Search results for "Rule"

Lifetime egg production of captive libellulids (Odonata)

2015

The estimation of lifetime egg production (LEP) is a central question in ecology, since the number of eggs produced determines the potential size of the following generation. In this study, I tried to obtain a rough estimation of the LEPs in libellulids in outdoor cages. The main questions were: (1) does hand feeding influence females’ life history traits; (2) how long is the maturation period and the lifespan; (3) does the quality/quantity of eggs vary with female age or size; and (4) how many eggs do females lay in their lifetime? I installed two outdoor cages and kept individually marked specimens of Orthetrum coerulescens and Sympetrum striolatum under semi-natural circumstances. Orthet…

Interaction of climate change with effects of conspecific and heterospecific density on reproduction

2020

We studied the relationship between temperature and the coexistence of great tit Parus major and blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, breeding in 75 study plots across Europe and North Africa. We expected an advance in laying date and a reduction in clutch size during warmer springs as a general response to climate warming and a delay in laying date and a reduction in clutch size during warmer winters due to density-dependent effects. As expected, as spring temperature increases laying date advances and as winter temperature increases clutch size is reduced in both species. Density of great tit affected the relationship between winter temperature and laying date in great and blue tit. Specifically…

Invasion Ability and Disease Dynamics of Environmentally Growing Opportunistic Pathogens under Outside-Host Competition

2014

Most theories of the evolution of virulence concentrate on obligatory host-pathogen relationship. Yet, many pathogens replicate in the environment outside-host where they compete with non-pathogenic forms. Thus, replication and competition in the outside-host environment may have profound influence on the evolution of virulence and disease dynamics. These environmentally growing opportunistic pathogens are also a logical step towards obligatory pathogenicity. Efficient treatment methods against these diseases, such as columnaris disease in fishes, are lacking because of their opportunist nature. We present a novel epidemiological model in which replication and competition in the outside-hos…

The widespread presence of a family of fish virulence plasmids in Vibrio vulnificus stresses its relevance as a zoonotic pathogen linked to fish farms

2021

Vibrio vulnificus is a pathogen of public health concern that causes either primary septicemia after ingestion of raw shellfish or secondary septicemia after wound exposure to seawater. In consequence, shellfish and seawater are considered its main reservoirs. However, there is one aspect of its biology that is systematically overlooked: its association with fish in its natural environment. This association led in 1975 to the emergence of a zoonotic clade within phylogenetic lineage 2 following successive outbreaks of vibriosis in farmed eels. Although this clade is now worldwide distributed, no new zoonotic clades were subsequently reported. In this work, we have performed phylogenetic, ge…

Presence of a capsule in Vibrio vulnificus biotype 2 and its relationship to virulence for eels

1993

Strains of Vibrio vulnificus biotype 2, isolated from internal organs of diseased European eels as pure cultures of opaque cells, together with some reference strains from Japanese eels, were used in this study. Spontaneous translucent-phase variants were obtained from the corresponding parent strains and compared for a variety of phenotypic traits related to virulence for eels. The rate of colony dissociation from opaque to translucent cells was higher (around 10(-2)) than that observed for translucent to opaque cells (10(-3) to 10(-4)). Electron microscopy with ruthenium red revealed the presence of a capsule of variable thickness on opaque cells, whereas translucent-type colonies had no …

The legal balance between liberty and equality

2021

The paper explores the specific legal balance between liberty and equality, distinguishing it from political theories and constitutional settings, where they are often considered in opposition. In order to find the specific legal balance between liberty and equality, and after identifying some of their relevant meanings for the purpose, it becomes necessary to focus on the rule of law, and to examine the relationship between liberty and equality in its different versions. Once the core meaning of the rule of law in terms of liberty and equality is enucleated, it is possible to consider extending it to the international field.

Spatial distribution and aggregation ofXenobalanus globicipitison the flukes of striped dolphins,Stenella coeruleoalba: An indicator of host hydrodyn…

2020

Study ofJ/ψ→pp¯andJ/ψ→nn¯

2012

The decays J/psi -> p (p) over bar and J/psi -> n (n) over bar have been investigated with a sample of 225.2 x 10(6) J/psi events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII e(+)e(-) collider. The branching fractions are determined to be B(J/psi -> p (p) over bar) = (2.112 +/- 0.004 +/- 0.031 x 10(-3) and B(J/psi -> n (n) over bar) =(2.07 +/- 0.01 +/- 0.17) x 10(-3). Distributions of the angle theta between the proton or antineutron and the beam direction are well described by the form 1 + alpha cos(2)theta, and we find alpha = 0.595 +/- 0.012 +/- 0.015 for J/psi -> p (p) over bar and alpha = 0.50 +/- 0.04 +/- 0.21 for J/psi -> n (n) over bar. Our branching- fraction results suggest a …

Strategies for Survival of Extracellular Pathogens

2002

Publisher Summary This chapter highlights a simple listing of microbial factors that may contribute to extracellular survival. In addition, it outlines principles and discusses prototypes for extracellular versus intracellular survival strategies. Strategies for extracellular survival can often be equated with pathogenicity mechanisms, and counteractive measures can therefore form the basis for prophylaxis or therapy of the respective infections. These aspects are aluded throughout the chapter, since they investigates how basic research into microbial virulence mechanisms can lead to advances in clinical medicine. Most bacteria that cause extracellular infections cannot afford to be engulfe…

Rejection odds and rejection ratios: A proposal for statistical practice in testing hypotheses

2016

Much of science is (rightly or wrongly) driven by hypothesis testing. Even in situations where the hypothesis testing paradigm is correct, the common practice of basing inferences solely on p-values has been under intense criticism for over 50 years. We propose, as an alternative, the use of the odds of a correct rejection of the null hypothesis to incorrect rejection. Both pre-experimental versions (involving the power and Type I error) and post-experimental versions (depending on the actual data) are considered. Implementations are provided that range from depending only on the p-value to consideration of full Bayesian analysis. A surprise is that all implementations -- even the full Baye…