Nestling growth and development in the brown falcon, Falco berigora: an improved ageing formula and field-based method of sex determination

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul G. McDonald

The accurate determination of nestling age and sex is an important tool for studies that examine life-history traits and ecological interactions. Despite the widespread distribution of the brown falcon, Falco berigora, in Australia, morphological criteria for sexing nestlings of this species have yet to be published and nestling development has not been intensively studied. While an ageing formula for the species exists, the small sample from which it was derived precluded appropriate statistical assessment of independence problems and other potentially confounding variables such as hatch order and sex. This study used a larger sample of free-living nestlings to account for these factors and found the most reliable measure for ageing nestlings to be wing length. Wing length increased linearly with chick age, independent of seven other potentially confounding factors examined. Ageing formulae based on wing length before and after remiges emerge are presented. In addition, an accurate test for determining nestling sex at banding age, based on tarsus width, is proposed. Nestling chronology of this species is also described in detail for the first time. Nestling development was similar to that described for other Falconiformes; however, the chronology of nestling development was too variable to be useful in assigning chick age. Despite this, within 6 days of the eldest chick hatching the relative brightness of down and the degree to which chicks' eyes had opened were useful in assigning hatch order amongst nestlings with similar wing lengths.

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 5503-5517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Hedelt ◽  
Dmitry S. Efremenko ◽  
Diego G. Loyola ◽  
Robert Spurr ◽  
Lieven Clarisse

Abstract. The accurate determination of the location, height, and loading of sulfur dioxide (SO2) plumes emitted by volcanic eruptions is essential for aviation safety. The SO2 layer height is also one of the most critical parameters with respect to determining the impact on the climate. Retrievals of SO2 plume height have been carried out using satellite UV backscatter measurements, but, until now, such algorithms are very time-consuming. We have developed an extremely fast yet accurate SO2 layer height retrieval using the Full-Physics Inverse Learning Machine (FP_ILM) algorithm. This is the first time the algorithm has been applied to measurements from the TROPOMI instrument onboard the Sentinel-5 Precursor platform. In this paper, we demonstrate the ability of the FP_ILM algorithm to retrieve SO2 plume layer heights in near-real-time applications with an accuracy of better than 2 km for SO2 total columns larger than 20 DU. We present SO2 layer height results for the volcanic eruptions of Sinabung in February 2018, Sierra Negra in June 2018, and Raikoke in June 2019, observed by TROPOMI.


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 2179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Bellumori ◽  
Lorenzo Cecchi ◽  
Marzia Innocenti ◽  
Maria Lisa Clodoveo ◽  
Filomena Corbo ◽  
...  

The health claims of olive oil represent an important marketing lever in raising the willingness to pay for a product, but world producers of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) do not take advantage of it because there are still obstacles to their use. Among these, one issue is the lack of an official method for determination of all free and linked forms derived from secoiridoidic structures of hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol. In this study, different acidic hydrolytic procedures for analyzing the linked forms were tested. The best method was validated and then applied to more than 100 EVOOs. The content of oleuropein and ligstroside derivatives in EVOOs was indirectly evaluated comparing the amount of phenols before and after hydrolysis. After acidic hydrolysis, a high content of total tyrosol was found in most of the EVOOs. The use of a suitable corrective factor for the evaluation of hydroxytyrosol allows an accurate determination only using pure tyrosol as a standard. Further knowledge on the concentration of total hydroxytyrosol will assist in forecasting the resistance of oils against aging, its antioxidant potential and to better control its quality over time.


2017 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Benoit ◽  
Vincent Fernandez ◽  
Paul R. Manger ◽  
Bruce S. Rubidge

The origin and evolution of the mammalian brain has long been the focus of scientific enquiry. Conversely, little research has focused on the palaeoneurology of the stem group of Mammaliaformes, the Permian and Triassic non-mammaliaform Therapsida (NMT). This is because the majority of the NMT have a non-ossified braincase, making the study of their endocranial cast (sometimes called the “fossil brain”) problematic. Thus, descriptions of the morphology and size of NMT endocranial casts have been based largely on approximations rather than reliable determination. Accordingly, here we use micro-CT scans of the skulls of 1 Dinocephalia and 3 Biarmosuchia, which are NMT with a fully ossified braincase and thus a complete endocast. For the first time, our work enables the accurate determination of endocranial shape and size in NMT. This study suggests that NMT brain size falls in the upper range of the reptilian and amphibian variation. Brain size in the dicynodont Kawingasaurus is equivalent to that of early Mammaliaformes, whereas the Dinocephalia show evidence of a secondary reduction of brain size. In addition, unlike other NMT in which the endocast has a tubular shape and its parts are arranged in a linear manner, the biarmosuchian endocast is strongly flexed at the level of the midbrain, creating a near right angle between the fore- and hindbrain. These data highlight an unexpected diversity of endocranial size and morphology in NMT, features that are usually considered conservative in this group.


1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (5) ◽  
pp. H1745-H1753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Faury ◽  
Gail M. Maher ◽  
Dean Y. Li ◽  
Mark T. Keating ◽  
Robert P. Mecham ◽  
...  

Resistance in blood vessels is directly related to the inner (luminal) diameter (ID). However, ID can be difficult to measure during physiological experiments because of poor transillumination of thick-walled or tightly constricted vessels. We investigated whether the wall cross-sectional area (WCSA) in cannulated arteries is nearly constant, allowing IDs to be calculated from outer diameters (OD) using a single determination of WCSA. With the use of image analysis, OD and ID were directly measured using either transillumination or a fluorescent marker in the lumen. IDs from a variety of vessel types were calculated from WCSA at several reference pressures. Calculated IDs at all of the reference WCSA were within 5% (mean <1%) of the corresponding measured IDs in all vessel types studied, including vessels from heterozygote elastin knockout animals. This was true over a wide range of transmural pressures, during treatment with agonists, and before and after treatment with KCN. In conclusion, WCSA remains virtually constant in cannulated vessels, allowing accurate determination of ID from OD measurement under a variety of experimental conditions.


Author(s):  
Zahra Keshavarz-Motamed ◽  
Nima Maftoon ◽  
Lyes Kadem

Diagnosis and treatment of aortic stenosis largely depends on accurate determination of the pressure difference before and after the valve, known as transvalvular pressure gradient (TPG). Clinically, TPG is obtained using Doppler echocardiography though sometimes invasive cardiac catheterization has to be used to confirm Doppler echocardiography findings. By solving analytically coupled fluid and solid domain equations, we suggest a formulation that with a good degree of accuracy can be used to calculate TPG. Analytical result is validated using experimental data from literature. The suggested methodology is an alternative to cardiac catheterization and helps to prevent its risks.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Sánchez-Hernández ◽  
Lionel Gourichon ◽  
Eric Pubert ◽  
William Rendu ◽  
Ramón Montes ◽  
...  

Abstract We propose for the first time the use of the combination of two high-resolution techniques, dental wear (meso- and microwear) and dental cementum analyses, to gain a better understanding of Neanderthal subsistence strategies and occupational patterns. Dental wear analysis provides information not only on ungulate palaeodiet and palaeoenvironments but also on hunting time and seasons. Dental cementum analysis allows the accurate determination of the age and season at death of a prey. Our study has focused on the Cantabrian region and has applied both methods to investigate the Mousterian faunal assemblages in Covalejos Cave. Identification of the ungulate palaeodiet reveals information on the environmental conditions of the studied region. Moreover, it may facilitate observation on the evolution of both palaeodiet and palaeoenvironment throughout the site sequence. Results show a general stability in the palaeoenvironmental conditions and in the ungulate palaeodiet throughout the Mousterian sequence; this finding may be attributed to the role of the area as a climate refuge, and slight differences in levels 8, 7 and 4 suggest long- or short-term but repeated Neanderthal occupations at different seasons in the annual cycle.


2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Robert Derom

AbstractThe East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey, started in 1964, realised for the first time a population-based register of all multiple births in the Belgian Province of East Flanders, characterized by the systematic examination of the placenta and the accurate determination of zygosity based on blood groups, DNA and structure of fetal membranes. For decades, it has been the only register to include chorionicity in same-sex pairs of twins, an irreplaceable tool allowing almost certain diagnosis of monozygosity and the timing of the division of the zygote.in monozygotic twins. We showed that twins and triplets are far from being an homogenised group and demonstrated differences between these groups important enough to introduce these variables in the standard methodology of twin research. Examples are: Weinberg rule, sex ratio and duration of gestation.


1977 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
D K Lavallee ◽  
J T Norelius

Abstract An improved method for separation and fluorescent analysis of coproporphyrin and uroporphyrin in urine was presented by Sobel, Cano, and Thiers [Clin. Chem. 20, 1397 (1974)]. Accurate determination of porphyrin concentrations by this method is impeded by the fluorescent background in urine samples, which varies from one specimen to another. By use of a straightforward procedure, zinc may be incorporated into coproporphyrin and uroporphyrin. Measurement of the difference in the fluorescent emission intensity at 650 nm for the porphyrin solutions before and after zinc incorporation compensates for fluorescent background and gives a more accurate determination.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Hedelt ◽  
Dmitry S. Efremenko ◽  
Diego G. Loyola ◽  
Robert Spurr ◽  
Lieven Clarisse

Abstract. Precise knowledge of the location and height of the volcanic SO2 plumes is essential for accurate determination of SO2 emitted by volcanic eruptions for aviation control applications, but so far very time-consuming to retrieve from UV satellite data. The SO2 height is furthermore one of the most critical parameters that determine the impact on the climate. We have developed an extremely fast yet accurate SO2 layer height retrieval algorithm using the Full-Physics Inverse Learning Machine (FP_ILM) algorithm, which, for the first time, is applied to TROPOMI aboard Sentinel-5 Precursor. In this work we demonstrate the ability of the FP_ILM algorithm to retrieve layer heights in near-real time applications with an accuracy of better than 2 km for SO2 total columns larger than 20 DU and show SO2 layer height results for selected volcanic eruptions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 280-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
QingHua Hou ◽  
Lian Zhou ◽  
Shan Gao ◽  
Ting Zhang ◽  
Lanping Feng ◽  
...  

The absolute determination of the Cu isotope ratio in NIST SRM 3114 based on a regression mass bias correction model is performed for the first time with NIST SRM 944 Ga as the calibrant.


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