Search results for "Pose"

Carotenoid-based colour polyphenism in a moth species: search for fitness correlates

2007

Carotenoid-based integumental coloration is often associated with individual performance in various animals. This is because the limited amount of the pigment has to be allocated to different vital functions. However, most of the evidence for the carotenoid-based trade-off comes from vertebrate studies, and it is unclear if this principle can be applied to insects. This possibility was investigated in Orgyia antiqua L. (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae). The larvae of this species are polyphenic in their coloration, varying from a highly conspicuous combination of yellow hair tufts on black background to cryptic appearance with brown hair tufts. The conspicuous larvae are aposematic, advertising t…

Decomposer animal communities in forest soil along heavy metal pollution gradient

1996

Responses of soil decomposer animals to heavy metal contamination and to concomitant changes in organic matter quality and quantity and in soil microbial biomasses have been studied along a pollution gradient from a Cu-Ni smelter. Samples have been taken separately for nematodes, enchytraeids and microarthropods 0.5, 2 and 8 km from the smelter. Special attention has been paid to the changes in the collembolan fauna. The sampling sites have been located in homogeneous Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris) forests with podsolic soil profiles. In addition, an experiment has been carried out in which intact soil cores have been transferred in mesh baskets between the sites 2 and 8 km from the smelter…

2021

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) rank the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Obesity and its related metabolic syndrome are well-established risk factors for CVDs. Therefore, understanding the pathophysiological role of adipose tissues is of great importance in maintaining cardiovascular health. Oxidative stress, characterized by excessive formation of reactive oxygen species, is a common cellular stress shared by obesity and CVDs. While plenty of literatures have illustrated the vascular oxidative stress, very few have discussed the impact of oxidative stress in adipose tissues. Adipose tissues can communicate with vascular systems, in an endocrine and paracrine manner, throu…

Defoliation and the availability of currently assimilated carbon in the Phleum pratense rhizosphere

2002

Abstract It has been hypothesised that defoliation and aboveground herbivory increase the availability of currently assimilated C to organisms living in plant rhizospheres. We established a growth chamber experiment consisting of Phleum pratense individuals growing in sand culture to examine the short- and long-term effects of defoliation on the availability of current C assimilates in the P. pratense rhizosphere. Using 14CO2 pulse labelling, we followed partitioning of currently assimilated C between shoots, roots and rhizosphere-derived organic matter (RDOM). The experiment constituted of two treatments, defoliation history and recent defoliation, in a fully factorial design. Defoliation …

Energy reserves of the capercaillie Tetrao urogallus in finlan

1990

Abstract 1. 1. The size of energy reserves, distribution of fat stores and the fatty acid composition of subcutaneous and pericardial adipose tissue of capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) were studied in 12 adult birds shot in Sept.–Oct. and in 8 birds shot in March. Furthermore 4 captive birds were killed in Sept. 2. 2. A capercaillie male can maintain or even increase its body weight during winter, but as shown in the present work it is not a result of increased fat content. 3. 3. In general, capercaillie seems to contain more stored energy in the form of fat than other tetraonids so far studied, except Svalbard ptarmigan. 4. 4. In males total fat content in percentage of body weight varied o…

Lipid and fatty acid profile of the retina, RPE/choroid and lacrimal gland, and associations with dietary fatty acids in human subjects

2008

Purpose The contribution of dietary lipids to the accumulation of lipids in the retina during ageing and in the course of age related maculopathies remains under debate. Our objective was to establish associations between fatty acid profiles of ocular structures, and adipose tissue as a surrogate for the past dietary intake of the subjects. Methods Lipids and fatty acids were analyzed by tandem thin-layer chromatography-flame ionization detection and gas chromatography-flame ionization detection from the neural retina, RPE/choroid, lacrimal gland and adipose tissue, collected from 19 women and 8 men, aged 59–95 years. Results DHA concentrations in the neural retina were positively associate…

Linking food webs to ecosystem processes: Piecewise linear models of soil microcosms

2008

Abstract A piecewise linear approach to link decomposer biomass and soil nitrogen dynamics is proposed. Dynamics of a detritus–fungus–nematode food chain were studied in a microcosm experiment and modelled to evaluate the role of fungal-feeding nematodes in N mineralization. The nematode dynamics switched from exponential growth to a resource-limited phase. At the same time the amount of ammonium nitrogen in soil started to increase, following an initial immobilization phase. Both nematode and ammonium dynamics could be described by two-phase linear equations. Two nitrogen models were compared. A model in which the nematode accounted for all mineralization could be fitted to the ammonium da…

ChemInform Abstract: Preparation of N,O-Aminals as Synthetic Equivalents of H2C=NAr and (H2C=NHAr)+ Ions: Neutral- and Acid-Promoted Transformations.

1988

A general method for the synthesis of N,O-aminals derived from primary aromatic amines is described. The reactivity of these compounds under neutral and acidic conditions has been studied and the title compounds can be envisaged as general purpose H2CNAr or (H2CNHAr)+ equivalents. N,O-Aminals have been converted into perhydrotriazines by moderate heating and into bis(4-aminoaryl)methane derivatives or N-benzylarylamines, respectively when heated in acidic media with pH control. Reduction of N,O-acetals with sodium cyanoborohydride has revealed that the C–O bond is broken exclusively in acidic media.

GPU accelerated Monte Carlo simulations of lattice spin models

2011

We consider Monte Carlo simulations of classical spin models of statistical mechanics using the massively parallel architecture provided by graphics processing units (GPUs). We discuss simulations of models with discrete and continuous variables, and using an array of algorithms ranging from single-spin flip Metropolis updates over cluster algorithms to multicanonical and Wang-Landau techniques to judge the scope and limitations of GPU accelerated computation in this field. For most simulations discussed, we find significant speed-ups by two to three orders of magnitude as compared to single-threaded CPU implementations.

Questions for The Psychology of the Artful Mind

2019

This paper reconstructs the &ldquo