert G. Tull Coudé Spectrograph on the Harlan J. Smith Telescope at McDonald Observatory, and the High Resolution Spectrograph on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory. We perform a standard LTE abundance analysis using MARCS model atmospheres, and we apply line-by-line statistical corrections to minimize systematic abundance differences arising when different sets of lines are available for analysis. We identify several abundance correlations with effective temperature. A comparison with previous abundance analyses reveals significant differences in stellar parameters, which we investigate in detail. Our metallicities are, on average, lower by ≈0.25 dex for red giants and ≈0.04 dex for subgiants. Our sample contains 19 stars with [Fe/H] ≤–3.5, 84 stars with [Fe/H] ≤–3.0, and 210 stars with [Fe/H] ≤–2.5. Detailed abundances are presented here or elsewhere for 91% of the 209 stars with [Fe/H] ≤–2.5 as estimated from medium resolution spectroscopy by Beers, Preston, and Shectman. We will discuss the interpretation of these abundances in subsequent papers.

  7. Energy abundance and economic progress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schurr, S.H.

    1983-01-01

    A discussion is presented on the benefits of energy abundance and on the links between energy supply, economic growth and human welfare in the United States. It is argued that the restoration of energy abundance with dependable sources of supply should be a major national objective. (U.K.)

  8. Impact of reduced-risk insecticides on soybean aphid and associated natural enemies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohnesorg, Wayne J; Johnson, Kevin D; O'Neal, Matthew E

    2009-10-01

    Insect predators in North America suppress Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae) populations; however, insecticides are required when populations reach economically damaging levels. Currently, insecticides used to manage A. glycines are broad-spectrum (pyrethroids and organophosphates), and probably reduce beneficial insect abundance in soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. Our goal was to determine whether insecticides considered reduced-risk by the Environmental Protection Agency could protect soybean yield from A. glycines herbivory while having a limited impact on the aphid's natural enemies. We compared three insecticides (imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and pymetrozine,) to a broad-spectrum insecticide (lamda-cyhalothrin) and an untreated control using two application methods. We applied neonicotinoid insecticides to seeds (imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) as well as foliage (imidacloprid); pymetrozine and lamda-cyhalothrin were applied only to foliage. Foliage-applied insecticides had lower A. glycines populations and higher yields than the seed-applied insecticides. Among foliage-applied insecticides, pymetrozine and imidacloprid had an intermediate level of A. glycines population and yield protection compared with lamda-cyhalothrin and the untreated control. We monitored natural enemies with yellow sticky cards, sweep-nets, and direct observation. Before foliar insecticides were applied (i.e., before aphid populations developed) seed treatments had no observable effect on the abundance of natural enemies. After foliar insecticides were applied, differences in natural enemy abundance were observed when sampled with sweep-nets and direct observation but not with yellow sticky cards. Based on the first two sampling methods, pymetrozine and the foliage-applied imidacloprid had intermediate abundances of natural enemies compared with the untreated control and lamda-cyhalothrin.

  9. The depth distribution functions of the natural abundances of carbon isotopes in Alfisols thoroughly sampled by thin-layer sampling, and their relation to the dynamics of organic matter in theses soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Becker-Heidmann, P.

    1989-01-01

    The aim of this study was to gain fundamental statements on the relationship between the depth distributions of the natural abundances of 13 C and 14 C isotopes and the dynamics of the organic matter in Alfisols. For this purpose, six Alfisols were investigated: four forest soils from Northern Germany, two of them developed in Loess and two in glacial loam, one West German Loess soil used for fruit-growing and one agricultural granite-gneiss soil from the semiarid part of India. The soil was sampled as succesive horizontal layers of 2 cm depth from an area of 0.5 to 1 m 2 size, starting from the organic down to the C horizon or the lower part of the Bt. This kind of completely thin-layer-wise sampling was applied here for the first time. The carbon content and the natural abundances of the 13 C and the 14 C isotopes of each sample were determined. The δ 13 C value was measured by mass spectrometry. A vacuum preparation line with an electronically controlled cooling unit was constructed thereto. For the determination of the 14 C content, the sample carbon was transferred into benzene, and its activity was measured by liquid scintillation spectrometry. From the combination of the depth distribution functions of the 14 C activity and the δ 13 C value, and with the aid of additional analyses like C/N ratio and particle size distribution, a conclusive interpretation as to the dynamics of the organic matter in the investigated Alfisols is given. (orig./BBR)

  10. Limited impact on decadal-scale climate change from increased use of natural gas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McJeon, Haewon; Edmonds, Jae; Bauer, Nico; Clarke, Leon; Fisher, Brian; Flannery, Brian P; Hilaire, Jérôme; Krey, Volker; Marangoni, Giacomo; Mi, Raymond; Riahi, Keywan; Rogner, Holger; Tavoni, Massimo

    2014-10-23

    The most important energy development of the past decade has been the wide deployment of hydraulic fracturing technologies that enable the production of previously uneconomic shale gas resources in North America. If these advanced gas production technologies were to be deployed globally, the energy market could see a large influx of economically competitive unconventional gas resources. The climate implications of such abundant natural gas have been hotly debated. Some researchers have observed that abundant natural gas substituting for coal could reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Others have reported that the non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions associated with shale gas production make its lifecycle emissions higher than those of coal. Assessment of the full impact of abundant gas on climate change requires an integrated approach to the global energy-economy-climate systems, but the literature has been limited in either its geographic scope or its coverage of greenhouse gases. Here we show that market-driven increases in global supplies of unconventional natural gas do not discernibly reduce the trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions or climate forcing. Our results, based on simulations from five state-of-the-art integrated assessment models of energy-economy-climate systems independently forced by an abundant gas scenario, project large additional natural gas consumption of up to +170 per cent by 2050. The impact on CO2 emissions, however, is found to be much smaller (from -2 per cent to +11 per cent), and a majority of the models reported a small increase in climate forcing (from -0.3 per cent to +7 per cent) associated with the increased use of abundant gas. Our results show that although market penetration of globally abundant gas may substantially change the future energy system, it is not necessarily an effective substitute for climate change mitigation policy.

  11. Natural gum as mucoadhesive controlled release carriers: evaluation of cefpodoxime proxetil by D-optimal design technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patil, Satish H; Talele, Gokul S

    2014-03-01

    The present study deals with the development of mucoadhesive controlled release tablets of Cefpodoxime Proxetil to increase the gastric residence time and thus prolong drug release, reduce dosing frequency and improve oral bioavailability. Tablets were prepared using sodium alginate and karaya gum, a natural polymer, with a synthetic polymer hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (K100LV) and Karaya gum with HPMC K100LV in various ratios to optimize the drug release profile using D-Optimal technique. Pre- and post-compression parameters of tablets prepared with various formulations (S1-S9, C1-C9) were evaluated. The FTIR and DSC studies revealed that no physiochemical interaction between excipients and drug. The formulation S7 showed prolonged drug release, and the mechanism of drug release from the optimized formulation was confirmed using the Korsmeyer-Peppas model to be non-Fickian release transport and n value was found 0.605 indicating both diffusion and erosion mechanism from these natural gums. The optimized formulation showed mucoadhesive strength >35 g. An in vivo study was performed on rabbits using an X-ray imaging technique. The radiological evidence suggests that the tablets adheres (more than 10 hours) to a rabbit's stomach. No significant changes were found in the physical appearance, drug content, mucoadhesive study and in vitro dissolution pattern after storage at 40 °C/75% relative humidity for 3 months.

  12. Project VeSElkA: a search for the vertical stratification of element abundances in HD 157087

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khalack, V.

    2018-06-01

    The new spectropolarimetric spectra of HD 157087 obtained recently with ESPaDOnS (Echelle SpectroPolarimetric Device for Observations of Stars) at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope are analysed to verify the nature of this object. The fundamental stellar parameters Teff = 8882 K, log g = 3.57 were obtained for HD 157087 from the analysis of nine Balmer line profiles in two available spectra. A comparison of the results of our abundance analysis with previously published data shows a variability of the average abundance with time for some chemical species, while the abundances of other elements remain almost constant. The abundance analysis also reveals evidence of a significant abundance increase towards the deeper atmospheric layers for C, S, Ca, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni and Zr. Together with the discovered enhanced abundance of Ca and Sc, this finding contradicts the classification of HD 157087 as a marginal Am star. An analysis of the available measurements of radial velocity revealed long- and short-period variations. The long-period variation supports the idea that HD 157087 is an astrometric binary system with a period longer than 6 yr. The presence of the short-period variation of Vr, as well as the detection of the temporal variation of the average abundance, suggests that HD 157087 may be a triple system, in which a short-period binary rotates around a third star. In this case, the short-period binary may consist of slowly rotating Am and A (or Ap with a weak magnetic field) stars that have similar effective temperatures and surface gravities, but different abundance peculiarities.

  13. In-depth analysis of low abundant proteins in bovine colostrum using different fractionation techniques

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nissen, Asger; Bendixen, Emøke; Ingvartsen, Klaus Lønne

    2012-01-01

    Bovine colostrum is well known for its large content of bioactive components and its importance for neonatal survival. Unfortunately, the colostrum proteome is complicated by a wide dynamic range, because of a few dominating proteins that hamper sensitivity and proteome coverage achieved on low...... abundant proteins. Moreover, the composition of colostrum is complex and the proteins are located within different physical fractions that make up the colostrum. To gain a more exhaustive picture of the bovine colostrum proteome and gather information on protein location, we performed an extensive pre......-analysis fractionation of colostrum prior to 2D-LC-MS/MS analysis. Physical and chemical properties of the proteins and colostrum were used alone or in combination for the separation of proteins. ELISA was used to quantify and verify the presence of proteins in colostrum. In total, 403 proteins were identified...

  14. Acceleration of natural-abundance solid-state MAS NMR measurements on bone by paramagnetic relaxation from gadolinium-DTPA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mroue, Kamal H.; Zhang, Rongchun; Zhu, Peizhi; McNerny, Erin; Kohn, David H.; Morris, Michael D.; Ramamoorthy, Ayyalusamy

    2014-07-01

    Reducing the data collection time without affecting the signal intensity and spectral resolution is one of the major challenges for the widespread application of multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, especially in experiments conducted on complex heterogeneous biological systems such as bone. In most of these experiments, the NMR data collection time is ultimately governed by the proton spin-lattice relaxation times (T1). For over two decades, gadolinium(III)-DTPA (Gd-DTPA, DTPA = Diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid) has been one of the most widely used contrast-enhancement agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this study, we demonstrate that Gd-DTPA can also be effectively used to enhance the longitudinal relaxation rates of protons in solid-state NMR experiments conducted on bone without significant line-broadening and chemical-shift-perturbation side effects. Using bovine cortical bone samples incubated in different concentrations of Gd-DTPA complex, the 1H T1 values were calculated from data collected by 1H spin-inversion recovery method detected in natural-abundance 13C cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) NMR experiments. Our results reveal that the 1H T1 values can be successfully reduced by a factor of 3.5 using as low as 10 mM Gd-DTPA without reducing the spectral resolution and thus enabling faster data acquisition of the 13C CPMAS spectra. These results obtained from 13C-detected CPMAS experiments were further confirmed using 1H-detected ultrafast MAS experiments on Gd-DTPA doped bone samples. This approach considerably improves the signal-to-noise ratio per unit time of NMR experiments applied to bone samples by reducing the experimental time required to acquire the same number of scans.

  15. Urbanization level and woodland size are major drivers of woodpecker species richness and abundance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lukasz Myczko

    Full Text Available Urbanization is a process globally responsible for loss of biodiversity and for biological homogenization. Urbanization may have a direct negative impact on species behaviour and indirect effects on species populations through alterations of their habitats, for example patch size and habitat quality. Woodpeckers are species potentially susceptible to urbanization. These birds are mostly forest specialists and the development of urban areas in former forests may be an important factor influencing their richness and abundance, but documented examples are rare. In this study we investigated how woodpeckers responded to changes in forest habitats as a consequence of urbanization, namely size and isolation of habitat patches, and other within-patch characteristics. We selected 42 woodland patches in a gradient from a semi-natural rural landscape to the city centre of Poznań (Western Poland in spring 2010. Both species richness and abundance of woodpeckers correlated positively to woodland patch area and negatively to increasing urbanization. Abundance of woodpeckers was also positively correlated with shrub cover and percentage of deciduous tree species. Furthermore, species richness and abundance of woodpeckers were highest at moderate values of canopy openness. Ordination analyses confirmed that urbanization level and woodland patch area were variables contributing most to species abundance in the woodpecker community. Similar results were obtained in presence-absence models for particular species. Thus, to sustain woodpecker species within cities it is important to keep woodland patches large, multi-layered and rich in deciduous tree species.

  16. Seasonal abundance of the dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus, in Hawaii and the tropical Pacific Ocean

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syd Kraul

    1999-12-01

    Full Text Available This report looks at possible explanations for the seasonal abundance of the dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus, in Hawaii. In Hawaii and many parts of the Pacific Ocean, the abundance of C. hippurus (called mahimahi in Hawaii varies seasonally in a pattern that is fairly consistent from year to year. Size frequency analysis shows that this pattern of seasonal landings matches the pattern of cohort abundance in certain years. The strongest cohorts are spawned in July, often stay in our fishing zone for at least 5 months, and may comprise the predominant portion of the catch through October. Even though mahimahi spawn copiously all year in captivity, the data here suggest that wild mahimahi either spawn less frequently, or their larvae survive better at certain times of the year. Thus, seasonal abundance of mahimahi in Hawaii might be a function of cohort survival. The abundance pattern also fits the pattern of change in seasonal surface temperatures, and it is quite possible that mahimahi migrate north and south to stay in the sea surface thermocline associated with the 23°C isotherm. Natural growth rates were derived from our size frequency analyses, and the rates matched growth rates reported in a previous study of otolith ring deposition. A significant increase in longline fishing in 1989 increased total landings but did not reduce the catch quantity or sales price for charter boat mahimahi.

  17. Urbanization level and woodland size are major drivers of woodpecker species richness and abundance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myczko, Lukasz; Rosin, Zuzanna M; Skórka, Piotr; Tryjanowski, Piotr

    2014-01-01

    Urbanization is a process globally responsible for loss of biodiversity and for biological homogenization. Urbanization may have a direct negative impact on species behaviour and indirect effects on species populations through alterations of their habitats, for example patch size and habitat quality. Woodpeckers are species potentially susceptible to urbanization. These birds are mostly forest specialists and the development of urban areas in former forests may be an important factor influencing their richness and abundance, but documented examples are rare. In this study we investigated how woodpeckers responded to changes in forest habitats as a consequence of urbanization, namely size and isolation of habitat patches, and other within-patch characteristics. We selected 42 woodland patches in a gradient from a semi-natural rural landscape to the city centre of Poznań (Western Poland) in spring 2010. Both species richness and abundance of woodpeckers correlated positively to woodland patch area and negatively to increasing urbanization. Abundance of woodpeckers was also positively correlated with shrub cover and percentage of deciduous tree species. Furthermore, species richness and abundance of woodpeckers were highest at moderate values of canopy openness. Ordination analyses confirmed that urbanization level and woodland patch area were variables contributing most to species abundance in the woodpecker community. Similar results were obtained in presence-absence models for particular species. Thus, to sustain woodpecker species within cities it is important to keep woodland patches large, multi-layered and rich in deciduous tree species.

  18. Estimating bighorn sheep (Ovis Canadensis) abundance using noninvasive sampling at a mineral lick within a national park wilderness area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kathryn A. Schoenecker; Mary Kay Watry; Laura E. Ellison; Michael K. Schwartz; Gordon L. Luikart

    2015-01-01

    Conservation of species requires accurate population estimates. We used genetic markers from feces to determine bighorn sheep abundance for a herd that was hypothesized to be declining and in need of population status monitoring. We sampled from a small but accessible portion of the population’s range where animals naturally congregate at a natural mineral lick to test...

  19. TEA: A CODE CALCULATING THERMOCHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM ABUNDANCES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blecic, Jasmina; Harrington, Joseph; Bowman, M. Oliver, E-mail: jasmina@physics.ucf.edu [Planetary Sciences Group, Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816-2385 (United States)

    2016-07-01

    We present an open-source Thermochemical Equilibrium Abundances (TEA) code that calculates the abundances of gaseous molecular species. The code is based on the methodology of White et al. and Eriksson. It applies Gibbs free-energy minimization using an iterative, Lagrangian optimization scheme. Given elemental abundances, TEA calculates molecular abundances for a particular temperature and pressure or a list of temperature–pressure pairs. We tested the code against the method of Burrows and Sharp, the free thermochemical equilibrium code Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA), and the example given by Burrows and Sharp. Using their thermodynamic data, TEA reproduces their final abundances, but with higher precision. We also applied the TEA abundance calculations to models of several hot-Jupiter exoplanets, producing expected results. TEA is written in Python in a modular format. There is a start guide, a user manual, and a code document in addition to this theory paper. TEA is available under a reproducible-research, open-source license via https://github.com/dzesmin/TEA.

  20. TEA: A CODE CALCULATING THERMOCHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM ABUNDANCES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blecic, Jasmina; Harrington, Joseph; Bowman, M. Oliver

    2016-01-01

    We present an open-source Thermochemical Equilibrium Abundances (TEA) code that calculates the abundances of gaseous molecular species. The code is based on the methodology of White et al. and Eriksson. It applies Gibbs free-energy minimization using an iterative, Lagrangian optimization scheme. Given elemental abundances, TEA calculates molecular abundances for a particular temperature and pressure or a list of temperature–pressure pairs. We tested the code against the method of Burrows and Sharp, the free thermochemical equilibrium code Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA), and the example given by Burrows and Sharp. Using their thermodynamic data, TEA reproduces their final abundances, but with higher precision. We also applied the TEA abundance calculations to models of several hot-Jupiter exoplanets, producing expected results. TEA is written in Python in a modular format. There is a start guide, a user manual, and a code document in addition to this theory paper. TEA is available under a reproducible-research, open-source license via https://github.com/dzesmin/TEA.

  1. Fish abundance, fisheries, fish trade and consumption in sixteenth-century Netherlands as described by Adriaen Coenen

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bennema, F.P.; Rijnsdorp, A.D.

    2015-01-01

    Concern about fisheries impact on marine ecosystems has raised the interest in the reconstruction of the state of marine ecosystems and the nature of the human activities in the past. We present late 16th century information on the occurrence and relative abundance of biota in Dutch coastal and

  2. Hydrocarbon Reserves: Abundance or Scarcity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2005-07-01

    of reserves and resources (H. Le Leuch); Additional reserves: the role of new technologies - A global perspective on EORIOR (G. Fries); - Updating reservoir models with dynamic data and uncertainty quantification: an integrated approach (F. Roggero); Seismic technology for the OAPEC countries (P. Canal); Exploration knowledge and technologies: impact of progress - Statistical results (N. Alazard); Stratigraphic modelling as a key to find new potentialities in exploration (D. Granjeon); Modelling hydrocarbon migration as a tool for reserve estimation (J-L. Rudkiewicz); The contribution of surface and near surface geology to hydrocarbon discoveries (S.M. Kumati); Contribution of the exploration activity in renewing reserves - The case of Algeria (R. Lounissi); Egypt's petroleum hydrocarbon potential (H. Hataba); Future of hydrocarbon reserves in Syria (T. Hemsh); Natural gas, the fuel of choice for decades to com (M.F. Chabrelie); The role and importance of Arab natural gas in world market (M. Al-Lababidi); LNG and GTL: two pathways for natural gas utilization (C. Cameron); Yet to find hydrocarbon potential (S. Al Menhali); Libyan context of hydrocarbon reserves: abundance or scarcity? (M. Elazi)

  3. Hydrocarbon Reserves: Abundance or Scarcity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2005-01-01

    of reserves and resources (H. Le Leuch); Additional reserves: the role of new technologies - A global perspective on EORIOR (G. Fries); - Updating reservoir models with dynamic data and uncertainty quantification: an integrated approach (F. Roggero); Seismic technology for the OAPEC countries (P. Canal); Exploration knowledge and technologies: impact of progress - Statistical results (N. Alazard); Stratigraphic modelling as a key to find new potentialities in exploration (D. Granjeon); Modelling hydrocarbon migration as a tool for reserve estimation (J-L. Rudkiewicz); The contribution of surface and near surface geology to hydrocarbon discoveries (S.M. Kumati); Contribution of the exploration activity in renewing reserves - The case of Algeria (R. Lounissi); Egypt's petroleum hydrocarbon potential (H. Hataba); Future of hydrocarbon reserves in Syria (T. Hemsh); Natural gas, the fuel of choice for decades to com (M.F. Chabrelie); The role and importance of Arab natural gas in world market (M. Al-Lababidi); LNG and GTL: two pathways for natural gas utilization (C. Cameron); Yet to find hydrocarbon potential (S. Al Menhali); Libyan context of hydrocarbon reserves: abundance or scarcity? (M. Elazi)

  4. Natural windbreaks sustain bird diversity in a tea-dominated landscape.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachakonda Sreekar

    Full Text Available Windbreaks often form networks of forest habitats that improve connectivity and thus conserve biodiversity, but little is known of such effects in the tropics. We determined bird species richness and community composition in windbreaks composed of remnant native vegetation amongst tea plantations (natural windbreaks, and compared it with the surrounding primary forests. Fifty-one, ten-minute point counts were conducted in each habitat type over three days. Despite the limited sampling period, our bird inventories in both natural windbreaks and primary forests were nearly complete, as indicated by bootstrap true richness estimator. Bird species richness and abundance between primary forests and windbreaks were similar, however a difference in bird community composition was observed. Abundances of important functional groups such as frugivores and insectivores did not vary between habitat types but nectarivores were more abundant in windbreaks, potentially as a result of the use of windbreaks as traveling routes, foraging and nesting sites. This preliminary study suggests that natural windbreaks may be important habitats for the persistence of bird species in a production landscape. However, a better understanding of the required physical and compositional characteristics for windbreaks to sustain bird communities is needed for effective conservation management.

  5. Modeling Distribution and Abundance of Antarctic Baleen Whales Using Ships of Opportunity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rob Williams

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available Information on animal abundance and distribution is at the cornerstone of many wildlife and conservation strategies. However, these data can be difficult and costly to obtain for cetacean species. The expense of sufficient ship time to conduct design-unbiased line transect surveys may be simply out of reach for researchers in many countries, which nonetheless grapple with problems of conservation of endangered species, by-catch of small cetaceans in commercial fisheries, and progression toward ecosystem-based fisheries management. Recently developed spatial modeling techniques show promise for estimating wildlife abundance using non-randomized surveys, but have yet to receive much field-testing in areas where designed surveys have also been conducted. Effort and sightings data were collected along 9 650 km of transects aboard ships of opportunity in the Southern Ocean during the austral summers of 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. Generalized additive models with generalized cross-validation were used to express heterogeneity of cetacean sightings as functions of spatial covariates. Models were used to map predicted densities and to estimate abundance of humpback, minke, and fin whales in the Drake Passage and along the Antarctic Peninsula. All species' distribution maps showed strong density gradients, which were robust to jackknife resampling when each of 14 trips was removed sequentially with replacement. Looped animations of model predictions of whale density illustrate uncertainty in distribution estimates in a way that is informative to non-scientists. The best abundance estimate for humpback whales was 1 829 (95% CI: 978-3 422. Abundance of fin whales was 4 487 (95% CI: 1 326-15 179 and minke whales was 1,544 (95% CI: 1,221-1,953. These estimates agreed roughly with those reported from a designed survey conducted in the region during the previous austral summer. These estimates assumed that all animals on the trackline were detected, but

  6. Diversity and abundance of photosynthetic sponges in temperate Western Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brümmer Franz

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Photosynthetic sponges are important components of reef ecosystems around the world, but are poorly understood. It is often assumed that temperate regions have low diversity and abundance of photosynthetic sponges, but to date no studies have investigated this question. The aim of this study was to compare the percentages of photosynthetic sponges in temperate Western Australia (WA with previously published data on tropical regions, and to determine the abundance and diversity of these associations in a range of temperate environments. Results We sampled sponges on 5 m belt transects to determine the percentage of photosynthetic sponges and identified at least one representative of each group of symbionts using 16S rDNA sequencing together with microscopy techniques. Our results demonstrate that photosynthetic sponges are abundant in temperate WA, with an average of 63% of sponge individuals hosting high levels of photosynthetic symbionts and 11% with low to medium levels. These percentages of photosynthetic sponges are comparable to those found on tropical reefs and may have important implications for ecosystem function on temperate reefs in other areas of the world. A diverse range of symbionts sometimes occurred within a small geographic area, including the three "big" cyanobacterial clades, Oscillatoria spongeliae, "Candidatus Synechococcus spongiarum" and Synechocystis species, and it appears that these clades all occur in a wide range of sponges. Additionally, spongin-permeating red algae occurred in at least 7 sponge species. This study provides the first investigation of the molecular phylogeny of rhodophyte symbionts in sponges. Conclusion Photosynthetic sponges are abundant and diverse in temperate WA, with comparable percentages of photosynthetic to non-photosynthetic sponges to tropical zones. It appears that there are three common generalist clades of cyanobacterial symbionts of sponges which occur in a wide

  7. Naturally Efficient Emitters: Luminescent Organometallic Complexes Derived from Natural Products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wen-Hua; Young, David J.

    2013-08-01

    Naturally occurring molecules offer intricate structures and functionality that are the basis of modern medicinal chemistry, but are under-represented in materials science. Herein, we review recent literature describing the use of abundant and relatively inexpensive, natural products for the synthesis of ligands for luminescent organometallic complexes used for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and related technologies. These ligands are prepared from the renewable starting materials caffeine, camphor, pinene and cinchonine and, with the exception of caffeine, impart performance improvements to the emissive metal complexes and resulting OLED devices, with emission wavelengths that span the visible spectrum from blue to red. The advantages of these biologically-derived molecules include improved solution processibility and phase homogeneity, brighter luminescence, higher quantum efficiencies and lower turn-on voltages. While nature has evolved these carbon-skeletons for specific purposes, they also offer some intriguing benefits in materials science and technology.

  8. Motor abundance and control structure in the golf swing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, A; McGrath, D; Wallace, E S

    2016-04-01

    Variability and control structure are under-represented areas of golf swing research. This study investigated the use of the abundant degrees of freedom in the golf swing of high and intermediate skilled golfers using uncontrolled manifold (UCM) analysis. The variance parallel to (VUCM) and orthogonal to (VOrth) the UCM with respect to the orientation and location of the clubhead were calculated. The higher skilled golfers had proportionally higher values of VUCM than lower skilled players for all measured outcome variables. Motor synergy was found in the control of the orientation of the clubhead and the combined outcome variables but not for clubhead location. Clubhead location variance zeroed-in on impact as has been previously shown, whereas clubhead orientation variance increased near impact. Both skill levels increased their control over the clubhead location leading up to impact, with more control exerted over the clubhead orientation in the early downswing. The results suggest that to achieve higher skill levels in golf may not lie simply in optimal technique, but may lie more in developing control over the abundant degrees of freedom in the body. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Novel Techniques for the Production of Gamma Rays

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Roberts

    2004-01-01

    ... by illuminating the nucleus with x-rays. Research ha proven that the long-lived naturally abundant isomer of t8OTa can be triggered to release the stored energy by irradiation with Bremsstrahlung x-irradiation...

  10. Impacts of non-native Norway spruce plantation on abundance and species richness of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Elek

    2001-06-01

    Full Text Available The impacts of non-native Norway spruce plantation on the abundance and species richness of carabids were studied in the Bükk National Park in Hungary, central Europe. Pitfall catches from recently established (5 yr old, young (15 yr after planting, middle-aged (30 yr after planting, old Norway spruce Picea abies plantation (50 yr after planting, and a native submontane beech forest (Fagetum sylvaticae as a control stand were compared.

    Our results showed that deciduous forest species decreased significantly in abundance in the plantations, and appeared in high abundance only in the native beech forest. Furthermore, open habitat species increased remarkably in abundance in the recently established plantation. Carabids were significantly more abundant and species rich in the native forest than in the plantations, while differences were not significant among the plantations. Multiple regression between the abundance and species richness of carabids and twelve environmental measurements showed that pH of the soil, herb cover and density of the carabids’ prey had a significant effect in determining abundance and species richness.

    Our results showed that plantation of non-native Norway spruce species had a detrimental effect on the composition of carabid communities and no regeneration could be observed during the growth of plantations even 50 yr after the establishment. This emphasises the importance of an active nature management practice to facilitate the recolonization of the native species.

  11. Clustering in the stellar abundance space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boesso, R.; Rocha-Pinto, H. J.

    2018-03-01

    We have studied the chemical enrichment history of the interstellar medium through an analysis of the n-dimensional stellar abundance space. This work is a non-parametric analysis of the stellar chemical abundance space. The main goal is to study the stars from their organization within this abundance space. Within this space, we seek to find clusters (in a statistical sense), that is, stars likely to share similar chemo-evolutionary history, using two methods: the hierarchical clustering and the principal component analysis. We analysed some selected abundance surveys available in the literature. For each sample, we labelled the group of stars according to its average abundance curve. In all samples, we identify the existence of a main enrichment pattern of the stars, which we call chemical enrichment flow. This flow is set by the structured and well-defined mean rate at which the abundances of the interstellar medium increase, resulting from the mixture of the material ejected from the stars and stellar mass-loss and interstellar medium gas. One of the main results of our analysis is the identification of subgroups of stars with peculiar chemistry. These stars are situated in regions outside of the enrichment flow in the abundance space. These peculiar stars show a mismatch in the enrichment rate of a few elements, such as Mg, Si, Sc and V, when compared to the mean enrichment rate of the other elements of the same stars. We believe that the existence of these groups of stars with peculiar chemistry may be related to the accretion of planetary material on to stellar surfaces or may be due to production of the same chemical element by different nucleosynthetic sites.

  12. Using Range-Wide Abundance Modeling to Identify Key Conservation Areas for the Micro-Endemic Bolson Tortoise (Gopherus flavomarginatus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cinthya A Ureña-Aranda

    Full Text Available A widespread biogeographic pattern in nature is that population abundance is not uniform across the geographic range of species: most occurrence sites have relatively low numbers, whereas a few places contain orders of magnitude more individuals. The Bolson tortoise Gopherus flavomarginatus is endemic to a small region of the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico, where habitat deterioration threatens this species with extinction. In this study we combined field burrows counts and the approach for modeling species abundance based on calculating the distance to the niche centroid to obtain range-wide abundance estimates. For the Bolson tortoise, we found a robust, negative relationship between observed burrows abundance and distance to the niche centroid, with a predictive capacity of 71%. Based on these results we identified four priority areas for the conservation of this microendemic and threatened tortoise. We conclude that this approach may be a useful approximation for identifying key areas for sampling and conservation efforts in elusive and rare species.

  13. Orion A helium abundance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsivilev, A.P.; Ershov, A.A.; Smirnov, G.T.; Sorochenko, R.L.

    1986-01-01

    The 22.4-GHz (H,He)66-alpha and 36.5-GHz (H,He)56-alpha radio recombination lines have been observed at several Jaffe-Pankonin positions in the central part of the Orion A source. The measured relative abundance of ionized helium increases with distance, averaging 11.6 percent at peripheral points. The observed behavior is interpreted by a blister-type model nebula, which implies that Orion A has a true He abundance of 12 percent, is moving with a radial velocity of 5 km/sec, and is expanding. 18 references

  14. Assessment techniques of antimicrobial properties of natural ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Medicinal plants have recently received the attention of the pharmaceutical and scientific communities and various publications have documented the therapeutic value of natural compounds in a bid to validate claims of their biological activity. Attention has been drawn to the antimicrobial activity of plants and their ...

  15. The role of prevention-oriented attitudes towards nature in people's judgment of new applications of genomics techniques in soil ecology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Boer, J.

    2010-01-01

    New applications of genomics techniques in soil ecology may provide people with fresh insights into the richness of microbial life forms and natural methods to build on the "self-cleaning capacity" of soils. Because genetic modification might also be involved, this paper examines people's judgments

  16. Abundances in the Galactic bulge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barbuy, B; Alves-Brito, A [Universidade de Sao Paulo, IAG, Rua do Matao 1226, Sao Paulo 05508-900 (Brazil); Ortolani, S; Zoccali, M [Dipartimento di Astronomia, Universita di Padova, Vicolo dell' Osservatorio 2, I-35122 Padova (Italy); Hill, V; Gomez, A [Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, 92195 Meudon Cedex (France); Melendez, J [Centro de AstrofIsica da Universidade de Porto, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto (Portugal); Asplund, M [Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Postfach 1317, 85741 Garching (Germany); Bica, E [Departamento de Astronomia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, CP 15051, Porto Alegre 91501-970 (Brazil); Renzini, A [Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell' Osservatorio 5, I-35122 Padova (Italy); Minniti, D [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Universidad Catolica de Chile, Casilla 306, Santiago 22 (Chile)], E-mail: barbuy@astro.iag.usp.br

    2008-12-15

    The metallicity distribution and abundance ratios of the Galactic bulge are reviewed. Issues raised by recent work of different groups, in particular the high metallicity end, the overabundance of {alpha}-elements in the bulge relative to the thick disc and the measurement of giants versus dwarfs, are discussed. Abundances in the old moderately metal-poor bulge globular clusters are described.

  17. Measurement of liquid level in a natural circulation circuit using an ultrasonic technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barbosa, Amanda Cardozo; Su, Jian

    2017-01-01

    The measurement by an ultrasonic technique of the water level in the expansion tank of the Natural Circulation Circuit (NCC) of the Experimental Thermo-Hydraulic Laboratory of the Institute of Nuclear Engineering is presented. In the single-phase NCC operation the water level in the expansion tank is stable. However, during the two-phase operation, oscillations occur in the water level due to temperature and vacuum fraction variations. Thus, the development of a technique that allows the measurement of these oscillations, will allow an estimation of the variation of the vacuum fraction of the circuit over time. The experimental set - up was performed on a test bench, using an ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic technique used is pulse-echo, in which the same transducer is the transmitter and receiver of the signal. The transducer-shoe assembly is part of an ultrasonic system consisting of an ultrasonic signal generating plate, transducers and a computer (PC) with a program in LabView to control the system. The program is able to calculate the transit time that the ultrasonic signals take to cross the tank base wall, the layer (level) of liquid and return to the transducer. Knowing the speed of the ultrasound in the wall and in the liquid it is possible to calculate the thickness of the wall and the height of the liquid. Measurements were made by filling the tank with a known volume of water and under varying temperature conditions, from room temperature to 90 deg C. The liquid heights are determined and the volume of water calculated by measuring the temperature with a digital thermometer. The volumes measured were highly accurate when compared to the known volumes

  18. Stellar pulsation and the abundance of helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmidt, E.G.

    1978-01-01

    It has been suggested that the appearance of nonvariable stars within the Cepheid strip could be explained by a range in the helium abundance of Population I stars. In order to study this possibility, spectra were obtained of the main-sequence B stars in the galactic cluster NGC 129, which contains a nonvariable Cepheid-strip star, and M25, which contains a relatively hot Cepheid. Unfortunately, several of the stars in these clusters turn out to be helium-weak stars. In NGC 129 two stars which appear normal give a normal abundance, while in M25 all of the observed stars have abnormally low abundances. The significance of the low abundance in M25 is not clear. The abundance in NGC 129 is not low enough to support the above suggestion. 4 figures, 2 tables

  19. The Open Cluster Chemical Abundances and Mapping (OCCAM) Survey: Detailed Age and Abundance Gradients using DR12

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frinchaboy, Peter M.; Thompson, Benjamin A.; O'Connell, Julia; Meyer, Brianne; Donor, John; Majewski, Steven R.; Holtzman, Jon A.; Zasowski, Gail; Beers, Timothy C.; Beaton, Rachael; Cunha, Katia M. L.; Hearty, Fred; Nidever, David L.; Schiavon, Ricardo P.; Smith, Verne V.; Hayden, Michael R.

    2015-01-01

    We present detailed abundance results for Galactic open clusters as part of the Open Cluster Chemical Abundances and Mapping (OCCAM) Survey, which is based primarily on data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey/ Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment. Using 100 open clusters from the uniformly observed complete SDSS-III/APOGEE-1 DR12 dataset, we present age and multi-element abundance gradients for the disk of the Milky Way.This work is supported by an NSF AAG grant AST-1311835.

  20. Accurate experimental determination of the isotope effects on the triple point temperature of water. I. Dependence on the "2H abundance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faghihi, V.; Aerts-Bijma, A.T.; Jansen, H.G.; Spriensma, J.J.; Meijer, H.A.J.; Peruzzi, A.; Geel, J. van

    2015-01-01

    Variation in the isotopic composition of water is one of the major contributors to uncertainty in the realization of the triple point of water (TPW). Although the dependence of the TPW on the isotopic composition of the water has been known for years, there is still a lack of a detailed and accurate experimental determination of the values for the correction constants. This paper is the first of two articles (Part I and Part II) that address quantification of isotope abundance effects on the triple point temperature of water. In this paper, we describe our experimental assessment of the "2H isotope effect. We manufactured five triple point cells with prepared water mixtures with a range of "2H isotopic abundances encompassing widely the natural abundance range, while the "1"8O and "1"7O isotopic abundance were kept approximately constant and the "1"8O - "1"7O ratio was close to the Meijer-Li relationship for natural waters. The selected range of "2H isotopic abundances led to cells that realised TPW temperatures between approximately -140 μK to + 2500 μK with respect to the TPW temperature as realized by VSMOW (Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water). Our experiment led to determination of the value for the δ"2H correction parameter of A_2_H = 673 μK/(per thousand deviation of δ"2H from VSMOW) with a combined uncertainty of 4 μK (k = 1, or 1 s). (authors)

  1. Low temperature techniques for natural gas purification and LNG production: An energy and exergy analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baccanelli, Margaret; Langé, Stefano; Rocco, Matteo V.; Pellegrini, Laura A.; Colombo, Emanuela

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Low-temperature processes for of high CO_2 content natural gas have been modelled. • Energy and exergy analyses have been performed. • The Dual Pressure distillation scheme has the best thermodynamic performances. • There is a synergy between cryogenic natural gas purification and LNG production. - Abstract: Due to the rapid increase of the World’s primary energy demand of the last decades, low-temperature processes for the purification of natural gas streams with high carbon dioxide content has gained interest, since they allow to make profitable exploitation of low-quality gas reserves. Low temperature purification processes allow the direct production of a methane stream at high purity and at low-temperature, suitable conditions for the direct synergistic integration with natural gas cryogenic liquefaction processes, while CO_2 is obtained in liquid phase and under pressure. In this way, it can be pumped for transportation, avoiding significant compression costs as for classical CO_2 capture units (where carbon dioxide is discharged in gas phase and at atmospheric pressure), and further uses such as Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) or underground storage. In this paper, the three most common natural gas low-temperature purification techniques have been modelled and their performances have been evaluated through energy and exergy analyses. Specifically, the dual pressure low-temperature distillation process, the anti-sublimation process and a hybrid configuration have been considered. It is found that the dual pressure low-temperature distillation scheme reach the highest thermodynamic performances, resulting in the best values of exergy efficiency and equivalent methane requirements with respect to the other configurations. This is mainly due to the distributed temperature profile along a distillation column, resulting in a less irreversible heat exchanging process.

  2. EFEITO DA COBERTURA VEGETAL DO SOLO SOBRE A ABUNDÂNCIA E DIVERSIDADE DE INIMIGOS NATURAIS DE PRAGAS EM VINHEDOS EFFECTS OF COVER CROPS ON THE ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY OF NATURAL ENEMIES OF GRAPEVINE PEST

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MARCOS ANTÔNIO MATIELLO FADINI

    2001-12-01

    Full Text Available O controle de pragas da videira no Brasil restringe-se basicamente ao uso de inseticidas, devido à inexistência de trabalhos que visem a complementar o manejo de pragas através de controle biológico. Neste trabalho, objetivou-se verificar o efeito de diferentes coberturas vegetais nas entrelinhas de plantio de videira sobre a abundância e diversidade de potenciais inimigos naturais de pragas da videira no município de Caldas, região Sul do Estado de Minas Gerais. Foram testadas sete diferentes coberturas de solo (aveia-preta, aveia-preta e ervilhaca, ervilhaca, cobertura morta, uso de herbicida, capina mecânica e mato roçado. A cobertura vegetal do solo influenciou tanto a diversidade quanto a abundância de inimigos naturais, sendo o consórcio de aveia-preta e ervilhaca, cultivadas simultaneamente, o tratamento que proporcionou maior diversidade e abundância de inimigos naturais. Assim, a cobertura vegetal do solo pode, potencialmente, ser um componente importante em programas de manejo integrado de pragas na cultura da videira.The control of grapevine pests in Brazil is only based in the use of chemical products. It is due to the whole absence of experimental works developed to test and evaluate alternative control systems, like the biological control. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different types of cover crops, placed between the cultivation lines of grapevine, in the abundance and diversity of natural control arthropods of grapevine pests. The experiment was conduced in the EPAMIG, Caldas Research Farm, located in the Minas Gerais State, Brazil. They Were tested seven different systems of soil covering. The presence of vegetal covering was beneficial to improve the diversity as well as the abundance of biological control agents present on the grapevine crop. The cultivation of black oat and pea together, was the treatment that showed the better result to diversity and abundance. Therefore, the cover

  3. Significant biases affecting abundance determinations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wesson, Roger

    2015-08-01

    I have developed two highly efficient codes to automate analyses of emission line nebulae. The tools place particular emphasis on the propagation of uncertainties. The first tool, ALFA, uses a genetic algorithm to rapidly optimise the parameters of gaussian fits to line profiles. It can fit emission line spectra of arbitrary resolution, wavelength range and depth, with no user input at all. It is well suited to highly multiplexed spectroscopy such as that now being carried out with instruments such as MUSE at the VLT. The second tool, NEAT, carries out a full analysis of emission line fluxes, robustly propagating uncertainties using a Monte Carlo technique.Using these tools, I have found that considerable biases can be introduced into abundance determinations if the uncertainty distribution of emission lines is not well characterised. For weak lines, normally distributed uncertainties are generally assumed, though it is incorrect to do so, and significant biases can result. I discuss observational evidence of these biases. The two new codes contain routines to correctly characterise the probability distributions, giving more reliable results in analyses of emission line nebulae.

  4. Natural gas industry at the 2020 prospects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chabrelie, M.F.

    2006-01-01

    Natural gas was for a long time reserved to the most noble uses in the industry. However, natural gas, which get a priori no captive market, has progressively imposed itself in all possible energy uses. The gas resources and abundant enough to represent the main contribution of the energy industry of the 21 century. With intrinsic qualities which make it an energy less polluting than the other fossil fuels, natural gas is the commercial energy source with the highest potential growth in the energy status of the future. (J.S.)

  5. Abundance variations in solar active regions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strong, K. T.; Lemen, J. R.; Linford, G. A.

    1991-01-01

    The diversity in the published values of coronal abundances is unsettling, especially as the range of results seems to be beyond the quoted uncertainties. Measurements of the relative abundance of iron and neon derived from soft X-ray spectra of active regions are presented. From a data base of over 200 spectra taken by the Solar Maximum Mission Flat Crystal Spectrometer, it is found that the relative abundance can vary by as much as a factor of about 7 and can change on timescales of less than 1 h.

  6. Interstellar Abundances Toward X Per, Revisited

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valencic, Lynne A.; Smith, Randall K.

    2014-01-01

    The nearby X-ray binary X Per (HD 24534) provides a useful beacon with which to measure elemental abundances in the local ISM. We examine absorption features of 0, Mg, and Si along this line of sight using spectra from the Chandra Observatory's LETG/ ACIS-S and XMM-Newton's RGS instruments. In general, we find that the abundances and their ratios are similar to those of young F and G stars and the most recent solar values. We compare our results with abundances required by dust grain models.

  7. Earthworm abundance and species composition in abandoned tropical croplands: comparisons of tree plantations and secondary forests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    G. Gonzalez; X. Zou; S. Borges

    1996-01-01

    We compared patterns of earthworms abundance and species composition in tree plantation and secondary forest of Puerto Rico. Tree plantations included pine (Pinus caribea Morelet) and mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) established in the 1930's; 1960's; and 1970's; secondary forests were naturally regenerated in areas adjacent to these plantations. We...

  8. Temporal trends in arthropod abundances after the transition to organic farming in paddy fields.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masaru H Tsutsui

    Full Text Available Organic farming aims to reduce the effect on the ecosystem and enhance biodiversity in agricultural areas, but the long-term effectiveness of its application is unclear. Assessments have rarely included various taxonomic groups with different ecological and economic roles. In paddy fields with different numbers of years elapsed since the transition from conventional to organic farming, we investigated changes in the abundance of insect pests, generalist predators, and species of conservation concern. The abundance of various arthropods exhibited diverse trends with respect to years elapsed since the transition to organic farming. Larval lepidopterans, Tetragnatha spiders, and some planthoppers and stink bugs showed non-linear increases over time, eventually reaching saturation, such as the abundance increasing for several years and then becoming stable after 10 years. This pattern can be explained by the effects of residual pesticides, the lag time of soil mineralization, and dispersal limitation. A damselfly (Ischnura asiatica did not show a particular trend over time, probably due to its rapid immigration from source habitats. Unexpectedly, both planthoppers and some leafhoppers exhibited gradual decreases over time. As their abundances were negatively related to the abundance of Tetragnatha spiders, increased predation by natural enemies might gradually decrease these insect populations. These results suggest that the consideration of time-dependent responses of organisms is essential for the evaluation of the costs and benefits of organic farming, and such evaluations could provide a basis for guidelines regarding the length of time for organic farming to restore biodiversity or the economic subsidy needed to compensate for pest damage.

  9. Seasonal and interannual variations in coccolithophore abundance off Terceira Island, Azores (Central North Atlantic)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narciso, Áurea; Gallo, Francesca; Valente, André; Cachão, Mário; Cros, Lluïsa; Azevedo, Eduardo B.; e Ramos, Joana Barcelos

    2016-04-01

    In order to characterize the natural coccolithophore community occurring offshore Azores and to determine their annual and interannual patterns, monthly samples were collected, from September 2010 to December 2014, in the photic zone off Terceira Island. The present study revealed a clear seasonal distribution and a considerable interannual variability of the living coccolithophore community. The highest coccolithophore abundances were observed during spring and winter months, especially due to the smaller species Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa ericsonii. In fact, the highest biomass period was registered during April 2011, associated with enhanced abundance of the overcalcified morphotype of E. huxleyi, which was possibly influenced by subpolar waters and subsequent upwelling conditions. The highest abundances of Gephyrocapsa muellerae were recorded during June 2011 and 2014, indicating that this species characterizes the transition between the period of maximum productivity and the subsequent smoother environmental conditions, the first and the later stages of the phytoplankton succession described by Margalef, respectively. During summer to early fall, a gradual decrease of the overall coccolithophore abundance was observed, while the species richness (Margalef diversity index) increased. A subtropical coccolithophore assemblage mainly composed by Umbellosphaera tenuis, Syracosphaera spp., Discosphaera tubifera, Rhabdosphaera clavigera and Coronosphaera mediterranea indicated the presence of surface warmer waters accompanied by reduced mixing and low nutrients concentration. During late fall to winter, the coccolithophore abundance increased again with a concomitant reduction in species diversity. This is potentially linked to low sea surface temperatures, moderate nutrients concentration and surface mixed layer deepening. During 2011, colder and productive waters led to an increase in the total coccolithophore abundances. On contrary, during 2012

  10. Seasonal abundance of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) at an endemic focus of visceral leishmaniasis in Colombia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, A C; Ferro, C; Pardo, R; Torres, M; Devlin, B; Wilson, M L; Tesh, R B

    1995-07-01

    Ecological studies on the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva) were conducted during 1990-1993 in a small rural community in Colombia where American visceral leishmaniasis is endemic. Standardized weekly sand fly collections made from pigpens and natural resting sites displayed a bimodal annual abundance cycle, with a small peak occurring in October-November and a larger one in April-May. Time series analysis was employed to quantify the associations between sand fly abundance and weather factors (temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall). In addition to a prominent 6-mo cycle. Fourier analysis of the collection data demonstrated that the L. longipalpis population also exhibited a 5- to 8-wk cycle that may represent the length of larval development. Autoregressive moving average models were fit to weekly collection data and their residuals were regressed against rainfall, temperature, and relative humidity. A significant positive association between female L. longipalpis abundance and the relative humidity and rainfall recorded 3 wk earlier was found, indicating that these factors may be of value in predicting sand fly abundance. Additionally, these data indicated that L. longipalpis larvae may become quiescent during adverse conditions.

  11. Determination of mineral abundances in samples from the exploratory studies facility using x-ray diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roberts, S.; Viani, R.

    1998-01-01

    Tuff samples collected from the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) were X-rayed to estimate relative mineral abundances. X-ray analysis was performed on sub-samples of specimens collected from both the Single Heater Test (SHT) and Drift Scale Heater Test (DST) that were used for thermomechanical measurements, as well as samples collected from cores retrieved from boreholes in the Drift Scale Test Area. The abundance of minerals that could affect the behavior of the host rock at repository relevant temperatures is of particular interest. These minerals include crystobalite, which undergoes a phase transition and volume change at elevated temperature (-250 'C), and smectite and clinoptilolite that can dehydrate at elevated temperature with accompanying volume reduction. In addition, the spatial distribution of SiO, polymorphs and secondary minerals may provide evidence for deducing past fluid pathways. The mineral abundances tabulated here include data reported previously in three milestone reports (Roberts and Viani, 1997a,b; Viani and Roberts, 1996) but re-analyzed (see below), as well as previously unreported data. Previous X-ray diffraction analyses of samples from the ESF (Roberts and Viani, 1997a; Viani and Roberts, 1996) utilized the matrix flushing method of Chung (1974) and an internal intensity standard (corundum) to quantify the abundances of the phases present. Although the method is adequate for obtaining relative abundances, its accuracy and precision is limited by the inherent differences between the external standards used to compute the reference intensity ratio and the mineral phases in the sample. In a subsequent report (Roberts and Viani, 1997b) mineral abundances were obtained using the Rietveld method of whole X-ray pattern fitting (Snyder and Bish, 1989; Young, 1993). The Rietveld technique has the potential to be both more accurate and more precise for estimating mineral abundances (Snyder and Bish, 1989)

  12. Bacterial community profiles in low microbial abundance sponges

    KAUST Repository

    Giles, Emily; Kamke, Janine; Moitinho-Silva, Lucas; Taylor, Michael W.; Hentschel, Ute T E; Ravasi, Timothy; Schmitt, Susanne

    2012-01-01

    It has long been recognized that sponges differ in the abundance of associated microorganisms, and they are therefore termed either 'low microbial abundance' (LMA) or 'high microbial abundance' (HMA) sponges. Many previous studies concentrated

  13. Relations between urban bird and plant communities and human well-being and connection to nature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luck, Gary W; Davidson, Penny; Boxall, Dianne; Smallbone, Lisa

    2011-08-01

    By 2050, 70% of the world's population will live in urban areas. In many cases urbanization reduces the richness and abundance of native species. Living in highly modified environments with fewer opportunities to interact directly with a diversity of native species may adversely affect residents' personal well-being and emotional connection to nature. We assessed the personal well-being, neighborhood well-being (a measure of a person's satisfaction with their neighborhood), and level of connection to nature of over 1000 residents in 36 residential neighborhoods in southeastern Australia. We modeled these response variables as a function of natural features of each neighborhood (e.g., species richness and abundance of birds, density of plants, and amount of vegetation cover) and demographic characteristics of surveyed residents. Vegetation cover had the strongest positive relations with personal well-being, whereas residents' level of connection to nature was weakly related to variation in species richness and abundance of birds and density of plants. Demographic characteristics such as age and level of activity explained the greatest proportion of variance in well-being and connection to nature. Nevertheless, when controlling for variation in demographic characteristics (examples were provided above), neighborhood well-being was positively related to a range of natural features, including species richness and abundance of birds, and vegetation cover. Demographic characteristics and how well-being was quantified strongly influenced our results, and we suggest demography and metrics of well-being must be considered when attempting to determine relations between the urban environment and human well-being. © 2011 Society for Conservation Biology.

  14. Inferring the nature of anthropogenic threats from long-term abundance records.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shoemaker, Kevin T; Akçakaya, H Resit

    2015-02-01

    Diagnosing the processes that threaten species persistence is critical for recovery planning and risk forecasting. Dominant threats are typically inferred by experts on the basis of a patchwork of informal methods. Transparent, quantitative diagnostic tools would contribute much-needed consistency, objectivity, and rigor to the process of diagnosing anthropogenic threats. Long-term census records, available for an increasingly large and diverse set of taxa, may exhibit characteristic signatures of specific threatening processes and thereby provide information for threat diagnosis. We developed a flexible Bayesian framework for diagnosing threats on the basis of long-term census records and diverse ancillary sources of information. We tested this framework with simulated data from artificial populations subjected to varying degrees of exploitation and habitat loss and several real-world abundance time series for which threatening processes are relatively well understood: bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) (exploitation) and Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica) and Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis) (habitat loss). Our method correctly identified the process driving population decline for over 90% of time series simulated under moderate to severe threat scenarios. Successful identification of threats approached 100% for severe exploitation and habitat loss scenarios. Our method identified threats less successfully when threatening processes were weak and when populations were simultaneously affected by multiple threats. Our method selected the presumed true threat model for all real-world case studies, although results were somewhat ambiguous in the case of the Eurasian Skylark. In the latter case, incorporation of an ancillary source of information (records of land-use change) increased the weight assigned to the presumed true model from 70% to 92%, illustrating the value of the proposed framework in bringing diverse sources of

  15. INTERSTELLAR ABUNDANCES TOWARD X Per, REVISITED

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valencic, Lynne A.; Smith, Randall K.

    2013-01-01

    The nearby X-ray binary X Per (HD 24534) provides a useful beacon with which to examine dust grain types and measure elemental abundances in the local interstellar medium (ISM). The absorption features of O, Fe, Mg, and Si along this line of sight were measured using spectra from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory's LETG/ACIS-S and XMM-Newton's RGS instruments, and the Spex software package. The spectra were fit with dust analogs measured in the laboratory. The O, Mg, and Si abundances were compared to those from standard references, and the O abundance was compared to that along lines of sight toward other X-ray binaries. The results are as follows. First, it was found that a combination of MgSiO 3 (enstatite) and Mg 1.6 Fe 0.4 SiO 4 (olivine) provided the best fit to the O K edge, with N(MgSiO 3 )/N(Mg 1.6 Fe 0.4 SiO 4 ) = 3.4. Second, the Fe L edge could be fit with models that included metallic iron, but it was not well described by the laboratory spectra currently available. Third, the total abundances of O, Mg, and Si were in very good agreement with that of recently re-analyzed B stars, suggesting that they are good indicators of abundances in the local ISM, and the depletions were also in agreement with expected values for the diffuse ISM. Finally, the O abundances found from X-ray binary absorption spectra show a similar correlation with Galactocentric distances as seen in other objects.

  16. Characterization of Natural Dyes and Traditional Korean Silk Fabric by Surface Analytical Techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yeonhee Lee

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS are well established surface techniques that provide both elemental and organic information from several monolayers of a sample surface, while also allowing depth profiling or image mapping to be carried out. The static TOF-SIMS with improved performances has expanded the application of TOF-SIMS to the study of a variety of organic, polymeric and biological materials. In this work, TOF-SIMS, XPS and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR measurements were used to characterize commercial natural dyes and traditional silk fabric dyed with plant extracts dyes avoiding the time-consuming and destructive extraction procedures necessary for the spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods previously used. Silk textiles dyed with plant extracts were then analyzed for chemical and functional group identification of their dye components and mordants. TOF-SIMS spectra for the dyed silk fabric showed element ions from metallic mordants, specific fragment ions and molecular ions from plant-extracted dyes. The results of TOF-SIMS, XPS and FTIR are very useful as a reference database for comparison with data about traditional Korean silk fabric and to provide an understanding of traditional dyeing materials. Therefore, this study shows that surface techniques are useful for micro-destructive analysis of plant-extracted dyes and Korean dyed silk fabric.

  17. Characterization of Natural Dyes and Traditional Korean Silk Fabric by Surface Analytical Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jihye; Kang, Min Hwa; Lee, Kang-Bong; Lee, Yeonhee

    2013-01-01

    Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are well established surface techniques that provide both elemental and organic information from several monolayers of a sample surface, while also allowing depth profiling or image mapping to be carried out. The static TOF-SIMS with improved performances has expanded the application of TOF-SIMS to the study of a variety of organic, polymeric and biological materials. In this work, TOF-SIMS, XPS and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) measurements were used to characterize commercial natural dyes and traditional silk fabric dyed with plant extracts dyes avoiding the time-consuming and destructive extraction procedures necessary for the spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods previously used. Silk textiles dyed with plant extracts were then analyzed for chemical and functional group identification of their dye components and mordants. TOF-SIMS spectra for the dyed silk fabric showed element ions from metallic mordants, specific fragment ions and molecular ions from plant-extracted dyes. The results of TOF-SIMS, XPS and FTIR are very useful as a reference database for comparison with data about traditional Korean silk fabric and to provide an understanding of traditional dyeing materials. Therefore, this study shows that surface techniques are useful for micro-destructive analysis of plant-extracted dyes and Korean dyed silk fabric. PMID:28809257

  18. Natural polymers, gums and mucilages as excipients in drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Shobhit; Gupta, Satish Kumar

    2012-01-01

    Use of natural polymers, gums and mucilages in drug delivery systems has been weighed down by the synthetic materials. Natural based excipients offered advantages such as non-toxicity, less cost and abundantly availablity. Aqueous solubility of natural excipients plays an important role in their selection for designing immediate, controlled or sustained release formulations. This review article provide an overview of natural gum, polymers and mucilages as excipients in dosage forms as well as novel drug delivery systems.

  19. Predicting cyanobacterial abundance, microcystin, and geosmin in a eutrophic drinking-water reservoir using a 14-year dataset

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Ted D.; Graham, Jennifer L.

    2017-01-01

    Cyanobacterial blooms degrade water quality in drinking water supply reservoirs by producing toxic and taste-and-odor causing secondary metabolites, which ultimately cause public health concerns and lead to increased treatment costs for water utilities. There have been numerous attempts to create models that predict cyanobacteria and their secondary metabolites, most using linear models; however, linear models are limited by assumptions about the data and have had limited success as predictive tools. Thus, lake and reservoir managers need improved modeling techniques that can accurately predict large bloom events that have the highest impact on recreational activities and drinking-water treatment processes. In this study, we compared 12 unique linear and nonlinear regression modeling techniques to predict cyanobacterial abundance and the cyanobacterial secondary metabolites microcystin and geosmin using 14 years of physiochemical water quality data collected from Cheney Reservoir, Kansas. Support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), boosted tree (BT), and Cubist modeling techniques were the most predictive of the compared modeling approaches. SVM, RF, and BT modeling techniques were able to successfully predict cyanobacterial abundance, microcystin, and geosmin concentrations <60,000 cells/mL, 2.5 µg/L, and 20 ng/L, respectively. Only Cubist modeling predicted maxima concentrations of cyanobacteria and geosmin; no modeling technique was able to predict maxima microcystin concentrations. Because maxima concentrations are a primary concern for lake and reservoir managers, Cubist modeling may help predict the largest and most noxious concentrations of cyanobacteria and their secondary metabolites.

  20. Revisiting the plant hyperaccumulation criteria to rare plants and earth abundant elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Branquinho, Cristina [Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciencias, Centro de Ecologia e Biologia Vegetal, Campo Grande C2, Piso 4, 1749-016 Lisbon (Portugal) and Universidade Atlantica, Antiga Fabrica da Polvora de Barcarena, 2745-615 Barcarena (Portugal)]. E-mail: cmbranquinho@fc.ul.pt; Serrano, Helena Cristina [Universidade de Lisboa, Museu Nacional de Historia Natural, Jardim Botanico (Portugal); Pinto, Manuel Joao [Universidade de Lisboa, Museu Nacional de Historia Natural, Jardim Botanico (Portugal); Martins-Loucao, Maria Amelia [Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciencias, Centro de Ecologia e Biologia Vegetal, Campo Grande C2, Piso 4, 1749-016 Lisbon (Portugal); Universidade de Lisboa, Museu Nacional de Historia Natural, Jardim Botanico (Portugal)

    2007-03-15

    The several established criteria to define a hyperaccumulator plant were applied to a rare and endangered species, Plantago almogravensis, and to the 3rd most abundant element in the earth crust, Al. Using the most common criteria, P. almogravensis undoubtedly is an Al hyperaccumulator plant. If the recent proposed requirements were considered, most of them matching those for a plant to be used in phytoextraction, it can only be considered an unusual accumulator of Al. A discussion is made concerning the several criteria of a hyperaccumulator plant in order to include rare and endemic ones and abundant elements. In ecological terms, the enrichment in Al and Fe observed may account for the differences in the vegetation pattern. Due to the rarity and endangered nature of this plant, the contribution of this work is also relevant for the ecological understanding and the development of conservation options of this endemic species. - Revisiting plant hyperaccumulation criteria.

  1. Revisiting the plant hyperaccumulation criteria to rare plants and earth abundant elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Branquinho, Cristina; Serrano, Helena Cristina; Pinto, Manuel Joao; Martins-Loucao, Maria Amelia

    2007-01-01

    The several established criteria to define a hyperaccumulator plant were applied to a rare and endangered species, Plantago almogravensis, and to the 3rd most abundant element in the earth crust, Al. Using the most common criteria, P. almogravensis undoubtedly is an Al hyperaccumulator plant. If the recent proposed requirements were considered, most of them matching those for a plant to be used in phytoextraction, it can only be considered an unusual accumulator of Al. A discussion is made concerning the several criteria of a hyperaccumulator plant in order to include rare and endemic ones and abundant elements. In ecological terms, the enrichment in Al and Fe observed may account for the differences in the vegetation pattern. Due to the rarity and endangered nature of this plant, the contribution of this work is also relevant for the ecological understanding and the development of conservation options of this endemic species. - Revisiting plant hyperaccumulation criteria

  2. Diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cardoso, J.F.M.F.; van Bleijswijk, J.D.L.; Witte, H.; van Duyl, F.C.

    2013-01-01

    We analysed the diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA) and Bacteria (AOB) in the shallow warm-water sponge Halisarca caerulea and the deep cold-water sponges Higginsia thielei and Nodastrella nodastrella. The abundance of AOA and AOB was analysed using catalyzed reporter

  3. Cogeneration techniques; Les techniques de cogeneration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-10-01

    This dossier about cogeneration techniques comprises 12 parts dealing successively with: the advantages of cogeneration (examples of installations, electrical and thermal efficiency); the combustion turbine (principle, performances, types); the alternative internal combustion engines (principle, types, rotation speed, comparative performances); the different configurations of cogeneration installations based on alternative engines and based on steam turbines (coal, heavy fuel and natural gas-fueled turbines); the environmental constraints of combustion turbines (pollutants, techniques of reduction of pollutant emissions); the environmental constraints of alternative internal combustion engines (gas and diesel engines); cogeneration and energy saving; the techniques of reduction of pollutant emissions (pollutants, unburnt hydrocarbons, primary and secondary (catalytic) techniques, post-combustion); the most-advanced configurations of cogeneration installations for enhanced performances (counter-pressure turbines, massive steam injection cycles, turbo-chargers); comparison between the performances of the different cogeneration techniques; the tri-generation technique (compression and absorption cycles). (J.S.)

  4. Seismological measurement of solar helium abundance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vorontsov, S.V.; Pamyatnykh, A.A.

    1991-01-01

    The internal structure and evolution of the Sun depends on its chemical composition, particularly the helium abundance. In addition, the helium abundance in the solar envelope is thought to represent the protosolar value, making it a datum of cosmological significance. Spectroscopic measurements of the helium abundance are uncertain, and the most reliable estimates until now have come from the calibration of solar evolutionary models. The frequencies of solar acoustic oscillations are sensitive, however, to the behaviour of the speed of sound in the Sun's helium ionization zone, which allows a helioseismological determination of the helium abundance. Sound-speed inversion of helioseismological data can be used for this purpose, but precise frequency measurements of high-degree oscillation modes are needed. Here we describe a new approach based on an analysis of the phase shift of acoustic waves of intermediate-degree modes. From the accurate intermediate-mode data now available, we obtain a helium mass fraction Y=0.25±0.01 in the solar convection zone, significantly smaller than the value Y=0.27-0.29 predicted by recent solar evolutionary models. The discrepancy indicates either that initial helium abundance was reduced in the envelope by downward diffusion or that the protosolar value was lower than currently accepted. (author)

  5. LITHIUM ABUNDANCES OF EXTREMELY METAL-POOR TURNOFF STARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aoki, Wako; Inoue, Susumu; Barklem, Paul S.; Beers, Timothy C.; Christlieb, Norbert; Perez, Ana E. GarcIa; Norris, John E.; Carollo, Daniela

    2009-01-01

    We have determined Li abundances for eleven metal-poor turnoff stars, among which eight have [Fe/H] <-3, based on LTE analyses of high-resolution spectra obtained with the High Dispersion Spectrograph on the Subaru Telescope. The Li abundances for four of these eight stars are determined for the first time by this study. Effective temperatures are determined by a profile analysis of Hα and Hβ. While seven stars have Li abundances as high as the Spite Plateau value, the remaining four objects with [Fe/H] <-3 have A(Li) =log (Li/H)+ 12 ∼< 2.0, confirming the existence of extremely metal-poor (EMP) turnoff stars having low Li abundances, as reported by previous work. The average of the Li abundances for stars with [Fe/H]<-3 is lower by 0.2 dex than that of the stars with higher metallicity. No clear constraint on the metallicity dependence or scatter of the Li abundances is derived from our measurements for the stars with [Fe/H]<-3. Correlations of the Li abundance with effective temperatures, with abundances of Na, Mg, and Sr, and with the kinematical properties are investigated, but no clear correlation is seen in the EMP star sample.

  6. Using species abundance distribution models and diversity indices for biogeographical analyses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fattorini, Simone; Rigal, François; Cardoso, Pedro; Borges, Paulo A. V.

    2016-01-01

    We examine whether Species Abundance Distribution models (SADs) and diversity indices can describe how species colonization status influences species community assembly on oceanic islands. Our hypothesis is that, because of the lack of source-sink dynamics at the archipelago scale, Single Island Endemics (SIEs), i.e. endemic species restricted to only one island, should be represented by few rare species and consequently have abundance patterns that differ from those of more widespread species. To test our hypothesis, we used arthropod data from the Azorean archipelago (North Atlantic). We divided the species into three colonization categories: SIEs, archipelagic endemics (AZEs, present in at least two islands) and native non-endemics (NATs). For each category, we modelled rank-abundance plots using both the geometric series and the Gambin model, a measure of distributional amplitude. We also calculated Shannon entropy and Buzas and Gibson's evenness. We show that the slopes of the regression lines modelling SADs were significantly higher for SIEs, which indicates a relative predominance of a few highly abundant species and a lack of rare species, which also depresses diversity indices. This may be a consequence of two factors: (i) some forest specialist SIEs may be at advantage over other, less adapted species; (ii) the entire populations of SIEs are by definition concentrated on a single island, without possibility for inter-island source-sink dynamics; hence all populations must have a minimum number of individuals to survive natural, often unpredictable, fluctuations. These findings are supported by higher values of the α parameter of the Gambin mode for SIEs. In contrast, AZEs and NATs had lower regression slopes, lower α but higher diversity indices, resulting from their widespread distribution over several islands. We conclude that these differences in the SAD models and diversity indices demonstrate that the study of these metrics is useful for

  7. Chemical abundances of primary stars in the Sirius-like binary systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, X. M.; Zhao, G.; Zhao, J. K.; Shi, J. R.; Kumar, Y. Bharat; Wang, L.; Zhang, J. B.; Wang, Y.; Zhou, Y. T.

    2018-05-01

    Study of primary stars lying in Sirius-like systems with various masses of white dwarf (WD) companions and orbital separations is one of the key aspects to understand the origin and nature of barium (Ba) stars. In this paper, based on high-resolution and high-S/N spectra, we present systematic analysis of photospheric abundances for 18 FGK primary stars of Sirius-like systems including six giants and 12 dwarfs. Atmospheric parameters, stellar masses, and abundances of 24 elements (C, Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, La, Ce, and Nd) are determined homogeneously. The abundance patterns in these sample stars show that most of the elements in our sample follow the behaviour of field stars with similar metallicity. As expected, s-process elements in four known Ba giants show overabundance. A weak correlation was found between anomalies of s-process elemental abundance and orbital separation, suggesting that the orbital separation of the binaries could not be the main constraint to differentiate strong Ba stars from mild Ba stars. Our study shows that the large mass (>0.51 M⊙) of a WD companion in a binary system is not a sufficient condition to form a Ba star, even if the separation between the two components is small. Although not sufficient, it seems to be a necessary condition since Ba stars with lower mass WDs in the observed sample were not found. Our results support that [s/Fe] and [hs/ls] ratios of Ba stars are anti-correlated with the metallicity. However, the different levels of s-process overabundance among Ba stars may not be dominated mainly by the metallicity.

  8. The Open Cluster Chemical Abundances and Mapping (OCCAM) Survey: Galactic Neutron CaptureAbundance Gradients

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Connell, Julia; Frinchaboy, Peter M.; Shetrone, Matthew D.; Melendez, Matthew; Cunha, Katia; Majewski, Steven R.; Zasowski, Gail; APOGEE Team

    2017-06-01

    The evolution of elements, as a function or age, throughout the Milky Way disk provides a key constraint for galaxy evolution models. In an effort to provide these constraints, we have conducted an investigation into the r- and s- process elemental abundances for a large sample of open clusters as part of an optical follow-up to the SDSS-III/APOGEE-1 survey. Stars were identified as cluster members by the Open Cluster Chemical Abundance & Mapping (OCCAM) survey, which culls member candidates by radial velocity, metallicity and proper motion from the observed APOGEE sample. To obtain data for neutron capture elements in these clusters, we conducted a long-term observing campaign covering three years (2013-2016) using the McDonald Observatory Otto Struve 2.1-m telescope and Sandiford Cass Echelle Spectrograph (R ~ 60,000). We present Galactic neutron capture abundance gradients using 30+ clusters, within 6 kpc of the Sun, covering a range of ages from ~80 Myr to ~10 Gyr .

  9. Hydrocarbon Reserves: Abundance or Scarcity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2005-07-01

    impact on the growth of reserves and resources (H. Le Leuch); Additional reserves: the role of new technologies - A global perspective on EORIOR (G. Fries); - Updating reservoir models with dynamic data and uncertainty quantification: an integrated approach (F. Roggero); Seismic technology for the OAPEC countries (P. Canal); Exploration knowledge and technologies: impact of progress - Statistical results (N. Alazard); Stratigraphic modelling as a key to find new potentialities in exploration (D. Granjeon); Modelling hydrocarbon migration as a tool for reserve estimation (J-L. Rudkiewicz); The contribution of surface and near surface geology to hydrocarbon discoveries (S.M. Kumati); Contribution of the exploration activity in renewing reserves - The case of Algeria (R. Lounissi); Egypt's petroleum hydrocarbon potential (H. Hataba); Future of hydrocarbon reserves in Syria (T. Hemsh); Natural gas, the fuel of choice for decades to com (M.F. Chabrelie); The role and importance of Arab natural gas in world market (M. Al-Lababidi); LNG and GTL: two pathways for natural gas utilization (C. Cameron); Yet to find hydrocarbon potential (S. Al Menhali); Libyan context of hydrocarbon reserves: abundance or scarcity? (M. Elazi)

  10. A robust and accurate binning algorithm for metagenomic sequences with arbitrary species abundance ratio.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, Henry C M; Yiu, S M; Yang, Bin; Peng, Yu; Wang, Yi; Liu, Zhihua; Chen, Jingchi; Qin, Junjie; Li, Ruiqiang; Chin, Francis Y L

    2011-06-01

    With the rapid development of next-generation sequencing techniques, metagenomics, also known as environmental genomics, has emerged as an exciting research area that enables us to analyze the microbial environment in which we live. An important step for metagenomic data analysis is the identification and taxonomic characterization of DNA fragments (reads or contigs) resulting from sequencing a sample of mixed species. This step is referred to as 'binning'. Binning algorithms that are based on sequence similarity and sequence composition markers rely heavily on the reference genomes of known microorganisms or phylogenetic markers. Due to the limited availability of reference genomes and the bias and low availability of markers, these algorithms may not be applicable in all cases. Unsupervised binning algorithms which can handle fragments from unknown species provide an alternative approach. However, existing unsupervised binning algorithms only work on datasets either with balanced species abundance ratios or rather different abundance ratios, but not both. In this article, we present MetaCluster 3.0, an integrated binning method based on the unsupervised top--down separation and bottom--up merging strategy, which can bin metagenomic fragments of species with very balanced abundance ratios (say 1:1) to very different abundance ratios (e.g. 1:24) with consistently higher accuracy than existing methods. MetaCluster 3.0 can be downloaded at http://i.cs.hku.hk/~alse/MetaCluster/.

  11. Mapping the dynamics of ligand reorganization via {sup 13}CH{sub 3} and {sup 13}CH{sub 2} relaxation dispersion at natural abundance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peng, Jeffrey W., E-mail: jpeng@nd.edu; Wilson, Brian D.; Namanja, Andrew T. [University of Notre Dame, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (United States)

    2009-09-15

    Flexible ligands pose challenges to standard structure-activity studies since they frequently reorganize their conformations upon protein binding and catalysis. Here, we demonstrate the utility of side chain {sup 13}C relaxation dispersion measurements to identify and quantify the conformational dynamics that drive this reorganization. The dispersion measurements probe methylene {sup 13}CH{sub 2} and methyl {sup 13}CH{sub 3} groups; the latter are highly prevalent side chain moieties in known drugs. Combining these side chain studies with existing backbone dispersion studies enables a comprehensive investigation of {mu}s-ms conformational dynamics related to binding and catalysis. We perform these measurements at natural {sup 13}C abundance, in congruence with common pharmaceutical research settings. We illustrate these methods through a study of the interaction of a phosphopeptide ligand with the peptidyl-prolyl isomerase, Pin1. The results illuminate the side-chain moieties that undergo conformational readjustments upon complex formation. In particular, we find evidence that multiple exchange processes influence the side chain dispersion profiles. Collectively, our studies illustrate how side-chain relaxation dispersion can shed light on ligand conformational transitions required for activity, and thereby suggest strategies for its optimization.

  12. Urbanized landscapes favored by fig-eating birds increase invasive but not native juvenile strangler fig abundance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caughlin, Trevor; Wheeler, Jessica H; Jankowski, Jill; Lichstein, Jeremy W

    2012-07-01

    better management techniques. Our results suggest that prioritizing removal of adult trees in sites with high fig-eating bird habitat may be the most effective method to control F. microcarpa abundance.

  13. Studies on the competitive sorption of divalent metal ions to natural soil samples using a multitracer technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujiyoshi, R.; Hirashima, H.; Sawamura, S.

    1997-01-01

    Speciation of minor or trace amount of pollutants, such as heavy metals and radionuclides released from atmospheric precipitation and water streams have been studied in order to elucidate their fates in the environment through 'in situ' observations or laboratory experiments. The authors have investigated sorption of heavy metals on various natural samples radiometrically ( 65 Zn as a tracer). A sequential extraction technique was found to be very effective to elucidate possible scavengers (minerals) of heavy metals in some cases. A sediment with low CEC does not sorb Zn (ii) ions to a great extent. It is thus considered that the zinc sorption occurs competitively with protons present in the aqueous media. Divalent copper and cadmium ions also behaved similarly to Zn(II), which was obtained electrochemically with the ion selective electrodes of Cu(II) and Cd(II). This time the authors investigated the competitive sorption of Mn(ii) and Zn(II) to natural soils using a radiotracer technique, which was considered to be useful to evaluate relative importance of the sorption of each metal ion without serious matrix effects. Quite different properties appeared among those metal ions used independently or simultaneously as a tracer. Proton exchange process may be important for the Zn(II) sorption, whereas a solid-solution partition is supposed to control the Mn(ii) uptake, when each of them was examined independently as a sorbate. In contrast, simultaneous use of those tracers to a soil suspension had great effects on the result; the maximum sorption (A m ) of Zn(II) increased, and Mn(II) behaved like a sorbate which tends to occupy specific sites of the soil surfaces. Those results indicate that the sorption of minor and/or trace elements to natural soils would not be evaluated through a series of experiments with a single sorbate

  14. RED SUPERGIANT STARS AS COSMIC ABUNDANCE PROBES: KMOS OBSERVATIONS IN NGC 6822

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patrick, L. R.; Evans, C. J.; Ferguson, A. M. N.; Davies, B.; Kudritzki, R-P.; Gazak, J. Z.; Bergemann, M.; Plez, B.

    2015-01-01

    We present near-IR spectroscopy of red supergiant (RSG) stars in NGC 6822, obtained with the new K-band Multi-Object Spectrograph Very Large Telescope, Chile. From comparisons with model spectra in the J-band we determine the metallicity of 11 RSGs, finding a mean value of [Z] = −0.52 ± 0.21, which agrees well with previous abundance studies of young stars and H ii regions. We also find an indication for a low-significance abundance gradient within the central 1 kpc. We compare our results with those derived from older stellar populations and investigate the difference using a simple chemical evolution model. By comparing the physical properties determined for RSGs in NGC 6822 with those derived using the same technique in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds, we show that there appears to be no significant temperature variation of RSGs with respect to metallicity, in contrast to recent evolutionary models

  15. Accurate experimental determination of the isotope effects on the triple point temperature of water. I. Dependence on the 2H abundance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faghihi, V.; Peruzzi, A.; Aerts-Bijma, A. T.; Jansen, H. G.; Spriensma, J. J.; van Geel, J.; Meijer, H. A. J.

    2015-12-01

    Variation in the isotopic composition of water is one of the major contributors to uncertainty in the realization of the triple point of water (TPW). Although the dependence of the TPW on the isotopic composition of the water has been known for years, there is still a lack of a detailed and accurate experimental determination of the values for the correction constants. This paper is the first of two articles (Part I and Part II) that address quantification of isotope abundance effects on the triple point temperature of water. In this paper, we describe our experimental assessment of the 2H isotope effect. We manufactured five triple point cells with prepared water mixtures with a range of 2H isotopic abundances encompassing widely the natural abundance range, while the 18O and 17O isotopic abundance were kept approximately constant and the 18O  -  17O ratio was close to the Meijer-Li relationship for natural waters. The selected range of 2H isotopic abundances led to cells that realised TPW temperatures between approximately  -140 μK to  +2500 μK with respect to the TPW temperature as realized by VSMOW (Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water). Our experiment led to determination of the value for the δ2H correction parameter of A2H  =  673 μK / (‰ deviation of δ2H from VSMOW) with a combined uncertainty of 4 μK (k  =  1, or 1σ).

  16. Seasonal variation in nitrogen pools and 15N/13C natural abundances in different tissues of grassland plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. K. Schjoerring

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Seasonal changes in nitrogen (N pools, carbon (C content and natural abundance of 13C and 15N in different tissues of ryegrass plants were investigated in two intensively managed grassland fields in order to address their ammonia (NH3 exchange potential. Green leaves generally had the largest total N concentration followed by stems and inflorescences. Senescent leaves had the lowest N concentration, indicating N re-allocation. The seasonal pattern of the Γ value, i.e. the ratio between NH4+ and H+ concentrations, was similar for the various tissues of the ryegrass plants but the magnitude of Γ differed considerably among the different tissues. Green leaves and stems generally had substantially lower Γ values than senescent leaves and litter. Substantial peaks in Γ were observed during spring and summer in response to fertilization and grazing. These peaks were associated with high NH4+ rather than with low H+ concentrations. Peaks in Γ also appeared during the winter, coinciding with increasing δ15N values, indicating absorption of N derived from mineralization of soil organic matter. At the same time, δ13C values were declining, suggesting reduced photosynthesis and capacity for N assimilation. δ15N and δ13C values were more influenced by mean monthly temperature than by the accumulated monthly precipitation. In conclusion, ryegrass plants showed a clear seasonal pattern in N pools. Green leaves and stems of ryegrass plants generally seem to constitute a sink for NH3, while senescent leaves have a large potential for NH3 emission. However, management events such as fertilisation and grazing may create a high NH3 emission potential even in green plant parts. The obtained results provide input for future modelling of plant-atmosphere NH3 exchange.

  17. Biological basis of the sterile insect technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lance, D.R.; McInnis, D.O.

    2005-01-01

    In principle, the sterile insect technique (SIT) is applicable to controlling a wide variety of insect pests, but biological factors, interacting with socio-economic and political forces, restrict its practical use to a narrower set of pest species and situations. This chapter reviews how the biology and ecology of a given pest affect the feasibility and logistics of developing and using the SIT against that pest insect. The subjects of pest abundance, distribution, and population dynamics are discussed in relation to producing and delivering sufficient sterile insects to control target populations. Pest movement and distribution are considered as factors that influence the feasibility and design of SIT projects, including the need for population- or area-wide management approaches. Biological characteristics, that affect the ability of sterile insects to interact with wild populations, are presented, including the nature of mating systems of pests, behavioural and physiological consequences of mass production and sterilization, and mechanisms that males use to block a female's acquisition and/or use of sperm from other males. An adequate knowledge of the biology of the pest species and potential target populations is needed, both for making sound decisions on whether integration of the SIT into an area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programme is appropriate, and for the efficient and effective application of the technique. (author)

  18. Predicting the locations of naturally fishless lakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schilling, Emily Gaenzle; Loftin, C.S.; Degoosh, K.E.; Huryn, Alexander D.; Webster, K.E.

    2008-01-01

    complementary approaches. First we visited 21 lakes predicted to be fishless and assessed current fish presence with gillnetting. Second, we used paleolimnological techniques based on the abundance of Chaoborus americanus mandibles in the bottom segments of sediment cores. Fifteen of the 21 lakes predicted to be fishless currently contain fish. Paleolimnological evidence, however, suggests that nine of the 15 lakes were historically fishless and thus were subject to undocumented fish introductions. 8. Our approach efficiently predicts the distribution Maine's naturally fishless lakes, and our results indicate that these habitats have declined due to fish introductions. Our method could be applied to other regions with similar geographic and geomorphic constraints on fish distributions as a tool to enhance conservation of a limited resource that provides habitat for unique biological communities. ?? 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  19. Do stellar and nebular abundances in the Cocoon nebula agree?

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Rojas, J.; Simón-Díaz, S.; Esteban, C.

    2015-05-01

    The Cocoon nebula is an apparently spherical Galactic HII region ionized by a single star (BD+46 3474). This nebula seems to be appropriate to investigate the chemical behavior of oxygen and other heavy elements from two different points of view: a detailed analysis of the chemical content of the ionized gas through nebular spectrophotometry and a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the spectrum of the ionizing star using the state-of-the-art stellar atmosphere modelling. In this poster we present the results from a set of high-quality observations, from 2m-4m class telescopes, including the optical spectrum of the ionizing star BD+46 3474, along with long-slit spatially resolved spectroscopy of the nebula. We have used state-of-the-art stellar atmosphere codes to determine stellar parameters and the chemical content of several heavy elements. Traditional nebular techniques along with updated atomic data have been used to compute gaseous abundances of O, N and S in the Cocoon nebula. Thanks to the low ionization degree of the nebula, we could determine total abundances directly from observable ions (no ionization correction factors were needed) for three of the analyzed elements (O, S, and N). The derived stellar and nebular abundances are compared and the influence of the possible presence of the so-called temperature fluctuations on the nebula is discussed. The results of this study are presented in more detail in García-Rojas, Simón-Díaz & Esteban 2014, A&A, 571, A93.

  20. Relationship of Course Woody Debris to Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Prey Diversity and Abundance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Horn, G.S.

    1999-09-03

    The abundance of diversity of prey commonly used by the red-cockaded woodpecker were monitored in experimental plots in which course woody debris was manipulated. In one treatment, all the woody debris over four inches was removed. In the second treatment, the natural amount of mortality remained intact. The overall diversity of prey was unaffected; however, wood roaches were significantly reduced by removal of woody debris. The latter suggests that intensive utilizations or harvesting practices may reduce foraging.

  1. Natural phenolic antioxidants in human fluids: analytical approaches and antioxidant capacity studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, K.; Zuo, Y.

    2006-01-01

    Phenolic compounds are the most abundant natural antioxidants in our diet. Epidemiological studies have shown the possible prevention effects of consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in phenolic compounds on degenerative diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers. However, there is a serious lack of fundamental knowledge on the uptake and metabolism of phenolic compounds in humans. It is clear that phenolic molecules, only absorbed by humans, can exert biological effects. This review presents a current knowledge on the analytical methods, antioxidant capacity measurements, as well as research strategies related to natural phenolic antioxidants on human health. Both GC-MS and LC-MS have proved to be very useful analytical techniques that can be employed to identify and quantitate targeted phenolic antioxidants and their metabolites in biofluids. Free radical quenching tests provide a direct measurement of antioxidant capacity but lack specificity and may oversimplify the in vivo human physiological environment. Research strategies are diverse and mainly focused on positive health effect of antioxidants. In the future studies, multiple potential bioactivities, both positive and negative, should be considered. (author)

  2. Environmental Survey Report for ORNL: Small Mammal Abundance and Distribution Survey Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park 2009 - 2010

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Giffen, Neil R [ORNL; Reasor, R. Scott [Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE); Campbell, Claire L. [Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)

    2009-12-01

    This report summarizes a 1-year small mammal biodiversity survey conducted on the Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park (OR Research Park). The task was implemented through the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Natural Resources Management Program and included researchers from the ORNL Environmental Sciences Division, interns in the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Higher Education Research Experiences Program, and ORNL Environmental Protection Services staff. Eight sites were surveyed reservation wide. The survey was conducted in an effort to determine species abundance and diversity of small mammal populations throughout the reservation and to continue the historical inventory of small mammal presence for biodiversity records. This data collection effort was in support of the approved Wildlife Management Plan for the Oak Ridge Reservation, a major goal of which is to maintain and enhance wildlife biodiversity on the Reservation. Three of the sites (Poplar Creek, McNew Hollow, and Deer Check Station Field) were previously surveyed during a major natural resources inventory conducted in 1996. Five new sites were included in this study: Bearden Creek, Rainy Knob (Natural Area 21), Gum Hollow, White Oak Creek and Melton Branch. The 2009-2010 small mammal surveys were conducted from June 2009 to July 2010 on the Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park (OR Research Park). The survey had two main goals: (1) to determine species abundance and diversity and (2) to update historical records on the OR Research Park. The park is located on the Department of Energy-owned Oak Ridge Reservation, which encompasses 13,580 ha. The primary focus of the study was riparian zones. In addition to small mammal sampling, vegetation and coarse woody debris samples were taken at certain sites to determine any correlations between habitat and species presence. During the survey all specimens were captured and released using live trapping techniques including

  3. Transcript Abundance of Photorhabdus Insect-Related (Pir Toxin in Manduca sexta and Galleria mellonella Infections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anaïs Castagnola

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we assessed pirAB toxin transcription in Photorhabdus luminescens laumondii (strain TT01 (Enterobacteriaceae by comparing mRNA abundance under in vivo and in vitro conditions. In vivo assays considered both natural and forced infections with two lepidopteran hosts: Galleria mellonella and Manduca sexta. Three portals of entry were utilized for the forced infection assays: (a integument; (b the digestive route (via mouth and anus; and (c the tracheal route (via spiracles. We also assessed plu4093-2 transcription during the course of a natural infection; this is when the bacteria are delivered by Heterorhabditis bacteriophora nematodes. Transcript abundance in G. mellonella was higher than in M. sexta at two of the observed time points: 15 and 18 h. Expression of pirAB plu4093-2 reached above endogenous control levels at 22 h in G. mellonella but not in M. sexta. Overall, pirAB plu4093-2 transcripts were not as highly expressed in M. sexta as in G. mellonella, from 15 to 22 h. This is the first study to directly compare pirAB plu4093-2 toxin transcript production considering different portals of entry.

  4. Validation of abundance estimates from mark-recapture and removal techniques for rainbow trout captured by electrofishing in small streams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amanda E. Rosenberger; Jason B. Dunham

    2005-01-01

    Estimation of fish abundance in streams using the removal model or the Lincoln–Peterson mark–recapture model is a common practice in fisheries. These models produce misleading results if their assumptions are violated. We evaluated the assumptions of these two models via electrofishing of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in central Idaho streams....

  5. Abundance Tomography of Type Ia Supernovae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stehle, M.; Mazzali, P.A.; Hillebrandt, W.

    2005-01-01

    An analysis of early time spectra of Type Ia Supernovae is presented. A new method to derive a detailed abundance distribution of the SN ejecta through comparison with synthetic spectra, called 'Abundance Tomography' is introduced and applied to the normal SN Ia 2002bo. Conclusions regarding the explosion mechanism are drawn

  6. Use of Atlantic Forest protected areas by free-ranging dogs: estimating abundance and persistence of use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paschoal, Ana Maria; Massara, Rodrigo; Bailey, Larissa L.; Kendall, William L.; Doherty, Paul F.; Hirsch, Andre; Chiarello, Adriano; Paglia, Adriano

    2016-01-01

    Worldwide, domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are one of the most common carnivoran species in natural areas and their populations are still increasing. Dogs have been shown to impact wildlife populations negatively, and their occurrence can alter the abundance, behavior, and activity patterns of native species. However, little is known about abundance and density of the free-ranging dogs that use protected areas. Here, we used camera trap data with an open-robust design mark–recapture model to estimate the number of dogs that used protected areas in Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We estimated the time period these dogs used the protected areas, and explored factors that influenced the probability of continued use (e.g., season, mammal richness, proportion of forest), while accounting for variation in detection probability. Dogs in the studied system were categorized as rural free-ranging, and their abundance varied widely across protected areas (0–73 individuals). Dogs used protected areas near human houses for longer periods (e.g., >50% of sampling occasions) compared to more distant areas. We found no evidence that their probability of continued use varied with season or mammal richness. Dog detection probability decreased linearly among occasions, possibly due to the owners confining their dogs after becoming aware of our presence. Comparing our estimates to those for native carnivoran, we found that dogs were three to 85 times more abundant than ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), two to 25 times more abundant than puma (Puma concolor), and approximately five times more abundant than the crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous). Combining camera trapping data with modern mark–recapture methods provides important demographic information on free-ranging dogs that can guide management strategies to directly control dogs' abundance and ranging behavior.

  7. Deuterium abundance, from ultraviolet to visible

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hebrard, Guillaume

    2000-01-01

    In the frame of the standard Big Bang model, the primordial abundance of deuterium is the most sensitive to the baryonic density of the Universe. It was synthesized only during the primordial nucleosynthesis few minutes after the Big Bang and no other standard mechanism is able to produce any further significant amount. On the contrary, since deuterium is burned up within stars, its abundance D/H decreases along cosmic evolution. Thus, D/H measurements constrain Big Bang and galactic chemical evolution models. There are three samples of deuterium abundances: primordial, proto-solar and interstellar. Each of them is representative of a given epoch, respectively about 15 Gyrs past, 4.5 Gyrs past and present epoch. Although the evolution of the deuterium abundance seems to be qualitatively understood, the measurements show some dispersion. Present thesis works are linked to deuterium interstellar abundance measurements. Such measurements are classically obtained from spectroscopic observations of the hydrogen and deuterium Lyman series in absorption in the ultraviolet spectral range, using space observatories. Results presented here were obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope and FUSE, which has recently been launched. Simultaneously, a new way to observe deuterium has been proposed, in the visible spectral range from ground-based telescopes. This has led to the first detections and the identification of the deuterium Balmer series, in emission in HII regions, using CFHT and VLT telescopes. (author) [fr

  8. Composition, Abundance and Distribution of Brachyuran Larvae in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... Ocypodidae, Grapsidae and Xanthidae. Abundance of brachyuran larvae was significantly positively correlated with total zooplankton abundance (r2 = 0.8) and salinity (r2 = 0.71). Keywords: Brachyuran larvae, abundance, composition, Mida creek, Kenya West Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science Vol. 3 (2) 2004: pp.

  9. Diversity, composition and abundance of macroinvertebrates ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    these genera were found at all sampling stations as shown in Table 2. Out of the orders sampled, Hemiptera, Pulmonata and. Coleoptera had the highest number of genera with 5, 4 and 4, respectively. In terms of relative abundance, dipterans and Pulmonata were the most abundant while. Hydracarina (water mites) were ...

  10. Radiation technique for the destruction of plutella

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1980-01-01

    Plutella can be destroyed by cultivation technique where cabbage is grown interchangebly with other plants, biological technique where the natural enemy of plutella is used, and chemical technique where insecticide is used. Those method do not better results than the sterile male technique which can be either nuclear or chemical in nature. Laboratory, semifield research, and research in a limited field have been carried out when applying the sterile male technique. (SMN)

  11. Changes in Reef Fish Abundances Associated with the Introduction of Indo-Pacific Lionfish to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: a Twenty Year Time Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hepner, M.; Muller-Karger, F. E.; Gittings, S.; Stallings, C.

    2016-02-01

    The Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) is a partnership between academic, private, and government researchers seeking to understand how marine biodiversity changes over long periods of time. In this context, a study of the multi-agency Reef Visual Census (RVC) data, collected over twenty years in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), was analyzed to measure possible changes in reef fish abundances as a result of possible predation by lionfish predation or due to related trophic cascading. Lionfish were first sighted in the FKNMS in January 2009, with abundances and frequency of occurrence increasing three to six fold throughout the sanctuary by 2011. Their high consumption rates of smaller fish, coupled with their rapidly increasing densities may be having a significant effect on coral reef fish communities. The study compares the natural variability in reef fish abundances from 1994-2009 in the FKNMS, 15 years prior to the first lionfish detected in the sanctuary, to changes in reef fish abundances 5 years after the invasion. The MBON project also aims to develop environmental DNA (eDNA) technology for conducting biodiversity assessments. eDNA is an emerging technique that seeks to quantify biodiversity in an area by obtaining genetic material directly from environmental samples (soil, sediment, water, etc.) without any obvious signs of biological source material. All marine organisms shed DNA into their surrounding habitat, leaving a "fingerprint." Similar to forensic science, the DNA can be collected from seawater and analyzed to determine what species were recently present. The MBON team is evaluating whether eDNA can be used to adequately monitor reef fish biodiversity in coral reef ecosystems. We will compare species detected in our samples to the taxonomic composition of reef fish communities at the sample site as recorded over the past twenty years in the Reef Visual Census data.

  12. Risk management technique for liquefied natural gas facilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fedor, O. H.; Parsons, W. N.

    1975-01-01

    Checklists have been compiled for planning, design, construction, startup and debugging, and operation of liquefied natural gas facilities. Lists include references to pertinent safety regulations. Methods described are applicable to handling of other hazardous materials.

  13. LIGHT-ELEMENT ABUNDANCE VARIATIONS AT LOW METALLICITY: THE GLOBULAR CLUSTER NGC 5466

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shetrone, Matthew; Martell, Sarah L.; Wilkerson, Rachel; Adams, Joshua; Siegel, Michael H.; Smith, Graeme H.; Bond, Howard E.

    2010-01-01

    We present low-resolution (R ≅850) spectra for 67 asymptotic giant branch (AGB), horizontal branch, and red giant branch (RGB) stars in the low-metallicity globular cluster NGC 5466, taken with the VIRUS-P integral-field spectrograph at the 2.7 m Harlan J. Smith telescope at McDonald Observatory. Sixty-six stars are confirmed, and one rejected, as cluster members based on radial velocity, which we measure to an accuracy of 16 km s -1 via template-matching techniques. CN and CH band strengths have been measured for 29 RGB and AGB stars in NGC 5466, and the band-strength indices measured from VIRUS-P data show close agreement with those measured from Keck/LRIS spectra previously taken for five of our target stars. We also determine carbon abundances from comparisons with synthetic spectra. The RGB stars in our data set cover a range in absolute V magnitude from +2 to -3, which permits us to study the rate of carbon depletion on the giant branch as well as the point of its onset. The data show a clear decline in carbon abundance with rising luminosity above the luminosity function 'bump' on the giant branch, and also a subdued range in CN band strength, suggesting ongoing internal mixing in individual stars but minor or no primordial star-to-star variation in light-element abundances.

  14. Increased natural reproduction and genetic diversity one generation after cessation of a steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) conservation hatchery program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berejikian, Barry A; Van Doornik, Donald M

    2018-01-01

    Spatial and temporal fluctuations in productivity and abundance confound assessments of captive propagation programs aimed at recovery of Threatened and Endangered populations. We conducted a 17 year before-after-control-impact experiment to determine the effects of a captive rearing program for anadromous steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) on a key indicator of natural spawner abundance (naturally produced nests or 'redds'). The supplemented population exhibited a significant (2.6-fold) increase in redd abundance in the generation following supplementation. Four non-supplemented (control) populations monitored over the same 17 year period exhibited stable or decreasing trends in redd abundance. Expected heterozygosity in the supplemented population increased significantly. Allelic richness increased, but to a lesser (non-significant) degree. Estimates of the effective number of breeders increased from a harmonic mean of 24.4 in the generation before supplementation to 38.9 after supplementation. Several non-conventional aspects of the captive rearing program may have contributed to the positive response in the natural population.

  15. Increased natural reproduction and genetic diversity one generation after cessation of a steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss conservation hatchery program.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barry A Berejikian

    Full Text Available Spatial and temporal fluctuations in productivity and abundance confound assessments of captive propagation programs aimed at recovery of Threatened and Endangered populations. We conducted a 17 year before-after-control-impact experiment to determine the effects of a captive rearing program for anadromous steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss on a key indicator of natural spawner abundance (naturally produced nests or 'redds'. The supplemented population exhibited a significant (2.6-fold increase in redd abundance in the generation following supplementation. Four non-supplemented (control populations monitored over the same 17 year period exhibited stable or decreasing trends in redd abundance. Expected heterozygosity in the supplemented population increased significantly. Allelic richness increased, but to a lesser (non-significant degree. Estimates of the effective number of breeders increased from a harmonic mean of 24.4 in the generation before supplementation to 38.9 after supplementation. Several non-conventional aspects of the captive rearing program may have contributed to the positive response in the natural population.

  16. Origin of Stellar Abundances in the early Galaxy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Montes, F.; Beers, T. C.; Cowan, J.; Elliot, T.; Schatz, H.; Farouqi, K.; Gallino, R.; Heil, M.; Kratz, K.-L.; Pfeiffer, B.; Pignatari, M.

    2007-01-01

    Observations of metal-poor stars in the last decade have revealed an abundance pattern that have recently been explained as the result of two nucleosynthesis processes, a strong r-process that creates most of the Z≥56 and some 38≤Z≤47 abundances and a light element primary process (LEPP) responsible for creating the remaining 38≤Z≤47 abundances and some small contribution to heavier elements. We review some of the current literature on the LEPP and show a derived abundance pattern as a function of mass number

  17. A mass spectrometric study of K39/K41 abundance variations by dual collection and digital measurement technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhattacharjee, P.K.; Venkatasubramanian, V.S.

    1977-01-01

    The status of K 39 /K 41 abundance ratios in rocks and minerals is reviewed and the errors and corrections required in such measurements pointed out. A double-collector mass spectrometer with digital recording has been used for K 39 /K 41 measurements in a number of granites, charnockites and zeolites. While the granites do not reveal fractionation effect, K 39 deficiency has been observed in charnockites and zeolites. Possible reasons for such a fractionation are pointed out. (author)

  18. Nitrogen abundance in Comet Halley

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wyckoff, S.; Tegler, S.C.; Engel, L.

    1991-01-01

    Data on the nitrogen-containing compounds that observed spectroscopically in the coma of Comet Halley are summarized, and the elemental abundance of nitrogen in the Comet Halley nucleus is derived. It is found that 90 percent of elemental nitrogen is in the dust fraction of the coma, while in the gas fraction, most of the nitrogen is contained in NH3 and CN. The elemental nitrogen abundance in the ice component of the nucleus was found to be deficient by a factor of about 75, relative to the solar photosphere, indicating that the chemical partitioning of N2 into NH3 and other nitrogen compounds during the evolution of the solar nebula cannot account completely for the low abundance ratio N2/NH3 = 0.1, observed in the comet. It is suggested that the low N2/NH3 ratio in Comet Halley may be explained simply by physical fractionation and/or thermal diffusion. 88 refs

  19. Abundances in very metal-poor stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Jennifer Anne

    We measured the abundances of 35 elements in 22 field red giants and a red giant in the globular cluster M92. We found the [Zn/Fe] ratio increases with decreasing [Fe/H], reaching ~0.3 at [Fe/H] = -3.0. While this is a larger [Zn/Fe] than found by previous investigators, it is not sufficient to account for the [Zn/Fe] observed in the damped Lyα systems. We test different models for the production of the s-process elements by comparing our [Y/Zr] values, which have been produced by the r- process, to predictions of what the s-process does not produce. We find that the models of Arlandini et al. (1999), which calculate s-process production in a model AGB star, agree the best. We then look at the r-process abundances across a wide range in mass. The [Y/Ba] values for most of our stars cluster around -0.30, but there are three outliers with [Y/Ba] values up to 1 dex higher. Thus the heavy element abundances do not show the same pattern from Z = 39 to Z = 56. However, our abundances ratios from Pd (Z = 46) to Yb (Z = 70) are consistent with a scaled solar system r- process pattern, arguing that at least the heavy r- process elements are made in a universal pattern. If we assume that this same pattern hold through thorium, we can determine the ages of our stars from the present abundance of radioactive thorium and an initial thorium abundance based on the abundance of stable heavy elements. Our results for five stars are consistent with those stars being the same age. Our mean age is 10.8 +/- 2 Gyr. However that result depends critically on the assumed Th/stable ratio, which we adopt from models of the r-process. For an average age of 15 Gyrs, the initial Th/Eu ratio we would need is 0.590. Finally, the [element/Fe] ratios for elements in the iron group and lower do not show any dispersion, unlike for the r- process elements such as Y and Ba. Therefore the individual contributions of supernovae have been erased for the lighter elements.

  20. Clonal growth and plant species abundance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herben, Tomáš; Nováková, Zuzana; Klimešová, Jitka

    2014-08-01

    Both regional and local plant abundances are driven by species' dispersal capacities and their abilities to exploit new habitats and persist there. These processes are affected by clonal growth, which is difficult to evaluate and compare across large numbers of species. This study assessed the influence of clonal reproduction on local and regional abundances of a large set of species and compared the predictive power of morphologically defined traits of clonal growth with data on actual clonal growth from a botanical garden. The role of clonal growth was compared with the effects of seed reproduction, habitat requirements and growth, proxied both by LHS (leaf-height-seed) traits and by actual performance in the botanical garden. Morphological parameters of clonal growth, actual clonal reproduction in the garden and LHS traits (leaf-specific area - height - seed mass) were used as predictors of species abundance, both regional (number of species records in the Czech Republic) and local (mean species cover in vegetation records) for 836 perennial herbaceous species. Species differences in habitat requirements were accounted for by classifying the dataset by habitat type and also by using Ellenberg indicator values as covariates. After habitat differences were accounted for, clonal growth parameters explained an important part of variation in species abundance, both at regional and at local levels. At both levels, both greater vegetative growth in cultivation and greater lateral expansion trait values were correlated with higher abundance. Seed reproduction had weaker effects, being positive at the regional level and negative at the local level. Morphologically defined traits are predictive of species abundance, and it is concluded that simultaneous investigation of several such traits can help develop hypotheses on specific processes (e.g. avoidance of self-competition, support of offspring) potentially underlying clonal growth effects on abundance. Garden

  1. Sensitive lifetime measurement of excited states of low-abundant isotopes via the (p,p{sup '}γ) reaction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hennig, Andreas; Derya, Vera; Pickstone, Simon G.; Spieker, Mark; Zilges, Andreas [Institute for Nuclear Physics, University of Cologne (Germany); Mineva, Milena N. [INRNE, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia (Bulgaria); Petkov, Pavel [Institute for Nuclear Physics, University of Cologne (Germany); INRNE, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia (Bulgaria)

    2015-07-01

    Absolute transition matrix elements are valuable observables in nuclear-structure physics since they are directly related to the nuclear wave functions. A key ingredient to determine transition matrix elements is the measurement of lifetimes of excited states. In a recent experiment, we extracted the lifetimes of 30 excited states of the low-abundant isotope {sup 96}Ru utilizing the Doppler-shift attenuation method (DSAM) in an inelastic proton-scattering experiment and taking advantage of the proton-γ coincidence technique. In contrast to the DSAM technique following inelastic neutron scattering, which was frequently performed to extract comprehensive lifetime information in the sub-picosecond regime, the (p,p{sup '}γ) reaction requires a much less amount of target material and is thus especially suited to investigate low-abundant isotopes. In this contribution, the (p,p{sup '}γ) method for lifetime measurements is presented and the results of recent experiments on {sup 96}Ru, {sup 94}Zr, and {sup 112,114}Sn are shown.

  2. On theoretical models of gene expression evolution with random genetic drift and natural selection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Osamu Ogasawara

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available The relative contributions of natural selection and random genetic drift are a major source of debate in the study of gene expression evolution, which is hypothesized to serve as a bridge from molecular to phenotypic evolution. It has been suggested that the conflict between views is caused by the lack of a definite model of the neutral hypothesis, which can describe the long-run behavior of evolutionary change in mRNA abundance. Therefore previous studies have used inadequate analogies with the neutral prediction of other phenomena, such as amino acid or nucleotide sequence evolution, as the null hypothesis of their statistical inference.In this study, we introduced two novel theoretical models, one based on neutral drift and the other assuming natural selection, by focusing on a common property of the distribution of mRNA abundance among a variety of eukaryotic cells, which reflects the result of long-term evolution. Our results demonstrated that (1 our models can reproduce two independently found phenomena simultaneously: the time development of gene expression divergence and Zipf's law of the transcriptome; (2 cytological constraints can be explicitly formulated to describe long-term evolution; (3 the model assuming that natural selection optimized relative mRNA abundance was more consistent with previously published observations than the model of optimized absolute mRNA abundances.The models introduced in this study give a formulation of evolutionary change in the mRNA abundance of each gene as a stochastic process, on the basis of previously published observations. This model provides a foundation for interpreting observed data in studies of gene expression evolution, including identifying an adequate time scale for discriminating the effect of natural selection from that of random genetic drift of selectively neutral variations.

  3. Endophytic root bacteria associated with the natural vegetation growing at the hydrocarbon-contaminated Bitumount Provincial Historic site.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blain, Natalie P; Helgason, Bobbi L; Germida, James J

    2017-06-01

    The Bitumount Provincial Historic site is the location of 2 of the world's first oil-extracting and -refining operations. Despite hydrocarbon levels ranging from 330 to 24 700 mg·(kg soil) -1 , plants have been able to recolonize the site through means of natural revegetation. This study was designed to achieve a better understanding of the plant-root-associated bacterial partnerships occurring within naturally revegetated hydrocarbon-contaminated soils. Root endophytic bacterial communities were characterized from representative plant species throughout the site by both high-throughput sequencing and culturing techniques. Population abundance of rhizosphere and root endosphere bacteria was significantly influenced (p hydrocarbon-degrading genes (CYP153 and alkB) were significantly affected (p < 0.05) by the interaction of plant species and sampling location. Our findings suggest that some of the bacterial communities detected are known to exhibit plant growth promotion characteristics.

  4. An MCMC determination of the primordial helium abundance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aver, Erik; Olive, Keith A.; Skillman, Evan D.

    2012-04-01

    Spectroscopic observations of the chemical abundances in metal-poor H II regions provide an independent method for estimating the primordial helium abundance. H II regions are described by several physical parameters such as electron density, electron temperature, and reddening, in addition to y, the ratio of helium to hydrogen. It had been customary to estimate or determine self-consistently these parameters to calculate y. Frequentist analyses of the parameter space have been shown to be successful in these parameter determinations, and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques have proven to be very efficient in sampling this parameter space. Nevertheless, accurate determination of the primordial helium abundance from observations of H II regions is constrained by both systematic and statistical uncertainties. In an attempt to better reduce the latter, and continue to better characterize the former, we apply MCMC methods to the large dataset recently compiled by Izotov, Thuan, & Stasińska (2007). To improve the reliability of the determination, a high quality dataset is needed. In pursuit of this, a variety of cuts are explored. The efficacy of the He I λ4026 emission line as a constraint on the solutions is first examined, revealing the introduction of systematic bias through its absence. As a clear measure of the quality of the physical solution, a χ2 analysis proves instrumental in the selection of data compatible with the theoretical model. Nearly two-thirds of the observations fall outside a standard 95% confidence level cut, which highlights the care necessary in selecting systems and warrants further investigation into potential deficiencies of the model or data. In addition, the method also allows us to exclude systems for which parameter estimations are statistical outliers. As a result, the final selected dataset gains in reliability and exhibits improved consistency. Regression to zero metallicity yields Yp = 0.2534 ± 0.0083, in broad agreement

  5. An MCMC determination of the primordial helium abundance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aver, Erik; Olive, Keith A.; Skillman, Evan D.

    2012-01-01

    Spectroscopic observations of the chemical abundances in metal-poor H II regions provide an independent method for estimating the primordial helium abundance. H II regions are described by several physical parameters such as electron density, electron temperature, and reddening, in addition to y, the ratio of helium to hydrogen. It had been customary to estimate or determine self-consistently these parameters to calculate y. Frequentist analyses of the parameter space have been shown to be successful in these parameter determinations, and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques have proven to be very efficient in sampling this parameter space. Nevertheless, accurate determination of the primordial helium abundance from observations of H II regions is constrained by both systematic and statistical uncertainties. In an attempt to better reduce the latter, and continue to better characterize the former, we apply MCMC methods to the large dataset recently compiled by Izotov, Thuan, and Stasińska (2007). To improve the reliability of the determination, a high quality dataset is needed. In pursuit of this, a variety of cuts are explored. The efficacy of the He I λ4026 emission line as a constraint on the solutions is first examined, revealing the introduction of systematic bias through its absence. As a clear measure of the quality of the physical solution, a χ 2 analysis proves instrumental in the selection of data compatible with the theoretical model. Nearly two-thirds of the observations fall outside a standard 95% confidence level cut, which highlights the care necessary in selecting systems and warrants further investigation into potential deficiencies of the model or data. In addition, the method also allows us to exclude systems for which parameter estimations are statistical outliers. As a result, the final selected dataset gains in reliability and exhibits improved consistency. Regression to zero metallicity yields Y p = 0.2534 ± 0.0083, in broad

  6. Making sure natural gas gets to market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pleckaitis, A.

    2004-01-01

    The role of natural gas in power generation was discussed with reference to price implications and policy recommendations. New natural gas supply is not keeping pace with demand. Production is leveling out in traditional basins and industry investment is not adequate. In addition, energy deregulation is creating disconnects. This presentation included a map depicting the abundant natural gas reserves across North America. It was noted that at 2002 levels of domestic production, North America has approximately 80 years of natural gas. The AECO consensus wholesale natural gas price forecast is that natural gas prices in 2010 will be lower than today. The use of natural gas for power generation was outlined with reference to fuel switching, distributed generation, and central generation. It was emphasized that government, regulators and the energy industry must work together to address policy gaps and eliminate barriers to new investment. 13 figs

  7. Composition and abundance of small mammal communities in forest fragments and vegetation corridors in Southern Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andréa O. Mesquita

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Habitat fragmentation leads to isolation and reduce habitat areas, in addition to a series of negative effects on natural populations, affecting richness, abundance and distribution of animal species. In such a text, habitat corridors serve as an alternative for connectivity in fragmented landscapes, minimizing the effects of structural isolation of different habitat areas. This study evaluated the richness, composition and abundance of small mammal communities in forest fragments and in the relevant vegetation corridors that connect these fragments, located in Southern Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil. Ten sites were sampled (five forest fragments and five vegetation corridors using the capture-mark-recapture method, from April 2007-March 2008. A total sampling effort of 6 300 trapnights resulted in 656 captures of 249 individuals. Across the 10 sites sampled, 11 small mammal species were recorded. Multidimensional scaling (MDS ordinations and ANOSIM based on the composition of small mammal communities within the corridor and fragment revealed a qualitative difference between the two environments. Regarding abundance, there was no significant difference between corridors and fragments. In comparing mean values of abundance per species in each environment, only Cerradomys subflavus showed a significant difference, being more abundant in the corridor environment. Results suggest that the presence of several small mammal species in the corridor environment, in relatively high abundances, could indicate corridors use as habitat, though they might also facilitate and/or allow the movement of individuals using different habitat patches (fragments.

  8. Abundant plankton-sized microplastic particles in shelf waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Mauro, Rosana; Kupchik, Matthew J; Benfield, Mark C

    2017-11-01

    Accumulation of marine debris is a global problem that affects the oceans on multiple scales. The majority of floating marine debris is composed of microplastics: plastic particles up to 5 mm in diameter. With similar sizes and appearances to natural food items, these small fragments pose potential risks to many marine organisms including zooplankton and zooplanktivores. Semi-enclosed seas are reported to have high concentrations of microplastics, however, the distribution and concentration of microplastics in one such system, the Gulf of Mexico, remains unknown. Our study documented and characterized microplastics in continental shelf waters off the Louisiana coast in the northern Gulf of Mexico, using bongo nets, neuston nets, and Niskin bottles. Additionally, we compared the size distributions of microplastics and zooplankton collected using the nets. Plastics were manually sorted from the samples, documented, and measured using digital microscopy. Confirmation of putative plastics was carried out by hydrofluoric acid digestion and a subsample was analyzed using FTIR microscopy. Estimated concentrations of microplastics collected on the inner continental shelf during this study are among the highest reported globally. Total microplastic concentrations ranged from 4.8 to 8.2 particles m -3 and 5.0-18.4 particles m -3 for the bongo and neuston samples, respectively. Niskin bottles collected smaller plastic particles than the nets and indicated total microplastic concentrations (primarily fibers) from 6.0E4 - 15.7E4 particles m -3 . Microplastic concentrations were greater than the abundances of all but four of the five most abundant taxa from bongo nets and were not statistically different from the abundances of any of the most numerous taxa from neuston nets. Sizes of microplastics and zooplankton partially or completely overlapped, suggesting the potential for confusion with natural prey. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Abundance of birds in Fukushima as judged from Chernobyl

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Møller, Anders Pape; Hagiwara, Atsushi; Matsui, Shin; Kasahara, Satoe; Kawatsu, Kencho; Nishiumi, Isao; Suzuki, Hiroyuki; Ueda, Keisuke; Mousseau, Timothy A.

    2012-01-01

    The effects of radiation on abundance of common birds in Fukushima can be assessed from the effects of radiation in Chernobyl. Abundance of birds was negatively related to radiation, with a significant difference between Fukushima and Chernobyl. Analysis of 14 species common to the two areas revealed a negative effect of radiation on abundance, differing between areas and species. The relationship between abundance and radiation was more strongly negative in Fukushima than in Chernobyl for the same 14 species, demonstrating a negative consequence of radiation for birds immediately after the accident on 11 March 2011 during the main breeding season in March–July, when individuals work close to their maximum sustainable level. - Highlights: ► Abundance of birds was negatively related to radiation in Chernobyl and Fukushima. ► Effects of radiation on abundance differed between Chernobyl and Fukushima and among species. ► For 14 species common to the two areas the effects of radiation on abundance were stronger in Fukushima than in Chernobyl. - The negative effect of radiation on abundance of birds in Fukushima exceeded that for the same species in Chernobyl.

  10. Composition and abundance of tree regeneration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todd F. Hutchinson; Elaine Kennedy Sutherland; Charles T. Scott

    2003-01-01

    The composition and abundance of tree seedlings and saplings in the four study areas in southern Ohio were related to soil moisture via a GIS-derived integrated moisture index and to soil texture and fertility. For seedlings, the total abundance of small stems (less than 30 cm tall) was significantly greater on xeric plots (81,987/ha) than on intermediate (54,531/ha)...

  11. Screening natural antioxidants in peanut shell using DPPH-HPLC-DAD-TOF/MS methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Jiying; Chen, Leilei; Zhu, Qingjun; Wang, Daijie; Wang, Wenliang; Sun, Xin; Liu, Xiaoyong; Du, Fangling

    2012-12-15

    Peanut shell, a byproduct in oil production, is rich in natural antioxidants. Here, a rapid and efficient method using DPPH-HPLC-DAD-TOF/MS was used for the first time to screen antioxidants in peanut shell. The method is based on the hypothesis that upon reaction with 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), the peak areas of compounds with potential antioxidant activities in the HPLC chromatogram will be significantly reduced or disappeared, and the identity confirmation could be achieved by HPLC-DAD-TOF/MS technique. With this method, three compounds possessing potential antioxidant activities were found abundantly in the methanolic extract of peanut shell. They were identified as 5,7-dihydroxychromone, eriodictyol, and luteolin. The contents of these compounds were 0.59, 0.92, and 2.36 mg/g, respectively, and luteolin possessed the strongest radical scavenging capacity. DPPH-HPLC-DAD-TOF/MS assay facilitated rapid identification and determination of natural antioxidants in peanut shell, which may be helpful for value-added utilization of peanut processing byproducts. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Application of 13C-labeling and 13C-13C COSY NMR experiments in the structure determination of a microbial natural product.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Yun; Park, Sunghyouk; Shin, Jongheon; Oh, Dong-Chan

    2014-08-01

    The elucidation of the structures of complex natural products bearing many quaternary carbons remains challenging, even in this advanced spectroscopic era. (13)C-(13)C COSY NMR spectroscopy shows direct couplings between (13)C and (13)C, which comprise the backbone of a natural product. Thus, this type of experiment is particularly useful for natural products bearing consecutive quaternary carbons. However, the low sensitivity of (13)C-based NMR experiments, due to the low natural abundance of the (13)C nucleus, is problematic when applying these techniques. Our efforts in the (13)C labeling of a microbial natural product, cyclopiazonic acid (1), by feeding (13)C-labeled glucose to the fungal culture, enabled us to acquire (13)C-(13)C COSY NMR spectra on a milligram scale that clearly show the carbon backbone of the compound. This is the first application of (13)C-(13)C COSY NMR experiments for a natural product. The results suggest that (13)C-(13)C COSY NMR spectroscopy can be routinely used for the structure determination of microbial natural products by (13)C-enrichment of a compound with (13)C-glucose.

  13. Bracken: estimating species abundance in metagenomics data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer Lu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Metagenomic experiments attempt to characterize microbial communities using high-throughput DNA sequencing. Identification of the microorganisms in a sample provides information about the genetic profile, population structure, and role of microorganisms within an environment. Until recently, most metagenomics studies focused on high-level characterization at the level of phyla, or alternatively sequenced the 16S ribosomal RNA gene that is present in bacterial species. As the cost of sequencing has fallen, though, metagenomics experiments have increasingly used unbiased shotgun sequencing to capture all the organisms in a sample. This approach requires a method for estimating abundance directly from the raw read data. Here we describe a fast, accurate new method that computes the abundance at the species level using the reads collected in a metagenomics experiment. Bracken (Bayesian Reestimation of Abundance after Classification with KrakEN uses the taxonomic assignments made by Kraken, a very fast read-level classifier, along with information about the genomes themselves to estimate abundance at the species level, the genus level, or above. We demonstrate that Bracken can produce accurate species- and genus-level abundance estimates even when a sample contains multiple near-identical species.

  14. High rabbit abundance proves detrimental to the population growth rate in European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L. extensive breeding enclosures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Ruiz-Aizpurua

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L. is a key prey species in Mediterranean ecosystems that has declined in its natural ranges as a result of diseases and loss of habitat. This situation has led to the production of wild rabbits in enclosures in which they can acclimate and breed. The efficiency of these enclosures as extensive breeding systems is defined by their population growth rate (PGR. The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of rabbit abundance on the PGR. This has been done by creating general linear models to explain autumn and spring PGR with the use of rabbit abundance estimates, enclosure size, aerial predation and previous PGR as possible explanatory variables. Rabbit abundance and enclosure size negatively affected the autumn PGR, while only rabbit abundance affected the spring PGR in the best-fit models. It is suggested that maintaining rabbit densities at fewer than 30 rabbits per hectare might help to optimise the efficiency inside enclosures.

  15. Abundance analyses of thirty cool carbon stars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Utsumi, Kazuhiko

    1985-01-01

    The results were previously obtained by use of the absolute gf-values and the cosmic abundance as a standard. These gf-values were found to contain large systematic errors, and as a result, the solar photospheric abundances were revised. Our previous results, therefore, must be revised by using new gf-values, and abundance analyses are extended for as many carbon stars as possible. In conclusion, in normal cool carbon stars heavy metals are overabundant by factors of 10 - 100 and rare-earth elements are overabundant by a factor of about 10, and in J-type cool carbon stars, C 12 /C 13 ratio is smaller, C 2 and CN bands and Li 6708 are stronger than in normal cool carbon stars, and the abundances of s-process elements with respect to Fe are nearly normal. (Mori, K.)

  16. Ammonia abundances in comets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wyckoff, S.; Tegler, S.; Engel, L.

    The emission band strengths of the NH2 bands of Comets Halley, Hartley-Good, Thiele, and Borrelly were measured to determine the NH2 column densities for the comets. Production rates obtained using the Haser and vectorial models are in agreement within the observational errors, suggesting that a simple two-step decay model may be used to approximate the NH2 distribution in a comet's coma. Ammonia-to-water abundance ratios from 0.01 to 0.4 percent were found for the four comets. The ratio in Comet Halley is found to be Q(NH3)/Q(H2O) = 0.002 + or - 0.001. No significant difference in the ammonia abundance was found before or after perihelion in Comet Halley.

  17. Algal composition and abundance in the neuston surface micro layer from a lake and pond in Virginia (U.S.A.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harold G. MARSHALL

    2003-08-01

    Full Text Available A comparative study was conducted that characterized the algae within the neuston, ca 2 mm below the surface, and the algae in the water column from two freshwater habitats. There were significant differences in total algal abundance and the abundance of diatoms, cyanoprokaryotes, and chlorophytes between the neuston and water column algae of these two regions during each season and at both sites. The pond neuston was dominated by chlorophytes, with total algal abundance ranging seasonally from 0.6 to 59.6 × 10-3 cells ml-1 compared to water column algal concentrations of 4.1 to 40.4 × 10-3 cells ml-1. The lake was dystrophic, with diatoms the most common and abundant species, with the neuston algal abundance ranging from 0.09 to 1.31 × 10-3 cells ml-1, and the water column algae from 0.19 to 2.70 × 10-3 cells ml-1. Proximity to the variable nature of the surface layer was not a deterrent for neuston algal development, which frequently reached bloom status and contained a diverse assemblage of taxa.

  18. Abundance and stratification of soil macroarthropods in a Caatinga Forest in Northeast Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araújo, V F P; Bandeira, A G; Vasconcellos, A

    2010-10-01

    In arid and semiarid environments, seasonality usually exerts a strong influence on the composition and dynamics of the soil community. The soil macroarthropods were studied in a Caatinga forest located in the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural (RPPN) Fazenda Almas, São José dos Cordeiros, Paraíba, Brazil. Samples were collected during the dry and rainy seasons following the method proposed by the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Program (TSBF), with minor modifications. At each station, 15 soil blocks (20 × 20 × 30 cm: 12 L) were extracted and divided into three layers: A (0-10 cm), B (10-20 cm), and C (20-30 cm). In the rainy and dry seasons 1,306 ± 543(se) and 458 ± 212 ind.m-2 macroarthropods were found, respectively, with 35 and 18 respective taxa recorded. The abundance of individuals and taxa were significantly higher in the rainy season. Isoptera (57.8%) was the most abundant taxon, followed by Hymenoptera: Formicidae (17.2%), Coleoptera larvae (7.3%), and Araneae (3.5%). In the rainy season, abundance in layer A (576 ± 138 ind.m-2) was significantly higher than that of layer C (117 ± 64 ind.m-2), but was not different from layer B (613 ± 480 ind.m-2). There was also no difference between the layer B and C abundances. In the dry season, abundance in layer B (232 ± 120 ind.m-2) was not significantly different compared to layer A (182 ± 129 ind.m-2), but was significantly higher than abundance in layer C (44 ± 35 ind.m-2). During the rainy season, layer A (34 taxa) was significantly richer in taxa than layers B (19 taxa) and C (11 taxa). On the other hand, during the dry season the richness of layers A (12 taxa) and B (12 taxa) was equal, but significantly higher than that of layer C (6 taxa). Richness of taxa and abundance were positively correlated with soil organic matter and negatively correlated with soil temperature. The community of soil macroarthropods in the area of Caatinga studied has taxonomic and functional structures that

  19. Abundance and stratification of soil macroarthropods in a Caatinga Forest in Northeast Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    VFP Araújo

    Full Text Available In arid and semiarid environments, seasonality usually exerts a strong influence on the composition and dynamics of the soil community. The soil macroarthropods were studied in a Caatinga forest located in the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural (RPPN Fazenda Almas, São José dos Cordeiros, Paraíba, Brazil. Samples were collected during the dry and rainy seasons following the method proposed by the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Program (TSBF, with minor modifications. At each station, 15 soil blocks (20 × 20 × 30 cm: 12 L were extracted and divided into three layers: A (0-10 cm, B (10-20 cm, and C (20-30 cm. In the rainy and dry seasons 1,306 ± 543(se and 458 ± 212 ind.m-2 macroarthropods were found, respectively, with 35 and 18 respective taxa recorded. The abundance of individuals and taxa were significantly higher in the rainy season. Isoptera (57.8% was the most abundant taxon, followed by Hymenoptera: Formicidae (17.2%, Coleoptera larvae (7.3%, and Araneae (3.5%. In the rainy season, abundance in layer A (576 ± 138 ind.m-2 was significantly higher than that of layer C (117 ± 64 ind.m-2, but was not different from layer B (613 ± 480 ind.m-2. There was also no difference between the layer B and C abundances. In the dry season, abundance in layer B (232 ± 120 ind.m-2 was not significantly different compared to layer A (182 ± 129 ind.m-2, but was significantly higher than abundance in layer C (44 ± 35 ind.m-2. During the rainy season, layer A (34 taxa was significantly richer in taxa than layers B (19 taxa and C (11 taxa. On the other hand, during the dry season the richness of layers A (12 taxa and B (12 taxa was equal, but significantly higher than that of layer C (6 taxa. Richness of taxa and abundance were positively correlated with soil organic matter and negatively correlated with soil temperature. The community of soil macroarthropods in the area of Caatinga studied has taxonomic and functional structures that are

  20. Succession influences wild bees in a temperate forest landscape: the value of early successional stages in naturally regenerated and planted forests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taki, Hisatomo; Okochi, Isamu; Okabe, Kimiko; Inoue, Takenari; Goto, Hideaki; Matsumura, Takeshi; Makino, Shun'ichi

    2013-01-01

    In many temperate terrestrial forest ecosystems, both natural human disturbances drive the reestablishment of forests. Succession in plant communities, in addition to reforestation following the creation of open sites through harvesting or natural disturbances, can affect forest faunal assemblages. Wild bees perform an important ecosystem function in human-altered and natural or seminatural ecosystems, as they are essential pollinators for both crops and wild flowering plants. To maintain high abundance and species richness for pollination services, it is important to conserve and create seminatural and natural land cover with optimal successional stages for wild bees. We examined the effects of forest succession on wild bees. In particular, we evaluated the importance of early successional stages for bees, which has been suspected but not previously demonstrated. A range of successional stages, between 1 and 178 years old, were examined in naturally regenerated and planted forests. In total 4465 wild bee individuals, representing 113 species, were captured. Results for total bees, solitary bees, and cleptoparasitic bees in both naturally regenerated and planted conifer forests indicated a higher abundance and species richness in the early successional stages. However, higher abundance and species richness of social bees in naturally regenerated forest were observed as the successional stages progressed, whereas the abundance of social bees in conifer planted forest showed a concave-shaped relationship when plotted. The results suggest that early successional stages of both naturally regenerated and conifer planted forest maintain a high abundance and species richness of solitary bees and their cleptoparasitic bees, although social bees respond differently in the early successional stages. This may imply that, in some cases, active forest stand management policies, such as the clear-cutting of planted forests for timber production, would create early successional

  1. Succession influences wild bees in a temperate forest landscape: the value of early successional stages in naturally regenerated and planted forests.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hisatomo Taki

    Full Text Available In many temperate terrestrial forest ecosystems, both natural human disturbances drive the reestablishment of forests. Succession in plant communities, in addition to reforestation following the creation of open sites through harvesting or natural disturbances, can affect forest faunal assemblages. Wild bees perform an important ecosystem function in human-altered and natural or seminatural ecosystems, as they are essential pollinators for both crops and wild flowering plants. To maintain high abundance and species richness for pollination services, it is important to conserve and create seminatural and natural land cover with optimal successional stages for wild bees. We examined the effects of forest succession on wild bees. In particular, we evaluated the importance of early successional stages for bees, which has been suspected but not previously demonstrated. A range of successional stages, between 1 and 178 years old, were examined in naturally regenerated and planted forests. In total 4465 wild bee individuals, representing 113 species, were captured. Results for total bees, solitary bees, and cleptoparasitic bees in both naturally regenerated and planted conifer forests indicated a higher abundance and species richness in the early successional stages. However, higher abundance and species richness of social bees in naturally regenerated forest were observed as the successional stages progressed, whereas the abundance of social bees in conifer planted forest showed a concave-shaped relationship when plotted. The results suggest that early successional stages of both naturally regenerated and conifer planted forest maintain a high abundance and species richness of solitary bees and their cleptoparasitic bees, although social bees respond differently in the early successional stages. This may imply that, in some cases, active forest stand management policies, such as the clear-cutting of planted forests for timber production, would create

  2. Human and climate impact on ¹⁵N natural abundance of plants and soils in high-mountain ecosystems: a short review and two examples from the Eastern Pamirs and Mt. Kilimanjaro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zech, Michael; Bimüller, Carolin; Hemp, Andreas; Samimi, Cyrus; Broesike, Christina; Hörold, Claudia; Zech, Wolfgang

    2011-09-01

    Population pressure increasingly endangers high-mountain ecosystems such as the pastures in the Eastern Pamirs and the mountain forests on Mt. Kilimanjaro. At the same time, these ecosystems constitute the economic basis for millions of people living there. In our study, we, therefore, aimed at characterising the land-use effects on soil degradation and N-cycling by determining the natural abundance of (15)N. A short review displays that δ(15)N of plant-soil systems may often serve as an integrated indicator of N-cycles with more positive δ(15)N values pointing towards N-losses. Results for the high-mountain pastures in the Eastern Pamirs show that intensively grazed pastures are significantly enriched in (15)N compared to the less-exploited pastures by 3.5 ‰, on average. This can be attributed to soil organic matter degradation, volatile nitrogen losses, nitrogen leaching and a general opening of the N-cycle. Similarly, the intensively degraded savanna soils, the cultivated soils and the soils under disturbed forests on the foothill of Mt. Kilimanjaro reveal very positive δ(15)N values around 6.5 ‰. In contrast, the undisturbed forest soils in the montane zone are more depleted in (15)N, indicating that here the N-cycle is relatively closed. However, significantly higher δ(15)N values characterise the upper montane forest zone at the transition to the subalpine zone. We suggest that this reflects N-losses by the recently monitored and climate change and antropogenically induced increasing fire frequency pushing the upper montane rainforest boundary rapidly downhill. Overall, we conclude that the analysis of the (15)N natural abundance in high-mountain ecosystems is a purposeful tool for detecting land-use- or climate change-induced soil degradation and N-cycle opening.

  3. Resource Abundance and Resource Dependence in China

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ji, K.; Magnus, J.R.; Wang, W.

    2010-01-01

    This paper reconsiders the ‘curse of resources’ hypothesis for the case of China, and distinguishes between resource abundance, resource rents, and resource dependence. Resource abundance and resource rents are shown to be approximately equivalent, and their association with resource dependence

  4. Pregalactic helium abundance and abundance gradients across our galaxy from planetary nebulae

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    D' Odorico, S; Peimbert, M [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City. Instituto de Astronomia; Sabbadin, F [Padua Univ. (Italy). Istituto di Astronomia

    1976-03-01

    From the observations of planetary nebulae by Peimbert and Torres-Peimbert we have studied the radial gradients across our galaxy of the helium, oxygen and nitrogen abundance relative to hydrogen. The increase of the oxygen to hydrogen abundance ratio from a radial distance to the galactic center of 14 to 8 kpc is about a factor of 3 while that of the nitrogen to hydrogen ratio is about twice as large. By adopting oxygen as representative of the heavy elements it is found that the helium enrichment is coupled to the heavy metal enrichment by ..delta..Y/..delta..Zapproximately2.9 in close agreement with the value derived from H II regions. The pregalactic N(He)/N(H) value derived from planetary nebulae is 0.073+-0.008 also in agreement with the value derived from H II regions.

  5. Natural Capital, Domestic Product and Proximate Causes of Economic Growth: Uruguay in the Long Run, 1870–2014

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvana Sandonato

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The debate on the relationship between natural resources abundance and economic growth is still open. Our contribution to this field combines a long-run perspective (1870–2014 with the study of a peripheral country in the world economy (Uruguay. The purpose is to build a historical series of natural capital and contrast its level and evolution with the level and growth of GDP, as well as the proximate causes of its economic growth (produced and human capital, exports and terms of trade. We show that natural capital has tended to decline in importance in the economy, while simultaneously becoming more diversified. Although this evolution is consistent in historical terms, we do not find a causal relationship between the abundance of natural resources and economic performance. Instead of a direct relationship, the proximate causes appear to have been important in explaining the evolution of natural capital when we consider three stages of economic growth: physical capital and terms of trade during the agro-exporter model; human capital and exports during the period of import substitution industrialization; and terms of trade from the 1970s afterwards. These factors cause natural capital but not the other way around, leading us to conclude that an abundance of natural capital is an endogenous process.

  6. Elemental abundance analyses with coadded DAO spectrograms: Pt. 5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adelman, S.J.

    1988-01-01

    Elemental abundance analyses of three mercury-manganese stars were performed in a manner consistent with previous analyses of this series. A few correlations are found between the derived abundances and with the effective temperature in accordance with the expectations of radiative diffusion explanations of the derived abundances. The helium abundances are smaller than the value required to sustain the superficial helium convection zone in the atmospheres of these stars. (author)

  7. Terrestrial vegetation and aquatic chemistry influence larval mosquito abundance in catch basins, Chicago, USA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gardner Allison M

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background An important determinant of mosquito-borne pathogen transmission is the spatial distribution of vectors. The primary vectors of West Nile virus (WNV in Illinois are Culex pipiens Linnaeus (Diptera: Culicidae and Culex restuans Theobald. In urban environments, these mosquitoes commonly oviposit in roadside storm water catch basins. However, use of this habitat is inconsistent, with abundance of larvae varying significantly across catch basins at a fine spatial scale. Methods We tested the hypothesis that attributes of the biotic and abiotic environment contribute to spatial and temporal variation in production of mosquito vectors, characterizing the relationship between terrestrial vegetation and aquatic chemistry and Culex abundance in Chicago, Illinois. Larvae were sampled from 60 catch basins from June 14 to October 3, 2009. Density of shrubs and 14 tree genera surrounding the basins were quantified, as well as aquatic chemistry content of each basin. Results We demonstrate that the spatial pattern of Culex abundance in catch basins is strongly influenced by environmental characteristics, resulting in significant variation across the urban landscape. Using regression and machine learning techniques, we described landscape features and microhabitat characteristics of four Chicago neighborhoods and examined the implications of these measures for larval abundance in adjacent catch basins. The important positive predictors of high larval abundance were aquatic ammonia, nitrates, and area of shrubs of height Culex during the fruit-bearing periods and early senescent periods in August and September. Conclusions This study identifies environmental predictors of mosquito production in urban environments. Because an abundance of adult Culex is integral to efficient WNV transmission and mosquitoes are found in especially high densities near larval habitats, identifying aquatic sites for Culex and landscape features that promote

  8. Recent Changes in Tree Species Abundance: Patterns, Trends, and Drivers Across Northeastern US Forests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gudex-Cross, D.; Pontius, J.; Adams, A.

    2017-12-01

    Monitoring trends in the abundance and distribution of tree species is essential to understanding potential impacts of climate change on forested ecosystems. Related studies to date have largely focused on modeling distributional shifts according to future climate scenarios or used field inventory data to examine compositional changes across broader landscapes. Here, we leverage a novel remote sensing technique that utilizes field data, multitemporal Landsat imagery, and spectral unmixing to model regional changes in the abundance (percent basal area) of key northeastern US species over a 30-year period (1985-2015). We examine patterns in how species abundance has changed, as well as their relationship with climate, landscape, and soil characteristics using spatial regression models. Results show significant declines in overall abundance for sugar maple ( 8.6% 30-yr loss), eastern hemlock ( 7.8% 30-yr loss), balsam fir ( 5.0% 30-yr loss), and red spruce ( 3.8% total 30-yr loss). Species that saw significant increasing abundance include American beech ( 7.0% 30-yr gain) and red maple ( 2.5% 30-yr gain). However, these changes were not consistent across the landscape. For example, red spruce is increasing at upper elevations with concurrent losses in balsam fir and birch species. Similarly, sugar maple decreases are concentrated at lower elevations, likely due to increases in American beech. Various abiotic factors were significantly associated with changes in species composition including landscape position (e.g. longitude, elevation, and heat load index) and ecologically-relevant climate variables (e.g. growing season precipitation and annual temperature range). Interestingly, there was a stronger relationship in abundance changes across longitudes, rather than latitudes or elevations as predicted in modeled species migration scenarios.These results indicate that the dominant composition of northeastern forests is changing in ways that run counter to accepted

  9. Spending Natural Resource Revenues in an Altruistic Growth Model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frederiksen, Elisabeth Hermann

    This paper examines how revenues from a natural resource interact with growth and welfare in an overlapping generations model with altruism. The revenues are allocated between public productive services and direct transfers to members of society by spending policies. We analyze how these policies...... influence the dynamics, and how the dynamics are influenced by the abundance of the revenue. Abundant revenues may harm growth, but growth and welfare can be oppositely affected. We also provide the socially optimal policy. Overall, the analysis suggests that variation in the strength of altruism...

  10. The UCSD HIRES/Keck I Damped Lyα Abundance Database. II. The Implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prochaska, Jason X.; Wolfe, Arthur M.

    2002-02-01

    We present a comprehensive analysis of the damped Lyα (DLA) abundance database presented in the first paper of this series. This database provides a homogeneous set of abundance measurements for many elements including Si, Cr, Ni, Zn, Fe, Al, S, Co, O, and Ar from 38 DLA systems with zabs>1.5. With little exception, these DLA systems exhibit very similar relative abundances. There is no significant correlation in X/Fe with [Fe/H] metallicity, and the dispersion in X/Fe is small at all metallicity. We search the database for trends indicative of dust depletion and in a few cases find strong evidence. Specifically, we identify a correlation between [Si/Ti] and [Zn/Fe] which is unambiguous evidence for depletion. Following Hou and colleagues, we present [X/Si] abundances against [Si/H]+logN(HI) and note trends of decreasing X/Si with increasing [Si/H]+logN(HI) which argue for dust depletion. Similarly, comparisons of [Si/Fe] and [Si/Cr] against [Si/H] indicate significant depletion at [Si/H]>-1 but suggest essentially dust-free damped systems at [Si/H]0.25 dex as [Zn/Fe]-->0 and that the [Si/Fe] values exhibit a plateau of ~0.3 dex at [Si/H]good agreement with our previous work, but we emphasize two differences: (1) the unweighted and N(H I)-weighted [Fe/H] mean metallicities now have similar values at all epochs except z>3.5, where small number statistics dominate the N(H I)-weighted mean; and (2) there is no evolution in the mean [Fe/H] metallicity from z=1.7 to 3.5 but possibly a marked drop at higher redshift. We conclude with a general discussion on the physical nature of the DLA systems. We stress the uniformity of the DLA chemical abundances which indicates that the protogalaxies identified with DLA systems have very similar enrichment histories, i.e., a nearly constant relative contribution from Type Ia and Type II supernovae. The DLA systems also show constant relative abundances within a given system, which places strict constraints on the mixing timescales

  11. Nuclear abundances and evolution of the interstellar medium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wannier, P.G.

    1980-01-01

    Observations of molecular and elemental abundances in the interstellar medium (ISM) are reviewed, with special attention given to isotope ratios. The derivation of molecular isotope abundances for the ISM is discussed, along with H and C fractionation. Millimeter- and centimeter-wave spectra of giant clouds are examined with respect to isotope abundances of C, O, N, Si, S, and D. Evidence for the current enrichment of the ISM by mass loss from evolved stars is considered, together with chemical abundance gradients in H II regions and planetary nebulae. Cosmic-ray observations pertaining to abundances in the ISM are summarized, with emphasis on available results for Ne, Mg, Si, Fe, and Ni. The observations reviewed are shown to support arguments in favor of: (1) the cosmological production of D and He-3 (2) the production of the CNO elements by hydrostatic hydrogen burning (3) the nucleosynthesis of Ne, Mg, Si, S, Fe, and Ni as a result of He burning (4) solar abundances of interstellar S, Fe, and Ni and (5) a direct association between observed inhomogeneities in the ISM and mass loss from evolved stellar objects

  12. Abundance Survey of M and K Dwarf Stars

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Woolf, Vincent M. [Astronomy Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98133 (United States); Wallerstein, George [Astronomy Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98133 (United States)

    2005-07-25

    We report the measurement of chemical abundances in 35 low-mass main sequence (M and K dwarf) stars. We have measured the abundance of 12 elements in Kapteyn's Star, a nearby halo M subdwarf. The abundances indicate an iron abundance of [Fe/H] = -0.98, which is about 0.5 dex smaller than that measured in the only previous published measurement using atomic absorption lines. We have measured Fe and Ti abundances in 35 M and K dwarfs with -2.39 [Fe/H] +0.21 using atomic absorption lines, mostly in the 8000A <{lambda} < 8850A range. These will be used to calibrate photometric and low-resolution spectrum metallicity indices for low mass dwarfs, which will make metallicity estimates for these stars more certain. We also describe some difficulties encountered which are not normally necessary to consider when studying warmer stars.

  13. Natural isotopes abundance of 15N and 13C in leaves of some N2-fixing and non N2-fixing trees and shrubs in Syria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurdali, F.; Al-Shamma'a, M.

    2007-12-01

    Variability in the natural abundance isotopes of 15 N and 13 C in leaves of several legume and non-legume plant species grown at different sites of two areas in semi-arid regions of Syria was determined. In the first area (non-saline soil), the 15 N values of a number of fixing and non-fixing reference plants ranged from -2.09 to +9.46, depending on plant species and studied site. 15 N in a number of legume species including Acacia cyanopylla (-1.73), Acacia farnesiana (-0.55), Prosopis juliflora (-1.64) and Medicago arborea (+1.6) were close to the atmospheric value pointing to a major contribution of N 2 fixing in these species; whereas, those of reference plants were highly positive (between +3.6 and +9.46%). In the actinorhizal tree, Elaeagnus angustifolia, the 15 N abundance was far lower (-0.46 to -2.1%) strongly suggesting that the plant obtained large proportional contribution from BNF. In contrast, δ 15 N values in some other legumes and actinorhizal plants were relatively similar to those of reference plants, suggesting that the contribution of fixed N 2 is negligible. On the other hand, δ 13 C% values in leaves of C3 plants were affected by plant species, ranging from a minimum of -28.67% to a maximum of -23%. However, they were the same within each plant species although they were grown at different sites. Moreover, dual stable isotope analysis in leaves of Prosopis juliflora and other non- legumes grown on a salt affected soil (second area) was also conducted. Results showed that salinity did not affect C assimilation in this woody legume since a higher carbon discrimination was obtained indicating that this plant is a salt tolerant species; whereas, N2-fixation was drastically affected (δ 15 N= +7.03). (Author)

  14. Heavy element abundances of Nova Cygni 1975

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferland, G.J.; Shields, G.A.

    1978-01-01

    McDonald observations of the nebular phase of the outburst of Nova Cygni 1975 are analyzed to measure the abundances of several heavy elements. A new analytical procedure is used to derive the electron density and temperature from the emission line intensities of [O III], [Ne III], and He I observed between days 40 and 120. These physical conditions are used to derive the abundances. We find that Fe has approximately a solar abundance, whereas C, N, O, and Ne are enhanced by factors approx.20 to 100. The enhanced abundance of neon was theoretically unexpected.The derived physical conditions and line intensities are compared with predictions of an equilibrium photoionization model. The model successfully predicts the intensities of He I, [O III], and [Ne III]; but it underestimates the strength of [Ne V] and [Fe VII], which may originate in a mechanically heated ''subcoronal'' line region

  15. Separation and quantitation of radionuclides in Hanford environmental and waste tank samples using IC-ICP/MS techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farmer, O.T. III; Smith, M.R.; Wyse, E.J.; Barinage, C.J.; Koppenaal, D.W.

    1996-01-01

    The use of shielded ICP/MS instrumentation to characterize radioactive material has seen marked growth over the past few years. With a lower limit detection now in the fg/mL range for newer units, ICP/MS has become the method of choice for many studies requiring rapid, isotopic analysis of both stable elements and radionuclides with half-lives greater than 102-103 years. However, despite its sensitivity and versatility, ICP/MS has heretofore had some notable limitations in certain radiological applications. For example, Hanford waste tank samples contain a variety of nuclides with altered isotopic abundances, which complicate identification of these nuclides. Even if a nuclide can be identified, conventional quantitation using vendor-supplied software assumes natural, or knowledge of, isotopic abundance. Difficult sample matrices like those obtained from the Hanford tanks can further complicate interpretation and quantitation. On-line ion chromatography (IC) has been recently employed to mitigate some these problems. By sequentially separating elements, isobars can be resolved, thereby permitting the unequivocal determination of isotopic abundances. But even though the technique resolves isobaric interferences and is effective in reducing matrix problems, IC does not easily lend itself to quantitation. Internal standards, which are crucial for quantitation during a prolonged ICP/MS analysis with varying eluant matrices, are separated or affected as any indigenous element is using standard IC methodology

  16. Biotic stress shifted structure and abundance of Enterobacteriaceae in the lettuce microbiome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erlacher, Armin; Cardinale, Massimiliano; Grube, Martin; Berg, Gabriele

    2015-01-01

    Lettuce cultivars are not only amongst the most popular vegetables eaten raw, they are also involved in severe pathogen outbreaks world-wide. While outbreaks caused by Enterobacteriaceae species are well-studied, less is known about their occurrence in natural environments as well as the impact of biotic stress. Here, we studied the ecology of the human health-relevant bacterial family Enterobacteriaceae and assessed the impact of biotic disturbances by a soil-borne phytopathogenic fungus and Gastropoda on their structure and abundance in mesocosm and pot experiments. Using a polyphasic approach including network analyses of 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries, quantitative PCR and complementary fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) microscopy we found substantial yet divergent Enterobacteriaceae communities. A similar spectrum of 14 genera was identified from rhizo- and phyllospheres but the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae was on average 3fold higher in phyllosphere samples. Both stress factors shifted the bacterial community of the leaf habitat, characterized by increases of species abundance and diversity. For the rhizosphere, we observed significant structural shifts of Enterobacteriaceae communities but also a high degree of resilience. These results could be confirmed by FISH microscopy but it was difficult to visualize phyllosphere communities. Additional inoculation experiments with Escherichia coli as model revealed their presence below the wax layer as well as in the endosphere of leaves. The observed presence influenced by stress factors and the endophytic life style of Enterobacteriaceae on lettuce can be an important aspect in relation to human health.

  17. A review on the status of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES cholecystectomy: techniques and challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael C Meadows

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Michael C Meadows1,3, Ronald S Chamberlain1,2,31Department of Surgery, Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston, NJ, USA; 2Department of Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA; 3Saint George’s University, School of Medicine, West Indies, GrenadaIntroduction: The evolution of techniques for the performance of a cholecystectomy over the last 25 years has been swift. The laparoscopic approach is now the gold standard for removal of the gall bladder and is the most frequently performed minimally invasive procedure globally. Currently in its infancy stage, natural orifice transluminal endoscopy surgery, or NOTES, is purported to be the next leap forward in minimally invasive approaches. The safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of this procedure, as well as the significance of potential benefits to patients beyond current surgical approaches are yet undetermined.Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, a search engine ­created by the National Library of Medicine. Keywords used in the search included “natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery”, “NOTES”, “cholecystectomy”, “transcolonic”, “transvaginal”, and “transgastric”. The accumulated literature was critically analyzed and reviewed.Results: One-hundred and eighty-six cases of NOTES cholecystectomies have been published to date. Of these, 174 have been performed through a transvaginal approach. The remainder of the procedures were performed transgastrically. There are no published reports of ­transcolonic cholecystectomies performed in humans. Four of 186 cases (2.15% were converted to traditional laparoscopy due to intraoperative complications. No significant complications or mortalities have been reported.Conclusion: NOTES cholecystectomy appears to be a feasible procedure. However, technical, safety, and ethical issues remain relatively unresolved. Besides improved cosmesis, whether additional

  18. Lizard activity and abundance greater in burned habitat of a xeric montane forest

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fouts, Kevin L.; Moore, Clinton; Johnson, Kristine D.; Maerz, John C.

    2017-01-01

    Restoring the natural or historical state of ecosystems is a common objective among resource managers, but determining whether desired system responses to management actions are occurring is often protracted and challenging. For wildlife, the integration of mechanistic habitat modeling with population monitoring may provide expedited measures of management effectiveness and improve understanding of how management actions succeed or fail to recover populations. Southern Appalachia is a region of high biodiversity that has undergone dramatic change as a result of human activities such as historic logging, exotic invasions, and alteration of disturbance regimes—including reduction in application of fire. Contemporary efforts to restore fire-maintained ecosystems within southern Appalachian forests require tools to assess the effects of fire management practices on individual animal fitness and relate them to corresponding influences on species abundance. Using automated sensing equipment, we investigated the effects of burned forests on reptile habitat suitability within the western portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. Specifically, we used microclimate measurements to model northern fence lizard Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus diurnal activity budgets in unburned and variable burn age (3–27-y) forest stands. We estimated northern fence lizard occurrence and abundance along transects through burned and unburned forests. Burned forest stands had microclimates that resulted in longer modeled daily activity periods under most conditions during summer. S. undulatus abundance was 4.75 times greater on burned stands compared to paired unburned stands, although the relationship between burn age and abundance was not well determined. Results suggest the more open habitat structure of burned areas within these xeric pine–oak forests may benefit S. undulatus.

  19. Estimating abundance of adult striped bass in reservoirs using mobile hydroacoustics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hightower, Joseph E.; Taylor, J. Christopher; Degan, Donald J.

    2013-01-01

    Hydroacoustic surveys have proven valuable for estimating reservoir forage fish abundance but are more challenging for adult predators such as striped bass Morone saxatilis. Difficulties in assessing striped bass in reservoirs include their low density and the inability to distinguish species with hydroacoustic data alone. Despite these difficulties, mobile hydroacoustic surveys have potential to provide useful data for management because of the large sample volume compared to traditional methods such as gill netting and the ability to target specific areas where striped bass are aggregated. Hydroacoustic estimates of reservoir striped bass have been made using mobile surveys, with data analysis using a threshold for target strength in order to focus on striped bass-sized targets, and auxiliary sampling with nets to obtain species composition. We provide recommendations regarding survey design, based in part on simulations that provide insight on the level of effort that would be required to achieve reasonable estimates of abundance. Future surveys may be able to incorporate telemetry or other sonar techniques such as side-scan or multibeam in order to focus survey efforts on productive habitats (within lake and vertically). However, species apportionment will likely remain the main source of error, and we see no hydroacoustic system on the horizon that will identify fish by species at the spatial and temporal scale required for most reservoir surveys. In situations where species composition can be reliably assessed using traditional gears, abundance estimates from hydroacoustic methods should be useful to fishery managers interested in developing harvest regulations, assessing survival of stocked juveniles, identifying seasonal aggregations, and examining predator–prey balance.

  20. Uranium exploration techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nichols, C.E.

    1984-01-01

    The subject is discussed under the headings: introduction (genetic description of some uranium deposits; typical concentrations of uranium in the natural environment); sedimentary host rocks (sandstones; tabular deposits; roll-front deposits; black shales); metamorphic host rocks (exploration techniques); geologic techniques (alteration features in sandstones; favourable features in metamorphic rocks); geophysical techniques (radiometric surveys; surface vehicle methods; airborne methods; input surveys); geochemical techniques (hydrogeochemistry; petrogeochemistry; stream sediment geochemistry; pedogeochemistry; emanometry; biogeochemistry); geochemical model for roll-front deposits; geologic model for vein-like deposits. (U.K.)

  1. Abundance of sea kraits correlates with precipitation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harvey B Lillywhite

    Full Text Available Recent studies have shown that sea kraits (Laticauda spp.--amphibious sea snakes--dehydrate without a source of fresh water, drink only fresh water or very dilute brackish water, and have a spatial distribution of abundance that correlates with freshwater sites in Taiwan. The spatial distribution correlates with sites where there is a source of fresh water in addition to local precipitation. Here we report six years of longitudinal data on the abundance of sea kraits related to precipitation at sites where these snakes are normally abundant in the coastal waters of Lanyu (Orchid Island, Taiwan. The number of observed sea kraits varies from year-to-year and correlates positively with previous 6-mo cumulative rainfall, which serves as an inverse index of drought. Grouped data for snake counts indicate that mean abundance in wet years is nearly 3-fold greater than in dry years, and this difference is significant. These data corroborate previous findings and suggest that freshwater dependence influences the abundance or activity of sea kraits on both spatial and temporal scales. The increasing evidence for freshwater dependence in these and other marine species have important implications for the possible impact of climate change on sea snake distributions.

  2. Monitoring techniques of the western corn rootworm are the precursor to effective IPM strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemic, Darija; Mikac, Katarina M; Kozina, Antonela; Benitez, Hugo A; McLean, Christopher M; Bažok, Renata

    2016-02-01

    The western corn rootworm (WCR) is economically the most important pest of maize in Croatia. To predict WCR adult population abundance and variability, traditional, genetic and morphometric monitoring of populations was conducted over time through each phase of the WCR invasion process in Croatia. Through traditional monitoring it was shown that WCR established their current population and reached economic densities after 14 years persisting in the study area. Regression-tree-based modelling showed that the best predictor of WCR adult abundance was the total amount of rainfall. Genetic monitoring indicated that genetic differentiation increased over time at the intrapopulation level, and morphometric monitoring indicated that wing morphotypes varied according to edaphic landscape changes. Traditional population metric surveys are important in WCR integrated pest management (IPM), as such surveys can be effectively used to predict population abundances. Novel-use monitoring techniques such as genetics and geometric morphometrics can be used to provide valuable information on variation within and among populations. The monitoring techniques presented herein provide sound data to assist in the understanding of both WCR ecology and population genetics and may provide more information than that currently available using traditional techniques (e.g. sticky traps), and as such these additional techniques should be written into IPM for WCR. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

  3. Effects of long-term elevated CO2, warming, and prolonged drought on Pleurozium-associated diazotrophic activity and abundance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dyrnum, Kristine; Priemé, Anders; Michelsen, Anders

    2014-05-01

    Nitrogen (N2) fixation is the primary natural influx of N to terrestrial ecosystems, and changes in N2 fixation may have consequences for primary productivity and thus ecosystem function. We studied the activity and abundance of diazotrophs associated with the feather moss Pleurozium schreberi in a temperate heathland, after seven years of global change manipulations, including elevated atmospheric CO2 (510 ppm), increased temperature (0.5-1.5 ° C), and prolonged pre-summer droughts (4-6 weeks /year). Acetylene reduction assay was carried out monthly to monitor N2 fixation rates throughout one year, while nif H copy abundance, serving as a diazotroph abundance estimate, was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR). Prolonged summer droughts significantly increased both N2 fixation and nif H copy abundance, contrasting previous studies that demonstrate a direct negative correlation between N2 fixation and water availability. A shift in the relative abundance of N2-fixing bacteria from the green, upper parts of the moss stem to the lower, brown parts was observed. This shift could make diazotrophs less sensitive to desiccation, enabling N2 fixation to be upheld for longer during drought and thus causing higher abundance. Increased temperature likewise had a positive effect on the diazotroph abundance, although this did not translate into increased activity. Possibly, warming protects diazotrophs during extreme cold events, while actual N2 fixation is limited by water, disregarding a rise in potential N2 fixation caused by higher abundance. Increased CO2 caused no significant diazotroph response. Our study showed that long-term increase in temperature and recurrent drought events cause higher diazotroph abundance in Pleurozium schreberi and thus enhance the potential N2 fixations rate. Furthermore, our results indicate that diazotrophs may alter colonization patterns and thereby actively remain in the moss fraction less likely affected by

  4. Feasibility analysis of organic Tea authentication using 15N natural abundance method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng Haiqiang; Pan Zhiqiang; Yu Cuiping; Wang Xiaochang

    2011-01-01

    Organic agricultural products were always adulterated by pollutant-free agricultural products in market because of lacking of available authentication technique. Organic tea was one of the largest organic agricultural products in China which are facing the same problem and can not be accepted by consumers. In this paper, based on the newest information of δ 15 N from soil-plant-fertilizer system, a new method was suggested to identify whether N fertilizer was applied to organic tea in producing processing. Meanwhile, the principle of this new method and its feasibility were discussed. (authors)

  5. Abundance, population structure and conservation of Podocnemis lewyana (Podocnemididae) at the Prado River, Colombia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalez Zarate, Adriana; Montenegro, Olga; Castano Mora, Olga Victoria; Vargas Ramirez Mario

    2014-01-01

    Along the Prado River, at southeast of Colombia, there is a population of Podocnemis lewyana, an endemic and endangered river turtle. Relative abundance, population structure and conservation threats were determined using field data obtained in 2007 and 2009. Relative abundance was estimated by turtle catch per unit of time, which was used to compare between the two sampling years. Additionally, turtles per kilometer were counted in 2009 alone, to compare with other populations distributed in the north of the country. The population structure was determined by the frequency of individuals of several size classes and sex ratio of captured animals. Sexual dimorphism was examined in adult animals by morphometry. One hundred and ten turtles were captured in 2007 and 72 in 2009. The relative abundance of individuals observed was an averaged of 54.46 sightings/km representing the most abundant population of the country so far. The population's structure was characterized by a higher frequency of individuals of 21-30 cm maximum straight carapace length SCL and absence of individuals of less than 10 cm SCL or greater than 40 cm SCL. Sex ratio was 2.52:1 for 2007 and 2.75:1 for 2009, being higher for females. The main identified threats to the population of P. lewyana at Prado River were (i) alterations of habitat, (ii) changes in the natural flow of the river, (iii) the use of inappropriate fishing arts and (iv) probable interruption of migrations. Prado River is hereby proposed as priority area for further research and conservation of Podocnemis lewyana in the upper Magdalena River basin.

  6. Modeling the status, trends, and impacts of wild bee abundance in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koh, Insu; Lonsdorf, Eric V; Williams, Neal M; Brittain, Claire; Isaacs, Rufus; Gibbs, Jason; Ricketts, Taylor H

    2016-01-05

    Wild bees are highly valuable pollinators. Along with managed honey bees, they provide a critical ecosystem service by ensuring stable pollination to agriculture and wild plant communities. Increasing concern about the welfare of both wild and managed pollinators, however, has prompted recent calls for national evaluation and action. Here, for the first time to our knowledge, we assess the status and trends of wild bees and their potential impacts on pollination services across the coterminous United States. We use a spatial habitat model, national land-cover data, and carefully quantified expert knowledge to estimate wild bee abundance and associated uncertainty. Between 2008 and 2013, modeled bee abundance declined across 23% of US land area. This decline was generally associated with conversion of natural habitats to row crops. We identify 139 counties where low bee abundances correspond to large areas of pollinator-dependent crops. These areas of mismatch between supply (wild bee abundance) and demand (cultivated area) for pollination comprise 39% of the pollinator-dependent crop area in the United States. Further, we find that the crops most highly dependent on pollinators tend to experience more severe mismatches between declining supply and increasing demand. These trends, should they continue, may increase costs for US farmers and may even destabilize crop production over time. National assessments such as this can help focus both scientific and political efforts to understand and sustain wild bees. As new information becomes available, repeated assessments can update findings, revise priorities, and track progress toward sustainable management of our nation's pollinators.

  7. Challenges of transferring models of fish abundance between coral reefs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sequeira, Ana M M; Mellin, Camille; Lozano-Montes, Hector M; Meeuwig, Jessica J; Vanderklift, Mathew A; Haywood, Michael D E; Babcock, Russell C; Caley, M Julian

    2018-01-01

    Reliable abundance estimates for species are fundamental in ecology, fisheries, and conservation. Consequently, predictive models able to provide reliable estimates for un- or poorly-surveyed locations would prove a valuable tool for management. Based on commonly used environmental and physical predictors, we developed predictive models of total fish abundance and of abundance by fish family for ten representative taxonomic families for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) using multiple temporal scenarios. We then tested if models developed for the GBR (reference system) could predict fish abundances at Ningaloo Reef (NR; target system), i.e., if these GBR models could be successfully transferred to NR. Models of abundance by fish family resulted in improved performance (e.g., 44.1% fish abundance (9% fish species richness from the GBR to NR, transferability for these fish abundance models was poor. When compared with observations of fish abundance collected in NR, our transferability results had low validation scores ( R 2   0.05). High spatio-temporal variability of patterns in fish abundance at the family and population levels in both reef systems likely affected the transferability of these models. Inclusion of additional predictors with potential direct effects on abundance, such as local fishing effort or topographic complexity, may improve transferability of fish abundance models. However, observations of these local-scale predictors are often not available, and might thereby hinder studies on model transferability and its usefulness for conservation planning and management.

  8. Fast and improved examplar-based inpainting techniques for natural images

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ma, L.; Do, Q.L.; With, de P.H.N.

    2012-01-01

    Image inpainting is an image completion technique that has a wide range of applications such as image restoration, object removal and occlusion lling in view synthesis. In this paper, two novel techniques are proposed to enhance the performance of Criminisi's algorithm, which inpaints images with an

  9. Observations on abundance of bluntnose sixgill sharks, Hexanchus griseus, in an urban waterway in Puget Sound, 2003-2005.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffing, Denise; Larson, Shawn; Hollander, Joel; Carpenter, Tim; Christiansen, Jeff; Doss, Charles

    2014-01-01

    The bluntnose sixgill shark, Hexanchus griseus, is a widely distributed but poorly understood large, apex predator. Anecdotal reports of diver-shark encounters in the late 1990's and early 2000's in the Pacific Northwest stimulated interest in the normally deep-dwelling shark and its presence in the shallow waters of Puget Sound. Analysis of underwater video documenting sharks at the Seattle Aquarium's sixgill research site in Elliott Bay and mark-resight techniques were used to answer research questions about abundance and seasonality. Seasonal changes in relative abundance in Puget Sound from 2003-2005 are reported here. At the Seattle Aquarium study site, 45 sixgills were tagged with modified Floy visual marker tags, along with an estimated 197 observations of untagged sharks plus 31 returning tagged sharks, for a total of 273 sixgill observations recorded. A mark-resight statistical model based on analysis of underwater video estimated a range of abundance from a high of 98 sharks seen in July of 2004 to a low of 32 sharks seen in March of 2004. Both analyses found sixgills significantly more abundant in the summer months at the Seattle Aquarium's research station.

  10. Determinants of distribution, abundance and reproductive success ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... while local vegetation structure determines the abundance of locally established populations. The abundance of trees affects nest site availability and breeding success, based on observations at two oases. Blackbird nests were usually situated on pomegranate trees and olive trees. The Common Blackbird is a successful ...

  11. Accurate experimental determination of the isotope effects on the triple point temperature of water. II. Combined dependence on the 18O and 17O abundances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faghihi, V.; Kozicki, M.; Aerts-Bijma, A. T.; Jansen, H. G.; Spriensma, J. J.; Peruzzi, A.; Meijer, H. A. J.

    2015-12-01

    This paper is the second of two articles on the quantification of isotope effects on the triple point temperature of water. In this second article, we address the combined effects of 18O and 17O isotopes. We manufactured five triple point cells with waters with 18O and 17O abundances exceeding widely the natural abundance range while maintaining their natural 18O/17O relationship. The 2H isotopic abundance was kept close to that of VSMOW (Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water). These cells realized triple point temperatures ranging between  -220 μK to 1420 μK with respect to the temperature realized by a triple point cell filled with VSMOW. Our experiment allowed us to determine an accurate and reliable value for the newly defined combined 18, 17O correction parameter of AO  =  630 μK with a combined uncertainty of 10 μK. To apply this correction, only the 18O abundance of the TPW needs to be known (and the water needs to be of natural origin). Using the results of our two articles, we recommend a correction equation along with the coefficient values for isotopic compositions differing from that of VSMOW and compare the effect of this new equation on a number of triple point cells from the literature and from our own institute. Using our correction equation, the uncertainty in the isotope correction for triple point cell waters used around the world will be  <1 μK.

  12. A mutli-technique search for the most primitive CO chondrites

    OpenAIRE

    Alexander, C.M.O'D.; Greenwood, R.C.; Bowden, R.; Gibson, J.M.; Howard, K.T.; Franchi, I.A.

    2018-01-01

    As part of a study to identify the most primitive COs and to look for weakly altered CMs amongst the COs, we have conducted a multi-technique study of 16 Antarctic meteorites that had been classified as primitive COs. For this study, we have determined: (1) the bulk H, C and N abundances and isotopes, (2) bulk O isotopic compositions, (3) bulk modal mineralogies, and (4) for some selected samples the abundances and compositions of their insoluble organic matter (IOM). Two of the 16 meteorites...

  13. Knowledge based decision making: perspective on natural gas production

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ydstie, B. Erik; Stuland, Kjetil M.

    2009-07-01

    Conclusions (drawn by the author): Decarbonization of energy sources - From coal to renewable. Natural Gas Abundantly available - Norway is no. 3 exporter. Natural gas important as - Hydrogen source for chemicals; - Electricity; - End consumer usage (heating etc). Large potential for application of model based decision making; - Where and when to install platforms and drill wells - How to operate platforms and pipeline systems; - How to operate and optimize chemical production; - Optimization of electricity generation systems. (author)

  14. Pathogenic Streptomyces spp. abundance affected by potato cultivars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nahar, Kamrun; Goyer, Claudia; Zebarth, Bernie J; Burton, David L; Whitney, Sean

    2018-04-16

    Potato cultivars vary in their tolerance to common scab (CS), however how they affect CS-causing Streptomyces spp. populations over time is poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of potato cultivar on pathogenic Streptomyces spp. abundance, measured using quantitative PCR, in three spatial locations in a CS-infested field: 1) soil close to the plant (SCP); 2) rhizosphere (RS); and 3) geocaulosphere (GS) soils. Two tolerant (Gold Rush, Hindenburg) and two susceptible cultivars (Green Mountain, Agria) were tested. The abundance of pathogenic Streptomyces spp. significantly increased in late August compared with other dates in RS of susceptible cultivars in both years. Abundance of pathogenic Streptomyces spp., when averaged over locations and time, was significantly greater in susceptible cultivars compared with tolerant cultivars in 2014. Principal coordinates analysis showed that SCP and RS soil properties (pH, organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations) explained 68% and 76% of total variation in Streptomyces spp. abundance among cultivars in 2013, respectively, suggesting that cultivars influenced CS pathogen growth conditions. The results suggested that the genetic background of potato cultivars influenced the abundance of pathogenic Streptomyces spp., with 5 to 6 times more abundant Streptomyces spp. in RS of susceptible cultivars compared with tolerant cultivars, which would result in substantially more inoculum left in the field after harvest.  .

  15. Spatially explicit modeling of blackbird abundance in the Prairie Pothole Region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forcey, Greg M.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Linz, George M.; McKann, Patrick C.; Crimmins, Shawn M.

    2015-01-01

    Knowledge of factors influencing animal abundance is important to wildlife biologists developing management plans. This is especially true for economically important species such as blackbirds (Icteridae), which cause more than $100 million in crop damages annually in the United States. Using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey, the National Land Cover Dataset, and the National Climatic Data Center, we modeled effects of regional environmental variables on relative abundance of 3 blackbird species (red-winged blackbird,Agelaius phoeniceus; yellow-headed blackbird, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus; common grackle, Quiscalus quiscula) in the Prairie Pothole Region of the central United States. We evaluated landscape covariates at 3 logarithmically related spatial scales (1,000 ha, 10,000 ha, and 100,000 ha) and modeled weather variables at the 100,000-ha scale. We constructed models a priori using information from published habitat associations. We fit models with WinBUGS using Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques. Both landscape and weather variables contributed strongly to predicting blackbird relative abundance (95% credibility interval did not overlap 0). Variables with the strongest associations with blackbird relative abundance were the percentage of wetland area and precipitation amount from the year before bird surveys were conducted. The influence of spatial scale appeared small—models with the same variables expressed at different scales were often in the best model subset. This large-scale study elucidated regional effects of weather and landscape variables, suggesting that management strategies aimed at reducing damages caused by these species should consider the broader landscape, including weather effects, because such factors may outweigh the influence of localized conditions or site-specific management actions. The regional species distributional models we developed for blackbirds provide a tool for understanding these broader

  16. Stellar abundances in the solar neighborhood: The Hypatia Catalog

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hinkel, Natalie R.; Timmes, F.X.; Young, Patrick A.; Pagano, Michael D. [School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Turnbull, Margaret C. [Global Science Institute, P.O. Box 252, Antigo, WI 54409 (United States)

    2014-09-01

    We compile spectroscopic abundance data from 84 literature sources for 50 elements across 3058 stars in the solar neighborhood, within 150 pc of the Sun, to produce the Hypatia Catalog. We evaluate the variability of the spread in abundance measurements reported for the same star by different surveys. We also explore the likely association of the star within the Galactic disk, the corresponding observation and abundance determination methods for all catalogs in Hypatia, the influence of specific catalogs on the overall abundance trends, and the effect of normalizing all abundances to the same solar scale. The resulting stellar abundance determinations in the Hypatia Catalog are analyzed only for thin-disk stars with observations that are consistent between literature sources. As a result of our large data set, we find that the stars in the solar neighborhood may reveal an asymmetric abundance distribution, such that a [Fe/H]-rich group near the midplane is deficient in Mg, Si, S, Ca, Sc II, Cr II, and Ni as compared to stars farther from the plane. The Hypatia Catalog has a wide number of applications, including exoplanet hosts, thick- and thin-disk stars, and stars with different kinematic properties.

  17. Remote sensing captures varying temporal patterns of vegetation between human-altered and natural landscapes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leong, Misha; Roderick, George K

    2015-01-01

    Global change has led to shifts in phenology, potentially disrupting species interactions such as plant-pollinator relationships. Advances in remote sensing techniques allow one to detect vegetation phenological diversity between different land use types, but it is not clear how this translates to other communities in the ecosystem. Here, we investigated the phenological diversity of the vegetation across a human-altered landscape including urban, agricultural, and natural land use types. We found that the patterns of change in the vegetation indices (EVI and NDVI) of human-altered landscapes are out of synchronization with the phenology in neighboring natural California grassland habitat. Comparing these findings to a spatio-temporal pollinator distribution dataset, EVI and NDVI were significant predictors of total bee abundance, a relationship that improved with time lags. This evidence supports the importance of differences in temporal dynamics between land use types. These findings also highlight the potential to utilize remote sensing data to make predictions for components of biodiversity that have tight vegetation associations, such as pollinators.

  18. Quantitative assessments of distributed systems methodologies and techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Bruneo, Dario

    2015-01-01

    Distributed systems employed in critical infrastructures must fulfill dependability, timeliness, and performance specifications. Since these systems most often operate in an unpredictable environment, their design and maintenance require quantitative evaluation of deterministic and probabilistic timed models. This need gave birth to an abundant literature devoted to formal modeling languages combined with analytical and simulative solution techniques The aim of the book is to provide an overview of techniques and methodologies dealing with such specific issues in the context of distributed

  19. Experimental study of natural two-phase flow circulation using a visualization technique; Estudo experimental da circulacao natural bifasica utilizando uma tecnica de visualizacao

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vinhas, Pedro A.M., E-mail: Pedro_mvinhas@poli.ufrj.br [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Nuclear; Faccini, Jose L.H., E-mail: faccini@ien.gov.br [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Su, Jian, E-mail: sujian@lasme.coppe.ufrj.br [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao em Engenharia (COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear

    2013-07-01

    This paper presents an experimental study of natural two-phase flow in a circuit that simulates, on a smaller scale, a typical residual heat removal system of passive reactors APWR (Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor). The circuit was formed by a heater, a heat exchanger and piping. The experimental study was the application of a visualization technique, using a high speed camera, for measuring the size and speed of vapor bubbles generated in the heater with different power heating. The camera was positioned in the central region of the pipe connecting the heater to the heat exchanger, where there is a clear passage. The flow of images were processed and analyzed using commercial software that allowed the determination of the length and velocity of the bubbles. The results were then compared with correlations available in literature.

  20. Field technique for the measurement of uranium in natural waters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Robbins, J C [Scintrex Ltd., Concord, Ontario

    1978-05-01

    An analytical method suitable for field determination of trace levels of uranium in natural waters is described. Laser UV radiation causes persistent fluorescence of a uranyl complex. Electronic gating substantially rejects detection of short-lived natural organic matter fluorescence. Further work is required on effects of interferences in samples with complex matrices and interpretative aids such as concurrent conductivity and organic content measurements.

  1. Electoral Proximity and the Political Involvement of Bureaucrats: A Natural Experiment in Argentina, 1904

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valentín Figueroa

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, I use a slightly modified version of the Becker–Stigler model of corrupt behavior to explain bureaucratic political involvement. Since bureaucrats prefer higher rewards and not to support losing candidates, we expect them to become politically involved near elections – when rewards are expected to be higher, and information more abundant. Taking advantage of a natural experiment, I employ differences-in-means and differences-in-differences techniques to esti-mate the effect of electoral proximity on the political involvement of justices of the peace in the city of Buenos Aires in 1904. I find a large, positive, and highly local effect of electoral proximity on their political involvement, with no appreciable impact in the months before or after elections.

  2. Negative binomial models for abundance estimation of multiple closed populations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyce, Mark S.; MacKenzie, Darry I.; Manly, Bryan F.J.; Haroldson, Mark A.; Moody, David W.

    2001-01-01

    Counts of uniquely identified individuals in a population offer opportunities to estimate abundance. However, for various reasons such counts may be burdened by heterogeneity in the probability of being detected. Theoretical arguments and empirical evidence demonstrate that the negative binomial distribution (NBD) is a useful characterization for counts from biological populations with heterogeneity. We propose a method that focuses on estimating multiple populations by simultaneously using a suite of models derived from the NBD. We used this approach to estimate the number of female grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) with cubs-of-the-year in the Yellowstone ecosystem, for each year, 1986-1998. Akaike's Information Criteria (AIC) indicated that a negative binomial model with a constant level of heterogeneity across all years was best for characterizing the sighting frequencies of female grizzly bears. A lack-of-fit test indicated the model adequately described the collected data. Bootstrap techniques were used to estimate standard errors and 95% confidence intervals. We provide a Monte Carlo technique, which confirms that the Yellowstone ecosystem grizzly bear population increased during the period 1986-1998.

  3. Granivory of invasive, naturalized, and native plants in communities differentially susceptible to invasion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Connolly, B M; Pearson, D E; Mack, R N

    2014-07-01

    Seed predation is an important biotic filter that can influence abundance and spatial distributions of native species through differential effects on recruitment. This filter may also influence the relative abundance of nonnative plants within habitats and the communities' susceptibility to invasion via differences in granivore identity, abundance, and food preference. We evaluated the effect of postdispersal seed predators on the establishment of invasive, naturalized, and native species within and between adjacent forest and steppe communities of eastern Washington, USA that differ in severity of plant invasion. Seed removal from trays placed within guild-specific exclosures revealed that small mammals were the dominant seed predators in both forest and steppe. Seeds of invasive species (Bromus tectorum, Cirsium arvense) were removed significantly less than the seeds of native (Pseudoroegneria spicata, Balsamorhiza sagittata) and naturalized (Secale cereale, Centaurea cyanus) species. Seed predation limited seedling emergence and establishment in both communities in the absence of competition in a pattern reflecting natural plant abundance: S. cereale was most suppressed, B. tectorum was least suppressed, and P. spicata was suppressed at an intermediate level. Furthermore, seed predation reduced the residual seed bank for all species. Seed mass correlated with seed removal rates in the forest and their subsequent effects on plant recruitment; larger seeds were removed at higher rates than smaller seeds. Our vegetation surveys indicate higher densities and canopy cover of nonnative species occur in the steppe compared with the forest understory, suggesting the steppe may be more susceptible to invasion. Seed predation alone, however, did not result in significant differences in establishment for any species between these communities, presumably due to similar total small-mammal abundance between communities. Consequently, preferential seed predation by small

  4. Sampling technique for collection of expired COsub(2) in studies using naturally labelled sup(13)C in calves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chevalier, R.; Pelletier, G.; Gagnon, M.

    1984-01-01

    Natural isotopic labelling of animal metabolic processes presents great advantages over the use of artificially enriched compounds. These advantages include the use of natural diets, low cost and easiness of handling, sampling and disposal. Changes in the sup(13)C/sup(12)C ratio of expired COsub(2) after ingestion of a test meal containing a variable proportion of Csub(3) and/or Csub(4) plant-derived products permits measurements of the immediate oxidation of dietary carbohydrates. A breathing device for collection of expired COsub(2) and purification techniques are described. The breath-sampling device is composed of a polypropylene enclosure and a rubber bag. The rubber bag is blown up by the animal and a sample of the expired gas is transferred to a sampling glass holder in which a vacuum had been previously achieved. Sample purification of expired COsub(2) is done by differential freezing

  5. Integrated natural gas-electricity resource adequacy planning in Latin America

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hammons, T.J.; Barroso, L.A.; Rudnick, H.

    2010-01-01

    Latin America is among the most dynamic regions for natural gas and electricity development. This paper discussed natural gas-electricity resource adequacy planning for Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. The perspectives for creating an integrated market in the Southern Cone of Latin America were also presented. The continent has abundant natural gas reserves and high-growth energy markets. Many countries are promoting the use of natural gas for power generation in an effort to diversify away from heavy investments in hydropower and costly oil. These measures have created competition between hydro- and thermal generation, the breaking of cross-country natural gas agreements, as well as competition between natural gas and other resources for power generation and transmission.

  6. Spatio-temporal Variations of Abundance, Biomass, and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The spatio-seasonal variations of Pseudodiaptomus hessei abundance, biomass and reproductive parameters were investigated in the Grand-Lahou lagoon at five stations during the dry and wet (or rainy) seasons from September 2005 to August 2006. In all sampling stations, abundance and biomass of P. hessei in the dry ...

  7. How ants drop out: ant abundance on tropical mountains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longino, John T; Branstetter, Michael G; Colwell, Robert K

    2014-01-01

    In tropical wet forests, ants are a large proportion of the animal biomass, but the factors determining abundance are not well understood. We characterized ant abundance in the litter layer of 41 mature wet forest sites spread throughout Central America (Chiapas, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica) and examined the impact of elevation (as a proxy for temperature) and community species richness. Sites were intentionally chosen to minimize variation in precipitation and seasonality. From sea level to 1500 m ant abundance very gradually declined, community richness declined more rapidly than abundance, and the local frequency of the locally most common species increased. These results suggest that within this elevational zone, density compensation is acting, maintaining high ant abundance as richness declines. In contrast, in sites above 1500 m, ant abundance dropped abruptly to much lower levels. Among these high montane sites, community richness explained much more of the variation in abundance than elevation, and there was no evidence of density compensation. The relative stability of abundance below 1500 m may be caused by opposing effects of temperature on productivity and metabolism. Lower temperatures may decrease productivity and thus the amount of food available for consumers, but slower metabolisms of consumers may allow maintenance of higher biomass at lower resource supply rates. Ant communities at these lower elevations may be highly interactive, the result of continuous habitat presence over geological time. High montane sites may be ephemeral in geological time, resulting in non-interactive communities dominated by historical and stochastic processes. Abundance in these sites may be determined by the number of species that manage to colonize and/or avoid extinction on mountaintops.

  8. How ants drop out: ant abundance on tropical mountains.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John T Longino

    Full Text Available In tropical wet forests, ants are a large proportion of the animal biomass, but the factors determining abundance are not well understood. We characterized ant abundance in the litter layer of 41 mature wet forest sites spread throughout Central America (Chiapas, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica and examined the impact of elevation (as a proxy for temperature and community species richness. Sites were intentionally chosen to minimize variation in precipitation and seasonality. From sea level to 1500 m ant abundance very gradually declined, community richness declined more rapidly than abundance, and the local frequency of the locally most common species increased. These results suggest that within this elevational zone, density compensation is acting, maintaining high ant abundance as richness declines. In contrast, in sites above 1500 m, ant abundance dropped abruptly to much lower levels. Among these high montane sites, community richness explained much more of the variation in abundance than elevation, and there was no evidence of density compensation. The relative stability of abundance below 1500 m may be caused by opposing effects of temperature on productivity and metabolism. Lower temperatures may decrease productivity and thus the amount of food available for consumers, but slower metabolisms of consumers may allow maintenance of higher biomass at lower resource supply rates. Ant communities at these lower elevations may be highly interactive, the result of continuous habitat presence over geological time. High montane sites may be ephemeral in geological time, resulting in non-interactive communities dominated by historical and stochastic processes. Abundance in these sites may be determined by the number of species that manage to colonize and/or avoid extinction on mountaintops.

  9. Verrucomicrobial community structure and abundance as indicators for changes in chemical factors linked to soil fertility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navarrete, Acacio Aparecido; Soares, Tielle; Rossetto, Raffaella; van Veen, Johannes Antonie; Tsai, Siu Mui; Kuramae, Eiko Eurya

    2015-09-01

    Here we show that verrucomicrobial community structure and abundance are extremely sensitive to changes in chemical factors linked to soil fertility. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism fingerprint and real-time quantitative PCR assay were used to analyze changes in verrucomicrobial communities associated with contrasting soil nutrient conditions in tropical regions. In case study Model I ("Slash-and-burn deforestation") the verrucomicrobial community structures revealed disparate patterns in nutrient-enriched soils after slash-and-burn deforestation and natural nutrient-poor soils under an adjacent primary forest in the Amazonia (R = 0.819, P = 0.002). The relative proportion of Verrucomicrobia declined in response to increased soil fertility after slash-and-burn deforestation, accounting on average, for 4 and 2 % of the total bacterial signal, in natural nutrient-poor forest soils and nutrient-enriched deforested soils, respectively. In case study Model II ("Management practices for sugarcane") disparate patterns were revealed in sugarcane rhizosphere sampled on optimal and deficient soil fertility for sugarcane (R = 0.786, P = 0.002). Verrucomicrobial community abundance in sugarcane rhizosphere was negatively correlated with soil fertility, accounting for 2 and 5 % of the total bacterial signal, under optimal and deficient soil fertility conditions for sugarcane, respectively. In nutrient-enriched soils, verrucomicrobial community structures were related to soil factors linked to soil fertility, such as total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sum of bases, i.e., the sum of calcium, magnesium and potassium contents. We conclude that community structure and abundance represent important ecological aspects in soil verrucomicrobial communities for tracking the changes in chemical factors linked to soil fertility under tropical environmental conditions.

  10. Fluorine Abundances in AGB Carbon Stars: New Results?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abia, C.; de Laverny, P.; Recio-Blanco, A.; Domínguez, I.; Cristallo, S.; Straniero, O.

    2009-09-01

    A recent reanalysis of the fluorine abundance in three Galactic Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) carbon stars (TX Psc, AQ Sgr and R Scl) by Abia et al. (2009) results in estimates of fluorine abundances systematically lower by ~0.8 dex on average, with respect to the sole previous estimates by Jorissen, Smith & Lambert (1992). The new F abundances are in better agreement with the predictions of full-network stellar models of low-mass (<3 Msolar) AGB stars.

  11. Big data - modelling of midges in Europa using machine learning techniques and satellite imagery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cuellar, Ana Carolina; Kjær, Lene Jung; Skovgaard, Henrik

    2017-01-01

    coordinates of each trap, start and end dates of trapping. We used 120 environmental predictor variables together with Random Forest machine learning algorithms to predict the overall species distribution (probability of occurrence) and monthly abundance in Europe. We generated maps for every month...... and the Obsoletus group, although abundance was generally higher for a longer period of time for C. imicula than for the Obsoletus group. Using machine learning techniques, we were able to model the spatial distribution in Europe for C. imicola and the Obsoletus group in terms of abundance and suitability...

  12. Simultaneous determination of 14N and 15N isotopes in opium by proton induced γ-ray emission technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pritty Rao; Reddy, G.L.N.; Vikram Kumar, S.; Ramana, J.V.; Raju, V.S.; Sanjiv Kumar

    2012-01-01

    The paper describes the simultaneous determination of 14 N and 15 N isotopes in opium by proton induced γ-ray emission (PIGE) technique. The isotopic ratio of 14 N and 15 N is a useful parameter for assigning provenance of (seized) illicit drugs. The measurement, non-destructive in nature, is performed on pellets made up of opium powders and is based on the prompt detection of 2.313 and 4.4 MeV γ-rays emanating from 14 N(p,p'γ) 14 N and 15 N(p,αγ) 12 C nuclear reactions respectively, induced simultaneously by 3.6-3.8 MeV proton beam. Positive as well as negative deviations from the natural isotopic abundance (99.63:0.37) were observed in the samples. The precision of the measurements is about 4%. The methodology provides an easy and rapid approach to determine the isotopic ratio of 14 N and 15 N and has been used for the first time in the analysis of opium. (author)

  13. Chemical Abundances in SFG and DLA

    OpenAIRE

    Schulte-Ladbeck, Regina E.; König, Brigitte; Cherinka, Brian

    2005-01-01

    We investigate the chemical abundances of local star-forming galaxies which cause Damped Lyman Alpha lines. A metallicity versus redshift diagram is constructed, on which the chemical abundances of low-redshift star-forming galaxy populations are compared with those of high-redshift Damped Lyman Alpha systems. We disucss two types of experiments on individual star-forming galaxies. In the first, the Damped Lyman Alpha line is created against an internal ultraviolet light source generated by a...

  14. Composition and structure of natural organic matter through advanced nuclear magnetic resonance techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dainan Zhang

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Natural organic matter (NOM plays important roles in biological, chemical, and physical processes within the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem. Despite its importance, a clear and exhaustive knowledge on NOM chemistry still lacks. Aiming to prove that advanced solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR techniques may contribute to fill such a gap, in this paper we reported relevant examples of its applicability to NOM components, such as biomass, deposition material, sediments, and kerogen samples. It is found that nonhydrolyzable organic carbons (NHC, chars, and polymethylene carbons are important in the investigated samples. The structure of each of the NHC fractions is similar to that of kerogens, highlighting the importance of selective preservation of NOM to the kerogen origin in the investigated aquatic ecosystems. Moreover, during the artificial maturation experiments of kerogen, the chemical and structural characteristics such as protonated aromatic, nonprotonated carbons, and aromatic cluster size play important roles in the origin and variation of nanoporosity during kerogen maturation. Graphical abstract NMR parameters of thermally stimulated kerogens

  15. SULFUR ABUNDANCES IN THE ORION ASSOCIATION B STARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daflon, Simone; Cunha, Katia; De la Reza, Ramiro; Holtzman, Jon; Chiappini, Cristina

    2009-01-01

    Sulfur abundances are derived for a sample of 10 B main-sequence star members of the Orion association. The analysis is based on LTE plane-parallel model atmospheres and non-LTE line formation theory by means of a self-consistent spectrum synthesis analysis of lines from two ionization states of sulfur, S II and S III. The observations are high-resolution spectra obtained with the ARCES spectrograph at the Apache Point Observatory. The abundance distribution obtained for the Orion targets is homogeneous within the expected errors in the analysis: A(S) = 7.15 ± 0.05. This average abundance result is in agreement with the recommended solar value (both from modeling of the photospheres in one-dimensional and three-dimensional, and meteorites) and indicates that little, if any, chemical evolution of sulfur has taken place in the last ∼4.5 billion years. The sulfur abundances of the young stars in Orion are found to agree well with results for the Orion Nebulae, and place strong constraints on the amount of sulfur depletion onto grains as being very modest or nonexistent. The sulfur abundances for Orion are consistent with other measurements at a similar galactocentric radius: combined with previous results for other OB-type stars produce a relatively shallow sulfur abundance gradient with a slope of -0.037 ± 0.012 dex kpc -1 .

  16. GLOBULAR CLUSTER ABUNDANCES FROM HIGH-RESOLUTION, INTEGRATED-LIGHT SPECTROSCOPY. IV. THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD: α, Fe-PEAK, LIGHT, AND HEAVY ELEMENTS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colucci, Janet E.; Bernstein, Rebecca A.; Cameron, Scott A.; McWilliam, Andrew

    2012-01-01

    We present detailed chemical abundances in eight clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We measure abundances of 22 elements for clusters spanning a range in age of 0.05-12 Gyr, providing a comprehensive picture of the chemical enrichment and star formation history of the LMC. The abundances were obtained from individual absorption lines using a new method for analysis of high-resolution (R ∼ 25,000), integrated-light (IL) spectra of star clusters. This method was developed and presented in Papers I, II, and III of this series. In this paper, we develop an additional IL χ 2 -minimization spectral synthesis technique to facilitate measurement of weak (∼15 mÅ) spectral lines and abundances in low signal-to-noise ratio data (S/N ∼ 30). Additionally, we supplement the IL abundance measurements with detailed abundances that we measure for individual stars in the youngest clusters (age +0.5) and increases with decreasing age, indicating a strong contribution of low-metallicity asymptotic giant branch star ejecta to the interstellar medium throughout the later history of the LMC. We also find a correlation of IL Na and Al abundances with cluster mass in the sense that more massive, older clusters are enriched in the light elements Na and Al with respect to Fe, which implies that these clusters harbor star-to-star abundance variations as is common in the MW. Lower mass, intermediate-age, and young clusters have Na and Al abundances that are lower and more consistent with LMC field stars. Our results can be used to constrain both future chemical evolution models for the LMC and theories of globular cluster formation.

  17. Adsorptive storage of natural gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Song; Lang, Liu; Licheng, Ling

    2001-01-01

    The Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG) storage technology is reviewed. The present status, theoretical limits and operational problems are discussed. Natural gas (NG) has a considerable advantage over conventional fuels both from an environmental point of view and for its natural abundance. However, as well known, it has a two fold disadvantage compared with liquid fuels: it is relatively expensive to transport from the remote areas, and its energy density (heat of combustion/volume) is low. All these will restrict its use. Compressed natural gas (CNG) may be a solution, but high pressures are needed (up to 25 MPa) for use in natural-gas fueled vehicles, and the large cost of the cylinders for storage and the high-pressure facilities necessary limit the practical use of CNG. Alternatively, adsorbed natural gas (ANG) at 3 - 4 MPa offers a very high potential for exploitation in both transport and large-scale applications. At present, research about this technology mainly focuses on: to make adsorbents with high methane adsorption capacity; to make clear the effects of heat of adsorption and the effect of impurities in natural gas on adsorption and desorption capacity. This paper provides an overview of current technology and examines the relations between fundamentals of adsorption and ANG storage. (authors)

  18. Ecological studies of Eastern Australian fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in their endemic habitat : II. The spatial pattern of abundance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zalucki, M P; Drew, R A I; Hooper, G H S

    1984-10-01

    11 fruit fly species captured at 47 sites in a natural forest area at Cooloola (south-east Queensland) revealed specific patterns of spatial abundance. Although all species were collected throughout the study area, D. bryoniae, D. mayi, D. neohumeralis and D. tryoni were more prevalent (average number caught per trap) in the open Eucalypt forest than the rainforest, whereas C. aequalis, D. absonifacies and D. endiandrae were more prevalent in the rainforest. D. cacuminatus, D. choristus, D. quadratus and D. signatifrons were equally prevalent throughout both forest types. Fly numbers were not distributed randomly throughout the trap sites. The clumped dispersion patterns seemed to be species specific as assessed and summarised by Taylor's Power Law. The exponent (b) relating mean spatial abundance to its variance ranged from 1.6-5.11 for the 11 species captured. Changing patterns of trap catches from one sampling period to another were analysed using correlograms for the 6 most abundant species (D. tryoni, D. neohumeralis, D. endiandrae, C. aequalis, D. cacuminatus and D. mayi). These revealed changing patterns of relative spatial abundance which can be related, in part, to changing population abundance levels. The various spatial patterns recognised are related to each species movement, breeding and feeding behaviour. It is proposed that flies migrate into the rainforest area from distant locations and that the rainforest habitat is an important adult feeding site.

  19. Fluctuations in the Composition and Abundance of Entomofauna in the Forest-Protected Agrocenoses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Belitskaya Mariya Nikolaevna

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The author investigates the influence of field-protective forest plantations on the diversity and quantity of pests and entomophages in interbelt cereal agrocenoses of the steppe and dry steppe natural zones. It is revealed that the protective forest plantations play important role in the biota and the food chains management within agrocenoses. It is identified that the forest belts have smoothing influence on the change in the abundance of insects belonging to the different trophic groups on the developped fields. The peaks in the number of harmful and useful insects coincide in these fields, whereas in treeless agrocenoses the rise in useful components density takes place only after a year of the mass reproduction of pests. The growth and development of cereal crops is accompanied by the increase in the number of insects in the stalks of the crops. At the same time, the abundance of different insect groups varies. This applies both to the inhabitants of the stalks and to the complex insects on the surface of the ground.

  20. Nature Conservation Drones for Automatic Localization and Counting of Animals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Gemert, J.C.; Verschoor, C.R.; Mettes, P.; Epema, K.; Koh, L.P.; Wich, S.; Agapito, L.; Bronstein, M.M.; Rother, C.

    2015-01-01

    This paper is concerned with nature conservation by automatically monitoring animal distribution and animal abundance. Typically, such conservation tasks are performed manually on foot or after an aerial recording from a manned aircraft. Such manual approaches are expensive, slow and labor

  1. Reduced risk insecticides to control scale insects and protect natural enemies in the production and maintenance of urban landscape plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frank, Steven D

    2012-04-01

    Armored scale insects are among the most difficult to manage and economically important arthropod pests in the production and maintenance of urban landscape plants. This is because of morphological traits that protect them from contact insecticides. I compared initial and season-long control of euonymus scale, Unaspis euonymi Comstock (Hemiptera: Diaspidae), by reduced-risk insecticides (insect growth regulators [IGRs], neonicotinoids, spirotetramat) to determine if they controlled scale as well as more toxic insecticides such as the organophosphate, acephate, and pyrethroid, bifenthrin. I also evaluated how these insecticides affected natural enemy abundance on experimental plants and survival when exposed to insecticide residue. All insecticides tested reduced first generation euonymus scale abundance. In 2009, reinfestation by second generation euonymus scale was highest on plants treated with acetamiprid and granular dinotefuran. In 2010, systemic neonicotinoids and spirotetramat prevented cottony cushion scale infestation 133 d after treatment whereas scale readily infested plants treated with bifenthrin and horticultural oil. Encarsia spp. and Cybocephalus spp. abundance was related to scale abundance. These natural enemies were generally less abundant than predicted by scale abundance on granular dinotefuran treated plants and more abundant on granular thiamethoxam treated plants. Bifenthrin residue killed 90-100% of O. insidiosus and E. citrina within 24 h. My results indicate that reduced risk insecticides can provide season-long scale control with less impact on natural enemies than conventional insecticides. This could have economic and environmental benefits by reducing the number of applications necessary to protect nursery and landscape plants from scale.

  2. Search and optimization by metaheuristics techniques and algorithms inspired by nature

    CERN Document Server

    Du, Ke-Lin

    2016-01-01

    This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to nature-inspired metaheuristic methods for search and optimization, including the latest trends in evolutionary algorithms and other forms of natural computing. Over 100 different types of these methods are discussed in detail. The authors emphasize non-standard optimization problems and utilize a natural approach to the topic, moving from basic notions to more complex ones. An introductory chapter covers the necessary biological and mathematical backgrounds for understanding the main material. Subsequent chapters then explore almost all of the major metaheuristics for search and optimization created based on natural phenomena, including simulated annealing, recurrent neural networks, genetic algorithms and genetic programming, differential evolution, memetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization, artificial immune systems, ant colony optimization, tabu search and scatter search, bee and bacteria foraging algorithms, harmony search, biomolecular computin...

  3. Biotic Stress Shifted Structure and Abundance of Enterobacteriaceae in the Lettuce Microbiome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erlacher, Armin; Cardinale, Massimiliano; Grube, Martin; Berg, Gabriele

    2015-01-01

    Lettuce cultivars are not only amongst the most popular vegetables eaten raw, they are also involved in severe pathogen outbreaks world-wide. While outbreaks caused by Enterobacteriaceae species are well-studied, less is known about their occurrence in natural environments as well as the impact of biotic stress. Here, we studied the ecology of the human health-relevant bacterial family Enterobacteriaceae and assessed the impact of biotic disturbances by a soil-borne phytopathogenic fungus and Gastropoda on their structure and abundance in mesocosm and pot experiments. Using a polyphasic approach including network analyses of 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries, quantitative PCR and complementary fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) microscopy we found substantial yet divergent Enterobacteriaceae communities. A similar spectrum of 14 genera was identified from rhizo- and phyllospheres but the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae was on average 3fold higher in phyllosphere samples. Both stress factors shifted the bacterial community of the leaf habitat, characterized by increases of species abundance and diversity. For the rhizosphere, we observed significant structural shifts of Enterobacteriaceae communities but also a high degree of resilience. These results could be confirmed by FISH microscopy but it was difficult to visualize phyllosphere communities. Additional inoculation experiments with Escherichia coli as model revealed their presence below the wax layer as well as in the endosphere of leaves. The observed presence influenced by stress factors and the endophytic life style of Enterobacteriaceae on lettuce can be an important aspect in relation to human health. PMID:25714833

  4. Biotic stress shifted structure and abundance of Enterobacteriaceae in the lettuce microbiome.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Armin Erlacher

    Full Text Available Lettuce cultivars are not only amongst the most popular vegetables eaten raw, they are also involved in severe pathogen outbreaks world-wide. While outbreaks caused by Enterobacteriaceae species are well-studied, less is known about their occurrence in natural environments as well as the impact of biotic stress. Here, we studied the ecology of the human health-relevant bacterial family Enterobacteriaceae and assessed the impact of biotic disturbances by a soil-borne phytopathogenic fungus and Gastropoda on their structure and abundance in mesocosm and pot experiments. Using a polyphasic approach including network analyses of 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries, quantitative PCR and complementary fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH microscopy we found substantial yet divergent Enterobacteriaceae communities. A similar spectrum of 14 genera was identified from rhizo- and phyllospheres but the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae was on average 3fold higher in phyllosphere samples. Both stress factors shifted the bacterial community of the leaf habitat, characterized by increases of species abundance and diversity. For the rhizosphere, we observed significant structural shifts of Enterobacteriaceae communities but also a high degree of resilience. These results could be confirmed by FISH microscopy but it was difficult to visualize phyllosphere communities. Additional inoculation experiments with Escherichia coli as model revealed their presence below the wax layer as well as in the endosphere of leaves. The observed presence influenced by stress factors and the endophytic life style of Enterobacteriaceae on lettuce can be an important aspect in relation to human health.

  5. Ecological effects of aphid abundance, genotypic variation, and contemporary evolution on plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turley, Nash E; Johnson, Marc T J

    2015-07-01

    Genetic variation and contemporary evolution within populations can shape the strength and nature of species interactions, but the relative importance of these forces compared to other ecological factors is unclear. We conducted a field experiment testing the effects of genotypic variation, abundance, and presence/absence of green peach aphids (Myzus persicae) on the growth, leaf nitrogen, and carbon of two plant species (Brassica napus and Solanum nigrum). Aphid genotype affected B. napus but not S. nigrum biomass explaining 20 and 7% of the total variation, respectively. Averaging across both plant species, the presence/absence of aphids had a 1.6× larger effect size (Cohen's d) than aphid genotype, and aphid abundance had the strongest negative effects on plant biomass explaining 29% of the total variation. On B. napus, aphid genotypes had different effects on leaf nitrogen depending on their abundance. Aphids did not influence leaf nitrogen in S. nigrum nor leaf carbon in either species. We conducted a second experiment in the field to test whether contemporary evolution could affect plant performance. Aphid populations evolved in as little as five generations, but the rate and direction of this evolution did not consistently vary between plant species. On one host species (B. napus), faster evolving populations had greater negative effects on host plant biomass, with aphid evolutionary rate explaining 23% of the variation in host plant biomass. Together, these results show that genetic variation and evolution in an insect herbivore can play important roles in shaping host plant ecology.

  6. Improved of Natural Gas Storage with Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG) Technology Using Activated Carbon from Plastic Waste Polyethylene Terepthalate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuliusman; Nasruddin; Sanal, A.; Bernama, A.; Haris, F.; Hardhi, M.

    2017-07-01

    Indonesia imports high amount of Fuel Oil. Although Indonesia has abundant amount of natural gas reserve, the obstacle lies within the process of natural gas storage itself. In order to create a safe repository, the ANG (Adsorbed Natural Gas) technology is planned. ANG technology in itself has been researched much to manufacture PET-based activated carbon for natural gas storage, but ANG still has several drawbacks. This study begins with making preparations for the equipment and materials that will be used, by characterizing the natural gas, measuring the empty volume, and degassing. The next step will be to examine the adsorption process. The maximum storage capacity obtained in this study for a temperature of 27°C and pressure of 35 bar is 0.0586 kg/kg, while for the desorption process, a maximum value for desorption efficiency was obtained on 35°C temperature with a value of 73.39%.

  7. Relation between grade and abundance of manganese nodules

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sudhakar, M.

    Data from more than 1000 locations in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) where both bulk nodule chemistry and abundance were determined and utilized to study the relationship between grade and abundance of manganese nodule deposits. Grade...

  8. Monitoring natural phytoplankton communities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haraguchi, L.; Jakobsen, H. H.; Lundholm, Nina

    2017-01-01

    -consuming and/or expensive, limiting sampling frequency. The use of faster methods, such as flow cytometry, has become more frequent in phytoplankton studies, although comparisons between this technique and traditional ones are still scarce. This study aimed to assess if natural phytoplankton communities...... carbon biomass with PFCM, applying the same conversion factors as for microscopy. Biomasses obtained with PFCM, estimated from live cells, were higher than microscopy for natural samples. We conclude that PFCM results are comparable to classical techniques, yet the data from PFCM had poor taxonomic...

  9. Screening with nuclear techniques for yield and N2 fixation in mung bean in Thailand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boonkerd, N.; Wadisrisuk, P.; Siripin, S.; Murakami, T.; Danso, S.K.A.

    1998-01-01

    For a farmer to reap benefit from mung bean's (Vigna radiata) capacity to fix N 2 , the crop's requirement for N must come mainly from the atmosphere through symbiotic fixation in the root nodules. The aim of this study was to evaluate recommended mung-bean cultivars and advanced breeding lines, and identify high fixers. Preliminary investigations with the 15 N natural-abundance method indicated its utility for measuring N 2 fixation, and the examination of five recommended cultivars and two advanced breeding lines of mung using the 15 N-dilution method showed diversity in N 2 fixation and yield. More than 400 lines of mung bean were screened in soil in cement containers for growth, nodulation, N accumulation and N 2 fixation at 35 days after planting, with the natural-abundance method used to determine N 2 fixation. Genetic variability was observed for all characteristics. Estimates of fixed N ranged from 0-300 mg N/plant. Whereas some lines obtained N mainly from fixation, recommended cultivars apparently obtained their N mainly from soil. The data are discussed in terms of reliability of the 15 N natural-abundance method

  10. Seasonal Abundance of Aphids and Aphidophagous Insects in Pecan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghulam Abbas

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Seasonal occurrence of aphids and aphidophagous insects was monitored for six years (2006–2011 from full leaf expansion in May to leaf fall in October in “Desirable” variety pecan trees that were not treated with insecticides. Aphid outbreaks occurred two times per season, once in the spring and again in the late summer. Yellow pecan and blackmargined aphids exceeded the recommended treatment thresholds one time and black pecan aphids exceeded the recommended treatment levels three times over the six seasons. Increases in aphidophagous insect abundance coincided with aphid outbreaks in five of the six seasons. Among aphidophagous insects Harmonia axyridis and Olla v-nigrum were frequently collected in both the tree canopy and at the ground level, whereas, Coccinella septempunctata, Hippodamia convergens were rarely found in the tree canopy and commonly found at the ground level. Green lacewing abundance was higher in the ground level than in the tree canopy. Brown lacewings were more abundant in the tree canopy than at the ground level. Dolichopodid and syrphid fly abundance, at the ground level increased during peak aphid abundance in the tree canopy. Application of an aqueous solution of fermenting molasses to the pecan foliage during an aphid outbreak significantly increased the abundance of ladybeetles and lacewings and significantly reduced the abundance of yellow pecan, blackmargined and black pecan aphids.

  11. Seasonal Abundance of Aphids and Aphidophagous Insects in Pecan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutcher, James D.; Karar, Haider; Abbas, Ghulam

    2012-01-01

    Seasonal occurrence of aphids and aphidophagous insects was monitored for six years (2006–2011) from full leaf expansion in May to leaf fall in October in “Desirable” variety pecan trees that were not treated with insecticides. Aphid outbreaks occurred two times per season, once in the spring and again in the late summer. Yellow pecan and blackmargined aphids exceeded the recommended treatment thresholds one time and black pecan aphids exceeded the recommended treatment levels three times over the six seasons. Increases in aphidophagous insect abundance coincided with aphid outbreaks in five of the six seasons. Among aphidophagous insects Harmonia axyridis and Olla v-nigrum were frequently collected in both the tree canopy and at the ground level, whereas, Coccinella septempunctata, Hippodamia convergens were rarely found in the tree canopy and commonly found at the ground level. Green lacewing abundance was higher in the ground level than in the tree canopy. Brown lacewings were more abundant in the tree canopy than at the ground level. Dolichopodid and syrphid fly abundance, at the ground level increased during peak aphid abundance in the tree canopy. Application of an aqueous solution of fermenting molasses to the pecan foliage during an aphid outbreak significantly increased the abundance of ladybeetles and lacewings and significantly reduced the abundance of yellow pecan, blackmargined and black pecan aphids. PMID:26466738

  12. Evaluation of natural attenuation, bioventing, bioaugmentation and bioaugmentation-bioventing techniques, for the biodegradation of diesel in a sandy soil, through column experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muskus Morales, Angelica Maria; Santoyo Munoz, Claudia; Plata Quintero, Luijesmarth Silvia

    2013-01-01

    The present study was developed within an inter-institutional agreement between the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, UPB-BBGA and the Colombian Petroleum Institute-ICP, in order to provide a solution to an environmental problem that occurs in areas where hydrocarbons are handled and where sandy soils have been found to be contaminated with diesel fuel with concentrations up to 6% at a maximum depth of 80 cm. For this study, the soil samples were artificially contaminated with diesel fuel in order to evaluate Natural Attenuation, Bioventing, Bioaugmentation and Bioaugmentation-Bioventing soil remediation techniques through the use of column experiments. The design parameters, column dimensions, inflow, diesel concentration, dissolved oxygen, bacterial growth, and monitoring was defined. Bioaugmentation was performed inoculating a bacterial consortium produced by the ICP. The experimental setup was assembled in triplicate and was monitored through a period of four months. The experimental results showed that Bioventing technique was the most effective, reaching up to 97% diesel removal from the contaminated soil; with the Bioaugmentation - Bioventing, diesel fuel removal percentage was 75%, and the Natural Attenuation and Bioaugmentation techniques resulted in diesel fuel removal percentages not greater than 48%. This study showed that the microbial consortium evaluated and provided by the Colombian Petroleum Institute proved to be not efficient for potentializing bioremediation processes of sandy soils contaminated with diesel fuel.

  13. Handbook of Natural Language Processing

    CERN Document Server

    Indurkhya, Nitin

    2010-01-01

    Provides a comprehensive, modern reference of practical tools and techniques for implementing natural language processing in computer systems. This title covers classical methods, empirical and statistical techniques, and various applications. It describes how the techniques can be applied to European and Asian languages as well as English

  14. DETERMINING THE INITIAL HELIUM ABUNDANCE OF THE SUN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serenelli, Aldo M.; Basu, Sarbani

    2010-01-01

    We determine the dependence of the initial helium abundance and the present-day helium abundance in the convective envelope of solar models (Y ini and Y surf , respectively) on the parameters that are used to construct the models. We do so by using reference standard solar models (SSMs) to compute the power-law coefficients of the dependence of Y ini and Y surf on the input parameters. We use these dependencies to determine the correlation between Y ini and Y surf and use this correlation to eliminate uncertainties in Y ini from all solar model input parameters except the microscopic diffusion rate. We find an expression for Y ini that depends only on Y surf and the diffusion rate. By adopting the helioseismic determination of solar surface helium abundance, Y surf sun = 0.2485 ± 0.0035, and an uncertainty of 20% for the diffusion rate, we find that the initial solar helium abundance, Y ini sun , is 0.278 ± 0.006 independently of the reference SSMs (and particularly on the adopted solar abundances) used in the derivation of the correlation between Y ini and Y surf . When non-SSMs with extra mixing are used, then we derive Y ini sun = 0.273 ± 0.006. In both cases, the derived Y ini sun value is higher than that directly derived from solar model calibrations when the low-metallicity solar abundances (e.g., by Asplund et al.) are adopted in the models.

  15. Carbon and oxygen abundances across the Hertzsprung gap

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adamczak, Jens; Lambert, David L.

    2014-01-01

    We derived atmospheric parameters and spectroscopic abundances for C and O for a large sample of stars located in the Hertzsprung gap in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram in order to detect chemical peculiarities and get a comprehensive overview of the population of stars in this evolutionary state. We have observed and analyzed high-resolution spectra (R = 60,000) of 188 stars in the mass range 2-5 M ☉ with the 2.7 m Harlan J. Smith Telescope at the McDonald Observatory including 28 stars previously identified as Am/Ap stars. We find that the C and O abundances of the majority of stars in the Hertzsprung gap are in accordance with abundances derived for local lower-mass dwarfs but detect expected peculiarities for the Am/Ap stars. The C and O abundances of stars with T eff < 6500 K are slightly lower than for the hotter objects but the C/O ratio is constant in the analyzed temperature domain. No indication of an alteration of the C and O abundances of the stars by mixing during the evolution across the Hertzsprung gap could be found before the homogenization of their atmospheres by the first dredge-up.

  16. Abundance of introduced species at home predicts abundance away in herbaceous communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    J. Firn; J.L. Moore; A.S. MacDougall; E.T. Borer; E.W. Seabloom; J. HilleRisLambers; S. Harpole; E.E. Cleland; C.S. Brown; J.M.H. Knops; S.M. Prober; D.A. Pyke; K.A. Farrell; J.D. Bakker; L.R. O’Halloran; P.B. Adler; S.L. Collins; C.M. D’Antonio; M.J. Crawley; E.M. Wolkovich; K.J. La Pierre; B.A. Melbourne; Y. Hautier; J.W. Morgan; A.D.B. Leakey; A.D. Kay; R.L. McCulley; K.F. Davies; C.J. Stevens; C.J. Chu

    2011-01-01

    Many ecosystems worldwide are dominated by introduced plant species, leading to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem function. A common but rarely tested assumption is that these plants are more abundant in introduced vs. native communities, because ecological or evolutionary-based shifts in populations underlie invasion success. Here, data for 26 herbaceous species at...

  17. Origin of the solar system s-process abundances

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malaney, R.A.; Boothroyd, A.I.

    1987-01-01

    In the search for the origin of the solar system s-process abundances much attention has been focused on the intershell zones of thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. It has recently been suggested that, relative to the poor fits obtained from intermediate-mass AGB models, low-mass AGB models may result in much better fits to the observed solar system abundances. This suggestion was motivated by the high intershell base temperatures indicated by recent low-mass AGB calculations. Using new data, presented for the peak intershell base temperature in such stars, the s-process enhancements occurring in the intershell zones of low-mass AGB stars are calculated. A nonsolar distribution of s-process abundances is reported for all realistic AGB models studied. Other possible astrophysical sites for the origin of the solar system s-process abundances are discussed. 35 references

  18. Why abundant tropical tree species are phylogenetically old.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Shaopeng; Chen, Anping; Fang, Jingyun; Pacala, Stephen W

    2013-10-01

    Neutral models of species diversity predict patterns of abundance for communities in which all individuals are ecologically equivalent. These models were originally developed for Panamanian trees and successfully reproduce observed distributions of abundance. Neutral models also make macroevolutionary predictions that have rarely been evaluated or tested. Here we show that neutral models predict a humped or flat relationship between species age and population size. In contrast, ages and abundances of tree species in the Panamanian Canal watershed are found to be positively correlated, which falsifies the models. Speciation rates vary among phylogenetic lineages and are partially heritable from mother to daughter species. Variable speciation rates in an otherwise neutral model lead to a demographic advantage for species with low speciation rate. This demographic advantage results in a positive correlation between species age and abundance, as found in the Panamanian tropical forest community.

  19. Physically-Based Interactive Flow Visualization Based on Schlieren and Interferometry Experimental Techniques

    KAUST Repository

    Brownlee, C.; Pegoraro, V.; Shankar, S.; McCormick, Patrick S.; Hansen, C. D.

    2011-01-01

    Understanding fluid flow is a difficult problem and of increasing importance as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) produces an abundance of simulation data. Experimental flow analysis has employed techniques such as shadowgraph, interferometry

  20. Estoque de C e Abundância Natural de 13C em Razão da Conversão de Áreas de Floresta e Pastagem em Bioma Mata Atlântica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denilson Dortzbach

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available RESUMO Conversões da cobertura vegetal decorrentes do manejo podem alterar o estoque de carbono e a abundância natural de 13C. Objetivou-se avaliar o estoque de C e a abundância natural de 13C em áreas de sucessão de floresta (F e pastagem (P, com diferentes tempos de uso, na Floresta Atlântica no Estado de Santa Catarina. Sete sucessões de uso entre F e P foram definidas por fotografias aéreas tomadas em 1957, 1978 e 2008, entrevistas com moradores e escolha de áreas com florestas em estádio médio de regeneração. As sucessões foram identificadas como FFP, FPF, FFP, FPP, PFF, PPF, PPP, em que a primeira letra se refere ao uso observado em 1957; a segunda, em 1978; e a terceira, em 2008. Foram coletadas amostras de solo nas camadas de 0,00-0,10; 0,10-0,20; 0,20-0,30; 0,30-0,40; 0,40-0,50; 0,50-0,60; 0,60-0,80 e 0,80-1,00 m. Quantificaram-se os teores de carbono orgânico total (COT, abundância de C (δ13C, densidade do solo (Ds e estoque de carbono (ECOT. A conversão de F em P proporcionou aumento da Ds e reduções nos teores de COT e no ECOT do solo. O maior valor de ECOT ocorreu nas áreas atualmente ocupadas por florestas, mesmo tendo sido utilizadas como pasto anteriormente. Áreas de floresta secundária tenderam, em relação aos teores de COT, a um novo equilíbrio, dado que foram verificados teores de COT superiores aos quantificados em áreas de floresta primária. As áreas de floresta e pastagem, com diferentes idades de uso e nas diferentes profundidades de solo avaliadas, evidenciaram respostas na δ13C, resultando em diferentes assinaturas isotópicas, confirmando a mudança de uso de plantas C3 para C4. Em pastagens com 50 anos de uso, na camada de 0,00-0,10 m, 66 % do COT do solo ainda é derivado da floresta original. A análise de componentes principais (ACP indicou que o COT foi o atributo que melhor discriminou as alterações em razão do uso da terra, nas diferentes camadas de solo.