Over-winter survival of first-stage larvae ofParelaphostrongylus tenuis (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae)

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 704-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean G Forrester ◽  
Murray W Lankester

This study examined the ability of first-stageParelaphostrongylus tenuis larvae to survive winter conditions at the northern limits of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) range. Fecal pellets freshly deposited by infected deer were collected at the beginning of each winter month (9 December 1996 to 12 March 1997) and placed out in a traditional deer wintering area located near Grand Marais, Minnesota, and at a site in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The temperatures experienced by larvae at different levels within the snow cover were monitored and survivorship was calculated each month. Overall larval survivorship from December to April was only 27%. Although temperatures experienced by larvae beneath the snow for 4 months at Grand Marais were greatly moderated (-0.2 to -2.5°C) compared with air temperatures (6.5 to -24.0°C), fewer larvae survived (16%) than at a lower, constant temperature (-14oC) in the laboratory (76%). The mean numbers of first-stage larvae passed by deer (expressed per gramof dried feces (gd)) varied considerably over winter, from a low of 289/gd in December to a peak of 1127/gd in March. Considerable reproductive potential was lost because this spring (March) rise occurred before the end of winter. Nonetheless, the meningeal worm still successfully infects up to 82% of white-tailed deer in northern areas, and it is probably those larvae produced during the snow-free period while deer are dispersed over their summer habitat that play the biggest role in transmission.

2001 ◽  
Vol 47 (156) ◽  
pp. 147-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
He Yuanqing ◽  
Wilfred H. Theakstone ◽  
Yao Tandong ◽  
Shi Yafeng

AbstractStratigraphic variations of oxygen isotopes in the snow which accumulates during the winter at the Norwegian glacier Austre Okstindbreen are not entirely eliminated after 1–2 months of ablation in the following summer. The relationship between regional temperature changes and δ18O values in the snowpack is affected by many natural factors, but 1989/90 winter air temperatures were reflected in the snow which remained on Austre Okstindbreen at 1350 m a.s.l. in July 1990. There were many variations of δ18O values in the 4.1m of snow above the 1989 summer surface, but variations in the underlying firn were relatively small. Meltwater percolation modifies the initial variations of δ18O values in the snowpack. At a site below the mean equilibrium-line altitude on Austre Okstindbreen, increased isotopic homogenization within a 10 day period in July accompanied an increase of the mean δ18O value. Although the isotopic record at a temperate glacier is likely to be influenced by more factors than is that at polar glaciers, it can provide an estimate of the approximate trend of local temperature variations.


2000 ◽  
Vol 31 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 301-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming-ko Woo ◽  
Mark A. Giesbrecht

Subarctic woodlands comprise stands of spruce trees with varying degrees of openness, giving rise to large contrasts in melt rates within the forest. The spatial variability of the changing snow depth during a melt season was investigated at three scales (2,4 and 16 m), using an example from a site in Yukon, Canada, where the computation of snowmelt takes into account the differential rates within the woodland. During the melt period, the mean daily snow depth decreases but the variability increases as continued ablation leads to greater unevenness of the snow cover. At the three scales of representation, increasing the grid size results in a reduction in the standard deviation and the skewness of depth distribution. The blurring of snow cover pattern at the larger scales is due to a loss in information, considered as the absolute value of the difference in snow depth calculated at two scales for the same location. This loss increases as the snow depth becomes more variable during the melt season. Knowledge of the scale-induced information loss is relevant to the modelling of snowmelt that exhibits large spatial variations.


2002 ◽  
Vol 33 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 111-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
He Yuanqing ◽  
Wilfred H. Theakstone ◽  
Yao Tandong ◽  
Cheng Guodong ◽  
Zhang Dian ◽  
...  

Vertical variations of oxygen isotopes in the snow which accumulates during the winter at the Norwegian glacier Austre Okstindbreen are not entirely eliminated after 1-2 months of ablation in the following summer. Survival of isotopic signals closely relates to the re-freezing capacity of snow accumulated in winter when its temperature was below 0°C. The meltwater re-freezes in layers formed in winter hindered subsequent meltwater percolation in summer when snow temperature was at melting point and, therefore, varied isotopic record was reserved between these ice layers. The isotopic record in snowpack can provide an estimate of the approximate trend of the most recent winter season temperatures. The relationship between regional temperature changes and б18O values in the snowpack is affected by many natural factors, but 1989-90 (a glacier balance year) winter air temperatures were reflected in the snow which remained on the glacier Austre Okstindbreen at an altitude of 1,350 m in July 1990. There was larger amplitude of variations of б 18O values in the 4.1 m of snow above the 1989 summer surface, but variations in the underlying firn were relatively small. Meltwater percolation modifies the initial variations of б 18O values in the snowpack. At a site below the mean equilibrium line altitude on Austre Okstindbreen, increased isotopic homogenization within a ten-day period in July accompanied an increase of the mean б 18O value. Although the isotopic record at a temperate glacier is likely to be influenced by more factors than is that at polar glaciers, it can provide an estimate of the approximate trend of recent local temperature variations.


1967 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 619-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Jacob Koed ◽  
Christian Hamburger

ABSTRACT Comparison of the dose-response curves for LH of ovine origin (NIH-LH-S8) and of human origin (IRP-HMG-2) using the OAAD test showed a small, though statistically significant difference, the dose-response curve for LH of human origin being a little flatter. Two standard curves for ovine LH obtained with 14 months' interval, were parallel but at different levels of ovarian ascorbic acid. When the mean ascorbic acid depletions were calculated as percentages of the control levels, the two curves for NIH-LH-S8 were identical. The use of standards of human origin in the OAAD test for LH activity of human preparations is recommended.


1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 3460-3464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry Crow ◽  
Vilma Siddiqi

Crow, Terry and Vilma Siddiqi. Time-dependent changes in excitability after one-trial conditioning of Hermissenda. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 3460–3464, 1997. The visual system of Hermissenda has been studied extensively as a site of cellular plasticity produced by classical conditioning. A one-trial conditioning procedure consisting of light paired with the application of serotonin (5-HT) to the exposed, but otherwise intact, nervous system produces suppression of phototactic behavior tested 24 h after conditioning. Short- and long-term enhancement (STE and LTE) of excitability in identified type B photoreceptors is a cellular correlate of one-trial conditioning. LTE can be expressed in the absence of STE suggesting that STE and LTE may be parallel processes. To examine the development of enhancement, we studied its time-dependent alterations after one-trial conditioning. Intracellular recordings from identified type B photoreceptors of independent groups collected at different times after conditioning revealed that enhanced excitability follows a biphasic pattern in its development. The analysis of spikes elicited by 2 and 30 s extrinsic current pulses at different levels of depolarization showed that enhancement reached a peak 3 h after conditioning. From its peak, excitability decreased toward baseline control levels 5–6 h after conditioning followed by an increase to a stable plateau at 16 to 24 h postconditioning. Excitability changes measured in cells from unpaired control groups showed maximal changes 1 h posttreatment that rapidly decremented within 2 h. The conditioned stimulus (CS) elicited significantly more spikes 24 h postconditioning for the conditioned group as compared with the unpaired control group. The analysis of the time-dependent development of enhancement may reveal the processes underlying different stages of memory for this associative experience.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Jean-Luc Menet

The implantation of wind turbines generally follows a wind potential study which is made using specific numerical tools; the generated expenses are only acceptable for great projects. The purpose of the present paper is to propose a simplified methodology for the evaluation of the wind potential, following three successive steps for the determination of (i) the mean velocity, either directly or by the use of the most occurrence velocity (MOV); (ii) the velocity distribution coming from the single knowledge of the mean velocity by the use of a Rayleigh distribution and a Davenport-Harris law; (iii) an appropriate approximation of the characteristic curve of the turbine, coming from only two technical data. These last two steps allow calculating directly the electric delivered energy for the considered wind turbine. This methodology, called the SWEPT approach, can be easily implemented in a single worksheet. The results returned by the SWEPT tool are of the same order of magnitude than those given by the classical commercial tools. Moreover, everybody, even a “neophyte,” can use this methodology to obtain a first estimation of the wind potential of a site considering a given wind turbine, on the basis of very few general data.


2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikki Vercauteren ◽  
Steve W. Lyon ◽  
Georgia Destouni

AbstractThis study uses GIS-based modeling of incoming solar radiation to quantify fine-resolved spatiotemporal responses of year-round monthly average temperature within a field study area located on the eastern coast of Sweden. A network of temperature sensors measures surface and near-surface air temperatures during a year from June 2011 to June 2012. Strong relationships between solar radiation and temperature exhibited during the growing season (supporting previous work) break down in snow cover and snowmelt periods. Surface temperature measurements are here used to estimate snow cover duration, relating the timing of snowmelt to low performance of an existing linear model developed for the investigated site. This study demonstrates that linearity between insolation and temperature 1) may only be valid for solar radiation levels above a certain threshold and 2) is affected by the consumption of incoming radiation during snowmelt.


1959 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 150 ◽  
Author(s):  
AM Olsen

The maximum yield of the school shark fishery in south-eastern Australian waters was 4.09 million lb in 1949. The catch has fluctuated since then about a declining trend to 3.18 million lb in 1956. In 1944, 7.3 hooks were required to catch a shark of mean weight 14.7 lb. In 1956 the number of hooks required was almost doubled: 13.6 hooks were needed to catch sharks of mean weight 13.7 lb; the catch per hook dropped from 2.01 to 0.99 lb. Whereas the catch per boat-month remained relatively stable at 4765 lb for 1944 and 4643 for 1956, the number of hooks used per boat-month increased from 2366 to 4668 hooks in 12 years. Throughout this period the mean weight of sharks in eastern Bass Strait remained fairly steady (11-13 lb) whereas there was a drop of 3 lb from a mean weight of 17-20 lb in the predominantly mature portion of the stock in western Bass Strait. Fishermen in South Australia have reported a comparable drop in the mean weight of sharks in their catches. During the period 1941-46 there was unrestricted inshore fishing of juveniles and pregnant females with a consequent severe drop in the inshore population. The subsequent decline in the annual total catch is believed to be due not only to a too intensive offshore fishery but also to the resultant reduced recruitment and depressed reproductive potential caused by the earlier destruction of juveniles and pregnant females. In the data presented in this paper there is evidence that the school shark fishery, which is operating on a single stock of sharks with a slow growth rate, a late sexual maturity, and a low fecundity, shows trends which are suggestive of depletion. Because similar trends in the soupfin shark fishery of California and in the dogfish fishery of British Columbia were followed by depletion, it has been inferred that regulations to protect the vulnerable phases of the life history of the school shark of Australia may be required. Measures for conservation are discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1757-1765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayed-Hossein Sadeghi ◽  
Troy R. Peters ◽  
Douglas R. Cobos ◽  
Henry W. Loescher ◽  
Colin S. Campbell

Abstract A simple analytical method was developed for directly calculating the thermodynamic wet-bulb temperature from air temperature and the vapor pressure (or relative humidity) at elevations up to 4500 m above MSL was developed. This methodology was based on the fact that the wet-bulb temperature can be closely approximated by a second-order polynomial in both the positive and negative ranges in ambient air temperature. The method in this study builds upon this understanding and provides results for the negative range of air temperatures (−17° to 0°C), so that the maximum observed error in this area is equal to or smaller than −0.17°C. For temperatures ≥0°C, wet-bulb temperature accuracy was ±0.65°C, and larger errors corresponded to very high temperatures (Ta ≥ 39°C) and/or very high or low relative humidities (5% < RH < 10% or RH > 98%). The mean absolute error and the root-mean-square error were 0.15° and 0.2°C, respectively.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document