Search results for " displacement"
showing 10 items of 178 documents
Niche filling slows the diversification of Himalayan songbirds.
2013
In Himalayan songbirds, the speciation rate is ultimately set by ecological competition, rather than by the rate of acquisition of reproductive isolation. The beginnings of adaptive radiation and speciation have been widely studied — in Darwin's finches, sticklebacks and cichlid fish, for example — but relatively little is known about what happens next. Specifically, what is the rate-limiting step for the establishment of new species? This seven-year study of the 358 songbird species found on the Himalayan slopes suggests that it is the rates at which new niches are created and occupied that limits diversification, not the rate at which new species form through reproductive isolation. Speci…
Resource competition between sympatric sibling rotifer species
2001
Mechanisms underlying competitive interactions are important in understanding the structure of planktonic communities, particularly the coexistence of similar species. Here we present experimental results of exploitative competition among three sympatric sibling species of the Brachionus plicatilis complex for two differently-sized species of food microalgae. These three rotifer species are to be found in seasonal succession in brackish ponds on the Spanish Mediterranean coast; they can, however, co-occur for long periods. The functional and numerical responses of the three Brachionus species to both food microalgae, although similar, differed. Neither rotifer population growth nor grazing …
Cryptic diversity, niche displacement and our poor understanding of taxonomy and ecology of aquatic microorganisms
2022
AbstractThe analysis of ecological niche is an important task to correctly identify the role exerted by species within ecosystems, to assess their vulnerability, to plan effective measures addressed at fulfilling the postulates of biological conservation, and ultimately to prevent biodiversity loss. However, for the majority of organisms our knowledge about the actual extent of their ecological niche is quite limited. This is especially true for microscopic organisms. Evidence exists that in different geographical areas allegedly conspecific populations can show different, if not antithetical, ecological requirements and not-overlapping ecological niches. This opinion paper discusses whethe…
The effect of job displacement on couples' fertility decisions
2016
This paper analyzes the effects of job displacement on fertility using Finnish longitudinal employer-employee data (FLEED) matched to birth records. We distinguish between male and female job losses. We focus on couples where one spouse has lost his/her job due to a plant closure or mass layoff and follow them for several years both before and following the job loss. As a comparison group we use similar couples that were not affected by job displacement. In order to examine the possible channels through which job loss affects fertility we examine also the effect on earnings, employment and divorce. The results show that a woman?s own job loss decreases fertility mainly for highly educated w…
Molecular origin and hydration dependence of protein anharmonicity: an elastic neutron scattering study.
2010
Two main onsets of anharmonicity are present in protein dynamics. Neutron scattering on protein hydrated powders revealed a first onset at about 150 K and a second one at about 230 K (the so called dynamical transition). In order to assess the molecular origin of protein anharmonicity, we study different homomeric polypeptides by incoherent elastic neutron scattering, thus disentangling the contribution of different molecular groups in proteins. We show that methyl group rotations are the main contributors to the low temperature onset. Concerning the dynamical transition, we show that it also occurs in absence of side chains; however, the presence and mobility of side chains substantially i…
High-Definition Imaging in Spinal Neuroendoscopy
2010
BACKGROUND Spinal endoscopy is still under controversial discussion. An often acclaimed critic is the poor endoscopic image quality in comparison with the microscope. Since high-definition digital cameras have recently been introduced into spinal neuroendoscopy, the aim of the current study is to examine whether superior image quality has a relevant impact on intraoperativen orientation. MATERIAL AND METHODS A lumbar endoscopic discectomy was recorded simultaneously in High-Definition resolution (HD) and Standard-Definition resolution (SD). 10 experienced spinal surgeons were asked to identify predefined as well as not predefined anatomic structures in HD and SD resolution. Additionally, th…
Conservative swept volume boundary approximation
2010
We present a novel technique for approximating the boundary of a swept volume. The generator given by an input triangle mesh is rendered under all rigid transformations of a discrete trajectory. We use a special shader program that creates offset geometry of each triangle on the fly, thus guaranteeing a conservative rasterization and correct depth values. Utilizing rasterization mechanisms and the depth buffer we then get a conservative voxelization of the swept volume (SV) and can extract a triangle mesh from its surface. This mesh is simplified maintaining conservativeness as well as an error bound measured in terms of the one-sided Hausdorff distance. For this we introduce a new techniqu…
Mooring Line Components With Semi-Brittle Behavior: Verification of Fitness for Purpose
2011
Low impact energy for Charpy V Notch (CVN) specimens and associated low Crack Tip Opening Displacement (CTOD) values have occurred on several occasions in high strength steel offshore mooring components. In the present work an Engineering Critical Assessment (ECA) for shackles has been carried out to demonstrate fitness for purpose. Typical values for CVN and CTOD are 17 Joules and 0.01 mm respectively at design temperature. The purpose of the present work is to demonstrate that even in the case where normal quality requirements are not met, the shackles may still have enough structural integrity and fatigue durability to withstand the load spectrum in the field during the planned target se…
Simplified model for compressive response of RC column footing with square cross-section
2017
Abstract In this paper, a simplified calculus model for the prediction of the compressive response of RC column footing with a square cross-section is presented. As it is well-known RC concrete footing are designed adopting uniform contact pressures on the substrate and assuming a strut and tie model in deep members and a cantilever beam or slab model in flexible members. Deep and flexible members are distinguished in literature only based on the tangent of the angle expressed as the ratio between the depth and the shear span of the footing. In this paper, several subgrade contact pressures distribution for column footings (rigid or soft soils) were considered in developing a mechanical mod…
Hardware-in-the-loop implementation for an active heave compensated drawworks
2012
Published version of an article published in the journal: Central European Journal of Engineering. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/s13531-011-0062-1 This paper presents the setup and running of a hardware-in-loop (HIL) simulation for an active heave compensated (AHC) draw-works. A simulation model of the draw-works is executed on a PC to simulate the AHC draw-works with a physical PLC. The PLC (ET200S) is configured with a controller architecture that regulates the motor angular displacement and velocity through actuation of the servo valves. Furthermore, a graphical user interface is developed for operation of the AHC system. The HIL test allowed tuning of t…