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Sample records for solitary foraging small

  1. Benefits of Group Foraging Depend on Prey Type in a Small Marine Predator, the Little Penguin.

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    Sutton, Grace J; Hoskins, Andrew J; Arnould, John P Y

    2015-01-01

    Group foraging provides predators with advantages in over-powering prey larger than themselves or in aggregating small prey for efficient exploitation. For group-living predatory species, cooperative hunting strategies provide inclusive fitness benefits. However, for colonial-breeding predators, the benefit pay-offs of group foraging are less clear due to the potential for intra-specific competition. We used animal-borne cameras to determine the prey types, hunting strategies, and success of little penguins (Eudyptula minor), a small, colonial breeding air-breathing marine predator that has recently been shown to display extensive at-sea foraging associations with conspecifics. Regardless of prey type, little penguins had a higher probability of associating with conspecifics when hunting prey that were aggregated than when prey were solitary. In addition, success was greater when individuals hunted schooling rather than solitary prey. Surprisingly, however, success on schooling prey was similar or greater when individuals hunted on their own than when with conspecifics. These findings suggest individuals may be trading-off the energetic gains of solitary hunting for an increased probability of detecting prey within a spatially and temporally variable prey field by associating with conspecifics.

  2. Paternal kin recognition in the high frequency / ultrasonic range in a solitary foraging mammal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kessler Sharon E

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Kin selection is a driving force in the evolution of mammalian social complexity. Recognition of paternal kin using vocalizations occurs in taxa with cohesive, complex social groups. This is the first investigation of paternal kin recognition via vocalizations in a small-brained, solitary foraging mammal, the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus, a frequent model for ancestral primates. We analyzed the high frequency/ultrasonic male advertisement (courtship call and alarm call. Results Multi-parametric analyses of the calls’ acoustic parameters and discriminant function analyses showed that advertisement calls, but not alarm calls, contain patrilineal signatures. Playback experiments controlling for familiarity showed that females paid more attention to advertisement calls from unrelated males than from their fathers. Reactions to alarm calls from unrelated males and fathers did not differ. Conclusions 1 Findings provide the first evidence of paternal kin recognition via vocalizations in a small-brained, solitarily foraging mammal. 2 High predation, small body size, and dispersed social systems may select for acoustic paternal kin recognition in the high frequency/ultrasonic ranges, thus limiting risks of inbreeding and eavesdropping by predators or conspecific competitors. 3 Paternal kin recognition via vocalizations in mammals is not dependent upon a large brain and high social complexity, but may already have been an integral part of the dispersed social networks from which more complex, kin-based sociality emerged.

  3. Fragmentation of nest and foraging habitat affects time budgets of solitary bees, their fitness and pollination services, depending on traits: Results from an individual-based model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Settele, Josef; Dormann, Carsten F.

    2018-01-01

    Solitary bees are important but declining wild pollinators. During daily foraging in agricultural landscapes, they encounter a mosaic of patches with nest and foraging habitat and unsuitable matrix. It is insufficiently clear how spatial allocation of nesting and foraging resources and foraging traits of bees affect their daily foraging performance. We investigated potential brood cell construction (as proxy of fitness), number of visited flowers, foraging habitat visitation and foraging distance (pollination proxies) with the model SOLBEE (simulating pollen transport by solitary bees, tested and validated in an earlier study), for landscapes varying in landscape fragmentation and spatial allocation of nesting and foraging resources. Simulated bees varied in body size and nesting preference. We aimed to understand effects of landscape fragmentation and bee traits on bee fitness and the pollination services bees provide, as well as interactions between them, and the general consequences it has to our understanding of the system. This broad scope gives multiple key results. 1) Body size determines fitness more than landscape fragmentation, with large bees building fewer brood cells. High pollen requirements for large bees and the related high time budgets for visiting many flowers may not compensate for faster flight speeds and short handling times on flowers, giving them overall a disadvantage compared to small bees. 2) Nest preference does affect distribution of bees over the landscape, with cavity-nesting bees being restricted to nesting along field edges, which inevitably leads to performance reductions. Fragmentation mitigates this for cavity-nesting bees through increased edge habitat. 3) Landscape fragmentation alone had a relatively small effect on all responses. Instead, the local ratio of nest to foraging habitat affected bee fitness positively through reduced local competition. The spatial coverage of pollination increases steeply in response to this ratio

  4. Fragmentation of nest and foraging habitat affects time budgets of solitary bees, their fitness and pollination services, depending on traits: Results from an individual-based model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Everaars, Jeroen; Settele, Josef; Dormann, Carsten F

    2018-01-01

    Solitary bees are important but declining wild pollinators. During daily foraging in agricultural landscapes, they encounter a mosaic of patches with nest and foraging habitat and unsuitable matrix. It is insufficiently clear how spatial allocation of nesting and foraging resources and foraging traits of bees affect their daily foraging performance. We investigated potential brood cell construction (as proxy of fitness), number of visited flowers, foraging habitat visitation and foraging distance (pollination proxies) with the model SOLBEE (simulating pollen transport by solitary bees, tested and validated in an earlier study), for landscapes varying in landscape fragmentation and spatial allocation of nesting and foraging resources. Simulated bees varied in body size and nesting preference. We aimed to understand effects of landscape fragmentation and bee traits on bee fitness and the pollination services bees provide, as well as interactions between them, and the general consequences it has to our understanding of the system. This broad scope gives multiple key results. 1) Body size determines fitness more than landscape fragmentation, with large bees building fewer brood cells. High pollen requirements for large bees and the related high time budgets for visiting many flowers may not compensate for faster flight speeds and short handling times on flowers, giving them overall a disadvantage compared to small bees. 2) Nest preference does affect distribution of bees over the landscape, with cavity-nesting bees being restricted to nesting along field edges, which inevitably leads to performance reductions. Fragmentation mitigates this for cavity-nesting bees through increased edge habitat. 3) Landscape fragmentation alone had a relatively small effect on all responses. Instead, the local ratio of nest to foraging habitat affected bee fitness positively through reduced local competition. The spatial coverage of pollination increases steeply in response to this ratio

  5. Fragmentation of nest and foraging habitat affects time budgets of solitary bees, their fitness and pollination services, depending on traits: Results from an individual-based model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeroen Everaars

    Full Text Available Solitary bees are important but declining wild pollinators. During daily foraging in agricultural landscapes, they encounter a mosaic of patches with nest and foraging habitat and unsuitable matrix. It is insufficiently clear how spatial allocation of nesting and foraging resources and foraging traits of bees affect their daily foraging performance. We investigated potential brood cell construction (as proxy of fitness, number of visited flowers, foraging habitat visitation and foraging distance (pollination proxies with the model SOLBEE (simulating pollen transport by solitary bees, tested and validated in an earlier study, for landscapes varying in landscape fragmentation and spatial allocation of nesting and foraging resources. Simulated bees varied in body size and nesting preference. We aimed to understand effects of landscape fragmentation and bee traits on bee fitness and the pollination services bees provide, as well as interactions between them, and the general consequences it has to our understanding of the system. This broad scope gives multiple key results. 1 Body size determines fitness more than landscape fragmentation, with large bees building fewer brood cells. High pollen requirements for large bees and the related high time budgets for visiting many flowers may not compensate for faster flight speeds and short handling times on flowers, giving them overall a disadvantage compared to small bees. 2 Nest preference does affect distribution of bees over the landscape, with cavity-nesting bees being restricted to nesting along field edges, which inevitably leads to performance reductions. Fragmentation mitigates this for cavity-nesting bees through increased edge habitat. 3 Landscape fragmentation alone had a relatively small effect on all responses. Instead, the local ratio of nest to foraging habitat affected bee fitness positively through reduced local competition. The spatial coverage of pollination increases steeply in response

  6. Cumulative Effects of Foraging Behavior and Social Dominance on Brain Development in a Facultatively Social Bee (Ceratina australensis).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rehan, Sandra M; Bulova, Susan J; O'Donnell, Sean

    2015-01-01

    In social insects, both task performance (foraging) and dominance are associated with increased brain investment, particularly in the mushroom bodies. Whether and how these factors interact is unknown. Here we present data on a system where task performance and social behavior can be analyzed simultaneously: the small carpenter bee Ceratina australensis. We show that foraging and dominance have separate and combined cumulative effects on mushroom body calyx investment. Female C. australensis nest solitarily and socially in the same populations at the same time. Social colonies comprise two sisters: the social primary, which monopolizes foraging and reproduction, and the social secondary, which is neither a forager nor reproductive but rather remains at the nest as a guard. We compare the brains of solitary females that forage and reproduce but do not engage in social interactions with those of social individuals while controlling for age, reproductive status, and foraging experience. Mushroom body calyx volume was positively correlated with wing wear, a proxy for foraging experience. We also found that, although total brain volume did not vary among reproductive strategies (solitary vs. social nesters), socially dominant primaries had larger mushroom body calyx volumes (corrected for both brain and body size variation) than solitary females; socially subordinate secondaries (that are neither dominant nor foragers) had the least-developed mushroom body calyces. These data demonstrate that sociality itself does not explain mushroom body volume; however, achieving and maintaining dominance status in a group was associated with mushroom body calyx enlargement. Dominance and foraging effects were cumulative; dominant social primary foragers had larger mushroom body volumes than solitary foragers, and solitary foragers had larger mushroom body volumes than nonforaging social secondary guards. This is the first evidence for cumulative effects on brain development by

  7. On the interaction of small-scale linear waves with nonlinear solitary waves

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    Xu, Chengzhu; Stastna, Marek

    2017-04-01

    In the study of environmental and geophysical fluid flows, linear wave theory is well developed and its application has been considered for phenomena of various length and time scales. However, due to the nonlinear nature of fluid flows, in many cases results predicted by linear theory do not agree with observations. One of such cases is internal wave dynamics. While small-amplitude wave motion may be approximated by linear theory, large amplitude waves tend to be solitary-like. In some cases, when the wave is highly nonlinear, even weakly nonlinear theories fail to predict the wave properties correctly. We study the interaction of small-scale linear waves with nonlinear solitary waves using highly accurate pseudo spectral simulations that begin with a fully nonlinear solitary wave and a train of small-amplitude waves initialized from linear waves. The solitary wave then interacts with the linear waves through either an overtaking collision or a head-on collision. During the collision, there is a net energy transfer from the linear wave train to the solitary wave, resulting in an increase in the kinetic energy carried by the solitary wave and a phase shift of the solitary wave with respect to a freely propagating solitary wave. At the same time the linear waves are greatly reduced in amplitude. The percentage of energy transferred depends primarily on the wavelength of the linear waves. We found that after one full collision cycle, the longest waves may retain as much as 90% of the kinetic energy they had initially, while the shortest waves lose almost all of their initial energy. We also found that a head-on collision is more efficient in destroying the linear waves than an overtaking collision. On the other hand, the initial amplitude of the linear waves has very little impact on the percentage of energy that can be transferred to the solitary wave. Because of the nonlinearity of the solitary wave, these results provide us some insight into wave-mean flow

  8. Effect of electron temperature on small-amplitude electron acoustic solitary waves in non-planar geometry

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    Bansal, Sona; Aggarwal, Munish; Gill, Tarsem Singh

    2018-04-01

    Effects of electron temperature on the propagation of electron acoustic solitary waves in plasma with stationary ions, cold and superthermal hot electrons is investigated in non-planar geometry employing reductive perturbation method. Modified Korteweg-de Vries equation is derived in the small amplitude approximation limit. The analytical and numerical calculations of the KdV equation reveal that the phase velocity of the electron acoustic waves increases as one goes from planar to non planar geometry. It is shown that the electron temperature ratio changes the width and amplitude of the solitary waves and when electron temperature is not taken into account,our results completely agree with the results of Javidan & Pakzad (2012). It is found that at small values of τ , solitary wave structures behave differently in cylindrical ( {m} = 1), spherical ( {m} = 2) and planar geometry ( {m} = 0) but looks similar at large values of τ . These results may be useful to understand the solitary wave characteristics in laboratory and space environments where the plasma have multiple temperature electrons.

  9. Group foraging increases foraging efficiency in a piscivorous diver, the African penguin

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    McGeorge, Cuan; Ginsberg, Samuel; Pichegru, Lorien; Pistorius, Pierre A.

    2017-01-01

    Marine piscivores have evolved a variety of morphological and behavioural adaptations, including group foraging, to optimize foraging efficiency when targeting shoaling fish. For penguins that are known to associate at sea and feed on these prey resources, there is nonetheless a lack of empirical evidence to support improved foraging efficiency when foraging with conspecifics. We examined the hunting strategies and foraging performance of breeding African penguins equipped with animal-borne video recorders. Individuals pursued both solitary as well as schooling pelagic fish, and demonstrated independent as well as group foraging behaviour. The most profitable foraging involved herding of fish schools upwards during the ascent phase of a dive where most catches constituted depolarized fish. Catch-per-unit-effort was significantly improved when targeting fish schools as opposed to single fish, especially when foraging in groups. In contrast to more generalist penguin species, African penguins appear to have evolved specialist hunting strategies closely linked to their primary reliance on schooling pelagic fish. The specialist nature of the observed hunting strategies further limits the survival potential of this species if Allee effects reduce group size-related foraging efficiency. This is likely to be exacerbated by diminishing fish stocks due to resource competition and environmental change. PMID:28989785

  10. Dispersal of solitary bees and bumblebees in a winter oilseed rape field

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Calabuig, Isabel

    2000-01-01

    Dispersal distributions of solitary bees and bumblebees were studied in a winter oilseed rape field. Window-traps were placed in the rape field along a line transect perpendicular to the field edge. 19 species of solitary bees were recorded and all but four species are polylectic, including...... Brassicaceae as host-plant family. Through non-linear regression, the decline in solitary bee individuals versus distance from field edge significantly fitted a steep two-parameter exponential decay function. Activity of solitary bees was clearly highest within 30 metres from the field edge. Apparently......, solitary bees do not play any noteworthy role in the pollination of winter oilseed rape in Denmark. The traps yielded ten species of bumblebees, and a significant linear correlation was found between numbers of individuals and distance from the field edge. This result is attributed to bumblebee foraging...

  11. Evidence of trapline foraging in honeybees.

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    Buatois, Alexis; Lihoreau, Mathieu

    2016-08-15

    Central-place foragers exploiting floral resources often use multi-destination routes (traplines) to maximise their foraging efficiency. Recent studies on bumblebees have showed how solitary foragers can learn traplines, minimising travel costs between multiple replenishing feeding locations. Here we demonstrate a similar routing strategy in the honeybee (Apis mellifera), a major pollinator known to recruit nestmates to discovered food resources. Individual honeybees trained to collect sucrose solution from four artificial flowers arranged within 10 m of the hive location developed repeatable visitation sequences both in the laboratory and in the field. A 10-fold increase of between-flower distances considerably intensified this routing behaviour, with bees establishing more stable and more efficient routes at larger spatial scales. In these advanced social insects, trapline foraging may complement cooperative foraging for exploiting food resources near the hive (where dance recruitment is not used) or when resources are not large enough to sustain multiple foragers at once. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  12. SOLITARY PLASMACYTOMA

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    Sara Grammatico

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Solitary plasmacytoma is a rare disease characterized by a localized proliferation of neoplastic monoclonal plasma cells, without evidence of systemic disease. It can be subdivided into solitary bone plasmacytoma, if the lesion originates in bone, or solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma, if the lesion involves a soft tissue. Incidence of solitary bone plasmacytoma is higher than solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma. Also prognosis is different: even if both forms respond well to treatment, overall survival and progression free survival of solitary bone plasmacytoma is poorer than solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma due to its higher rate of evolution in multiple myeloma. However, the recent advances in the diagnosis of multiple myeloma can better refine also the diagnosis of plasmacytoma. Flow cytometry studies and molecular analysis may reveal clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow; magnetic resonance imaging or 18 Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography could better define osteolytic bone lesions. A more precise exclusion of eventual occult systemic involvement can avoid cases of misdiagnosed multiple myeloma patients, that were previously considered solitary plasmacytoma and less treated, with an unavoidable poor prognosis. Due to the rarity of the disease, there is no uniform consensus about prognostic factors and treatment. Radiotherapy is the treatment of choice; however, some authors debates about the radiotherapy dose and the relationship with the response rate. Moreover, the role of surgery and chemotherapy is still under debate. Nevertheless, we must consider that the majority of studies include a small number of patients and analyze the efficacy of conventional chemotherapy; few cases are reported concerning the efficacy of novel agents. Keywords: solitary plasmacytoma; myeloma; radiotherapy; osteolytic lesions

  13. Solitary Plasmacytoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grammatico, Sara; Scalzulli, Emilia; Petrucci, Maria Teresa

    2017-01-01

    Solitary plasmacytoma is a rare disease characterized by a localized proliferation of neoplastic monoclonal plasma cells, without evidence of systemic disease. It can be subdivided into solitary bone plasmacytoma if the lesion originates in bone, or solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma if the lesion involves a soft tissue. The incidence of solitary bone plasmacytoma is higher than solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma. Also, the prognosis is different: even if both forms respond well to treatment, overall survival and progression-free survival of solitary bone plasmacytoma are poorer than solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma due to its higher rate of evolution in multiple myeloma. However, the recent advances in the diagnosis of multiple myeloma can better refine also the diagnosis of plasmacytoma. Flow cytometry studies and molecular analysis may reveal clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow; magnetic resonance imaging or 18 Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography could better define osteolytic bone lesions. A more explicit exclusion of possible occult systemic involvement can avoid cases of misdiagnosed multiple myeloma patients, which were previously considered solitary plasmacytoma and less treated, with an unavoidable poor prognosis. Due to the rarity of the disease, there is no uniform consensus about prognostic factors and treatment. Radiotherapy is the treatment of choice; however, some authors debate about the radiotherapy dose and the relationship with the response rate. Moreover, the role of surgery and chemotherapy is still under debate. Nevertheless, we must consider that the majority of studies include a small number of patients and analyze the efficacy of conventional chemotherapy; few cases are reported concerning the efficacy of novel agents.

  14. Physiological effects of increased foraging effort in a small passerine.

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    Yap, Kang Nian; Kim, Oh Run; Harris, Karilyn C; Williams, Tony D

    2017-11-15

    Foraging to obtain food, either for self-maintenance or at presumably elevated rates to provide for offspring, is thought to be an energetically demanding activity but one that is essential for fitness (higher reproductive success and survival). Nevertheless, the physiological mechanisms that allow some individuals to support higher foraging performance, and the mechanisms underlying costs of high workload, remain poorly understood. We experimentally manipulated foraging behaviour in zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ) using the technique described by Koetsier and Verhulst (2011) Birds in the 'high foraging effort' (HF) group had to obtain food either while flying/hovering or by making repeated hops or jumps from the ground up to the feeder, behaviour typical of the extremely energetically expensive foraging mode observed in many free-living small passerines. HF birds made significantly more trips to the feeder per 10 min, whereas control birds spent more time (perched) at the feeder. Despite this marked change in foraging behaviour, we documented few short- or long-term effects of 'training' (3 days and 90 days of 'training', respectively) and some of these effects were sex specific. There were no effects of treatment on basal metabolic rate, haematocrit, haemoglobin or plasma glycerol, triglyceride and glucose levels, and masses of kidney, crop, large intestine, small intestine, gizzard and liver. HF females had higher masses of flight muscle, leg muscle, heart and lung compared with controls. In contrast, HF males had lower heart mass than controls and there were no differences for other organs. When both sexes were pooled, there were no effects of treatment on body composition. Finally, birds in the HF treatment group had higher levels of reactive oxygen metabolites (dROMs) and, consequently, although treatment did not affect total anti-oxidant capacity, birds in the HF treatment group had higher oxidative stress. © 2017. Published by The Company of

  15. Prolonged survival after resection and radiotherapy for solitary brain metastases from non-small-cell lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chee, R. J.; Bydder, S.; Cameron, F.

    2007-01-01

    Selected patients with brain metastases from non-small-cell lung cancer benefit from aggressive treatment. This report describes three patients who developed solitary brain metastases after previous resection of primary adenocarcinoma of the lung. Each underwent surgical resection of their brain metastasis followed by cranial irradiation and remain disease free 10 or more years later. Two patients developed cognitive impairment approximately 8 years after treatment of their brain metastasis, which was felt to be due to their previous brain irradiation. Here we discuss the treatment of solitary brain metastasis, particularly the value of combined method approaches in selected patients and dose-volume considerations

  16. Solitary Wave Interactions in Granular Media

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    WEN Zhen-Ying; WANG Shun-Jin; ZHANG Xiu-Ming; LI Lei

    2007-01-01

    We numerically study the interactions of solitary waves in granular media, by considering a chain of beads, which repel upon contact via the Hertz-type potential, V ∝δn, with 5/2 ≤n≤3 and δ≥0,δbeing the bead-bead overlap. There are two collision types of solitary waves, overtaking collision and head-on collision, in the chain of beads. Our quantitative results show that after collision the large solitary wave gains energy and the small one loses energy for overtaking type while the large one loses energy, and the small one gains energy for head-on type. The scattering effects decrease with n for overtaking collision whereas increase with n for head-on collision.

  17. Electro-acoustic solitary waves in dusty plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mamun, A.A.; Sayed, F.

    2005-10-01

    present a rigorous theoretical investigation of electro- acoustic [particularly, dust-ion acoustic (DIA) and dust-acoustic (DA)] solitary waves in dusty plasmas. We employ the reductive perturbation method for small but finite amplitude solitary waves as well as the pseudo-potential approach for arbitrary amplitude ones. We also analyze the effects of non-planar geometry and dust charge fluctuations on both DIA and DA solitary waves, the effect of finite ion-temperature on DIA solitary waves, and the effects of dust-fluid temperature and non-isothermal ion distributions on DA solitary waves. It has been reported that these effects do not only significantly modify the basic features of DIA or DA solitary waves, but also introduce some important new features. The basic features and the underlying physics of DIA and DA solitary waves, which are relevant to space and laboratory dusty plasmas, are briefly discussed. (author)

  18. Vlasov Simulation of Electrostatic Solitary Structures in Multi-Component Plasmas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Umeda, Takayuki; Ashour-Abdalla, Maha; Pickett, Jolene S.; Goldstein, Melvyn L.

    2012-01-01

    Electrostatic solitary structures have been observed in the Earth's magnetosheath by the Cluster spacecraft. Recent theoretical work has suggested that these solitary structures are modeled by electron acoustic solitary waves existing in a four-component plasma system consisting of core electrons, two counter-streaming electron beams, and one species of background ions. In this paper, the excitation of electron acoustic waves and the formation of solitary structures are studied by means of a one-dimensional electrostatic Vlasov simulation. The present result first shows that either electron acoustic solitary waves with negative potential or electron phase-space holes with positive potential are excited in four-component plasma systems. However, these electrostatic solitary structures have longer duration times and higher wave amplitudes than the solitary structures observed in the magnetosheath. The result indicates that a high-speed and small free energy source may be needed as a fifth component. An additional simulation of a five-component plasma consisting of a stable four-component plasma and a weak electron beam shows the generation of small and fast electron phase-space holes by the bump-on-tail instability. The physical properties of the small and fast electron phase-space holes are very similar to those obtained by the previous theoretical analysis. The amplitude and duration time of solitary structures in the simulation are also in agreement with the Cluster observation.

  19. Solitary Plasmacytoma

    OpenAIRE

    Grammatico, Sara; Scalzulli, Emilia; Petrucci, Maria Teresa

    2017-01-01

    Solitary plasmacytoma is a rare disease characterized by a localized proliferation of neoplastic monoclonal plasma cells, without evidence of systemic disease. It can be subdivided into solitary bone plasmacytoma, if the lesion originates in bone, or solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma, if the lesion involves a soft tissue. Incidence of solitary bone plasmacytoma is higher than solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma. Also prognosis is different: even if both forms respond well to treatment, ov...

  20. The diagnosis of small solitary pulmonary nodule: comparison of standard and inverse digital images on a high resolution monitor using ROC analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Byeong Kyoo; Lee, In Sun; Seo, Joon Beom; Lee, Jin Seong; Song, Koun Sik; Lim, Tae Hwan

    2002-01-01

    To study the impact of inversion of soft-copy chest radiographs on the detection of small solitary pulmonary nodules using a high-resolution monitor. The study group consisted of 80 patients who had undergone posterior chest radiography; 40 had a solitary noncalcified pulmonary nodule approximately 1 cm in diameter, and 40 were control subjects. Standard and inverse digital images using the inversion tool on a PACS system were displayed on high-resolution monitors (2048x2560x8 bit). Ten radiologists were requested to rank each image using a five-point scale (1=definitely negative, 3=equivocal or indeterminate, 5=definite nodule), and the data were interpreted using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The area under the ROC curve for pooled data of standard image sets was significantly larger than that of inverse image sets (0.8893 and 0.8095, respectively; p 0.05). For detecting small solitary pulmonary nodules, inverse digital images were significantly inferior to standard digital images

  1. Interaction for solitary waves in coasting charged particle beams

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Shi-Wei; Hong, Xue-Ren; Shi, Yu-Ren; Duan, Wen-shan, E-mail: duanws@nwnu.edu.cn [College of Physics and Electronic Engineering and Joint Laboratory of Atomic an Molecular Physics of NWNU and IMPCAS, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070 (China); Qi, Xin; Yang, Lei, E-mail: lyang@impcas.ac.cn [Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Han, Jiu-Ning [College of Physics and Electromechanical Engineering, Hexi University, Zhangye 734000 (China)

    2014-03-15

    By using the extended Poincare-Lighthill-Kuo perturbation method, the collision of solitary waves in a coasting charged particle beams is studied. The results show that the system admits a solution with two solitary waves, which move in opposite directions and can be described by two Korteweg-deVries equation in small-amplitude limit. The collision of two solitary waves is elastic, and after the interaction they preserve their original properties. Then the weak phase shift in traveling direction of collision between two solitary waves is derived explicitly.

  2. SOCIAL COMPLEXITY AND LEARNING FORAGING TASKS IN BEES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    AMAYA-MÁRQUEZ MARISOL

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Social complexity and models concerning central place foraging were tested with respect to learning predictions using the social honey bee (Apis mellifera and solitary blue orchard bee (Osmia lignaria when given foraging problems. Both species were presented the same foraging problems, where 1 only reward molarity varied between flower morphs, and 2 only reward volume varied between flower morphs. Experiments utilized blue vs. white flower patches to standardize rewards in each experimental situation. Although honey bees learned faster than blue orchard bees when given a molarity difference reward problem, there was no significant difference in learning rate when presented a volume difference reward problem. Further, the rate at which blue orchard bees learned the volume difference problem was not significantly different from that with which honey bees learned about reward molarity differences. The results do not support the predictions of the social complexity theory, but do support those of the central place model

  3. Nutritional status influences socially regulated foraging ontogeny in honey bees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toth, Amy L; Kantarovich, Sara; Meisel, Adam F; Robinson, Gene E

    2005-12-01

    In many social insects, including honey bees, worker energy reserve levels are correlated with task performance in the colony. Honey bee nest workers have abundant stored lipid and protein while foragers are depleted of these reserves; this depletion precedes the shift from nest work to foraging. The first objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that lipid depletion has a causal effect on the age at onset of foraging in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). We found that bees treated with a fatty acid synthesis inhibitor (TOFA) were more likely to forage precociously. The second objective of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between social interactions, nutritional state and behavioral maturation. Since older bees are known to inhibit the development of young bees into foragers, we asked whether this effect is mediated nutritionally via the passage of food from old to young bees. We found that bees reared in social isolation have low lipid stores, but social inhibition occurs in colonies in the field, whether young bees are starved or fed. These results indicate that although social interactions affect the nutritional status of young bees, social and nutritional factors act independently to influence age at onset of foraging. Our findings suggest that mechanisms linking internal nutritional physiology to foraging in solitary insects have been co-opted to regulate altruistic foraging in a social context.

  4. Small mammal use of native warm-season and non-native cool-season grass forage fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryan L Klimstra,; Christopher E Moorman,; Converse, Sarah J.; Royle, J. Andrew; Craig A Harper,

    2015-01-01

    Recent emphasis has been put on establishing native warm-season grasses for forage production because it is thought native warm-season grasses provide higher quality wildlife habitat than do non-native cool-season grasses. However, it is not clear whether native warm-season grass fields provide better resources for small mammals than currently are available in non-native cool-season grass forage production fields. We developed a hierarchical spatially explicit capture-recapture model to compare abundance of hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus), white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus), and house mice (Mus musculus) among 4 hayed non-native cool-season grass fields, 4 hayed native warm-season grass fields, and 4 native warm-season grass-forb ("wildlife") fields managed for wildlife during 2 summer trapping periods in 2009 and 2010 of the western piedmont of North Carolina, USA. Cotton rat abundance estimates were greater in wildlife fields than in native warm-season grass and non-native cool-season grass fields and greater in native warm-season grass fields than in non-native cool-season grass fields. Abundances of white-footed mouse and house mouse populations were lower in wildlife fields than in native warm-season grass and non-native cool-season grass fields, but the abundances were not different between the native warm-season grass and non-native cool-season grass fields. Lack of cover following haying in non-native cool-season grass and native warm-season grass fields likely was the key factor limiting small mammal abundance, especially cotton rats, in forage fields. Retention of vegetation structure in managed forage production systems, either by alternately resting cool-season and warm-season grass forage fields or by leaving unharvested field borders, should provide refugia for small mammals during haying events.

  5. A small solitary non-parasitic hepatic cyst causing an intra-hepatic bile duct stricture: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Taeho

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction We report an unusual presentation of a small hepatic cyst causing cholangitis. Case presentation A 70-year-old Asian man was hospitalized for aggravated chronic pain in the right upper portion of his abdomen. Fever developed after admission. Laboratory tests revealed elevated hepatobiliary enzymes, inflammatory markers and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 without hyperbilirubinemia. Ultrasound and computed tomography demonstrated dilatation of the left intra-hepatic bile ducts. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed that the right intra-hepatic bile ducts were normally filled with contrast medium, but the left intra-hepatic bile ducts were not seen in the confluence. A left hepatectomy was performed because a hidden malignancy could not be excluded. The surgical findings showed no tumor around the bile duct but rather a 2 cm cyst in segment four of Couinaud's category of the liver around the hilum. The pathology report was a solitary non-parasitic hepatic cyst compressing the bile duct. Conclusion A very small solitary hepatic cyst might cause hepatic duct stricture if it is located near the hepatic hilum, and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a hepatic duct stricture.

  6. Solitary drift waves in the presence of magnetic shear

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meiss, J.D.; Horton, W.

    1982-07-01

    The two-component fluid equations describing electron drift and ion acoustic waves in a nonuniform magnetized plasma are shown to possess nonlinear two-dimensional solitary wave solutions. In the presence of magnetic shear, radiative shear damping is exponentially small in L/sub s//L/sub n/ for solitary drift waves, in contrast to linear waves

  7. Ovary activation does not correlate with pollen and nectar foraging specialization in the bumblebee Bombus impatiens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meagan A. Simons

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Social insect foragers may specialize on certain resource types. Specialization on pollen or nectar among honeybee foragers is hypothesized to result from associations between reproductive physiology and sensory tuning that evolved in ancestral solitary bees (the Reproductive Ground-Plan Hypothesis; RGPH. However, the two non-honeybee species studied showed no association between specialization and ovary activation. Here we investigate the bumblebee B. impatiens because it has the most extensively studied pollen/nectar specialization of any bumblebee. We show that ovary size does not differ between pollen specialist, nectar specialist, and generalist foragers, contrary to the predictions of the RGPH. However, we also found mixed support for the second prediction of the RGPH, that sensory sensitivity, measured through proboscis extension response (PER, is greater among pollen foragers. We also found a correlation between foraging activity and ovary size, and foraging activity and relative nectar preference, but no correlation between ovary size and nectar preference. In one colony non-foragers had larger ovaries than foragers, supporting the reproductive conflict and work hypothesis, but in the other colony they did not.

  8. Ovary activation does not correlate with pollen and nectar foraging specialization in the bumblebee Bombus impatiens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simons, Meagan A; Smith, Adam R

    2018-01-01

    Social insect foragers may specialize on certain resource types. Specialization on pollen or nectar among honeybee foragers is hypothesized to result from associations between reproductive physiology and sensory tuning that evolved in ancestral solitary bees (the Reproductive Ground-Plan Hypothesis; RGPH). However, the two non-honeybee species studied showed no association between specialization and ovary activation. Here we investigate the bumblebee B. impatiens because it has the most extensively studied pollen/nectar specialization of any bumblebee. We show that ovary size does not differ between pollen specialist, nectar specialist, and generalist foragers, contrary to the predictions of the RGPH. However, we also found mixed support for the second prediction of the RGPH, that sensory sensitivity, measured through proboscis extension response (PER), is greater among pollen foragers. We also found a correlation between foraging activity and ovary size, and foraging activity and relative nectar preference, but no correlation between ovary size and nectar preference. In one colony non-foragers had larger ovaries than foragers, supporting the reproductive conflict and work hypothesis, but in the other colony they did not.

  9. Contrasting Foraging Patterns: Testing Resource-Concentration and Dilution Effects with Pollinators and Seed Predators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandria Wenninger

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Resource concentration effects occur when high resource density patches attract and support more foragers than low density patches. In contrast, resource dilution effects can occur if high density patches support fewer consumers. In this study, we examined the foraging rates of pollinators and seed predators on two perennial plant species (Rudbeckia triloba and Verbena stricta as functions of resource density. Specifically, we examined whether resource-dense patches (densities of flower and seeds on individual plants resulted in greater visitation and seed removal rates, respectively. We also examined whether foraging rates were context-dependent by conducting the study in two sites that varied in resource densities. For pollinators, we found negative relationships between the density of flowers per plant and visitation rates, suggesting dilution effects. For seed predators, we found positive relationships consistent with concentration effects. Saturation effects and differences in foraging behaviors might explain the opposite relationships; most of the seed predators were ants (recruitment-based foragers, and pollinators were mostly solitary foragers. We also found that foraging rates were site-dependent, possibly due to site-level differences in resource abundance and consumer densities. These results suggest that these two plant species may benefit from producing as many flowers as possible, given high levels of pollination and low seed predation.

  10. Large amplitude solitary waves in a multicomponent plasma with negative ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Y.; Tsukabayashi, I.; Ludwig, G.O.; Ferreira, J.L.

    1987-09-01

    When the concentration of negative ions is larger than a critical value, a small compressive pulse evolves into a subsonic wave train and a large pulse develops into a solitary wave. The threshold amplitude and velocity of the solitary waves are measured and compared with predictions using the pseudopotential method. (author) [pt

  11. Assessment of the foraging and nesting conditions for solitary bees and bumblebees, and their distribution in a Danish agricultural landscape

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Calabuig, Isabel

    2000-01-01

    In a survey April through November 1997, a total of 72 solitary bee species and 19 bumblebee species were recorded in the semi-natural habitats of a Danish conventional agricultural landscape. The majority of the solitary non-inquiline bee species (59) were polylectic, but four oligoleges of Salix...... all ones that may sustain a species rich but polylecticly dominated bee fauna. Abundance of solitary bees and bumblebees were correlated with mellitophilous plant coverage in south-facing areas, whereas no correlation was found for honeybees. Furthermore, abundance of honeybees was not correlated...... with abundance of other bees. Bee species richness could not be explained by plant species richness or coverage in a multiple regression. Habitat parameters in a generalised linear model were able to predict abundance of males and inquilines, a measure of nest abundances in the habitats....

  12. Foraging behavior of three bee species in a natural mimicry system: female flowers which mimic male flowers in Ecballium elaterium (Cucurbitaceae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dukas, Reuyen

    1987-12-01

    The behavior of Apis mellifera and two species of solitary bees which forage in the flowers of monoecious Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich (Cucurbitaceae) were compared. The female flowers of E. elaterium resemble male flowers visually but are nectarless, and their number is relatively smaller. Apis mellifera was found to discriminate between the two genders and to pay relatively fewer visits to female flowers (mean of 30% relative to male flowers) from the beginning of their activity in the morning. The time spent by honeybees in female flowers is very short compared to that spent in male flowers. It is surmised that the bees remember the differences between the flowers where they foraged on the previous days. In contrast, the two species of solitary bees Lasioglossum politum (Morawitz) (Halictidae) and Ceratina mandibularis Fiese (Anthophoridae) visit the female flowers with nearly equal frequencies at the beginning of each foraging day and stay longer in these flowers. Over the day there is a decline in the relative frequency of visits to female flowers and also in the mean time spent in them. The study shows that bees can collect rewards at high efficiency from the flowers of Ecballium elaterium because of their partial discrimination ability and the scarcity of the mimic flowers. It is suggested that the memory pattern of some solitary bees may be different from that of Apis mellifera. It seems that the limited memory and discrimination ability of bees can lead to a high frequency of visits to the mimic flowers during a long flowering season.

  13. Three dimensional electrostatic solitary waves in a dense magnetoplasma with relativistically degenerate electrons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ata-ur-Rahman,; Qamar, A. [Institute of Physics and Electronics, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25000 (Pakistan); National Centre for Physics, QAU Campus, Shahdrah Valley Road, Islamabad 44000 (Pakistan); Masood, W. [National Centre for Physics, QAU Campus, Shahdrah Valley Road, Islamabad 44000 (Pakistan); COMSATS, Institute of Information Technology, Park Road, Chak Shahzad, Islamabad 44000 (Pakistan); Eliasson, B. [Physics Department, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, Scotland (United Kingdom)

    2013-09-15

    In this paper, small but finite amplitude electrostatic solitary waves in a relativistic degenerate magnetoplasma, consisting of relativistically degenerate electrons and non-degenerate cold ions, are investigated. The Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation is derived employing the reductive perturbation technique and its solitary wave solution is analyzed. It is shown that only compressive electrostatic solitary structures can propagate in such a degenerate plasma system. The effects of plasma number density, ion cyclotron frequency, and direction cosines on the profiles of ion acoustic solitary waves are investigated and discussed at length. The relevance of the present investigation vis-a-vis pulsating white dwarfs is also pointed out.

  14. Solitary waves in fluids

    CERN Document Server

    Grimshaw, RHJ

    2007-01-01

    After the initial observation by John Scott Russell of a solitary wave in a canal, his insightful laboratory experiments and the subsequent theoretical work of Boussinesq, Rayleigh and Korteweg and de Vries, interest in solitary waves in fluids lapsed until the mid 1960's with the seminal paper of Zabusky and Kruskal describing the discovery of the soliton. This was followed by the rapid development of the theory of solitons and integrable systems. At the same time came the realization that solitary waves occur naturally in many physical systems, and play a fundamental role in many circumstances. The aim of this text is to describe the role that soliton theory plays in fluids in several contexts. After an historical introduction, the book is divided five chapters covering the basic theory of the Korteweg-de Vries equation, and the subsequent application to free-surface solitary waves in water to internal solitary waves in the coastal ocean and the atmospheric boundary layer, solitary waves in rotating flows, ...

  15. Multi-dimensional instability of electrostatic solitary structures in magnetized nonthermal dusty plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mamun, A.A.; Russel, S.M.; Mendoza-Briceno, C.A.; Alam, M.N.; Datta, T.K.; Das, A.K.

    1999-05-01

    A rigorous theoretical investigation has been made of multi-dimensional instability of obliquely propagating electrostatic solitary structures in a hot magnetized nonthermal dusty plasma which consists of a negatively charged hot dust fluid, Boltzmann distributed electrons, and nonthermally distributed ions. The Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation for the electrostatic solitary structures that exist in such a dusty plasma system is derived by the reductive perturbation method. The multi-dimensional instability of these solitary waves is also studied by the small-k (long wavelength plane wave) perturbation expansion method. The nature of these solitary structures, the instability criterion, and their growth rate depending on dust-temperature, external magnetic field, and obliqueness are discussed. The implications of these results to some space and astrophysical dusty plasma situations are briefly mentioned. (author)

  16. Habitat-specific foraging strategies in Australasian gannets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melanie R. Wells

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Knowledge of top predator foraging adaptability is imperative for predicting their biological response to environmental variability. While seabirds have developed highly specialised techniques to locate prey, little is known about intraspecific variation in foraging strategies with many studies deriving information from uniform oceanic environments. Australasian gannets (Morus serrator typically forage in continental shelf regions on small schooling prey. The present study used GPS and video data loggers to compare habitat-specific foraging strategies at two sites of contrasting oceanographic regimes (deep water near the continental shelf edge, n=23; shallow inshore embayment, n=26, in south-eastern Australia. Individuals from the continental shelf site exhibited pelagic foraging behaviours typical of gannet species, using local enhancement to locate and feed on small schooling fish; in contrast only 50% of the individuals from the inshore site foraged offshore, displaying the typical pelagic foraging strategy. The remainder adopted a strategy of searching sand banks in shallow inshore waters in the absence of conspecifics and other predators for large, single prey items. Furthermore, of the individuals foraging inshore, 93% were male, indicating that the inshore strategy may be sex-specific. Large inter-colony differences in Australasian gannets suggest strong plasticity in foraging behaviours, essential for adapting to environmental change.

  17. Field margins, foraging distances and their impacts on nesting pollinator success.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sean A Rands

    Full Text Available The areas of wild land around the edges of agricultural fields are a vital resource for many species. These include insect pollinators, to whom field margins provide both nest sites and important resources (especially when adjacent crops are not in flower. Nesting pollinators travel relatively short distances from the nest to forage: most species of bee are known to travel less than two kilometres away. In order to ensure that these pollinators have sufficient areas of wild land within reach of their nests, agricultural landscapes need to be designed to accommodate the limited travelling distances of nesting pollinators. We used a spatially-explicit modelling approach to consider whether increasing the width of wild strips of land within the agricultural landscape will enhance the amount of wild resources available to a nesting pollinator, and if it would impact differently on pollinators with differing foraging strategies. This was done both by creating field structures with a randomised geography, and by using landscape data based upon the British agricultural landscape. These models demonstrate that enhancing field margins should lead to an increase in the availability of forage to pollinators that nest within the landscape. With the exception of species that only forage within a very short range of their nest (less than 125 m, a given amount of field margin manipulation should enhance the proportion of land available to a pollinator for foraging regardless of the distance over which it normally travels to find food. A fixed amount of field edge manipulation should therefore be equally beneficial for both longer-distance nesting foragers such as honeybees, and short-distance foragers such as solitary bees.

  18. Bumblebees and solitary bees

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Casper Christian I

    use as a proxy at four different scales (250, 500, 750 and 1000 m). In 2012, the effect of a four-fold larger area of organic arable fields in simple, homogeneous landscapes on bumblebees and solitary bees was investigated in eight circular landscapes (radius 1000 m). Bumblebees and solitary bees were......Summary: The effects of farming system, flower resources and semi-natural habitats on bumblebees and solitary bees in intensively cultivated landscapes in Denmark were investigated in two sets of studies, in 2011 and 2012. The pan trap colour preferences of bumblebees and solitary bees were also...... assessed. In 2011, bumblebees and solitary bees were trapped in road verges bordering 14 organic (organic sites) and 14 conventional (conventional sites) winter wheat fields. The quantity and quality of local flower resources in the road verge and adjacent field headland were estimated as overall density...

  19. Percutaneous CT-guided radiofrequency ablation of solitary small renal masses. A single center experience

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pieper, C.C.; Fischer, S.; Strunk, H.; Meyer, C.; Thomas, D.; Willinek, W.A.; Schild, H. [Univ. Bonn (Germany). Dept. of Radiology; Hauser, S. [Univ. Bonn (Germany). Dept. of Urology; Nadal, J. [Univ. Bonn (Germany). Inst. for Medical Biometry; Wilhelm, K. [Johanniter Hospital Bonn (Germany). Dept. of Radiology

    2015-07-15

    To analyze the outcome of patients undergoing percutaneous CT-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of small renal masses (SRM) at a single center during a ten-year time period. Patient records of renal RFAs (07/2003 - 11/2013) were reviewed. Indications were SRM suspicious of malignancy on imaging and one of the following: severe comorbidity; old age; solitary kidney; impaired renal function; patient wish. Biopsy was performed at the time of RFA. Patients were excluded if no follow-up was available. Patient and procedural characteristics were recorded. Survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier's method and compared with log-rank or cox tests. 38 patients (16 females, mean age 70.0 years [range 52 - 87]) presenting with a solitary SRM were included in the study. Biopsy showed malignancy in 29 patients; 9 had benign tumors. 26 patients suffered from cardiovascular, respiratory or hepatic comorbidities. Technical success (complete ablation on first follow-up) was achieved in 95 % of cases. Two major complications (bowel perforation; hematothorax) occurred. The 3- and 7-year overall survival (OS) [any cause] rates were 73.4 ± 0.8 % and 50.3 ± 1.0 %, respectively (mean follow-up 54.6 months, range 1 - 127). 4 recurrences and 2 metastases were observed. The presence of comorbidities was the only independent predictor of OS. There was no difference in survival between patients with benign and malignant tumors. RFA of SRM is successful in a large percentage of cases with a low complication rate and durable local control. As RFA is typically performed in multimorbid patients, overall survival seems to depend primarily on comorbidities rather than cancer progression.

  20. Trapline foraging by bumble bees: VII. Adjustments for foraging success following competitor removal

    OpenAIRE

    Kazuharu Ohashi; Alison Leslie; James D. Thomson

    2013-01-01

    Animals collecting food from renewable resource patches scattered in space often establish small foraging areas to which they return faithfully. Such area fidelity offers foraging advantages through selection of profitable patches, route minimization, and regular circuit visits to these patches (“trapline foraging”). Resource distribution under field conditions may often vary in time, however, especially when competitors suddenly vanish and a number of patches become available for their neigh...

  1. Obliquely Incident Solitary Wave onto a Vertical Wall

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeh, Harry

    2012-10-01

    When a solitary wave impinges obliquely onto a reflective vertical wall, it can take the formation of a Mach reflection (a geometrically similar reflection from acoustics). The mathematical theory predicts that the wave at the reflection can amplify not twice, but as high as four times the incident wave amplitude. Nevertheless, this theoretical four-fold amplification has not been verified by numerical or laboratory experiments. We discuss the discrepancies between the theory and the experiments; then, improve the theory with higher-order corrections. The modified theory results in substantial improvement and is now in good agreement with the numerical as well as our laboratory results. Our laboratory experiments indicate that the wave amplitude along the reflective wall can reach 0.91 times the quiescent water depth, which is higher than the maximum of a freely propagating solitary wave. Hence, this maximum runup 0.91 h would be possible even if the amplitude of the incident solitary wave were as small as 0.24 h. This wave behavior could provide an explanation for local variability of tsunami runup as well as for sneaker waves.

  2. On the propagation of solitary pulses in microstructured materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ilison, O.; Salupere, A.

    2006-01-01

    KdV-type evolution equation, including the third- and the fifth-order dispersive and the fourth-order nonlinear terms, is used for modelling the wave propagation in microstructured solids like martensitic-austenitic alloys. The character of the dispersion depends on the signs of the third- and the fifth-order dispersion parameters. In the present paper the model equation is solved numerically under localised initial conditions in the case of mixed dispersion, i.e., the character of dispersion is normal for some wavenumbers and anomalous for others. Two types of solution are defined and discussed. Relatively small solitary waves result in irregular solution. However, if the amplitude exceeds a certain threshold a solution having regular time-space behaviour emerges. The latter has tree sub-types: 'plaited' solitons, two solitary waves and single solitary wave. Depending on the value of the amplitude of the initial pulse these sub-types can appear alone or in a certain sequence

  3. Long-Term Survival in Patients With Synchronous, Solitary Brain Metastasis From Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Radiosurgery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flannery, Todd W.; Suntharalingam, Mohan; Regine, William F.; Chin, Lawrence S.; Krasna, Mark J.; Shehata, Michael K.; Edelman, Martin J.; Kremer, Marnie; Patchell, Roy A.; Kwok, Young

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: To report the outcome of patients with synchronous, solitary brain metastasis from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GKSRS). Patients and Methods: Forty-two patients diagnosed with synchronous, solitary brain metastasis from NSCLC were treated with GKSRS between 1993 and 2006. The median Karnofsky performance status (KPS) was 90. Patients had thoracic Stage I-III disease (American Joint Committee on Cancer 2002 guidelines). Definitive thoracic therapy was delivered to 26/42 (62%) patients; 9 patients underwent chemotherapy and radiation, 12 patients had surgical resection, and 5 patients underwent preoperative chemoradiation and surgical resection. Results: The median overall survival (OS) was 18 months. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year actuarial OS rates were 71.3%, 34.1%, and 21%, respectively. For patients who underwent definitive thoracic therapy, the median OS was 26.4 months compared with 13.1 months for those who had nondefinitive therapy, and the 5-year actuarial OS was 34.6% vs. 0% (p < 0.0001). Median OS was significantly longer for patients with a KPS ≥90 vs. KPS < 90 (27.8 months vs. 13.1 months, p < 0.0001). The prognostic factors significant on multivariate analysis were definitive thoracic therapy (p = 0.020) and KPS (p = 0.001). Conclusions: This is one of the largest series of patients diagnosed with synchronous, solitary brain metastasis from NSCLC treated with GKSRS. Definitive thoracic therapy and KPS significantly impacted OS. The 5-year OS of 21% demonstrates the potential for long-term survival in patients treated with GKSRS; therefore, patients with good KPS should be considered for definitive thoracic therapy

  4. Solitary wave solutions as a signature of the instability in the discrete nonlinear Schroedinger equation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arevalo, Edward, E-mail: arevalo@temf.tu-darmstadt.d [Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Institut fuer Theorie elektromagnetischer Felder, TEMF, Schlossgartenstr. 8, D-64289 Darmstadt (Germany)

    2009-09-21

    The effect of instability on the propagation of solitary waves along one-dimensional discrete nonlinear Schroedinger equation with cubic nonlinearity is revisited. A self-contained quasicontinuum approximation is developed to derive closed-form expressions for small-amplitude solitary waves. The notion that the existence of nonlinear solitary waves in discrete systems is a signature of the modulation instability is used. With the help of this notion we conjecture that instability effects on moving solitons can be qualitative estimated from the analytical solutions. Results from numerical simulations are presented to support this conjecture.

  5. Large amplitude ion-acoustic solitary waves and double layers in multicomponent plasma with positrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabry, R.

    2009-01-01

    A finite amplitude theory for ion-acoustic solitary waves and double layers in multicomponent plasma consisting of hot positrons, cold ions, and electrons with two-electron temperature distributions is presented. Conditions are obtained under which large amplitude stationary ion-acoustic solitary waves and double layers can exist. For the physical parameters of interest, the ion-acoustic solitary wave (double layers) profiles and the relationship between the maximum soliton (double layers) amplitude and the Mach number are found. Also, we have presented the region of existence of the large amplitude ion-acoustic waves by analyzing the structure of the pseudopotential. For the selected range of parameters, it is found that only positive solitary waves and double layers can exist. An analysis for the small amplitude limit through the Sagdeev pseudopotential analysis and the reductive perturbation theory shows the existence of positive and negative ion-acoustic solitary waves and double layers. The effects of positron concentration and temperature ratio on the characteristics of the solitary ion-acoustic waves and double layers (namely, the amplitude and width) are discussed in detail. The relevance of this investigation to space and laboratory plasmas is pointed out.

  6. Quantum ion-acoustic solitary waves in weak relativistic plasma

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. Small amplitude quantum ion-acoustic solitary waves are studied in an unmagnetized two- species relativistic quantum plasma system, comprised of electrons and ions. The one-dimensional quantum hydrodynamic model (QHD) is used to obtain a deformed Korteweg–de Vries (dKdV) equation by reductive ...

  7. On the Dynamics of Two-Dimensional Capillary-Gravity Solitary Waves with a Linear Shear Current

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dali Guo

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The numerical study of the dynamics of two-dimensional capillary-gravity solitary waves on a linear shear current is presented in this paper. The numerical method is based on the time-dependent conformal mapping. The stability of different kinds of solitary waves is considered. Both depression wave and large amplitude elevation wave are found to be stable, while small amplitude elevation wave is unstable to the small perturbation, and it finally evolves to be a depression wave with tails, which is similar to the irrotational capillary-gravity waves.

  8. Linear and nonlinear dust ion acoustic solitary waves in a quantum dusty electron-positron-ion plasma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Emadi, E.; Zahed, H. [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Sahand University of Technology, 51335–1996 Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2016-08-15

    The behavior of linear and nonlinear dust ion acoustic (DIA) solitary waves in an unmagnetized quantum dusty plasma, including inertialess electrons and positrons, ions, and mobile negative dust grains, are studied. Reductive perturbation and Sagdeev pseudopotential methods are employed for small and large amplitude DIA solitary waves, respectively. A minimum value of the Mach number obtained for the existence of solitary waves using the analytical expression of the Sagdeev potential. It is observed that the variation on the values of the plasma parameters such as different values of Mach number M, ion to electron Fermi temperature ratio σ, and quantum diffraction parameter H can lead to the creation of compressive solitary waves.

  9. Surf similarity and solitary wave runup

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fuhrman, David R.; Madsen, Per A.

    2008-01-01

    The notion of surf similarity in the runup of solitary waves is revisited. We show that the surf similarity parameter for solitary waves may be effectively reduced to the beach slope divided by the offshore wave height to depth ratio. This clarifies its physical interpretation relative to a previ...... functional dependence on their respective surf similarity parameters. Important equivalencies in the runup of sinusoidal and solitary waves are thus revealed.......The notion of surf similarity in the runup of solitary waves is revisited. We show that the surf similarity parameter for solitary waves may be effectively reduced to the beach slope divided by the offshore wave height to depth ratio. This clarifies its physical interpretation relative...... to a previous parameterization, which was not given in an explicit form. Good coherency with experimental (breaking) runup data is preserved with this simpler parameter. A recasting of analytical (nonbreaking) runup expressions for sinusoidal and solitary waves additionally shows that they contain identical...

  10. Solitary-wave families of the Ostrovsky equation: An approach via reversible systems theory and normal forms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roy Choudhury, S.

    2007-01-01

    The Ostrovsky equation is an important canonical model for the unidirectional propagation of weakly nonlinear long surface and internal waves in a rotating, inviscid and incompressible fluid. Limited functional analytic results exist for the occurrence of one family of solitary-wave solutions of this equation, as well as their approach to the well-known solitons of the famous Korteweg-de Vries equation in the limit as the rotation becomes vanishingly small. Since solitary-wave solutions often play a central role in the long-time evolution of an initial disturbance, we consider such solutions here (via the normal form approach) within the framework of reversible systems theory. Besides confirming the existence of the known family of solitary waves and its reduction to the KdV limit, we find a second family of multihumped (or N-pulse) solutions, as well as a continuum of delocalized solitary waves (or homoclinics to small-amplitude periodic orbits). On isolated curves in the relevant parameter region, the delocalized waves reduce to genuine embedded solitons. The second and third families of solutions occur in regions of parameter space distinct from the known solitary-wave solutions and are thus entirely new. Directions for future work are also mentioned

  11. Scheduling and development support in the Scavenger cyber foraging system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Mads Darø; Bouvin, Niels Olof

    2010-01-01

    Cyber foraging is a pervasive computing technique where small mobile devices offload resource intensive tasks to stronger computing machinery in the vicinity. One of the main challenges within cyber foraging is that it is very difficult to develop cyber foraging enabled applications. An applicati...

  12. Multi-component optical solitary waves

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kivshar, Y. S.; Sukhorukov, A. A.; Ostrovskaya, E. A.

    2000-01-01

    We discuss several novel types of multi-component (temporal and spatial) envelope solitary waves that appear in fiber and waveguide nonlinear optics. In particular, we describe multi-channel solitary waves in bit-parallel-wavelength fiber transmission systems for highperformance computer networks......, multi-color parametric spatial solitary waves due to cascaded nonlinearities of quadratic materials, and quasiperiodic envelope solitons due to quasi-phase-matching in Fibonacci optical superlattices. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved....

  13. Floral resource utilization by solitary bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) and exploitation of their stored foods by natural enemies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wcislo, W T; Cane, J H

    1996-01-01

    Bees are phytophagous insects that exhibit recurrent ecological specializations related to factors generally different from those discussed for other phytophagous insects. Pollen specialists have undergone extensive radiations, and specialization is not always a derived state. Floral host associations are conserved in some bee lineages. In others, various species specialize on different host plants that are phenotypically similar in presenting predictably abundant floral resources. The nesting of solitary bees in localized areas influences the intensity of interactions with enemies and competitors. Abiotic factors do not always explain the intraspecific variation in the spatial distribution of solitary bees. Foods stored by bees attract many natural enemies, which may shape diverse facets of nesting and foraging behavior. Parasitism has evolved repeatedly in some, but not all, bee lineages. Available evidence suggests that cleptoparasitic lineages are most speciose in temperate zones. Female parasites frequently have a suite of characters that can be described as a masculinized feminine form. The evolution of resource specialization (including parasitism) in bees presents excellent opportunities to investigate phenotypic mechanisms responsible for evolutionary change.

  14. Solitary Play: Some Functional Reconsiderations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Nancy V.; And Others

    1974-01-01

    Solitary play in six kindergarten children was observed and coded for frequency and type in order to resolve iscrepancies in a Sex Birth Order interaction. Several facts concerning solitary play as indicative of independence and maturity are noted. (Author/ED)

  15. Aging and body size in solitary bees

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solitary bees are important pollinators of crops and non-domestic plants. Osmia lignaria is a native, commercially-reared solitary bee used to maximize pollination in orchard crops. In solitary bees, adult body size is extremely variable depending on the nutritional resources available to the develo...

  16. Propagation of three-dimensional electron-acoustic solitary waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shalaby, M.; El-Sherif, L. S.; El-Labany, S. K.; Sabry, R.

    2011-01-01

    Theoretical investigation is carried out for understanding the properties of three-dimensional electron-acoustic waves propagating in magnetized plasma whose constituents are cold magnetized electron fluid, hot electrons obeying nonthermal distribution, and stationary ions. For this purpose, the hydrodynamic equations for the cold magnetized electron fluid, nonthermal electron density distribution, and the Poisson equation are used to derive the corresponding nonlinear evolution equation, Zkharov-Kuznetsov (ZK) equation, in the small- but finite- amplitude regime. The ZK equation is solved analytically and it is found that it supports both solitary and blow-up solutions. It is found that rarefactive electron-acoustic solitary waves strongly depend on the density and temperature ratios of the hot-to-cold electron species as well as the nonthermal electron parameter. Furthermore, there is a critical value for the nonthermal electron parameter, which decides whether the electron-acoustic solitary wave's amplitude is decreased or increased by changing various plasma parameters. Importantly, the change of the propagation angles leads to miss the balance between the nonlinearity and dispersion; hence, the localized pulses convert to explosive/blow-up pulses. The relevance of this study to the nonlinear electron-acoustic structures in the dayside auroral zone in the light of Viking satellite observations is discussed.

  17. Bulk solitary waves in elastic solids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samsonov, A. M.; Dreiden, G. V.; Semenova, I. V.; Shvartz, A. G.

    2015-10-01

    A short and object oriented conspectus of bulk solitary wave theory, numerical simulations and real experiments in condensed matter is given. Upon a brief description of the soliton history and development we focus on bulk solitary waves of strain, also known as waves of density and, sometimes, as elastic and/or acoustic solitons. We consider the problem of nonlinear bulk wave generation and detection in basic structural elements, rods, plates and shells, that are exhaustively studied and widely used in physics and engineering. However, it is mostly valid for linear elasticity, whereas dynamic nonlinear theory of these elements is still far from being completed. In order to show how the nonlinear waves can be used in various applications, we studied the solitary elastic wave propagation along lengthy wave guides, and remarkably small attenuation of elastic solitons was proven in physical experiments. Both theory and generation for strain soliton in a shell, however, remained unsolved problems until recently, and we consider in more details the nonlinear bulk wave propagation in a shell. We studied an axially symmetric deformation of an infinite nonlinearly elastic cylindrical shell without torsion. The problem for bulk longitudinal waves is shown to be reducible to the one equation, if a relation between transversal displacement and the longitudinal strain is found. It is found that both the 1+1D and even the 1+2D problems for long travelling waves in nonlinear solids can be reduced to the Weierstrass equation for elliptic functions, which provide the solitary wave solutions as appropriate limits. We show that the accuracy in the boundary conditions on free lateral surfaces is of crucial importance for solution, derive the only equation for longitudinal nonlinear strain wave and show, that the equation has, amongst others, a bidirectional solitary wave solution, which lead us to successful physical experiments. We observed first the compression solitary wave in the

  18. Does the Waggle Dance Help Honey Bees to Forage at Greater Distances than Expected for their Body Size?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francis L.W. Ratnieks

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available A honey bee colony has been likened to an oil company. Some members of the company or colony prospect for valuable liquid resources. When these are discovered other group members can be recruited to exploit the resource. The recruitment of nestmates to a specific location where there is a patch of flowers should change the economics of scouting, that is, the search for new resource patches. In particular, communication is predicted to make scouting at longer distances worthwhile because a profitable resource patch, once discovered, will enhance the foraging not only of the discoverer but also of nestmates that can be directed to the patch. By virtue of having large colonies and dance communication, honey bees are predicted to be able to profitably scout, and hence forage, at greater distances from the nest than either solitary bees or social bees without communication. We test this hypothesis by first examining existing data on foraging distance to evaluate whether honey bees do indeed forage at greater distances than other bees given their body size. Second, we present a simple cost-benefit analysis of scouting which indicates that communication causes longer range scouting to be more profitable. Overall, our analyses are supportive, but not conclusive, that honey bees forage further than would be expected given their size and that the waggle dance is a cause of the honey bee’s exceptional foraging range.

  19. Solitary waves observed in the auroral zone: the Cluster multi-spacecraft perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. S. Pickett

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available We report on recent measurements of solitary waves made by the Wideband Plasma Wave Receiver located on each of the four Cluster spacecraft at 4.5-6.5RE (well above the auroral acceleration region as they cross field lines that map to the auroral zones. These solitary waves are observed in the Wideband data as isolated bipolar and tripolar waveforms. Examples of the two types of pulses are provided. The time durations of the majority of both types of solitary waves observed in this region range from about 0.3 up to 5ms. Their peak-to-peak amplitudes range from about 0.05 up to 20mV/m, with a few reaching up to almost 70mV/m. There is essentially no potential change across the bipolar pulses. There appears to be a small, measurable potential change, up to 0.5V, across the tripolar pulses, which is consistent with weak or hybrid double layers. A limited cross-spacecraft correlation study was carried out in order to identify the same solitary wave on more than one spacecraft. We found no convincing correlations of the bipolar solitary waves. In the two cases of possible correlation of the tripolar pulses, we found that the solitary waves are propagating at several hundred to a few thousand km/s and that they are possibly evolving (growing, decaying as they propagate from one spacecraft to the next. Further, they have a perpendicular (to the magnetic field width of 50km or greater and a parallel width of about 2-5km. We conclude, in general, however, that the Cluster spacecraft at separations along and perpendicular to the local magnetic field direction of tens of km and greater are too large to obtain positive correlations in this region. Looking at the macroscale of the auroral zone at 4.5-6.5RE, we find that the onsets of the broadband electrostatic noise associated with the solitary waves observed in the spectrograms of the WBD data are generally consistent with propagation of the solitary waves up the field lines (away from Earth, or with

  20. GPS tracking devices reveal foraging strategies of black-legged kittiwakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotzerka, Jana; Garthe, Stefan; Hatch, Scott A.

    2010-01-01

    The Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla is the most abundant gull species in the world, but some populations have declined in recent years, apparently due to food shortage. Kittiwakes are surface feeders and thus can compensate for low food availability only by increasing their foraging range and/or devoting more time to foraging. The species is widely studied in many respects, but long-distance foraging and the limitations of conventional radio telemetry have kept its foraging behavior largely out of view. The development of Global Positioning System (GPS) loggers is advancing rapidly. With devices as small as 8 g now available, it is possible to use this technology for tracking relatively small species of oceanic birds like kittiwakes. Here we present the first results of GPS telemetry applied to Black-legged Kittiwakes in 2007 in the North Pacific. All but one individual foraged in the neritic zone north of the island. Three birds performed foraging trips only close to the colony (within 13 km), while six birds had foraging ranges averaging about 40 km. The maximum foraging range was 59 km, and the maximum distance traveled was 165 km. Maximum trip duration was 17 h (mean 8 h). An apparently bimodal distribution of foraging ranges affords new insight on the variable foraging behaviour of Black-legged Kittiwakes. Our successful deployment of GPS loggers on kittiwakes holds much promise for telemetry studies on many other bird species of similar size and provides an incentive for applying this new approach in future studies.

  1. Solitary myofibroma of the lumbar vertebra: adult case

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konishi, E.; Yanagisawa, A.; Mazaki, T.; Urata, Y.; Tanaka, K.; Kanoe, H.; Ikenaga, M.; Hayakawa, K.

    2007-01-01

    We present the first known adult case of solitary myofibroma of bone, which affected a lumbar vertebra in a 33-year-old male. Radiography identified a purely lytic lesion with a sclerotic rim in the right pedicle of L1. CT showed an expansile lytic lesion with a sclerotic rim. MRI of the lesion revealed an isointense signal on T1-weighted images, an inhomogeneously hyperintense signal on T2-weighted images, and marked enhancement with gadolinium. Pathological study showed a mixed picture of nodular proliferation of spindle-shaped myoid cells and hemangiopericytomatous proliferation of short spindle/small round cells. The tumor cells were immunoreactive for smooth muscle actin and immunonegative for desmin. This case of solitary myofibroma of bone is exceptionally rare because of its occurrence in an adult older than 20 years of age and its location at an extra-craniofacial site. (orig.)

  2. Solitary myofibroma of the lumbar vertebra: adult case

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Konishi, E.; Yanagisawa, A. [Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicne, Department of Pathology, Kyoto (Japan); Mazaki, T.; Urata, Y. [Kyoto City Hospital, Department of Pathology, Kyoto (Japan); Tanaka, K.; Kanoe, H.; Ikenaga, M. [Kyoto City Hospital, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kyoto (Japan); Hayakawa, K. [Kyoto City Hospital, Department of Radiology, Kyoto (Japan)

    2007-06-15

    We present the first known adult case of solitary myofibroma of bone, which affected a lumbar vertebra in a 33-year-old male. Radiography identified a purely lytic lesion with a sclerotic rim in the right pedicle of L1. CT showed an expansile lytic lesion with a sclerotic rim. MRI of the lesion revealed an isointense signal on T1-weighted images, an inhomogeneously hyperintense signal on T2-weighted images, and marked enhancement with gadolinium. Pathological study showed a mixed picture of nodular proliferation of spindle-shaped myoid cells and hemangiopericytomatous proliferation of short spindle/small round cells. The tumor cells were immunoreactive for smooth muscle actin and immunonegative for desmin. This case of solitary myofibroma of bone is exceptionally rare because of its occurrence in an adult older than 20 years of age and its location at an extra-craniofacial site. (orig.)

  3. The Management Strategy of Benign Solitary Intraductal Papilloma on Breast Core Biopsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ko, Dayoung; Kang, Eunyoung; Park, So Yeon; Kim, Sun Mi; Jang, Mijung; Yun, Bo La; Chae, Sumin; Jang, Yerang; Kim, Hye Jin; Kim, Sung-Won; Kim, Eun-Kyu

    2017-08-01

    Intraductal papilloma (IDP) is well-known as one of the common benign breast lesions requiring excision. However, treatment of IDP without atypia is controversial. The aim of our study was to determine the proper management of solitary IDP by core needle biopsy (CNB). We retrospectively reviewed patients with solitary IDP confirmed by CNB from March 2003 to March 2015. We collected data about final pathology after excision, as well as clinical, histologic, and radiologic findings at initial diagnosis. The final pathology was categorized as benign or malignant. We evaluated the rate of upgrade to malignancy and factors associated with malignancy. We identified 405 patients who presented benign solitary IDP by CNB. The mean age was 46.1 years (range, 15-86 years). In total, 135 patients underwent surgical excision, and 211 underwent vacuum-assisted excision. Of 346 patients, malignant lesions were found in 8 patients (2.3%): 7 underwent surgical excision, and 1 underwent vacuum-assisted excision. Only the size of IDP was significantly associated with cancer upgrade (P = .003). Our study shows that overall malignancy upgrade rate of benign solitary IDP after excision is very low (2.3%). Even when the size of IDP was less than 1 cm, the upgrade rate to cancer was only 0.9%. Therefore, for patients with small solitary IDP, we recommend close follow-up with ultrasound instead of excision. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Three-dimensional stability of solitary kinetic Alfven waves and ion-acoustic waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghosh, G.; Das, K.P.

    1994-01-01

    Starting from a set of equations that lead to a linear dispersion relation coupling kinetic Alfven waves and ion-acoustic waves, three-dimensional KdV equations are derived for these waves. These equations are then used to investigate the three-dimensional stability of solitary kinetic Alfven waves and ion-acoustic waves by the small-k perturbation expansion method of Rowlands and Infeld. For kinetic Alfven waves it is found that there is instability if the direction of the plane-wave perturbation lies inside a cone, and the growth rate of the instability attains a maximum when the direction of the perturbation lies in the plane containing the external magnetic field and the direction of propagation of the solitary wave. For ion-acoustic waves the growth rate of instability attains a maximum when the direction of the perturbation lies in a plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the solitary wave. (Author)

  5. Management of a solitary thyroid nodule

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rao, R.S.

    1999-01-01

    Solitary nodule in the thyroid is a common clinical entity. A careful clinical assessment is the crucial first step in deciding the modality of treatment. The only worthwhile investigation is FNAC. Other investigations are done merely for the sake of a complete academic work up and can usually be dispensed with in most of the cases. Not every solitary nodule requires surgery. The optimum surgery for a solitary nodule is a total lobectomy. The specimen should be subjected to histological examination before recommending further treatment

  6. Laparoscopic Dismembered Pyeloplasty in a Solitary Kidney with Intrarenal Pelvis: Two Challenges in One Case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akin Soner Amasyali

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Laparoscopic pyeloplasty (LP for ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO is one of the most appropriate surgical techniques to achieve the optimal goal of minimally invasive surgery. However, urologists hesitate to use the laparoscopic approach in UPJO with solitary kidney or intrarenal pelvis. There are a few published studies on laparoscopic pyeloplasty cases in intrarenal pelvis. However, to the best of our knowledge, the present case is the first in the literature in terms of intrarenal pelvis in a solitary kidney. Generally, YV plasty is the accepted technique instead of dismembered pyeloplasty in UPJO with small or intrarenal pelvis. However, in this report, we showed that dismembered LP can be performed with good results in intrarenal pelvis UPJO, even if it is in the solitary kidney.

  7. Solitary waves and homoclinic orbits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balmforth, N.J.

    1994-03-01

    The notion that fluid motion often organizes itself into coherent structures has increasingly permeated modern fluid dynamics. Such localized objects appear in laminar flows and persist in turbulent states; from the water on windows on rainy days, to the circulations in planetary atmospheres. This review concerns solitary waves in fluids. More specifically, it centres around the mathematical description of solitary waves in a single spatial dimension. Moreover, it concentrates on strongly dissipative dynamics, rather than integrable systems like the KdV equation. One-dimensional solitary waves, or pulses and fronts as they are also called, are the simplest kinds of coherent structure (at least from a geometrical point of view). Nevertheless, their dynamics can be rich and complicated. In some circumstances this leads to the formation of spatio-temporal chaos in the systems giving birth to the solitary waves, and understanding that phenomenon is one of the major goals in the theory outlined in this review. Unfortunately, such a goal is far from achieved to date, and the author assess its current status and incompleteness

  8. Estimating Rangeland Forage Production Using Remote Sensing Data from a Small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, H.; Jin, Y.; Devine, S.; Dahlgren, R. A.; Covello, S.; Larsen, R.; O'Geen, A. T.

    2017-12-01

    California rangelands cover 23 million hectares and support a $3.4 billion annual cattle industry. Rangeland forage production varies appreciably from year-to-year and across short distances on the landscape. Spatially explicit and near real-time information on forage production at a high resolution is critical for effective rangeland management, especially during an era of climatic extremes. We here integrated a multispectral MicaSense RedEdge camera with a 3DR solo quad-copter and acquired time-series images during the 2017 growing season over a topographically complex 10-hectare rangeland in San Luis Obispo County, CA. Soil moisture and temperature sensors were installed at 16 landscape positions, and vegetation clippings were collected at 36 plots to quantify forage dry biomass. We built four centimeter-level models for forage production mapping using time series of sUAS images and ground measurements of forage biomass and soil temperature and moisture. The biophysical model based on Monteith's eco-physiological plant growth theory estimated forage production reasonably well with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.86 and a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 424 kg/ha when the soil parameters were included, and a R2 of 0.79 and a RMSE of 510 kg/ha when only remote sensing and topographical variables were included. We built two empirical models of forage production using a stepwise variable selection technique, one with soil variables. Results showed that cumulative absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (APAR) and elevation were the most important variables in both models, explaining more than 40% of the spatio-temporal variance in forage production. Soil moisture accounted for an additional 29% of the variance. Illumination condition was selected as a proxy for soil moisture in the model without soil variables, and accounted for 18% of the variance. We applied the remote sensing-based models to map daily forage production at 30-cm resolution for the

  9. A radiographic study of solitary bone cysts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Kyung Rak; Hwang, Eui Hwan; Lee, Sang Rae [Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Division of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1994-02-15

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical, radiographic and histopathologic features of 23 cases of solitary bone cyst by means of the analysis of radiographs and biopsy specimens in 23 persons visited the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, School of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University and Chunbuk National University. The obtained results were as follows; 1. The incidence of solitary bone cyst was almost equal in males (52.2%) and in females(42.8%) and the prevalent age of the solitary bone cyst were the second decade (47.8%) and the third decade (21.7%). 2. In the signs and symptoms of solitary bone cyst, pain or tenderness revealed in 17.4%, swelling revealed in 13.0%, pain and swelling revealed in 21.7%, paresthesia revealed in 4.4% and 43.5% were a symptom and the tooth vitality involved in the solitary bone cyst, 76.5% were posterior and 23.5% were either positive or negative. 3. In the location of the solitary bone cyst, 47.8% present posterior region, 21.7% present anterior region, 21.6% present anterior and posterior region, 4.4% present condylar process area. 4. In the hyperostotic border of the solitary bone cyst, 47.8% were seen entirely, 21.8% were seen partially, and 30.4% were not seen. 5. In the change of tooth, 59.1% were loss of the alveolar lamina dura, 13.6% were root resorption 4.55% were tooth displacement, 4.55% were root resorption and tooth displacement. 6. In the change of cortical bone of the solitary bone cyst, 39.1% were intact and 60.9% were thinning and expansion of cortical bone. 7. In the histopathologic findings of 9 cases, 33.3% were thin connective tissue wall, 11.1% were thickened myxo-fibromatous wall, 55.6% were thickened myxofibromatous wall with dysplastic bone formation.

  10. A radiographic study of solitary bone cysts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Kyung Rak; Hwang, Eui Hwan; Lee, Sang Rae

    1994-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical, radiographic and histopathologic features of 23 cases of solitary bone cyst by means of the analysis of radiographs and biopsy specimens in 23 persons visited the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, School of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University and Chunbuk National University. The obtained results were as follows; 1. The incidence of solitary bone cyst was almost equal in males (52.2%) and in females(42.8%) and the prevalent age of the solitary bone cyst were the second decade (47.8%) and the third decade (21.7%). 2. In the signs and symptoms of solitary bone cyst, pain or tenderness revealed in 17.4%, swelling revealed in 13.0%, pain and swelling revealed in 21.7%, paresthesia revealed in 4.4% and 43.5% were a symptom and the tooth vitality involved in the solitary bone cyst, 76.5% were posterior and 23.5% were either positive or negative. 3. In the location of the solitary bone cyst, 47.8% present posterior region, 21.7% present anterior region, 21.6% present anterior and posterior region, 4.4% present condylar process area. 4. In the hyperostotic border of the solitary bone cyst, 47.8% were seen entirely, 21.8% were seen partially, and 30.4% were not seen. 5. In the change of tooth, 59.1% were loss of the alveolar lamina dura, 13.6% were root resorption 4.55% were tooth displacement, 4.55% were root resorption and tooth displacement. 6. In the change of cortical bone of the solitary bone cyst, 39.1% were intact and 60.9% were thinning and expansion of cortical bone. 7. In the histopathologic findings of 9 cases, 33.3% were thin connective tissue wall, 11.1% were thickened myxo-fibromatous wall, 55.6% were thickened myxofibromatous wall with dysplastic bone formation.

  11. Individual lifetime pollen and nectar foraging preferences in bumble bees

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagbery, Jessica; Nieh, James C.

    2012-10-01

    Foraging specialization plays an important role in the ability of social insects to efficiently allocate labor. However, relatively little is known about the degree to which individual bumble bees specialize on collecting nectar or pollen, when such preferences manifest, and if individuals can alter their foraging preferences in response to changes in the colony workforce. Using Bombus impatiens, we monitored all foraging visits made by every bee in multiple colonies and showed that individual foragers exhibit consistent lifetime foraging preferences. Based upon the distribution of foraging preferences, we defined three forager types (pollen specialists, nectar specialists, and generalists). In unmanipulated colonies, 16-36 % of individuals specialized (≥90 % of visits) on nectar or pollen only. On its first day of foraging, an individual's foraging choices (nectar only, pollen only, or nectar and pollen) significantly predicted its lifetime foraging preferences. Foragers that only collected pollen on their first day of foraging made 1.61- to 1.67-fold more lifetime pollen foraging visits (as a proportion of total trips) than foragers that only collected nectar on their first foraging day. Foragers were significantly larger than bees that stayed only in the nest. We also determined the effect of removing pollen specialists at early (brood present) or later (brood absent) stages in colony life. These results suggest that generalists can alter their foraging preferences in response to the loss of a small subset of foragers. Thus, bumble bees exhibit individual lifetime foraging preferences that are established early in life, but generalists may be able to adapt to colony needs.

  12. Solitary circumscribed neurofibroma of the vulva

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lau Serrano, Dalgis; Millan Vega, Maria Margarita; Fajardo Tornes, Yarine Leonell

    2012-01-01

    Neurofibroma is a benign tumor that originates from cells of peripheral nerve sheath. It may occur as solitary or multiple lesions as part of Von Recklinghausen disease or neurofibromatosis. The solitary lesions are rare and usually they are not associated with systemic symptoms

  13. Conditional Stability of Solitary-Wave Solutions for Generalized Compound KdV Equation and Generalized Compound KdV-Burgers Equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Weiguo; Dong Chunyan; Fan Engui

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, we discuss conditional stability of solitary-wave solutions in the sense of Liapunov for the generalized compound KdV equation and the generalized compound KdV-Burgers equations. Linear stability of the exact solitary-wave solutions is proved for the above two types of equations when the small disturbance of travelling wave form satisfies some special conditions.

  14. Dust acoustic solitary waves and double layers in a dusty plasma with two-temperature trapped ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Labany, S.K.; El-Taibany, W.F.; Mamun, A.A.; Moslem, Waleed M.

    2004-01-01

    The combined effects of trapped ion distribution, two-ion-temperature, dust charge fluctuation, and dust fluid temperature are incorporated in the study of nonlinear dust acoustic waves in an unmagnetized dusty plasma. It is found that, owing to the departure from the Boltzmann ion distribution to the trapped ion distribution, the dynamics of small but finite amplitude dust acoustic waves is governed by a modified Korteweg-de Vries equation. The latter admits a stationary dust acoustic solitary wave solution, which has stronger nonlinearity, smaller amplitude, wider width, and higher propagation velocity than that involving adiabatic ions. The effect of two-ion-temperature is found to provide the possibility for the coexistence of rarefactive and compressive dust acoustic solitary structures and double layers. Although the dust fluid temperature increases the amplitude of the small but finite amplitude solitary waves, the dust charge fluctuation does the opposite effect. The present investigation should help us to understand the salient features of the nonlinear dust acoustic waves that have been observed in a recent numerical simulation study

  15. Clinical analysis of bone scanning in solitary lesion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Jun; Zhu Ruisen; Zhu Jifang

    2002-01-01

    A rational analysis procedure for solitary lesions on whole bone scanning was offered. This study was undertaken to analyze retrospectively solitary lesions which obtained final diagnose through the following aspects: (1) diagnosis of bone metastasis, (2) the incidence of bone metastasis in different tumor, (3) the most possible lesion sites indicating bone metastasis, (4) morphological analysis of solitary lesions. The results are: (1) The incidence of solitary lesions in 2465 cases on whole bone scanning is 15.3%. (2) The rate of bone metastasis is 24.8% in 282 patients with primary malignancy. The rate of bone metastasis of 6.3% in 64 patients without primary malignancy, and the total diagnostic rate of bone metastasis is 21.4% in 346 patients. (3) In patients with primary malignancy, the incidence of bone metastasis of solitary lesions is as follows respectively; bronchi cancer 36.1%(22/61); breast cancer 23.8%(20/84); prostate gland 17.2%(5/29); other urinary system cancer 22.2%(4/18); G.I. system cancer 16.9%(10/59); others 29.0%(9/31). There is no significant difference in different cancer. (4) In patients without primary malignancy, 93.7%(60/64) of solitary lesions are benign. (5) From anatomical point of view, the authors found the diagnostic rate of bone metastasis is as follow: 30% in spine; 34.2% in pelvis; 36.4% in skull; 10.8% in other bones. There are significant differences in four groups. It is concluded that: (1) The diagnostic rate of bone metastasis in solitary lesions is 21.4%. (2) The most possible solitary lesions indicating osseous tumor spread are at spine, pelvic and skull. (3) Special attention to 'cold' and streak like lesions should be paid. (4) A clinical analysis procedure for diagnosis of solitary lesions has been summarized out here

  16. Solitary Spinal Epidural Metastasis from Gastric Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taisei Sako

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Solitary epidural space metastasis of a malignant tumor is rare. We encountered a 79-year-old male patient with solitary metastatic epidural tumor who developed paraplegia and dysuria. The patient had undergone total gastrectomy for gastric cancer followed by chemotherapy 8 months priorly. The whole body was examined for suspected metastatic spinal tumor, but no metastases of the spine or important organs were observed, and a solitary mass was present in the thoracic spinal epidural space. The mass was excised for diagnosis and treatment and was histopathologically diagnosed as metastasis from gastric cancer. No solitary metastatic epidural tumor from gastric cancer has been reported in English. Among the Japanese, 3 cases have been reported, in which the outcome was poor in all cases and no definite diagnosis could be made before surgery in any case. Our patient developed concomitant pneumonia after surgery and died shortly after the surgery. When a patient has a past medical history of malignant tumor, the possibility of a solitary metastatic tumor in the epidural space should be considered.

  17. The cruel and unusual phenomenology of solitary confinement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallagher, Shaun

    2014-01-01

    What happens when subjects are deprived of intersubjective contact? This paper looks closely at the phenomenology and psychology of one example of that deprivation: solitary confinement. It also puts the phenomenology and psychology of solitary confinement to use in the legal context. Not only is there no consensus on whether solitary confinement is a "cruel and unusual punishment," there is no consensus on the definition of the term "cruel" in the use of that legal phrase. I argue that we can find a moral consensus on the meaning of "cruelty" by looking specifically at the phenomenology and psychology of solitary confinement.

  18. Execution Plans for Cyber Foraging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Mads Darø

    2008-01-01

    Cyber foraging helps small devices perform heavy tasks by opportunistically discovering and utilising available resources (such as computation, storage, bandwidth, etc.) held by larger, nearby peers. This offloading is done in an ad-hoc manner, as larger machines will not always be within reach...

  19. Execution Plans for Cyber Foraging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Mads Darø

    2008-01-01

    Cyber foraging helps small devices perform heavy tasks by opportunistically discovering and utilising available resources (such as computation, storage, bandwidth, etc.) held by larger, nearby peers. This offloading is done in an ad-hoc manner, as larger machines will not always be within reach. ...

  20. The cruel and unusual phenomenology of solitary confinement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shaun eGallagher

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available What happens when subjects are deprived of intersubjective contact? This paper looks closely at the phenomenology and psychology of one example of that deprivation: solitary confinement. It also puts the phenomenology and psychology of solitary confinement to use in the legal context. Not only is there no consensus on whether solitary confinement is a cruel and unusual punishment, there is no consensus on the definition of the term ‘cruel’ in the use of that legal phrase. I argue that we can find a moral consensus on the meaning of ‘cruelty’ by looking specifically at the phenomenology and psychology of solitary confinement.

  1. Solitary Fibrous Tumor Arising from Stomach: CT Findings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Sung Hee; Kwon, Jieun; Park, Jong-pil; Park, Mi-Suk; Lim, Joon Seok; Kim, Joo Hee; Kim, Ki Whang

    2007-01-01

    Solitary fibrous tumors are spindle-cell neoplasms that usually develop in the pleura and peritoneum, and rarely arise in the stomach. To our knowledge, there is only one case reporting a solitary fibrous tumor arising from stomach in the English literature. Here we report the case of a 26-year-old man with a large solitary fibrous tumor arising from the stomach which involved the submucosa and muscular layer and resembled a gastrointestinal stromal tumor in the stomach, based on what was seen during abdominal computed tomography. A solitary fibrous tumor arising from the stomach, although rare, could be considered as a diagnostic possibility for gastric submucosal tumors. PMID:18159603

  2. Impact induced solitary wave propagation through a woodpile structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kore, R; Waychal, A; Yadav, P; Shelke, A; Agarwal, S; Sahoo, N; Uddin, Ahsan

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we investigate solitary wave propagation through a one-dimensional woodpile structure excited by low and high velocity impact. Woodpile structures are a sub-class of granular metamaterial, which supports propagation of nonlinear waves. Hertz contact law governs the behavior of the solitary wave propagation through the granular media. Towards an experimental study, a woodpile structure was fabricated by orthogonally stacking cylindrical rods. A shock tube facility has been developed to launch an impactor on the woodpile structure at a velocity of 30 m s −1 . Embedded granular chain sensors were fabricated to study the behavior of the solitary wave. The impact induced stress wave is studied to investigate solitary wave parameters, i.e. contact force, contact time, and solitary wave velocity. With the aid of the experimental setup, numerical simulations, and a theoretical solution based on the long wavelength approximation, formation of the solitary wave in the woodpile structure is validated to a reasonable degree of accuracy. The nondispersive and compact supported solitary waves traveling at sonic wave velocity offer unique properties that could be leveraged for application in nondestructive testing and structural health monitoring. (paper)

  3. [Etiologic spectrum of solitary constitutional syndrome].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández Hernández, J L; Matorras Galán, P; Riancho Moral, J A; González-Macías, J

    2002-07-01

    To know the spectrum of diseases responsible for the solitary constitutional syndrome in our setting. This syndrome was defined as a clinical picture characterized by the presence of asthenia, anorexia, and weight loss of at least 5% of body weight in the last six months, not associated with any other symptom or sign suggesting the diagnosis of an organ or system disease. All patients diagnosed of the solitary constitutional syndrome (328) in a tertiary-care level teaching hospital between January 1991 and December 1996. Fifty-two (170) percent of patients with solitary constitutional syndrome were males and 48% (158) females. The mean age was 65.4%, ranging from 15 to 97 years. The average of the monthly estimated weight loss was 3 to 4 kilograms. A total of 115 (35%) malignant neoplasms and 5 (1.5%) benign tumors were diagnosed. The most common malignant tumors corresponded to the digestive tract (51.3% of the total malignant tumors). The second cause in frequency of the solitary constitutional syndrome corresponded to psychiatric diseases, with a total of 80 patients (24.3%). A total of 116 non-neoplastic organic diseases were detected, with digestive tract diseases --mainly peptic disease-- being the most common cause in this group. After follow-up, only in twenty cases were we unable to detect the underlying disease responsible for the syndrome. In nine of these, the solitary constitutional syndrome was self-limited. Forty-four percent of patients had at least another concomitant disease and in 24% of patients more than one associated condition was found. The most common diseases responsible for the solitary constitutional syndrome were, by decreasing frequency, malignant tumors, psychiatric disorders, and non-malignant organic diseases located in the digestive tract. A better knowledge of the etiological spectrum of this syndrome might be useful for a more efficient management of these patients.

  4. Electron beam-plasma interaction and electron-acoustic solitary waves in a plasma with suprathermal electrons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danehkar, A.

    2018-06-01

    Suprathermal electrons and inertial drifting electrons, so called electron beam, are crucial to the nonlinear dynamics of electrostatic solitary waves observed in several astrophysical plasmas. In this paper, the propagation of electron-acoustic solitary waves (EAWs) is investigated in a collisionless, unmagnetized plasma consisting of cool inertial background electrons, hot suprathermal electrons (modeled by a κ-type distribution), and stationary ions. The plasma is penetrated by a cool electron beam component. A linear dispersion relation is derived to describe small-amplitude wave structures that shows a weak dependence of the phase speed on the electron beam velocity and density. A (Sagdeev-type) pseudopotential approach is employed to obtain the existence domain of large-amplitude solitary waves, and investigate how their nonlinear structures depend on the kinematic and physical properties of the electron beam and the suprathermality (described by κ) of the hot electrons. The results indicate that the electron beam can largely alter the EAWs, but can only produce negative polarity solitary waves in this model. While the electron beam co-propagates with the solitary waves, the soliton existence domain (Mach number range) becomes narrower (nearly down to nil) with increasing the beam speed and the beam-to-hot electron temperature ratio, and decreasing the beam-to-cool electron density ratio in high suprathermality (low κ). It is found that the electric potential amplitude largely declines with increasing the beam speed and the beam-to-cool electron density ratio for co-propagating solitary waves, but is slightly decreased by raising the beam-to-hot electron temperature ratio.

  5. Ambient Air Temperature Does Not Predict whether Small or Large Workers Forage in Bumble Bees (Bombus impatiens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margaret J. Couvillon

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Bumble bees are important pollinators of crops and other plants. However, many aspects of their basic biology remain relatively unexplored. For example, one important and unusual natural history feature in bumble bees is the massive size variation seen between workers of the same nest. This size polymorphism may be an adaptation for division of labor, colony economics, or be nonadaptive. It was also suggested that perhaps this variation allows for niche specialization in workers foraging at different temperatures: larger bees might be better suited to forage at cooler temperatures and smaller bees might be better suited to forage at warmer temperatures. This we tested here using a large, enclosed growth chamber, where we were able to regulate the ambient temperature. We found no significant effect of ambient or nest temperature on the average size of bees flying to and foraging from a suspended feeder. Instead, bees of all sizes successfully flew and foraged between 16∘C and 36∘C. Thus, large bees foraged even at very hot temperatures, which we thought might cause overheating. Size variation therefore could not be explained in terms of niche specialization for foragers at different temperatures.

  6. The influence of daily variation in foraging cost on the activity of small carnivores

    Science.gov (United States)

    William J. Zielinski

    1988-01-01

    The daily activity of some predators is correlated with the activity pattern of their prey. If capture efficiency varies as a function of prey activity, a predator that synchronizes its foraging activity with the time of day that prey are most vulnerable should capture more prey, and at lower cost, than a predator that initiates foraging at random. Mink, ...

  7. Ambipolarons: Solitary wave solutions for the radial electric field in a plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hastings, D.E.; Hazeltine, R.D.; Morrison, P.J.

    1986-01-01

    The ambipolar radial electric field in a nonaxisymmetric plasma can be described by a nonlinear diffusion equation. This equation is shown to possess solitary wave solutions. A model nonlinear diffusion equation with a cubic nonlinearity is studied. An explicit analytic step-like form for the solitary wave is found. It is shown that the solitary wave solutions are linearly stable against all but translational perturbations. Collisions of these solitary waves are studied and three possible final states are found: two diverging solitary waves, two stationary solitary waves, or two converging solitary waves leading to annihilation

  8. SOLITARY PARAGANGLIOMA OF THE HYPOGLOSSAL NERVE: CASE REPORT.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    2012-02-01

    SOLITARY PARAGANGLIOMA OF THE HYPOGLOSSAL NERVE:: Case Report BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE:: We report the case history of solitary hypoglossal paraganglioma in a 64-year-old woman. The surgical difficulties encountered in the removal of this challenging tumour are discussed with literature review. CLINICAL PRESENTATION:: A 64-year-old woman presented with a short history of dysphonia, occasional dysphagia, tinnitus, altered taste, and unilateral left sided tongue wasting. On examination there was left lower motor hypoglossal paralysis. Imaging showed a discrete enhancing lobulated mass, measuring 2cm x 2cm, in the region of the hypoglossal nerve extending into the hypoglossal canal suggestive of hypoglossal paraganglioma. A left dorsolateral sub occipital craniotomy was carried out in the sitting position. The hypoglossal nerve appeared to be enlarged and the jugular foramen was normal. Complete surgical debulking of the tumour was not attempted due to its vascular nature. The nerve was decompressed and neuropathology confirmed a low grade paraganglioma arising from the hypoglossal nerve. The patient is scheduled to receive stereotactic radiation for further management. CONCLUSION:: When a case of solitary hypoglossal paraganglioma is encountered in clinical practice, the aim of management should be mainly focussed on achieving a diagnosis and preserving the hypoglossal nerve function. If there is evidence of vascularity in the lesion noted in the MRI scan, a pre-operative angiogram should be performed with a view for embolisation.We decompressed the hypoglossal canal and achieved a good improvement in the patient\\'s symptoms. We recommend stereotactic radiosurgery for remnant and small hypoglossal tumours and regular follow up with MRI scans.

  9. SOLITARY PARAGANGLIOMA OF THE HYPOGLOSSAL NERVE: CASE REPORT.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Raza, Kazim

    2011-01-25

    SOLITARY PARAGANGLIOMA OF THE HYPOGLOSSAL NERVE:: Case Report BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE:: We report the case history of solitary hypoglossal paraganglioma in a 64-year-old woman. The surgical difficulties encountered in the removal of this challenging tumour are discussed with literature review. CLINICAL PRESENTATION:: A 64-year-old woman presented with a short history of dysphonia, occasional dysphagia, tinnitus, altered taste, and unilateral left sided tongue wasting. On examination there was left lower motor hypoglossal paralysis. Imaging showed a discrete enhancing lobulated mass, measuring 2cm x 2cm, in the region of the hypoglossal nerve extending into the hypoglossal canal suggestive of hypoglossal paraganglioma. A left dorsolateral sub occipital craniotomy was carried out in the sitting position. The hypoglossal nerve appeared to be enlarged and the jugular foramen was normal. Complete surgical debulking of the tumour was not attempted due to its vascular nature. The nerve was decompressed and neuropathology confirmed a low grade paraganglioma arising from the hypoglossal nerve. The patient is scheduled to receive stereotactic radiation for further management. CONCLUSION:: When a case of solitary hypoglossal paraganglioma is encountered in clinical practice, the aim of management should be mainly focussed on achieving a diagnosis and preserving the hypoglossal nerve function. If there is evidence of vascularity in the lesion noted in the MRI scan, a pre-operative angiogram should be performed with a view for embolisation.We decompressed the hypoglossal canal and achieved a good improvement in the patient\\'s symptoms. We recommend stereotactic radiosurgery for remnant and small hypoglossal tumours and regular follow up with MRI scans.

  10. High population variability and source-sink dynamics in a solitary bee species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franzén, Markus; Nilsson, Sven G

    2013-06-01

    Although solitary bees are considered to play key roles in ecosystem functions, surprisingly few studies have explored their population dynamics. We investigated the population dynamics of a rare, declining, solitary bee (Andrena humilis) in a landscape of 80 km2 in southern Sweden from 2003 to 2011. Only one population was persistent throughout all years studied; most likely this population supplied the surrounding landscape with 11 smaller, temporary local populations. Despite stable pollen availability, the size of the persistent population fluctuated dramatically in a two-year cycle over the nine years, with 490-1230 nests in odd-numbered years and 21-48 nests in even-numbered years. These fluctuations were not significantly related to climatic variables or pollen availability. Nineteen colonization and 14 extinction events were recorded. Occupancy decreased with distance from the persistent population and increased with increasing resource (pollen) availability. There were significant positive correlations between the size of the persistent population and patch occupancy and colonization. Colonizations were generally more common in patches closer to the persistent population, whereas extinctions were independent of distance from the persistent population. Our results highlight the complex population dynamics that exist for this solitary bee species, which could be due to source-sink dynamics, a prolonged diapause, or can represent a bet-hedging strategy to avoid natural enemies and survive in small habitat patches. If large fluctuations in solitary bee populations prove to be widespread, it will have important implications for interpreting ecological relationships, bee conservation, and pollination.

  11. Physiology, phenology and behavioural strategies of forage fish

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frisk, Christina

    Forage fish are small individuals, and are very abundant in numbers and can form dense schools. Forage fish are important within the food webs of the oceans, as they are at the lower trophic levels. Forage fish prey on zooplankton and they are themselves preyed on by piscivore fish. The individual...... forage fish and its growth dynamics are governed by an interplay between physiological rates, e.g. metabolism and consumption and the ambient environment as the rates are temperature dependent. The topic of this thesis is to describe the strong link between the individual and the environment through....... The model includes an additional structure pool; gonads, to which energy is transferred during the spawning season. During periods of poor feeding, energy to cover metabolic costs are firstly taken from the reserve pool and secondly, if the reserves are depleted, from the somatic tissue pool. The model...

  12. Traplining in bumblebees (Bombus impatiens): a foraging strategy's ontogeny and the importance of spatial reference memory in short-range foraging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleh, Nehal; Chittka, Lars

    2007-04-01

    To test the relative importance of long-term and working spatial memories in short-range foraging in bumblebees, we compared the performance of two groups of bees. One group foraged in a stable array of six flowers for 40 foraging bouts, thereby enabling it to establish a long-term memory of the array, and adjust its spatial movements accordingly. The other group was faced with an array that changed between (but not within) foraging bouts, and thus had only access to a working memory of the flowers that had been visited. Bees in the stable array started out sampling a variety of routes, but their tendency to visit flowers in a repeatable, stable order ("traplining") increased drastically with experience. These bees used shorter routes and converged on four popular paths. However, these routes were mainly formed through linking pairs of flowers by near-neighbour movements, rather than attempting to minimize overall travel distance. Individuals had variations to a primary sequence, where some bees used a major sequence most often, followed by a minor less used route, and others used two different routes with equal frequency. Even though bees foraging in the spatially randomized array had access to both spatial working memory and scent marks, this manipulation greatly disrupted foraging efficiency, mainly via an increase in revisitation to previously emptied flowers and substantially longer search times. Hence, a stable reference frame greatly improves foraging even for bees in relatively small arrays of flowers.

  13. Solitary pulmonary nodule

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Adenocarcinoma - chest x-ray Pulmonary nodule - front view chest x-ray Pulmonary nodule, solitary - CT scan Respiratory system References Gotway MB, Panse PM, Gruden JF, Elicker BM. Thoracic radiology: noninvasive diagnostic imaging. In: Broaddus VC, Mason RJ, ...

  14. Evidence for foraging -site fidelity and individual foraging behavior of pelagic cormorants rearing chicks in the gulf of Alaska

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotzerka, J.; Hatch, Shyla A.; Garthe, S.

    2011-01-01

    The Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus) is the most widespread cormorant in the North Pacific, but little is known about its foraging and diving behavior. However, knowledge of seabirds' foraging behavior is important to understanding their function in the marine environment. In 2006, using GPS dataloggers, we studied the foraging behavior of 14 male Pelagic Cormorants rearing chicks on Middleton Island, Alaska. For foraging, the birds had high fidelity to a small area 8 km north of the colony. Within that area, the cormorants' diving activity was of two distinct kinds-near-surface dives (1-6 m) and benthic dives (28-33 m). Individuals were consistent in the depths of their dives, either mostly shallow or mostly deep. Few showed no depth preference. Dive duration, time at maximum depth, and pauses at the water surface between consecutive dives were shorter for shallow dives than for deep dives. The cormorants made dives of both types throughout the day, but the frequency of deep dives increased toward evening. Maximum foraging range was 9 km; maximum total distance traveled per trip was 43.4 km. Trip durations ranged from 0.3 to 7.7 hr. Maximum depth of a dive was 42.2 m, and duration of dives ranged from 4 to 120 sec. We found that Pelagic Cormorants at Middleton Island were faithful to one particular foraging area and individuals dived in distinct patterns. Distinct, specialized foraging behavior may be advantageous in reducing intra- and interspecific competition but may also render the species vulnerable to changing environmental conditions. Copyright ?? The Cooper Ornithological Society 2011.

  15. The cruel and unusual phenomenology of solitary confinement

    OpenAIRE

    Shaun eGallagher; Shaun eGallagher; Shaun eGallagher

    2014-01-01

    What happens when subjects are deprived of intersubjective contact? This paper looks closely at the phenomenology and psychology of one example of that deprivation: solitary confinement. It also puts the phenomenology and psychology of solitary confinement to use in the legal context. Not only is there no consensus on whether solitary confinement is a cruel and unusual punishment, there is no consensus on the definition of the term ‘cruel’ in the use of that legal phrase. I argue that we ...

  16. Solitary Fibrous Tumor Arising from Stomach: CT Findings

    OpenAIRE

    Park, Sung Hee; Kim, Myeong-Jin; Kwon, Jieun; Park, Jong-pil; Park, Mi-Suk; Lim, Joon Seok; Kim, Joo Hee; Kim, Ki Whang

    2007-01-01

    Solitary fibrous tumors are spindle-cell neoplasms that usually develop in the pleura and peritoneum, and rarely arise in the stomach. To our knowledge, there is only one case reporting a solitary fibrous tumor arising from stomach in the English literature. Here we report the case of a 26-year-old man with a large solitary fibrous tumor arising from the stomach which involved the submucosa and muscular layer and resembled a gastrointestinal stromal tumor in the stomach, based on what was see...

  17. forage systems mixed with forage legumes grazed by lactating cows

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clair Jorge Olivo

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Current research evaluates productivity, stocking and nutritional rates of three forage systems with Elephant Grass (EG + Italian Ryegrass (IR + Spontaneous Growth Species (SGS, without forage legumes; EG + IR + SGS + Forage Peanut (FP, mixed with FP; and EG + IR + SGS + Red Clover (RC, mixed with RC, in rotational grazing method by lactating cows. IR developed between rows of EG. FP was maintained, whilst RC was sow to respective forage systems. The experimental design was completely randomized, with three treatments and two replication, subdivided into parcels over time. Mean rate for forage yield and average stocking rate were 10.6, 11.6 and 14.4 t ha-1; 3.0, 2.8 and 3.1 animal unit ha-1 day-1, for the respective systems. Levels of crude protein and total digestible nutrients were 17.8, 18.7 and 17.5%; 66.5, 66.8 and 64.8%, for the respective forage systems. The presence of RC results in better and higher forage yield in the mixture, whilst FP results in greater control of SGS. The inclusion of forage legumes in pasture systems provides better nutritional rates.

  18. Modelling foraging movements of diving predators: a theoretical study exploring the effect of heterogeneous landscapes on foraging efficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marianna Chimienti

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Foraging in the marine environment presents particular challenges for air-breathing predators. Information about prey capture rates, the strategies that diving predators use to maximise prey encounter rates and foraging success are still largely unknown and difficult to observe. As well, with the growing awareness of potential climate change impacts and the increasing interest in the development of renewable sources it is unknown how the foraging activity of diving predators such as seabirds will respond to both the presence of underwater structures and the potential corresponding changes in prey distributions. Motivated by this issue we developed a theoretical model to gain general understanding of how the foraging efficiency of diving predators may vary according to landscape structure and foraging strategy. Our theoretical model highlights that animal movements, intervals between prey capture and foraging efficiency are likely to critically depend on the distribution of the prey resource and the size and distribution of introduced underwater structures. For multiple prey loaders, changes in prey distribution affected the searching time necessary to catch a set amount of prey which in turn affected the foraging efficiency. The spatial aggregation of prey around small devices (∼ 9 × 9 m created a valuable habitat for a successful foraging activity resulting in shorter intervals between prey captures and higher foraging efficiency. The presence of large devices (∼ 24 × 24 m however represented an obstacle for predator movement, thus increasing the intervals between prey captures. In contrast, for single prey loaders the introduction of spatial aggregation of the resources did not represent an advantage suggesting that their foraging efficiency is more strongly affected by other factors such as the timing to find the first prey item which was found to occur faster in the presence of large devices. The development of this theoretical model

  19. The cruel and unusual phenomenology of solitary confinement

    OpenAIRE

    Gallagher, Shaun

    2014-01-01

    What happens when subjects are deprived of intersubjective contact? This paper looks closely at the phenomenology and psychology of one example of that deprivation: solitary confinement. It also puts the phenomenology and psychology of solitary confinement to use in the legal context. Not only is there no consensus on whether solitary confinement is a “cruel and unusual punishment,” there is no consensus on the definition of the term “cruel” in the use of that legal phrase. I argue that we ca...

  20. Structural changes of small amplitude kinetic Alfvén solitary waves due to second-order corrections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Cheong R.

    2015-01-01

    The structural changes of kinetic Alfvén solitary waves (KASWs) due to higher-order terms are investigated. While the first-order differential equation for KASWs provides the dispersion relation for kinetic Alfvén waves, the second-order differential equation describes the structural changes of the solitary waves due to higher-order nonlinearity. The reductive perturbation method is used to obtain the second-order and third-order partial differential equations; then, Kodama and Taniuti's technique [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 45, 298 (1978)] is applied in order to remove the secularities in the third-order differential equations and derive a linear second-order inhomogeneous differential equation. The solution to this new second-order equation indicates that, as the amplitude increases, the hump-type Korteweg-de Vries solution is concentrated more around the center position of the soliton and that dip-type structures form near the two edges of the soliton. This result has a close relationship with the interpretation of the complex KASW structures observed in space with satellites

  1. CT findings of solitary tuberculoma with a cavity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goo, Dong Erk; Goo, Hyun Woo; Song, Koun Sik; Lim, Tae Hwan; Kim, Won Dong [Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1994-09-15

    Differential diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodule with cavity includes lung abscess, tuberculoma, bronchogenic carcinoma, metastasis and trauma, etc. We analyzed the CT appearance of tuberculoma presenting as a solitary pulmonary nodule with cavity and describe the findings which suggest tuberculoma in the differential diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodule with cavity. 25 patients with solitary pulmonary nodule(diameter less than 4 cm) without surrounding parenchymal consolidation on chest radiograph, who had a cavity within the nodule on CT, were included in our study. Density of the nodule, maximal wall thickness, the character of inner and outer wall margin, location of cavity within nodule, location of the nodule, presence or absence of satellite lesions and calcification were analyzed. Solitary tuberculoma with cavity showed maximal wall thickness more than 15 m in 40%(10/25) and 5-14 mm in 56%(14/25), eccentric cavitation in 84%(21/25) and concentric cavitation in 16%(4/25), spiculated outer wall margin in 56%(14/15) and lobulated margin in 32%(8/25), smooth inner wall margin in 60%(15/25) and nodular margin in 40%(10/25). CT density of the cavity wall compared wth the chest wall muscle was low in 84%(21/25) and isodense in 16%(4/25). Accompanying satellite lesions were seen in 84%(21/25) and calcification was visible in 28%(7/25). The CT findings of solitary tuberculoma with cavity are relative peripheral location, eccentric cavitation, finely spiculated outer wall margin, and mean maximal wall thickness of 13.2 mm, which are also the common features of malignant nodule. However, relative low density of the nodule compared to the chest wall muscle and surrounding satellite lesions can be additional clues favouring solitary tuberculoma with cavity on CT.

  2. Orbital stability of solitary waves for Kundu equation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Weiguo; Qin, Yinghao; Zhao, Yan; Guo, Boling

    In this paper, we consider the Kundu equation which is not a standard Hamiltonian system. The abstract orbital stability theory proposed by Grillakis et al. (1987, 1990) cannot be applied directly to study orbital stability of solitary waves for this equation. Motivated by the idea of Guo and Wu (1995), we construct three invariants of motion and use detailed spectral analysis to obtain orbital stability of solitary waves for Kundu equation. Since Kundu equation is more complex than the derivative Schrödinger equation, we utilize some techniques to overcome some difficulties in this paper. It should be pointed out that the results obtained in this paper are more general than those obtained by Guo and Wu (1995). We present a sufficient condition under which solitary waves are orbitally stable for 2c+sυ1995) only considered the case 2c+sυ>0. We obtain the results on orbital stability of solitary waves for the derivative Schrödinger equation given by Colin and Ohta (2006) as a corollary in this paper. Furthermore, we obtain orbital stability of solitary waves for Chen-Lee-Lin equation and Gerdjikov-Ivanov equation, respectively.

  3. On-Farm Research on the Nutritive Value of Forages and the Status of Mineral Soils, Forages and Blood Sera of Cattle in Small-Holder of Kenya

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiragu, J.W.; Lokwaleput, I.; Mitaru, B.N; Taminga, S

    1999-01-01

    An on-farm survey was carried out to evaluate the nutritive value of the locally grown forages, the status of minerals in soils, forages and blood serum of cows and calves fed or grazed on these forages. The survey involves 55 smallholder farms practising zero- and grazing semi zero grazing dairy production systems in Bahati and Naivasha Divisions of Nakuru District. The samples of forage and crop residues and other feeds available at the farm level were analysed for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), total lash and minerals-Ca, P, Mg, Na and Cu. Soil samples were analysed for pH, organic matter, Ca, P, Mg, Na and Cu. Samples of blood serum collected from the cows and calves utilising these forages were analysed for macro-elements-Ca, P, Mg, Na and trace elements such as Cu. Growth and production performance of the animals on these farms was studied. The results indicated a wide variation in the concentration of minerals in soils on different farms. Available feeds in these farms consisted of pasture, Napier grass and crop residues such as maize stovers. Pasture grasses and other established forages were deficient in protein ( - 1s), Na (316-339 ppm) and Cu (65- 120ppm) indicating the importance of mineral supplementation. The effect of age of the animal was significant for Cu (P 12.5%) and low milk production (< 10 kg per day) and low fertility suggesting the importance of protein, energy and mineral supplementation on the smallholder dairy farms of Bahati and Naivasha, possibly with concentrates and legumes which are rich in protein energy and minerals

  4. Heat Damaged Forages: Effects on Forage Quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Traditionally, heat damage in forages has been associated with alterations in forage protein quality as a result of Maillard reactions, and most producers and nutritionists are familiar with this concept. However, this is not necessarily the most important negative consequence of spontaneous heating...

  5. Ion-acoustic solitary waves near double layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuehl, H.H.; Imen, K.

    1985-01-01

    The possibility of ion-acoustic solitary-wave solutions in the uniform plasma on the high-potential side of double layer is investigated. Based on a fluid model of the double layer, it is found that both compressive and rarefactive solitary waves are allowed. Curves are presented which show the regions in parameter space in which these solutions exist

  6. Human disturbance provides foraging opportunities for birds in primary subalpine forest

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    DuBay, Shane G.; Hart Reeve, Andrew; Wu, Yongjie

    2017-01-01

    or Cettia major, and Heteroxenicus stellatus. This behavior is likely a modification of pre-existing interspecific foraging associations with pheasants and large mammals in the region. These larger animals disturb the earth and lower vegetation layers upon passage and while foraging, exposing previously...... opportunities. We cut and cleared small swaths of dense bamboo growth for an unrelated study. Multiple insectivorous species were recruited to the cleared areas, foraging extensively in the disturbed earth, often within 1 m of us. These species included Tarsiger chrysaeus, Tarsiger indicus, Cettia brunnifrons...

  7. Foraging

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ydenberg, R.C.; Prins, H.H.T.

    2012-01-01

    This chapter describes the role played by behavioural adjustments to foraging behaviour in accommodating rapid environmental change. It looks into the adjustments of foraging behaviour to predation danger as a result of changes in the type and array of food available. It investigates the effects of

  8. Optimally frugal foraging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bénichou, O.; Bhat, U.; Krapivsky, P. L.; Redner, S.

    2018-02-01

    We introduce the frugal foraging model in which a forager performs a discrete-time random walk on a lattice in which each site initially contains S food units. The forager metabolizes one unit of food at each step and starves to death when it last ate S steps in the past. Whenever the forager eats, it consumes all food at its current site and this site remains empty forever (no food replenishment). The crucial property of the forager is that it is frugal and eats only when encountering food within at most k steps of starvation. We compute the average lifetime analytically as a function of the frugality threshold and show that there exists an optimal strategy, namely, an optimal frugality threshold k* that maximizes the forager lifetime.

  9. Interaction dynamics of electrostatic solitary waves

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. L. Krasovsky

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available Interaction of nonlinear electrostatic pulses associated with electron phase density holes moving in a collisionless plasma is studied. An elementary event of the interaction is analyzed on the basis of the energy balance in the system consisting of two electrostatic solitary waves. It is established that an intrinsic property of the system is a specific irreversibility caused by a nonadiabatic modification of the internal structure of the holes and their effective heating in the process of the interaction. This dynamical irreversibility is closely connected with phase mixing of the trapped electrons comprising the holes and oscillating in the varying self-consistent potential wells. As a consequence of the irreversibility, the "collisions" of the solitary waves should be treated as "inelastic" ones. This explains the general tendency to the merging of the phase density holes frequently observed in numerical simulation and to corresponding coupling of the solitary waves.

  10. Ultra-High Foraging Rates of Harbor Porpoises Make Them Vulnerable to Anthropogenic Disturbance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wisniewska, Danuta Maria; Johnson, Mark; Teilmann, Jonas; Rojano-Doñate, Laia; Shearer, Jeanne; Sveegaard, Signe; Miller, Lee A; Siebert, Ursula; Madsen, Peter Teglberg

    2016-06-06

    The question of how individuals acquire and allocate resources to maximize fitness is central in evolutionary ecology. Basic information on prey selection, search effort, and capture rates are critical for understanding a predator's role in its ecosystem and for predicting its response to natural and anthropogenic disturbance. Yet, for most marine species, foraging interactions cannot be observed directly. The high costs of thermoregulation in water require that small marine mammals have elevated energy intakes compared to similar-sized terrestrial mammals [1]. The combination of high food requirements and their position at the apex of most marine food webs may make small marine mammals particularly vulnerable to changes within the ecosystem [2-4], but the lack of detailed information about their foraging behavior often precludes an informed conservation effort. Here, we use high-resolution movement and prey echo recording tags on five wild harbor porpoises to examine foraging interactions in one of the most metabolically challenged cetacean species. We report that porpoises forage nearly continuously day and night, attempting to capture up to 550 small (3-10 cm) fish prey per hour with a remarkable prey capture success rate of >90%. Porpoises therefore target fish that are smaller than those of commercial interest, but must forage almost continually to meet their metabolic demands with such small prey, leaving little margin for compensation. Thus, for these "aquatic shrews," even a moderate level of anthropogenic disturbance in the busy shallow waters they share with humans may have severe fitness consequences at individual and population levels. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Solitary magnetohydrodynamic vortices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silaev, I.I.; Skvortsov, A.T.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports on the analytical description of fluid flow by means of localized vortices which is traditional for hydrodynamics, oceanology, plasma physics. Recently it has been widely applied to different structure turbulence models. Considerable results involved have been presented where it was shown that in magnetohydrodynamics alongside with the well-known kinds of localized vortices (e.g. Hill's vortex), which are characterized by quite a weak decrease of disturbed velocity or magnetic field (as a power of the inverse distance from vortex center), the vortices with screening (or solitary vortices) may exist. All disturbed parameters either exponentially vanish or become identically zero in outer region in the latter case. (In a number of papers numerical simulations of such the vortices are presented). Solutions in a form of solitary vortices are of particular interest due to their uniformity and solitonlike behavior. On the basis of these properties one can believe for such structures to occur in real turbulent flows

  12. Foraging behavior analysis of swarm robotics system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sakthivelmurugan E.

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Swarm robotics is a number of small robots that are synchronically works together to accomplish a given task. Swarm robotics faces many problems in performing a given task. The problems are pattern formation, aggregation, Chain formation, self-assembly, coordinated movement, hole avoidance, foraging and self-deployment. Foraging is most essential part in swarm robotics. Foraging is the task to discover the item and get back into the shell. The researchers conducted foraging experiments with random-movement of robots and they have end up with unique solutions. Most of the researchers have conducted experiments using the circular arena. The shell is placed at the centre of the arena and environment boundary is well known. In this study, an attempt is made to different strategic movements like straight line approach, parallel line approach, divider approach, expanding square approach, and parallel sweep approach. All these approaches are to be simulated by using player/stage open-source simulation software based on C and C++ programming language in Linux operating system. Finally statistical comparison will be done with task completion time of all these strategies using ANOVA to identify the significant searching strategy.

  13. Movement of foraging Tundra Swans explained by spatial pattern in cryptic food densities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klaassen, Raymond H G; Nolet, Bart A; Bankert, Daniëlle

    2006-09-01

    We tested whether Tundra Swans use information on the spatial distribution of cryptic food items (below ground Sago pondweed tubers) to shape their movement paths. In a continuous environment, swans create their own food patches by digging craters, which they exploit in several feeding bouts. Series of short (1 m). Tuber biomass densities showed a positive spatial auto-correlation at a short distance (25 g/m2) and to a more distant patch (at 7-8 m) if the food density in the current patch had been low (3 m) from a low-density patch and a short distance (<3 m) from a high-density patch. The quantitative agreement between prediction and observation was greater for swans feeding in pairs than for solitary swans. The result of this movement strategy is that swans visit high-density patches at a higher frequency than on offer and, consequently, achieve a 38% higher long-term gain rate. Swans also take advantage of spatial variance in food abundance by regulating the time in patches, staying longer and consuming more food from rich than from poor patches. We can conclude that the shape of the foraging path is a reflection of the spatial pattern in the distribution of tuber densities and can be understood from an optimal foraging perspective.

  14. Solitary fibrous tumor arising in an intrathoracic goiter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Stine Rosenkilde; Godballe, Christian; Krogdahl, Annelise

    2010-01-01

    . CONCLUSION: The histological appearance and immunohistochemical reaction pattern of SFT is characteristic. The entity should be considered when dealing with a spindle cell lesion in the thyroid gland. All cases of this site of origin reported have had a benign clinical course. As only a small number of cases......BACKGROUND: Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a rare spindle cell tumor most often found in the mediastinal pleura. Nineteen cases of SFT arising in the thyroid gland have been reported. We report a case of SFT of the thyroid gland with immunohistochemical and cytogenetic investigation. SUMMARY: A 58...

  15. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy in patients with a solitary kidney

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tufan Süelözgen

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Material and method: The results of percutaneous nephrolithotomy applied to 716 patients in our clinic between January 2008 and January 2014 were retrospectively evaluated. Age, gender, urinary calculi size (mm2, urinary calculi localization, ESWL history, operation duration (min, fluoroscopy duration (sec, access type, reason of solitary kidney, hemoglobin drawdown (g/dl and operation success of the patients with a solitary kidney were recorded. The patients having no preoperative and postoperative non contrast abdominal tomography were excluded from the study. Results: Fifteen of nineteen patients (79% were men and 4 of them (21% were women. The average age of the patients was 42.52 ± 16.72 (14-72. Ten patients had anatomical solitary kidney and nine patients had physiological solitary kidney. In fact counter kidney was non functional in 9 patients (47% whereas there was agenesis in 2 (11% and outcome of nephrectomy in 8 (42% patients. In our study, presence of residual stone less than 4 mm at 1st month postoperative non contrast abdominal tomography was accepted as a successful result and accordingly our success rate was detected as 84%. Mean urinary calculi size was 405 ± 252.9 mm2; urinary calculi localization was pelvic, lower pole, upper-middle pole, middle-lower pole and staghorn in 11 (58%, 4 (21%, 1 (5%, 1 (5% and 1 (5% patients, respectively; previous ESWL history was 16%; operation duration was 55.47-± 28.1 min and fluoroscopy duration 131.10 ± 87.6 sec; access type was subcostal in 79%, supracostal in 10.5% and multiple in 10.5%; hemoglobin drawdown was 1.75 ± 0.97 mg/dl. Conclusions: PNL can be effectively and safely administered for the treatment of solitary kidney. In the treatment of large urinary calculi in patients with a solitary kidney, PNL has some advantages such as short surgery duration, less complication, acceptable hemoglobin drawdown and high success rates. According to our study, PNL operation in patients with a

  16. Thyroid carcinoma masquerading as a solitary benign hyperfunctioning nodule

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sandler, M.P.; Fellmeth, B.; Salhany, K.E.; Patton, J.A.

    1988-06-01

    Focal hot nodules on iodine thyroid images are associated with an exceedingly low incidence of malignancy. Most previously reported hot carcinomas represent the coexistence of small malignancies in or adjacent to a benign hot lesion. Described here is a 3-cm papillary carcinoma that fulfilled the criteria for benignancy on Tc-99m and I-123 imaging. Coincidental carcinoma within a benign lesion was excluded by detailed scintigraphic-pathologic correlation of the tumor. The implications of this case on the management of the solitary hot nodule are discussed and the literature reviewed.

  17. Thyroid carcinoma masquerading as a solitary benign hyperfunctioning nodule

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sandler, M.P.; Fellmeth, B.; Salhany, K.E.; Patton, J.A.

    1988-01-01

    Focal hot nodules on iodine thyroid images are associated with an exceedingly low incidence of malignancy. Most previously reported hot carcinomas represent the coexistence of small malignancies in or adjacent to a benign hot lesion. Described here is a 3-cm papillary carcinoma that fulfilled the criteria for benignancy on Tc-99m and I-123 imaging. Coincidental carcinoma within a benign lesion was excluded by detailed scintigraphic-pathologic correlation of the tumor. The implications of this case on the management of the solitary hot nodule are discussed and the literature reviewed

  18. Long bone cross-sectional geometric properties of Later Stone Age foragers and herder�foragers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle E. Cameron

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Diaphyseal cross-sectional geometry can be used to infer activity patterns in archaeological populations. We examined the cross-sectional geometric (CSG properties of adult Later Stone Age (LSA herder-forager long bones from the inland lower Orange River Valley of South Africa (n=5 m, 13 f. We then compared their CSG properties to LSA forager adults from the coastal fynbos (n=23 m, 14 f and forest (n=17 m, 19 f regions, building on a previous report (Stock and Pfeiffer, 2004. The periosteal mould method was used to quantify total subperiosteal area, torsional strength, bilateral asymmetry and diaphyseal circularity (Imax/Imin at the mid-distal (35% location of upper arms (humeri and the mid-shaft (50% location of upper legs (femora. Maximum humerus and femur lengths were similar among the three samples, suggesting that adult stature was similar in all three regions. When compared to the previous study, CSG property values obtained using the periosteal mould method correlated well, and there were no significant differences between data collected using the different methods. No statistically significant differences were found among the humerus or femur CSG properties from the different regions. This finding suggests that all individuals undertook similar volitional habitual activities in regard to their upper limbs, and also had similar degrees of terrestrial mobility. These results indicate relative behavioural homogeneity among LSA foragers and herder foragers from South Africa. The small degree of regional variation apparent among the three samples may reflect local ecology and the subsistence demands affecting populations in these different regions.

  19. Solitary Plasmacytoma: A Review Of Clinical, Ocular, Neurological ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Solitary plasmacytomas are defined as proliferation of monoclonal plasma cells without evidence of significant bone-marrow plasma-cell infiltration. They are classified according to location into solitary plasmacytoma of bone if they occur in bone, and extramedullary plasmacytoma if they arise in soft tissues. They are more ...

  20. Perforated Solitary Diverticulitis of the Ascending Colon

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-06-01

    postoperative day 6. DISCUSSION Diverticuli of the right colon exist in approximately 1% to 5% of patients with diverticular disease .1-3 They are...ORIGINAL REPORTS Perforated Solitary Diverticulitis of the Ascending Colon CPT David S. Kauvar, MC, USA, MAJ, Jayson Aydelotte, MC, USA, and MAJ...Michael Harnisch, MC, USA Department of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas KEY WORDS: solitary colon diverticulum

  1. Foraging behavior of stingless bee Heterotrigona itama (Cockerell, 1918) (Hymenoptera : Apidae : Meliponini)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaapar, Mohd Fahimee; Jajuli, Rosliza; Mispan, Muhamad Radzali; Ghani, Idris Abd

    2018-04-01

    A study to investigate the foraging behavior of Heterotrigona itama (Cockerell, 1918) was conducted on three colonies between January 2016 and June 2016. A digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) with macro lens attached, and action camera (SJCAM) was used to record foraging behavior of H. itama in its colonies for 5 min per hour between 0800 to 1700 h for a day per 6 months. In addition, three data loggers (Watchdog B100 2K) has been installed adjacent to the observation nest for collect temperature and humidity in the study areas. Result showed that the numbers of return foragers was significantly different from January to June also with outgoing forager. The returning forager between hours showed significant different from 8 am to 5 pm also for outgoing forager. The ideal temperature related to foraging behavior for H. itama was 29°C to 32 °C Our finding also, helps to guide researcher to expand the knowledge in foraging behavior by stingless bee as well as encouraging more small farmers to start rearing at least for their own consumption. In addition, these findings also guide the farmers to manage their chemical toxic inside the meliponiculture.

  2. The ecological economics of kleptoparasitism: pay-offs from self-foraging versus kleptoparasitism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flower, Tom P; Child, Matthew F; Ridley, Amanda R

    2013-01-01

    Animals commonly steal food from other species, termed interspecific kleptoparasitism, but why animals engage in kleptoparasitism compared with alternate foraging tactics, and under what circumstances they do so, is not fully understood. Determining what specific benefits animals gain from kleptoparasitism could provide valuable insight into its evolution. Here, we investigate the benefits of kleptoparasitism for a population of individually recognizable and free-living fork-tailed drongos (Dicrurus adsimilis) in the southern Kalahari Desert. Drongos engaged in two foraging behaviours: self-foraging for small insects or following other species which they kleptoparasitized for larger terrestrial prey that they could not capture themselves. Kleptoparasitism consequently enabled drongos to exploit a new foraging niche. Kleptoparasitism benefitted drongos most in the morning and on colder days because at these times pay-offs from kleptoparasitism remained stable, while those from self-foraging declined. However, drongos engaged in kleptoparasitism less than expected given the overall high (but more variable) pay-offs from this behaviour, suggesting that kleptoparasitism is a risky foraging tactic and may incur additional foraging costs compared with self-foraging. This is the first study to comprehensively investigate the benefits of facultatively engaging in kleptoparasitism, demonstrating that animals may switch to kleptoparasitism to exploit a new foraging niche when pay-offs exceed those from alternate foraging behaviours. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2012 British Ecological Society.

  3. Small intestine diverticuli

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pomakov, P.; Risov, A.

    1991-01-01

    The routine method of contrast matter passage applied to 850 patients with different gastrointestinal diseases proved inefficient to detect any small-intestinal diverticuli. The following modiffications of the method have been tested in order to improve the diagnostic possibilities of the X-ray: study at short intervals, assisted passage, enteroclysm, pharmacodynamic impact, retrograde filling of the ileum by irrigoscopy. Twelve diverticuli of the small-intestinal loops were identified: 5 Meckel's diverticuli, 2 solitary of which one of the therminal ileum, 2 double diverticuli and 1 multiple diverticulosis of the jejunum. The results show that the short interval X-ray examination of the small intestines is the method of choice for identifying local changes in them. The solitary diverticuli are not casuistic scarcity, its occurrence is about 0.5% at purposeful X-ray investigation. The assisted passage method is proposed as a method of choice for detection of the Meckel's diverticulum. 5 figs., 3 tabs. 18 refs

  4. Levy Foraging in a Dynamic Environment – Extending the Levy Search

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vincenzo Fioriti

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available A common task for robots is the patrolling of an unknown area with inadequate information about target locations. Under these circumstances it has been suggested that animal foraging could provide an optimal or at least sub-optimal search methodology, namely the Levy flight search. Although still in debate, it seems that predators somehow follow this search pattern when foraging, because it avoids being trapped in a local search if the food is beyond the sensory range. A Levy flight is a particular case of the random walk. Its displacements on a 2-D surface are drawn from the Pareto-Levy probability distribution, characterized by power law tails. The Levy flight search has many applications in optical material, ladars, optics, large database search, earthquake data analysis, location of DNA sites, human mobility, stock return analysis, online auctions, astronomy, ecology and biology. Almost all studies and simulations concerning the Levy flight foraging examine static or slowly moving (with respect to the forager uniformly distributed resources. Moreover, in recent works a small swarm of underwater autonomous vehicles has been used to test the standard Levy search in the underwater environment, with good results. In this paper we extend the classical Levy foraging framework taking into consideration a moving target allocated on a 2-D surface according to a radial probability distribution and comparing its performance with the random walk search. The metric used in the numerical simulations is the detection rate. Simulations include the sensor resolution, intended as the maximum detection distance of the forager from the target. Furthermore, contrarily to the usual Levy foraging framework, we use only one target. Results show that Levy flight outperforms the random walk if the sensor detection radius is not too small or too large. We also find the Levy flight in the velocity of the center of mass model of a fish school according the Kuramoto

  5. Solitary plasmacytoma of spine with amyloidosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cui-yun SUN

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective To report the diagnosis and treatment of one case of solitary plasmacytoma of spine with amyloidosis and investigate the clinicopathological features combined with literatures. Methods and Results The patient was a 46-year-old woman. She suffered from weakness of both lower limbs, unsteady gait and numbness of toes for 20 d. MRI examination revealed an irregular mass behind the spinal cord at T5-7 level and T6-7 vertebral body accessory. The enhanced MRI showed obvious heterogeneous enhancement. The border was clear and spinal dura mater was compressed to shift forward. During operation, T5-7 processus spinosus and vertebral laminae were eroded, and the cortex of bone showed "moth-eaten" erosion. The intraspinal and extradural lesion had rich blood supply, loose bone structure and intact spinal dura mater. Histologically, tumor cells were composed of intensive small cells, and focal plasmacytoid cells were seen. Flake pink staining substance was among them. Artificial cracks were common and multinuclear giant tumor cells were scatteredly distributed. Immunohistochemical analysis showed the cytoplasm of tumor cells were diffusely positive for CD138, CD38 and vimentin (Vim,scatteredly positive for leukocyte common antigen (LCA, and negative for immune globulin κ light chain(IgGκ and λ light chain (IgGλ, CD99, S-100 protein (S-100, pan cytokeratin (PCK, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA, HMB45 and CD34. The Ki-67 labeling index was 1.25%. Congo red staining showed the pink staining substance was brownish red. Hybridization in situ examination showed the DNA content of IgGκ was more than that of IgGλ. The final pathological diagnosis was solitary plasmacytoma of spine with amyloidosis. The patient was treated with postoperative chemotherapy, and there was no recurrence or metastasis during 18-month follow-up period. Conclusions Solitary plasmacytoma of spine with amyloidosis is a rare tumor. The imaging features can offer a few

  6. Peptidomic analysis of the venom of the solitary bee Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kazuma, Kohei; Ando, Kenji; Nihei, Ken-Ichi; Wang, Xiaoyu; Rangel, Marisa; Franzolin, Marcia Regina; Mori-Yasumoto, Kanami; Sekita, Setsuko; Kadowaki, Makoto; Satake, Motoyoshi; Konno, Katsuhiro

    2017-01-01

    azolectin, confirming the mechanism of the cytolytic activity by pore formation in biological membranes. LC-ESI-MS and MS/MS analysis of the crude venom extract from a solitary bee Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans revealed that the component profile of this venom mostly consisted of small peptides. The major peptide components, xylopin and xylopinin, were purified and characterized in a conventional manner. Their chemical and biological characteristics, belonging to linear cationic α-helical peptides, are similar to the known solitary bee venom peptides, melectin and osmin. Pore formation in artificial lipid bilayers was demonstrated for the first time with a solitary bee peptide.

  7. Foraging strategies of the Galapagos Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus Cristatus): adapting behavioral rules to ontogenetic size change

    OpenAIRE

    Wikelski, Martin; Trillmich, Fritz

    1994-01-01

    Ontogenetic development in reptiles entails major changes in size-related foraging options. We studied the changes in foraging behavior of marine iguanas. In this species, size increases about twenty- to hundredfold from hatching to full adult size. The foraging strategy of marine iguanas was studied at Miedo on Santa Fe Island in the Galapagos archipelago During low tide, large marine iguanas (>250 mm snout vent length (SVL)) foraged more in the lower intertidal than small ones (

  8. Diffractons: Solitary Waves Created by Diffraction in Periodic Media

    KAUST Repository

    Ketcheson, David I.; Quezada de Luna, Manuel

    2015-01-01

    A new class of solitary waves arises in the solution of nonlinear wave equations with constant impedance and no dispersive terms. These solitary waves depend on a balance between nonlinearity and a dispersion-like effect due to spatial variation

  9. CFD Analysis of Water Solitary Wave Reflection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Smida

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available A new numerical wave generation method is used to investigate the head-on collision of two solitary waves. The reflection at vertical wall of a solitary wave is also presented. The originality of this model, based on the Navier-Stokes equations, is the specification of an internal inlet velocity, defined as a source line within the computational domain for the generation of these non linear waves. This model was successfully implemented in the PHOENICS (Parabolic Hyperbolic Or Elliptic Numerical Integration Code Series code. The collision of two counter-propagating solitary waves is similar to the interaction of a soliton with a vertical wall. This wave generation method allows the saving of considerable time for this collision process since the counter-propagating wave is generated directly without reflection at vertical wall. For the collision of two solitary waves, numerical results show that the run-up phenomenon can be well explained, the solution of the maximum wave run-up is almost equal to experimental measurement. The simulated wave profiles during the collision are in good agreement with experimental results. For the reflection at vertical wall, the spatial profiles of the wave at fixed instants show that this problem is equivalent to the collision process.

  10. Dust ion acoustic solitary structures in the presence of isothermal positrons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paul, A. [Jadavpur University, Department of Mathematics (India); Das, A. [B. N. S. U. P. School (India); Bandyopadhyay, A., E-mail: abandyopadhyay1965@gmail.com [Jadavpur University, Department of Mathematics (India)

    2017-02-15

    The Sagdeev potential technique has been employed to study the dust ion acoustic solitary waves and double layers in an unmagnetized collisionless dusty plasma consisting of negatively charged static dust grains, adiabatic warm ions, isothermally distributed electrons, and positrons. A computational scheme has been developed to draw the qualitatively different compositional parameter spaces or existence domains showing the nature of existence of different solitary structures with respect to any parameter of the present plasma system. The present system supports both positive and negative potential double layers. The negative potential double layer always restricts the occurrence of negative potential solitary waves, i.e., any sequence of negative potential solitary waves having monotonically increasing amplitude converges to a negative potential double layer. However, there exists a parameter regime for which the positive potential double layer is unable to restrict the occurrence of positive potential solitary waves. As a result, in this region of the parameter space, there exist solitary waves after the formation of positive potential double layer, i.e., positive potential supersolitons have been observed.

  11. A solitary bronchial papilloma with unusual endoscopic presentation: case study and literature review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frejeville Marie

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Solitary endobronchial papillomas (SEP are rare tumors and most of them are described by case report. A misdiagnosis is common with viral related papillomas. A histopathological classification has recently permitted a major advancement in the understanding of the disease. Case Presentation We report a case of a mixed bronchial papilloma with an unusual endoscopic presentation. The literature was extensively reviewed to ascertain the unusual characteristics of the current case. A 39-year of age male was referred to our institution for the investigation of a slight hemoptysis. Routine examination was normal. A fibroscopy revealed an unusual feature of the right main bronchus. The lesion was a plane, non-bleeding, non-glistering sub-mucosal proliferation. No enhanced coloration was noticed. Biopsies revealed a mixed solitary bronchial papilloma. In situ HPV hybridization was negative. Endoscopic treatment (electrocautery was effective with no relapse. Conclusion This lesion contrasts with the data of the literature where papilloma were described as wart-like lesions or cauliflower tumors, with symptoms generally related to bronchial obstruction. We advise chest physicians to be cautious with unusually small swollen lesions of the bronchi that may reveal a solitary bronchial papilloma. Endoscopic imaging can significantly contribute to the difficult diagnosis of SEP by pulmonary physicians and endoscopists.

  12. Propagation of sech2-type solitary waves in higher-order KdV-type systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ilison, O.; Salupere, A.

    2005-01-01

    Wave propagation in microstructured media is essentially influenced by nonlinear and dispersive effects. The simplest model governing these effects results in the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation. In the present paper a KdV-type evolution equation, including the third- and fifth-order dispersive and the fourth-order nonlinear terms, is used for modelling the wave propagation in microstructured solids like martensitic-austenitic alloys. The model equation is solved numerically under localised initial conditions. Possible solution types are defined and discussed. The existence of a threshold is established. Below the threshold, the relatively small solitary waves decay in time. However, if the amplitude exceeds a certain threshold, i.e., the critical value, then such a solitary wave can propagate with nearly a constant speed and amplitude and consequently conserve the energy

  13. Modelling Pasture-based Automatic Milking System Herds: Grazeable Forage Options

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. R. Islam

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available One of the challenges to increase milk production in a large pasture-based herd with an automatic milking system (AMS is to grow forages within a 1-km radius, as increases in walking distance increases milking interval and reduces yield. The main objective of this study was to explore sustainable forage option technologies that can supply high amount of grazeable forages for AMS herds using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM model. Three different basic simulation scenarios (with irrigation were carried out using forage crops (namely maize, soybean and sorghum for the spring-summer period. Subsequent crops in the three scenarios were forage rape over-sown with ryegrass. Each individual simulation was run using actual climatic records for the period from 1900 to 2010. Simulated highest forage yields in maize, soybean and sorghum- (each followed by forage rape-ryegrass based rotations were 28.2, 22.9, and 19.3 t dry matter/ha, respectively. The simulations suggested that the irrigation requirement could increase by up to 18%, 16%, and 17% respectively in those rotations in El-Niño years compared to neutral years. On the other hand, irrigation requirement could increase by up to 25%, 23%, and 32% in maize, soybean and sorghum based rotations in El-Nino years compared to La-Nina years. However, irrigation requirement could decrease by up to 8%, 7%, and 13% in maize, soybean and sorghum based rotations in La-Nina years compared to neutral years. The major implication of this study is that APSIM models have potentials in devising preferred forage options to maximise grazeable forage yield which may create the opportunity to grow more forage in small areas around the AMS which in turn will minimise walking distance and milking interval and thus increase milk production. Our analyses also suggest that simulation analysis may provide decision support during climatic uncertainty.

  14. Modelling Pasture-based Automatic Milking System Herds: Grazeable Forage Options.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, M R; Garcia, S C; Clark, C E F; Kerrisk, K L

    2015-05-01

    One of the challenges to increase milk production in a large pasture-based herd with an automatic milking system (AMS) is to grow forages within a 1-km radius, as increases in walking distance increases milking interval and reduces yield. The main objective of this study was to explore sustainable forage option technologies that can supply high amount of grazeable forages for AMS herds using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) model. Three different basic simulation scenarios (with irrigation) were carried out using forage crops (namely maize, soybean and sorghum) for the spring-summer period. Subsequent crops in the three scenarios were forage rape over-sown with ryegrass. Each individual simulation was run using actual climatic records for the period from 1900 to 2010. Simulated highest forage yields in maize, soybean and sorghum- (each followed by forage rape-ryegrass) based rotations were 28.2, 22.9, and 19.3 t dry matter/ha, respectively. The simulations suggested that the irrigation requirement could increase by up to 18%, 16%, and 17% respectively in those rotations in El-Niño years compared to neutral years. On the other hand, irrigation requirement could increase by up to 25%, 23%, and 32% in maize, soybean and sorghum based rotations in El-Nino years compared to La-Nina years. However, irrigation requirement could decrease by up to 8%, 7%, and 13% in maize, soybean and sorghum based rotations in La-Nina years compared to neutral years. The major implication of this study is that APSIM models have potentials in devising preferred forage options to maximise grazeable forage yield which may create the opportunity to grow more forage in small areas around the AMS which in turn will minimise walking distance and milking interval and thus increase milk production. Our analyses also suggest that simulation analysis may provide decision support during climatic uncertainty.

  15. Four Insectivorous Birds in Search of Foraging Niche in and Around an Agricultural Ecosystem of Nalgonda District of Telangana, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Buddi Laxmi Narayana

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Foraging niche of Small Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis, Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis, Common Myna Acridotheres tristis and Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus was studied in and around agricultural landscapes of Sherpally, Nalgonda District of Telangana, India. Data on perch types, perching height, foraging height, foraging substrates types and foraging methods were transformed into percent use. Small Green Bee-eater predominantly perched on electric power lines (67.21%, Common Myna used plants (75.44% as a substrate and gleaning was the common feeding technique used by all the birds with height of 0-3m, Indian Roller fed mostly at 3-6m (30.91%. Black Drongo and Indian Roller had the highest niche overlap (O=0.96 for perch types while the lowest overlap was observed for small Green Bee-eater and Common Myna (O=0.34 in the foraging substrate.

  16. Conservative numerical methods for solitary wave interactions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Duran, A; Lopez-Marcos, M A [Departamento de Matematica Aplicada y Computacion, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo del Prado de la Magdalena s/n, 47005 Valladolid (Spain)

    2003-07-18

    The purpose of this paper is to show the advantages that represent the use of numerical methods that preserve invariant quantities in the study of solitary wave interactions for the regularized long wave equation. It is shown that the so-called conservative methods are more appropriate to study the phenomenon and provide a dynamic point of view that allows us to estimate the changes in the parameters of the solitary waves after the collision.

  17. [Solitary hyperfunctioning thyroid gland carcinomas].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zivaljevic, V; Zivic, R; Diklic, A; Krgovic, K; Kalezic, N; Vekic, B; Stevanovic, D; Paunovic, I

    2011-08-01

    Thyroid gland carcinomas usually appear as afunctional and hypofunctional lesions on thyroid scintigrams, but some rare cases of thyroid carcinoma with scintigraphic hyperfunctional lesions have also been reported. The aim of our retrospective study was to elucidate the frequency of carcinomas in patients operated for solitary hyperfunctional thyroid nodules and to represent their demographic and clinical features. During one decade (1997/2006), 308 patients were operated for solitary hyperfunctional thyroid nodules in the Centre for Endocrine Surgery in Belgrade. Malignancy was revealed in 9 cases (about 3 %) by histopathological examination. In 6 cases papillary microcarcinomas were found adjacent to dominant hyperfunctional adenomas, while in 3 cases (about 1 %) real hyperfunctional carcinomas were confirmed. Follicular carcinoma was diagnosed in 2 cases and papillary carcinoma in one. All 3 patients were preoperatively hyperthyroid. In both patients with follicular carcinoma we performed lobectomies. In the third case we carried out a total thyroidectomy considering the intraoperative frozen section finding of a papillary carcinoma. According to our results the frequency of solitary hyperfunctioning thyroid carcinomas is about 1 %, so that the possibility that a hyperfunctional nodule is malignant should be considered in the treatment of such lesions. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart ˙ New York.

  18. Effects of small-scale clustering of flowers on pollinator foraging behaviour and flower visitation rate

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Akter, Asma; Biella, Paolo; Klečka, Jan

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 12, č. 11 (2017), č. článku e0187976. E-ISSN 1932-6203 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GP14-10035P; GA ČR(CZ) GJ17-24795Y Grant - others:GA JU(CZ) 152/2016/P Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Dracocephalum moldavica * foraging behaviour * foraging biology Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour OBOR OECD: Ecology Impact factor: 2.806, year: 2016 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0187976

  19. Foraging dives by post-breeding northern pintails

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Michael R.

    1983-01-01

    Dabbling ducks (Anatini), including Northern Pintails (Anas acuta), typically feed by “tipping-up” (Bellrose, Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America, Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1976) in shallow water. Pintails are not as adapted for diving as members of Aythyini or Oxyurini (Catlett and Johnston, Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 47A:925-931, 1974); however, incidents of foraging dives by small numbers of pintails have been reported (Chapman et al., Br. Birds 52:60, 1959; Bourget and Chapdelaine, Wildfowl 26:55-57, 1975). This paper reports on forage diving by a flock of several hundred pintails. Ecological explanations are suggested to account for the behavior and comparisons with tip-up feeding are presented.

  20. Solitary waves on nonlinear elastic rods. I

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Mads Peter; Christiansen, Peter Leth; Lomdahl, P. S.

    1984-01-01

    Acoustic waves on elastic rods with circular cross section are governed by improved Boussinesq equations when transverse motion and nonlinearity in the elastic medium are taken into account. Solitary wave solutions to these equations have been found. The present paper treats the interaction betwe...... nonlinearity. The balance between dispersion and nonlinearity in the equation is investigated.......Acoustic waves on elastic rods with circular cross section are governed by improved Boussinesq equations when transverse motion and nonlinearity in the elastic medium are taken into account. Solitary wave solutions to these equations have been found. The present paper treats the interaction between...... the solitary waves numerically. It is demonstrated that the waves behave almost like solitons in agreement with the fact that the improved Boussinesq equations are nearly integrable. Thus three conservation theorems can be derived from the equations. A new subsonic quasibreather is found in the case of a cubic...

  1. Solitary mammals provide an animal model for autism spectrum disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reser, Jared Edward

    2014-02-01

    Species of solitary mammals are known to exhibit specialized, neurological adaptations that prepare them to focus working memory on food procurement and survival rather than on social interaction. Solitary and nonmonogamous mammals, which do not form strong social bonds, have been documented to exhibit behaviors and biomarkers that are similar to endophenotypes in autism. Both individuals on the autism spectrum and certain solitary mammals have been reported to be low on measures of affiliative need, bodily expressiveness, bonding and attachment, direct and shared gazing, emotional engagement, conspecific recognition, partner preference, separation distress, and social approach behavior. Solitary mammals also exhibit certain biomarkers that are characteristic of autism, including diminished oxytocin and vasopressin signaling, dysregulation of the endogenous opioid system, increased Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) activity to social encounters, and reduced HPA activity to separation and isolation. The extent of these similarities suggests that solitary mammals may offer a useful model of autism spectrum disorders and an opportunity for investigating genetic and epigenetic etiological factors. If the brain in autism can be shown to exhibit distinct homologous or homoplastic similarities to the brains of solitary animals, it will reveal that they may be central to the phenotype and should be targeted for further investigation. Research of the neurological, cellular, and molecular basis of these specializations in other mammals may provide insight for behavioral analysis, communication intervention, and psychopharmacology for autism.

  2. Electron-acoustic solitary waves in the Earth's inner magnetosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dillard, C. S.; Vasko, I. Y.; Mozer, F. S.; Agapitov, O. V.; Bonnell, J. W.

    2018-02-01

    The broadband electrostatic turbulence observed in the inner magnetosphere is produced by large-amplitude electrostatic solitary waves of generally two types. The solitary waves with symmetric bipolar parallel (magnetic field-aligned) electric field are electron phase space holes. The solitary waves with highly asymmetric bipolar parallel electric field have been recently shown to correspond to the electron-acoustic plasma mode (existing due to two-temperature electron population). Through theoretical and numerical analysis of hydrodynamic and modified Korteweg-de Vries equations, we demonstrate that the asymmetric solitary waves appear due to the steepening of initially quasi-monochromatic electron-acoustic perturbation arrested at some moment by collisionless dissipation (Landau damping). The typical steepening time is found to be from a few to tens of milliseconds. The steepening of the electron-acoustic waves has not been reproduced in self-consistent kinetic simulations yet, and factors controlling the formation of steepened electron-acoustic waves, rather than electron phase space holes, remain unclear.

  3. Self-similarity of solitary waves on inertia-dominated falling liquid films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denner, Fabian; Pradas, Marc; Charogiannis, Alexandros; Markides, Christos N; van Wachem, Berend G M; Kalliadasis, Serafim

    2016-03-01

    We propose consistent scaling of solitary waves on inertia-dominated falling liquid films, which accurately accounts for the driving physical mechanisms and leads to a self-similar characterization of solitary waves. Direct numerical simulations of the entire two-phase system are conducted using a state-of-the-art finite volume framework for interfacial flows in an open domain that was previously validated against experimental film-flow data with excellent agreement. We present a detailed analysis of the wave shape and the dispersion of solitary waves on 34 different water films with Reynolds numbers Re=20-120 and surface tension coefficients σ=0.0512-0.072 N m(-1) on substrates with inclination angles β=19°-90°. Following a detailed analysis of these cases we formulate a consistent characterization of the shape and dispersion of solitary waves, based on a newly proposed scaling derived from the Nusselt flat film solution, that unveils a self-similarity as well as the driving mechanism of solitary waves on gravity-driven liquid films. Our results demonstrate that the shape of solitary waves, i.e., height and asymmetry of the wave, is predominantly influenced by the balance of inertia and surface tension. Furthermore, we find that the dispersion of solitary waves on the inertia-dominated falling liquid films considered in this study is governed by nonlinear effects and only driven by inertia, with surface tension and gravity having a negligible influence.

  4. Mercury in San Francisco Bay forage fish

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Greenfield, Ben K., E-mail: ben@sfei.or [San Francisco Estuary Institute, 7770 Pardee Lane, Oakland, CA 94621 (United States); Jahn, Andrew, E-mail: andyjahn@mac.co [1000 Riverside Drive, Ukiah, CA 95482 (United States)

    2010-08-15

    In the San Francisco Estuary, management actions including tidal marsh restoration could change fish mercury (Hg) concentrations. From 2005 to 2007, small forage fish were collected and analyzed to identify spatial and interannual variation in biotic methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. The average whole body total Hg concentration was 0.052 {mu}g g{sup -1} (wet-weight) for 457 composite samples representing 13 fish species. MeHg constituted 94% of total Hg. At a given length, Hg concentrations were higher in nearshore mudflat and wetland species (Clevelandia ios, Menidia audens, and Ilypnus gilberti), compared to species that move offshore (e.g., Atherinops affinis and Lepidogobius lepidus). Gut content analysis indicated similar diets between Atherinops affinis and Menidia audens, when sampled at the same locations. Hg concentrations were higher in sites closest to the Guadalupe River, which drains a watershed impacted by historic Hg mining. Results demonstrate that despite differences among years and fish species, nearshore forage fish exhibit consistent Hg spatial gradients. - Total mercury in estuarine forage fish varies with species, habitat, and proximity to a historic mercury mine.

  5. Mercury in San Francisco Bay forage fish

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greenfield, Ben K.; Jahn, Andrew

    2010-01-01

    In the San Francisco Estuary, management actions including tidal marsh restoration could change fish mercury (Hg) concentrations. From 2005 to 2007, small forage fish were collected and analyzed to identify spatial and interannual variation in biotic methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. The average whole body total Hg concentration was 0.052 μg g -1 (wet-weight) for 457 composite samples representing 13 fish species. MeHg constituted 94% of total Hg. At a given length, Hg concentrations were higher in nearshore mudflat and wetland species (Clevelandia ios, Menidia audens, and Ilypnus gilberti), compared to species that move offshore (e.g., Atherinops affinis and Lepidogobius lepidus). Gut content analysis indicated similar diets between Atherinops affinis and Menidia audens, when sampled at the same locations. Hg concentrations were higher in sites closest to the Guadalupe River, which drains a watershed impacted by historic Hg mining. Results demonstrate that despite differences among years and fish species, nearshore forage fish exhibit consistent Hg spatial gradients. - Total mercury in estuarine forage fish varies with species, habitat, and proximity to a historic mercury mine.

  6. Spring foraging resources and the behaviour of pollinating insects in fixed dune ecosystems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aoife T. O'Rourke

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available In temperate climates, foraging resources for pollinating insects are especially important in early spring when animals emerge from hibernation and initiate annual life cycles. One habitat, protected under EU law, which provides resources for a range of pollinating insects, but has received little research attention, is fixed (grey dunes. Fixed dunes often contain creeping willow (Salix repens, Salicaceae, which may be an important early season resource for obligate flower visitors. We examined the springtime activity of flower visitors in fixed dune ecosystems in relation to sugar concentration and composition in nectar, composition of essential amino acids in pollen, and floral abundance. We also investigated whether the presence or absence of S. repens influenced the abundance and species richness of three obligate flower visiting guilds (solitary bees, bumblebees and hoverflies in eight sites along the eastern and southern coasts of Ireland. Higher insect visitation rates were observed to species whose nectar contained greater concentrations of glucose and fructose. Solitary bee visitation rates were related to % Essential Amino Acid (EAA in pollen and floral species richness. Ulex europeaus, and S. repens were the most abundant flowering species, but visitation rates were not related to floral abundance. Higher abundances of bumblebees and hoverflies were discovered at sites where S. repens was present. This study raises further questions about the nutritional requirements and preferences of obligate flower visitors in fixed dune ecosystems in spring time.

  7. Widespread occurrence of honey bee pathogens in solitary bees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravoet, Jorgen; De Smet, Lina; Meeus, Ivan; Smagghe, Guy; Wenseleers, Tom; de Graaf, Dirk C

    2014-10-01

    Solitary bees and honey bees from a neighbouring apiary were screened for a broad set of putative pathogens including protists, fungi, spiroplasmas and viruses. Most sampled bees appeared to be infected with multiple parasites. Interestingly, viruses exclusively known from honey bees such as Apis mellifera Filamentous Virus and Varroa destructor Macula-like Virus were also discovered in solitary bees. A microsporidium found in Andrena vaga showed most resemblance to Nosema thomsoni. Our results suggest that bee hives represent a putative source of pathogens for other pollinators. Similarly, solitary bees may act as a reservoir of honey bee pathogens. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. A third-order KdV solution for internal solitary waves and its application in the numerical wave tank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qicheng Meng

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available A third-order KdV solution to the internal solitary wave is derived by a new method based on the weakly nonlinear assumptions in a rigid-lid two-layer system. The solution corrects an error by Mirie and Su (1984. A two-dimensional numerical wave tank has been established with the help of the open source CFD library OpenFOAM and the third-party software waves2Foam. Various analytical solutions, including the first-order to third-order KdV solutions, the eKdV solution and the MCC solution, have been used to initialise the flow fields in the CFD simulations of internal solitary waves. Two groups including 11 numerical cases have been carried out. In the same group, the initial wave amplitudes are the same but the implemented analytical solutions are different. The simulated wave profiles at different moments have been presented. The relative errors in terms of the wave amplitude between the last time step and the initial input have been analysed quantitatively. It is found that the third-order KdV solution results in the most stable internal solitary wave in the numerical wave tank for both small-amplitude and finite-amplitude cases. The finding is significant for the further simulations involving internal solitary waves.

  9. Reconstructive surgery in eight children with solitary kidneys

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thorup, Jørgen Mogens

    1989-01-01

    Within a 10-year period reconstructive urinary tract surgery has been carried out in eight children with solitary kidneys. The children were 0-5 years old. Six had unilateral renal agenesis and two had unilateral multicystic kidney. In five children ureteroneocystostomy was performed, in two of t...... months of age. Postoperatively, the renal function was subnormal (although improved) in two children; in six it was normal. The most important prognostic factors in solitary kidneys with urinary tract obstruction are infection and developmental injury.......Within a 10-year period reconstructive urinary tract surgery has been carried out in eight children with solitary kidneys. The children were 0-5 years old. Six had unilateral renal agenesis and two had unilateral multicystic kidney. In five children ureteroneocystostomy was performed, in two...

  10. Asymptotic expansions for solitary gravity-capillary waves in two and three dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ablowitz, M J; Haut, T S

    2010-01-01

    High-order asymptotic series are obtained for gravity-capillary solitary waves, where the first term in the series is the well-known sech 2 solution of the KdV equation. The asymptotic series is used, with nine terms included, to investigate the effects of surface tension on the height and energy of large amplitude waves, and waves close to the solitary version of Stokes' extreme wave. In particular, for surface tension below a critical value, the solitary wave with the maximum energy is obtained. For large surface tension, the series is also used to study the energy related to the solitary waves of depression. Energy considerations suggest that, for large enough surface tension, there are solitary waves that can get close to the fluid bottom. Comparisons are also made with recent experiments.

  11. Crossing of identical solitary waves in a chain of elastic beads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manciu, Marian; Sen, Surajit; Hurd, Alan J.

    2001-01-01

    We consider a chain of elastic beads subjected to vanishingly weak loading conditions, i.e., the beads are barely in contact. The grains repel upon contact via the Hertz-type potential, V∝δ n , n>2, where delta≥0, delta being the grain--grain overlap. Our dynamical simulations build on several earlier studies by Nesterenko, Coste, and Sen and co-workers that have shown that an impulse propagates as a solitary wave of fixed spatial extent (dependent only upon n) through a chain of Hertzian beads and demonstrate, to our knowledge for the first time, that colliding solitary waves in the chain spawn a well-defined hierarchy of multiple secondary solitary waves, which is ∼ 0.5% of the energy of the original solitary waves. Our findings have interesting parallels with earlier observations by Rosenau and colleagues [P. Rosenau and J. M. Hyman, Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 564 (1993); P. Rosenau, ibid. 73, 1737 (1994); Phys. Lett. A 211, 265 (1996)] regarding colliding compactons. To the best of our knowledge, there is no formal theory that describes the dynamics associated with the formation of secondary solitary waves. Calculations suggest that the formation of secondary solitary waves may be a fundamental property of certain discrete systems

  12. The solitary electromagnetic waves in the graphene superlattice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kryuchkov, Sergey V.; Kukhar', Egor I.

    2013-01-01

    d’Alembert equation written for the electromagnetic waves propagating in the graphene superlattice is analyzed. The possibility of the propagation of the solitary electromagnetic waves in the graphene superlattice is discussed. The amplitude and the width of the electromagnetic pulse are calculated. The drag current induced by such wave across the superlattice axis is investigated. The numerical estimate of the charge dragged by the solitary wave is made.

  13. Root foraging increases performance of the clonal plant Potentilla reptans in heterogeneous nutrient environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhengwen; van Kleunen, Mark; During, Heinjo J; Werger, Marinus J A

    2013-01-01

    Plastic root-foraging responses have been widely recognized as an important strategy for plants to explore heterogeneously distributed resources. However, the benefits and costs of root foraging have received little attention. In a greenhouse experiment, we grew pairs of connected ramets of 22 genotypes of the stoloniferous plant Potentilla reptans in paired pots, between which the contrast in nutrient availability was set as null, medium and high, but with the total nutrient amount kept the same. We calculated root-foraging intensity of each individual ramet pair as the difference in root mass between paired ramets divided by the total root mass. For each genotype, we then calculated root-foraging ability as the slope of the regression of root-foraging intensity against patch contrast. For all genotypes, root-foraging intensity increased with patch contrast and the total biomass and number of offspring ramets were lowest at high patch contrast. Among genotypes, root-foraging intensity was positively related to production of offspring ramets and biomass in the high patch-contrast treatment, which indicates an evolutionary benefit of root foraging in heterogeneous environments. However, we found no significant evidence that the ability of plastic foraging imposes costs under homogeneous conditions (i.e. when foraging is not needed). Our results show that plants of P. reptans adjust their root-foraging intensity according to patch contrast. Moreover, the results show that the root foraging has an evolutionary advantage in heterogeneous environments, while costs of having the ability of plastic root foraging were absent or very small.

  14. Coordinated vigilance provides evidence for direct reciprocity in coral reef fishes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandl, Simon J; Bellwood, David R

    2015-09-25

    Reciprocity is frequently assumed to require complex cognitive abilities. Therefore, it has been argued that reciprocity may be restricted to animals that can meet these demands. Here, we provide evidence for the potential presence of direct reciprocity in teleost fishes. We demonstrate that in pairs of coral reef rabbitfishes (f. Siganidae), one fish frequently assumes an upright vigilance position in the water column, while the partner forages in small crevices in the reef substratum. Both behaviours are strongly coordinated and partners regularly alternate their positions, resulting in a balanced distribution of foraging activity. Compared to solitary individuals, fishes in pairs exhibit longer vigilance bouts, suggesting that the help provided to the partner is costly. In turn, fishes in pairs take more consecutive bites and penetrate deeper into crevices than solitary individuals, suggesting that the safety provided by a vigilant partner may outweigh initial costs by increasing foraging efficiency. Thus, the described system appears to meet all of the requirements for direct reciprocity. We argue that the nature of rabbitfish pairs provides favourable conditions for the establishment of direct reciprocity, as continuous interaction with the same partner, simultaneous needs, interdependence, and communication relax the cognitive demands of reciprocal cooperation.

  15. Diffractons: Solitary Waves Created by Diffraction in Periodic Media

    KAUST Repository

    Ketcheson, David I.

    2015-03-31

    A new class of solitary waves arises in the solution of nonlinear wave equations with constant impedance and no dispersive terms. These solitary waves depend on a balance between nonlinearity and a dispersion-like effect due to spatial variation in the sound speed of the medium. A high-order homogenized model confirms this effective dispersive behavior, and its solutions agree well with those obtained by direct simulation of the variable-coefficient system. These waves are observed to be long-time stable, globally attracting solutions that arise in general as solutions to nonlinear wave problems with periodically varying sound speed. They share some properties with known classes of solitary waves but possess important differences as well.

  16. Differential Properties of Venom Peptides and Proteins in Solitary vs. Social Hunting Wasps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Si Hyeock; Baek, Ji Hyeong; Yoon, Kyungjae Andrew

    2016-01-01

    The primary functions of venoms from solitary and social wasps are different. Whereas most solitary wasps sting their prey to paralyze and preserve it, without killing, as the provisions for their progeny, social wasps usually sting to defend their colonies from vertebrate predators. Such distinctive venom properties of solitary and social wasps suggest that the main venom components are likely to be different depending on the wasps’ sociality. The present paper reviews venom components and properties of the Aculeata hunting wasps, with a particular emphasis on the comparative aspects of venom compositions and properties between solitary and social wasps. Common components in both solitary and social wasp venoms include hyaluronidase, phospholipase A2, metalloendopeptidase, etc. Although it has been expected that more diverse bioactive components with the functions of prey inactivation and physiology manipulation are present in solitary wasps, available studies on venom compositions of solitary wasps are simply too scarce to generalize this notion. Nevertheless, some neurotoxic peptides (e.g., pompilidotoxin and dendrotoxin-like peptide) and proteins (e.g., insulin-like peptide binding protein) appear to be specific to solitary wasp venom. In contrast, several proteins, such as venom allergen 5 protein, venom acid phosphatase, and various phospholipases, appear to be relatively more specific to social wasp venom. Finally, putative functions of main venom components and their application are also discussed. PMID:26805885

  17. Effect of forage quality in faeces from different ruminant species fed high and low quality forage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jalali, A R; Nørgaard, P; Nielsen, M O

    2010-01-01

    Effect of forage quality in faeces from different ruminant species fed high and low quality forage......Effect of forage quality in faeces from different ruminant species fed high and low quality forage...

  18. The dynamics of foraging trails in the tropical arboreal ant Cephalotes goniodontus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deborah M Gordon

    Full Text Available The foraging behavior of the arboreal turtle ant, Cephalotes goniodontus, was studied in the tropical dry forest of western Mexico. The ants collected mostly plant-derived food, including nectar and fluids collected from the edges of wounds on leaves, as well as caterpillar frass and lichen. Foraging trails are on small pieces of ephemeral vegetation, and persist in exactly the same place for 4-8 days, indicating that food sources may be used until they are depleted. The species is polydomous, occupying many nests which are abandoned cavities or ends of broken branches in dead wood. Foraging trails extend from trees with nests to trees with food sources. Observations of marked individuals show that each trail is travelled by a distinct group of foragers. This makes the entire foraging circuit more resilient if a path becomes impassable, since foraging in one trail can continue while a different group of ants forms a new trail. The colony's trails move around the forest from month to month; from one year to the next, only one colony out of five was found in the same location. There is continual searching in the vicinity of trails: ants recruited to bait within 3 bifurcations of a main foraging trail within 4 hours. When bait was offered on one trail, to which ants recruited, foraging activity increased on a different trail, with no bait, connected to the same nest. This suggests that the allocation of foragers to different trails is regulated by interactions at the nest.

  19. The dynamics of foraging trails in the tropical arboreal ant Cephalotes goniodontus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, Deborah M

    2012-01-01

    The foraging behavior of the arboreal turtle ant, Cephalotes goniodontus, was studied in the tropical dry forest of western Mexico. The ants collected mostly plant-derived food, including nectar and fluids collected from the edges of wounds on leaves, as well as caterpillar frass and lichen. Foraging trails are on small pieces of ephemeral vegetation, and persist in exactly the same place for 4-8 days, indicating that food sources may be used until they are depleted. The species is polydomous, occupying many nests which are abandoned cavities or ends of broken branches in dead wood. Foraging trails extend from trees with nests to trees with food sources. Observations of marked individuals show that each trail is travelled by a distinct group of foragers. This makes the entire foraging circuit more resilient if a path becomes impassable, since foraging in one trail can continue while a different group of ants forms a new trail. The colony's trails move around the forest from month to month; from one year to the next, only one colony out of five was found in the same location. There is continual searching in the vicinity of trails: ants recruited to bait within 3 bifurcations of a main foraging trail within 4 hours. When bait was offered on one trail, to which ants recruited, foraging activity increased on a different trail, with no bait, connected to the same nest. This suggests that the allocation of foragers to different trails is regulated by interactions at the nest.

  20. Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Pancreas: Imaging Findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwon, Heon Ju; Byun, Jae Ho; Kang, Jun; Park, Seong Ho; Lee, Moon Gyu

    2008-01-01

    We report here a case of a pathologically proven solitary fibrous tumor of the pancreas. A 54-year-old man was referred to our hospital for further evaluation of a pancreatic mass that was found incidentally. CT, MR imaging, and endoscopic ultrasonography showed a well-defined, enhancing mass with cystic portions of the pancreas body. MR cholangiopancreatography showed no pancreatic duct dilatation. A solitary fibrous tumor of the pancreas is a very rare lesion

  1. Does greed help a forager survive?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhat, U.; Redner, S.; Bénichou, O.

    2017-06-01

    We investigate the role of greed on the lifetime of a random-walking forager on an initially resource-rich lattice. Whenever the forager lands on a food-containing site, all the food there is eaten and the forager can hop S more steps without food before starving. Upon reaching an empty site, the forager comes one time unit closer to starvation. The forager is also greedy—given a choice to move to an empty or to a food-containing site in its local neighborhood, the forager moves preferentially toward food. Surprisingly, the forager lifetime varies nonmonotonically with greed, with different senses of the nonmonotonicity in one and two dimensions. Also unexpectedly, the forager lifetime in one dimension has a huge peak for very negative greed where the forager is food averse.

  2. Compressive and rarefactive solitary waves in nonthermal two-component plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verheest, Frank; Hellberg, Manfred A.

    2010-01-01

    Using a Sagdeev pseudopotential formalism where nonlinear structures are stationary in a comoving frame, large ion-acoustic solitary waves and double layers have been studied in plasmas with positive ions and nonthermal electrons. The velocity range of positive, compressive solitary waves is limited by the ion density reaching infinite compression, whereas negative, rarefactive solitary waves and double layers can exist when the electron nonthermality exceeds a certain minimum. There are even regions of coexistence, the limits of which can be elucidated by considering the properties of the special Sagdeev pseudopotential at the acoustic speed. In particular, when the compositional parameters and Mach numbers admit only compressive or rarefactive solitary structures, these have to be superacoustic, their amplitude vanishing at the acoustic speed. When both compressive and rarefactive modes can occur, one of them is Korteweg-de Vries (KdV)-like, the other having a non-KdV character, with a finite amplitude at the acoustic speed.

  3. Public Health and Solitary Confinement in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cloud, David H; Drucker, Ernest; Browne, Angela; Parsons, Jim

    2015-01-01

    The history of solitary confinement in the United States stretches from the silent prisons of 200 years ago to today's supermax prisons, mechanized panopticons that isolate tens of thousands, sometimes for decades. We examined the living conditions and characteristics of the populations in solitary confinement. As part of the growing movement for reform, public health agencies have an ethical obligation to help address the excessive use of solitary confinement in jails and prisons in accordance with established public health functions (e.g., violence prevention, health equity, surveillance, and minimizing of occupational and psychological hazards for correctional staff). Public health professionals should lead efforts to replace reliance on this overly punitive correctional policy with models based on rehabilitation and restorative justice.

  4. Public Health and Solitary Confinement in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drucker, Ernest; Browne, Angela; Parsons, Jim

    2015-01-01

    The history of solitary confinement in the United States stretches from the silent prisons of 200 years ago to today’s supermax prisons, mechanized panopticons that isolate tens of thousands, sometimes for decades. We examined the living conditions and characteristics of the populations in solitary confinement. As part of the growing movement for reform, public health agencies have an ethical obligation to help address the excessive use of solitary confinement in jails and prisons in accordance with established public health functions (e.g., violence prevention, health equity, surveillance, and minimizing of occupational and psychological hazards for correctional staff). Public health professionals should lead efforts to replace reliance on this overly punitive correctional policy with models based on rehabilitation and restorative justice. PMID:25393185

  5. Numerical Simulation of Cylindrical Solitary Waves in Periodic Media

    KAUST Repository

    Quezada de Luna, Manuel; Ketcheson, David I.

    2013-01-01

    We study the behavior of nonlinear waves in a two-dimensional medium with density and stress relation that vary periodically in space. Efficient approximate Riemann solvers are developed for the corresponding variable-coefficient first-order hyperbolic system. We present direct numerical simulations of this multiscale problem, focused on the propagation of a single localized perturbation in media with strongly varying impedance. For the conditions studied, we find little evidence of shock formation. Instead, solutions consist primarily of solitary waves. These solitary waves are observed to be stable over long times and to interact in a manner approximately like solitons. The system considered has no dispersive terms; these solitary waves arise due to the material heterogeneity, which leads to strong reflections and effective dispersion.

  6. Numerical Simulation of Cylindrical Solitary Waves in Periodic Media

    KAUST Repository

    Quezada de Luna, Manuel

    2013-07-14

    We study the behavior of nonlinear waves in a two-dimensional medium with density and stress relation that vary periodically in space. Efficient approximate Riemann solvers are developed for the corresponding variable-coefficient first-order hyperbolic system. We present direct numerical simulations of this multiscale problem, focused on the propagation of a single localized perturbation in media with strongly varying impedance. For the conditions studied, we find little evidence of shock formation. Instead, solutions consist primarily of solitary waves. These solitary waves are observed to be stable over long times and to interact in a manner approximately like solitons. The system considered has no dispersive terms; these solitary waves arise due to the material heterogeneity, which leads to strong reflections and effective dispersion.

  7. Solitary plasmacytoma of the mandible - a rare entity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baad, Rajendra; Kapse, Sonam C; Rathod, Nanita; Sonawane, Kishor; Thete, Sanjay Gangadhar; Kumar, M Naveen

    2013-06-01

    Plasma cell dyscrasias (multiple myeloma, solitary plasmocytoma of bone and extra medullary plasmocytoma) are cha¬racterized by a monoclonal neoplastic proliferation of plasma cells of which Solitary plasmocytoma of bone (SPB) is a localized form. SPB is most frequently seen in vertebrae and secondarily in long bones. Its presence in jaws is extremely rare. The malignant plasma cells express monotypic cytoplasmic immunoglobulins and plasma cell-associated antigens, with an absence of immature B-cell antigens. Here we report a unique case of plasmacytoma in the right side of mandible, a chronology for diagnosis of the lesion is also reviewed along with clinical, radiographic, histopathological and immunohistochemical evidence. How to cite this article: Baad R, Kapse S C, Rathod N, Sonawane K, Thete S G, Naveen M K. Solitary Plasmacytoma of the Mandible - A Rare Entity. J Int Oral Health 2013; 5(3):97-101.

  8. Micropit: a new cell culturing approach for characterization of solitary astrocytes and small networks of these glial cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William Lee

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Astrocytes play an important role in cell-cell signaling in the mammalian central nervous system. The ability of astrocytes to communicate with surrounding cells through gap-junctional coupling or signaling via the release of transmitters makes characterization of these cells difficult in vitro and even more so in vivo. To simplify the complexity of common in vitro systems, introduced by intercellular communication between astrocytes, we developed a novel cell culturing method, in which purified rat visual cortical astrocytes were grown in spatially defined cell-adhesion wells which we termed micropits. We showed that astrocytes cultured in micropit regions were viable and exhibited similar characteristics of Ca2+ dynamics and astrocytic marker expression to those of cells cultured in non-micropit regions. Examination of intracellular Ca2+ oscillations in solitary astrocytes cultured in micropits revealed less variable oscillations than those of non-micropit grouped astrocytes, which were in contact with their neighbors. Solitary cells in micropit regions can undergo ATP-mediated astrocyte-microglia signaling, demonstrating that this culturing method can also be used to investigate glial-glial interactions in a spatially well-defined microenvironment.

  9. Controlling of the electromagnetic solitary waves generation in the wake of a two-color laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, K. Q.; Li, S. W.; Guo, L.; Yang, D.; Li, Z. C.; Zheng, C. Y.; Jiang, S. E.; Zhang, B. H.; He, X. T.

    2018-05-01

    Electromagnetic solitary waves generated by a two-color laser interaction with an underdense plasma are investigated. It is shown that, when the former wave packet of the two-color laser is intense enough, it will excite nonlinear wakefields and generate electron density cavities. The latter wave packets will beat with the nonlinear wakefield and generate both high-frequency and low-frequency components. When the peak density of the cavities exceeds the critical density of the low-frequency component, this part of the electromagnetic field will be trapped to generate electromagnetic solitary waves. By changing the laser and plasma parameters, we can control the wakefield generation, which will also control the generation of the solitary waves. One-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are performed to prove the controlling of the solitary waves. The simulation results also show that solitary waves generated by higher laser intensities will become moving solitary waves. The two-dimensional particle-in-cell also shows the generation of the solitary waves. In the two-dimensional case, solitary waves are distributed in the transverse directions because of the filamentation instability.

  10. Is percutaneous nephrolithotomy in solitary kidneys safe?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Kathie Alexina; Sahai, Arun; Patel, Amit; Thomas, Kay; Bultitude, Matthew; Glass, Jonathan

    2013-11-01

    To review our experience from a high volume stone center with a focus on efficacy, safety, and renal function. Stones requiring percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in patients with solitary kidneys can pose significant anxiety to the urologist. Limited data are available in published reports in this setting. A comprehensive retrospective review of medical records was performed on patients who underwent PCNL and had a solitary kidney or a single functioning renal unit. Data were collected on patient demographics, stone burden, outcomes, complications, and renal function. Of 378 PCNLs performed between January 2003 and September 2011, 22 were performed in 17 patients with a single functioning kidney. Three procedures were performed in a transplanted kidney. In those with solitary calculus, the longest mean length and stone surface area were 37 mm and 825 mm(2), respectively. Stone-free rate was 59%. Auxiliary procedures were required in 6 cases, resulting in a stone-free rate of 77%. Median inpatient stay was 4 days. Serum creatinine values improved from 144 to 126 umol/L before and after the procedure and mean estimated glomerular filtration rate improved similarly from 51 to 59 mls/minute, respectively. Blood transfusion was required in 1 patient, sepsis developed in 3, and 2 patients required a stent for obstruction. PCNL in solitary kidneys is safe with an acceptable complication rate if performed in a high volume center. Outcomes are good, although auxiliary procedures may be necessary. Renal function remains stable or improves after procedure. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Uterus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Po-Wei Chu

    2006-12-01

    Conclusion: The behavior of solitary fibrous tumors arising from the uterus is difficult to evaluate; therefore, complete surgical excision featuring clear margins and comprehensive follow-up is recommended.

  12. Juvenile Solitary Confinement as a Form of Child Abuse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Andrew B

    2017-09-01

    Placing incarcerated juveniles into solitary confinement continues to occur in certain states of the United States, despite the accumulating evidence that it may cause substantial psychological damage to the teenagers who must endure it. The practice has been widely condemned by professional and human rights organizations, amid a growing appreciation of the immaturity and vulnerability of the adolescent brain. Although several states and the federal government have been successful in abolishing or dramatically reducing the use of juvenile solitary confinement, it remains common practice in many facilities. Clinicians working in correctional facilities where juvenile solitary confinement is employed are therefore faced with difficult questions of ethics, as to how best to balance their competing duties, and how to respond to such state-sanctioned ill treatment of their patients. Given the emerging consensus around the psychological damage wrought by sustained solitary confinement, clinicians may well reach the difficult conclusion that they are both legally mandated and ethically bound to file a report of suspected child abuse. Such a report would be unlikely to be investigated for administrative reasons, but it would allow clinicians to communicate the gravity of their concern effectively. © 2017 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

  13. Simulating mechanisms for dispersal, production and stranding of small forage fish in temporary wetland habitats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yurek, Simeon; DeAngelis, Donald L.; Trexler, Joel C.; Jopp, Fred; Donalson, Douglas D.

    2013-01-01

    Movement strategies of small forage fish (wetland habitats affect their overall population growth and biomass concentrations, i.e., availability to predators. These fish are often the key energy link between primary producers and top predators, such as wading birds, which require high concentrations of stranded fish in accessible depths. Expansion and contraction of seasonal wetlands induce a sequential alternation between rapid biomass growth and concentration, creating the conditions for local stranding of small fish as they move in response to varying water levels. To better understand how landscape topography, hydrology, and fish behavior interact to create high densities of stranded fish, we first simulated population dynamics of small fish, within a dynamic food web, with different traits for movement strategy and growth rate, across an artificial, spatially explicit, heterogeneous, two-dimensional marsh slough landscape, using hydrologic variability as the driver for movement. Model output showed that fish with the highest tendency to invade newly flooded marsh areas built up the largest populations over long time periods with stable hydrologic patterns. A higher probability to become stranded had negative effects on long-term population size, and offset the contribution of that species to stranded biomass. The model was next applied to the topography of a 10 km × 10 km area of Everglades landscape. The details of the topography were highly important in channeling fish movements and creating spatiotemporal patterns of fish movement and stranding. This output provides data that can be compared in the future with observed locations of fish biomass concentrations, or such surrogates as phosphorus ‘hotspots’ in the marsh.

  14. Solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma of the sinonasal region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazarika, Produl; Balakrishnan, R; Singh, Rohit; Pujary, Kailesh; Aziz, Benazim

    2011-07-01

    Less than 10% of the patients with plasma cell neoplasms present with a solitary plasmacytoma. Though the nasal cavity is a common extramedullary site, the occurrence is extremely rare. Two cases of solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma of the sinonasal region are reported. The first of which is sinonasal plasmacytoma with concomitant HIV, an association that has been reported rarely in literature to date and is matter of much debate. In the second case report, we present an instance of surgical excision of the tumor using KTP 532 laser. The diagnosis was established using immunohistochemical techniques and multiple myeloma workups were negative in all cases.

  15. Thermal ecology of gregarious and solitary nettle-feeding nymphalid butterfly larvae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryant, S R; Thomas, C D; Bale, J S

    2000-01-01

    Group-living in animal populations has many possible ecological and evolutionary explanations, including predator evasion and feeding facilitation. In insects, the thermal balance of solitary and gregarious larvae is likely to differ and may thus have important ecological consequences. The abilities of the larvae of four species of nettle-feeding nymphalid butterflies to thermoregulate were quantified in the field. Larval surface body temperatures of the gregarious Aglais urticae (small tortoiseshell) and Inachis io (peacock) and the solitary Polygonia c-album (comma) and Vanessa atalanta (red admiral) were measured for each instar, in both sunny and overcast conditions, over a seasonal range of temperatures. The results suggested two distinct larval thermal strategies. In the presence of direct sunlight, the exposed gregarious larvae of A. urticae and I. io regulated body temperatures at 32.5 and 31.5°C, respectively, while the temperatures of concealed larvae of P. c-album and V. atalanta were largely dependent on ambient temperatures. In the sun, the range of body temperatures recorded for A. urticae and I. io larvae was fairly narrow relative to ambient temperatures. This suggests a high degree of thermal control in these species. Modal body temperatures coincided with the temperature at which development rate is maximal. Regardless of whether changes in thermoregulation are a cause or consequence of the evolution of gregariousness, the combination of behavioural thermoregulation and gregariousness in larval insects has important implications for voltinism patterns and range extension (via increased development rates). Distributional responses of gregarious and solitary larvae to climatic warming may differ as a result of changes in cloud cover as well as changes in temperature.

  16. Quitting time: When do honey bee foragers decide to stop foraging on natural resources?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael eRivera

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Honey bee foragers may use both personal and social information when making decisions about when to visit resources. In particular, foragers may stop foraging at resources when their own experience indicates declining resource quality, or when social information, namely the delay to being able to unload nectar to receiver bees, indicates that the colony has little need for the particular resource being collected. Here we test the relative importance of these two factors in a natural setting, where colonies are using many dynamically changing resources. We recorded detailed foraging histories of individually marked bees, and identified when they appeared to abandon any resources (such as flower patches that they had previously been collecting from consistently. As in previous studies, we recorded duration of trophallaxis events (unloading nectar to receiver bees as a proxy for resource quality and the delays before returning foragers started trophallaxis as a proxy for social need for the resource. If these proxy measures accurately reflect changes in resource quality and social need, they should predict whether bees continue foraging or not. However, neither factor predicted when individuals stopped foraging on a particular resource, nor did they explain changes in colony-level foraging activity. This may indicate that other, as yet unstudied processes also affect individual decisions to abandon particular resources.

  17. Do bigger bats need more time to forage?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CEL. Esbérard

    Full Text Available We test the hypothesis is that bats using the same area and at the same time would be using similar preys, but they would have different foraging times due to specific differences in biomass. A total of 730 captures was analyzed 13 species of Vespertilionidae and Molossidae bats netted over a small dam in southeastern Brazil from 1993 and 1999. The relationship between the average time of captures and the biomass of the species of Vespertilinidae and Molossidae most frequent (captures > 4 was positive and significant (r = 0.83, p = 0.022, N = 7. Two lines are discussed to answer the longer foraging time for bigger bats: 1 larger insectivorous bats don't consume proportionally larger preys and 2 larger insects are less available.

  18. Solitary Secondary Malignant Melanoma of Clavicle Two Years after Enuclation for Ocular Melanoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Halil Tozum

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Solitary metastasis of uveal melanoma to bone is extremely rare and usually associated with other organ involvement. We present a rare case of an ocular melanoma patient presenting with solitary metastasis to the clavicle two years after enucleation, without any other organ involvement. In this report, we tried to present our treatment strategy for the solitary metastasis of bone.

  19. Hybrid value foraging: How the value of targets shapes human foraging behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolfe, Jeremy M; Cain, Matthew S; Alaoui-Soce, Abla

    2018-04-01

    In hybrid foraging, observers search visual displays for multiple instances of multiple target types. In previous hybrid foraging experiments, although there were multiple types of target, all instances of all targets had the same value. Under such conditions, behavior was well described by the marginal value theorem (MVT). Foragers left the current "patch" for the next patch when the instantaneous rate of collection dropped below their average rate of collection. An observer's specific target selections were shaped by previous target selections. Observers were biased toward picking another instance of the same target. In the present work, observers forage for instances of four target types whose value and prevalence can vary. If value is kept constant and prevalence manipulated, participants consistently show a preference for the most common targets. Patch-leaving behavior follows MVT. When value is manipulated, observers favor more valuable targets, though individual foraging strategies become more diverse, with some observers favoring the most valuable target types very strongly, sometimes moving to the next patch without collecting any of the less valuable targets.

  20. Starvation dynamics of a greedy forager

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhat, U.; Redner, S.; Bénichou, O.

    2017-07-01

    We investigate the dynamics of a greedy forager that moves by random walking in an environment where each site initially contains one unit of food. Upon encountering a food-containing site, the forager eats all the food there and can subsequently hop an additional S steps without food before starving to death. Upon encountering an empty site, the forager goes hungry and comes one time unit closer to starvation. We investigate the new feature of forager greed; if the forager has a choice between hopping to an empty site or to a food-containing site in its nearest neighborhood, it hops preferentially towards food. If the neighboring sites all contain food or are all empty, the forager hops equiprobably to one of these neighbors. Paradoxically, the lifetime of the forager can depend non-monotonically on greed, and the sense of the non-monotonicity is opposite in one and two dimensions. Even more unexpectedly, the forager lifetime in one dimension is substantially enhanced when the greed is negative; here the forager tends to avoid food in its local neighborhood. We also determine the average amount of food consumed at the instant when the forager starves. We present analytic, heuristic, and numerical results to elucidate these intriguing phenomena.

  1. New Developments in Forage Varieties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forage crops harvested for hay or haylage or grazed support dairy, beef, sheep and horse production. Additional livestock production from reduced forage acreage supports the need for forage variety improvement. The Consortium for Alfalfa Improvement is a partnership model of government, private no...

  2. Relativistic solitary waves modulating long laser pulses in plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez-Arriaga, G; Siminos, E; Lefebvre, E

    2011-01-01

    This paper discusses the existence of solitary electromagnetic waves trapped in a self-generated Langmuir wave and embedded in an infinitely long circularly polarized electromagnetic wave propagating through a plasma. From a mathematical point of view they are exact solutions of the one-dimensional relativistic cold fluid plasma model with nonvanishing boundary conditions. Under the assumption of travelling wave solutions with velocity V and vector potential frequency ω, the fluid model is reduced to a Hamiltonian system. The solitary waves are homoclinic (grey solitons) or heteroclinic (dark solitons) orbits to fixed points. Using a dynamical systems description of the Hamiltonian system and a spectral method, we identify a large variety of solitary waves, including asymmetric ones, discuss their disappearance for certain parameter values and classify them according to (i) grey or dark character, (ii) the number of humps of the vector potential envelope and (iii) their symmetries. The solutions come in continuous families in the parametric V-ω plane and extend up to velocities that approach the speed of light. The stability of certain types of grey solitary waves is investigated with the aid of particle-in-cell simulations that demonstrate their propagation for a few tens of the inverse of the plasma frequency.

  3. Case report 437: Solitary (unicameral, simple) bone cyst of the scapula

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruggieri, P.; Biagnini, M.

    1987-01-01

    A case has been presented of an expanding, aggressive bone cyst in the scapula of an 11-year-old girl. The lesion had the appearance of a highly aggressive, cyst-like disorder that appeared to be benign. Biopsy and histological preparation confirmed the presence of a solitary bone cyst. The clinical, radiological, and pathological criteria associated with a solitary bone cyst, particularly in the scapula, were discussed and the literature was reviewed. The differential diagnosis was stressed and a number of examples of scapular lesions was presented radiologically, particularly lesions that might be confused with solitary bone cyst. (orig./SHA)

  4. Case report 437: Solitary (unicameral, simple) bone cyst of the scapula

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruggieri, P.; Biagnini, M.; Picci, P.

    1987-08-01

    A case has been presented of an expanding, aggressive bone cyst in the scapula of an 11-year-old girl. The lesion had the appearance of a highly aggressive, cyst-like disorder that appeared to be benign. Biopsy and histological preparation confirmed the presence of a solitary bone cyst. The clinical, radiological, and pathological criteria associated with a solitary bone cyst, particularly in the scapula, were discussed and the literature was reviewed. The differential diagnosis was stressed and a number of examples of scapular lesions was presented radiologically, particularly lesions that might be confused with solitary bone cyst. (orig./SHA).

  5. A case of congenital solitary Langerhans cell histiocytoma.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Ricciardo, Bernadette

    2012-02-01

    A newborn baby boy was referred to the Paediatric Dermatology Unit with a solitary asymptomatic nodule overlying his right nasolabial fold. Complete physical examination, full blood count, serum chemistry, liver function tests and baseline imaging were unremarkable. Histopathological examination showed an atypical dermal infiltrate of mononuclear cells that stained positive with CD1a and S100. A diagnosis of congenital solitary Langerhans cell histiocytoma was made. The lesion completely resolved by 4 months of age. The baby is now 15 months old and repeat systemic evaluation has remained normal.

  6. Solitary paraganglioma of the hypoglossal nerve: case report.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Raza, Kazim

    2011-04-01

    BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: We report the case history of solitary hypoglossal paraganglioma in a 64-year-old woman. The surgical difficulties encountered in the removal of this challenging tumor are discussed and as a literature review provided. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 64-year-old woman presented with a short history of dysphonia, occasional dysphagia, tinnitus, altered taste, and unilateral left-sided tongue wasting. On examination, there was left lower motor hypoglossal paralysis. Imaging showed a discrete enhancing lobulated mass, measuring 2 × 2 cm, in the region of the hypoglossal nerve extending into the hypoglossal canal suggestive of hypoglossal paraganglioma. A left dorsolateral suboccipital craniotomy was performed with the patient in the sitting position. The hypoglossal nerve appeared to be enlarged, and the jugular foramen was normal. Complete surgical debulking of the tumor was not attempted because of its vascular nature. The nerve was decompressed, and neuropathology confirmed a low-grade paraganglioma arising from the hypoglossal nerve. The patient was scheduled to receive stereotactic radiation for further management. CONCLUSION: When a case of solitary hypoglossal paraganglioma is encountered in clinical practice, the aim of management should be mainly focused on achieving a diagnosis and preserving the hypoglossal nerve function. If there is evidence of vascularity in the lesion noted on magnetic resonance imaging, a preoperative angiogram should be obtained with a view for embolization. We decompressed the hypoglossal canal and achieved good improvement in the patient\\'s symptoms. We recommend stereotactic radiosurgery for remnant and small hypoglossal tumors and regular follow-up with magnetic resonance imaging scans.

  7. Solitary paraganglioma of the hypoglossal nerve: case report.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Raza, Kazim

    2012-02-01

    BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: We report the case history of solitary hypoglossal paraganglioma in a 64-year-old woman. The surgical difficulties encountered in the removal of this challenging tumor are discussed and as a literature review provided. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 64-year-old woman presented with a short history of dysphonia, occasional dysphagia, tinnitus, altered taste, and unilateral left-sided tongue wasting. On examination, there was left lower motor hypoglossal paralysis. Imaging showed a discrete enhancing lobulated mass, measuring 2 x 2 cm, in the region of the hypoglossal nerve extending into the hypoglossal canal suggestive of hypoglossal paraganglioma. A left dorsolateral suboccipital craniotomy was performed with the patient in the sitting position. The hypoglossal nerve appeared to be enlarged, and the jugular foramen was normal. Complete surgical debulking of the tumor was not attempted because of its vascular nature. The nerve was decompressed, and neuropathology confirmed a low-grade paraganglioma arising from the hypoglossal nerve. The patient was scheduled to receive stereotactic radiation for further management. CONCLUSION: When a case of solitary hypoglossal paraganglioma is encountered in clinical practice, the aim of management should be mainly focused on achieving a diagnosis and preserving the hypoglossal nerve function. If there is evidence of vascularity in the lesion noted on magnetic resonance imaging, a preoperative angiogram should be obtained with a view for embolization. We decompressed the hypoglossal canal and achieved good improvement in the patient\\'s symptoms. We recommend stereotactic radiosurgery for remnant and small hypoglossal tumors and regular follow-up with magnetic resonance imaging scans.

  8. Radiotherapy in the treatment of solitary plasmacytoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jyothirmayi, R; Gangadharan, V P; Nair, M K; Rajan, B

    1997-05-01

    Solitary plasmacytoma of bone (SPB) and extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) are rare. High local control rates are reported with radiotherapy, although the optimal dose and extent of radiotherapy portals remains controversial. Between 1983 and 1993, 30 patients with solitary plasmacytoma were seen at the Regional Cancer Centre, Trivandrum, India. 23 patients had SPB and seven EMP. The mean age was 52 years and the male to female ratio 3.2:1. Diagnosis of SPB was confirmed by biopsy in 16 patients and tumour excision in seven. 20 patients received megavoltage radiotherapy to the bone lesion with limited margins, and one received chemotherapy. Two patients who underwent complete tumour excision received no further treatment. All seven patients with EMP received megavoltage radiotherapy, four following biopsy and three after tumour excision. Local control was achieved in all patients with SPB. Nine progressed to multiple myeloma and one developed a solitary plasmacytoma in another bone. Six patients with EMP achieved local control. Three later progressed to multiple myeloma and one had local relapse. Median time to relapse was 28 months in SPB and 30 months in EMP. 5-year overall survival rates were 82% and 57% for patients with SPB and EMP, respectively. The corresponding progression free survival rates were 55% and 50%, respectively. Age, sex, site of tumour, serum M protein and haemoglobin levels did not significantly influence progression free survival. The extent of surgery, radiotherapy dose or time to relapse were not significant prognostic factors. Radiotherapy appears to be an effective modality of treatment of solitary plasmacytoma. No dose-response relationship is observed, and high local control rates are achieved with limited portals. Progression to multiple myeloma is the commonest pattern of failure, although no prognostic factors for progression are identified. The role of chemotherapy in preventing disease progression needs further evaluation.

  9. Forage quantity and quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jorgenson, Janet C.; Udevitz, Mark S.; Felix, Nancy A.; Douglas, David C.; Reynolds, Patricia E.; Rhode, E.B.

    2002-01-01

    The Porcupine caribou herd has traditionally used the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, for calving. Availability of nutritious forage has been hypothesized as one of the reasons the Porcupine caribou herd migrates hundreds of kilometers to reach the coastal plain for calving (Kuropat and Bryant 1980, Russell et al. 1993).Forage quantity and quality and the chronology of snowmelt (which determines availability and phenological stages of forage) have been suggested as important habitat attributes that lead calving caribou to select one area over another (Lent 1980, White and Trudell 1980, Eastland et al. 1989). A major question when considering the impact of petroleum development is whether potential displacement of the caribou from the 1002 Area to alternate calving habitat will limit access to high quantity and quality forage.Our study had the following objectives: 1) quantify snowmelt patterns by area; 2) quantify relationships among phenology, biomass, and nutrient content of principal forage species by vegetation type; and 3) determine if traditional concentrated calving areas differ from adjacent areas with lower calving densities in terms of vegetation characteristics.

  10. On the generation of solitary waves observed by Cluster in the near-Earth magnetosheath

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. S. Pickett

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Through case studies involving Cluster waveform observations, solitary waves in the form of bipolar and tripolar pulses have recently been found to be quite abundant in the near-Earth dayside magnetosheath. We expand on the results of those previous studies by examining the distribution of solitary waves from the bow shock to the magnetopause using Cluster waveform data. Cluster's orbit allows for the measurement of solitary waves in the magnetosheath from about 10 RE to 19.5 RE. Our results clearly show that within the magnetosheath, solitary waves are likely to be observed at any distance from the bow shock and that this distance has no dependence on the time durations and amplitudes of the solitary waves. In addition we have found that these same two quantities show no dependence on either the ion velocity or the angle between the ion velocity and the local magnetic field direction. These results point to the conclusion that the solitary waves are probably created locally in the magnetosheath at multiple locations, and that the generation mechanism is most likely not solely related to ion dynamics, if at all. To gain insight into a possible local generation mechanism, we have examined the electron differential energy flux characteristics parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field, as well as the local electron plasma and cyclotron frequencies and the type of bow shock that Cluster is behind, for several time intervals where solitary waves were observed in the magnetosheath. We have found that solitary waves are most likely to be observed when there are counterstreaming (~parallel and anti-parallel to the magnetic field electrons at or below about 100eV. However, there are times when these counterstreaming electrons are present when solitary waves are not. During these times the background magnetic field strength is usually very low (<10nT, implying that the amplitudes of the solitary waves, if present, would be near or below those of

  11. Ulcerative giant solitary trichoepithelioma of scalp: a rare presentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sundeep Chowdhry

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Trichoepithelioma is a trichogenic tumor which arises from the inferior segment of hair follicle epithelium as hamartoma. Giant solitary trichoepithelioma (GST has been defined as a solitary trichoepithelioma with a diameter greater than 2 cm. A 49-year-old female presented with a slow growing skin coloured swelling on the scalp of 8 years duration with recent history of ulceration and occasional bleeding. The local examination revealed a single well defined nodular swelling which was irregular in shape measuring approximately 2 × 2.5 cm. Histopathology from biopsy specimen revealed dark basaloid cells with scanty cytoplasm and darkly stained nucleus arranged in nests with horn cysts lacking high-grade atypia and mitosis, which was consistent with features of trichoepithelioma. Giant solitary trichoepithelioma of scalp is itself a rare entity and the present case is being reported with the additional component of ulceration in the lesion.

  12. Optimal Foraging in Semantic Memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hills, Thomas T.; Jones, Michael N.; Todd, Peter M.

    2012-01-01

    Do humans search in memory using dynamic local-to-global search strategies similar to those that animals use to forage between patches in space? If so, do their dynamic memory search policies correspond to optimal foraging strategies seen for spatial foraging? Results from a number of fields suggest these possibilities, including the shared…

  13. Intrinsic electromagnetic solitary vortices in magnetized plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, J.; Horton, W.

    1986-01-01

    Several Rossby type vortex solutions constructed for electromagnetic perturbations in magnetized plasma encounter the difficulty that the perturbed magnetic field and the parallel current are not continuous on the boundary between two regions. We find that fourth order differential equations must be solved to remove this discontinuity. Special solutions for two types of boundary value problems for the fourth order partial differential equations are presented. By applying these solutions to different nonlinear equations in magnetized plasma, the intrinsic electromagnetic solitary drift-Alfven vortex (along with solitary Alfven vortex) and the intrinsic electromagnetic solitary electron vortex (along with short-wavelength drift vortex) are constructed. While still keeping a localized dipole structure, these new vortices have more complicated radial structures in the inner and outer regions than the usual Rossby wave vortex. The new type of vortices guarantees the continuity of the perturbed magnetic field deltaB/sub perpendicular/ and the parallel current j/sub parallel/ on the boundary between inner and outer regions of the vortex. The allowed regions of propagation speeds for these vortices are analyzed, and we find that the complementary relation between the vortex propagating speeds and the corresponding phase velocities of the linear modes no longer exists

  14. Clinical and radiographic features of solitary and cemento-osseous dysplasia-associated simple bone cysts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chadwick, J W; Alsufyani, N A; Lam, E W N

    2011-05-01

    The simple bone cyst (SBC) is a pseudocyst that can occur as a solitary entity in the jaws or may occur in association with cemento-osseous dysplasia (COD). The purpose of this study was to review the clinical and radiographic features of solitary and COD-associated SBCs. Archived imaging reports from the Special Procedures Clinic in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology at the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Toronto between 1 January 1989 and 31 December 2009 revealed 23 COD-associated SBCs and 68 solitary SBCs. Almost all solitary and COD-associated SBCs were found in the mandible. Furthermore, 87.0% of COD-associated SBCs were found in females in their fifth decade of life (P < 0.001) while solitary SBCs were found in equal numbers in both sexes in their second decade of life (P < 0.005). COD-associated SBCs were also more likely to cause thinning of the endosteal cortex, bone expansion and scalloping of the superior border between teeth (all P < 0.001) than solitary SBCs that are classically described as having these characteristics. Finally, COD-associated SBC demonstrated a loss of lamina dura more often (P < 0.05) than solitary SBCs. Knowledge of the sporadic association between COD and SBC and their potential radiographic appearances should prevent inappropriate treatment and management of these patients.

  15. Cross Sectional Imaging of Solitary Lesions of the Neurocranium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schäfer, Max-Ludwig; Koch, Arend; Streitparth, Florian; Wiener, Edzard

    2017-12-01

    Background  Although a wide range of processes along the neurocranium are of a benign nature, there are often difficulties in the differential diagnosis. Method  In the review CT/MRI scans of the head were evaluated retrospectively regarding solitary lesions along the neurocranium. The majority of the lesions were histologically proven. Results  The purpose of the review is to present typical pathologies of the neurocranium and provide a systematic overview based on 12 entities, their locations, prevalence and radiological characteristics. Conclusion  Processes, which primarily originate from the neurocranium have to be differentiated from secondary processes infiltrating the neurocranium. For this important diagnostic feature, MRI is typically essential, while the definitive diagnosis is often made on the basis of the medical history and the typical appearance on computer tomography. Key Points   · There are often difficulties in the precise differential diagnosis of solitary lesions along the neurocranium. Typical solitary pathologies of the neurocranium based on 12 entities were presented. Both magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography are often essential for an exact differential diagnosis.. Citation Format · Schäfer M, Koch A, Streitparth F et al. Cross Sectional Diagnosis of Solitary Lesions of the Neurocranium. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2017; 189: 1135 - 1144. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  16. Motions in a Bose condensate: X. New results on the stability of axisymmetric solitary waves of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berloff, Natalia G; Roberts, Paul H

    2004-01-01

    The stability of the axisymmetric solitary waves of the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation is investigated. The implicitly restarted Arnoldi method for banded matrices with shift-invert is used to solve the linearized spectral stability problem. The rarefaction solitary waves on the upper branch of the Jones-Roberts dispersion curve are shown to be unstable to axisymmetric infinitesimal perturbations, whereas the solitary waves on the lower branch and all two-dimensional solitary waves are linearly stable. The growth rates of the instabilities on the upper branch are so small that an arbitrarily specified initial perturbation of a rarefaction wave at first usually evolves towards the upper branch as it acoustically radiates away its excess energy. This is demonstrated through numerical integrations of the GP equation starting from an initial state consisting of an unstable rarefaction wave and random non-axisymmetric noise. The resulting solution evolves towards, and remains for a significant time in the vicinity of, an unperturbed unstable rarefaction wave. It is shown however that, ultimately (or for an initial state extremely close to the upper branch), the solution evolves onto the lower branch or is completely dissipated as sound. It is shown how density depletions in uniform and trapped condensates can generate rarefaction waves, and a simple method is suggested by which such waves can be created in the laboratory

  17. Motions in a Bose condensate: X. New results on the stability of axisymmetric solitary waves of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berloff, Natalia G [Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 0WA (United Kingdom); Roberts, Paul H [Department of Mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095 (United States)

    2004-11-26

    The stability of the axisymmetric solitary waves of the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation is investigated. The implicitly restarted Arnoldi method for banded matrices with shift-invert is used to solve the linearized spectral stability problem. The rarefaction solitary waves on the upper branch of the Jones-Roberts dispersion curve are shown to be unstable to axisymmetric infinitesimal perturbations, whereas the solitary waves on the lower branch and all two-dimensional solitary waves are linearly stable. The growth rates of the instabilities on the upper branch are so small that an arbitrarily specified initial perturbation of a rarefaction wave at first usually evolves towards the upper branch as it acoustically radiates away its excess energy. This is demonstrated through numerical integrations of the GP equation starting from an initial state consisting of an unstable rarefaction wave and random non-axisymmetric noise. The resulting solution evolves towards, and remains for a significant time in the vicinity of, an unperturbed unstable rarefaction wave. It is shown however that, ultimately (or for an initial state extremely close to the upper branch), the solution evolves onto the lower branch or is completely dissipated as sound. It is shown how density depletions in uniform and trapped condensates can generate rarefaction waves, and a simple method is suggested by which such waves can be created in the laboratory.

  18. Environmental variability drives shifts in the foraging behaviour and reproductive success of an inshore seabird.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kowalczyk, Nicole D; Reina, Richard D; Preston, Tiana J; Chiaradia, André

    2015-08-01

    Marine animals forage in areas that aggregate prey to maximize their energy intake. However, these foraging 'hot spots' experience environmental variability, which can substantially alter prey availability. To survive and reproduce animals need to modify their foraging in response to these prey shifts. By monitoring their inter-annual foraging behaviours, we can understand which environmental variables affect their foraging efficiency, and can assess how they respond to environmental variability. Here, we monitored the foraging behaviour and isotopic niche of little penguins (Eudyptula minor), over 3 years (2008, 2011, and 2012) of climatic and prey variability within Port Phillip Bay, Australia. During drought (2008), penguins foraged in close proximity to the Yarra River outlet on a predominantly anchovy-based diet. In periods of heavy rainfall, when water depth in the largest tributary into the bay (Yarra River) was high, the total distance travelled, maximum distance travelled, distance to core-range, and size of core- and home-ranges of penguins increased significantly. This larger foraging range was associated with broad dietary diversity and high reproductive success. These results suggest the increased foraging range and dietary diversity of penguins were a means to maximize resource acquisition rather than a strategy to overcome local depletions in prey. Our results demonstrate the significance of the Yarra River in structuring predator-prey interactions in this enclosed bay, as well as the flexible foraging strategies of penguins in response to environmental variability. This plasticity is central to the survival of this small-ranging, resident seabird species.

  19. Forage production in mixed grazing systems of elephant grass with arrowleaf clover or forage peanut

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daiane Cristine Seibt

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Most dairy production systems are pasture-based, usually consisting of sole grass species. This system facilitates pasture management, but results in high production costs, mainly because of nitrogen fertilizers. An alternative to making forage systems more sustainable is to introduce legumes into the pasture. Mixed pastures allow better forage distribution over time and reduce fertilization costs. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate, throughout the year, three forage systems (FS: FS1 (control - elephant grass (EG, ryegrass (RG, and spontaneous species (SS; FS2 - EG + RG + SS + arrowleaf clover; and FS3 - EG + RG + SS + forage peanut. Elephant grass was planted in rows spaced 4 m apart. Ryegrass was sown between the EG lines, in the winter. Arrowleaf clover was sown according to the respective treatments and forage peanut was preserved. Evaluation was carried out using Holstein cows. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design, with three treatments (FS, and three repetitions (paddocks with repeated measurements (grazing cycles. Forage mass achieved 3.46, 3.80, and 3.91 t ha-1 for the treatments FS1, FS2 and FS3, respectively. The forage systems intercropped with legumes produced the best results.

  20. Sympatric cattle grazing and desert bighorn sheep foraging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garrison, Kyle R.; Cain, James W.; Rominger, Eric M.; Goldstein, Elise J.

    2015-01-01

    Foraging behavior affects animal fitness and is largely dictated by the resources available to an animal. Understanding factors that affect forage resources is important for conservation and management of wildlife. Cattle sympatry is proposed to limit desert bighorn population performance, but few studies have quantified the effect of cattle foraging on bighorn forage resources or foraging behavior by desert bighorn. We estimated forage biomass for desert bighorn sheep in 2 mountain ranges: the cattle-grazed Caballo Mountains and the ungrazed San Andres Mountains, New Mexico. We recorded foraging bout efficiency of adult females by recording feeding time/step while foraging, and activity budgets of 3 age-sex classes (i.e., adult males, adult females, yearlings). We also estimated forage biomass at sites where bighorn were observed foraging. We expected lower forage biomass in the cattle-grazed Caballo range than in the ungrazed San Andres range and lower biomass at cattle-accessible versus inaccessible areas within the Caballo range. We predicted bighorn would be less efficient foragers in the Caballo range. Groundcover forage biomass was low in both ranges throughout the study (Jun 2012–Nov 2013). Browse biomass, however, was 4.7 times lower in the Caballo range versus the San Andres range. Bighorn in the Caballo range exhibited greater overall daily travel time, presumably to locate areas of higher forage abundance. By selecting areas with greater forage abundance, adult females in the Caballo range exhibited foraging bout efficiency similar to their San Andres counterparts but lower overall daily browsing time. We did not find a significant reduction in forage biomass at cattle-accessible areas in the Caballo range. Only the most rugged areas in the Caballo range had abundant forage, potentially a result of intensive historical livestock use in less rugged areas. Forage conditions in the Caballo range apparently force bighorn to increase foraging effort by

  1. LivestockPlus: Forages, sustainable intensification, and food security in the tropics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rudel, Thomas K; Paul, Birthe; White, Douglas; Rao, I M; Van Der Hoek, Rein; Castro, Aracely; Boval, Maryline; Lerner, Amy; Schneider, Laura; Peters, Michael

    2015-11-01

    The increased use of grain-based feed for livestock during the last two decades has contributed, along with other factors, to a rise in grain prices that has reduced human food security. This circumstance argues for feeding more forages to livestock, particularly in the tropics where many livestock are reared on small farms. Efforts to accomplish this end, referred to as the 'LivestockPlus' approach, intensify in sustainable ways the management of grasses, shrubs, trees, and animals. By decoupling the human food and livestock feed systems, these efforts would increase the resilience of the global food system. Effective LivestockPlus approaches take one of two forms: (1) simple improvements such as new forage varieties and animal management practices that spread from farmer to farmer by word of mouth, or (2) complex sets of new practices that integrate forage production more closely into farms' other agricultural activities and agro-ecologies.

  2. Differential expression of estrogen receptor α and β isoforms in multiple and solitary leiomyomas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shao, Ruyue; Fang, Liaoqiong; Xing, Ruoxi; Xiong, Yu; Fang, Liaoqiong; Wang, Zhibiao

    2015-01-01

    Uterine leiomyomas are benign myometrial neoplasms that function as one of the common indications for hysterectomy. Clinical and biological evidences indicate that uterine leiomyomas are estrogen-dependent. Estrogen stimulates cell proliferation through binding to the estrogen receptor (ER), of which both subtypes α and β are present in leiomyomas. Clinically, leiomyomas may be singular or multiple, where the first one is rarely recurring if removed and the latter associated to a relatively young age or genetic predisposition. These markedly different clinical phenotypes indicate that there may different mechanism causing a similar smooth muscle response. To investigate the relative expression of ERα and ERβ in multiple and solitary uterine leiomyomas, we collected samples from 35 Chinese women (multiple leiomyomas n = 20, solitary leiomyoma n = 15) undergoing surgery to remove uterine leiomyomas. ELISA assay was performed to detect estrogen(E_2) concentration. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis was performed to detect ERα and ERβ mRNA expression. Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis were performed to detect ERα and ERβ protein expression. We found that ERα mRNA and protein levels of in multiple leiomyomas were significantly lower than those of solitary leiomyomas, whereas ERβ mRNA and protein levels in multiple leiomyomas were significantly higher than those in solitary leiomyomas, irrespectively of the menstrual cycle stage. In both multiple and solitary leiomyomas, ERα expression was higher than that of ERβ. E_2 concentration in multiple and solitary leiomyomas correlated with that of ERα expression. ERα was present in nuclus and cytoplasma while estrogen receptor β localized only in nuclei in both multiple and solitary leiomyomas. Our findings suggest that the difference of ERα and ERβ expression between multiple and solitary leiomyomas may be responsible for the course of the disease subtypes. - Highlights: • In both multiple

  3. Differential expression of estrogen receptor α and β isoforms in multiple and solitary leiomyomas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shao, Ruyue; Fang, Liaoqiong [State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Engineering in Medicine Co-Founded by Chongqing and The Ministry of Science and Technology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Xing, Ruoxi [Institute of Life Science, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Xiong, Yu [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chongqing Hifu Hospital, Chongqing 401121 (China); Fang, Liaoqiong, E-mail: lqfang06@163.com [State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Engineering in Medicine Co-Founded by Chongqing and The Ministry of Science and Technology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Wang, Zhibiao, E-mail: wangzb@cqmu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Engineering in Medicine Co-Founded by Chongqing and The Ministry of Science and Technology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China)

    2015-12-04

    Uterine leiomyomas are benign myometrial neoplasms that function as one of the common indications for hysterectomy. Clinical and biological evidences indicate that uterine leiomyomas are estrogen-dependent. Estrogen stimulates cell proliferation through binding to the estrogen receptor (ER), of which both subtypes α and β are present in leiomyomas. Clinically, leiomyomas may be singular or multiple, where the first one is rarely recurring if removed and the latter associated to a relatively young age or genetic predisposition. These markedly different clinical phenotypes indicate that there may different mechanism causing a similar smooth muscle response. To investigate the relative expression of ERα and ERβ in multiple and solitary uterine leiomyomas, we collected samples from 35 Chinese women (multiple leiomyomas n = 20, solitary leiomyoma n = 15) undergoing surgery to remove uterine leiomyomas. ELISA assay was performed to detect estrogen(E{sub 2}) concentration. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis was performed to detect ERα and ERβ mRNA expression. Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis were performed to detect ERα and ERβ protein expression. We found that ERα mRNA and protein levels of in multiple leiomyomas were significantly lower than those of solitary leiomyomas, whereas ERβ mRNA and protein levels in multiple leiomyomas were significantly higher than those in solitary leiomyomas, irrespectively of the menstrual cycle stage. In both multiple and solitary leiomyomas, ERα expression was higher than that of ERβ. E{sub 2} concentration in multiple and solitary leiomyomas correlated with that of ERα expression. ERα was present in nuclus and cytoplasma while estrogen receptor β localized only in nuclei in both multiple and solitary leiomyomas. Our findings suggest that the difference of ERα and ERβ expression between multiple and solitary leiomyomas may be responsible for the course of the disease subtypes. - Highlights: • In both

  4. Risk factors for renal injury in children with a solitary functioning kidney.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Westland, R.; Kurvers, R.A.; Wijk, J.A. van; Schreuder, M.F.

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: The hyperfiltration hypothesis implies that children with a solitary functioning kidney are at risk to develop hypertension, proteinuria, and chronic kidney disease. We sought to determine the presenting age of renal injury and identify risk factors for children with a solitary

  5. Foraging ecology as related to the distribution of planktivorous auklets in the Bering Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, George L.; Harrison, Nancy M.; Piatt, John F.

    1993-01-01

    We review recent accounts of the foraging ecologies of  five species of small auklets found in the Bering Sea. These birds eat a wide variety of zooplankton and micronekton. Least Auklets Aethia pusilla and Whiskered Auklets A. pygmaea, as far as is known, primarily eat copepods, whereas Created Auklets A. cristatella appear to specialize on euphausiids, at least during the breeding season. The diet of Parakeet Auklets Cyclorrhynchus psittacula is much broader than that of most other Aethia species, and includes many gelatinous species and their commensals. Little is known of the diet of Cassin's Auklet Ptychoramphus aleuticus in the Bering Sea, although elsewhere they take large copepods, euphausiids, and larval fish.There are considerable differences in the at-sea distributions and foraging behaviors of these five species of auklet. Least Auklets in the norhtern Bering Sea concentrate their foraging activities over strongly stratified water and near fronts where pycnoclines may approach the surface. In the Aleutian Islands, Least Auklets forage where oceanic and tidal currents strike the shelf between the islands and rise toward the surface carrying plankton. Least Auklets and Crested Auklets are often found in large flocks, whereas Parakeet Auklets are rarely found in groups of more than three birds and are usually widely dispersed. The few at-sea observations of Whiskered Auklets have been of small flocks in turbulent waters of island passes. We relate prey types taken, foraging dispersion, and the use of hydrographic features by these auklet species.

  6. Solitary cannabis use in adolescence as a correlate and predictor of cannabis problems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Creswell, Kasey G; Chung, Tammy; Clark, Duncan B; Martin, Christopher S

    2015-11-01

    Most adolescent cannabis use occurs in social settings among peers. Solitary cannabis use during adolescence may represent an informative divergence from normative behavior with important implications for understanding risk for cannabis problems. This longitudinal study examined associations of adolescent solitary cannabis use with levels of cannabis use and problems in adolescence and in young adulthood. Cannabis using-adolescents aged 12-18 were recruited from clinical programs (n=354; 43.8% female; 83.3% Caucasian) and community sources (n=93; 52.7% female; 80.6% Caucasian). Participants reported on cannabis use patterns and diagnostic symptoms at baseline and multiple follow-ups into young adulthood. Compared to social-only users, adolescent solitary cannabis users were more likely to be male and reported more frequent cannabis use and more DSM-IV cannabis use disorder (CUD) symptoms. Regression analyses showed that solitary cannabis use in adolescence predicted CUD symptom counts in young adulthood (age 25) after controlling for demographic variables and the frequency of adolescent cannabis use. However, solitary adolescent cannabis use was no longer predictive of age 25 CUD symptoms after additionally controlling for adolescent CUD symptoms. Solitary cannabis use is associated with greater cannabis use and problems during adolescence, but evidence is mixed that it predicts young adult cannabis problems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Stability of negative solitary waves for an integrable modified Camassa-Holm equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yin Jiuli; Tian Lixin; Fan Xinghua

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we prove that the modified Camassa-Holm equation is Painleve integrable. We also study the orbital stability problem of negative solitary waves for this integrable equation. It is shown that the negative solitary waves are stable for arbitrary wave speed of propagation.

  8. Exact solitary and periodic wave solutions for a generalized nonlinear Schroedinger equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Chengfeng; Gao Hongjun

    2009-01-01

    The generalized nonlinear Schroedinger equation (GNLS) iu t + u xx + β | u | 2 u + γ | u | 4 u + iα (| u | 2 u) x + iτ(| u | 2 ) x u = 0 is studied. Using the bifurcation of travelling waves of this equation, some exact solitary wave solutions were obtained in [Wang W, Sun J,Chen G, Bifurcation, Exact solutions and nonsmooth behavior of solitary waves in the generalized nonlinear Schroedinger equation. Int J Bifucat Chaos 2005:3295-305.]. In this paper, more explicit exact solitary wave solutions and some new smooth periodic wave solutions are obtained.

  9. Current structure of strongly nonlinear interfacial solitary waves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Semin, Sergey; Kurkina, Oxana; Kurkin, Andrey; Talipova, Tatiana; Pelinovsky, Efim; Churaev, Egor

    2015-04-01

    The characteristics of highly nonlinear solitary internal waves (solitons) in two-layer flow are computed within the fully nonlinear Navier-Stokes equations with use of numerical model of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MITgcm). The verification and adaptation of the model is based on the data from laboratory experiments [Carr & Davies, 2006]. The present paper also compares the results of our calculations with the computations performed in the framework of the fully nonlinear Bergen Ocean Model [Thiem et al, 2011]. The comparison of the computed soliton parameters with the predictions of the weakly nonlinear theory based on the Gardner equation is given. The occurrence of reverse flow in the bottom layer directly behind the soliton is confirmed in numerical simulations. The trajectories of Lagrangian particles in the internal soliton on the surface, on the interface and near the bottom are computed. The results demonstrated completely different trajectories at different depths of the model area. Thus, in the surface layer is observed the largest displacement of Lagrangian particles, which can be more than two and a half times larger than the characteristic width of the soliton. Located at the initial moment along the middle pycnocline fluid particles move along the elongated vertical loop at a distance of not more than one third of the width of the solitary wave. In the bottom layer of the fluid moves in the opposite direction of propagation of the internal wave, but under the influence of the reverse flow, when the bulk of the velocity field of the soliton ceases to influence the trajectory, it moves in the opposite direction. The magnitude of displacement of fluid particles in the bottom layer is not more than the half-width of the solitary wave. 1. Carr, M., and Davies, P.A. The motion of an internal solitary wave of depression over a fixed bottom boundary in a shallow, two-layer fluid. Phys. Fluids, 2006, vol. 18, No. 1, 1 - 10. 2. Thiem, O., Carr

  10. The Ion Acoustic Solitary Waves and Double Layers in the Solar Wind Plasma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. R. Choi

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available Ion acoustic solitary wave in a plasma consisting of electrons and ions with an external magnetic field is reinvestigated using the Sagdeev's potential method. Although the Sagdeev potential has a singularity for n<1, where n is the ion number density, we obtain new solitary wave solutions by expanding the Sagdeev potential up to δ n^4 near n=1. They are compressiv (rarefactive waves and shock type solitary waves. These waves can exist all together as a superposed wave which may be used to explain what would be observed in the solar wind plasma. We compared our theoretical results with the data of the Freja satellite in the study of Wu et al.(1996. Also it is shown that these solitary waves propagate with a subsonic speed.

  11. Complex dynamical behaviors of compact solitary waves in the perturbed mKdV equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yin Jiu-Li; Xing Qian-Qian; Tian Li-Xin

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we give a detailed discussion about the dynamical behaviors of compact solitary waves subjected to the periodic perturbation. By using the phase portrait theory, we find one of the nonsmooth solitary waves of the mKdV equation, namely, a compact solitary wave, to be a weak solution, which can be proved. It is shown that the compact solitary wave easily turns chaotic from the Melnikov theory. We focus on the sufficient conditions by keeping the system stable through selecting a suitable controller. Furthermore, we discuss the chaotic threshold for a perturbed system. Numerical simulations including chaotic thresholds, bifurcation diagrams, the maximum Lyapunov exponents, and phase portraits demonstrate that there exists a special frequency which has a great influence on our system; with the increase of the controller strength, chaos disappears in the perturbed system. But if the controller strength is sufficiently large, the solitary wave vibrates violently. (general)

  12. Social interactions in a solitary carnivore

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    L.Mark ELBROCH; Howard QUIGLEY

    2017-01-01

    In total,177 of 245 terrestrial carnivores are described as solitary,and much of carnivore ecology is built on the assumptions that interactions between adult solitary carnivores are rare.We employed Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and motion-triggered cameras to test predictions of land-tenure territoriality and the resource dispersion hypothesis in a territorial carnivore,the puma Puma concolor.We documented 89 independent GPS interactions,60% of which occurred at puma kills (n=53),59 camera interactions,11 (17%) of which captured courtship behaviors,and 5 other interactions (1 F-F,3 M-F,and 1 M-M).Mean minimum weekly contact rates were 5.5 times higher in winter,the season when elk Cervus elaphus were aggregated at lower elevations and during which puma courtship primarily occurred.In winter,contacts rates were 0.6± 0.3 (standard deviation (SD)) interactions/week vs.0.1 ± 0.1 (SD) interactions/week during summer.The preponderance of interactions at food sources supported the resource dispersion hypothesis,which predicts that resource fluxes can explain temporary social behaviors that do not result in any apparent benefits for the individuals involved.Conspecific tolerance is logical when a prey is so large that the predator that killed it cannot consume it entirely,and thus,the costs of tolerating a conspecific sharing the kill are less than the potential costs associated with defending it and being injured.Puma aggregations at kills numbered as high as 9,emphasizing the need for future research on what explains tolerance among solitary carnivores.

  13. Dynamics of two-dimensional solitary vortices in a low-β plasma with convective motion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makino, Mitsuhiro; Kamimura, Tetsuo; Taniuti, Tosiya.

    1980-12-01

    Numerical studies of the Hasegawa-Mima equation, derived in the context of drift waves but equivalent to the quasigeostrophic vortex potential equation for Rossby waves, show the stable properties of solitary vortices which are two dimensional, localized, steady and translating solutions of this same equation. A solitary vortex can propagate only in the direction (x-direction) perpendicular to the density gradient. When this solitary vortex solution is inclined at some angle with respect to the x-axis, its propagation direction oscillates in the x and y plane. In two dimensional collisions, i.e. head-on collision and overtaking, solitary vortices interact two-dimensionally and recover their initial shapes at the end of both types of collisions. (author)

  14. Forage digestibility and intake by lesser snow geese: effects of dominance and resource heterogeneity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hupp, Jerry W.; White, Robert G.; Sedinger, James S.; Robertson, Donna G.

    1996-01-01

    We measured forage intake, digestibility, and retention time for 11 free-ranging, human-imprinted lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) as they consumed underground stembases of tall cotton-grass (Eriophorum angustifolium) on an arctic staging area in northeastern Alaska. Geese fed in small patches (x̄=21.5 m2) of forage that made up ≤3% of the study area and consisted of high-quality “aquatic graminoid” and intermediate-quality “wet sedge” vegetation types. Dominant geese spent more time feeding in aquatic graminoid areas (r=0.61), but less total time feeding and more time resting than subdominant geese. Subdominant geese were displaced to areas of wet sedge where cotton-grass was a smaller proportion of underground biomass. Geese metabolized an average of 48% of the organic matter in stembases and there was a positive correlation between dominance and organic matter metabolizability (r=0.61). Total mean retention time of forage was 1.37 h and dry matter intake was 14.3 g/h. Snow geese that stage on the coastal plain of the Beaufort Sea likely use an extensive area because they consume a large mass of forage and exploit habitats that are patchily distributed and make up a small percentage of the landscape. Individual variation in nutrient absorption may result from agonistic interactions in an environment where resources are heterogeneously distributed.

  15. The neonicotinoid clothianidin interferes with navigation of the solitary bee Osmia cornuta in a laboratory test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Nanxiang; Klein, Simon; Leimig, Fabian; Bischoff, Gabriela; Menzel, Randolf

    2015-09-01

    Pollinating insects provide a vital ecosystem service to crops and wild plants. Exposure to low doses of neonicotinoid insecticides has sub-lethal effects on social pollinators such as bumblebees and honeybees, disturbing their navigation and interfering with their development. Solitary Hymenoptera are also very important ecosystem service providers, but the sub-lethal effects of neonicotinoids have not yet been studied well in those animals. We analyzed the ability of walking Osmia to remember a feeding place in a small environment and found that Osmia remembers the feeding place well after 4 days of training. Uptake of field-realistic amounts of the neonicotinoid clothianidin (0.76 ng per bee) altered the animals' sensory responses to the visual environment and interfered with the retrieval of navigational memory. We conclude that the neonicotinoid clothianidin compromises visual guidance and the use of navigational memory in the solitary bee Osmia cornuta. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  16. Utilization of 15N in the sequence of mineral fertilizer - forage - animal - slurry - forage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peschke, H.

    1981-01-01

    After systematic application of 15 N-ammonium nitrate, the change of the dinuclidic composition and 15 N quantity was studied by isotope analysis of several open systems in the sequence mineral fertilizer - (soil) - forage - (animal) - slurry - (soil) - forage. The relative 15 N isotope frequency of 50 atom% in the mineral fertilizer declined to 12.2 to 21.4 atom% in the forage (beet, oats, hay) and went down to 3.15 atom% in the slurry of a dairy cow fed on this forage. Silage maize manured with the slurry of the dairy cow only showed 1.98 atom %, green oats grown after the silage maize on the same area was found to have 0.45 atom%. The 15 N quantity of 104.5 g N in the fertilizer gradually decreased to 41.6 g N in the forage, 30.5 g N in the slurry and 22.6 g N in the silage maize. The causes discussed are 15 N isotope dilution as qualitative factor and productive and unproductive N losses as quantitative factors. (author)

  17. Adaptive Bacterial Foraging Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hanning Chen

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Bacterial Foraging Optimization (BFO is a recently developed nature-inspired optimization algorithm, which is based on the foraging behavior of E. coli bacteria. Up to now, BFO has been applied successfully to some engineering problems due to its simplicity and ease of implementation. However, BFO possesses a poor convergence behavior over complex optimization problems as compared to other nature-inspired optimization techniques. This paper first analyzes how the run-length unit parameter of BFO controls the exploration of the whole search space and the exploitation of the promising areas. Then it presents a variation on the original BFO, called the adaptive bacterial foraging optimization (ABFO, employing the adaptive foraging strategies to improve the performance of the original BFO. This improvement is achieved by enabling the bacterial foraging algorithm to adjust the run-length unit parameter dynamically during algorithm execution in order to balance the exploration/exploitation tradeoff. The experiments compare the performance of two versions of ABFO with the original BFO, the standard particle swarm optimization (PSO and a real-coded genetic algorithm (GA on four widely-used benchmark functions. The proposed ABFO shows a marked improvement in performance over the original BFO and appears to be comparable with the PSO and GA.

  18. Body size limits dim-light foraging activity in stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Streinzer, Martin; Huber, Werner; Spaethe, Johannes

    2016-10-01

    Stingless bees constitute a species-rich tribe of tropical and subtropical eusocial Apidae that act as important pollinators for flowering plants. Many foraging tasks rely on vision, e.g. spatial orientation and detection of food sources and nest entrances. Meliponini workers are usually small, which sets limits on eye morphology and thus quality of vision. Limitations are expected both on acuity, and thus on the ability to detect objects from a distance, as well as on sensitivity, and thus on the foraging time window at dusk and dawn. In this study, we determined light intensity thresholds for flight under dim light conditions in eight stingless bee species in relation to body size in a Neotropical lowland rainforest. Species varied in body size (0.8-1.7 mm thorax-width), and we found a strong negative correlation with light intensity thresholds (0.1-79 lx). Further, we measured eye size, ocelli diameter, ommatidia number, and facet diameter. All parameters significantly correlated with body size. A disproportionately low light intensity threshold in the minute Trigonisca pipioli, together with a large eye parameter P eye suggests specific adaptations to circumvent the optical constraints imposed by the small body size. We discuss the implications of body size in bees on foraging behavior.

  19. Compact solitary waves in linearly elastic chains with non-smooth on-site potential

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gaeta, Giuseppe [Dipartimento di Matematica, Universita di Milano, Via Saldini 50, 20133 Milan (Italy); Gramchev, Todor [Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica, Universita di Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124 Cagliari (Italy); Walcher, Sebastian [Lehrstuhl A Mathematik, RWTH Aachen, 52056 Aachen (Germany)

    2007-04-27

    It was recently observed by Saccomandi and Sgura that one-dimensional chains with nonlinear elastic interaction and regular on-site potential can support compact solitary waves, i.e. travelling solitary waves with strictly compact support. In this paper, we show that the same applies to chains with linear elastic interaction and an on-site potential which is continuous but non-smooth at minima. Some different features arise; in particular, the speed of compact solitary waves is not uniquely fixed by the equation. We also discuss several generalizations of our findings.

  20. Solitary wave dynamics in time-dependent potentials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abou Salem, Walid K.

    2008-01-01

    The long time dynamics of solitary wave solutions of the nonlinear Schroedinger equation in time-dependent external potentials is rigorously studied. To set the stage, the well-posedness of the Cauchy problem for a generalized nonautonomous nonlinear Schroedinger equation with time-dependent nonlinearities and potential is established. Afterward, the dynamics of NLS solitary waves in time-dependent potentials is studied. It is shown that in the space-adiabatic regime where the external potential varies slowly in space compared to the size of the soliton, the dynamics of the center of the soliton is described by Hamilton's equations, plus terms due to radiation damping. Finally, two physical applications are discussed: the first is adiabatic transportation of solitons and the second is the Mathieu instability of trapped solitons due to time-periodic perturbations

  1. Electromagnetic solitary vortices in rotating plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, J.; Horton, W.

    1985-12-01

    The nonlinear equations describing drift-Alfven solitary vortices in a low β, rotating plasma are derived. Two types of solitary vortex solutions along with their corresponding nonlinear dispersion relations are obtained. Both solutions have the localized coherent dilopar structure. The first type of solution belongs to the family of the usual Rossby or drift wave vortex, while the second type of solution is intrinsic to the electromagnetic perturbation in a magnetized plasma and is a complicated structure. While the first type of vortex is a solution to a second order differential equation the second one is the solution of a fourth order differential equation intrinsic to the electromagnetic problem. The fourth order vortex solution has two intrinsic space scales in contrast to the single space scale of the previous drift vortex solution. With the second short scale length the parallel current density at the vortex interface becomes continuous. As special cases the rotational electron drift vortex and the rotational ballooning vortex also are given. 10 refs

  2. Radiation therapy for the solitary plasmacytoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esengül Koçak

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Plasma-cell neoplasms are classically categorized into four groups as: multiple myeloma (MM, plasma-cell leukemias, solitary plasmacytomas (SP of the bone (SPB, and extramedullary plasmacytomas (EMP. These tumors may be described as localized or diffuse in presentation. Localized plasma-cell neoplasms are rare, and include SP of the skeletal system, accounting for 2-5% of all plasma-cell neoplasms, and EMP of soft tissue, accounting for approximately 3% of all such neoplasms. SP is defined as a solitary mass of neoplastic plasma cells either in the bone marrow or in various soft tissue sites. There appears to be a continuum in which SP often progresses to MM. The main treatment modality for SP is radiation therapy (RT. However, there are no conclusive data in the literature on the optimal RT dose for SP. This review describes the interrelationship of plasma-cell neoplasms, and attempts to determine the minimal RT dose required to obtain local control.

  3. Exact solitary waves of the Fisher equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kudryashov, Nikolai A.

    2005-01-01

    New method is presented to search exact solutions of nonlinear differential equations. This approach is used to look for exact solutions of the Fisher equation. New exact solitary waves of the Fisher equation are given

  4. Floral temperature and optimal foraging: is heat a feasible floral reward for pollinators?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sean A Rands

    Full Text Available As well as nutritional rewards, some plants also reward ectothermic pollinators with warmth. Bumble bees have some control over their temperature, but have been shown to forage at warmer flowers when given a choice, suggesting that there is some advantage to them of foraging at warm flowers (such as reducing the energy required to raise their body to flight temperature before leaving the flower. We describe a model that considers how a heat reward affects the foraging behaviour in a thermogenic central-place forager (such as a bumble bee. We show that although the pollinator should spend a longer time on individual flowers if they are warm, the increase in total visit time is likely to be small. The pollinator's net rate of energy gain will be increased by landing on warmer flowers. Therefore, if a plant provides a heat reward, it could reduce the amount of nectar it produces, whilst still providing its pollinator with the same net rate of gain. We suggest how heat rewards may link with plant life history strategies.

  5. Boa constrictor (Boa constrictor): foraging behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorrell, G.G.; Boback, M.S.; Reed, R.N.; Green, S.; Montgomery, Chad E.; DeSouza, L.S.; Chiaraviglio, M.

    2011-01-01

    Boa constrictor is often referred to as a sit-and-wait or ambush forager that chooses locations to maximize the likelihood of prey encounters (Greene 1983. In Janzen [ed.], Costa Rica Natural History, pp. 380-382. Univ. Chicago Press, Illinois). However, as more is learned about the natural history of snakes in general, the dichotomy between active versus ambush foraging is becoming blurred. Herein, we describe an instance of diurnal active foraging by a B. constrictor, illustrating that this species exhibits a range of foraging behaviors.

  6. Foraging patch selection in winter: a balance between predation risk and thermoregulation benefit.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara Villén-Pérez

    Full Text Available In winter, foraging activity is intended to optimize food search while minimizing both thermoregulation costs and predation risk. Here we quantify the relative importance of thermoregulation and predation in foraging patch selection of woodland birds wintering in a Mediterranean montane forest. Specifically, we account for thermoregulation benefits related to temperature, and predation risk associated with both illumination of the feeding patch and distance to the nearest refuge provided by vegetation. We measured the amount of time that 38 marked individual birds belonging to five small passerine species spent foraging at artificial feeders. Feeders were located in forest patches that vary in distance to protective cover and exposure to sun radiation; temperature and illumination were registered locally by data loggers. Our results support the influence of both thermoregulation benefits and predation costs on feeding patch choice. The influence of distance to refuge (negative relationship was nearly three times higher than that of temperature (positive relationship in determining total foraging time spent at a patch. Light intensity had a negligible and no significant effect. This pattern was generalizable among species and individuals within species, and highlights the preponderance of latent predation risk over thermoregulation benefits on foraging decisions of birds wintering in temperate Mediterranean forests.

  7. Visual Foraging With Fingers and Eye Gaze

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ómar I. Jóhannesson

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available A popular model of the function of selective visual attention involves search where a single target is to be found among distractors. For many scenarios, a more realistic model involves search for multiple targets of various types, since natural tasks typically do not involve a single target. Here we present results from a novel multiple-target foraging paradigm. We compare finger foraging where observers cancel a set of predesignated targets by tapping them, to gaze foraging where observers cancel items by fixating them for 100 ms. During finger foraging, for most observers, there was a large difference between foraging based on a single feature, where observers switch easily between target types, and foraging based on a conjunction of features where observers tended to stick to one target type. The pattern was notably different during gaze foraging where these condition differences were smaller. Two conclusions follow: (a The fact that a sizeable number of observers (in particular during gaze foraging had little trouble switching between different target types raises challenges for many prominent theoretical accounts of visual attention and working memory. (b While caveats must be noted for the comparison of gaze and finger foraging, the results suggest that selection mechanisms for gaze and pointing have different operational constraints.

  8. Foraging modality and plasticity in foraging traits determine the strength of competitive interactions among carnivorous plants, spiders and toads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennings, David E; Krupa, James J; Rohr, Jason R

    2016-07-01

    Foraging modalities (e.g. passive, sit-and-wait, active) and traits are plastic in some species, but the extent to which this plasticity affects interspecific competition remains unclear. Using a long-term laboratory mesocosm experiment, we quantified competition strength and the plasticity of foraging traits in a guild of generalist predators of arthropods with a range of foraging modalities. Each mesocosm contained eight passively foraging pink sundews, and we employed an experimental design where treatments were the presence or absence of a sit-and-wait foraging spider and actively foraging toad crossed with five levels of prey abundance. We hypothesized that actively foraging toads would outcompete the other species at low prey abundance, but that spiders and sundews would exhibit plasticity in foraging traits to compensate for strong competition when prey were limited. Results generally supported our hypotheses. Toads had a greater effect on sundews at low prey abundances, and toad presence caused spiders to locate webs higher above the ground. Additionally, the closer large spider webs were to the ground, the greater the trichome densities produced by sundews. Also, spider webs were larger with than without toads and as sundew numbers increased, and these effects were more prominent as resources became limited. Finally, spiders negatively affected toad growth only at low prey abundance. These findings highlight the long-term importance of foraging modality and plasticity of foraging traits in determining the strength of competition within and across taxonomic kingdoms. Future research should assess whether plasticity in foraging traits helps to maintain coexistence within this guild and whether foraging modality can be used as a trait to reliably predict the strength of competitive interactions. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2016 British Ecological Society.

  9. Dynamic oceanography determines fine scale foraging behavior of Masked Boobies in the Gulf of Mexico.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline L Poli

    Full Text Available During breeding, foraging marine birds are under biological, geographic, and temporal constraints. These contraints require foraging birds to efficiently process environmental cues derived from physical habitat features that occur at nested spatial scales. Mesoscale oceanography in particular may change rapidly within and between breeding seasons, and findings from well-studied systems that relate oceanography to seabird foraging may transfer poorly to regions with substantially different oceanographic conditions. Our objective was to examine foraging behavior of a pan-tropical seabird, the Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra, in the understudied Caribbean province, a moderately productive region driven by highly dynamic currents and fronts. We tracked 135 individuals with GPS units during May 2013, November 2013, and December 2014 at a regionally important breeding colony in the southern Gulf of Mexico. We measured foraging behavior using characteristics of foraging trips and used area restricted search as a proxy for foraging events. Among individual attributes, nest stage contributed to differences in foraging behavior whereas sex did not. Birds searched for prey at nested hierarchical scales ranging from 200 m-35 km. Large-scale coastal and shelf-slope fronts shifted position between sampling periods and overlapped geographically with overall foraging locations. At small scales (at the prey patch level, the specific relationship between environmental variables and foraging behavior was highly variable among individuals but general patterns emerged. Sea surface height anomaly and velocity of water were the strongest predictors of area restricted search behavior in random forest models, a finding that is consistent with the characterization of the Gulf of Mexico as an energetic system strongly influenced by currents and eddies. Our data may be combined with tracking efforts in the Caribbean province and across tropical regions to advance

  10. Dynamic oceanography determines fine scale foraging behavior of Masked Boobies in the Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poli, Caroline L.; Harrison, Autumn-Lynn; Vallarino, Adriana; Gerard, Patrick D.; Jodice, Patrick G.R.

    2017-01-01

    During breeding, foraging marine birds are under biological, geographic, and temporal constraints. These contraints require foraging birds to efficiently process environmental cues derived from physical habitat features that occur at nested spatial scales. Mesoscale oceanography in particular may change rapidly within and between breeding seasons, and findings from well-studied systems that relate oceanography to seabird foraging may transfer poorly to regions with substantially different oceanographic conditions. Our objective was to examine foraging behavior of a pan-tropical seabird, the Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra), in the understudied Caribbean province, a moderately productive region driven by highly dynamic currents and fronts. We tracked 135 individuals with GPS units during May 2013, November 2013, and December 2014 at a regionally important breeding colony in the southern Gulf of Mexico. We measured foraging behavior using characteristics of foraging trips and used area restricted search as a proxy for foraging events. Among individual attributes, nest stage contributed to differences in foraging behavior whereas sex did not. Birds searched for prey at nested hierarchical scales ranging from 200 m—35 km. Large-scale coastal and shelf-slope fronts shifted position between sampling periods and overlapped geographically with overall foraging locations. At small scales (at the prey patch level), the specific relationship between environmental variables and foraging behavior was highly variable among individuals but general patterns emerged. Sea surface height anomaly and velocity of water were the strongest predictors of area restricted search behavior in random forest models, a finding that is consistent with the characterization of the Gulf of Mexico as an energetic system strongly influenced by currents and eddies. Our data may be combined with tracking efforts in the Caribbean province and across tropical regions to advance understanding of seabird

  11. Diel Behavioral Activity Patterns in Adult Solitarious Desert Locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Forskål

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sidi Ould Ely

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The responses of adult solitarious desert locust to odors from a host plant were evaluated in a two-choice wind tunnel. Solitarious desert locusts collected from the field (Red Sea Coast were more attracted to volatiles from potted Heliotropium ovalifolium in scotophase than in photophase. The attraction towards the host plant odors rather than to clean air, in both photophase and scotophase, concurs with previous observations on oviposition preferences near these plants. Diel behavioral activity patterns of adult solitarious desert locusts Schistocerca gregaria (Forskål that were collected from the field in Port Sudan were investigated by monitoring, scanning, resting, taking off, and walking/running in a wind tunnel. Solitarious locusts that had been propagated in the laboratory for 20 generations were also observed for comparison. In both groups of locusts, insects were significantly more active after sunset and this activity attained peak level at 1-2 hours after dusk. Of the two groups, solitarious locusts collected from the field were significantly more active. In the scotophase, the former traversed distances that were about seven times those covered by laboratory-reared locusts. Overall, the results show that the repertoire of behavioral activities of solitarious locusts is maintained in laboratory-reared insects, albeit at a lower level. The implications of these observations in the behavioral ecology of the desert locust are discussed.

  12. Solitary hepatic infantile hemangioendothelioma: dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mortele, Koenraad J.; Vanzieleghem, Bart; Mortele, Bart; Benoit, Yves; Ros, Pablo R.

    2002-01-01

    We report the MRI findings of a solitary hepatic infantile hemangioendothelioma (IHE) diagnosed in a 14-day-old girl. To the best of our knowledge, only one report has illustrated the dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging features of IHE previously. Compounding the rarity of presentation as a solitary mass, the gadolinium-enhanced MRI appearance in our case is unique, because the IHE showed an early rim-like pseudocapsular enhancement followed by progressive fill-in of the lesion on delayed imaging. (orig.)

  13. Statistical Thermodynamic Approach to Vibrational Solitary Waves in Acetanilide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasconcellos, Áurea R.; Mesquita, Marcus V.; Luzzi, Roberto

    1998-03-01

    We analyze the behavior of the macroscopic thermodynamic state of polymers, centering on acetanilide. The nonlinear equations of evolution for the populations and the statistically averaged field amplitudes of CO-stretching modes are derived. The existence of excitations of the solitary wave type is evidenced. The infrared spectrum is calculated and compared with the experimental data of Careri et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 51, 104 (1983)], resulting in a good agreement. We also consider the situation of a nonthermally highly excited sample, predicting the occurrence of a large increase in the lifetime of the solitary wave excitation.

  14. Interactions Increase Forager Availability and Activity in Harvester Ants.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evlyn Pless

    Full Text Available Social insect colonies use interactions among workers to regulate collective behavior. Harvester ant foragers interact in a chamber just inside the nest entrance, here called the 'entrance chamber'. Previous studies of the activation of foragers in red harvester ants show that an outgoing forager inside the nest experiences an increase in brief antennal contacts before it leaves the nest to forage. Here we compare the interaction rate experienced by foragers that left the nest and ants that did not. We found that ants in the entrance chamber that leave the nest to forage experienced more interactions than ants that descend to the deeper nest without foraging. Additionally, we found that the availability of foragers in the entrance chamber is associated with the rate of forager return. An increase in the rate of forager return leads to an increase in the rate at which ants descend to the deeper nest, which then stimulates more ants to ascend into the entrance chamber. Thus a higher rate of forager return leads to more available foragers in the entrance chamber. The highest density of interactions occurs near the nest entrance and the entrances of the tunnels from the entrance chamber to the deeper nest. Local interactions with returning foragers regulate both the activation of waiting foragers and the number of foragers available to be activated.

  15. Arbitrary amplitude dust-acoustic solitary structures in a three-component dusty plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mamun, A.A.

    1999-07-01

    A rigorous theoretical investigation has been made of arbitrary amplitude dust-acoustic solitary structures in an unmagnetized three-component dusty plasma whose constituents are an inertial charged dust fluid and Boltzmann distributed ions and electrons. The pseudo-potential approach and the reductive perturbation technique are employed for this study. It is found from both weakly and highly nonlinear analyses that the dusty plasma model can support solitary waves only with negative potential but not with positive potential. The effects of equilibrium free electron density and its temperature on these solitary structures are discussed. The implications of these results to some astrophysical and space plasma systems, especially to planetary ring-systems and cometary tails, are briefly mentioned. (author)

  16. Nonlinear positron acoustic solitary waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tribeche, Mouloud; Aoutou, Kamel; Younsi, Smain; Amour, Rabia

    2009-01-01

    The problem of nonlinear positron acoustic solitary waves involving the dynamics of mobile cold positrons is addressed. A theoretical work is presented to show their existence and possible realization in a simple four-component plasma model. The results should be useful for the understanding of the localized structures that may occur in space and laboratory plasmas as new sources of cold positrons are now well developed.

  17. Season and landscape composition affect pollen foraging distances and habitat use of honey bees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danner, Nadja; Molitor, Anna Maria; Schiele, Susanne; Härtel, Stephan; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf

    2016-09-01

    Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) show a large variation in foraging distances and use a broad range of plant species as pollen resources, even in regions with intensive agriculture. However, it is unknown how increasing areas of mass-flowering crops like oilseed rape (Brassica napus; OSR) or a decrease of seminatural habitats (SNH) change the temporal and spatial availability of pollen resources for honey bee colonies, and thus foraging distances and frequency in different habitat types. We studied pollen foraging of honey bee colonies in 16 agricultural landscapes with independent gradients of OSR and SNH area within 2 km and used waggle dances and digital geographic maps with major land cover types to reveal the distance and visited habitat type on a landscape level. Mean pollen foraging distance of 1347 decoded bee dances was 1015 m (± 26 m; SEM). In spring, increasing area of flowering OSR within 2 km reduced mean pollen foraging distances from 1324 m to only 435 m. In summer, increasing cover of SNH areas close to the colonies (within 200 m radius) reduced mean pollen foraging distances from 846 to 469 m. Frequency of pollen foragers per habitat type, measured as the number of dances per hour and hectare, was equally high for SNH, grassland, and OSR fields, but lower for other crops and forests. In landscapes with a small proportion of SNH a significantly higher density of pollen foragers on SNH was observed, indicating that pollen resources in such simple agricultural landscapes are more limited. Overall, we conclude that SNH and mass-flowering crops can reduce foraging distances of honey bee colonies at different scales and seasons with possible benefits for the performance of honey bee colonies. Further, mixed agricultural landscapes with a high proportion of SNH reduce foraging densities of honey bees in SNH and thus possible competition for pollen resources. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

  18. Rare case of solitary plasmacytoma of the skull in a young male ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Solitary plasmacytoma of bone without signs of multiple myeloma is a rare entity. It usually presents as an osteolytic lesion in the axial skeleton of an elderly patient. Here, we report a case of solitary plasmacytoma in the skull of a young male patient which emphasises the need to consider it in the differential diagnosis of a ...

  19. Modeling the origins of mammalian sociality: moderate evidence for matrilineal signatures in mouse lemur vocalizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kessler, Sharon E; Radespiel, Ute; Hasiniaina, Alida I F; Leliveld, Lisette M C; Nash, Leanne T; Zimmermann, Elke

    2014-02-20

    Maternal kin selection is a driving force in the evolution of mammalian social complexity and it requires that kin are distinctive from nonkin. The transition from the ancestral state of asociality to the derived state of complex social groups is thought to have occurred via solitary foraging, in which individuals forage alone, but, unlike the asocial ancestors, maintain dispersed social networks via scent-marks and vocalizations. We hypothesize that matrilineal signatures in vocalizations were an important part of these networks. We used the solitary foraging gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) as a model for ancestral solitary foragers and tested for matrilineal signatures in their calls, thus investigating whether such signatures are already present in solitary foragers and could have facilitated the kin selection thought to have driven the evolution of increased social complexity in mammals. Because agonism can be very costly, selection for matrilineal signatures in agonistic calls should help reduce agonism between unfamiliar matrilineal kin. We conducted this study on a well-studied population of wild mouse lemurs at Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar. We determined pairwise relatedness using seven microsatellite loci, matrilineal relatedness by sequencing the mitrochondrial D-loop, and sleeping group associations using radio-telemetry. We recorded agonistic calls during controlled social encounters and conducted a multi-parametric acoustic analysis to determine the spectral and temporal structure of the agonistic calls. We measured 10 calls for each of 16 females from six different matrilineal kin groups. Calls were assigned to their matriline at a rate significantly higher than chance (pDFA: correct = 47.1%, chance = 26.7%, p = 0.03). There was a statistical trend for a negative correlation between acoustic distance and relatedness (Mantel Test: g = -1.61, Z = 4.61, r = -0.13, p = 0.058). Mouse lemur agonistic calls are

  20. Utilization of /sup 15/N in the sequence of mineral fertilizer - forage - animal - slurry - forage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peschke, H [Humboldt-Universitaet, Berlin (German Democratic Republic). Sektion Pflanzenproduktion

    1981-12-01

    After systematic application of /sup 15/N-ammonium nitrate, the change of the dinuclidic composition and /sup 15/N quantity was studied by isotope analysis of several open systems in the sequence mineral fertilizer - (soil) - forage - (animal) - slurry - (soil) - forage. The relative /sup 15/N isotope frequency of 50 atom% in the mineral fertilizer declined to 12.2 to 21.4 atom% in the forage (beet, oats, hay) and went down to 3.15 atom% in the slurry of a dairy cow fed on this forage. Silage maize manured with the slurry of the dairy cow only showed 1.98 atom %, green oats grown after the silage maize on the same area was found to have 0.45 atom%. The /sup 15/N quantity of 104.5 g N in the fertilizer gradually decreased to 41.6 g N in the forage, 30.5 g N in the slurry and 22.6 g N in the silage maize. The causes discussed are /sup 15/N isotope dilution as qualitative factor and productive and unproductive N losses as quantitative factors.

  1. Small Variations in Early-Life Environment Can Affect Coping Behaviour in Response to Foraging Challenge in the Three-Spined Stickleback.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Rohaa Langenhof

    Full Text Available An increasing concern in the face of human expansion throughout natural habitats is whether animal populations can respond adaptively when confronted with challenges like environmental change and novelty. Behavioural flexibility is an important factor in estimating the adaptive potential of both individuals and populations, and predicting the degree to which they can cope with change.This study on the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus is an empiric illustration of the degree of behavioural variation that can emerge between semi-natural systems within only a single generation. Wild-caught adult sticklebacks (P, N = 400 were randomly distributed in equal densities over 20 standardized semi-natural environments (ponds, and one year later offspring (F1, N = 652 were presented with repeated behavioural assays. Individuals were challenged to reach a food source through a novel transparent obstacle, during which exploration, activity, foraging, sociability and wall-biting behaviours were recorded through video observation. We found that coping responses of individuals from the first generation to this unfamiliar foraging challenge were related to even relatively small, naturally diversified variation in developmental environment. All measured behaviours were correlated with each other. Especially exploration, sociability and wall-biting were found to differ significantly between ponds. These differences could not be explained by stickleback density or the turbidity of the water.Our findings show that a differences in early-life environment appear to affect stickleback feeding behaviour later in life; b this is the case even when the environmental differences are only small, within natural parameters and diversified gradually; and c effects are present despite semi-natural conditions that fluctuate during the year. Therefore, in behaviourally plastic animals like the stickleback, the adaptive response to human-induced habitat disturbance

  2. Small Variations in Early-Life Environment Can Affect Coping Behaviour in Response to Foraging Challenge in the Three-Spined Stickleback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langenhof, M Rohaa; Apperloo, Rienk; Komdeur, Jan

    2016-01-01

    An increasing concern in the face of human expansion throughout natural habitats is whether animal populations can respond adaptively when confronted with challenges like environmental change and novelty. Behavioural flexibility is an important factor in estimating the adaptive potential of both individuals and populations, and predicting the degree to which they can cope with change. This study on the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is an empiric illustration of the degree of behavioural variation that can emerge between semi-natural systems within only a single generation. Wild-caught adult sticklebacks (P, N = 400) were randomly distributed in equal densities over 20 standardized semi-natural environments (ponds), and one year later offspring (F1, N = 652) were presented with repeated behavioural assays. Individuals were challenged to reach a food source through a novel transparent obstacle, during which exploration, activity, foraging, sociability and wall-biting behaviours were recorded through video observation. We found that coping responses of individuals from the first generation to this unfamiliar foraging challenge were related to even relatively small, naturally diversified variation in developmental environment. All measured behaviours were correlated with each other. Especially exploration, sociability and wall-biting were found to differ significantly between ponds. These differences could not be explained by stickleback density or the turbidity of the water. Our findings show that a) differences in early-life environment appear to affect stickleback feeding behaviour later in life; b) this is the case even when the environmental differences are only small, within natural parameters and diversified gradually; and c) effects are present despite semi-natural conditions that fluctuate during the year. Therefore, in behaviourally plastic animals like the stickleback, the adaptive response to human-induced habitat disturbance may occur

  3. Solitary wave evolution in a magnetized inhomogeneous plasma under the effect of ionization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jyoti; Malik, Hitendra K.

    2011-01-01

    A modified form of Korteweg-deVries (KdV) equation appropriate to nonlinear ion acoustic solitary waves in an inhomogeneous plasma is derived in the presence of an external magnetic field and constant ionization in the plasma. This equation differs from usual version of the KdV equation because of the inclusion of two terms arising due to ionization and density gradient present in the plasma. In this plasma, only the compressive solitary waves are found to propagate corresponding to the fast and slow modes. The amplitude of the solitary wave increases with an enhancement in the ionization for the fast mode as well as for the slow mode. The effect of magnetic field is to enhance the width of the solitary structure. The amplitude is found to increase (decrease) with an enhancement in charge number of the ions for the fast (slow) mode. The tailing structure becomes more (less) prominent with the rise in ion drift velocity for the case of fast (slow) mode.

  4. Central-place foraging and ecological effects of an invasive predator across multiple habitats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benkwitt, Cassandra E

    2016-10-01

    Cross-habitat foraging movements of predators can have widespread implications for predator and prey populations, community structure, nutrient transfer, and ecosystem function. Although central-place foraging models and other aspects of optimal foraging theory focus on individual predator behavior, they also provide useful frameworks for understanding the effects of predators on prey populations across multiple habitats. However, few studies have examined both the foraging behavior and ecological effects of nonnative predators across multiple habitats, and none has tested whether nonnative predators deplete prey in a manner predicted by these foraging models. I conducted behavioral observations of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) to determine whether they exhibit foraging movements similar to other central-place consumers. Then, I used a manipulative field experiment to test whether their effects on prey populations are consistent with three qualitative predictions from optimal foraging models. Specifically, I predicted that the effects of invasive lionfish on native prey will (1) occur at central sites first and then in surrounding habitats, (2) decrease with increasing distance away from their shelter site, and (3) extend to greater distances when prey patches are spaced closer together. Approximately 40% of lionfish exhibited short-term crepuscular foraging movements into surrounding habitats from the coral patch reefs where they shelter during daylight hours. Over the course of 7 weeks, lionfish depleted native fish populations on the coral patch reefs where they reside, and subsequently on small structures in the surrounding habitat. However, their effects did not decrease with increasing distance from the central shelter site and the influence of patch spacing was opposite the prediction. Instead, lionfish always had the greatest effects in areas with the highest prey densities. The differences between the predicted and observed effects of lionfish

  5. Nonlinear Dynamic in an Ecological System with Impulsive Effect and Optimal Foraging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min Zhao

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The population dynamics of a three-species ecological system with impulsive effect are investigated. Using the theories of impulsive equations and small-amplitude perturbation scales, the conditions for the system to be permanent when the number of predators released is less than some critical value can be obtained. Furthermore, because the predator in the system follows the predictions of optimal foraging theory, it follows that optimal foraging promotes species coexistence. In particular, the less beneficial prey can support the predator alone when the more beneficial prey goes extinct. Moreover, the influences of the impulsive effect and optimal foraging on inherent oscillations are studied using simulation, which reveals rich dynamic behaviors such as period-halving bifurcations, a chaotic band, a periodic window, and chaotic crises. In addition, the largest Lyapunov exponent and the power spectra of the strange attractor, which can help analyze the chaotic dynamic behavior of the model, are investigated. This information will be useful for studying the dynamic complexity of ecosystems.

  6. Estimating Radiological Doses to Predators Foraging in a Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    L.Soholt; G.Gonzales; P.Fresquez; K.Bennett; E.Lopez

    2003-01-01

    Since 1957, Los Alamos National Laboratory has operated Area G as its low-level, solid radioactive waste management and disposal area. Although the waste management area is developed, plants, small mammals, and avian and mammalian predators still occupy the less disturbed and revegetated portions of the land. For almost a decade, we have monitored the concentrations of selected radionuclides in soils, plants, and small mammals at Area G. The radionuclides tritium, plutonium-238, and plutonium-239 are regularly found at levels above regional background in all three media. Based on radionuclide concentrations in mice collected from 1994 to 1999, we calculated doses to higher trophic levels (owl, hawk, kestrel, and coyote) that forage on the waste management area. These predators play important functions in the regional ecosystems and are an important part of local Native American traditional tales that identify the uniqueness of their culture. The estimated doses are compared to Department of Energy's interim limit of 0.1 rad/day for the protection of terrestrial wildlife. We used exposure parameters that were derived from the literature for each receptor, including Environmental Protection Agency's exposure factors handbook. Estimated doses to predators ranged from 9E-06 to 2E-04 rad/day, assuming that they forage entirely on the waste management area. These doses are greater than those calculated for predators foraging exclusively in reference areas, but are still well below the interim dose limit. We believe that these calculated doses represent upper-bound estimates of exposure for local predators because the larger predators forage over areas that are much greater than the 63-acre waste management area. Based on these results, we concluded that predators foraging on this area do not face a hazard from radiological exposure under current site conditions

  7. Numerical simulation of solitary waves on deep water with constant vorticity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dosaev, A. S.; Shishina, M. I.; Troitskaya, Yu I.

    2018-01-01

    Characteristics of solitary deep water waves on a flow with constant vorticity are investigated by numerical simulation within the framework of fully nonlinear equations of motion (Euler equations) using the method of surface-tracking conformal coordinates. To ensure that solutions observed are stable, soliton formation as a result of disintegration of an initial pulse-like disturbance is modeled. Evidence is obtained that solitary waves with height above a certain threshold are unstable.

  8. Polarized seismic and solitary waves run-up at the sea bed

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dennis, L. C.C.; Zainal, A. A.; Faisal, S. Y. [Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 31750 Tronoh, Perak (Malaysia); Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Johor Bahru (Malaysia)

    2012-09-26

    The polarization effects in hydrodynamics are studied. Hydrodynamic equation for the nonlinear wave is used along with the polarized solitary waves and seismic waves act as initial waves. The model is then solved by Fourier spectral and Runge-Kutta 4 methods, and the surface plot is drawn. The output demonstrates the inundation behaviors. Consequently, the polarized seismic waves along with the polarized solitary waves tend to generate dissimilar inundation which is more disastrous.

  9. Pneumocystis Pneumonia Presenting as an Enlarging Solitary Pulmonary Nodule

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krunal Bharat Patel

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Pneumocystis pneumonia is a life threatening infection that usually presents with diffuse bilateral ground-glass infiltrates in immunocompromised patients. We report a case of a single nodular granulomatous Pneumocystis pneumonia in a male with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after R-CHOP therapy. He presented with symptoms of productive cough, dyspnea, and right-sided pleuritic chest pain that failed to resolve despite treatment with multiple antibiotics. Chest X-ray revealed right lower lobe atelectasis and CT of chest showed development of 2 cm nodular opacity with ground-glass opacities. Patient underwent bronchoscopy and biopsy that revealed granulomatous inflammation in a background of organizing pneumonia pattern with negative cultures. Respiratory symptoms resolved but the solitary nodular opacity increased in size prompting a surgical wedge resection which revealed granulomatous Pneumocystis pneumonia infection. This case is the third documented report of Pneumocystis pneumonia infection within a solitary pulmonary nodule in an individual with hematologic neoplasm. Although Pneumocystis pneumonia most commonly occurs in patients with HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and with diffuse infiltrates, the diagnosis should not be overlooked when only a solitary nodule is present.

  10. Solitary Intra-Osseous Myofibroma of the Jaw: A Case Report and Review of Literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anita Dhupar

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Myofibroma is a rare benign spindle cell neoplasm in children that usually affects both soft tissue and bone in the head and neck region. Approximately one third of these cases are seen within jaw bones as solitary lesions. Solitary intra-osseous myofibroma of the jaw bone shares its clinical, radiographic and histological features with other spindle cell tumors. The rarity of this lesion can make diagnosis difficult for clinicians and pathologists. We report a case of a solitary intra-osseous myofibroma in the mandible of a nine-year-old child.

  11. Temporal effects of hunting on foraging behavior of an apex predator: Do bears forego foraging when risk is high?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hertel, Anne G; Zedrosser, Andreas; Mysterud, Atle; Støen, Ole-Gunnar; Steyaert, Sam M J G; Swenson, Jon E

    2016-12-01

    Avoiding predators most often entails a food cost. For the Scandinavian brown bear (Ursus arctos), the hunting season coincides with the period of hyperphagia. Hunting mortality risk is not uniformly distributed throughout the day, but peaks in the early morning hours. As bears must increase mass for winter survival, they should be sensitive to temporal allocation of antipredator responses to periods of highest risk. We expected bears to reduce foraging activity at the expense of food intake in the morning hours when risk was high, but not in the afternoon, when risk was low. We used fine-scale GPS-derived activity patterns during the 2 weeks before and after the onset of the annual bear hunting season. At locations of probable foraging, we assessed abundance and sugar content, of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), the most important autumn food resource for bears in this area. Bears decreased their foraging activity in the morning hours of the hunting season. Likewise, they foraged less efficiently and on poorer quality berries in the morning. Neither of our foraging measures were affected by hunting in the afternoon foraging bout, indicating that bears did not allocate antipredator behavior to times of comparably lower risk. Bears effectively responded to variation in risk on the scale of hours. This entailed a measurable foraging cost. The additive effect of reduced foraging activity, reduced forage intake, and lower quality food may result in poorer body condition upon den entry and may ultimately reduce reproductive success.

  12. CT-guided percutaneous treatment of solitary pyogenic splenic abscesses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pombo, F. [Dept. of Radiology, Hospital Juan Canalejo, La Coruna (Spain); Suarez, I. [Dept. of Radiology, Hospital Juan Canalejo, La Coruna (Spain); Marini, M. [Dept. of Radiology, Hospital Juan Canalejo, La Coruna (Spain); Arrojo, L. [Dept. of Radiology, Hospital Juan Canalejo, La Coruna (Spain); Echaniz, A. [Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hospital Juan Canalejo, La Coruna (Spain)

    1991-08-01

    Six patients with solitary pyogenic splenic abscesses treated by CT-guided percutaneous drainage (by catheter or needle), are presented. There were 3 unilocular, purely intrasplenic abscesses and 3 complex lesions with loculations and perisplenic involvement. Percutaneous drainage and intravenous antibiotics were curative in 4 patients. In the other 2, who had multiloculated abscesses, despite initially successful drainage, splenectomy was performed because of intractable left upper quadrant pain in one case and persistent fever and drainage of pus after 30 days in the other. These patients also developed large, sterile left pleural effusions. Solitary pyogenic splenic abscesses - particularly if uniloculated - can be effectively treated by CT-guided percutaneous drainage. (orig.)

  13. A Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Pleura Revealed by Hiccups

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Chafik

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura are rare and benign primary localized tumors; they possess a malignant potential and thus should be excised. We report a case of a 43-year-old woman, who had suffered for 5 years from right basithoracic pain associated with progressive dyspnea and persistent hiccups during the last 6 months. We have not found any similar case in the literature. Further testing after excision by thoracotomy revealed a solitary fibrous pleural tumor. A brief discussion of the clinical presentation and incidence of these tumors is included.

  14. Coherent structures in wave boundary layers. Part 2. Solitary motion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sumer, B. Mutlu; Jensen, Palle Martin; Sørensen, Lone B.

    2010-01-01

    This study continues the investigation of wave boundary layers reported by Carstensen, Sumer & Fredsøe (J. Fluid Mech., 2010, part 1 of this paper). The present paper summarizes the results of an experimental investigation of turbulent solitary wave boundary layers, simulated by solitary motion...... the boundary-layer flow experiences a regular array of vortex tubes near the bed over a short period of time during the deceleration stage; and (iii) transitional regime characterized with turbulent spots, revealed by single/multiple, or, sometimes, quite dense spikes in the bed shear stress traces...

  15. Phase-Space Models of Solitary Electron Hoies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lynov, Jens-Peter; Michelsen, Poul; Pécseli, Hans

    1985-01-01

    Two different phase-space models of solitary electron holes are investigated and compared with results from computer simulations of an actual laboratory experiment, carried out in a strongly magnetized, cylindrical plasma column. In the two models, the velocity distribution of the electrons...

  16. On solitary surface waves in cold plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vladimirov, S.V.; Yu, M.Y.; Stenflo, L.

    1993-01-01

    A new type of nonlinear electromagnetic solitary surface waves propagating along the boundary of a cold plasma is discussed. These waves are described by a novel nonlinear evolution equation, obtained when the nonlinear surface currents at the boundary are taken into consideration. (Author)

  17. Effects of dust size distribution on dust negative ion acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized dusty plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, Yi-Rong; Qi, Xin; Sun, Jian-An; Duan, Wen-Shan; Yang, Lei

    2013-01-01

    Dust negative ion acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized multi-ion dusty plasma containing hot isothermal electron, ions (light positive ions and heavy negative ions) and extremely massive charge fluctuating dust grains are investigated by employing the reductive perturbation method. How the dust size distribution affect the height and the thickness of the nonlinear solitary wave are given. It is noted that the characteristic of the solitary waves are different with the different dust size distribution. The magnitude of the external magnetic field also affects the solitary wave form

  18. Space use and resource selection by foraging Indiana bats at the northern edge of their distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jachowski, David S.; Johnson, Joshua B.; Dobony, Christopher A.; Edwards, John W.; Ford, W. Mark

    2014-01-01

    Despite 4 decades of conservation concern, managing endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) populations remains a difficult wildlife resource issue facing natural resource managers in the eastern United States. After small signs of population recovery, the recent emergence of white-nose syndrome has led to concerns of local and/or regional extirpation of the species. Where Indiana bats persist, retaining high-quality foraging areas will be critical to meet physiological needs and ensure successful recruitment and overwinter survival. However, insight into foraging behavior has been lacking in the Northeast of the USA. We radio-tracked 12 Indiana bats over 2 summers at Fort Drum, New York, to evaluate factors influencing Indiana bat resource selection during night-time foraging. We found that foraging space use decreased 2% for every 100 m increase in distance to water and 6% for every 100 m away from the forest edge. This suggests high use of riparian areas in close proximity to forest and is somewhat consistent with the species’ foraging ecology in the Midwest and upper South. Given the importance of providing access to high-quality foraging areas during the summer maternity season, Indiana bat conservation at the northern extent of the species’ range will be linked to retention of forested habitat in close proximity to riparian zones. 

  19. Agronomic and forage characteristics of Guazuma ulmifolia Lam.

    OpenAIRE

    Manríquez-Mendoza, Leonor Yalid; López-Ortíz, Silvia; Pérez-Hernández, Ponciano; Ortega- Jiménez, Eusebio; López-Tecpoyotl, Zenón Gerardo; Villarruel-Fuentes, Manuel

    2011-01-01

    Native trees are an important source of forage for livestock, particularly in regions having prolonged dry periods. Some tree species have fast growth rates, good nutritional quality, and the ability to produce forage during dry periods when the need for forage is greater. Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. is a tree native to tropical America that has a high forage potential. This species is mentioned in a number of studies assessing the forage potential of trees in a diverse array of environments and v...

  20. Anomalous width variation of rarefactive ion acoustic solitary waves in the context of auroral plasmas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. S. Ghosh

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The presence of dynamic, large amplitude solitary waves in the auroral regions of space is well known. Since their velocities are of the order of the ion acoustic speed, they may well be considered as being generated from the nonlinear evolution of ion acoustic waves. However, they do not show the expected width-amplitude correlation for K-dV solitons. Recent POLAR observations have actually revealed that the low altitude rarefactive ion acoustic solitary waves are associated with an increase in the width with increasing amplitude. This indicates that a weakly nonlinear theory is not appropriate to describe the solitary structures in the auroral regions. In the present work, a fully nonlinear analysis based on Sagdeev pseudopotential technique has been adopted for both parallel and oblique propagation of rarefactive solitary waves in a two electron temperature multi-ion plasma. The large amplitude solutions have consistently shown an increase in the width with increasing amplitude. The width-amplitude variation profile of obliquely propagating rarefactive solitary waves in a magnetized plasma have been compared with the recent POLAR observations. The width-amplitude variation pattern is found to fit well with the analytical results. It indicates that a fully nonlinear theory of ion acoustic solitary waves may well explain the observed anomalous width variations of large amplitude structures in the auroral region.

  1. Histoplasmosis presenting with solitary pulmonary nodule: Two ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Pulmonary histoplasmosis is a granulomatous disease, whose diagnosis is not always easy, as it may simulate metastatic lesions due to similar radiographic findings. We herein report two cases of histoplasmosis with solitary pulmonary nodule in asymptomatic patients with histories of cancer surgeries, whose diagnoses ...

  2. Formation and Coalescence of Electron Solitary Holes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Saeki, K.; Michelsen, Poul; Pécseli, H. L.

    1979-01-01

    Electron solitary holes were observed in a magnetized collisionless plasma. These holes were identified as Bernstein-Green-Kruskal equilibria, thus being purely kinetic phenomena. The electron hole does not damp even though its velocity is close to the electron thermal velocity. Two holes attract...

  3. High precision during food recruitment of experienced (reactivated) foragers in the stingless bee Scaptotrigona mexicana (Apidae, Meliponini)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez, Daniel; Nieh, James C.; Hénaut, Yann; Cruz, Leopoldo; Vandame, Rémy

    Several studies have examined the existence of recruitment communication mechanisms in stingless bees. However, the spatial accuracy of location-specific recruitment has not been examined. Moreover, the location-specific recruitment of reactivated foragers, i.e., foragers that have previously experienced the same food source at a different location and time, has not been explicitly examined. However, such foragers may also play a significant role in colony foraging, particularly in small colonies. Here we report that reactivated Scaptotrigona mexicana foragers can recruit with high precision to a specific food location. The recruitment precision of reactivated foragers was evaluated by placing control feeders to the left and the right of the training feeder (direction-precision tests) and between the nest and the training feeder and beyond it (distance-precision tests). Reactivated foragers arrived at the correct location with high precision: 98.44% arrived at the training feeder in the direction trials (five-feeder fan-shaped array, accuracy of at least +/-6° of azimuth at 50 m from the nest), and 88.62% arrived at the training feeder in the distance trials (five-feeder linear array, accuracy of at least +/-5 m or +/-10% at 50 m from the nest). Thus, S. mexicana reactivated foragers can find the indicated food source at a specific distance and direction with high precision, higher than that shown by honeybees, Apis mellifera, which do not communicate food location at such close distances to the nest.

  4. A New Strategy for Utilizing Rice Forage Production Using a No-Tillage System to Enhance the Self-Sufficient Feed Ratio of Small Scale Dairy Farming in Japan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Windi Al Zahra

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Rice forage systems can increase the land use efficiency in paddy fields, improve the self-sufficient feed ratio, and provide environmental benefits for agro-ecosystems. This system often decreased economic benefits compared with those through imported commercial forage feed, particularly in Japan. We observed the productivities of winter forage after rice harvest between conventional tillage (CT and no-tillage (NT in a field experiment. An on-farm evaluation was performed to determine the self-sufficient ratio of feed and forage production costs based on farm evaluation of the dairy farmer and the rice grower, who adopted a rice forage system. The field experiment detected no significant difference in forage production and quality between CT and NT after rice harvest. However, the production cost was dramatically decreased by 28.1% in NT compared with CT. The self-sufficient ratio was 5.4% higher when dairy farmers adopted the rice forage system compared with those using the current management system. Therefore, this study demonstrated the positive benefits for dairy farmers and rice growers in Japan when adopting a rice forage system with NT, which could improve the self-sufficient feed ratio and reduce production costs.

  5. Periodic and solitary-wave solutions of the Degasperis-Procesi equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vakhnenko, V.O.; Parkes, E.J.

    2004-01-01

    Travelling-wave solutions of the Degasperis-Procesi equation are investigated. The solutions are characterized by two parameters. For propagation in the positive x-direction, hump-like, inverted loop-like and coshoidal periodic-wave solutions are found; hump-like, inverted loop-like and peakon solitary-wave solutions are obtained as well. For propagation in the negative x-direction, there are solutions which are just the mirror image in the x-axis of the aforementioned solutions. A transformed version of the Degasperis-Procesi equation, which is a generalization of the Vakhnenko equation, is also considered. For propagation in the positive x-direction, hump-like, loop-like, inverted loop-like, bell-like and coshoidal periodic-wave solutions are found; loop-like, inverted loop-like and kink-like solitary-wave solutions are obtained as well. For propagation in the negative x-direction, well-like and inverted coshoidal periodic-wave solutions are found; well-like and inverted peakon solitary-wave solutions are obtained as well. In an appropriate limit, the previously known solutions of the Vakhnenko equation are recovered

  6. The effect of shear stress on solitary waves in arteries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demiray, H

    1997-09-01

    In the present work, we study the propagation of solitary waves in a prestressed thick walled elastic tube filled with an incompressible inviscid fluid. In order to include the geometric dispersion in the analysis the wall inertia and shear deformation effects are taken into account for the inner pressure-cross-sectional area relation. Using the reductive perturbation technique, the propagation of weakly non-linear waves in the long-wave approximation is examined. It is shown that, contrary to thin tube theories, the present approach makes it possible to have solitary waves even for a Mooney-Rivlin (M-R) material. Due to dependence of the coefficients of the governing Korteweg-deVries equation on initial deformation, the solution profile changes with inner pressure and the axial stretch. The variation of wave profiles for a class of elastic materials are depicted in graphic forms. As might be seen from these illustrations, with increasing thickness ratio, the profile of solitary wave is steepened for a M-R material but it is broadened for biological tissue.

  7. Fusion an annihilation of solitary waves for a (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qiang, Ji-Ye [Nanjing Agricultural Univ. (China). Agronomy College; Lishui Univ., Zhejiang (China). College of Mathematics and Physics; Yunnan Agricultural Univ., Kunming (China). Tobacco College; Ma, Song-Hua; Ren, Qing-Bao [Lishui Univ., Zhejiang (China). College of Mathematics and Physics; Wang, Shao-Hua [Nanjing Agricultural Univ. (China). Agronomy College

    2010-12-15

    In this paper, a new projective equation is used to obtain the variable separation solutions with two arbitrary functions of the (2+1)-dimensional Broek-Kaup system (BKK). Based on the derived solitary wave solutions and by selecting appropriate functions, some novel localized excitations such as fusion and annihilation of solitary waves are investigated. (orig.)

  8. BEE FORAGE MAPPING BASED ON MULTISPECTRAL IMAGES LANDSAT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Moskalenko

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Possibilities of bee forage identification and mapping based on multispectral images have been shown in the research. Spectral brightness of bee forage has been determined with the use of satellite images. The effectiveness of some methods of image classification for mapping of bee forage is shown. Keywords: bee forage, mapping, multispectral images, image classification.

  9. Construct solitary solutions of discrete hybrid equation by Adomian Decomposition Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Zhen; Zhang Hongqing

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, we apply the Adomian Decomposition Method to solving the differential-difference equations. A typical example is applied to illustrate the validity and the great potential of the Adomian Decomposition Method in solving differential-difference equation. Kink shaped solitary solution and Bell shaped solitary solution are presented. Comparisons are made between the results of the proposed method and exact solutions. The results show that the Adomian Decomposition Method is an attractive method in solving the differential-difference equations.

  10. On the solitary wave paradigm for tsunamis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Per A.; Fuhrman, David R.; Schäffer, Hemming Andreas

    2008-01-01

    Since the 1970s, solitary waves have commonly been used to model tsunamis especially in experimental and mathematical studies. Unfortunately, the link to geophysical scales is not well established, and in this work we question the geophysical relevance of this paradigm. In part 1, we simulate...

  11. Foraging behavior of bee pollinators on the tropical weed Triumfetta semitriloba: flight distance and directionality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collevatti, R G; Schoereder, J H; Campos, L A

    2000-02-01

    We studied flight distance and directionality of bee pollinators on the tropical shrub weed Triumfetta semitriloba Jacq. (Tiliaceae), addressing (1) within- and between-plant movement pattern; (2) distances flown between plants; (3) flight directionality. Flowering plants were distributed in well-delimited clumps, in each of two pasture areas (A1 and A2) and one area of forest gap (A3), in Viçosa, southeastern Brazil. Five solitary bee species, Augochlorella michaelis, Augochloropsis cupreola, Pseudocentron paulistana, Ceratinula sp., Melissodes sexcincta, and two social bee, Plebeia droryana, P. cf. nigriceps were observed. All species moved mainly to the nearest flower on the same individual plant and, in between-plant movements, to the first or second nearest neighbor. All species moved non-randomly, presenting a flight directionality in departures (maintenance of flight direction), but with a high frequency of turn angles. It is suggested that this foraging behavior pattern occurred because of the resource quantity and quality (pollen or nectar), and environmental characteristics such as flower density and resource distribution.

  12. Fully nonlinear ion-acoustic solitary waves in a plasma with positive-negative ions and nonthermal electrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabry, R.; Shukla, P. K.; Moslem, W. M.

    2009-01-01

    Properties of fully nonlinear ion-acoustic solitary waves in a plasma with positive-negative ions and nonthermal electrons are investigated. For this purpose, the hydrodynamic equations for the positive-negative ions, nonthermal electron density distribution, and the Poisson equation are used to derive the energy integral equation with a new Sagdeev potential. The latter is analyzed to examine the existence regions of the solitary pulses. It is found that the solitary excitations strongly depend on the mass and density ratios of the positive and negative ions as well as the nonthermal electron parameter. Numerical solution of the energy integral equation clears that both positive and negative potentials exist together. It is found that faster solitary pulses are taller and narrower. Furthermore, increasing the electron nonthermality parameter (negative-to-positive ions density ratio) decreases (increases) the localized excitation amplitude but increases (decreases) the pulse width. The present model is used to investigate the solitary excitations in the (H + ,O 2 - ) and (H + ,H - ) plasmas, where they are presented in the D- and F-regions of the Earth's ionosphere. This investigation should be helpful in understanding the salient features of the fully nonlinear ion-acoustic solitary waves in space and in laboratory plasmas where two distinct groups of ions and non-Boltzmann distributed electrons are present.

  13. Partial Differential Equations and Solitary Waves Theory

    CERN Document Server

    Wazwaz, Abdul-Majid

    2009-01-01

    "Partial Differential Equations and Solitary Waves Theory" is a self-contained book divided into two parts: Part I is a coherent survey bringing together newly developed methods for solving PDEs. While some traditional techniques are presented, this part does not require thorough understanding of abstract theories or compact concepts. Well-selected worked examples and exercises shall guide the reader through the text. Part II provides an extensive exposition of the solitary waves theory. This part handles nonlinear evolution equations by methods such as Hirota’s bilinear method or the tanh-coth method. A self-contained treatment is presented to discuss complete integrability of a wide class of nonlinear equations. This part presents in an accessible manner a systematic presentation of solitons, multi-soliton solutions, kinks, peakons, cuspons, and compactons. While the whole book can be used as a text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in applied mathematics, physics and engineering, Part II w...

  14. A Solitary Plasmacytoma in a Dog with Progression to a Disseminated Myeloma

    OpenAIRE

    Lester, S. J.; Mesfin, G. M.

    1980-01-01

    Solitary plasmacytomas are rare occurrences in dogs, consequently their potential for malignancy is undetermined. A solitary plasmacytoma was removed from the perianal region of a dog. The dog was clinically normal at that time, but was killed one year later as a result of hind limb stiffness and uremia. At the postmortem examination a disseminated myeloma was found, involving the vertebral column, liver, spleen, bone marrow and visceral lymph nodes.

  15. Solitary Fibrous Tumor of Retromolar Pad; a Rare Challenging Case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lotfi, Ali; Mokhtari, Sepideh; Moshref, Mohammad; Shahla, Maryam; Atarbashi Moghadam, Saede

    2017-01-01

    Solitary fibrous tumor has a wide spectrum of histopathologic features and many tumors show similar microscopic features. This similarity poses diagnostic challenges to the pathologists and immunohistochemical analysis is required in many cases. Moreover, it is a rare entity in orofacial region which consequently would make its diagnosis more challenging in oral cavity. The knowledge of various microscopic patterns of this tumor contributes to a proper diagnosis and prevents unnecessary treatment. This study reports a case of solitary fibrous tumor in the retromolar pad area and discusses its various histological features and differential diagnoses. PMID:28620640

  16. Algebraic method for constructing singular steady solitary waves: a case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clamond, Didier; Dutykh, Denys; Galligo, André

    2016-07-01

    This article describes the use of algebraic methods in a phase plane analysis of ordinary differential equations. The method is illustrated by the study of capillary-gravity steady surface waves propagating in shallow water. We consider the (fully nonlinear, weakly dispersive) Serre-Green-Naghdi equation with surface tension, because it provides a tractable model that, at the same time, is not too simple, so interest in the method can be emphasized. In particular, we analyse a special class of solutions, the solitary waves, which play an important role in many fields of physics. In capillary-gravity regime, there are two kinds of localized infinitely smooth travelling wave solutions-solitary waves of elevation and of depression. However, if we allow the solitary waves to have an angular point, then the `zoology' of solutions becomes much richer, and the main goal of this study is to provide a complete classification of such singular localized solutions using the methods of the effective algebraic geometry.

  17. Motions in a Bose condensate: X. New results on stability of axisymmetric solitary waves of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation

    OpenAIRE

    Berloff, Natalia G.; Roberts, Paul H.

    2004-01-01

    The stability of the axisymmetric solitary waves of the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation is investigated. The Implicitly Restarted Arnoldi Method for banded matrices with shift-invert was used to solve the linearised spectral stability problem. The rarefaction solitary waves on the upper branch of the Jones-Roberts dispersion curve are shown to be unstable to axisymmetric infinitesimal perturbations, whereas the solitary waves on the lower branch and all two-dimensional solitary waves are linea...

  18. Competition and facilitation between a native and a domestic herbivore: trade-offs between forage quantity and quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Augustine, David J; Springer, Tim L

    2013-06-01

    Potential competition between native and domestic herbivores is a major consideration influencing the management and conservation of native herbivores in rangeland ecosystems. In grasslands of the North American Great Plains, black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are widely viewed as competitors with cattle but are also important for biodiversity conservation due to their role in creating habitat for other native species. We examined spatiotemporal variation in prairie dog effects on growing-season forage quality and quantity using measurements from three colony complexes in Colorado and South Dakota and from a previous study of a fourth complex in Montana. At two complexes experiencing below-average precipitation, forage availability both on and off colonies was so low (12-54 g/m2) that daily forage intake rates of cattle were likely constrained by instantaneous intake rates and daily foraging time. Under these dry conditions, prairie dogs (1) substantially reduced forage availability, thus further limiting cattle daily intake rates, and (2) had either no or a small positive effect on forage digestibility. Under such conditions, prairie dogs are likely to compete with cattle in direct proportion to their abundance. For two complexes experiencing above-average precipitation, forage quantity on and off colonies (77-208 g/m2) was sufficient for daily forage intake of cattle to be limited by digestion rather than instantaneous forage intake. At one complex where prairie dogs enhanced forage digestibility and [N] while having no effect on forage quantity, prairie dogs are predicted to facilitate cattle mass gains regardless of prairie dog abundance. At the second complex where prairie dogs enhanced digestibility and [N] but reduced forage quantity, effects on cattle can vary from competition to facilitation depending on prairie dog abundance. Our findings show that the high spatiotemporal variation in vegetation dynamics characteristic of semiarid grasslands

  19. Metachronous solitary splenic metastasis arising from early gastric cancer: a case report and literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Namikawa, Tsutomu; Kawanishi, Yasuhiro; Fujisawa, Kazune; Munekage, Eri; Munekage, Masaya; Sugase, Takahito; Maeda, Hiromichi; Kitagawa, Hiroyuki; Kumon, Tatsuya; Hiroi, Makoto; Kobayashi, Michiya; Hanazaki, Kazuhiro

    2017-08-29

    The metastasis of malignant tumors to the spleen is rare, and only a small percentage of cases can be treated surgically, as splenic metastases generally occur in the context of multivisceral metastatic cancer at a terminal stage. We report a rare case of metachronous solitary splenic metastasis arising from early gastric cancer. A 75-year-old man was initially referred to our hospital for examination of gastric cancer, diagnosed at a medical check-up. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed a slightly elevated lesion with a central irregular depression in the upper-third of the stomach. Biopsy specimens of the lesion showed a moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma, and abdominal computed tomography showed no evidence of distant metastases. Endoscopic submucosal dissection was performed, with histological confirmation of a moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma invading the submucosal layer. The patient subsequently underwent laparoscopic total gastrectomy with regional lymph node dissection, resulting in no residual carcinoma and no lymph node metastasis. Computed tomography, 28 months later, showed a well-defined mass measuring 4.2 cm in diameter in the spleen, and the patient underwent a splenectomy, since there was no evidence of further metastatic lesions in any other organs. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a poorly-differentiated adenocarcinoma originating from the previous gastric cancer. The patient was alive 2 months after surgical resection of the splenic metastasis without any recurrence. To the best of our knowledge, this is only the second case of a solitary splenic metastasis from early gastric cancer to be reported in the English literature. The present case suggests surgical resection may be the preferred treatment of choice for patients with a solitary splenic metastasis from gastric cancer.

  20. Foraging strategies of the ant Ectatomma vizottoi (Hymenoptera, Formicidae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luan D. Lima

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Foraging strategies of the ant Ectatomma vizottoi (Hymenoptera, Formicidae. Foraging activity may be limited by temperature, humidity, radiation, wind, and other abiotic factors, all of which can affect energy costs during foraging. Ectatomma vizottoi's biology has only recently been studied, and no detailed information is available on its foraging patterns or diet in the field. For this reason, and because foraging activity is an important part of the ecological success of social insects, the present study aimed to investigate E. vizottoi's foraging strategies and dietary habits. First, we determined how abiotic factors constrained E. vizottoi's foraging patterns in the field by monitoring the foraging activity of 16 colonies on eight different days across two seasons. Second, we characterized E. vizottoi's diet by monitoring another set of 26 colonies during peak foraging activity. Our results show that E. vizottoi has foraging strategies that are similar to those of congeneric species. In spite of having a low efficiency index, colonies adopted strategies that allowed them to successfully obtain food resources while avoiding adverse conditions. These strategies included preying on other ant species, a foraging tactic that could arise if a wide variety of food items are not available in the environment or if E. vizottoi simply prefers, regardless of resource availability, to prey on other invertebrates and especially on other ant species.

  1. Stability properties of solitary waves for fractional KdV and BBM equations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angulo Pava, Jaime

    2018-03-01

    This paper sheds new light on the stability properties of solitary wave solutions associated with Korteweg-de Vries-type models when the dispersion is very low. Using a compact, analytic approach and asymptotic perturbation theory, we establish sufficient conditions for the existence of exponentially growing solutions to the linearized problem and so a criterium of spectral instability of solitary waves is obtained for both models. Moreover, the nonlinear stability and spectral instability of the ground state solutions for both models is obtained for some specific regimen of parameters. Via a Lyapunov strategy and a variational analysis, we obtain the stability of the blow-up of solitary waves for the critical fractional KdV equation. The arguments presented in this investigation show promise for use in the study of the instability of traveling wave solutions of other nonlinear evolution equations.

  2. History of Solitary Confinement Is Associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms among Individuals Recently Released from Prison.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagan, Brian O; Wang, Emily A; Aminawung, Jenerius A; Albizu-Garcia, Carmen E; Zaller, Nickolas; Nyamu, Sylviah; Shavit, Shira; Deluca, Joseph; Fox, Aaron D

    2018-04-01

    This study assessed the relationship between solitary confinement and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a cohort of recently released former prisoners. The cross-sectional design utilized baseline data from the Transitions Clinic Network, a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study of post-incarceration medical care. Our main independent variable was self-reported solitary confinement during the participants' most recent incarceration; the dependent variable was the presence of PTSD symptoms determined by primary care (PC)-PTSD screening when participants initiated primary care in the community. We used multivariable logistic regression to adjust for potential confounders, such as prior mental health conditions, age, and gender. Among 119 participants, 43% had a history of solitary confinement and 28% screened positive for PTSD symptoms. Those who reported a history of solitary confinement were more likely to report PTSD symptoms than those without solitary confinement (43 vs. 16%, p history of solitary confinement (OR = 3.93, 95% CI 1.57-9.83) and chronic mental health conditions (OR = 4.04, 95% CI 1.52-10.68) were significantly associated with a positive PTSD screen after adjustment for the potential confounders. Experiencing solitary confinement was significantly associated with PTSD symptoms among individuals accessing primary care following release from prison. Larger studies should confirm these findings.

  3. Cooperative Bacterial Foraging Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hanning Chen

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Bacterial Foraging Optimization (BFO is a novel optimization algorithm based on the social foraging behavior of E. coli bacteria. This paper presents a variation on the original BFO algorithm, namely, the Cooperative Bacterial Foraging Optimization (CBFO, which significantly improve the original BFO in solving complex optimization problems. This significant improvement is achieved by applying two cooperative approaches to the original BFO, namely, the serial heterogeneous cooperation on the implicit space decomposition level and the serial heterogeneous cooperation on the hybrid space decomposition level. The experiments compare the performance of two CBFO variants with the original BFO, the standard PSO and a real-coded GA on four widely used benchmark functions. The new method shows a marked improvement in performance over the original BFO and appears to be comparable with the PSO and GA.

  4. The implications of condensed tannins on the nutritive value of temperate forages fed to ruminants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barry, T N; McNabb, W C

    1999-04-01

    New methodology for measuring forage condensed tannin (CT) content is described and the effects of CT upon forage feeding and nutritive value for ruminant animals are reviewed. CT react with forage proteins in a pH-reversible manner, with reactivity determined by the concentration, structure and molecular mass of the CT. Increasing concentrations of CT in Lotus corniculatus and Lotus pedunculatus reduce the rates of solubilization and degradation of fraction 1 leaf protein in the rumen and increase duodenal non-NH3 N flow. Action of medium concentrations of total CT in Lotus corniculatus (30-40 g/kg DM) increased the absorption of essential amino acids from the small intestine and increased wool growth, milk secretion and reproductive rate in grazing sheep without affecting voluntary feed intake, thus improving the efficiency of food conversion. High concentrations of CT in Lotus pedunculatus (75-100 g/kg DM) depressed voluntary feed intake and rumen carbohydrate digestion and depressed rates of body and wool growth in grazing sheep. The minimum concentration of CT to prevent rumen frothy bloat in cattle is defined as 5 g/kg DM and sheep grazing CT-containing legumes were shown to better tolerate internal parasite infections than sheep grazing non CT-containing forages. It was concluded that defined concentrations of forage CT can be used to increase the efficiencies of protein digestion and animal productivity in forage-fed ruminants and to develop more ecologically sustainable systems of controlling some diseases under grazing.

  5. Solitary necrotic nodules of the liver mimicking hepatic metastasis: report of two cases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, Kwon Ha; Yun, Ki Jung; Lee, Jung Min [Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Chang Guhn [Chunbuk National University Medical School, Cheongju (Korea, Republic of)

    2000-09-01

    We present two cases of solitary necrotic nodules of the liver which on radiologic images mimicked hepatic metastasis. Solitary necrotic nodule of the liver is a rare but benign entity which histopathologically consists of an outer fibrotic capsule with inflammatory cells and a central core of amorphous necrotic material. The lesion was seen on contrast-enhanced CT as an ovoid-shaped hypoattenuating nodule; on CT during hepatic arteriography as enhancing nodule; on intraoperative US as a target-appearing hypoechoic nodule; on T2WI as a hyperintensity nodule, and on dynamic MR as a subtle peripheral enhancing nodule. Although the radiologic features are not specific, solitary necrotic nodule of the liver should be included in the differential diagnosis of hepatic metastasis.

  6. The effect of prey density on foraging mode selection in juvenile lumpfish: balancing food intake with the metabolic cost of foraging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Killen, Shaun S; Brown, Joseph A; Gamperl, A Kurt

    2007-07-01

    1. In many species, individuals will alter their foraging strategy in response to changes in prey density. However, previous work has shown that prey density has differing effects on the foraging mode decisions of ectotherms as compared with endotherms. This is likely due to differences in metabolic demand; however, the relationship between metabolism and foraging mode choice in ectotherms has not been thoroughly studied. 2. Juvenile lumpfish Cyclopterus lumpus forage using one of two modes: they can actively search for prey while swimming, or they can 'sit-and-wait' for prey while clinging to the substrate using a ventral adhesive disk. The presence of these easily distinguishable foraging modes makes juvenile lumpfish ideal for the study of foraging mode choice in ectotherms. 3. Behavioural observations conducted during laboratory experiments showed that juvenile lumpfish predominantly use the 'cling' foraging mode when prey is abundant, but resort to the more costly 'swim' mode to seek out food when prey is scarce. The metabolic cost of active foraging was also quantified for juvenile lumpfish using swim-tunnel respirometry, and a model was devised to predict the prey density at which lumpfish should switch between the swim and cling foraging modes to maximize energy intake. 4. The results of this model do not agree with previous observations of lumpfish behaviour, and thus it appears that juvenile lumpfish do not try to maximize their net energetic gain. Instead, our data suggest that juvenile lumpfish forage in a manner that reduces activity and conserves space in their limited aerobic scope. This behavioural flexibility is of great benefit to this species, as it allows young individuals to divert energy towards growth as opposed to activity. In a broader context, our results support previous speculation that ectotherms often forage in a manner that maintains a minimum prey encounter rate, but does not necessarily maximize net energy gain.

  7. Neural Mechanisms of Foraging

    OpenAIRE

    Kolling, Nils; Behrens, Timothy EJ; Mars, Rogier B; Rushworth, Matthew FS

    2012-01-01

    Behavioural economic studies, involving limited numbers of choices, have provided key insights into neural decision-making mechanisms. By contrast, animals’ foraging choices arise in the context of sequences of encounters with prey/food. On each encounter the animal chooses to engage or whether the environment is sufficiently rich that searching elsewhere is merited. The cost of foraging is also critical. We demonstrate humans can alternate between two modes of choice, comparative decision-ma...

  8. CT findings of solitary intracranial metastasis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suh, Dae Chul; Lee, Kyung Soo; Chang, Kee Hyun

    1987-01-01

    The authors retrospectively reviewed and analyzed CT scans of fifty patients with solitary intracranial lesion selected from 118 patients who had been confirmed to have intracranial metastasis from 1979 to 1985. The results were as follows: 1. The most common primary tumors with solitary metastasis, in order of frequency, were lung cancer, breast cancer, choriocarcinoma, colon cancer, lymphoma and others. 2. Precontrast scans obtained in 35 cases showed cystic very low density in 20%, slightly low density in 9%, isodensity in 20%, high density in 51% when he densities of the lesions were compared with that of the normal brain tissue. 3. After contrast enhancement 43 out of 50 showed one of 4 patterns of enhancement. Homogeneous enhancement without necrosis were found in 26%, homogeneous enhancement with necrosis in 18%, ring-enhancement in 26% and irregular enhancement in 16%. No enhancement was found in 14%. 4. The locations of the metastatic lesions were intra axial in 45 and extra axial in 5. Among the intra axial lesions, the parietal lobe was the most common location. Extra axial metastases were epidural, calvarial and leptomeningeal. 5. Degrees of surrounding edema were mild in 32%, moderate in 19% and severe in 49%

  9. Annual forage cropping-systems for midwestern ruminant livestock production

    OpenAIRE

    McMillan, John Ernest

    2016-01-01

    Annual forage cropping systems are a vital aspect of livestock forage production. One area where this production system can be enhanced is the integration of novel annual forages into conventional cropping systems. Two separate projects were conducted to investigate alternative forage options in annual forage production. In the first discussed research trial, two sets of crops were sown following soft red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain harvest, at two nitrogen application rates 56 ...

  10. Spotted wing drosophila prefer low hanging fruit: insights into foraging behavior and management strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, is an invasive insect that attacks ripe, small fruit such as raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Little is known about SWD foraging ecology, and current trapping and monitoring systems are ineffective at commercial scales. In caged foragin...

  11. The Effects of Forage Policy on Feed Costs in Korea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jae Bong Chang

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Feeding operations are substantial on livestock farms, besides being potentially expensive. Feeding efficiency has been considered a major influence on profits in the livestock industry. Indeed, feed costs are shown to be the largest single item of production cost in Korea. To promote production and use of domestic forage, the Korean government has enforced the forage base expansion program that strengthens the competitiveness of the livestock industry by reducing the production cost. The forage base expansion program includes three main policies: subsidized forage production, support for processing and distribution, and expanding land for forage production. This paper investigates the influence of the government’s policies often conjectured to have pronounced effects on forage production. To evaluate the forage policies, this paper uses a path-analysis approach linking government spending on forage base expansion programs and feed costs. Results indicate that the Korean government’s spending on supporting domestic forage production results in a decrease in the ratio of forage expenses to total feed cost.

  12. The Physiological Suppressing Factors of Dry Forage Intake and the Cause of Water Intake Following Dry Forage Feeding in Goats — A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katsunori Sunagawa

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The goats raised in the barn are usually fed on fresh grass. As dry forage can be stored for long periods in large amounts, dry forage feeding makes it possible to feed large numbers of goats in barns. This review explains the physiological factors involved in suppressing dry forage intake and the cause of drinking following dry forage feeding. Ruminants consume an enormous amount of dry forage in a short time. Eating rates of dry forage rapidly decreased in the first 40 min of feeding and subsequently declined gradually to low states in the remaining time of the feeding period. Saliva in large-type goats is secreted in large volume during the first hour after the commencement of dry forage feeding. It was elucidated that the marked suppression of dry forage intake during the first hour was caused by a feeding-induced hypovolemia and the loss of NaHCO3 due to excessive salivation during the initial stages of dry forage feeding. On the other hand, it was indicated that the marked decrease in feed intake observed in the second hour of the 2 h feeding period was related to ruminal distension caused by the feed consumed and the copious amount of saliva secreted during dry forage feeding. In addition, results indicate that the marked decreases in dry forage intake after 40 min of feeding are caused by increases in plasma osmolality and subsequent thirst sensations produced by dry forage feeding. After 40 min of the 2 h dry forage feeding period, the feed salt content is absorbed into the rumen and plasma osmolality increases. The combined effects of ruminal distension and increased plasma osmolality accounted for 77.6% of the suppression of dry forage intake 40 min after the start of dry forage feeding. The results indicate that ruminal distension and increased plasma osmolality are the main physiological factors in suppression of dry forage intake in large-type goats. There was very little drinking behavior observed during the first hour of the 2 h

  13. Proton MR spectroscopy in solitary pulmonary nodules: a preliminary study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Chunshan; Xiao Xiangsheng; Li Huimin; Liu Shiyuan; Li Chengzhou; Li Shenjiang

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To study the characteristics and the regularities of the metabolites in solitary pulmonary nodules with proton MR spectroscopy, and to investigate the clinical value of MR spectroscopy in differentiating benign from malignant pulmonary nodules. Methods: Sixty-nine patients with solitary pulmonary nodules underwent routine MRI and single-voxel MR spectroscopy using Siemens Vision 1.5 T MR system. MR spectroscopy characteristics and parameters of the metabolites were observed and recorded. Ten pathologic specimens were examined with single-voxel MR spectroscopy. The MR spectroscopy results of the pathologic specimens were compared with those of the solitary pulmonary nodules in vivo. Results: The Cho peak (2.86 ± 1.89) of the malignant nodules was higher than that of the inflammatory (0.87 ± 0.74), tuberculous nodules (0.97 ± 1.09), and hamartoma (0.42 ± 0.53) (P 0.05). Conclusion: MR spectroscopy is reliable in evaluating pulmonary nodules in vivo. The Cho peak, Cho/Cr, and Lac peak of the malignant nodules were higher than those of inflammatory, tuberculous nodules, and hamartoma. MR spectroscopy is helpful in differentiating benign from malignant pulmonary nodules. (authors)

  14. Negative ion sound solitary waves revisited

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cairns, R. A.; Cairns

    2013-12-01

    Some years ago, a group including the present author and Padma Shukla showed that a suitable non-thermal electron distribution allows the formation of ion sound solitary waves with either positive or negative density perturbations, whereas with Maxwellian electrons only a positive density perturbation is possible. The present paper discusses the qualitative features of this distribution allowing the negative waves and shared with suitable two-temperature distributions.

  15. Forage evaluation by analysis after

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    by forages, can be estimated by amino acid analysis of the products of fermentation in vitro. Typical results of such analyses are presented in Table 1. These results indicate that after fermentation the amino acid balance of forages is not optimal for either milk or meat production, with histidine usually being the first limiting.

  16. Solitary osteochondroma arising in lumbar spinous process: Case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khaled Hadhri

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Solitary osteochondromas rarely occur in the axial skeleton. Those tumors mostly arise on the posterior elements of the cervical column causing various symptoms especially when developing within the spinal canal. Exophytic lumbar variety is uncommon presenting with palpable mass or spinal deformity. We report a 20-year-old man presenting with a solid painless mass at the lower lumbar region. Radiological examinations revealed an exophytic lesion arising in the third lumbar spinous process appearing to be a solitary osteochondroma. The lesion was treated by en-bloc resection; histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of osteochondroma with no evidence of recurrence at the end of 2-year follow up.

  17. A Breath of Fresh Air in Foraging Theory: The Importance of Wind for Food Size Selection in a Central-Place Forager.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alma, Andrea Marina; Farji-Brener, Alejandro G; Elizalde, Luciana

    2017-09-01

    Empirical data about food size carried by central-place foragers do not often fit with the optimum predicted by classical foraging theory. Traditionally, biotic constraints such as predation risk and competition have been proposed to explain this inconsistency, leaving aside the possible role of abiotic factors. Here we documented how wind affects the load size of a central-place forager (leaf-cutting ants) through a mathematical model including the whole foraging process. The model showed that as wind speed at ground level increased from 0 to 2 km/h, load size decreased from 91 to 30 mm 2 , a prediction that agreed with empirical data from windy zones, highlighting the relevance of considering abiotic factors to predict foraging behavior. Furthermore, wind reduced the range of load sizes that workers should select to maintain a similar rate of food intake and decreased the foraging rate by ∼70% when wind speed increased 1 km/h. These results suggest that wind could reduce the fitness of colonies and limit the geographic distribution of leaf-cutting ants. The developed model offers a complementary explanation for why load size in central-place foragers may not fit theoretical predictions and could serve as a basis to study the effects of other abiotic factors that influence foraging.

  18. Position of solitary thyroid nodules by gammagraphy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Basteris M, J.; Gomez D, R.

    2007-01-01

    In this work it is presented which it is the position more frequent of the solitary thyroid nodules. It was used the method of retrospective longitudinal observational investigation in 125 patients that went to the laboratory for realization of detection of thyroid nodules in the years 2004 and 2005 through gammagraphy. (Author)

  19. Optimal Foraging by Birds: Experiments for Secondary & Postsecondary Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pecor, Keith W.; Lake, Ellen C.; Wund, Matthew A.

    2015-01-01

    Optimal foraging theory attempts to explain the foraging patterns observed in animals, including their choice of particular food items and foraging locations. We describe three experiments designed to test hypotheses about food choice and foraging habitat preference using bird feeders. These experiments can be used alone or in combination and can…

  20. Extramedullary Solitary Plasmacytoma: Demonstrating the Role of 18F-FDG PET Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gautam, Archana; Sahu, Kamal Kant; Alamgir, Ahsan; Siddiqi, Imran; Ailawadhi, Sikander

    2017-04-01

    An Extramedullary Plasmacytoma (EMP) is characterized by a neoplastic proliferation of clonal plasma cells outside the medullary cavity. EMPs are a rare occurrence compared to other malignant plasma cell disorders and account for approximately 3-5% of plasma-cell neoplasms. Although most cases of EMP are not immediately life threatening at diagnosis, EMPs can progress to Multiple Myeloma (MM) and thus, warrant monitoring. Currently, there are no standard guidelines for when and how to monitor patients who are diagnosed with or treated for a solitary plasmacytoma. We present a case of solitary EMP who was treated adequately and definitively but developed a distinct, non-contiguous subsequent solitary EMP and was only discovered due to surveillance 18 F-Fludeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography ( 18 F-FDG) (PET) scan. Uniform surveillance guidelines should be developed and the potential benefits of PET and other imaging techniques as well as their cost should be considered.

  1. Influence of ionization on reflection of solitary waves in a magnetized plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jyoti,; Malik, Hitendra K.; Kumar, Ravinder; Dahiya, Raj P.

    2013-01-01

    The reflection of nonlinear solitary waves is studied in a nonuniform, magnetized plasma diffusing from an ionization source along the magnetic field lines. Contribution of the ionization term is included in the continuity equation. The behavior of solitary waves is governed by modified form of Korteweg–de Vries equation (called mKdV equation). In order to investigate the reflection of solitary waves, the mKdV equations for the right and left going waves are derived, and solved by finding new transformations coupled at the point of reflection, for obtaining the expression of reflection coefficient. Contrary to the case of usual inhomogeneous plasma, the present analysis shows that a combination of usual sech 2 structure and tanh structure (called the tail of soliton) arises due to the influence of ionization term. Interestingly, this tailing structure disappears after the reflection of the soliton and hence, the soliton is downshifted prominently

  2. Solitary wave exchange potential and nucleon-nucleon interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prema, K.; Raghavan, S.S.; Sekhar Raghavan

    1986-11-01

    Nucleon-nucleon interaction is studied using a phenomenological potential model called solitary wave exchange potential model. It is shown that this simple model reproduces the singlet and triplet scattering data and the deuteron parameters reasonably well. (author). 6 refs, 2 figs, 1 tab

  3. Multiple-stage decisions in a marine central-place forager.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedlaender, Ari S; Johnston, David W; Tyson, Reny B; Kaltenberg, Amanda; Goldbogen, Jeremy A; Stimpert, Alison K; Curtice, Corrie; Hazen, Elliott L; Halpin, Patrick N; Read, Andrew J; Nowacek, Douglas P

    2016-05-01

    Air-breathing marine animals face a complex set of physical challenges associated with diving that affect the decisions of how to optimize feeding. Baleen whales (Mysticeti) have evolved bulk-filter feeding mechanisms to efficiently feed on dense prey patches. Baleen whales are central place foragers where oxygen at the surface represents the central place and depth acts as the distance to prey. Although hypothesized that baleen whales will target the densest prey patches anywhere in the water column, how depth and density interact to influence foraging behaviour is poorly understood. We used multi-sensor archival tags and active acoustics to quantify Antarctic humpback whale foraging behaviour relative to prey. Our analyses reveal multi-stage foraging decisions driven by both krill depth and density. During daylight hours when whales did not feed, krill were found in deep high-density patches. As krill migrated vertically into larger and less dense patches near the surface, whales began to forage. During foraging bouts, we found that feeding rates (number of feeding lunges per hour) were greatest when prey was shallowest, and feeding rates decreased with increasing dive depth. This strategy is consistent with previous models of how air-breathing diving animals optimize foraging efficiency. Thus, humpback whales forage mainly when prey is more broadly distributed and shallower, presumably to minimize diving and searching costs and to increase feeding rates overall and thus foraging efficiency. Using direct measurements of feeding behaviour from animal-borne tags and prey availability from echosounders, our study demonstrates a multi-stage foraging process in a central place forager that we suggest acts to optimize overall efficiency by maximizing net energy gain over time. These data reveal a previously unrecognized level of complexity in predator-prey interactions and underscores the need to simultaneously measure prey distribution in marine central place forager

  4. Multiple-stage decisions in a marine central-place forager

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedlaender, Ari S.; Johnston, David W.; Tyson, Reny B.; Kaltenberg, Amanda; Goldbogen, Jeremy A.; Stimpert, Alison K.; Curtice, Corrie; Hazen, Elliott L.; Halpin, Patrick N.; Read, Andrew J.; Nowacek, Douglas P.

    2016-05-01

    Air-breathing marine animals face a complex set of physical challenges associated with diving that affect the decisions of how to optimize feeding. Baleen whales (Mysticeti) have evolved bulk-filter feeding mechanisms to efficiently feed on dense prey patches. Baleen whales are central place foragers where oxygen at the surface represents the central place and depth acts as the distance to prey. Although hypothesized that baleen whales will target the densest prey patches anywhere in the water column, how depth and density interact to influence foraging behaviour is poorly understood. We used multi-sensor archival tags and active acoustics to quantify Antarctic humpback whale foraging behaviour relative to prey. Our analyses reveal multi-stage foraging decisions driven by both krill depth and density. During daylight hours when whales did not feed, krill were found in deep high-density patches. As krill migrated vertically into larger and less dense patches near the surface, whales began to forage. During foraging bouts, we found that feeding rates (number of feeding lunges per hour) were greatest when prey was shallowest, and feeding rates decreased with increasing dive depth. This strategy is consistent with previous models of how air-breathing diving animals optimize foraging efficiency. Thus, humpback whales forage mainly when prey is more broadly distributed and shallower, presumably to minimize diving and searching costs and to increase feeding rates overall and thus foraging efficiency. Using direct measurements of feeding behaviour from animal-borne tags and prey availability from echosounders, our study demonstrates a multi-stage foraging process in a central place forager that we suggest acts to optimize overall efficiency by maximizing net energy gain over time. These data reveal a previously unrecognized level of complexity in predator-prey interactions and underscores the need to simultaneously measure prey distribution in marine central place forager

  5. Debye-scale solitary structures measured in a beam-plasma laboratory experiment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Lefebvre

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Solitary electrostatic pulses have been observed in numerous places of the magnetosphere such as the vicinity of reconnection current sheets, shocks or auroral current systems, and are often thought to be generated by energetic electron beams. We present results of a series of experiments conducted at the UCLA large plasma device (LAPD where a suprathermal electron beam was injected parallel to a static magnetic field. Micro-probes with tips smaller than a Debye length enabled the detection of solitary pulses with positive electric potential and half-widths 4–25 Debye lengths (λDe, over a set of experiments with various beam energies, plasma densities and magnetic field strengths. The shape, scales and amplitudes of the structures are similar to those observed in space, and consistent with electron holes. The dependance of these properties on the experimental parameters is shown. The velocities of the solitary structures (1–3 background electron thermal velocities are found to be much lower than the beam velocities, suggesting an excitation mechanism driven by parallel currents associated to the electron beam.

  6. Solitary cysticercosis of the biceps brachii in a vegetarian: a rare and unusual pseudotumor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdelwahab, Ibrahim Fikry; Klein, Michael J.; Hermann, George; Abdul-Quader, Mohammed

    2003-01-01

    We report a 40-year-old man with cysticercosis presenting as a solitary tumor in the biceps brachii muscle. Physical examination revealed an intramuscular mass and magnetic resonance imaging suggested a cyst. The histologic diagnosis was a cysticercus. Such solitary presentation of muscular cysticercosis is extremely rare with only a handful of sporadic reports in the literature. (orig.)

  7. Solitary cysticercosis of the biceps brachii in a vegetarian: a rare and unusual pseudotumor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abdelwahab, Ibrahim Fikry [Department of Radiology, New York Methodist Hospital Affiliated with Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 506 Sixth Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (United States); Klein, Michael J. [Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, 1 Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY 10029 (United States); Hermann, George [Department of Radiology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, 1 Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY 10029 (United States); Abdul-Quader, Mohammed [Department of Radiology, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, 177 Fort Washington Avenue, New York, NY 10032 (United States)

    2003-07-01

    We report a 40-year-old man with cysticercosis presenting as a solitary tumor in the biceps brachii muscle. Physical examination revealed an intramuscular mass and magnetic resonance imaging suggested a cyst. The histologic diagnosis was a cysticercus. Such solitary presentation of muscular cysticercosis is extremely rare with only a handful of sporadic reports in the literature. (orig.)

  8. Measurement of Ultra-Short Solitary Electromagnetic Pulses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva Gescheidtova

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available In connection with the events of the last few years and with the increased number of terrorist activities, the problem of identification and measurement of electromagnetic weapons or other systems impact occurred. Among these are also microwave sources, which can reach extensive peak power of up to Pmax = 100 MW. Solitary, in some cases several times repeated, impulses lasting from tp E <1, 60>ns, cause the destruction of semiconductor junctions. These days we can find scarcely no human activity, where semiconductor structures are not used. The problem of security support of the air traffic, transportation, computer nets, banks, national strategic data canter’s, and other applications crops up. Several types of system protection from the ultra-short electromagnetic pulses present itself, passive and active protection. The analysis of the possible measuring methods, convenient for the identification and measurement of the ultra-short solitary electromagnetic pulses in presented in this paper; some of the methods were chosen and used for practical measurement. This work is part of Research object MSM262200022 "Research of microelectronic systems".

  9. Quality of the forage apparently consumed by beef calves in natural grassland under fertilization and oversown with cool season forage species

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denise Adelaide Gomes Elejalde

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of the forage apparently consumed by steers in a natural grassland on region of Campanha, in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, subjected or not to different inputs: NP - natural pasture without inputs; FNP - fertilized natural pasture and INP - improved natural grassland with fertilization and over-seeded with cultivated winter species. Three Angus steers testers and a variable number of regulator animals per experimental unit were utilized in order to maintain 13 kg of DM/100 kg of live weight (LW as forage allowance. One time at each season, hand plucking samples were performed along the daily grazing time simulating forage harvested by the animals. The collected samples after drying and grind were submitted to chemical analysis to determine the forage quality. Except in winter and spring, the values of neutral detergent fiber were higher than the critical value of 550 g/kg of DM, which could limit forage intake, demonstrating that the values of forage on offer provided (15.6; 13.7; 13.5; 15.8 kg of DM/100 kg of LW/day in summer, autumn, winter and spring, respectively were not restrictive to intake. The oversowing of winter cultivated species or fertilization positively alter the degradable fiber content. The seasons had marked influence on the chemical composition of forage apparently consumed; positively increasing some fractions of forage chemical composition in the seasons in which native or cultivated winter species increased their participation. The forage chemical composition is the determining factor in animal performance in natural pasture.

  10. Rare case of solitary plasmacytoma of the skull in a young male patient

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Swati Singh

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Solitary plasmacytoma of bone without signs of multiple myeloma is a rare entity. It usually presents as an osteolytic lesion in the axial skeleton of an elderly patient. Here, we report a case of solitary plasmacytoma in the skull of a young male patient which emphasises the need to consider it in the differential diagnosis of a destructive calvarial mass lesion even in this age group.

  11. Three-Dimensional Coupled NLS Equations for Envelope Gravity Solitary Waves in Baroclinic Atmosphere and Modulational Instability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Baojun Zhao

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Envelope gravity solitary waves are an important research hot spot in the field of solitary wave. And the weakly nonlinear model equations system is a part of the research of envelope gravity solitary waves. Because of the lack of technology and theory, previous studies tried hard to reduce the variable numbers and constructed the two-dimensional model in barotropic atmosphere and could only describe the propagation feature in a direction. But for the propagation of envelope gravity solitary waves in real ocean ridges and atmospheric mountains, the three-dimensional model is more appropriate. Meanwhile, the baroclinic problem of atmosphere is also an inevitable topic. In the paper, the three-dimensional coupled nonlinear Schrödinger (CNLS equations are presented to describe the evolution of envelope gravity solitary waves in baroclinic atmosphere, which are derived from the basic dynamic equations by employing perturbation and multiscale methods. The model overcomes two disadvantages: (1 baroclinic problem and (2 propagation path problem. Then, based on trial function method, we deduce the solution of the CNLS equations. Finally, modulational instability of wave trains is also discussed.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2004-01-01

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

  13. Solitary giant neurofibroma of the mental nerve: a trauma-related lesion?

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Rosa, Marina R P; Ribeiro, André Luis Ribeiro; de Menezes, Sílvio A F; Pinheiro, João J V; Alves-Junior, Sérgio M

    2013-05-01

    Neurofibroma is a benign neoplasm derived from peripheral nerves whose etiology is still unclear. It may present as a solitary lesion or be associated with other diseases such as neurofibromatosis type I and II syndrome. This paper aims to report an extremely rare case of a solitary giant neurofibroma of the mental nerve whose etiology was related to a local trauma. A 14-year-old female patient presented an extensive left facial mass with a size of 7 × 5 × 4 cm, located between the teeth 33 and 37 in the mandible region. It has begun to grow 3 months after a local trauma. Imaging studies were suggestive of a soft-tissue lesion, with minimal bone changes and maintaining the integrity of the mandibular canal and mental foramen. Histopathological tests showed spindle cells with undulated and hyperchromatic nuclei, and sparse cytoplasm in a stroma composed of dense fibrous connective tissue. Immunohistochemistry revealed positive expression for the proteins S-100 and vimentin, confirming the diagnosis of neurofibroma. The patient underwent surgical removal of the lesion by intraoral approach and evolved with an excellent cosmetic result and no signs of recurrence after 2 years of follow up. We report a rare case of solitary giant neurofibroma whose etiology was related to a local trauma. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a mental nerve neurofibroma. Although the etiology remains unclear, we suggest the investigation of local trauma as a possible etiologic factor for solitary neurofibromas of the jaw.

  14. A relativistic solitary wave in electron positron plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berezhiani, V.I.; Skarka, V.; Mahajan, S.

    1993-09-01

    The relativistic solitary wave propagation is studied in cold electron-positron plasma embedded in an external arbitrary strong magnetic field. The exact, analytical soliton-like solution corresponding to a localized, purely electromagnetic pulse with arbitrary big amplitude is found. (author). 7 refs, 1 fig

  15. The regulation of ant colony foraging activity without spatial information.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Balaji Prabhakar

    Full Text Available Many dynamical networks, such as the ones that produce the collective behavior of social insects, operate without any central control, instead arising from local interactions among individuals. A well-studied example is the formation of recruitment trails in ant colonies, but many ant species do not use pheromone trails. We present a model of the regulation of foraging by harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus colonies. This species forages for scattered seeds that one ant can retrieve on its own, so there is no need for spatial information such as pheromone trails that lead ants to specific locations. Previous work shows that colony foraging activity, the rate at which ants go out to search individually for seeds, is regulated in response to current food availability throughout the colony's foraging area. Ants use the rate of brief antennal contacts inside the nest between foragers returning with food and outgoing foragers available to leave the nest on the next foraging trip. Here we present a feedback-based algorithm that captures the main features of data from field experiments in which the rate of returning foragers was manipulated. The algorithm draws on our finding that the distribution of intervals between successive ants returning to the nest is a Poisson process. We fitted the parameter that estimates the effect of each returning forager on the rate at which outgoing foragers leave the nest. We found that correlations between observed rates of returning foragers and simulated rates of outgoing foragers, using our model, were similar to those in the data. Our simple stochastic model shows how the regulation of ant colony foraging can operate without spatial information, describing a process at the level of individual ants that predicts the overall foraging activity of the colony.

  16. Solitary waves on nonlinear elastic rods. II

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Mads Peter; Christiansen, Peter Leth; Lomdahl, P. S.

    1987-01-01

    In continuation of an earlier study of propagation of solitary waves on nonlinear elastic rods, numerical investigations of blowup, reflection, and fission at continuous and discontinuous variation of the cross section for the rod and reflection at the end of the rod are presented. The results ar...... are compared with predictions of conservation theorems for energy and momentum....

  17. The radiology in the solitary bone lesions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Veloso, G.A.; Cardoso, V.M.

    1985-01-01

    Three methods of radiologic analysis of the solitary bone lesions are reviewed. 1. Radiological analysis of the lesions with the objective to suppose the histologic type; 2. To appreciate the velocity of growth and aggressiveness of the lesions. 3. To appreciate the biological behaviour of the bone lesions, making the diagnosis necessary for the treatment. (M.A.C.) [pt

  18. Solitary Wave Solutions to a Class of Modified Green-Naghdi Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duchêne, Vincent; Nilsson, Dag; Wahlén, Erik

    2017-12-01

    We provide the existence and asymptotic description of solitary wave solutions to a class of modified Green-Naghdi systems, modeling the propagation of long surface or internal waves. This class was recently proposed by Duchêne et al. (Stud Appl Math 137:356-415, 2016) in order to improve the frequency dispersion of the original Green-Naghdi system while maintaining the same precision. The solitary waves are constructed from the solutions of a constrained minimization problem. The main difficulties stem from the fact that the functional at stake involves low order non-local operators, intertwining multiplications and convolutions through Fourier multipliers.

  19. Is DNA a nonlinear dynamical system where solitary conformational ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    DNA is considered as a nonlinear dynamical system in which solitary conformational waves can be excited. The ... nonlinear differential equations and their soliton-like solu- .... structure and dynamics can be added till the most accurate.

  20. Is there an endogenous tidal foraging rhythm in marine iguanas?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wikelski, M; Hau, M

    1995-12-01

    As strictly herbivorous reptiles, Galápagos marine iguanas graze on algae in the intertidal areas during low tide. Daily foraging rhythms were observed on two islands during 3 years to determine the proximate factors underlying behavioral synchrony with the tides. Marine iguanas walked to their intertidal foraging grounds from far-off resting areas in anticipation of the time of low tide. Foraging activity was restricted to daytime, resulting in a complex bitidal rhythm including conspicuous switches from afternoon foraging to foraging during the subsequent morning when low tide occurred after dusk. The animals anticipated the daily low tide by a maximum of 4 h. The degree of anticipation depended on environmental parameters such as wave action and food supply. "Early foragers" survived in greater numbers than did animals arriving later at foraging sites, a result indicating selection pressure on the timing of anticipation. The timing of foraging trips was better predicted by the daily changes in tabulated low tide than it was by the daily changes in actual exposure of the intertidal foraging flats, suggesting an endogenous nature of the foraging rhythms. Endogenous rhythmicity would also explain why iguanas that had spontaneously fasted for several days nevertheless went foraging at the "right" time of day. A potential lunar component of the foraging rhythmicity of marine iguanas showed up in their assemblage on intertidal rocks during neap tide nights. This may indicate that iguanas possessed information on the semi-monthly rhythms in tide heights. Enclosure experiments showed that bitidal foraging rhythms of iguanas may free run in the absence of direct cues from the intertidal areas and operate independent of the light:dark cycle and social stimuli. Therefore, the existence of a circatidal oscillator in marine iguanas is proposed. The bitidal foraging pattern may result from an interaction of a circadian system with a circatidal system. Food intake or related

  1. Dissipative Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation for Envelope Solitary Rossby Waves with Dissipation Effect in Stratified Fluids and Its Solution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yunlong Shi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We solve the so-called dissipative nonlinear Schrödinger equation by means of multiple scales analysis and perturbation method to describe envelope solitary Rossby waves with dissipation effect in stratified fluids. By analyzing the evolution of amplitude of envelope solitary Rossby waves, it is found that the shear of basic flow, Brunt-Vaisala frequency, and β effect are important factors to form the envelope solitary Rossby waves. By employing trial function method, the asymptotic solution of dissipative nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived. Based on the solution, the effect of dissipation on the evolution of envelope solitary Rossby wave is also discussed. The results show that the dissipation causes a slow decrease of amplitude of envelope solitary Rossby waves and a slow increase of width, while it has no effect on the propagation velocity. That is quite different from the KdV-type solitary waves. It is notable that dissipation has certain influence on the carrier frequency.

  2. (2+1)-dimensional dissipation nonlinear Schrödinger equation for envelope Rossby solitary waves and chirp effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jin-Yuan; Fang Nian-Qiao; Yuan Xiao-Bo; Zhang Ji; Xue Yu-Long; Wang Xue-Mu

    2016-01-01

    In the past few decades, the (1+1)-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation had been derived for envelope Rossby solitary waves in a line by employing the perturbation expansion method. But, with the development of theory, we note that the (1+1)-dimensional model cannot reflect the evolution of envelope Rossby solitary waves in a plane. In this paper, by constructing a new (2+1)-dimensional multiscale transform, we derive the (2+1)-dimensional dissipation nonlinear Schrödinger equation (DNLS) to describe envelope Rossby solitary waves under the influence of dissipation which propagate in a plane. Especially, the previous researches about envelope Rossby solitary waves were established in the zonal area and could not be applied directly to the spherical earth, while we adopt the plane polar coordinate and overcome the problem. By theoretical analyses, the conservation laws of (2+1)-dimensional envelope Rossby solitary waves as well as their variation under the influence of dissipation are studied. Finally, the one-soliton and two-soliton solutions of the (2+1)-dimensional NLS equation are obtained with the Hirota method. Based on these solutions, by virtue of the chirp concept from fiber soliton communication, the chirp effect of envelope Rossby solitary waves is discussed, and the related impact factors of the chirp effect are given. (paper)

  3. Self-trapping of scalar and vector dipole solitary waves in Kerr media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhong Weiping; Belic, Milivoj R.; Assanto, Gaetano; Malomed, Boris A.; Huang Tingwen

    2011-01-01

    We report solutions for expanding dipole-type optical solitary waves in two-dimensional Kerr media with the self-focusing nonlinearity, using exact analytical (Hirota) and numerical methods. Such localized beams carry intrinsic vorticity and exhibit symmetric shapes for both scalar and vector solitary modes. When vector beams are close to the scalar limit, simulations demonstrate their stability over propagation distances exceeding 50 diffraction lengths. In fact, the continuous expansion helps the vortical beams avoid the instability against the splitting, collapse, or decay, making them 'convectively stable' patterns.

  4. Extracranial metastasizing solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) of meninges: histopathological features of a case with long-term follow-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gessi, Marco; Gielen, Gerrit H; Roeder-Geyer, Eva-Dorette; Sommer, Clemens; Vieth, Michael; Braun, Veit; Kuchelmeister, Klaus; Pietsch, Torsten

    2013-02-01

    Extrapleural solitary fibrous tumors are uncommon mesenchymal neoplasms frequently observed in middle-aged adults and are classified, according to the WHO classification of soft tissue tumors, as part of the hemangiopericytoma tumor group. However, these two entities remain separated in the WHO classification of tumors of the central nervous system. In fact, meningeal solitary fibrous tumors are believed to be benign lesion and only in a minority of cases local relapses have been described, although detailed survival clinical studies on solitary fibrous tumors of meninges are rare. In contrast to hemangiopericytoma, which frequently shows distant extracranial metastases, such an event is exceptional in patients with meningeal solitary fibrous tumors and has been clinically reported in a handful of cases only and their histopathological features have not been investigated in detail. In this report, we describe the detailed clinico-pathological features of a meningeal solitary fibrous tumor presenting during a 17-year follow-up period, multiple intra-, extracranial relapses and lung metastases. © 2012 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.

  5. Breeding limits foraging time : Evidence of interrupted foraging response from body mass variation in a tropical environment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nwaogu, Chima J.; Dietz, Maurine W.; Tieleman, B. Irene; Cresswell, Will

    Birds should store body reserves if starvation risk is anticipated; this is known as an ‘interrupted foraging response’. If foraging remains unrestricted, however, body mass should remain low to limit the predation risk that gaining and carrying body reserves entails. In temperate environments mass

  6. Correlations between environmental factors and wild bee behavior on alfalfa (Medicago sativa) in northwestern China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaojuan; Liu, Hongping; Li, Xiaoxia; Song, Yu; Chen, Li; Jin, Liang

    2009-10-01

    To discover the effect of environmental factors on pollinator visitation to flowering Medicago sativa, several field experiments were designed to examine the diurnal movement patterns of wild bee species in the Hexi Corridor of northwestern China. Our study results showed that Megachile abluta, M. spissula, and Xylocopa valga showed unimodal diurnal foraging behavior, whereas Andrena parvula and Anthophora melanognatha showed bimodal diurnal foraging behavior. Correlation analysis indicated that diurnal foraging activities of pollinators were significantly correlated with environmental factors. Correlations of foraging activities versus environmental factors for M. abluta, M. spissula, and X. valga best fit a linear model, whereas those of A. parvula and A. melanognatha best fit a parallel quadratic model. Results of this study indicated that solitary wild bees such as M. abluta, M. spissula, X. valga, A. parvula, and A. melanognatha are potential alfalfa pollinators in the Hexi Corridor. An understanding of the environmental factors that affect the behaviors of different wild bees foraging in alfalfa are basic to the utilization of solitary wild bees in a practical way for increased, or more consistent, pollination of alfalfa for seed production.

  7. Persistence of forage fish ‘hot spots’ and its association with foraging Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in southeast Alaska

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gende, Scott M.; Sigler, Michael F.

    2006-02-01

    Whereas primary and secondary productivity at oceanic 'hotspots' may be a function of upwelling and temperature fronts, the aggregation of higher-order vertebrates is a function of their ability to search for and locate these areas. Thus, understanding how predators aggregate at these productive foraging areas is germane to the study of oceanic hot spots. We examined the spatial distribution of forage fish in southeast Alaska for three years to better understand Steller sea lion ( Eumetopias jubatus) aggregations and foraging behavior. Energy densities (millions KJ/km 2) of forage fish were orders of magnitude greater during the winter months (November-February), due to the presence of schools of overwintering Pacific herring ( Clupea pallasi). Within the winter months, herring consistently aggregated at a few areas, and these areas persisted throughout the season and among years. Thus, our study area was characterized by seasonally variable, highly abundant but highly patchily distributed forage fish hot spots. More importantly, the persistence of these forage fish hot spots was an important characteristic in determining whether foraging sea lions utilized them. Over 40% of the variation in the distribution of sea lions on our surveys was explained by the persistence of forage fish hot spots. Using a simple spatial model, we demonstrate that when the density of these hot spots is low, effort necessary to locate these spots is minimized when those spots persist through time. In contrast, under similar prey densities but lower persistence, effort increases dramatically. Thus an important characteristic of pelagic hot spots is their persistence, allowing predators to predict their locations and concentrate search efforts accordingly.

  8. Large amplitude solitary waves in and near the Earth’s magnetosphere, magnetopause and bow shock: Polar and Cluster observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Cattell

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Solitary waves with large electric fields (up to 100's of mV/m have been observed throughout the magnetosphere and in the bow shock. We discuss observations by Polar at high altitudes ( ~ 4-8 RE , during crossings of the plasma sheet boundary and cusp, and new measurements by Polar at the equatorial magnetopause and by Cluster near the bow shock, in the cusp and at the plasma sheet boundary. We describe the results of a statistical study of electron solitary waves observed by Polar at high altitudes. The mean solitary wave duration was ~ 2 ms. The waves have velocities from ~ 1000 km/s to  > 2500 km/s. Observed scale sizes (parallel to the magnetic field are on the order of 1-10lD, with eF/kTe from ~ 0.01 to O(1. The average speed of solitary waves at the plasma sheet boundary is faster than the average speed observed in the cusp and at cusp injections. The amplitude increases with both velocity and scale size. These observations are all consistent with the identification of the solitary waves as electron hole modes. We also report the discovery of solitary waves at the magnetopause, observed in Polar data obtained at the subsolar equatorial magnetopause. Both positive and negative potential structures have been observed with amplitudes up to ~ 25 mV/m. The velocities range from 150 km/s to >2500 km/s, with scale sizes the order of a kilometer (comparable to the Debye length. Initial observations of solitary waves by the four Cluster satellites are utilized to discuss the scale sizes and time variability of the regions where the solitary waves occur. Preliminary results from the four Cluster satellites have given a glimpse of the spatial and temporal variability of the occurrence of solitary waves and their association with other wave modes. In all the events studied, significant differences were observed in the waveforms observed simultaneously at the four locations separated by ~ 1000 km. When solitary waves were seen at one satellite, they

  9. Forage mass and the nutritive value of pastures mixed with forage peanut and red clover

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ricardo Lima de Azevedo Junior

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this research was to estimate three pasture-based systems mixed with elephantgrass + spontaneous growth species, annual ryegrass, for pasture-based system 1; elephantgrass + spontaneous growth species + forage peanut, for pasture-based system 2; and elephantgrass + spontaneous growth species + annual ryegrass + red clover, for pasture-based system 3. Elephantgrass was planted in rows 4 m apart from each other. During the cool-season, annual ryegrass was sown in the alleys between the rows of elephantgrass; forage peanut and red clover were sown in the alleys between the elephantgrass according to the respective treatment. The experimental design was totally randomized in the three treatments (pasture-based systems, two replicates (paddocks in completely split-plot time (grazing cycles. Holstein cows receiving 5.5 kg-daily complementary concentrate feed were used in the evaluation. Pre-grazing forage mass, botanical composition and stocking rate were evaluated. Samples of simulated grazing were collected to analyze organic matter (OM, neutral detergent fiber (NDF, crude protein (CP and organic matter in situ digestibility (OMISD. Nine grazing cycles were performed during the experimental period (341 days. The average dry matter values for pre-grazing and stocking rate were 3.34; 3.46; 3.79 t/ha, and 3.28; 3.34; 3.60 AU/ha for each respective pasture-based system. Similar results were observed between the pasture-based systems for OM, NDF, CP and OMISD. Considering forage mass, stocking rate and nutritive value, the pasture-based system intercropped with forage legumes presented better performance.

  10. Effects of pasture renovation on hydrology, nutrient runoff, and forage yield.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Koff, J P; Moore, P A; Formica, J; Van Eps, M; DeLaune, P B

    2011-01-01

    Proper pasture management is important in promoting optimal forage growth and reducing runoff and nutrient loss. Pasture renovation is a management tool that improves aeration by mechanically creating holes or pockets within the soil. Pasture renovation was performed before manure application (poultry litter or swine slurry) on different pasture soils and rainfall simulations were conducted to identify the effects of pasture renovation on nutrient runoff and forage growth. Renovation of small plots resulted in significant and beneficial hydrological changes. During the first rainfall simulation, runoff volumes were 45 to 74% lower for seven out of eight renovated treatments, and infiltration rates increased by 3 to 87% for all renovated treatments as compared with nonrenovated treatments. Renovation of pasture soils fertilized with poultry litter led to significant reductions in dissolved reactive P (DRP) (74-87%), total P (TP) (76-85%), and total nitrogen (TN) (72-80%) loads in two of the three soils studied during the first rainfall simulation. Renovation did not result in any significant differences in forage yields. Overall, beneficial impacts of renovation lasted up to 3 mo, the most critical period for nutrient runoff following manure application. Therefore, renovation could be an important best management practice in these areas.

  11. Group cohesion in foraging meerkats: follow the moving 'vocal hot spot'.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gall, Gabriella E C; Manser, Marta B

    2017-04-01

    Group coordination, when 'on the move' or when visibility is low, is a challenge faced by many social living animals. While some animals manage to maintain cohesion solely through visual contact, the mechanism of group cohesion through other modes of communication, a necessity when visual contact is reduced, is not yet understood. Meerkats ( Suricata suricatta ), a small, social carnivore, forage as a cohesive group while moving continuously. While foraging, they frequently emit 'close calls', soft close-range contact calls. Variations in their call rates based on their local environment, coupled with individual movement, produce a dynamic acoustic landscape with a moving 'vocal hotspot' of the highest calling activity. We investigated whether meerkats follow such a vocal hotspot by playing back close calls of multiple individuals to foraging meerkats from the front and back edge of the group simultaneously. These two artificially induced vocal hotspots caused the group to spatially elongate and split into two subgroups. We conclude that meerkats use the emergent dynamic call pattern of the group to adjust their movement direction and maintain cohesion. Our study describes a highly flexible mechanism for the maintenance of group cohesion through vocal communication, for mobile species in habitats with low visibility and where movement decisions need to be adjusted continuously to changing environmental conditions.

  12. Monohedotrochus capitolii, a new genus and species of solitary azooxanthellate coral (Scleractinia, Caryophylliidae) from southern Brazil

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kitahara, M.V.; Cairns, S.D.

    2005-01-01

    A new genus and species of azooxanthellate solitary coral, Monohedotrochus capitolii, are described in the subfamily Caryophylliinae, based on 42 specimens, most collected off Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul states, southern Brazil. The new genus is characterized by being solitary and attached,

  13. Solitary ionizing surface waves on low-temperature plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vladimirov, S.V.; Yu, M.Y.

    1993-01-01

    It is demonstrated that at the boundary of semi-infinite low-temperature plasma new types of localized ionizing surface wave structures can propagate. The solitary waves are described by an evolution equation similar to the KdV equation, but the solutions differ considerably from that of the latter

  14. Effects of Fungicide and Adjuvant Sprays on Nesting Behavior in Two Managed Solitary Bees, Osmia lignaria and Megachile rotundata.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Artz, Derek R; Pitts-Singer, Theresa L

    2015-01-01

    There is a growing body of empirical evidence showing that wild and managed bees are negatively impacted by various pesticides that are applied in agroecosystems around the world. The lethal and sublethal effects of two widely used fungicides and one adjuvant were assessed in cage studies in California on blue orchard bees, Osmia lignaria, and in cage studies in Utah on alfalfa leafcutting bees, Megachile rotundata. The fungicides tested were Rovral 4F (iprodione) and Pristine (mixture of pyraclostrobin + boscalid), and the adjuvant tested was N-90, a non-ionic wetting agent (90% polyethoxylated nonylphenol) added to certain tank mixtures of fungicides to improve the distribution and contact of sprays to plants. In separate trials, we erected screened cages and released 20 paint-marked females plus 30-50 males per cage to document the behavior of nesting bees under treated and control conditions. For all females in each cage, we recorded pollen-collecting trip times, nest substrate-collecting trip times (i.e., mud for O. lignaria and cut leaf pieces for M. rotundata), cell production rate, and the number of attempts each female made to enter her own or to enter other nest entrances upon returning from a foraging trip. No lethal effects of treatments were observed on adults, nor were there effects on time spent foraging for pollen and nest substrates and on cell production rate. However, Rovral 4F, Pristine, and N-90 disrupted the nest recognition abilities of O. lignaria females. Pristine, N-90, and Pristine + N-90 disrupted nest recognition ability of M. rotundata females. Electroantennogram responses of antennae of O. lignaria females maintained in the laboratory did not differ significantly between the fungicide-exposed and control bees. Our results provide the first empirical evidence that two commonly used fungicides and a non-ionic adjuvant can disrupt nest recognition in two managed solitary bee species.

  15. Magnetic resonance imaging findings of solitary infantile myofibromatosis of the skull: A case report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Seung Eun; Cho, Kil Ho; Suh, Jang Ho; Choi, Joon Hyuk [College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-11-15

    Infantile myofibromatosis is a rare, benign mesenchymal disorder of early childhood characterized by solitary or multiple benign myofibroblastic tumors. The tumors may involve the skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle, bone and visceral organs. We report magnetic resonance imaging findings of solitary infantile myofibromatosis arising in the temporal bone of a ten-month-old boy, and the diagnosis was confirmed by surgical excision and histopathological examination.

  16. EXACT SOLITARY WAVE SOLUTIONS TO A CLASS OF NONLINEAR DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS USING DIRECT ALGEBRAIC METHOD

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2008-01-01

    Using direct algebraic method,exact solitary wave solutions are performed for a class of third order nonlinear dispersive disipative partial differential equations. These solutions are obtained under certain conditions for the relationship between the coefficients of the equation. The exact solitary waves of this class are rational functions of real exponentials of kink-type solutions.

  17. Solitary sternal lesions in breast cancer. Lesiones esternales unicas en cancer de mama

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morales, R; Cano, R; Mendoza, G [Instituto Peruano de Energia Nuclear, Lima (Peru); Guzman, C; Cotrina, M; Aguilar, C [Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas, Lima (Peru)

    1993-12-01

    In a retrospective review of bone scans performed in 1740 patients with breast cancer from January 1988 to April 1993, twenty had a solitary sternal lesion. Etiology was found correlating this finding with pathology, x-rays and/or final outcome. Nineteen lesions were due to metastases and one to infection. This experience suggests that solitary sternal lesions in breast cancer patients are uncommon and are most frequently (95%) associated with malignant etiology. (Authors). 10 refs., 2 figs.

  18. The Role of Non-Foraging Nests in Polydomous Wood Ant Colonies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellis, Samuel; Robinson, Elva J H

    2015-01-01

    A colony of red wood ants can inhabit more than one spatially separated nest, in a strategy called polydomy. Some nests within these polydomous colonies have no foraging trails to aphid colonies in the canopy. In this study we identify and investigate the possible roles of non-foraging nests in polydomous colonies of the wood ant Formica lugubris. To investigate the role of non-foraging nests we: (i) monitored colonies for three years; (ii) observed the resources being transported between non-foraging nests and the rest of the colony; (iii) measured the amount of extra-nest activity around non-foraging and foraging nests. We used these datasets to investigate the extent to which non-foraging nests within polydomous colonies are acting as: part of the colony expansion process; hunting and scavenging specialists; brood-development specialists; seasonal foragers; or a selfish strategy exploiting the foraging effort of the rest of the colony. We found that, rather than having a specialised role, non-foraging nests are part of the process of colony expansion. Polydomous colonies expand by founding new nests in the area surrounding the existing nests. Nests founded near food begin foraging and become part of the colony; other nests are not founded near food sources and do not initially forage. Some of these non-foraging nests eventually begin foraging; others do not and are abandoned. This is a method of colony growth not available to colonies inhabiting a single nest, and may be an important advantage of the polydomous nesting strategy, allowing the colony to expand into profitable areas.

  19. [Clinical features, diagnosis and surgical treatment of solitary air cysts of the lungs].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gudovskiĭ, L M; Platov, I I; Korenev, A E

    2001-01-01

    86 cases of solitary air cysts of the lung (6.83% of all maldevelopments) were analyzed. This maldevelopment of bronchial tree is found most often in men (10:7) and more often in the right lung than in the left (18:13). There were no clinical symptoms in 33 (38.37%) patients. Uncomplicated course of the disease was in 51 (59.3%) patients, the disease was complicated by infection in 28 (32.56%) patients. Solitary bronchial cysts were complicated by spontaneous pneumothorax in 8.14% cases, by hemoptysis--in 6.98%. Roentgenography of the chest thorax on two projections and tomography (including CT) are enough for diagnosis of solitary air bronchial cysts. Bronchoscopy, bronchography and APG are not much informative in diagnosis of cysts and should be used on special indications. Cystectomy or cystectomy with partial resection of lung tissue were performed in 67.14% patients with good results.

  20. Management of non-small cell lung cancer with oligometastasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villaruz, Liza C; Kubicek, Gregory J; Socinski, Mark A

    2012-08-01

    Patients with oligometastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) present a potential opportunity for curative therapy; however, the challenge remains the definitive treatment of their localized disease and ablation of their limited overt metastatic sites of disease. In selecting patients with oligometastatic NSCLC for definitive therapy, proper staging through radiographic studies, including PET and brain MRI, and the pathologic staging of the mediastinal lymph nodes and potential sites of metastatic disease, are critical. With that in mind, the available literature suggests that in highly selected patients with solitary metastases to the brain, adrenals and other organs, long term survival may be achieved with combined definitive therapy of both the primary lung tumor and the solitary metastatic site.

  1. Ion acoustic solitary waves in a dusty plasma obliquely propagating to an external magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Cheong Rim; Ryu, Chang-Mo; Lee, Nam C.; Lee, D.-Y.

    2005-01-01

    The nonlinear ion acoustic solitary wave in a magnetized dusty plasma, obliquely propagating to the embedding external magnetic field, is revisited. It is found that when the charge density of dust particles is high, the Sagdeev potential needs to be expanded up to δn 4 near n=1. In this case, it is shown that there could exist rarefactive ion acoustic solitary waves as well as the kink-type double layer solutions, in addition to the conventional hump-type ones found in the δn 3 expansion. The amplitude variations of ion acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized dusty plasma are also examined with respect to the change of the dust charge density and the wave directional angle

  2. Quasiparticles of widely tuneable inertial mass: The dispersion relation of atomic Josephson vortices and related solitary waves

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sophie S. Shamailov, Joachim Brand

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Superconducting Josephson vortices have direct analogues in ultracold-atom physics as solitary-wave excitations of two-component superfluid Bose gases with linear coupling. Here we numerically extend the zero-velocity Josephson vortex solutions of the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations to non-zero velocities, thus obtaining the full dispersion relation. The inertial mass of the Josephson vortex obtained from the dispersion relation depends on the strength of linear coupling and has a simple pole divergence at a critical value where it changes sign while assuming large absolute values. Additional low-velocity quasiparticles with negative inertial mass emerge at finite momentum that are reminiscent of a dark soliton in one component with counter-flow in the other. In the limit of small linear coupling we compare the Josephson vortex solutions to sine-Gordon solitons and show that the correspondence between them is asymptotic, but significant differences appear at finite values of the coupling constant. Finally, for unequal and non-zero self- and cross-component nonlinearities, we find a new solitary-wave excitation branch. In its presence, both dark solitons and Josephson vortices are dynamically stable while the new excitations are unstable.

  3. Effect of downed woody debris on small mammal anti-predator behavior.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hinkleman, Travis, M.; Orrock, John, L.; Loeb, Susan, C.

    2011-10-01

    Anti-predator behavior can affect prey growth, reproduction, survival, and generate emergent effects in food webs. Small mammals often lower the cost of predation by altering their behavior in response to shrubs,but the importance of other microhabitat features, such as downed woody debris, for anti-predator behavior is unknown. We used givingup densities to quantify the degree to which downed woody debris alters perceived predation risk by small mammals in southeastern pineforests. We placed 14 foraging trays next to large downed woody debris,shrubs, and in open areas for 12 consecutive nights. Moon illumination, a common indicator of predation risk, led to a similar reduction in small mammal foraging in all three microhabitats (open, downed woody debris,and shrub). Small mammals perceived open microhabitats as riskier than shrub microhabitats, with downed woody debris habitats perceived as being of intermediate risk between shrub and open microhabitats. Despite the presumed benefits of the protective cover of downed woody debris, small mammals may perceive downed woody debris as a relatively risky foraging site in southeastern pine forests where the high diversity and abundance of rodent-eating snakes may provide a primary predatory threat.

  4. Giant Solitary Nodular Trichoepithelioma: A Case Report and Review of Literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunder Goyal

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available A giant solitary nodular trichoepithelioma (GST is a rare trichogenic tumor, which may present as a pigmented lesion. A 45-year-old female was diagnosed as having a giant solitary nodular trichoepithelioma on her right forearm. About 11 cases have been reported in literature. Our case is the 2nd largest of all reported cases and, so far, GST of the forearm has not been reported in literature. The recognition of GST is important because of its close resemblance to basal cell carcinoma and other skin adnexal tumors, both clinically and histopathologically. [Arch Clin Exp Surg 2012; 1(1.000: 58-60

  5. Acute presentation of solitary spinal epidural cavernous angioma in a child

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khalatbari, M.R.; Moharamzad, Y.; Hamidi, M.

    2013-01-01

    Solitary spinal epidural cavernous angiomas are rare lesions, especially in paediatric age group. They are infrequently considered in the differential diagnosis of spinal epidural masses in children. We report a case of solitary epidural cavernous angioma of the thoracic spine in a child presenting with acute onset of back pain and myelopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracic spine demonstrated a posterior epidural mass at T6-T8 levels with compression of the spinal cord. Using microsurgical technique and bipolar coagulation, total excision of the lesion was achieved. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of cavernous angioma. At the five-year follow-up, there was no recurrence of the tumour. (author)

  6. Physical Processes Involved In Yellow Sea Solitary Waves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warn-Varnas, A.; Chin-Bing, S.; King, D.; Lamb, K.; Hawkins, J.; Teixeira, M.

    The study area is located south of the Shandong peninsula. In this area, soliton gener- ation and propagation studies are per formed with the Lamb(1994) model. The model is nonhydrostatic and is formulated in 2 1/2 dimensions for terrain following c oordi- nates. In the area, 20 to 30 m topographic variations over distances of 10 to 20 km are found to occur in the digit al atlas of Choi (1999). The area is shallow with maximum depths ranging from 40 m to 70 m. Along the southern boundary of the region the semi-diurnal tidal strength magnitude varies from .6 m/sec to 1.2 m/sec, Fang(1994). We show that, for sum mer conditions, the existing physical processes associated with the semi-diurnal tidal flow over the topographic variations , in the shelfbreak region, lead to the formation of internal bores in the model simulations. Through acting phys- ical proce sses, the internal bores propagate on and off the shelf. A disintegration process of internal bores into solitary waves occ urs through frequency and ampli- tude dispersion. SAR observations of the area show images containing six events con- sisting of internal bores and solitary waves that travel in a well-defined direction for two and a half days. The origin of the trains appeared to be at a point along a steep topo graphic drop. The SAR observations are used for guiding and tuning the model simulations, by comparing spectra of observed and modeled wavelengths. The tuned model yields wavelengths that are within a factor of 2 of the SAR data. The modeled amp litudes are within a factor of 2 of amplitudes obtained with a two-layer model and the SAR data The signature on the acoustical field of ongoing physical processes through the interaction of the resultant oceanic struct ure with the acoustical field is pursued. Internal bore and solitary wave structures interact with the acoustic field. A re distribution of acoustical energy to higher acoustical modes occurs at some fre- quencies. Mode decomposition of the

  7. Solitary Cystic Metastasis Of Thyroid Papillary Carcinoma: Two Cases Reports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ozgur Tarkan

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available The appearance of a solitary lateral cervical cystic mass as the only initial presenting symptom of occult thyroid carcinoma is uncommon. Its presence is often related with the more frequently branchial cyst in young adults, but also rarely related with thyroid carcinomas. In most of these cases all such lesions may initially be considered as metastatic foci from a primary thyroid lesion. However, an alternative explanation by means of which ectopic thyroid tissue is associated with a branchial cyst has to be considered, especially if no primary tumour is observed in the histological examination of the thyroid gland. We present two case of solitary cystic lymph node metastasis of occult papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. [Cukurova Med J 2011; 36(1.000: 29-33

  8. Solitary Cystic Metastasis Of Thyroid Papillary Carcinoma: Two Cases Reports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ozgur Tarkan

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The appearance of a solitary lateral cervical cystic mass as the only initial presenting symptom of occult thyroid carcinoma is uncommon. Its presence is often related with the more frequently branchial cyst in young adults, but also rarely related with thyroid carcinomas. In most of these cases all such lesions may initially be considered as metastatic foci from a primary thyroid lesion. However, an alternative explanation by means of which ectopic thyroid tissue is associated with a branchial cyst has to be considered, especially if no primary tumour is observed in the histological examination of the thyroid gland. We present two case of solitary cystic lymph node metastasis of occult papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. [Cukurova Med J 2011; 36(1: 29-33

  9. Solitary osteochondroma arising in lumbar spinous process: Case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadhri, Khaled; Tebourbi, Anis; Saidi, Mehdi; Kooli, Mondher

    2016-12-01

    Solitary osteochondromas rarely occur in the axial skeleton. Those tumors mostly arise on the posterior elements of the cervical column causing various symptoms especially when developing within the spinal canal. Exophytic lumbar variety is uncommon presenting with palpable mass or spinal deformity. We report a 20-year-old man presenting with a solid painless mass at the lower lumbar region. Radiological examinations revealed an exophytic lesion arising in the third lumbar spinous process appearing to be a solitary osteochondroma. The lesion was treated by en-bloc resection; histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of osteochondroma with no evidence of recurrence at the end of 2-year follow up. Copyright © 2016 Turkish Association of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Spatial Dynamics Methods for Solitary Waves on a Ferrofluid Jet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groves, M. D.; Nilsson, D. V.

    2018-04-01

    This paper presents existence theories for several families of axisymmetric solitary waves on the surface of an otherwise cylindrical ferrofluid jet surrounding a stationary metal rod. The ferrofluid, which is governed by a general (nonlinear) magnetisation law, is subject to an azimuthal magnetic field generated by an electric current flowing along the rod. The ferrohydrodynamic problem for axisymmetric travelling waves is formulated as an infinite-dimensional Hamiltonian system in which the axial direction is the time-like variable. A centre-manifold reduction technique is employed to reduce the system to a locally equivalent Hamiltonian system with a finite number of degrees of freedom, and homoclinic solutions to the reduced system, which correspond to solitary waves, are detected by dynamical-systems methods.

  11. Solitary electron density waves in a magnetized, plasma-loaded waveguide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lynov, J.-P.

    1980-08-01

    Investigations of two different types of nonlinear, solitary electron density waves in a magnetized, plasma-loaded waveguide are presented. One of the wavetypes is a localized, compressional pulse identified as a Trivelpiece-Gould soliton. The modification of this soliton by the resonant electrons is studied theoretically, by direct numerical solution of the model equation, experimentally, and by numerical simulation of the experiment. The other wave is a localized, rarefactive pulse called an electron hole. It is a positive pulse consisting of a large number of trapped electrons and is a purely kinetic phenomenon. A simple waterbag model for the electron hole is derived and compared with the results from the experiment and the numerical simulation. Finally, interactions between the solitary waves are investigated. (Auth.)

  12. Risso's dolphins plan foraging dives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arranz, Patricia; Benoit-Bird, Kelly J; Southall, Brandon L; Calambokidis, John; Friedlaender, Ari S; Tyack, Peter L

    2018-02-28

    Humans remember the past and use that information to plan future actions. Lab experiments that test memory for the location of food show that animals have a similar capability to act in anticipation of future needs, but less work has been done on animals foraging in the wild. We hypothesized that planning abilities are critical and common in breath-hold divers who adjust each dive to forage on prey varying in quality, location and predictability within constraints of limited oxygen availability. We equipped Risso's dolphins with sound-and-motion recording tags to reveal where they focus their attention through their externally observable echolocation and how they fine tune search strategies in response to expected and observed prey distribution. The information from the dolphins was integrated with synoptic prey data obtained from echosounders on an underwater vehicle. At the start of the dives, whales adjusted their echolocation inspection ranges in ways that suggest planning to forage at a particular depth. Once entering a productive prey layer, dolphins reduced their search range comparable to the scale of patches within the layer, suggesting that they were using echolocation to select prey within the patch. On ascent, their search range increased, indicating that they decided to stop foraging within that layer and started searching for prey in shallower layers. Information about prey, learned throughout the dive, was used to plan foraging in the next dive. Our results demonstrate that planning for future dives is modulated by spatial memory derived from multi-modal prey sampling (echoic, visual and capture) during earlier dives. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  13. Solitary waves on vortex lines in Ginzburg-Landau models for the example of Bose-Einstein condensates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berloff, Natalia G.

    2005-01-01

    Axisymmetric disturbances that preserve their form as they move along the vortex lines in uniform Bose-Einstein condensates are obtained numerically by the solution of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. A continuous family of such solitary waves is shown in the momentum (p)-substitution energy (E-circumflex) plane with p→0.09ρκ 3 /c 2 , E-circumflex→0.091ρκ 3 /c as U→c, where ρ is the density, c is the speed of sound, κ is the quantum of circulation, and U is the solitary wave velocity. It is shown that collapse of a bubble captured by a vortex line leads to the generation of such solitary waves in condensates. The various stages of collapse are elucidated. In particular, it is shown that during collapse the vortex core becomes significantly compressed, and after collapse two solitary wave trains moving in opposite directions are formed on the vortex line

  14. Solitary pulmonary nodule and {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT. Part 2: accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and current recommendations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mosmann, Marcos Pretto; Borba, Marcelle Alves; Macedo, Francisco Pires Negromonte de; Liguori, Adriano de Araujo Lima; Villarim Neto, Arthur [Liga Norte-Riograndense Contra o Cancer, Natal, RN (Brazil); Lima, Kenio Costa de, E-mail: mosmann@gmail.com [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN (Brazil). Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Coletiva

    2016-03-15

    A solitary pulmonary nodule is a common, often incidental, radiographic finding. The investigation and differential diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodules remain complex, because there are overlaps between the characteristics of benign and malignant processes. There are currently many strategies for evaluating solitary pulmonary nodules. The main objective is to identify benign lesions, in order to avoid exposing patients to the risks of invasive methods, and to detect cases of lung cancer accurately, in order to avoid delaying potentially curative treatment. The focus of this study was to review the evaluation of solitary pulmonary nodules, to discuss the current role of {sup 18}F fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography, addressing its accuracy and cost-effectiveness, and to detail the current recommendations for the examination in this scenario. (author)

  15. Two-color walking Peregrine solitary waves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baronio, Fabio; Chen, Shihua; Mihalache, Dumitru

    2017-09-15

    We study the extreme localization of light, evolving upon a non-zero background, in two-color parametric wave interaction in nonlinear quadratic media. We report the existence of quadratic Peregrine solitary waves, in the presence of significant group-velocity mismatch between the waves (or Poynting vector beam walk-off), in the regime of cascading second-harmonic generation. This finding opens a novel path for the experimental demonstration of extreme rogue waves in ultrafast quadratic nonlinear optics.

  16. Review on Mycotoxin Issues in Ruminants: Occurrence in Forages, Effects of Mycotoxin Ingestion on Health Status and Animal Performance and Practical Strategies to Counteract Their Negative Effects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gallo, Antonio; Giubert, Gianluca; Frisvad, Jens Christian

    2015-01-01

    Ruminant diets include cereals, protein feeds, their by-products as well as hay and grass, grass/legume, whole-crop maize, small grain or sorghum silages. Furthermore, ruminants are annually or seasonally fed with grazed forage in many parts of the World. All these forages could be contaminated...

  17. Nonlinear Wave Propagation and Solitary Wave Formation in Two-Dimensional Heterogeneous Media

    KAUST Repository

    Luna, Manuel

    2011-05-01

    Solitary wave formation is a well studied nonlinear phenomenon arising in propagation of dispersive nonlinear waves under suitable conditions. In non-homogeneous materials, dispersion may happen due to effective reflections between the material interfaces. This dispersion has been used along with nonlinearities to find solitary wave formation using the one-dimensional p-system. These solitary waves are called stegotons. The main goal in this work is to find two-dimensional stegoton formation. To do so we consider the nonlinear two-dimensional p-system with variable coefficients and solve it using finite volume methods. The second goal is to obtain effective equations that describe the macroscopic behavior of the variable coefficient system by a constant coefficient one. This is done through a homogenization process based on multiple-scale asymptotic expansions. We compare the solution of the effective equations with the finite volume results and find a good agreement. Finally, we study some stability properties of the homogenized equations and find they and one-dimensional versions of them are unstable in general.

  18. Resource diversity and landscape-level homogeneity drive native bee foraging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jha, Shalene; Kremen, Claire

    2013-01-08

    Given widespread declines in pollinator communities and increasing global reliance on pollinator-dependent crops, there is an acute need to develop a mechanistic understanding of native pollinator population and foraging biology. Using a population genetics approach, we determine the impact of habitat and floral resource distributions on nesting and foraging patterns of a critical native pollinator, Bombus vosnesenskii. Our findings demonstrate that native bee foraging is far more plastic and extensive than previously believed and does not follow a simple optimal foraging strategy. Rather, bumble bees forage further in pursuit of species-rich floral patches and in landscapes where patch-to-patch variation in floral resources is less, regardless of habitat composition. Thus, our results reveal extreme foraging plasticity and demonstrate that floral diversity, not density, drives bee foraging distance. Furthermore, we find a negative impact of paved habitat and a positive impact of natural woodland on bumble bee nesting densities. Overall, this study reveals that natural and human-altered landscapes can be managed for increased native bee nesting and extended foraging, dually enhancing biodiversity and the spatial extent of pollination services.

  19. Information Foraging in Nuclear Power Plant Control Rooms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boring, R.L.

    2011-01-01

    nformation foraging theory articulates the role of the human as an 'informavore' that seeks information and follows optimal foraging strategies (i.e., the 'information scent') to find meaningful information. This paper briefly reviews the findings from information foraging theory outside the nuclear domain and then discusses the types of information foraging strategies operators employ for normal and off-normal operations in the control room. For example, operators may employ a predatory 'wolf' strategy of hunting for information in the face of a plant upset. However, during routine operations, the operators may employ a trapping 'spider' strategy of waiting for relevant indicators to appear. This delineation corresponds to information pull and push strategies, respectively. No studies have been conducted to determine explicitly the characteristics of a control room interface that is optimized for both push and pull information foraging strategies, nor has there been empirical work to validate operator performance when transitioning between push and pull strategies. This paper explores examples of control room operators as wolves vs. spiders and con- cludes by proposing a set of research questions to investigate information foraging in control room settings.

  20. Information Foraging in Nuclear Power Plant Control Rooms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    R.L. Boring

    2011-09-01

    nformation foraging theory articulates the role of the human as an 'informavore' that seeks information and follows optimal foraging strategies (i.e., the 'information scent') to find meaningful information. This paper briefly reviews the findings from information foraging theory outside the nuclear domain and then discusses the types of information foraging strategies operators employ for normal and off-normal operations in the control room. For example, operators may employ a predatory 'wolf' strategy of hunting for information in the face of a plant upset. However, during routine operations, the operators may employ a trapping 'spider' strategy of waiting for relevant indicators to appear. This delineation corresponds to information pull and push strategies, respectively. No studies have been conducted to determine explicitly the characteristics of a control room interface that is optimized for both push and pull information foraging strategies, nor has there been empirical work to validate operator performance when transitioning between push and pull strategies. This paper explores examples of control room operators as wolves vs. spiders and con- cludes by proposing a set of research questions to investigate information foraging in control room settings.

  1. Improving the Yield and Nutritional Quality of Forage Crops

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicola M. Capstaff

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Despite being some of the most important crops globally, there has been limited research on forages when compared with cereals, fruits, and vegetables. This review summarizes the literature highlighting the significance of forage crops, the current improvements and some of future directions for improving yield and nutritional quality. We make the point that the knowledge obtained from model plant and grain crops can be applied to forage crops. The timely development of genomics and bioinformatics together with genome editing techniques offer great scope to improve forage crops. Given the social, environmental and economic importance of forage across the globe and especially in poorer countries, this opportunity has enormous potential to improve food security and political stability.

  2. Utilization of Swamp Forages from South Kalimantan on Local Goat Performances

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Rostini

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Forages in swamp area consist of grass and legumes that have good productivity and nutrient quality. This research was aimed to evaluate the potency of swamp forage on digestibility and performance of goats. There were 24 local male goats aged 10-12 months with initial body weight of 13.10±1.55 kg, allocated into 6 treatments. Those were control (R0: 60% grass and 40% legumes; (R1: 60% swamp forages and 40% concentrate; (R2: 100% swamp forages; (R3: 100% swamp forage hay; (R4: 100% swamp forage silage; (R5: 100% haylage swamp forages. Results showed that silage treatment significantly increased (P<0.05 consumption and digestibility. Swamp forages could be utilized well by preservation (silage, hay, and haylage. Ensilage of swamp forages increased protein content from 13.72% to 14.02%, protein intake (74.62 g/d, dry matter intake (532.11 g/d, nitrogen free extract intake (257.39 g/d, with total body weight gain (3.5 kg in eight weeks and average daily gain (62.60 g/d. It is concluded that ensilage of swamp forages (R4 is very potential to be utilized as forage source for ruminants such as goats.

  3. Exact solitary ion acoustic waves in a magnetoplasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ray, D.

    1979-01-01

    Solitary ion acoustic waves in a magnetoplasma have been studied by Shukla and Yu [J. Math. Phys. 19, 2506 (1978)]. A more rigorous study confirms the conditions that Shukla and Yu said would be necessary for humps. However, it is shown that a density cavity is also possible in the limiting case

  4. Radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Regarding solitary tumor on radiologic examinations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawashima, Mitsuhiko; Tokuuye, Koichi; Sumi, Minako; Kagami, Yashikazu; Murayama, Shigeyuki; Nakayama, Hidetsugu; Imai, Atsushi; Ando, Kou; Ikeda, Hiroshi

    1997-01-01

    To evaluate the effect of radiotherapy (RT) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that appears as a solitary nodule on radiologic studies. We irradiated 17 patients with solitary HCC lesions (25-150 mm in diameter) with approximately 60 Gy (range 50-70 Gy). Patients underwent dynamic CT and/or ultrasound imaging at 3-month intervals after treatment. Patients were classified based on lesion size, degree of cirrhosis (Child A. 6; Child B, 6; Child C, 5), and whether they had received other therapy such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). The responses were classified as complete, partial, no change, or progression. The median survival was 12.8 months for all 17 patients, with 1-, 2-, and 3-year cumulative survival rates of 59%, 35% and 24%, respectively. Patients classified as Child A showed significantly longer survival than those classified as either Child B (p<0.04) or C (p<0.01). Four of the five Child C patients died of liver failure within 6 months after RT despite the absence of tumor recurrence. The initial tumor diameter, concurrent treatment with TACE, and radiation dose showed no significant effect on survival. Survival in patients with solitary HCC lesions appears to be affected mainly by the degree of liver dysfunction, and not the initial tumor diameter, radiation dose, or concurrent use of TACE. (author)

  5. Urban gardens promote bee foraging over natural habitats and plantations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaluza, Benjamin F; Wallace, Helen; Heard, Tim A; Klein, Alexandra-Maria; Leonhardt, Sara D

    2016-03-01

    Increasing human land use for agriculture and housing leads to the loss of natural habitat and to widespread declines in wild bees. Bee foraging dynamics and fitness depend on the availability of resources in the surrounding landscape, but how precisely landscape related resource differences affect bee foraging patterns remains unclear. To investigate how landscape and its interaction with season and weather drive foraging and resource intake in social bees, we experimentally compared foraging activity, the allocation of foragers to different resources (pollen, nectar, and resin) and overall resource intake in the Australian stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria (Apidae, Meliponini). Bee colonies were monitored in different seasons over two years. We compared foraging patterns and resource intake between the bees' natural habitat (forests) and two landscapes differently altered by humans (suburban gardens and agricultural macadamia plantations). We found foraging activity as well as pollen and nectar forager numbers to be highest in suburban gardens, intermediate in forests and low in plantations. Foraging patterns further differed between seasons, but seasonal variations strongly differed between landscapes. Sugar and pollen intake was low in plantations, but contrary with our predictions, it was even higher in gardens than in forests. In contrast, resin intake was similar across landscapes. Consequently, differences in resource availability between natural and altered landscapes strongly affect foraging patterns and thus resource intake in social bees. While agricultural monocultures largely reduce foraging success, suburban gardens can increase resource intake well above rates found in natural habitats of bees, indicating that human activities can both decrease and increase the availability of resources in a landscape and thus reduce or enhance bee fitness.

  6. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is recommended in the clinical management of children with a solitary functioning kidney

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Westland, R.; Schreuder, M.F.; Lof, D.F. van der; Vermeulen, A.; Meer, I.M. van der; Bokenkamp, A.; Wijk, J.A. van

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Children with a solitary functioning kidney are at increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Hypertension may be an early indicator of renal dysfunction in these patients. We determined blood pressure (BP) profiles of children with a solitary functioning kidney by using

  7. Fearful foragers: honey bees tune colony and individual foraging to multi-predator presence and food quality.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ken Tan

    Full Text Available Fear can have strong ecosystem effects by giving predators a role disproportionate to their actual kill rates. In bees, fear is shown through foragers avoiding dangerous food sites, thereby reducing the fitness of pollinated plants. However, it remains unclear how fear affects pollinators in a complex natural scenario involving multiple predator species and different patch qualities. We studied hornets, Vespa velutina (smaller and V. tropica (bigger preying upon the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana in China. Hornets hunted bees on flowers and were attacked by bee colonies. Bees treated the bigger hornet species (which is 4 fold more massive as more dangerous. It received 4.5 fold more attackers than the smaller hornet species. We tested bee responses to a three-feeder array with different hornet species and varying resource qualities. When all feeders offered 30% sucrose solution (w/w, colony foraging allocation, individual visits, and individual patch residence times were reduced according to the degree of danger. Predator presence reduced foraging visits by 55-79% and residence times by 17-33%. When feeders offered different reward levels (15%, 30%, or 45% sucrose, colony and individual foraging favored higher sugar concentrations. However, when balancing food quality against multiple threats (sweeter food corresponding to higher danger, colonies exhibited greater fear than individuals. Colonies decreased foraging at low and high danger patches. Individuals exhibited less fear and only decreased visits to the high danger patch. Contrasting individual with emergent colony-level effects of fear can thus illuminate how predators shape pollination by social bees.

  8. 7 CFR 457.117 - Forage production crop insurance provisions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... INSURANCE CORPORATION, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COMMON CROP INSURANCE REGULATIONS § 457.117 Forage..., or a mixture thereof, or other species as shown in the Actuarial Documents. Harvest—Removal of forage... different price elections by type, in which case you may select one price election for each forage type...

  9. Effect of finite ion-temperature on ion-acoustic solitary waves in an inhomogeneous plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shivamoggi, B.K.

    1981-01-01

    The propagation of weakly nonlinear ion-acoustic waves in an inhomogeneous plasma is studied taking into account the effect of finite ion temperature. It is found that, whereas both the amplitude and the velocity of propagation decrease as the ion-acoustic solitary wave propagates into regions of higher density, the effect of a finite ion temperature is to reduce the amplitude but enhance the velocity of propagation of the solitary wave. (author)

  10. Potential Foraging Decisions by a Desert Ungulate to Balance Water and Nutrient Intake in a Water-Stressed Environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gedir, Jay V; Cain, James W; Krausman, Paul R; Allen, Jamison D; Duff, Glenn C; Morgart, John R

    2016-01-01

    Arid climates have unpredictable precipitation patterns, and wildlife managers often provide supplemental water to help desert ungulates endure the hottest, driest periods. When surface water is unavailable, the only source of water for ungulates comes from the forage they consume, and they must make resourceful foraging decisions to meet their requirements. We compared two desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) populations in Arizona, USA: a treatment population with supplemental water removed during treatment, and a control population. We examined whether sheep altered their seasonal diets without supplemental water. We calculated water and nutrient intake and metabolic water production from dry matter intake and forage moisture and nitrogen content, to determine whether sheep could meet their seasonal daily water and nutrient requirements solely from forage. Diets of sheep were higher in protein (all seasons) and moisture (autumn and winter) during treatment compared to pretreatment. During treatment, sheep diet composition was similar between the treatment and control populations, which suggests, under the climatic conditions of this study, water removal did not influence sheep diets. We estimated that under drought conditions, without any surface water available (although small ephemeral potholes would contain water after rains), female and male sheep would be unable to meet their daily water requirements in all seasons, except winter, when reproductive females had a nitrogen deficit. We determined that sheep could achieve water and nutrient balances in all seasons by shifting their total diet proportions by 8-55% from lower to higher moisture and nitrogen forage species. We elucidate how seasonal forage quality and foraging decisions by desert ungulates allow them to cope with their xeric and uncertain environment, and suggest that, with the forage conditions observed in our study area during this study period, providing supplemental water during

  11. Potential foraging decisions by a desert ungulate to balance water and nutrient intake in a water-stressed environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gedir, Jay V.; Cain, James W.; Krausman, Paul R.; Allen, Jamison D.; Duff, Glenn C.; Morgart, John R.

    2016-01-01

    Arid climates have unpredictable precipitation patterns, and wildlife managers often provide supplemental water to help desert ungulates endure the hottest, driest periods. When surface water is unavailable, the only source of water for ungulates comes from the forage they consume, and they must make resourceful foraging decisions to meet their requirements. We compared two desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) populations in Arizona, USA: a treatment population with supplemental water removed during treatment, and a control population. We examined whether sheep altered their seasonal diets without supplemental water. We calculated water and nutrient intake and metabolic water production from dry matter intake and forage moisture and nitrogen content, to determine whether sheep could meet their seasonal daily water and nutrient requirements solely from forage. Diets of sheep were higher in protein (all seasons) and moisture (autumn and winter) during treatment compared to pretreatment. During treatment, sheep diet composition was similar between the treatment and control populations, which suggests, under the climatic conditions of this study, water removal did not influence sheep diets. We estimated that under drought conditions, without any surface water available (although small ephemeral potholes would contain water after rains), female and male sheep would be unable to meet their daily water requirements in all seasons, except winter, when reproductive females had a nitrogen deficit. We determined that sheep could achieve water and nutrient balances in all seasons by shifting their total diet proportions by 8–55% from lower to higher moisture and nitrogen forage species. We elucidate how seasonal forage quality and foraging decisions by desert ungulates allow them to cope with their xeric and uncertain environment, and suggest that, with the forage conditions observed in our study area during this study period, providing supplemental water during

  12. Potential Foraging Decisions by a Desert Ungulate to Balance Water and Nutrient Intake in a Water-Stressed Environment.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jay V Gedir

    Full Text Available Arid climates have unpredictable precipitation patterns, and wildlife managers often provide supplemental water to help desert ungulates endure the hottest, driest periods. When surface water is unavailable, the only source of water for ungulates comes from the forage they consume, and they must make resourceful foraging decisions to meet their requirements. We compared two desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni populations in Arizona, USA: a treatment population with supplemental water removed during treatment, and a control population. We examined whether sheep altered their seasonal diets without supplemental water. We calculated water and nutrient intake and metabolic water production from dry matter intake and forage moisture and nitrogen content, to determine whether sheep could meet their seasonal daily water and nutrient requirements solely from forage. Diets of sheep were higher in protein (all seasons and moisture (autumn and winter during treatment compared to pretreatment. During treatment, sheep diet composition was similar between the treatment and control populations, which suggests, under the climatic conditions of this study, water removal did not influence sheep diets. We estimated that under drought conditions, without any surface water available (although small ephemeral potholes would contain water after rains, female and male sheep would be unable to meet their daily water requirements in all seasons, except winter, when reproductive females had a nitrogen deficit. We determined that sheep could achieve water and nutrient balances in all seasons by shifting their total diet proportions by 8-55% from lower to higher moisture and nitrogen forage species. We elucidate how seasonal forage quality and foraging decisions by desert ungulates allow them to cope with their xeric and uncertain environment, and suggest that, with the forage conditions observed in our study area during this study period, providing supplemental

  13. Modeling stretched solitary waves along magnetic field lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Muschietti

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available A model is presented for a new type of fast solitary waves which is observed in downward current regions of the auroral zone. The three-dimensional, coherent structures are electrostatic, have a positive potential, and move along the magnetic field lines with speeds on the order of the electron drift. Their parallel potential profile is flattened and cannot fit to the Gaussian shape used in previous work. We develop a detailed BGK model which includes a flattened potential and an assumed cylindrical symmetry around a centric magnetic field line. The model envisions concentric shells of trapped electrons slowly drifting azimuthally while bouncing back and forth in the parallel direction. The electron dynamics is analysed in terms of three basic motions that occur on different time scales characterized by the cyclotron frequency We , the bounce frequency wb , and the azimuthal drift frequency wg. The ordering We >> wb >> wg is required. Self-consistent distribution functions are calculated in terms of approximate constants of motion. Constraints on the parameters characterizing the amplitude and shape of the stretched solitary wave are discussed.

  14. Observation of large-amplitude ion acoustic solitary waves in a plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Yoshiharu

    1987-01-01

    Propagation of nonlinear ion acoustic waves in a multi-component plasma with negative ions is investigated in a double-plasma device. When the density of negative ions is larger than a critical value, a broad negative pulse evolves to rarefactive solitons, and a positive pulse whose amplitude is less than a certain threshold value becomes a subsonic wave train. In the same plasma, a positive pulse whose amplitude is larger than the threshold develops into a solitary wave. The critical amplitude is measured as a function of the density of negative ions and compared with predictions of the pseudo-potential method. The energy distribution of electrons in the solitary wave is also measured. (author)

  15. Novel antimicrobial peptides from the venom of solitary bees

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Čeřovský, Václav; Cvačka, Josef; Voburka, Zdeněk; Hovorka, Oldřich; Slaninová, Jiřina; Fučík, Vladimír; Bednárová, Lucie

    2008-01-01

    Roč. 14, č. 8 (2008), s. 92-92 ISSN 1075-2617. [European Peptide Symposium /30./. 31.08.2008-05.09.2008, Helsinki] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40550506 Keywords : antimicrobial peptides * solitary bees * melectin * isolation and characterization Subject RIV: CC - Organic Chemistry

  16. Review: Feeding conserved forage to horses: recent advances and recommendations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, P A; Ellis, A D; Fradinho, M J; Jansson, A; Julliand, V; Luthersson, N; Santos, A S; Vervuert, I

    2017-06-01

    The horse is a non-ruminant herbivore adapted to eating plant-fibre or forage-based diets. Some horses are stabled for most or the majority of the day with limited or no access to fresh pasture and are fed preserved forage typically as hay or haylage and sometimes silage. This raises questions with respect to the quality and suitability of these preserved forages (considering production, nutritional content, digestibility as well as hygiene) and required quantities. Especially for performance horses, forage is often replaced with energy dense feedstuffs which can result in a reduction in the proportion of the diet that is forage based. This may adversely affect the health, welfare, behaviour and even performance of the horse. In the past 20 years a large body of research work has contributed to a better and deeper understanding of equine forage needs and the physiological and behavioural consequences if these are not met. Recent nutrient requirement systems have incorporated some, but not all, of this new knowledge into their recommendations. This review paper amalgamates recommendations based on the latest understanding in forage feeding for horses, defining forage types and preservation methods, hygienic quality, feed intake behaviour, typical nutrient composition, digestion and digestibility as well as health and performance implications. Based on this, consensual applied recommendations for feeding preserved forages are provided.

  17. Developing Cyber Foraging Applications for Portable Devices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Mads Darø; Bouvin, Niels Olof

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents the Locusts cyber foraging framework. Cyber foraging is the opportunistic use of computing resources available in the nearby environment, and using such resources thus fall into the category of distributed computing. Furthermore, for the resources to be used efficiently, paral...

  18. Solitary Wave Solutions of the Boussinesq Equation and Its Improved Form

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Abazari

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the general case study of previous works on generalized Boussinesq equations, (Abazari, 2011 and (Kılıcman and Abazari, 2012, that focuses on the application of G′/G-expansion method with the aid of Maple to construct more general exact solutions for the coupled Boussinesq equations. In this work, the mentioned method is applied to construct more general exact solutions of Boussinesq equation and improved Boussinesq equation, which the French scientist Joseph Valentin Boussinesq (1842–1929 described in the 1870s model equations for the propagation of long waves on the surface of water with small amplitude. Our work is motivated by the fact that the G′/G-expansion method provides not only more general forms of solutions but also periodic, solitary waves and rational solutions. The method appears to be easier and faster by means of a symbolic computation.

  19. Forage: a sensitive indicator of airborne radioactivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jackson, W.M.; Noakes, J.E.; Spaulding, J.D.

    1981-01-01

    This paper presents the results of using Ge(Li) γ-ray spectroscopy to measure radioactivity concentration of forage in the vicinity of the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant, Houston County, AL., over a 31/2 yr period. The report period includes 2 yr of pre-operational and 11/2 yr of operational sampling. Although the objective of forage sampling was the measurement of manmade airborne fallout radioactivity, several natural radioisotopes were also found to be present. A summary of natural radioactivity data for all samples measured during the period from August 1975 to December 1978 is given. Approximately 10 days after each of four Chinese atmospheric nuclear tests conducted during the sampling period fresh fission product fallout was measured on the forage. The information from these nuclear tests shows forage sampling to be a convenient and sensitive monitoring tool for airborne fallout radioactivity. (author)

  20. Comparative Effect of Sole Forage and Mixed Concentrate-Forage ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    There was no statistical (P>0.05) difference in average intake of forage between the two treatment groups. Economically, Treatment 1 proves to be better for the enhancement of body weight in growing rabbits than Treatment 2. Key words: Weaner rabbits,Poultry grower mesh, Tridax procumbens, Feed intake,Body weight ...

  1. Association of Genetic Predisposition With Solitary Schwannoma or Meningioma in Children and Young Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pathmanaban, Omar N; Sadler, Katherine V; Kamaly-Asl, Ian D; King, Andrew T; Rutherford, Scott A; Hammerbeck-Ward, Charlotte; McCabe, Martin G; Kilday, John-Paul; Beetz, Christian; Poplawski, Nicola K; Evans, D Gareth; Smith, Miriam J

    2017-09-01

    Meningiomas and schwannomas are usually sporadic, isolated tumors occurring in adults older than 60 years and are rare in children and young adults. Multiple schwannomas and/or meningiomas are more frequently associated with a tumor suppressor syndrome and, accordingly, trigger genetic testing, whereas solitary tumors do not. Nevertheless, apparently sporadic tumors in young patients may herald a genetic syndrome. To determine the frequency of the known heritable meningioma- or schwannoma-predisposing mutations in children and young adults presenting with a solitary meningioma or schwannoma. Using the database of the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, this cohort study analyzed lymphocyte DNA from young individuals prospectively referred to the clinic for genetic testing between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2016, on presentation with a single meningioma (n = 42) or schwannoma (n = 135) before age 25 years. Sequencing data were also examined from an additional 39 patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 who were retrospectively identified as having a solitary tumor before age 25 years. Patients with schwannoma were screened for NF2, SMARCB1, and LZTR1 gene mutations, while patients with meningioma were screened for NF2, SMARCB1, SMARCE1, and SUFU. The type of underlying genetic mutation, or lack of a predisposing mutation, was associated with the presenting tumor type and subsequent development of additional tumors or other features of known schwannoma- and meningioma-predisposing syndromes. In 2 cohorts of patients who presented with an isolated meningioma (n = 42; median [range] age, 11 [1-24] years; 22 female) or schwannoma (n = 135; median [range] age, 18 [0.2-24] years; 60 female) before age 25 years, 16 of 42 patients (38%) had a predisposing mutation to meningioma and 27 of 135 patients (20%) to schwannoma, respectively. In the solitary meningioma cohort, 34 of 63 patients (54%) had a constitutional mutation in a known meningioma

  2. Non-planar ion-acoustic solitary waves and their head-on collision in a plasma with nonthermal electrons and warm adiabatic ions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han Jiuning; He Yonglin; Chen Yan; Zhang Kezhi; Ma Baohong [College of Physics and Electromechanical Engineering, Hexi University, Zhangye 734000 (China)

    2013-01-15

    By using the model of Cairns et al.[Geophys. Rev. Lett. 22, 2709 (1995)], the head-on collision of cylindrical/spherical ion-acoustic solitary waves in an unmagnetized non-planar plasma consisting of warm adiabatic ions and nonthermally distributed electrons is investigated. The extended Poincare-Lighthill-Kuo perturbation method is used to derive the modified Korteweg-de Vries equations for ion-acoustic solitary waves in this plasma system. The effects of the plasma geometry m, the ion to electron temperature ratio {sigma}, and the nonthermality of the electron distribution {alpha} on the interaction of the colliding solitary waves are studied. It is found that the plasma geometries have a big impact on the phase shifts of solitary waves. Also it is important to note that the phase shifts induced by the collision of compressive and rarefactive solitary waves are very different. We point out that this study is useful to the investigations about the observations of electrostatic solitary structures in astrophysical as well as in experimental plasmas with nonthermal energetic electrons.

  3. Hive Relocation Does Not Adversely Affect Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae Foraging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fiona C. Riddell Pearce

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Honey bees, Apis mellifera, face major challenges including diseases and reduced food availability due to agricultural intensification. Additionally, migratory beekeeping may subject colonies to a moving stress, both during the move itself and after the move, from the bees having to forage in a novel environment where they have no knowledge of flower locations. This study investigated the latter. We moved three colonies housed in observation hives onto the campus from a site 26 km away and compared their foraging performance to three similarly sized colonies at the same location that had not been moved. We obtained data on (1 foraging performance by calculating distance by decoding waggle dances, (2 hive foraging rate by counting forager departure rate, (3 forage quality by assessing sugar content of nectar from returning foragers, and (4 forager success by calculating the proportion of bees returning to the nest entrance with nectar in their crop. We repeated this 3 times (August 2010, October 2010, and June 2011 to encompass any seasonal effects. The data show no consistent difference in foraging performance of moved versus resident hives. Overall the results suggest that moving to a new location does not adversely affect the foraging success of honey bees.

  4. New solitary solutions and non-elastic interactions of the (2 + 1)-dimensional variable-coefficient Broer-Kaup system with symbolic computation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geng Tao; Shan Wenrui; Lue Xing; Cai Kejie; Zhang Cheng; Tian Bo

    2009-01-01

    Fusion and fission phenomena for solitary waves have been discovered theoretically and experimentally. In this paper, the (2 + 1)-dimensional variable-coefficient Broer-Kaup system is symbolically investigated. By employing the bilinear method, new solitary solutions with arbitrary functions are obtained. At the same time, the non-elastic interactions of solitary solutions are graphically studied. Furthermore, soliton fusion and fission phenomena are revealed by choosing appropriate functions.

  5. Frustrated Brownian Motion of Nonlocal Solitary Waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Folli, V.; Conti, C.

    2010-01-01

    We investigate the evolution of solitary waves in a nonlocal medium in the presence of disorder. By using a perturbational approach, we show that an increasing degree of nonlocality may largely hamper the Brownian motion of self-trapped wave packets. The result is valid for any kind of nonlocality and in the presence of nonparaxial effects. Analytical predictions are compared with numerical simulations based on stochastic partial differential equations.

  6. 7 CFR 407.13 - Group risk plan for forage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... acres of hay in the county, as specified in the actuarial documents. The actuarial documents will... a period for forage regrowth. 2. Crop Insured The insured crop will be the forage types shown on the... the Group Risk Plan Common Policy, acreage seeded to forage after July 1 of the previous crop year...

  7. Solitary wave for a nonintegrable discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation in nonlinear optical waveguide arrays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Li-Yuan; Ji, Jia-Liang; Xu, Zong-Wei; Zhu, Zuo-Nong

    2018-03-01

    We study a nonintegrable discrete nonlinear Schrödinger (dNLS) equation with the term of nonlinear nearest-neighbor interaction occurred in nonlinear optical waveguide arrays. By using discrete Fourier transformation, we obtain numerical approximations of stationary and travelling solitary wave solutions of the nonintegrable dNLS equation. The analysis of stability of stationary solitary waves is performed. It is shown that the nonlinear nearest-neighbor interaction term has great influence on the form of solitary wave. The shape of solitary wave is important in the electric field propagating. If we neglect the nonlinear nearest-neighbor interaction term, much important information in the electric field propagating may be missed. Our numerical simulation also demonstrates the difference of chaos phenomenon between the nonintegrable dNLS equation with nonlinear nearest-neighbor interaction and another nonintegrable dNLS equation without the term. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11671255 and 11701510), the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain (Grant No. MTM2016-80276-P (AEI/FEDER, EU)), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2017M621964).

  8. Foraging niche segregation in Malaysian babblers (Family: Timaliidae.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Saiful Mansor

    Full Text Available Tropical rainforests are considered as hotspots for bird diversity, yet little is known about the system that upholds the coexistence of species. Differences in body size that are associated with foraging strategies and spatial distribution are believed to promote the coexistence of closely related species by reducing competition. However, the fact that many babbler species do not differ significantly in their morphology has challenged this view. We studied the foraging ecology of nine sympatric babbler species (i.e., Pellorneum capistratum, P. bicolor, P. malaccense, Malacopteron cinereum, M. magnum, Stachyris nigriceps, S. nigricollis, S. maculata, and Cyanoderma erythropterum in the Krau Wildlife Reserve in Peninsular Malaysia. We investigated; i how these babblers forage in the wild and use vegetation to obtain food, and ii how these trophically similar species differ in spatial distribution and foraging tactics. Results indicated that most babblers foraged predominantly on aerial leaf litter and used gleaning manoeuvre in intermediate-density foliage but exhibited wide ranges of vertical strata usage, thus reducing interspecific competition. The principal component analysis indicated that two components, i.e., foraging height and substrate are important as mechanisms to allow the coexistence of sympatric babblers. The present findings revealed that these bird species have unique foraging niches that are distinct from each other, and this may apply to other insectivorous birds inhabiting tropical forests. This suggests that niche separation does occur among coexisting birds, thus following Gause' law of competitive exclusion, which states two species occupying the same niche will not stably coexist.

  9. Foraging niche segregation in Malaysian babblers (Family: Timaliidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansor, Mohammad Saiful; Ramli, Rosli

    2017-01-01

    Tropical rainforests are considered as hotspots for bird diversity, yet little is known about the system that upholds the coexistence of species. Differences in body size that are associated with foraging strategies and spatial distribution are believed to promote the coexistence of closely related species by reducing competition. However, the fact that many babbler species do not differ significantly in their morphology has challenged this view. We studied the foraging ecology of nine sympatric babbler species (i.e., Pellorneum capistratum, P. bicolor, P. malaccense, Malacopteron cinereum, M. magnum, Stachyris nigriceps, S. nigricollis, S. maculata, and Cyanoderma erythropterum) in the Krau Wildlife Reserve in Peninsular Malaysia. We investigated; i) how these babblers forage in the wild and use vegetation to obtain food, and ii) how these trophically similar species differ in spatial distribution and foraging tactics. Results indicated that most babblers foraged predominantly on aerial leaf litter and used gleaning manoeuvre in intermediate-density foliage but exhibited wide ranges of vertical strata usage, thus reducing interspecific competition. The principal component analysis indicated that two components, i.e., foraging height and substrate are important as mechanisms to allow the coexistence of sympatric babblers. The present findings revealed that these bird species have unique foraging niches that are distinct from each other, and this may apply to other insectivorous birds inhabiting tropical forests. This suggests that niche separation does occur among coexisting birds, thus following Gause' law of competitive exclusion, which states two species occupying the same niche will not stably coexist.

  10. Foraging niche segregation in Malaysian babblers (Family: Timaliidae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansor, Mohammad Saiful; Ramli, Rosli

    2017-01-01

    Tropical rainforests are considered as hotspots for bird diversity, yet little is known about the system that upholds the coexistence of species. Differences in body size that are associated with foraging strategies and spatial distribution are believed to promote the coexistence of closely related species by reducing competition. However, the fact that many babbler species do not differ significantly in their morphology has challenged this view. We studied the foraging ecology of nine sympatric babbler species (i.e., Pellorneum capistratum, P. bicolor, P. malaccense, Malacopteron cinereum, M. magnum, Stachyris nigriceps, S. nigricollis, S. maculata, and Cyanoderma erythropterum) in the Krau Wildlife Reserve in Peninsular Malaysia. We investigated; i) how these babblers forage in the wild and use vegetation to obtain food, and ii) how these trophically similar species differ in spatial distribution and foraging tactics. Results indicated that most babblers foraged predominantly on aerial leaf litter and used gleaning manoeuvre in intermediate-density foliage but exhibited wide ranges of vertical strata usage, thus reducing interspecific competition. The principal component analysis indicated that two components, i.e., foraging height and substrate are important as mechanisms to allow the coexistence of sympatric babblers. The present findings revealed that these bird species have unique foraging niches that are distinct from each other, and this may apply to other insectivorous birds inhabiting tropical forests. This suggests that niche separation does occur among coexisting birds, thus following Gause’ law of competitive exclusion, which states two species occupying the same niche will not stably coexist. PMID:28253284

  11. Effects of ionization and ion loss on dust ion- acoustic solitary waves in a collisional dusty plasma with suprathermal electrons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tribeche, Mouloud; Mayout, Saliha

    2016-07-01

    The combined effects of ionization, ion loss and electron suprathermality on dust ion- acoustic solitary waves in a collisional dusty plasma are examined. Carrying out a small but finite amplitude analysis, a damped Korteweg- de Vries (dK-- dV) equation is derived. The damping term decreases with the increase of the spectral index and saturates for Maxwellian electrons. Choosing typical plasma parameters, the analytical approximate solution of the dK- dV equation is numerically analyzed. We first neglect the ionization and ion loss effects and account only for collisions to estimate the relative importance between these damping terms which can act concurrently. Interestingly, we found that as the suprathermal character of the electrons becomes important, the strength of the collisions related dissipation becomes more important and causes the DIA solitary wave amplitude to decay more rapidly. Moreover, the collisional damping may largely prevail over the ionization and ion loss related damping. The latter becomes more effective as the electrons evolve far away from their thermal equilibrium. Our results complement and provide new insights into previously published work on this problem.

  12. Solitary wave solutions of the fourth order Boussinesq equation through the exp(-Ф(η))-expansion method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akbar, M Ali; Hj Mohd Ali, Norhashidah

    2014-01-01

    The exp(-Ф(η))-expansion method is an ascending method for obtaining exact and solitary wave solutions for nonlinear evolution equations. In this article, we implement the exp(-Ф(η))-expansion method to build solitary wave solutions to the fourth order Boussinesq equation. The procedure is simple, direct and useful with the help of computer algebra. By using this method, we obtain solitary wave solutions in terms of the hyperbolic functions, the trigonometric functions and elementary functions. The results show that the exp(-Ф(η))-expansion method is straightforward and effective mathematical tool for the treatment of nonlinear evolution equations in mathematical physics and engineering. 35C07; 35C08; 35P99.

  13. Trade-Off between Foraging Activity and Infestation by Nest Parasites in the Primitively Eusocial Bee Halictus scabiosae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Lienhard

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Diurnal activities of Halictus scabiosae bees and their nest parasites (major bee-flies, cuckoo wasps, ichneumon wasps, Sphecodes bees, and velvet ants were investigated at a study site with 159 nests in Eastern Austria. Foraging activity correlated with ambient temperature only before midday and decreased in the afternoon. The activity of nest-infesting parasites increased during the day and correlated with ambient temperature. The match factor fm between the ratios of the foraging activities of H. scabiosae and the ratios of aspects of morning temperature was assessed on three consecutive days with different weather. The activity patterns of halictine bees and their nest parasites differed: the parasites exhibited only small time windows in which their activities were synchronised with those of their hosts. The bees exhibited an anticyclic behaviour and collected food in times of low parasite pressure and decreased foraging activity when parasite pressure increased.

  14. New compacton solutions and solitary wave solutions of fully nonlinear generalized Camassa-Holm equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tian Lixin; Yin Jiuli

    2004-01-01

    In this paper, we introduce the fully nonlinear generalized Camassa-Holm equation C(m,n,p) and by using four direct ansatzs, we obtain abundant solutions: compactons (solutions with the absence of infinite wings), solitary patterns solutions having infinite slopes or cups, solitary waves and singular periodic wave solutions and obtain kink compacton solutions and nonsymmetry compacton solutions. We also study other forms of fully nonlinear generalized Camassa-Holm equation, and their compacton solutions are governed by linear equations

  15. Solitary wave and periodic wave solutions for Burgers, Fisher ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Pramana – Journal of Physics; Volume 85; Issue 1. Solitary wave and periodic wave solutions for Burgers, Fisher, Huxley and combined forms of these equations by the (′/)-expansion method. Jalil Manafian Mehrdad Lakestani. Volume 85 Issue 1 July 2015 pp 31-52 ...

  16. Subalpine bumble bee foraging distances and densities in relation to flower availability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, Susan E

    2009-06-01

    Bees feed almost exclusively on nectar and pollen from flowers. However, little is known about how food availability limits bee populations, especially in high elevation areas. Foraging distances and relationships between forager densities and resource availability can provide insights into the potential for food limitation in mobile consumer populations. For example, if floral resources are limited, bee consumers should fly farther to forage, and they should be more abundant in areas with more flowers. I estimated subalpine bumble bee foraging distances by calculating forager recapture probabilities at increasing distances from eight marking locations. I measured forager and flower densities over the flowering season in six half-hectare plots. Because subalpine bumble bees have little time to build their colonies, they may forage over short distances and forager density may not be constrained by flower density. However, late in the season, when floral resources dwindle, foraging distances may increase, and there may be stronger relationships between forager and flower densities. Throughout the flowering season, marked bees were primarily found within 100 m (and never >1,000 m) from their original marking location, suggesting that they typically did not fly far to forage. Although the density of early season foraging queens increased with early-season flower density, the density of mid- and late-season workers and males did not vary with flower density. Short foraging distances and no relationships between mid- and late-season forager and flower densities suggest that high elevation bumble bees may have ample floral resources for colony growth reproduction.

  17. Microtubules: A network for solitary waves

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zdravković Slobodan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In the present paper we deal with nonlinear dynamics of microtubules. The structure and role of microtubules in cells are explained as well as one of models explaining their dynamics. Solutions of the crucial nonlinear differential equation depend on used mathematical methods. Two commonly used procedures, continuum and semi-discrete approximations, are explained. These solutions are solitary waves usually called as kink solitons, breathers and bell-type solitons. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III45010

  18. Search path of a fossorial herbivore, Geomys bursarius, foraging in structurally complex plant communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersen, Douglas C.

    1990-01-01

    The influence of habitat patchiness and unpalatable plants on the search path of the plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) was examined in outdoor enclosures. Separate experiments were used to evaluate how individual animals explored (by tunnel excavation) enclosures free of plants except for one or more dense patches of a palatable plant (Daucus carota), a dense patch of an unpalatable species (Pastinaca sativa) containing a few palatable plants (D. carota), or a relatively sparse mixture of palatable (D. carota) and unpalatable (Raphanus sativus) species. Only two of eight individuals tested showed the predicted pattern of concentrating search effort in patches of palatable plants. The maintenance of relatively high levels of effort in less profitable sites may reflect the security afforded food resources by the solitary social system and fossorial lifestyle of G. bursarius. Unpalatable plants repelled animals under some conditions, but search paths in the sparsely planted mixed-species treatment suggest animals can use visual or other cues to orient excavations. Evidence supporting area-restricted search was weak. More information about the use of visual cues by G. bursarius and the influence of experience on individual search mode is needed for refining current models of foraging behavior in this species.

  19. Rotating solitary wave at the wall of a cylindrical container

    KAUST Repository

    Amaouche, Mustapha; Ait Abderrahmane, Hamid; Vatistas, Georgios H.

    2013-01-01

    This paper deals with the theoretical modeling of a rotating solitary surface wave that was observed during water drainage from a cylindrical reservoir, when shallow water conditions were reached. It represents an improvement of our previous study

  20. SILAGE QUALITY OF CORN AND SORGHUM ADDED WITH FORAGE PEANUTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    WALKÍRIA GUIMARÃES CARVALHO

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Corn and sorghum are standard silage crops because of their fermentative characteristics. While corn and sorghum silages have lower crude protein (CP contents than other crops, intercropping with legumes can increase CP content. Furthermore, one way to increase CP content is the addition of legumes to silage. Consequently, the research objective was to evaluate the fermentative and bromatological characteristics of corn (Zea mays and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor silages added with forage peanuts (Arachis pintoi. The experimental design was completely randomized with four replicates. The treatments consisted of corn silage, sorghum silage, forage peanut silage, corn silage with 30% forage peanut, and sorghum silage with 30% forage peanut. The results showed that the corn and sorghum added with peanut helped to improve the silage fermentative and bromatological characteristics, proving to be an efficient technique for silage quality. The forage peanut silage had lower fermentative characteristics than the corn and sorghum silages. However, the forage peanut silage had a greater CP content, which increased the protein contents of the corn and sorghum silages when intercropped with forage peanuts.

  1. Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura presenting with syncope episodes when coughing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ciulla Michele M

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura is a rarely encountered clinical entity which may have different clinical pictures. Although the majority of these neoplasms have a benign course, the malignant form has also been reported. Case presentation We herein describe a case of 72 year-old man with head, facial, and thoracic traumas caused by neurally-mediated situational syncope when coughing. The diagnostic work-up including chest x-ray, CT and PET, revealed a large solitary mass of the left hemithorax. Radical surgical resection of the mass was performed through a left lateral thoracotomy and completed with a wedge resection of the lingula. Hystological examination of the surgical specimen showed an encapsulated mass measuring 12 × 11.5 × 6 cm consistent with a solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura. It's surgical removal definitively resolved the neurologic manifestations. The patient had no postoperative complications. At two years follow-up the patient is free from recurrence and without clinical manifestations. Conclusion In our case its resection definitively resolved the episodes of situational syncope due, in our opinion, to the large thoracic mass compressing the phrenic nerve

  2. Effect of non-Maxwellian particle trapping and dust grain charging on dust acoustic solitary waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rubab, N.; Murtaza, G.; Mushtaq, A.

    2006-01-01

    The role of adiabatic trapped ions on a small but finite amplitude dust acoustic wave, including the effect of adiabatic dust charge variation, is investigated in an unmagnetized three-component dusty plasma consisting of electrons, ions and massive micron sized negatively charged dust particulates. We have assumed that electrons and ions obey (r,q) velocity distribution while the dust species is treated fluid dynamically. It is found that the dynamics of dust acoustic waves is governed by a modified r dependent Korteweg-de Vries equation. Further, the spectral indices (r,q) affect the charge fluctuation as well as the trapping of electrons and ions and consequently modify the dust acoustic solitary wave

  3. Bees without Flowers: Before Peak Bloom, Diverse Native Bees Find Insect-Produced Honeydew Sugars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meiners, Joan M; Griswold, Terry L; Harris, David J; Ernest, S K Morgan

    2017-08-01

    Bee foragers respond to complex visual, olfactory, and extrasensory cues to optimize searches for floral rewards. Their abilities to detect and distinguish floral colors, shapes, volatiles, and ultraviolet signals and even gauge nectar availability from changes in floral humidity or electric fields are well studied. Bee foraging behaviors in the absence of floral cues, however, are rarely considered. We observed 42 species of wild bees visiting inconspicuous, nonflowering shrubs during early spring in a protected Mediterranean habitat. We determined experimentally that these bees were accessing sugary honeydew secretions from scale insects without the aid of standard cues. While honeydew use is known among some social Hymenoptera, its use across a diverse community of solitary bees is a novel observation. The widespread ability of native bees to locate and use unadvertised, nonfloral sugars suggests unappreciated sensory mechanisms and/or the existence of an interspecific foraging network among solitary bees that may influence how native bees cope with scarcity of floral resources and increasing environmental change.

  4. Solitary bone metastasis to the tibia from colorectal cancer- A case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdulsalam Alnajjar

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The onset of osseous metastases during the course of colorectal cancer is not common. Although rare, they usually appear in the axial skeleton. In our report, we refer to the case of a 48-year-old patient who presented with colon cancer and eventually developed a solitary bone metastasis in the upper end of left tibia. At the time of diagnosis and staging investigations, the patient had only a primary disease.------------------------------------------------Cite this article as:Alnajjar A, Mohanty AK. Solitary bone metastasis to the tibia from colorectal cancer- A case report. Int J Cancer Ther Oncol 2014; 2(4:02045. DOI: 10.14319/ijcto.0204.5

  5. Mercury bioaccumulation and risk to three waterbird foraging guilds is influenced by foraging ecology and breeding stage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Ackerman, Joshua T.; De La Cruz, Susan E.W.; Takekawa, John Y.

    2009-01-01

    We evaluated mercury (Hg) in five waterbird species representing three foraging guilds in San Francisco Bay, CA. Fish-eating birds (Forster's and Caspian terns) had the highest Hg concentrations in thier tissues, but concentrations in an invertebrate-foraging shorebird (black-necked stilt) were also elevated. Foraging habitat was important for Hg exposure as illustrated by within-guild differences, where species more associated with marshes and salt ponds had higher concentrations than those more associated with open-bay and tidal mudflats. Importantly, Hg concentrations increased with time spent in the estuary. Surf scoter concentrations tripled over six months, whereas Forster's terns showed an up to 5-fold increase between estuary arrival and breeding. Breeding waterbirds were at elevated risk of Hg-induced reproductive impairment, particularly Forster's terns, in which 48% of breeding birds were at high risk due to their Hg levels. Our results highlight the importance of habitat and exposure timing, in addition to trophic position, on waterbird Hg bioaccumulation and risk. - The influence of foraging habitat, trophic position, and exposure timing on mercury bioaccumulation and risk to reproduction is evaluated in three waterbird guilds.

  6. Factors influencing malignant evolution and long-term survival in solitary fibrous tumours of the pleura

    OpenAIRE

    Rodríguez-González, Marta; Novoa, Nuria M.; Gomez, Maria T.; García, Juan L.; Ludeña, María Dolores

    2014-01-01

    Solitary pleuro-pulmonary fibrous tumours are relatively uncommon neoplasms that are difficult to manage therapeutically and which, cytogenetically, have been poorly studied. The aim of the present work was to analyse the characteristics of a series of consecutive operated solitary pleural fibrous tumours in an attempt to discover a malignant pattern of evolution. This was a retrospective observational study of 19 cases. Samples were studied for clinical, histological, immunohistochemical and...

  7. Dust ion acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized dusty plasma with anisotropic ion pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Cheong Rim; Ryu, Chang-Mo; Lee, D.-Y.; Lee, Nam C.; Kim, Y.-H.

    2007-01-01

    The influence of anisotropic ion pressure on the dust ion acoustic solitary wave (DIASW) and the double layer (DL) obliquely propagating to a magnetic field are investigated by using the Sagdeev potential. The anisotropic ion pressure is defined by applying the Chew-Goldberger-Low (CGL) theory, p-perpendicular=p-perpendicular 0 n and p-parallel=p-parallel 0 n 3 , where n is the normalized ion density. The solutions of DIASWs and DLs obliquely propagating to an external magnetic field are obtained in the small amplitude limit. It is found that the perpendicular component of anisotropic ion pressure works differently from that of the parallel component on the DIASWs in a magnetized dusty plasma, deviating from a straight extension of the isotropic pressure effect

  8. Periodic and solitary wave solutions of cubic–quintic nonlinear ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Pramana – Journal of Physics; Volume 86; Issue 6. Periodic and solitary wave solutions of cubic–quintic nonlinear reaction-diffusion equation with variable convection coefficients. BHARDWAJ S B SINGH RAM MEHAR SHARMA KUSHAL MISHRA S C. Regular Volume 86 Issue 6 June 2016 pp 1253-1258 ...

  9. Effects of forage:concentrate ratio and forage type on apparent digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and microbial growth in goats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cantalapiedra-Hijar, G; Yáñez-Ruiz, D R; Martín-García, A I; Molina-Alcaide, E

    2009-02-01

    The effects of forage type and forage:concentrate ratio (F:C) on apparent nutrient digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and microbial growth were investigated in goats. A comparison between liquid (LAB) and solid (SAB)-associated bacteria to estimate microbial N flow (MNF) from urinary purine derivative excretion was also examined. Treatments were a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of forage type (grass hay vs. alfalfa hay) and high vs. low F:C (70:30 and 30:70, respectively). Four ruminally cannulated goats were fed, at maintenance intake, 4 experimental diets according to a 4 x 4 Latin square design. High-concentrate diets resulted in greater (P 0.05) when diets included alfalfa hay. Total protozoa numbers and holotricha proportion were greater and less (P forage used. The MNF measured in goats fed different diets was influenced by the bacterial pellet (LAB or SAB). In addition, the purine bases:N ratio values found were different from those reported in the literature, which underlines the need for these variables to be analyzed directly in pellets isolated from specific animals and experimental conditions.

  10. The Comparison of Solitary and Collaborative Modes of Game-Based Learning on Students' Science Learning and Motivation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ching-Huei; Wang, Kuan-Chieh; Lin, Yu-Hsuan

    2015-01-01

    In this study, we investigated and compared solitary and collaborative modes of game-based learning in promoting students' science learning and motivation. A total of fifty seventh grade students participated in this study. The results showed that students who played in a solitary or collaborative mode demonstrated improvement in learning…

  11. Interaction of two solitary waves in quantum electron-positron-ion plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Yanxia; Lin Maimai; Shi Yuren; Duan Wenshan; Liu Zongming; Chen Jianmin

    2011-01-01

    The collision between two ion-acoustic solitary waves with arbitrary colliding angle θ in an unmagnetized, ultracold quantum three-component e-p-i plasma has been investigated. By using the extended Poincare-Lighthill-Kuo (PLK) perturbation method, we obtain the KdV equations and the analytical phase shifts after the collision of two solitary waves in this three-component plasma. The effects of the quantum parameter H, the ratio of Fermi positron temperature to Fermi electron temperature σ, the ratio of Fermi positron number density to Fermi electron number density μ, and the ratio of Fermi ion temperature to Fermi electron temperature ρ on the phase shifts are studied. It is found that these parameters can significantly influence the phase shifts of the solitons.

  12. Work or sleep? : honeybee foragers opportunistically nap during the day when forage is not available

    OpenAIRE

    Klein, Barrett; Seeley, Thomas D.

    2011-01-01

    Shifts in work schedules test humans’ capacity to be flexible in the timing of both work and sleep. Honeybee, Apis mellifera, foragers also shift their work schedules, but how flexible they are in the timing of sleep as they shift the timing of work is unknown, despite the importance of colony-level plasticity in the face of a changing environment. We hypothesized that sleep schedules of foragers are not fixed and instead vary depending on the time when food is available. We trained bees to v...

  13. Evaluation of solitary pulmonary metastasis of extrathoracic tumor with thin-slice computed tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shiotani, Seiji; Yamada, Kouzo; Oshita, Fumihiro; Nomura, Ikuo; Noda, Kazumasa; Yamagata, Tatushi; Tajiri, Michihiko; Ishibashi, Makoto; Kameda, Youichi [Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama (Japan)

    1995-10-01

    Thin-slice computed tomography (CT) images were compared with pathological findings in 9 specimens of solitary pulmonary nodules, which had been pathologically diagnosed as pulmonary metastasis of extrathoracic tumor. The thin-slice CT images were 2 mm-thick images reconstructed using a TCT-900S, HELIX (Toshiba, Tokyo) and examined at two different window and level settings. In every case, the surgical specimens were sliced transversely to correlate with the CT images. According to the image findings, the internal structure was of the solid-density type in every case, and the margin showed spiculation in 22%, notching in 67% and pleural indentation in 89%. Regarding the relationship between the pulmonary vessels and tumors, plural vascular involvement was revealed in every case. Thus, it was difficult to distinguish solitary pulmonary metastasis of extrathoracic tumor from primary lung cancer based on the thin-slice CT images. For some solitary pulmonary metastasis of extrathoracic tumor, a comprehensive diagnostic approach taking both the anamnesis and pathological findings into consideration was required. (author).

  14. Solitary pulmonary nodule: radiologic features and diagnostic approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez Cambronero, Luis Enrique

    2012-01-01

    A literature review is conducted on the solitary pulmonary nodule, to determine the diagnostic methods and specific characteristics. The diagnostic methods used have been: chest radiography, computed tomography, positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The radiological features are defined: location, size, definition of contours or edges (margins), densitometric and attenuation characteristics, cavitation, air bronchogram, growth, doubling time, satellite nodules, nutrient vessels [es

  15. Solitary eyelid schwannoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renu M Magdum

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Schwannomas are rare benign tumors arising from Schwann cells of peripheral nerves that form the neural sheath. While there have been reports of such tumors in the orbit, solitary schwannomas arising from the eyelids are very rare. There are reports of schwannomas being erroneously diagnosed as chalazion, inclusion cysts or even eyelid malignancy. We are reporting a case of a 20-year-old female who presented with a painless, non-tender, slow-growing mass in the upper eyelid of the right eye. The external appearance of the mass was suggestive of an implantation cyst of the eyelid and it could be completely excised as it had a well-defined capsule. Histopathological examination showed characteristic hypercellular and hypocellular areas with fusiform nuclei that tended to form palisades. The purpose of reporting this case of schwannoma in a young female is to recommend the inclusion of this entity as a differential diagnosis of well-defined lid tumors.

  16. CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOLITARY NODULE OF THYROID- A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN A TERTIARY CENTER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. V. Haridas

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND Solitary Thyroid Nodules (STN occur in 4-7% of the adult population. Owing to increasing incidence of malignancy, it is necessary to differentiate patients with benign STN from malignant ones for early intervention and better patient management. The aim of the study is to study the clinicopathological characteristics of STN for better diagnosis, evaluation and management; evaluate the efficacy of FNAC in preoperative diagnostics of solitary thyroid nodules. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted over a period of one year at a tertiary healthcare institution in South India. One hundred patients with solitary nodule of thyroid were studied by taking detailed history and conducting clinical examination, thyroid hormone assay, ultrasonogram, FNAC and histopathological examination. The chances of malignancy and age, sex and site distribution were also analysed. RESULTS Solitary thyroid nodule cases showed female preponderance (81%, presented mostly as neck swelling followed by dysphagia (11%. Most common FNAC report was of colloid nodule (61%, followed by follicular neoplasm (20% and papillary carcinoma (9%. Final HPR showed 53% as colloid nodule and 27% as papillary carcinoma. CONCLUSION Differentiating between benign and malignant lesions and their comprehensive management are the challenges presented by STN. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC is the diagnostic tool of choice for the initial evaluation of STN.

  17. Second generation sequencing and morphological faecal analysis reveal unexpected foraging behaviour by Myotis nattereri (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) in winter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hope, Paul R; Bohmann, Kristine; Gilbert, M. Thomas P.

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Temperate winters produce extreme energetic challenges for small insectivorous mammals. Some bat species inhabiting locations with mild temperate winters forage during brief inter-torpor normothermic periods of activity. However, the winter diet of bats in mild temperate locations is ...

  18. Exact solitary waves of the Korteveg - de Vries - Burgers equation

    OpenAIRE

    Kudryashov, N. A.

    2004-01-01

    New approach is presented to search exact solutions of nonlinear differential equations. This method is used to look for exact solutions of the Korteveg -- de Vries -- Burgers equation. New exact solitary waves of the Korteveg -- de Vries -- Burgers equation are found.

  19. Comparative sucrose responsiveness in Apis mellifera and A. cerana foragers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Wenchao; Kuang, Haiou; Wang, Shanshan; Wang, Jie; Liu, Wei; Wu, Zhenhong; Tian, Yuanyuan; Huang, Zachary Y; Miao, Xiaoqing

    2013-01-01

    In the European honey bee, Apis mellifera, pollen foragers have a higher sucrose responsiveness than nectar foragers when tested using a proboscis extension response (PER) assay. In addition, Africanized honey bees have a higher sucrose responsiveness than European honey bees. Based on the biology of the Eastern honey bee, A. cerana, we hypothesized that A. cerana should also have a higher responsiveness to sucrose than A. mellifera. To test this hypothesis, we compared the sucrose thresholds of pollen foragers and nectar foragers in both A. cerana and A. mellifera in Fujian Province, China. Pollen foragers were more responsive to sucrose than nectar foragers in both species, consistent with previous studies. However, contrary to our hypothesis, A. mellifera was more responsive than A. cerana. We also demonstrated that this higher sucrose responsiveness in A. mellifera was not due to differences in the colony environment by co-fostering two species of bees in the same mixed-species colonies. Because A. mellifera foragers were more responsive to sucrose, we predicted that their nectar foragers should bring in less concentrated nectar compared to that of A. cerana. However, we found no differences between the two species. We conclude that A. cerana shows a different pattern in sucrose responsiveness from that of Africanized bees. There may be other mechanisms that enable A. cerana to perform well in areas with sparse nectar resources.

  20. Comparative sucrose responsiveness in Apis mellifera and A. cerana foragers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenchao Yang

    Full Text Available In the European honey bee, Apis mellifera, pollen foragers have a higher sucrose responsiveness than nectar foragers when tested using a proboscis extension response (PER assay. In addition, Africanized honey bees have a higher sucrose responsiveness than European honey bees. Based on the biology of the Eastern honey bee, A. cerana, we hypothesized that A. cerana should also have a higher responsiveness to sucrose than A. mellifera. To test this hypothesis, we compared the sucrose thresholds of pollen foragers and nectar foragers in both A. cerana and A. mellifera in Fujian Province, China. Pollen foragers were more responsive to sucrose than nectar foragers in both species, consistent with previous studies. However, contrary to our hypothesis, A. mellifera was more responsive than A. cerana. We also demonstrated that this higher sucrose responsiveness in A. mellifera was not due to differences in the colony environment by co-fostering two species of bees in the same mixed-species colonies. Because A. mellifera foragers were more responsive to sucrose, we predicted that their nectar foragers should bring in less concentrated nectar compared to that of A. cerana. However, we found no differences between the two species. We conclude that A. cerana shows a different pattern in sucrose responsiveness from that of Africanized bees. There may be other mechanisms that enable A. cerana to perform well in areas with sparse nectar resources.

  1. Comparative Sucrose Responsiveness in Apis mellifera and A. cerana Foragers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Wenchao; Kuang, Haiou; Wang, Shanshan; Wang, Jie; Liu, Wei; Wu, Zhenhong; Tian, Yuanyuan; Huang, Zachary Y.; Miao, Xiaoqing

    2013-01-01

    In the European honey bee, Apis mellifera, pollen foragers have a higher sucrose responsiveness than nectar foragers when tested using a proboscis extension response (PER) assay. In addition, Africanized honey bees have a higher sucrose responsiveness than European honey bees. Based on the biology of the Eastern honey bee, A. cerana, we hypothesized that A. cerana should also have a higher responsiveness to sucrose than A. mellifera. To test this hypothesis, we compared the sucrose thresholds of pollen foragers and nectar foragers in both A. cerana and A. mellifera in Fujian Province, China. Pollen foragers were more responsive to sucrose than nectar foragers in both species, consistent with previous studies. However, contrary to our hypothesis, A. mellifera was more responsive than A. cerana. We also demonstrated that this higher sucrose responsiveness in A. mellifera was not due to differences in the colony environment by co-fostering two species of bees in the same mixed-species colonies. Because A. mellifera foragers were more responsive to sucrose, we predicted that their nectar foragers should bring in less concentrated nectar compared to that of A. cerana. However, we found no differences between the two species. We conclude that A. cerana shows a different pattern in sucrose responsiveness from that of Africanized bees. There may be other mechanisms that enable A. cerana to perform well in areas with sparse nectar resources. PMID:24194958

  2. Seasonal Food Scarcity Prompts Long-Distance Foraging by a Wild Social Bee.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pope, Nathaniel S; Jha, Shalene

    2018-01-01

    Foraging is an essential process for mobile animals, and its optimization serves as a foundational theory in ecology and evolution; however, drivers of foraging are rarely investigated across landscapes and seasons. Using a common bumblebee species from the western United States (Bombus vosnesenskii), we ask whether seasonal decreases in food resources prompt changes in foraging behavior and space use. We employ a unique integration of population genetic tools and spatially explicit foraging models to estimate foraging distances and rates of patch visitation for wild bumblebee colonies across three study regions and two seasons. By mapping the locations of 669 wild-caught individual foragers, we find substantial variation in colony-level foraging distances, often exhibiting a 60-fold difference within a study region. Our analysis of visitation rates indicates that foragers display a preference for destination patches with high floral cover and forage significantly farther for these patches, but only in the summer, when landscape-level resources are low. Overall, these results indicate that an increasing proportion of long-distance foraging bouts take place in the summer. Because wild bees are pollinators, their foraging dynamics are of urgent concern, given the potential impacts of global change on their movement and services. The behavioral shift toward long-distance foraging with seasonal declines in food resources suggests a novel, phenologically directed approach to landscape-level pollinator conservation and greater consideration of late-season floral resources in pollinator habitat management.

  3. Solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma of the colon, rectum and anus ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma (SEP) is a neoplastic proliferation of a single clone of plasma cells that occur outside of the bone and bone marrow. It is rare, commonly occurring in the head and neck region, followed by the gastrointestinal tract. The aetiology, risk factors, natural history and consequent treatment are ...

  4. Solitary wave solution to a singularly perturbed generalized Gardner ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2017-03-24

    Mar 24, 2017 ... Abstract. This paper is concerned with the existence of travelling wave solutions to a singularly perturbed gen- eralized Gardner equation with nonlinear terms of any order. By using geometric singular perturbation theory and based on the relation between solitary wave solution and homoclinic orbits of the ...

  5. Clinical, Pathologic, and Functional Outcomes After Nephron-Sparing Surgery in Patients with a Solitary Kidney: A Multicenter Experience

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mues, Adam C.; Korets, Ruslan; Graversen, Joseph A.; Badani, Ketan K.; Bird, Vincent G.; Best, Sara L.; Cadeddu, Jeffrey A.; Clayman, Ralph V.; McDougall, Elspeth; Barwari, Kurdo; Laguna, Pilar; de la Rosette, Jean; Kavoussi, Louis; Okhunov, Zhamshid; Munver, Ravi; Patel, Sutchin R.; Nakada, Stephen; Tsivian, Matvey; Polascik, Thomas J.; Shalhav, Arieh; Shingleton, W. Bruce; Johnson, Emilie K.; Wolf, J. Stuart; Landman, Jaime

    2012-01-01

    Background and Purpose: Surgical management of a renal neoplasm in a solitary kidney is a balance between oncologic control and preservation of renal function. We analyzed patients with a renal mass in a solitary kidney undergoing nephron-sparing procedures to determine perioperative, oncologic, and

  6. Foraging task specialisation and foraging labour allocation in stingless bees

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hofstede, Frouke Elisabeth

    2006-01-01

    Social bees collect nectar and pollen from flowering plants for energy of the adult bees and for feeding the larvae in the colony. The flowering patterns of plants imply that periods of high food availability are often followed by periods of meagre foraging conditions. Being dependent on such a

  7. Forage Polyphenol Oxidase and Ruminant Livestock Nutrition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Richard F. Lee

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Polyphenol oxidase (PPO is associated with the detrimental effect of browning fruit and vegetables, however interest within PPO containing forage crops has grown since the brownng reaction was associated with reduced nitrogen (N losses in silo and the rumen. The reduction in protein breakdown in silo of red clover (high PPO forage increased the quality of protein, improving N-use efficiency (NUE when fed to ruminants. A further benefit of red clover silage feeding is a significant reduction in lipolysis in silo and an increase in the deposition of beneficial C18 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA in animal products, which has also been linked to PPO activity. PPOs protection of plant protein and glycerol based-PUFA in silo is related to the deactivation of plant proteases and lipases. This deactivation occurs through PPO catalysing the conversion of diphenols to quinones which bind with cellular nucleophiles such as protein reforming a protein-bound phenol (PBP. If the protein is an enzyme the complexing denatures the enzyme. However, PPO is inactive in the anaerobic rumen and therefore any subsequent protection of plant protein and glycerol based-PUFA in the rumen must be as a result of events that occurred to the forage pre-ingestion. Reduced activity of plant proteases and lipases would have little effect on NUE and glycerol based-PUFA in the rumen due to the greater concentration of rumen microbial proteases and lipases. The mechanism for PPOs protection of plant protein in the rumen is a consequence of complexing plant protein, rather than protease deactivation per se. These complexed proteins reduce protein digestibility in the rumen and subsequently increase un-degraded dietary protein flow to the small intestine. The mechanism for protecting glycerol-based PUFA has yet to be fully elucidated but may be associated with entrapment within PBP reducing access to microbial lipases or differences in rumen digestion kinetics of red clover.

  8. Foraging Behavior of Odontomachus bauri on Barro Colorado Island, Panama

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Birgit Ehmer

    1995-01-01

    Full Text Available Foraging behavior and partitioning of foraging areas of Odonomachus bauri were investigated on Barro Colorado Island in Panama. The activity of the ants did not show any daily pattern; foragers were active day and night. The type of prey captured by O. bauri supports the idea that in higher Odontomachus and Anochetus species, the high speed of mandible closure serves more for generating power than capturing elusive prey. Polydomous nests may enable O. bauri colonies to enlarge their foraging areas.

  9. Transformation of internal solitary waves at the "deep" and "shallow" shelf: satellite observations and laboratory experiment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. D. Shishkina

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available An interaction of internal solitary waves with the shelf edge in the time periods related to the presence of a pronounced seasonal pycnocline in the Red Sea and in the Alboran Sea is analysed via satellite photos and SAR images. Laboratory data on transformation of a solitary wave of depression while passing along the transverse bottom step were obtained in a tank with a two-layer stratified fluid. The certain difference between two characteristic types of hydrophysical phenomena was revealed both in the field observations and in experiments. The hydrological conditions for these two processes were named the "deep" and the "shallow" shelf respectively. The first one provides the generation of the secondary periodic short internal waves – "runaway" edge waves – due to change in the polarity of a part of a soliton approaching the shelf normally. Another one causes a periodic shear flow in the upper quasi-homogeneous water layer with the period of incident solitary wave. The strength of the revealed mechanisms depends on the thickness of the water layer between the pycnocline and the shelf bottom as well as on the amplitude of the incident solitary wave.

  10. Dust acoustic solitary and shock excitations in a Thomas-Fermi magnetoplasma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rahim, Z.; Qamar, A. [Institute of Physics and Electronics, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25000 (Pakistan); National Center for Physics (NCP) at QAU Campus, Shahdra Valley Road, Islamabad 44000 (Pakistan); Ali, S. [National Center for Physics (NCP) at QAU Campus, Shahdra Valley Road, Islamabad 44000 (Pakistan)

    2014-07-15

    The linear and nonlinear properties of dust-acoustic waves are investigated in a collisionless Thomas-Fermi magnetoplasma, whose constituents are electrons, ions, and negatively charged dust particles. At dust time scale, the electron and ion number densities follow the Thomas-Fermi distribution, whereas the dust component is described by the classical fluid equations. A linear dispersion relation is analyzed to show that the wave frequencies associated with the upper and lower modes are enhanced with the variation of dust concentration. The effect of the latter is seen more strongly on the upper mode as compared to the lower mode. For nonlinear analysis, we obtain magnetized Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) and Zakharov-Kuznetsov (ZK) equations involving the dust-acoustic solitary waves in the framework of reductive perturbation technique. Furthermore, the shock wave excitations are also studied by allowing dissipation effects in the model, leading to the Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers (KdVB) and ZKB equations. The analysis reveals that the dust-acoustic solitary and shock excitations in a Thomas-Fermi plasma are strongly influenced by the plasma parameters, e.g., dust concentration, dust temperature, obliqueness, magnetic field strength, and dust fluid viscosity. The present results should be important for understanding the solitary and shock excitations in the environments of white dwarfs or supernova, where dust particles can exist.

  11. Dust acoustic solitary and shock excitations in a Thomas-Fermi magnetoplasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahim, Z.; Qamar, A.; Ali, S.

    2014-01-01

    The linear and nonlinear properties of dust-acoustic waves are investigated in a collisionless Thomas-Fermi magnetoplasma, whose constituents are electrons, ions, and negatively charged dust particles. At dust time scale, the electron and ion number densities follow the Thomas-Fermi distribution, whereas the dust component is described by the classical fluid equations. A linear dispersion relation is analyzed to show that the wave frequencies associated with the upper and lower modes are enhanced with the variation of dust concentration. The effect of the latter is seen more strongly on the upper mode as compared to the lower mode. For nonlinear analysis, we obtain magnetized Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) and Zakharov-Kuznetsov (ZK) equations involving the dust-acoustic solitary waves in the framework of reductive perturbation technique. Furthermore, the shock wave excitations are also studied by allowing dissipation effects in the model, leading to the Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers (KdVB) and ZKB equations. The analysis reveals that the dust-acoustic solitary and shock excitations in a Thomas-Fermi plasma are strongly influenced by the plasma parameters, e.g., dust concentration, dust temperature, obliqueness, magnetic field strength, and dust fluid viscosity. The present results should be important for understanding the solitary and shock excitations in the environments of white dwarfs or supernova, where dust particles can exist

  12. Solitary Waves in Space Dusty Plasma with Dust of Opposite Polarity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elwakil, S.A.; Zahran, M.A.; El-Shewy, E.K.; Abdelwahed, H.G.

    2009-01-01

    The nonlinear propagation of small but finite amplitude dust-acoustic solitary waves (DAWs) in an unmagnetized, collisionless dusty plasma has been investigated. The fluid model is a generalize to the model of Mamun and Shukla to a more realistic space dusty plasma in different regions of space viz.., cometary tails, mesosphere, Jupiter s magnetosphere, etc., by considering a four component dusty plasma consists of charged dusty plasma of opposite polarity, isothermal electrons and vortex like ion distributions in the ambient plasma. A reductive perturbation method were employed to obtain a modified Korteweg-de Vries (mKdV) equation for the first-order potential and a stationary solution is obtained. The effect of the presence of positively charged dust fluid, the specific charge ratioμ, temperature of the positively charged dust fluid, the ratio of constant temperature of free hot ions and the constant temperature of trapped ions and ion temperature are also discussed.

  13. Stable Isotopes Reveal Long-Term Fidelity to Foraging Grounds in the Galapagos Sea Lion (Zalophus wollebaeki.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Massimiliano Drago

    Full Text Available Most otariids have colony-specific foraging areas during the breeding season, when they behave as central place foragers. However, they may disperse over broad areas after the breeding season and individuals from different colonies may share foraging grounds at that time. Here, stable isotope ratios in the skull bone of adult Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki were used to assess the long-term fidelity of both sexes to foraging grounds across the different regions of the Galapagos archipelago. Results indicated that the stable isotope ratios (δ(13C and δ(15N of sea lion bone significantly differed among regions of the archipelago, without any significant difference between sexes and with a non significant interaction between sex and region. Moreover, standard ellipses, estimated by Bayesian inference and used as a measure of the isotopic resource use area at the population level, overlapped widely for the sea lions from the southern and central regions, whereas the overlap of the ellipses for sea lions from the central and western regions was small and non-existing for those from the western and southern regions. These results suggest that males and females from the same region within the archipelago use similar foraging grounds and have similar diets. Furthermore, they indicate that the exchange of adults between regions is limited, thus revealing a certain degree of foraging philopatry at a regional scale within the archipelago. The constraints imposed on males by an expanded reproductive season (~ 6 months, resulting from the weak reproductive synchrony among females, and those imposed on females by a very long lactation period (at least one year but up to three years, may explain the limited mobility of adult Galapagos sea lions of both sexes across the archipelago.

  14. Nutrient balance affects foraging behaviour of a trap-building predator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mayntz, David; Toft, Søren; Vollrath, Fritz

    2009-01-01

    Predator foraging may be affected by previous prey capture, but it is unknown how nutrient balance affects foraging behaviour. Here, we use a trap-building predator to test whether nutrients from previous prey captures affect foraging behaviour. We fed orb-weaving spiders (Zygiella x-notata) prey...

  15. Information Foraging Theory: A Framework for Intelligence Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-11-01

    oceanographic information, human intelligence (HUMINT), open-source intelligence ( OSINT ), and information provided by other governmental departments [1][5...Human Intelligence IFT Information Foraging Theory LSA Latent Semantic Similarity MVT Marginal Value Theorem OFT Optimal Foraging Theory OSINT

  16. Solitary plasmacytoma of bone and soft tissue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolek, Timothy W.; Marcus, Robert B.; Mendenhall, Nancy Price

    1996-01-01

    Purpose: This retrospective review evaluates the results of radiotherapy used for curative intent in the management of solitary plasmacytoma. Methods and Materials: Between August 1963 and January 1993, 37 patients with a solitary plasmacytoma were treated with curative intent at the University of Florida. Criteria for inclusion in the study were (a) a biopsy-proven plasmacytoma, (b) no tumor in the bone marrow on biopsy, and (c) no evidence of disseminated disease on skeletal survey. The primary site was osseous in 27 patients and extramedullary in 10 patients; 9 of the 10 extramedullary lesions were located in the upper respiratory passages. Treatment consisted of primary radio-therapy. in all but one patient, who received surgical resection alone. Two patients also received adjuvant chemotherapy. The median radiation dose was 43.2 Gy in 1.8-Gy fractions. Absolute survival, progression to myeloma, and local control rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. A multivariate analysis was performed for prognostic factors predictive of absolute survival. Results: Multivariate analysis revealed tumor type (osseous vs. extramedullary) to be predictive of absolute survival (p = 0.12). Factors not predictive of survival were age, sex, use of chemotherapy, immunoglobulin level, and type of immunoglobulin elevated. Patients with osseous tumors had a lower survival rate than those with extramedullary tumors (55% vs. 80% at 10 years, p = 0.06). Multiple myeloma was more likely to develop in patients with osseous tumors (54% vs. 11% at 10 years, 100% vs. 33% at 15 years, p = 0.03). Of patients in whom multiple myeloma developed, those with osseous tumors had a poorer survival rate after development of myeloma (32% vs. 100% at 5 years, p = 0.11). Local relapse developed in 1 patient with an osseous tumor 10 months after treatment with 28.3 Gy in 14 fractions; this was controlled with an additional 28.3 Gy in 10 fractions. Local failure did not develop in any patient

  17. Multi-Robot Item Delivery and Foraging: Two Sides of a Coin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Somchaya Liemhetcharat

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Multi-robot foraging has been widely studied in the literature, and the general assumption is that the robots are simple, i.e., with limited processing and carrying capacity. We previously studied continuous foraging with slightly more capable robots, and in this article, we are interested in using similar robots for item delivery. Interestingly, item delivery and foraging are two sides of the same coin: foraging an item from a location is similar to satisfying a demand. We formally define the multi-robot item delivery problem and show that the continuous foraging problem is a special case of it. We contribute distributed multi-robot algorithms that solve the item delivery and foraging problems and describe how our shared world model is synchronized across the multi-robot team. We performed extensive experiments on simulated robots using a Java simulator, and we present our results to demonstrate that we outperform benchmark algorithms from multi-robot foraging.

  18. Sexual segregation in juvenile New Zealand sea lion foraging ranges: implications for intraspecific competition, population dynamics and conservation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elaine S Leung

    Full Text Available Sexual segregation (sex differences in spatial organisation and resource use is observed in a large range of taxa. Investigating causes for sexual segregation is vital for understanding population dynamics and has important conservation implications, as sex differences in foraging ecology may affect vulnerability to area-specific human activities. Although behavioural ecologists have proposed numerous hypotheses for this phenomenon, the underlying causes of sexual segregation are poorly understood. We examined the size-dimorphism and niche divergence hypotheses as potential explanations for sexual segregation in the New Zealand (NZ sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri, a nationally critical, declining species impacted by trawl fisheries. We used satellite telemetry and linear mixed effects models to investigate sex differences in the foraging ranges of juvenile NZ sea lions. Male trip distances and durations were almost twice as long as female trips, with males foraging over the Auckland Island shelf and in further locations than females. Sex was the most important variable in trip distance, maximum distance travelled from study site, foraging cycle duration and percent time at sea whereas mass and age had small effects on these characteristics. Our findings support the predictions of the niche divergence hypothesis, which suggests that sexual segregation acts to decrease intraspecific resource competition. As a consequence of sexual segregation in foraging ranges, female foraging grounds had proportionally double the overlap with fisheries operations than males. This distribution exposes female juvenile NZ sea lions to a greater risk of resource competition and bycatch from fisheries than males, which can result in higher female mortality. Such sex-biased mortality could impact population dynamics, because female population decline can lead to decreased population fecundity. Thus, effective conservation and management strategies must take into account

  19. Geographic profiling and animal foraging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Comber, Steven C; Nicholls, Barry; Rossmo, D Kim; Racey, Paul A

    2006-05-21

    Geographic profiling was originally developed as a statistical tool for use in criminal cases, particularly those involving serial killers and rapists. It is designed to help police forces prioritize lists of suspects by using the location of crime scenes to identify the areas in which the criminal is most likely to live. Two important concepts are the buffer zone (criminals are less likely to commit crimes in the immediate vicinity of their home) and distance decay (criminals commit fewer crimes as the distance from their home increases). In this study, we show how the techniques of geographic profiling may be applied to animal data, using as an example foraging patterns in two sympatric colonies of pipistrelle bats, Pipistrellus pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus, in the northeast of Scotland. We show that if model variables are fitted to known roost locations, these variables may be used as numerical descriptors of foraging patterns. We go on to show that these variables can be used to differentiate patterns of foraging in these two species.

  20. Bound dipole solitary solutions in anisotropic nonlocal self-focusing media

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mamaev, A.V.; Zozulya, A.A.; Mezentsev, V.K.

    1997-01-01

    We find and analyze bound dipole solitary solutions in media with anisotropic nonlocal photorefractive material response. The dipole solutions consist of two elliptically shaped Gaussian-type beams separated by several diameters, and with a pi phase shift between their fields. Spatial evolution...

  1. Solitary pulmonary nodule and 18F-FDG PET/CT. Part 1: epidemiology, morphological evaluation and cancer probability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcos Pretto Mosmann

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Solitary pulmonary nodule corresponds to a common radiographic finding, which is frequently detected incidentally. The investigation of this entity remains complex, since characteristics of benign and malignant processes overlap in the differential diagnosis. Currently, many strategies are available to evaluate solitary pulmonary nodules with the main objective of characterizing benign lesions as best as possible, while avoiding to expose patients to the risks inherent to invasive methods, besides correctly detecting cases of lung cancer so as the potential curative treatment is not delayed. This first part of the study focuses on the epidemiology, the morfological evaluation and the methods to determine the likelihood of cancer in cases of indeterminate solitary pulmonary nodule.

  2. Solitary waves under the competition of linear and nonlinear periodic potentials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rapti, Z; Kevrekidis, P G; Konotop, V V; Jones, C K R T

    2007-01-01

    In this paper, we study the competition of the linear and nonlinear lattices and its effects on the stability and dynamics of bright solitary waves. We consider both lattices in a perturbative framework, whereby the technique of Hamiltonian perturbation theory can be used to obtain information about the existence of solutions, and the same approach, as well as eigenvalue count considerations, can be used to obtain detailed conditions about their linear stability. We find that the analytical results are in very good agreement with our numerical findings and can also be used to predict features of the dynamical evolution of such solutions. A particularly interesting result of these considerations is the existence of a tunable cancellation effect between the linear and nonlinear lattices that allows for increased mobility of the solitary wave

  3. Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome: demographic, clinical, endoscopic and histological panorama

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abbasi, A.; Bhutto, K. A.R.; Baloch, A.

    2015-01-01

    To assess the demographic, clinical, endoscopic and histological spectrum of Solitary Rectal Ulcer Syndrome (SRUS). Study Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Medical Unit-III, Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) and Ward 7, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi, from January 2009 to June 2012. Methodology: Patients with SRUS, based on characteristic endoscopic and histological findings, were enrolled. Patients were excluded if they had other causes of the rectal lesions (neoplasm, infection, inflammatory bowel disease, and trauma). Endoscopically, lesions were divided on the basis of number (solitary or multiple) and appearance (ulcerative, polypoidal/nodular or erythematous mucosa). Demographic, clinical and endoscopic characteristics of subjects were evaluated. Results: Forty-four patients met the inclusion criteria; 21 (47.7%) were females and 23 (52.3%) were males with overall mean age of 33.73 ±13.28 years. Symptom-wise 41 (93.2%) had bleeding per rectum, 39 (88.6%) had mucous discharge, 34 (77.3%) had straining, 34 (77.3%) had constipation, 32 (72.7%) had tenesmus, 5 (11.4%) had rectal prolapse and 2 (4.5%) had fecal incontinence. Twelve (27.27%) patients presented with hemoglobin less 10 gm/dl, 27 (61.36%) with 10 - 12 gm/dl and 05 (11.36%) subjects had hemoglobin more than 12 gm/dl. Endoscopically, 26 (59.1%) patients had mucosal ulceration, 11 (25.0%) had mucosal ulceration with polypoid characteristics; while only polypoid features were found in 7 (15.9%) subjects. Conclusion: Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome affects adults of both genders with diverse clinical presentation and nonspecific endoscopic features. (author)

  4. Forage yield and nutritive value of Elephant grass, Italian ryegrass and spontaneous growing species mixed with forage peanut or red clover

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle Schalemberg Diehl

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this research was to evaluate of three grazing systems (GS with elephant grass (EG, Italian ryegrass (IR + spontaneous growing species (SGS; EG + IR + SGS + forage peanut (FP; and EG + IR + SGS + red clover (RC, during the winter and summer periods in rotational grazing with dairy cattle. Experimental design was completely randomized with three treatments, two replicates with repeated measures. Lactating Holstein cows receiving 1% BW-daily feed supplement with concentrate were used in the evaluation. Eight grazing cycles were performed during the experimental period. The values of pre forage mass and stocking rate were 2.52, 2.60 and 2.99 t ha-1 and 2.64, 2.77 and 3.14 animal unit ha-1, respectively for GS. Samples of forage were collected by hand-plucking technique to analyze the crude protein (CP, neutral detergent fiber (NDF, in situ dry matter digestibility (ISDMD, in situ organic matter digestibility (ISOMD of forage present between rows of elephant grass, in the rows of elephant grass and the legumes. Higher value of CP, ISOMD and lower of NDF were observed for the grazing systems mixed with legumes forage.

  5. Forage based animal production systems and sustainability, an invited keynote

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdul Shakoor Chaudhry

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Forages are essential for the successful operation of animal production systems. This is more relevant to ruminants which are heavily dependant upon forages for their health and production in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. While forages are an economical source of nutrients for animal production, they also help conserve the soil integrity, water supply and air quality. Although the role of these forages for animal production could vary depending upon the regional preferences for the animal and forage species, climate and resources, their importance in the success of ruminant production is acknowledged. However with the increasing global human population and urbanisation, the sustainability of forage based animal production systems is sometimes questioned due to the interrelationship between animal production and the environment. It is therefore vital to examine the suitability of these systems for their place in the future to supply quality food which is safe for human consumption and available at a competitive price to the growing human population. Grassland and forage crops are recognised for their contribution to the environment, recreation and efficiency of meat and milk production,. To maintain sustainability, it is crucial that such farming systems remain profitable and environmentally friendly while producing nutritious foods of high economical value. Thus, it is pertinent to improve the nutritive value of grasses and other forage plants in order to enhance animal production to obtain quality food. It is also vital to develop new forages which are efficiently utilised and wasted less by involving efficient animals. A combination of forage legumes, fresh or conserved grasses, crop residues and other feeds could help develop an animal production system which is economically efficient, beneficial and viable. Also, it is crucial to use efficient animals, improved forage conservation methods, better manure handling, and minimum

  6. Application of genomics to forage crop breeding for quality traits

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lübberstedt, Thomas

    2007-01-01

    Forage quality depends on the digestibility of fodder, and can be directly measured by the intake and metabolic conversion in animal trials. However, animal trials are time-consuming, laborious, and thus expensive. It is not possible to study thousands of plant genotypes, as required in breeding...... studied in detail and sequence motifs with likely effect on forage quality have been identified by association studies. Moreover, transgenic approaches substantiated the effect of several of these genes on forage quality. Perspectives and limitations of these findings for forage crop breeding...

  7. Floral odor learning within the hive affects honeybees' foraging decisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arenas, Andrés; Fernández, Vanesa M.; Farina, Walter M.

    2007-03-01

    Honeybees learn odor cues quickly and efficiently when visiting rewarding flowers. Memorization of these cues facilitates the localization and recognition of food sources during foraging flights. Bees can also use information gained inside the hive during social interactions with successful foragers. An important information cue that can be learned during these interactions is food odor. However, little is known about how floral odors learned in the hive affect later decisions of foragers in the field. We studied the effect of food scent on foraging preferences when this learning is acquired directly inside the hive. By using in-hive feeders that were removed 24 h before the test, we showed that foragers use the odor information acquired during a 3-day stimulation period with a scented solution during a food-choice situation outside the nest. This bias in food preference is maintained even 24 h after the replacement of all the hive combs. Thus, without being previously collected outside by foragers, food odors learned within the hive can be used during short-range foraging flights. Moreover, correct landings at a dual-choice device after replacing the storing combs suggests that long-term memories formed within the colony can be retrieved while bees search for food in the field.

  8. Giant solitary fibrous tumor of the lung: A case report

    OpenAIRE

    Xiao, Ping; Sun, Linlin; Zhong, Diansheng; Lian, Linjuan; Xu, Dongbo

    2014-01-01

    A solitary fibrous tumor arising from the lung parenchyma is rarely described. Here, we present the clinical, imaging, and histological features of a case of a 54-year-old woman with an incidental lung mass of the right lower lobe on a chest radiograph.

  9. Gas‑less Video‑assisted Thyroidectomy for a Solitary Thyroid Nodule

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Gas‑less Video‑assisted Thyroidectomy for a Solitary Thyroid. Nodule: Technical Report of the First Case Performed at a. Rural Teaching Hospital in India and Review of Literature. Sanoop K. Zachariah. INTRODUCTION. The conventional thyroidectomy performed by the Kocher's cervicotomy often leaves an undesirable ...

  10. Is Bumblebee Foraging Efficiency Mediated by Morphological Correspondence to Flowers?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ikumi Dohzono

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Preference for certain types of flowers in bee species may be an adaptation for efficient foraging, and they often prefer flowers whose shape fits their mouthparts. However, it is unclear whether such flowers are truly beneficial for them. We address this issue by experimentally measuring foraging efficiency of bumblebees, the volume of sucrose solution consumed over handling time (μL/second, using long-tongued Bombus diversus Smith and short-tongued B. honshuensis Tkalcu that visit Clematis stans Siebold et Zuccarini. The corolla tube length of C. stans decreases during a flowering period, and male flowers are longer than female flowers. Long- and short-tongued bumblebees frequently visited longer and shorter flowers, respectively. Based on these preferences, we hypothesized that bumblebee foraging efficiency is higher when visiting flowers that show a good morphological fit between the proboscis and the corolla tube. Foraging efficiency of bumblebees was estimated using flowers for which nectar quality and quantity were controlled, in an experimental enclosure. We show that 1 the foraging efficiency of B. diversus was enhanced when visiting younger, longer flowers, and that 2 the foraging efficiency of B. honshuensis was higher when visiting shorter female flowers. This suggests that morphological correspondence between insects and flowers is important for insect foraging efficiency. However, in contradiction to our prediction, 3 short-tongued bumblebees B. honshuensis sucked nectar more efficiently when visiting younger, longer flowers, and 4 there was no significant difference in the foraging efficiency of B. diversus between flower sexes. These results suggest that morphological fit between the proboscis and the corolla tube is not a sole determinant of foraging efficiency. Bumblebees may adjust their sucking behavior in response to available rewards, and competition over rewards between bumblebee species might change visitation patterns

  11. Corn in consortium with forages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cássia Maria de Paula Garcia

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The basic premises for sustainable agricultural development with focus on rural producers are reducing the costs of production and aggregation of values through the use crop-livestock system (CLS throughout the year. The CLS is based on the consortium of grain crops, especially corn with tropical forages, mainly of the genus Panicum and Urochloa. The study aimed to evaluate the grain yield of irrigated corn crop intercropped with forage of the genus Panicum and Urochloa. The experiment was conducted at the Fazenda de Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão – FEPE  of the Faculdade de Engenharia - UNESP, Ilha Solteira in an Oxisol in savannah conditions and in the autumn winter of 2009. The experimental area was irrigated by a center pivot and had a history of no-tillage system for 8 years. The corn hybrid used was simple DKB 390 YG at distances of 0.90 m. The seeds of grasses were sown in 0.34 m spacing in the amount of 5 kg ha-1, they were mixed with fertilizer minutes before sowing  and placed in a compartment fertilizer seeder and fertilizers were mechanically deposited in the soil at a depth of 0.03 m. The experimental design used was a randomized block with four replications and five treatments: Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania sown during the nitrogen fertilization (CTD of the corn; Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça sown during the nitrogen fertilization (CMD of the corn; Urochloa brizantha cv. Xaraés sown during the occasion of nitrogen fertilization (CBD of the corn; Urochloa ruziziensis cv. Comumsown during the nitrogen fertilization (CRD of the corn and single corn (control. The production components of corn: plant population per hectare (PlPo, number of ears per hectare (NE ha-1, number of rows per ear (NRE, number of kernels per row on the cob (NKR, number of grain in the ear (NGE and mass of 100 grains (M100G were not influenced by consortium with forage. Comparing grain yield (GY single corn and maize intercropped with forage of the genus Panicum

  12. Blue Oak Canopy Effect on Seasonal Forage Production and Quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    William E. Frost; Neil K. McDougald; Montague W. Demment

    1991-01-01

    Forage production and forage quality were measured seasonally beneath the canopy of blue oak (Quercus douglasii) and in open grassland at the San Joaquin Experimental Range. At the March and peak standing crop sampling dates forage production was significantly greater (p=.05) beneath blue oak compared to open grassland. At most sampling dates, the...

  13. Food and foraging preferences of three pteropodid bats in southern India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.R Sudhakaran

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available A study on the food, foraging and flight height in three species of pteropodid bats, namely Cynopterus sphinx, Rousettus leschenaultii and Pteropus giganteus was conducted in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts of southern Tamil Nadu, India. A total of 37 species of plants were identified as potential food plants of the pteropodid bats. The preference for fruits by pteropodids varied according to the developmental stages of fruits namely, immature, unripe and ripe. There is a relationship between the foraging activities of bats and the moon phase. Bats exhibit a varied foraging pattern and flight height. A variation in the foraging flight height was observed in C. sphinx and R. leschenaultii. R. leschenaultii was observed to have a higher foraging echelon than that of the C. sphinx. In our study we found that the C. sphinx forages normally at canopy level (up to 3.5m, R. leschenaultii forages at upper canopy levels (up to 9m and P. giganteus at a height above the canopy area (>9m.

  14. Cellular solitary fibrous tumor (hemangiopericytoma) with anaplasia at cerebellopontine angle--a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Jianying; Ogera, Patricia; Benardete, Ethan A; Nicastri, Anthony D; Rao, Chandrakant

    2012-08-15

    Cellular solitary fibrous tumor is currently considered a synonym for hemangiopericytoma, as it became increasingly clear that the morphological and immunohistochemical features that separate these two entities have become tenuous, and evidence for a unifying concept has emerged. Furthermore, as no evidence of pericytic differentiation is given in most cases of hemangiopericytoma, this diagnostic term is waning in popularity. We present here a case of cellular solitary fibrous tumor in a 22-year-old man. Neuroimaging revealed a right cerebellopontine angle tumor. Most of the tumor was cellular although some less cellular areas were seen. Sinusoidally dilated large vessels, including staghorn type, were seen. Nuclear pleomorphism and increased mitotic activity (5 mitosis/10 high power field) were regarded as evidence of anaplasia. Diffuse CD34 immunoreactivity and focal positivity for Factor XIIIa were seen in the tumor, which was negative for EMA and S100. The tumor also displayed rich reticulin network. Solitary fibrous tumor at cerebellopontine angle is rare, and 20 such cases (five reported as hemangiopericytoma) have been reported in the English literature. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  15. Terrestrial and Marine Foraging Strategies of an Opportunistic Seabird Species Breeding in the Wadden Sea.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan Garthe

    Full Text Available Lesser black-backed gulls Larus fuscus are considered to be mainly pelagic. We assessed the importance of different landscape elements (open sea, tidal flats and inland by comparing marine and terrestrial foraging behaviours in lesser black-backed gulls breeding along the coast of the southern North Sea. We attached GPS data loggers to eight incubating birds and collected information on diet and habitat use. The loggers recorded data for 10-19 days to allow flight-path reconstruction. Lesser black-backed gulls foraged in both offshore and inland areas, but rarely on tidal flats. Targets and directions were similar among all eight individuals. Foraging trips (n = 108 lasted 0.5-26.4 h (mean 8.7 h, and ranges varied from 3.0-79.9 km (mean 30.9 km. The total distance travelled per foraging trip ranged from 7.5-333.6 km (mean 97.9 km. Trips out to sea were significantly more variable in all parameters than inland trips. Presence in inland areas was closely associated with daylight, whereas trips to sea occurred at day and night, but mostly at night. The most common items in pellets were grass (48%, insects (38%, fish (28%, litter (26% and earthworms (20%. There was a significant relationship between the carbon and nitrogen isotope signals in blood and the proportional time each individual spent foraging at sea/land. On land, gulls preferentially foraged on bare ground, with significantly higher use of potato fields and significantly less use of grassland. The flight patterns of lesser black-backed gulls at sea overlapped with fishing-vessel distribution, including small beam trawlers fishing for shrimps in coastal waters close to the colony and large beam-trawlers fishing for flatfish at greater distances. Our data show that individuals made intensive use of the anthropogenic landscape and seascape, indicating that lesser black-backed gulls are not a predominantly marine species during the incubation period.

  16. Solitary lucent epiphyseal lesions in children

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gardner, D.J.; Azouz, E.M.

    1988-10-01

    We evaluated retrospectively the varying radiographic appearances of 15 solitary lucent epiphyseal lesions occurring in children. Imaging modalities used included plain films, conventional tomography, nuclear scintigraphy, and computed tomography. 40% of the lesions (6) were due to osteomyelitis. The remaining lesions included tuberculosis (1), foreign body granuloma (1), chondroblastoma (2), chondromyoxid fibroma (1), enchondroma (1), osteoid osteoma (2), and eosinophilic granuloma (1). Although the radiographic appearances of such lesions may be particularly characteristic, pathologic correlation is frequently necessary. The high incidence of osteomyelitis in our cases emphasizes its importance as a cause for a lucent epiphyseal lesion.

  17. Evaluation of nutritional value some forage species available in Iran ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Novin

    2012-07-17

    Jul 17, 2012 ... and chemical composition of forage species was estimated. MATERIALS AND METHODS ... head per day at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. Forage samples (2 g DM with 2 mm screen ) were weighed into nylon bags ..... methods to study the kinetics of degradation of forage species, instead of the in situ technique, ...

  18. The forager oral tradition and the evolution of prolonged juvenility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scalise Sugiyama, Michelle

    2011-01-01

    The foraging niche is characterized by the exploitation of nutrient-rich resources using complex extraction techniques that take a long time to acquire. This costly period of development is supported by intensive parental investment. Although human life history theory tends to characterize this investment in terms of food and care, ethnographic research on foraging skill transmission suggests that the flow of resources from old-to-young also includes knowledge. Given the adaptive value of information, parents may have been under selection pressure to invest knowledge - e.g., warnings, advice - in children: proactive provisioning of reliable information would have increased offspring survival rates and, hence, parental fitness. One way that foragers acquire subsistence knowledge is through symbolic communication, including narrative. Tellingly, oral traditions are characterized by an old-to-young transmission pattern, which suggests that, in forager groups, storytelling might be an important means by which adults transfer knowledge to juveniles. In particular, by providing juveniles with vicarious experience, storytelling may expand episodic memory, which is believed to be integral to the generation of possible future scenarios (i.e., planning). In support of this hypothesis, this essay reviews evidence that: mastery of foraging knowledge and skill sets takes a long time to acquire; foraging knowledge is transmitted from parent to child; the human mind contains adaptations specific to social learning; full assembly of learning mechanisms is not complete in early childhood; and forager oral traditions contain a wide range of information integral to occupation of the foraging niche. It concludes with suggestions for tests of the proposed hypothesis.

  19. The forager oral tradition and the evolution of prolonged juvenility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle Scalise Sugiyama

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available The foraging niche is characterized by the exploitation of nutrient-rich resources using complex extraction techniques that take a long time to acquire. This costly period of development is supported by intensive parental investment. Although human life history theory tends to characterize this investment in terms of food and care, ethnographic research on foraging skill transmission suggests that the flow of resources from old to young also includes knowledge. Given the adaptive value of information, parents may have been under selection pressure to invest knowledge—e.g., warnings, advice--in children: proactive provisioning of reliable information would have increased offspring survival rates and, hence, parental fitness. One way that foragers acquire subsistence knowledge is through symbolic communication, including narrative. Tellingly, oral traditions are characterized by an old-to-young transmission pattern, which suggests that, in forager groups, storytelling might be an important means by which adults transfer knowledge to juveniles. In particular, by providing juveniles with vicarious experience, storytelling may expand episodic memory, which is believed to be integral to the generation of possible future scenarios (i.e., planning. In support of this hypothesis, this essay reviews evidence that: mastery of foraging knowledge and skill sets takes a long time to acquire; foraging knowledge is transmitted from parent to child; the human mind contains adaptations specific to social learning; full assembly of learning mechanisms is not complete in early childhood; and forager oral traditions contain a wide range of information integral to occupation of the foraging niche. It concludes with suggestions for tests of the proposed hypothesis.

  20. Flow and sediment transport induced by a plunging solitary wave

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sumer, B. Mutlu; Sen, M.Berke; Karagali, Ioanna

    2011-01-01

    Two parallel experiments involving the evolution and runup of plunging solitary waves on a sloping bed were conducted: (1) a rigid-bed experiment, allowing direct (hot film) measurements of bed shear stresses, and (2) a sediment-bed experiment, allowing for the measurement of pore-water pressures...

  1. Radiotherapy of the solitary and multiple eosinophilic granuloma of the bone (stage I)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiegel, T.; Sommer, K.; Baumann, M.; Kruell, A.; Huebener, K.H.; Knop, J.; Reuter, M.

    1991-01-01

    Between 1957 and 1990 15 patients with solitary (stage Ia by Greenberger) and 2 patients with mulitple (stage Ib) eosinophilic granuloma of the bone were treated by radiotherapy in 18 locations after previous surgery. The doses applied varied from 6 Gy to 42 Gy (median for patients under 18 years: 8 Gy, for patients over 18 years: 30 Gy). Median follow-up was 9 years (range, 0,3-33 years). Local control rate and survival were 100%. Three patients with granuloma developed a second granuloma within 13 years after primary diagnosis (two bone manifestations, one cutaneous manifestation). Long term follow-up of patients with solitary eosinophilic granuloma is neccessary. (orig.) [de

  2. Bladder Metastasis of non-Small Cell Lung Cancer : an Unusual Cause of Hematuria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Karatas, O. Faruk; Bayrak, Reyhan; Yildirim, M. Erol; Bayrak, Omer; Cimentepe, Ersin; Unal, Dogan

    2009-01-01

    Approximately 2% of bladder malignancies are metastatic. The lung cancer makes metastasis sporadically to the bladder. A-69-year-old female patient presented with a history of pain in kidneys, vomiting and hematuria. Cystoscopic examination of the patient revealed small bladder capacity and solitary

  3. Effects of ionization and ion loss on dust ion-acoustic solitary waves in a collisional dusty plasma with suprathermal electrons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mayout, Saliha; Gougam, Leila Ait [Faculty of Physics, Theoretical Physics Laboratory, Plasma Physics Group, University of Bab-Ezzouar, USTHB, B.P. 32, El Alia, Algiers 16111 (Algeria); Tribeche, Mouloud, E-mail: mouloudtribeche@yahoo.fr, E-mail: mtribeche@usthb.dz [Faculty of Physics, Theoretical Physics Laboratory, Plasma Physics Group, University of Bab-Ezzouar, USTHB, B.P. 32, El Alia, Algiers 16111 (Algeria); Algerian Academy of Sciences and Technologies, Algiers (Algeria)

    2016-03-15

    The combined effects of ionization, ion loss, and electron suprathermality on dust ion-acoustic solitary waves in a collisional dusty plasma are examined. Carrying out a small but finite amplitude analysis, a damped Korteweg-de Vries (dK–dV) equation is derived. The damping term decreases with the increase of the spectral index and saturates for Maxwellian electrons. Choosing typical plasma parameters, the analytical approximate solution of the dK-dV equation is numerically analyzed. We first neglect the ionization and ion loss effects and account only for collisions to estimate the relative importance between these damping terms which can act concurrently. Interestingly, we found that as the suprathermal character of the electrons becomes important, the strength of the collisions related dissipation becomes more important and causes the dust ion-acoustic solitary wave amplitude to decay more rapidly. Moreover, the collisional damping may largely prevail over the ionization and ion loss related damping. The latter becomes more effective as the electrons evolve far away from their thermal equilibrium. Our results complement and provide new insights into previously published work on this problem.

  4. Effects of ionization and ion loss on dust ion-acoustic solitary waves in a collisional dusty plasma with suprathermal electrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mayout, Saliha; Gougam, Leila Ait; Tribeche, Mouloud

    2016-01-01

    The combined effects of ionization, ion loss, and electron suprathermality on dust ion-acoustic solitary waves in a collisional dusty plasma are examined. Carrying out a small but finite amplitude analysis, a damped Korteweg-de Vries (dK–dV) equation is derived. The damping term decreases with the increase of the spectral index and saturates for Maxwellian electrons. Choosing typical plasma parameters, the analytical approximate solution of the dK-dV equation is numerically analyzed. We first neglect the ionization and ion loss effects and account only for collisions to estimate the relative importance between these damping terms which can act concurrently. Interestingly, we found that as the suprathermal character of the electrons becomes important, the strength of the collisions related dissipation becomes more important and causes the dust ion-acoustic solitary wave amplitude to decay more rapidly. Moreover, the collisional damping may largely prevail over the ionization and ion loss related damping. The latter becomes more effective as the electrons evolve far away from their thermal equilibrium. Our results complement and provide new insights into previously published work on this problem.

  5. Low dose iodine-131 therapy in solitary toxic thyroid nodules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prakash, Rajeev

    1999-01-01

    Forty patients with solitary hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules were treated with relatively low dose radioiodine therapy, 131 I doses were calculated taking into account thyroid mass and radioiodine kinetics to deliver 100 μCi/g of estimated nodule weight corrected for uptake. Patients remaining persistently hyperthyroid at four months after the initial therapy were retreated with a similarly calculated dose. Cure of the hyperthyroid state was achieved in all patients, total administered dose in individual cases ranging from 3-17 mCi. 28 of the 40 patients required a single therapy dose. 36 patients were euthyroid after a 4.5 year mean follow-up period. Four cases developed post therapy hypothyroidism requiring replacement therapy. Nodules regressed completely in nine cases following 131 I treatment, with partial regression in size in 19 patients. Control of hyperthyroid state in cases of solitary toxic thyroid nodules can be satisfactorily achieved using relatively low dose radioiodine therapy with low incidence of post therapy hypothyroidism. (author)

  6. Radiologic features of the solitary rectal ulcer syndrome

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Castagnone, D.; Ranzi, T.; Velio, P.; Polli, E.E.; Bianchi, P.

    1984-05-01

    A radiologic study of 4 biopsy-proven cases of the solitary rectal ulcer (S.R.U.) syndrome was undertaken. The radiologic findings of S.R.U. were rectal stenosis (one with ulcer), polypoid rectal mass, and multiple sub-mucosal defects with shallow ulcers. The S.R.U., which is benign and requires only dietetic treatment, must be differentiated from other more serious entities such as neoplastic and inflammatory bowel disease.

  7. Envelope compact and solitary pattern structures for the GNLS(m,n,p,q) equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan Zhenya

    2006-01-01

    In this Letter, to further understand the role of nonlinear dispersion in the generalized nonlinear Schrodinger equation, we introduce and study the generalized nonlinear Schrodinger equation with nonlinear dispersion (called GNLS(m,n,p,q) equation): iu t +a(u vertical bar u vertical bar n-1 ) xx +bu vertical bar u vertical bar m-1 +ic(u vertical bar u vertical bar p-1 ) xxx +id(u vertical bar u vertical bar q-1 ) x =0. Some new envelope compacton solutions and solitary pattern solutions of GNLS(m,n,p,q) equation are obtained via the gauge transformation and some direct ansatze. In particular, it is shown that GNLS(m,n,p,q) equation with linear dispersion gives rise to envelope compactons and solitary patterns, which implies that nonlinear dispersion is not necessary condition for GNLS(m,n,p,q) equation to admit envelope compactons and solitary patterns. Moreover, some unusually local conservation laws are presented for GNLS + (n,n,n,n) equation and GNLS - (n,n,n,n) equation, respectively

  8. Effects of Fungicide and Adjuvant Sprays on Nesting Behavior in Two Managed Solitary Bees, Osmia lignaria and Megachile rotundata.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Derek R Artz

    Full Text Available There is a growing body of empirical evidence showing that wild and managed bees are negatively impacted by various pesticides that are applied in agroecosystems around the world. The lethal and sublethal effects of two widely used fungicides and one adjuvant were assessed in cage studies in California on blue orchard bees, Osmia lignaria, and in cage studies in Utah on alfalfa leafcutting bees, Megachile rotundata. The fungicides tested were Rovral 4F (iprodione and Pristine (mixture of pyraclostrobin + boscalid, and the adjuvant tested was N-90, a non-ionic wetting agent (90% polyethoxylated nonylphenol added to certain tank mixtures of fungicides to improve the distribution and contact of sprays to plants. In separate trials, we erected screened cages and released 20 paint-marked females plus 30-50 males per cage to document the behavior of nesting bees under treated and control conditions. For all females in each cage, we recorded pollen-collecting trip times, nest substrate-collecting trip times (i.e., mud for O. lignaria and cut leaf pieces for M. rotundata, cell production rate, and the number of attempts each female made to enter her own or to enter other nest entrances upon returning from a foraging trip. No lethal effects of treatments were observed on adults, nor were there effects on time spent foraging for pollen and nest substrates and on cell production rate. However, Rovral 4F, Pristine, and N-90 disrupted the nest recognition abilities of O. lignaria females. Pristine, N-90, and Pristine + N-90 disrupted nest recognition ability of M. rotundata females. Electroantennogram responses of antennae of O. lignaria females maintained in the laboratory did not differ significantly between the fungicide-exposed and control bees. Our results provide the first empirical evidence that two commonly used fungicides and a non-ionic adjuvant can disrupt nest recognition in two managed solitary bee species.

  9. Migrations of green turtles (Chelonia mydas between nesting and foraging grounds across the Coral Sea.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tyffen C Read

    Full Text Available Marine megafauna tend to migrate vast distances, often crossing national borders and pose a significant challenge to managers. This challenge is particularly acute in the Pacific, which contains numerous small island nations and thousands of kilometers of continental margins. The green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, is one such megafauna that is endangered in Pacific waters due to the overexploitation of eggs and adults for human consumption. Data from long-term tagging programs in Queensland (Australia and New Caledonia were analysed to investigate the migrations by C. mydas across the Coral Sea between their nesting site and their feeding grounds. A review of data collected over the last 50 years by different projects identified multiple migrations of C. mydas to and from New Caledonia (n = 97 and indicate that turtles foraging in New Caledonia nest in the Great Barrier Reef (Australia and vice versa. Several explanations exist for turtles exhibiting this energetically costly movement pattern from breeding to distant foraging grounds (1200-2680 km away despite viable foraging habitat being available in the local vicinity. These include hatchling drift, oceanic movements and food abundance predictability. Most of the tag recoveries in New Caledonia belonged to females from the south Great Barrier Reef genetic stock. Some females (n = 2 even showed fidelity to foraging sites located 1200 km away from the nesting site located in New Caledonia. This study also reveals previously unknown migrations pathways of turtles within the Coral Sea.

  10. The phylogenetic position of the solitary zoanthid genus Sphenopus (Cnidaria: Hexacorallia)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reimer, J.D.; Lin, M.; Fujii, T.

    2012-01-01

    The zoanthid genus Sphenopus (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Zoantharia), like many other brachycnemic zoanthids, is found in shallow subtropical and tropical waters, but is uniquely unitary (solitary, monostomatous), azooxanthellate, and free-living. With sparse knowledge of its phylogenetic position, this

  11. Solitary haemangioma of the shaft of long bones: resection and reconstruction with autologous bone graft.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhaoxu; Tang, Jicun; Ye, Zhaoming

    2013-04-01

    Bone haemangiomas are uncommon lesions, occurring in the skull or spine. A solitary haemangioma in the diaphysis of a long bone is rare. We retrospectively investigated six patients who presented with a solitary haemangioma in a long bone diaphysis. After segmental bone resection, the bone defect was replaced by a bone autograft. Patients were reviewed clinically and with radiographs. The mean follow-up was 6 years (range : 1-20 years). At the time of latest follow-up, no patient had a recurrence. Postoperative complications were one wound necrosis and one superficial wound infection. Union of the gap filling graft with the host bone was achieved in all patients at an average of 4 months (range: 3-8 months). The average Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional score was 77% (range: 53%-90%) of normal at 6 months postoperatively, and 97% (range: 95%-99%) at the last follow-up evaluation. Segmental resection for solitary haemangioma and reconstruction with autologous bone graft can be considered as a suitable treatment option.

  12. Scavenger: Transparent Development of Efficient Cyber Foraging Applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Mads Darø

    2010-01-01

    delivering efficient, mobile use of remote computing resources through the use of a custom built mobile code execution environment and a new dual-profiling scheduler. One of the main difficulties within cyber foraging is that it is very challenging for application programmers to develop cyber foraging...

  13. Evidence of Levy walk foraging patterns in human hunter-gatherers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raichlen, David A; Wood, Brian M; Gordon, Adam D; Mabulla, Audax Z P; Marlowe, Frank W; Pontzer, Herman

    2014-01-14

    When searching for food, many organisms adopt a superdiffusive, scale-free movement pattern called a Lévy walk, which is considered optimal when foraging for heterogeneously located resources with little prior knowledge of distribution patterns [Viswanathan GM, da Luz MGE, Raposo EP, Stanley HE (2011) The Physics of Foraging: An Introduction to Random Searches and Biological Encounters]. Although memory of food locations and higher cognition may limit the benefits of random walk strategies, no studies to date have fully explored search patterns in human foraging. Here, we show that human hunter-gatherers, the Hadza of northern Tanzania, perform Lévy walks in nearly one-half of all foraging bouts. Lévy walks occur when searching for a wide variety of foods from animal prey to underground tubers, suggesting that, even in the most cognitively complex forager on Earth, such patterns are essential to understanding elementary foraging mechanisms. This movement pattern may be fundamental to how humans experience and interact with the world across a wide range of ecological contexts, and it may be adaptive to food distribution patterns on the landscape, which previous studies suggested for organisms with more limited cognition. Additionally, Lévy walks may have become common early in our genus when hunting and gathering arose as a major foraging strategy, playing an important role in the evolution of human mobility.

  14. Variation in predator foraging behavior changes predator-prey spatio-temporal dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    1. Foraging underlies the ability of all animals to acquire essential resources and, thus, provides a critical link to understanding population dynamics. A key issue is how variation in foraging behavior affects foraging efficiency and predator-prey interactions in spatially-heterogeneous environmen...

  15. Electron trapping in the electrosound solitary wave for propagation of high intensity laser in a relativistic plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heidari, E; Aslaninejad, M; Eshraghi, H

    2010-01-01

    Using a set of relativistic equations for plasmas with warm electrons and cold ions, we have investigated the effects of trapped electrons in the propagation of an electrosound wave and discussed the possibility of the formation of electromagnetic solitons in a plasma. The effective potential energy and deviations of the electron and ion number densities in this relativistic model have been found. We have obtained the governing equations for the amplitude of the HF field with relativistic corrections. In order to show the destructive impact of the trapped electrons on the solitary wave, a relativistic effective potential and the governing equation have been found. It is shown that for certain values of the parameters the condition of localization of the HF amplitude is violated. In addition, it is shown that as the flow velocity of the plasma changes, the shape of the solitary wave shows two opposing behaviours, depending on whether the solitary wave velocity is larger than the flow velocity or smaller. Also, the existence of stationary solitary waves which are prohibited for nonrelativistic plasma has been predicted. Finally, we have obtained the Korteweg-de Vries equation showing the relativistic, trapping and nonlinearity effects.

  16. Nutritional Characteristics of Forage Grown in South of Benin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadia Musco

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to provide recommendations on the most useful forage species to smallholder farmers, eleven grass and eleven legume forages grown in Abomey-Calavi in Republic of Benin were investigated for nutritive value (i.e. chemical composition and energy content and fermentation characteristics (i.e. gas and volatile fatty acid production, organic matter degradability. The in vitro gas production technique was used, incubating the forages for 120 h under anaerobic condition with buffalo rumen fluid. Compared to legume, tropical grass forages showed lower energy (8.07 vs 10.57 MJ/kg dry matter [DM] and crude protein level (16.10% vs 19.91% DM and higher cell wall content (neutral detergent fiber: 63.8% vs 40.45% DM, respectively. In grass forages, the chemical composition showed a quite high crude protein content; the in vitro degradability was slightly lower than the range of tropical pasture. The woody legumes were richer in protein and energy and lower in structural carbohydrates than herbaceous plants, however, their in vitro results are influenced by the presence of complex compounds (i.e. tannins. Significant correlations were found between chemical composition and in vitro fermentation characteristics. The in vitro gas production method appears to be a suitable technique for the evaluation of the nutritive value of forages in developing countries.

  17. Solitary wave and periodic wave solutions for the thermally forced gravity waves in atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Ziliang

    2008-01-01

    By introducing a new transformation, a new direct and unified algebraic method for constructing multiple travelling wave solutions of general nonlinear evolution equations is presented and implemented in a computer algebraic system, which extends Fan's direct algebraic method to the case when r > 4. The solutions of a first-order nonlinear ordinary differential equation with a higher degree nonlinear term and Fan's direct algebraic method of obtaining exact solutions to nonlinear partial differential equations are applied to the combined KdV-mKdV-GKdV equation, which is derived from a simple incompressible non-hydrostatic Boussinesq equation with the influence of thermal forcing and is applied to investigate internal gravity waves in the atmosphere. As a result, by taking advantage of the new first-order nonlinear ordinary differential equation with a fifth-degree nonlinear term and an eighth-degree nonlinear term, periodic wave solutions associated with the Jacobin elliptic function and the bell and kink profile solitary wave solutions are obtained under the effect of thermal forcing. Most importantly, the mechanism of propagation and generation of the periodic waves and the solitary waves is analysed in detail according to the values of the heating parameter, which show that the effect of heating in atmosphere helps to excite westerly or easterly propagating periodic internal gravity waves and internal solitary waves in atmosphere, which are affected by the local excitation structures in atmosphere. In addition, as an illustrative sample, the properties of the solitary wave solution and Jacobin periodic solution are shown by some figures under the consideration of heating interaction

  18. Microarray-based transcriptomic analysis of differences between long-term gregarious and solitarious desert locusts.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liesbeth Badisco

    Full Text Available Desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria show an extreme form of phenotypic plasticity and can transform between a cryptic solitarious phase and a swarming gregarious phase. The two phases differ extensively in behavior, morphology and physiology but very little is known about the molecular basis of these differences. We used our recently generated Expressed Sequence Tag (EST database derived from S. gregaria central nervous system (CNS to design oligonucleotide microarrays and compare the expression of thousands of genes in the CNS of long-term gregarious and solitarious adult desert locusts. This identified 214 differentially expressed genes, of which 40% have been annotated to date. These include genes encoding proteins that are associated with CNS development and modeling, sensory perception, stress response and resistance, and fundamental cellular processes. Our microarray analysis has identified genes whose altered expression may enable locusts of either phase to deal with the different challenges they face. Genes for heat shock proteins and proteins which confer protection from infection were upregulated in gregarious locusts, which may allow them to respond to acute physiological challenges. By contrast the longer-lived solitarious locusts appear to be more strongly protected from the slowly accumulating effects of ageing by an upregulation of genes related to anti-oxidant systems, detoxification and anabolic renewal. Gregarious locusts also had a greater abundance of transcripts for proteins involved in sensory processing and in nervous system development and plasticity. Gregarious locusts live in a more complex sensory environment than solitarious locusts and may require a greater turnover of proteins involved in sensory transduction, and possibly greater neuronal plasticity.

  19. Solitary pulmonary nodule and {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT. Part 1: epidemiology, morphological evaluation and cancer probability

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mosmann, Marcos Pretto; Borba, Marcelle Alves; Macedo, Francisco Pires Negromonte; Liguori, Adriano de Araujo Lima; Villarim Neto, Arthur, E-mail: mosmann@gmail.com [Liga Norte Riograndense Contra o Cancer, Natal, RN (Brazil); Lima, Kenio Costa de [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN (Brazil). Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Coletiva

    2016-01-15

    Solitary pulmonary nodule corresponds to a common radiographic finding, which is frequently detected incidentally. The investigation of this entity remains complex, since characteristics of benign and malignant processes overlap in the differential diagnosis. Currently, many strategies are available to evaluate solitary pulmonary nodules with the main objective of characterizing benign lesions as best as possible, while avoiding to expose patients to the risks inherent to invasive methods, besides correctly detecting cases of lung cancer so as the potential curative treatment is not delayed. This first part of the study focuses on the epidemiology, the morphological evaluation and the methods to determine the likelihood of cancer in cases of indeterminate solitary pulmonary nodule. (author)

  20. Foraging areas, offshore habitat use, and colony overlap by incubating Leach's storm-petrels Oceanodroma leucorhoa in the Northwest Atlantic.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    April Hedd

    Full Text Available Despite their importance in marine food webs, much has yet to be learned about the spatial ecology of small seabirds. This includes the Leach's storm-petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa, a species that is declining throughout its Northwest Atlantic breeding range. In 2013 and 2014, we used global location sensors to track foraging movements of incubating storm-petrels from 7 eastern Canadian breeding colonies. We determined and compared the foraging trip and at-sea habitat characteristics, analysed spatial overlap among colonies, and determined whether colony foraging ranges intersected with offshore oil and gas operations. Individuals tracked during the incubation period made 4.0 ± 1.4 day foraging trips, travelling to highly pelagic waters over and beyond continental slopes which ranged, on average, 400 to 830 km from colonies. Cumulative travel distances ranged from ~900 to 2,100 km among colonies. While colony size did not influence foraging trip characteristics or the size of areas used at sea, foraging distances tended to be shorter for individuals breeding at the southern end of the range. Core areas did not overlap considerably among colonies, and individuals from all sites except Kent Island in the Bay of Fundy foraged over waters with median depths > 1,950 m and average chlorophyll a concentrations ≤ 0.6 mg/m3. Sea surface temperatures within colony core areas varied considerably (11-23°C, coincident with the birds' use of cold waters of the Labrador Current or warmer waters of the Gulf Stream Current. Offshore oil and gas operations intersected with the foraging ranges of 5 of 7 colonies. Three of these, including Baccalieu Island, Newfoundland, which supports the species' largest population, have experienced substantial declines in the last few decades. Future work should prioritize modelling efforts to incorporate information on relative predation risk at colonies, spatially explicit risks at-sea on the breeding and wintering grounds

  1. Forage herbs improve mineral composition of grassland herbage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pirhofer-Walzl, Karin; Søegaard, Karen; Jensen, Henning Høgh

    2011-01-01

    there is limited information about mineral concentrations in forage herbs. To determine whether herbs have greater macro- and micromineral concentrations than forage legumes and grasses, we conducted a 2-year experiment on a loamy-sand site in Denmark sown with a multi-species mixture comprised of three functional...

  2. The Mouse Solitary Odorant Receptor Gene Promoters as Models for the Study of Odorant Receptor Gene Choice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Degl'Innocenti

    Full Text Available In vertebrates, several anatomical regions located within the nasal cavity mediate olfaction. Among these, the main olfactory epithelium detects most conventional odorants. Olfactory sensory neurons, provided with cilia exposed to the air, detect volatile chemicals via an extremely large family of seven-transmembrane chemoreceptors named odorant receptors. Their genes are expressed in a monogenic and monoallelic fashion: a single allele of a single odorant receptor gene is transcribed in a given mature neuron, through a still uncharacterized molecular mechanism known as odorant receptor gene choice.Odorant receptor genes are typically arranged in genomic clusters, but a few are isolated (we call them solitary from the others within a region broader than 1 Mb upstream and downstream with respect to their transcript's coordinates. The study of clustered genes is problematic, because of redundancy and ambiguities in their regulatory elements: we propose to use the solitary genes as simplified models to understand odorant receptor gene choice.Here we define number and identity of the solitary genes in the mouse genome (C57BL/6J, and assess the conservation of the solitary status in some mammalian orthologs. Furthermore, we locate their putative promoters, predict their homeodomain binding sites (commonly present in the promoters of odorant receptor genes and compare candidate promoter sequences with those of wild-caught mice. We also provide expression data from histological sections.In the mouse genome there are eight intact solitary genes: Olfr19 (M12, Olfr49, Olfr266, Olfr267, Olfr370, Olfr371, Olfr466, Olfr1402; five are conserved as solitary in rat. These genes are all expressed in the main olfactory epithelium of three-day-old mice. The C57BL/6J candidate promoter of Olfr370 has considerably varied compared to its wild-type counterpart. Within the putative promoter for Olfr266 a homeodomain binding site is predicted. As a whole, our findings

  3. Malignant Solitary Fibrous Tumor Metastatic to Widely Invasive Hurthle Cell Thyroid Carcinoma: A Distinct Tumor-to-Tumor Metastasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolson Kokohaare, Eva; Riva, Francesco M G; Bernstein, Jonathan M; Miah, Aisha B; Thway, Khin

    2018-04-01

    We illustrate a case of synchronous malignant solitary fibrous tumor of the thoracic cavity, and widely invasive thyroid Hurthle cell carcinoma. The Hurthle cell carcinoma was found to harbor distinct areas of malignant solitary fibrous tumor. This is a unique case of tumor-to-tumor metastasis that, to the best of our knowledge, has not been previously reported.

  4. Does foraging behaviour affect female mate preferences and pair formation in captive zebra finches?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neeltje J Boogert

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Successful foraging is essential for survival and reproductive success. In many bird species, foraging is a learned behaviour. To cope with environmental change and survive periods in which regular foods are scarce, the ability to solve novel foraging problems by learning new foraging techniques can be crucial. Although females have been shown to prefer more efficient foragers, the effect of males' foraging techniques on female mate choice has never been studied. We tested whether females would prefer males showing the same learned foraging technique as they had been exposed to as juveniles, or whether females would prefer males that showed a complementary foraging technique. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We first trained juvenile male and female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata to obtain a significant proportion of their food by one of two foraging techniques. We then tested whether females showed a preference for males with the same or the alternative technique. We found that neither a male's foraging technique nor his foraging performance affected the time females spent in his proximity in the mate-choice apparatus. We then released flocks of these finches into an aviary to investigate whether assortative pairing would be facilitated by birds taught the same technique exploiting the same habitat. Zebra finches trained as juveniles in a specific foraging technique maintained their foraging specialisation in the aviary as adults. However, pair formation and nest location were random with regard to foraging technique. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings show that zebra finches can be successfully trained to be foraging specialists. However, the robust negative results of the conditions tested here suggest that learned foraging specializations do not affect mate choice or pair formation in our experimental context.

  5. Personality, negative affect coping, and drinking alone: a structural equation modeling approach to examine correlates of adolescent solitary drinking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Creswell, Kasey G; Chung, Tammy; Wright, Aidan G C; Clark, Duncan B; Black, Jessica J; Martin, Christopher S

    2015-05-01

    This study examined the personality traits of negative emotionality and constraint and the ability to resist drinking during negative affective states as correlates of solitary drinking in adolescence. We hypothesized that higher levels of negative emotionality and lower levels of constraint would predict solitary drinking and that these relationships would be mediated by the ability to resist drinking in response to negative emotions. Structural equation modeling was used to fit a path model from the personality traits of negative emotionality and constraint to solitary drinking status through intermediate effects on the ability to resist drinking during negative emotions using cross-sectional data. Clinical and community settings in Pennsylvania, USA. The sample included 761 adolescent drinkers (mean age = 17.1). Adolescents completed the Lifetime Drinking History, the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire, the Constructive Thinking Inventory and the Situational Confidence Questionnaire. The path model provided a good fit to the data. The association between trait negative emotionality and solitary drinking was fully mediated by adolescents' ability to resist drinking during negative affective states (b = 0.05, P = 0.01). In contrast, constraint had a direct effect on solitary drinking (odds ratio (OR) = 0.79, b = -0.23, P<0.01), as well as an indirect effect through the ability to resist drinking during negative affective states (b = -0.03, P = 0.02). The ability to resist drinking while experiencing negative feelings or emotions may be an important underlying mechanism linking trait negative emotionality (a tendency toward depression, anxiety and poor reaction to stress) and constraint (lack of impulsiveness) to adolescent solitary drinking. © 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.

  6. PRODUCTIVE IMPACT OF THE GREEN FORAGE SUPPLY USAGE AT THE DAIRY FARMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LAVINIA MOISE

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the importance of the crop structure as a tool to maximize efficiency in the conceiving of the green forage supply scheme in a dairy farm. Several apects are necessary to consider for proper green forage utilization by the cattle, as follows: climatic conditions, proper field operations for each crop, optimal harvest date, and farm technical and economical resources. With a high degree of succulence, green forage and derived products (silage, haylage, present addvantages as compared to hay, having superior indices of nutritive value and palatability. A green forage supply scheme was applied on an area of 188 ha taking into account dairy cattle biological traits. Crop structure was as follows: forage maize, Sudan grass, Italian ryegrass, new lucern and old lucerne, and orchardgrass. Insuring the required superior green forage for the dairy cattle according to forage rations, represents one of the main techniques to maximize milk production and to minimize milk production cost.

  7. Surgical resection of late solitary locoregional gastric cancer recurrence in stomach bed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Masanori; Suzuki, Hideyuki; Maejima, Kentaro; Komine, Osamu; Mizutani, Satoshi; Yoshino, Masanori; Bo, Hideki; Kitayama, Yasuhiko; Uchida, Eiji

    2012-07-01

    Late-onset and solitary recurrence of gastric signet ring cell (SRC) carcinoma is rare. We report a successful surgical resection of late solitary locoregional recurrence after curative gastrectomy for gastric SRC carcinoma. The patient underwent total gastrectomy for advanced gastric carcinoma at age 52. Seven years after the primary operation, he visited us again with sudden onset of abdominal pain and vomiting. We finally decided to perform an operation, based on a diagnosis of colon obstruction due to the recurrence of gastric cancer by clinical findings and instrumental examinations. The laparotomic intra-abdominal findings showed that the recurrent tumor existed in the region surrounded by the left diaphragm, colon of splenic flexure, and pancreas tail. There was no evidence of peritoneal dissemination, and peritoneal lavage fluid cytology was negative. We performed complete resection of the recurrent tumor with partial colectomy, distal pancreatectomy, and partial diaphragmectomy. Histological examination of the resected specimen revealed SRC carcinoma, identical in appearance to the previously resected gastric cancer. We confirmed that the intra-abdominal tumor was a locoregional gastric cancer recurrence in the stomach bed. The patient showed a long-term survival of 27 months after the second operation. In the absence of effective alternative treatment for recurrent gastric carcinoma, surgical options should be pursued, especially for late and solitary recurrence.

  8. Planar and nonplanar electron-acoustic solitary waves in a plasma with a q-nonextensive electron velocity distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Jiu-Ning; Luo, Jun-Hua; Sun, Gui-Hua; Liu, Zhen-Lai; Ge, Su-Hong; Wang, Xin-Xing; Li, Jun-Xiu

    2014-01-01

    The nonlinear dynamics of nonplanar (cylindrical and spherical) electron-acoustic solitary wave structures in an unmagnetized, collisionless plasma composed of stationary ions, cold fluid electrons and hot q-nonextensive distributed electrons are theoretically studied. We discuss the effects of the nonplanar geometry, nonextensivity of hot electrons and ‘hot’ to ‘cold’ electron number density ratio on the time evolution characters of cylindrical and spherical solitary waves. Moreover, the effects of plasma parameters on the nonlinear structure induced by the interaction between two planar solitary waves are also investigated. It is found that these plasma parameters have significant influences on the properties of the above-mentioned nonlinear structures. Our theoretical study may be useful to understand the nonlinear features of electron-acoustic wave structures in astrophysical plasma systems. (paper)

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2013-01-01

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

  10. Single-peak solitary wave solutions for the variant Boussinesq ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    ear dispersive waves in shallow water. This equation has attracted a lot of attention ... which is a model for water waves (a = 0), where u(x, t) is the velocity, H(x, t) is the total depth and the subscripts denote partial ... cusped solitary wave solutions of the osmosis K(2, 2) equation. Zhang and Chen [6] obtained new types of ...

  11. Individual foraging strategies reveal niche overlap between endangered galapagos pinnipeds.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stella Villegas-Amtmann

    Full Text Available Most competition studies between species are conducted from a population-level approach. Few studies have examined inter-specific competition in conjunction with intra-specific competition, with an individual-based approach. To our knowledge, none has been conducted on marine top predators. Sympatric Galapagos fur seals (Arctocephalus galapagoensis and sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki share similar geographic habitats and potentially compete. We studied their foraging niche overlap at Cabo Douglas, Fernandina Island from simultaneously collected dive and movement data to examine spatial and temporal inter- and intra-specific competition. Sea lions exhibited 3 foraging strategies (shallow, intermediate and deep indicating intra-specific competition. Fur seals exhibited one foraging strategy, diving predominantly at night, between 0-80 m depth and mostly at 19-22 h. Most sea lion dives also occurred at night (63%, between 0-40 m, within fur seals' diving depth range. 34% of sea lions night dives occurred at 19-22 h, when fur seals dived the most, but most of them occurred at dawn and dusk, when fur seals exhibited the least amount of dives. Fur seals and sea lions foraging behavior overlapped at 19 and 21 h between 0-30 m depths. Sea lions from the deep diving strategy exhibited the greatest foraging overlap with fur seals, in time (19 h, depth during overlapping time (21-24 m, and foraging range (37.7%. Fur seals foraging range was larger. Cabo Douglas northwest coastal area, region of highest diving density, is a foraging "hot spot" for both species. Fur seals and sea lions foraging niche overlap occurred, but segregation also occurred; fur seals primarily dived at night, while sea lions exhibited night and day diving. Both species exploited depths and areas exclusive to their species. Niche breadth generally increases with environmental uncertainty and decreased productivity. Potential competition between these species could be greater during

  12. Behavioural environments and niche construction: the evolution of dim-light foraging in bees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wcislo, William T; Tierney, Simon M

    2009-02-01

    Most bees forage for floral resources during the day, but temporal patterns of foraging activity vary extensively, and foraging in dim-light environments has evolved repeatedly. Facultative dim-light foraging behaviour is known in five of nine families of bees, while obligate behaviour is known in four families and evolved independently at least 19 times. The light intensity under which bees forage varies by a factor of 10(8), and therefore the evolution of dim-light foraging represents the invasion of a new, extreme niche. The repeated evolution of dim-light foraging behaviour in bees allows tests of the hypothesis that behaviour acts as an evolutionary pacemaker. With the exception of one species of Apis, facultative dim-light foragers show no external structural traits that are thought to enable visually mediated flight behaviour in low-light environments. By contrast, most obligate dim-light foragers show a suite of convergent optical traits such as enlarged ocelli and compound eyes. In one intensively studied species (Megalopta genalis) these optical changes are associated with neurobiological changes to enhance photon capture. The available ecological evidence suggests that an escape from competition for pollen and nectar resources and avoidance of natural enemies are driving factors in the evolution of obligate dim-light foraging.

  13. Existence of solitary waves in dipolar quantum gases

    KAUST Repository

    Antonelli, Paolo; Sparber, Christof

    2011-01-01

    We study a nonlinear Schrdinger equation arising in the mean field description of dipolar quantum gases. Under the assumption of sufficiently strong dipolar interactions, the existence of standing waves, and hence solitons, is proved together with some of their properties. This gives a rigorous argument for the possible existence of solitary waves in BoseEinstein condensates, which originate solely due to the dipolar interaction between the particles. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Existence of solitary waves in dipolar quantum gases

    KAUST Repository

    Antonelli, Paolo

    2011-02-01

    We study a nonlinear Schrdinger equation arising in the mean field description of dipolar quantum gases. Under the assumption of sufficiently strong dipolar interactions, the existence of standing waves, and hence solitons, is proved together with some of their properties. This gives a rigorous argument for the possible existence of solitary waves in BoseEinstein condensates, which originate solely due to the dipolar interaction between the particles. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Dust acoustic solitary and shock waves in strongly coupled dusty ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    between nonlinear and dispersion effects can result in the formation of symmetrical solitary waves. Also shock ... et al have studied the effect of nonadiabatic dust charge variation on the nonlinear dust acoustic wave with ..... Figure 5 presents the border between oscillatory- and monotonic-type shock waves as functions of ...

  16. Canine histiocytic sarcoma presenting as a target lesion on brain magnetic resonance imaging and as a solitary pulmonary mass.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hicks, Jill; Barber, Renee; Childs, Bronwen; Kirejczyk, Shannon Gm; Uhl, Elizabeth W

    2017-04-17

    A 6-year-old spayed female miniature schnauzer presented with generalized seizures and progressive multifocal intracranial neurologic disease. Thoracic radiographs and computed tomography (CT) revealed a large solitary pulmonary mass within the right cranial lung lobe. On brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a solitary intraparenchymal mass within the left piriform lobe had a "target" appearance on both pre- and postcontrast sequences. Cerebrospinal fluid was unremarkable and histopathology indicated both masses represented histiocytic sarcoma. This case represents an uncommonly reported MRI appearance of histiocytic sarcoma in the canine brain and a large, solitary-appearing pulmonary histiocytic sarcoma in the same dog. © 2017 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

  17. Recent developments in forage evaluation with special reference to practical applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. HUHTANEN

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available The present re-evaluation of a dataset of systematically collected laboratory analyses and in vivo digestibility information for several types of silages gives convincing evidence of the biological weaknesses of feed characterisation based on the proximate feed analysis. The problems include intrinsic failures of the analysis in describing cause-response relationships between forage composition and digestibility, and heavy dependency of the equations on forage specific and environmental factors. It is concluded that proximate analysis is not suitable for characterisation of neither forages nor concentrate feedstuffs. In vitro pepsin-cellulase solubility of organic matter (OMS and concentration of indigestible neutral detergent fibre (iNDF predicted forage organic matter digestibility (OMD with an acceptable accuracy for practical feed evaluation purposes provided that forage type dependent correction equations were employed. The revised detergent system dividing forage dry matter (DM into almost completely available neutral detergent solubles (NDS, and insoluble residue (neutral detergent fibre, NDF shows potential for future development. The combined use of long-term in situ ruminal incubation and NDF fractionation can be used to divide forage DM into three biologically meaningful fractions: NDS, iNDF and potentially digestible NDF (pdNDF. The summative models can then be used to predict forage D-value, i.e. apparently digestible organic matter in forage (g kg-1 DM. The models sum digestible NDS, which can be determined by Lucas equation, and digestible NDF (dNDF, which is the amount of pdNDF that is actually digested during any specific fermentation or retention time. Forage type specific summative models were as good as regression equations based on OMS or iNDF in predicting forage D-value and general summative models gave better results than general equations based on iNDF and especially OMS. If the goal is to reduce prediction error of D

  18. The lifecycle of axisymmetric internal solitary waves

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. M. McMillan

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available The generation and evolution of solitary waves by intrusive gravity currents in an approximate two-layer fluid with equal upper- and lower-layer depths is examined in a cylindrical geometry by way of theory and numerical simulations. The study is limited to vertically symmetric cases in which the density of the intruding fluid is equal to the average density of the ambient. We show that even though the head height of the intrusion decreases, it propagates at a constant speed well beyond 3 lock radii. This is because the strong stratification at the interface supports the formation of a mode-2 solitary wave that surrounds the intrusion head and carries it outwards at a constant speed. The wave and intrusion propagate faster than a linear long wave; therefore, there is strong supporting evidence that the wave is indeed nonlinear. Rectilinear Korteweg-de Vries theory is extended to allow the wave amplitude to decay as r-p with p=½ and the theory is compared to the observed waves to demonstrate that the width of the wave scales with its amplitude. After propagating beyond 7 lock radii the intrusion runs out of fluid. Thereafter, the wave continues to spread radially at a constant speed, however, the amplitude decreases sufficiently so that linear dispersion dominates and the amplitude decays with distance as r-1.

  19. Effects of forage type, forage to concentrate ratio, and crushed linseed supplementation on milk fatty acid profile in lactating dairy cows

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sterk, A.R.; Johansson, B.E.O.; Taweel, H.Z.H.; Murphy, M.; Vuuren, van A.M.; Hendriks, W.H.; Dijkstra, J.

    2011-01-01

    The effects of an increasing proportion of crushed linseed (CL) in combination with varying forage type (grass or corn silage) and forage to concentrate ratio (F:C), and their interactions on milk fatty acid (FA) profile of high-producing dairy cows was studied using a 3-factor Box-Behnken design.

  20. Does supplemental feeding affect behaviour and foraging of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In response to the provision of high-quality pods of Acacia albida, animals reduced foraging time in 2008 and allocated it to resting. This pattern corresponds to the animals' behaviour in captivity without foraging versus vigilance trade-offs and with predictable (in time and space) access to food. In 2009, supplemental ...