scholarly journals Economical defence of resources structures territorial space use in a cooperative carnivore

2022 ◽  
Vol 289 (1966) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah N. Sells ◽  
Michael S. Mitchell ◽  
David E. Ausband ◽  
Angela D. Luis ◽  
Douglas J. Emlen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Empirical Reality ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Ecological Understanding ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Territory Selection

Ecologists have long sought to understand space use and mechanisms underlying patterns observed in nature. We developed an optimality landscape and mechanistic territory model to understand mechanisms driving space use and compared model predictions to empirical reality. We demonstrate our approach using grey wolves ( Canis lupus ). In the model, simulated animals selected territories to economically acquire resources by selecting patches with greatest value, accounting for benefits, costs and trade-offs of defending and using space on the optimality landscape. Our approach successfully predicted and explained first- and second-order space use of wolves, including the population's distribution, territories of individual packs, and influences of prey density, competitor density, human-caused mortality risk and seasonality. It accomplished this using simple behavioural rules and limited data to inform the optimality landscape. Results contribute evidence that economical territory selection is a mechanistic bridge between space use and animal distribution on the landscape. This approach and resulting gains in knowledge enable predicting effects of a wide range of environmental conditions, contributing to both basic ecological understanding of natural systems and conservation. We expect this approach will demonstrate applicability across diverse habitats and species, and that its foundation can help continue to advance understanding of spatial behaviour.

scholarly journals Fundamental limits of electron and nuclear spin qubit lifetimes in an isolated self-assembled quantum dot

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
George Gillard ◽  
Ian M. Griffiths ◽  
Gautham Ragunathan ◽  
Ata Ulhaq ◽  
Callum McEwan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Dot ◽  
Spin Relaxation ◽  
Nuclear Spin ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
External Control ◽  
Spin Qubits ◽  
Fundamental Limits ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Spin Qubit

AbstractCombining external control with long spin lifetime and coherence is a key challenge for solid state spin qubits. Tunnel coupling with electron Fermi reservoir provides robust charge state control in semiconductor quantum dots, but results in undesired relaxation of electron and nuclear spins through mechanisms that lack complete understanding. Here, we unravel the contributions of tunnelling-assisted and phonon-assisted spin relaxation mechanisms by systematically adjusting the tunnelling coupling in a wide range, including the limit of an isolated quantum dot. These experiments reveal fundamental limits and trade-offs of quantum dot spin dynamics: while reduced tunnelling can be used to achieve electron spin qubit lifetimes exceeding 1 s, the optical spin initialisation fidelity is reduced below 80%, limited by Auger recombination. Comprehensive understanding of electron-nuclear spin relaxation attained here provides a roadmap for design of the optimal operating conditions in quantum dot spin qubits.

scholarly journals Gene Expression Space Shapes the Bioprocess Trade-Offs among Titer, Yield and Productivity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 5859
Author(s):  
Fernando N. Santos-Navarro ◽  
Yadira Boada ◽  
Alejandro Vignoni ◽  
Jesús Picó
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Gene Transcription ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Gene Copy ◽  
Substrate Uptake ◽  
Promoter Strength ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Wide Range

Optimal gene expression is central for the development of both bacterial expression systems for heterologous protein production, and microbial cell factories for industrial metabolite production. Our goal is to fulfill industry-level overproduction demands optimally, as measured by the following key performance metrics: titer, productivity rate, and yield (TRY). Here we use a multiscale model incorporating the dynamics of (i) the cell population in the bioreactor, (ii) the substrate uptake and (iii) the interaction between the cell host and expression of the protein of interest. Our model predicts cell growth rate and cell mass distribution between enzymes of interest and host enzymes as a function of substrate uptake and the following main lab-accessible gene expression-related characteristics: promoter strength, gene copy number and ribosome binding site strength. We evaluated the differential roles of gene transcription and translation in shaping TRY trade-offs for a wide range of expression levels and the sensitivity of the TRY space to variations in substrate availability. Our results show that, at low expression levels, gene transcription mainly defined TRY, and gene translation had a limited effect; whereas, at high expression levels, TRY depended on the product of both, in agreement with experiments in the literature.

Near-Wall Microlayer Evaporation Analysis and Experimental Study of Nucleate Pool Boiling on Inclined Surfaces

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 641-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. F. Naterer ◽  
W. Hendradjit ◽  
K. J. Ahn ◽  
J. E. S. Venart
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Flux ◽  
Heating Surface ◽  
Nucleate Boiling ◽  
Inclined Surfaces ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Microlayer Evaporation ◽  
Near Wall

Boiling heat transfer from inclined surfaces is examined and an analytical model of bubble growth and nucleate boiling is presented. The model predicts the average heat flux during nucleate boiling by considering alternating near-wall liquid and vapor periods. It expresses the heat flux in terms of the bubble departure diameter, frequency and duration of contact with the heating surface. Experiments were conducted over a wide range of upward and downward-facing surface orientations and the results were compared to model predictions. More active microlayer agitation and mixing along the surface as well as more frequent bubble sweeps along the heating surface provide the key reasons for more effective heat transfer with downward facing surfaces as compared to upward facing cases. Additional aspects of the role of surface inclination on boiling dynamics are quantified and discussed.

scholarly journals Enhancing the resilience of coupled human and natural systems of alpine rangelands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. i ◽  
Author(s):  
Shikui Dong ◽  
Ruth Sherman
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Science Policy ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Rangeland Management ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Science Policy Interface

This special issue covers a wide range of topics on the protection and sustainable management of alpine rangelands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), including Indigenous knowledge of sustainable rangeland management, science-policy interface for alpine rangeland biodiversity conservation, adaptations of local people to social and environmental changes and policy design for managing coupled human-natural systems of alpine rangelands.

Accessibility vs. Feasibility: Optimizing Function Allocation for Accommodation of Heterogeneous Populations

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Benjamin Knisely ◽  
Monifa Vaughn-Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Optimization Model ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Product Variety ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Heterogeneous Populations ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Potential System ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Need To Evaluate ◽  
Design Case Study

Abstract Human beings are physically and cognitively variable, leading to a wide array of potential system use cases. To design safe and effective systems for highly heterogeneous populations, engineers must cater to this variability to minimize the chance of error and system failure. This can be a challenge because of the increasing costs associated with providing additional product variety. Most guidance for navigating these trade-offs is intended for late-stage design, when significant resources have been expended, thus risking expensive redesign or exclusion of users when new human concerns become apparent. Despite the critical need to evaluate accommodation-cost trade-offs in early stages of design, there is currently a lack of structured guidance. In this work, an approach to function modeling is proposed that allows the simultaneous consideration of human and machine functionality. This modeling approach facilitates the allocation of system functions to humans and machines to be used as an accessible baseline for concept development. Further, a multi-objective optimization model was developed to allocate functions with metrics for accommodation and cost. The model was demonstrated on a design case study. 16 senior mechanical engineering students were recruited and tasked with performing the allocation task manually. The results were compared to the output of the optimization model. Results indicated that participants were unable to produce concepts with the same accommodation-cost efficiency as the optimization model. Further, the optimization model successfully produced a wide range of potential product concepts, demonstrating its utility as a decision-aid.

Uncertainty in Collapse Strength Prediction of Sandwich Pipelines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Bhardwaj ◽  
A. P. Teixeira ◽  
C. Guedes Soares
Keyword(s):  
Probabilistic Models ◽  
Uncertainty Propagation ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
External Pressure ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Collapse Strength ◽  
Parameters Uncertainty ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Strength Models

Abstract This paper assesses the uncertainty in the collapse strength of sandwich pipelines under external pressure predicted by various strength models in three categories based on interlayer adhesion conditions. First, the validity of the strength models is verified by comparing their predictions with sandwich pipeline collapse test data and the corresponding model uncertainty factors are derived. Then, a parametric analysis of deterministic collapse strength predictions by models is conducted, illustrating insights of models’ behaviour for a wide range of design configurations. Furthermore, the uncertainty among different model predictions is perceived at different configurations of outer and inner pipes and core thicknesses. A case study of a realistic sandwich pipeline is developed, and probabilistic models are defined to basic design parameters. Uncertainty propagation of models’ predictions is assessed by the Monte Carlo simulation method. Finally, the strength model predictions of sandwich pipelines are compared to that of an equivalent single walled pipe.

scholarly journals Characterizing global expansion evolution of the ionized matter in planetary nebulae

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S323) ◽  
pp. 352-353
Author(s):  
J. A. López ◽  
M. G. Richer ◽  
M. Pereyra ◽  
M. T. García-Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Galactic Halo ◽  
Evolutionary Rate ◽  
Planetary Nebulae ◽  
Central Star ◽  
Global Expansion ◽  
Kinematic Evolution ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
First Time ◽  
Highly Evolved

AbstractBulk outflow or global expansion velocities are presented for a large number of planetary nebulae (PNe) that span a wide range of evolutionary stages and different stellar populations. The sample comprises 133 PNe from the Galactic bulge, 100 mature and highly evolved PNe from the disk, 11 PNe from the Galactic halo and 15 PNe with very low central star masses and low metallicities, for a total of 259 PNe. These results reveal from a statistical perspective the kinematic evolution of the expansion velocities of PNe in relation to changing characteristics of the central star’s wind and ionizing luminosity and as a function of the evolutionary rate determined by the central (CS) mass. The large number of PNe utilized in this work for each group of PNe under study and the homogeneity of the data provide for the first time a solid benchmark form observations for model predictions, as has been described by López et al. (2016).

The determination of the pressure—viscosity coefficient of a lubricant through an accurate film thickness formula and accurate film thickness measurements

2009 ◽  
Vol 223 (8) ◽  
pp. 1143-1163 ◽  
Author(s):  
H van Leeuwen
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Viscosity Coefficient ◽  
Test Fluid ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Ehd Lubrication ◽  
Spacer Layer ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Approximation Formulas ◽  
Thickness Measurements

The pressure—viscosity coefficient is an indispensable property in the elastohydrodynamic (EHD) lubrication of hard contacts, but often not known. A guess will easily lead to enormous errors in the film thickness. This article describes a method to deduct this coefficient by adapting the value of the pressure—viscosity coefficient until the differences between accurate film thickness approxi-mation values and accurate film thickness measurements over a wide range of values are at a minimum. Eleven film thickness approximation formulas are compared in describing the film thickness of a test fluid with known value of the pressure—viscosity coefficient. The measurement method is based on spacer layer interferometry. It is concluded that for circular contacts the newer more versatile expressions are not better than some older approximations, which are limited to a smaller region of conditions, and that the older fits are as least as appropriate to find the pressure—viscosity coefficient of fluids, in spite of the limited data where they have been based on.

Comparison of Four Friction Models: Feature Prediction

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun-Hsiang Sun ◽  
Tao Chen ◽  
Christine Qiong Wu ◽  
Cyrus Shafai
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Viscous Friction ◽  
Friction Model ◽  
Dynamic Features ◽  
Numerical Predictions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Friction Models ◽  
Parameter Identifications ◽  
Model Structures

In this paper, we provide not only key knowledge for friction model selection among candidate models but also experimental friction features compared with numerical predictions reproduced by the candidate models. A motor-driven one-dimensional sliding block has been designed and fabricated in our lab to carry out a wide range of control tasks for the friction feature demonstrations and the parameter identifications of the candidate models. Besides the well-known static features such as break-away force and viscous friction, our setup experimentally demonstrates subtle dynamic features that characterize the physical behavior. The candidate models coupled with correct parameters experimentally obtained from our setup are taken to simulate the features of interest. The first part of this work briefly introduces the candidate friction models, the friction features of interest, and our experimental approach. The second part of this work is dedicated to the comparisons between the experimental features and the numerical model predictions. The discrepancies between the experimental features and the numerical model predictions help researchers to judge the accuracy of the models. The relation between the candidate model structures and their numerical friction feature predictions is investigated and discussed. A table that summarizes how to select the most optimal friction model among a variety of engineering applications is presented at the end of this paper. Such comprehensive comparisons have not been reported in previous literature.

scholarly journals Table scraps: inter-trophic food provisioning by pumas

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 776-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Mark Elbroch ◽  
Heiko U. Wittmer
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
National Park ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Food Provisioning ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Food Subsidies ◽  
Vultur Gryphus ◽  
Natural Communities

Large carnivores perform keystone ecological functions through direct predation, or indirectly, through food subsidies to scavengers or trophic cascades driven by their influence on the distributions of their prey. Pumas ( Puma concolor ) are an elusive, cryptic species difficult to study and little is known about their inter-trophic-level interactions in natural communities. Using new GPS technology, we discovered that pumas in Patagonia provided 232 ± 31 kg of edible meat/month/100 km 2 to near-threatened Andean condors ( Vultur gryphus ) and other members of a diverse scavenger community. This is up to 3.1 times the contributions by wolves ( Canis lupus ) to communities in Yellowstone National Park, USA, and highlights the keystone role large, solitary felids play in natural systems. These findings are more pertinent than ever, for managers increasingly advocate controlling pumas and other large felids to bolster prey populations and mitigate concerns over human and livestock safety, without a full understanding of the potential ecological consequences of their actions.

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