scholarly journals Population and Nesting Behaviour of Weaver Ants, Oecophylla smaragdina from Meghalaya, India

Sociobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. e7204
Author(s):  
Jonata Savio A Sangma ◽  
Surya Bali Prasad

Weaver ants are known for their unique nest-building skills using leaves and larval-silk as a binding agent. The weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina are present in large numbers in the Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya. Ri-Bhoi district is a hot and humid place with  22 -30°C. This is the first study from this region to examine the nesting behavior along with the population of these ants from here.  It was noted that they build nests in different types of trees but it is more abundant in needlewood trees (Schima wallichi) locally known as ‘diengngan.’ From the central trunk of the S. wallichi tree, the nearest distance of the nest is about 0.7 m and the farthest up to 3.4 m. The nests of O. smaragdina are somewhat round-oval and use leaves of different sizes ranging from 8-32 cm2. The nests are made at a height ranging from 4-25 m and their average nest size is about 9,483 cm3. They utilize about twenty leaves with a specific number of chambers to keep their broods, the queen, and food. The number of worker ants, pupae, and larvae are variable in different nests because of nest size, location/height of the nests, and the trees.  When the nest population increases, they locate a new spot and build a satellite nest where they get the right amount of sunlight and shelter from predators and adverse environmental factors. These weaver ants are also used as medicine, food and fish bait by the indigenous people in Meghalaya.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anat Feldman ◽  
Michael Shmueli ◽  
Dror Dotan ◽  
Joseph Tzelgov ◽  
Andrea Berger

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the development of mental number line (MNL) representation examined using a number-to-position task. In the present study, we investigated the development of number representation on a 0-10 number line using a computerized version of the number-to-position task on a touchscreen, with restricted response time; 181 children from first through sixth grade were tested. We found that the pattern of estimated number position on the physical number line was best fit by the sigmoidal curve function–which was characterized by underestimation of small numbers and overestimation of large numbers–and that the breakpoint changed with age. Moreover, we found that significant developmental leaps in MNL representation occurred between the first and second grades and again between the second and third grades, which was reflected in the establishment of the right endpoint and the number 5 as anchor points, yielding a more accurate placement of other numbers along the number line.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 311
Author(s):  
Anna Granath Hansson ◽  
Peter Ekbäck ◽  
Jenny Paulsson

This paper aims to elucidate the sliding scale between usufruct and ownership by applying a property rights framework to three Swedish forms of tenure in multifamily housing. The framework deconstructs the bundles of rights of rental, tenant-ownership and ownership to highlight commonalities and differences connected to the right to use and exclude, the right to transfer and the right to the value. It is concluded that the three tenure forms have many traits in common but that there are distinct differences in some areas, most notably in connection to the right to the value. The property rights framework applied in the study may be applicable also on a general level as a method to analyze and compare tenures of different types in different countries. Further, ways to improve the framework and cover more facets of outcomes of property rights patterns are suggested.


2021 ◽  
pp. 104063872110222
Author(s):  
Samantha M. Norris ◽  
Paula A. Schaffer ◽  
Noah B. Bander

A 15-y-old castrated male Maine Coon cat was evaluated for an ulcerated soft tissue mass on the right hindlimb that had been observed for 4 mo and had grown rapidly. A 3 × 3 cm soft, raised, amorphous, and ulcerated subcutaneous mass was observed on the lateral right metatarsus. In-house cytology via fine-needle aspiration was nondiagnostic. Incisional biopsy of the mass and further staging was declined, and amputation was elected. The amputated limb was submitted for histopathology, which revealed severe chronic nodular granulomatous dermatitis and multifocal granulomatous popliteal lymphadenitis with large numbers of intralesional fungal hyphae. Fungal PCR and sequencing on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue identified Chalastospora gossypii. No adjunctive therapy was elected at the time. The patient has done well clinically 1 y post-operatively. C. gossypii is a rare microfungus found worldwide and is considered a minor pathogen of several plants. To our knowledge, infection by this fungus has not been reported previously in veterinary species. Features in our case are comparable to other mycotic infections. Nodular granulomatous mycotic dermatitis and cellulitis, although uncommon, should be a differential for soft tissue masses in veterinary species; C. gossypii is a novel isolate.


1991 ◽  
Vol 106 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. E. Donald ◽  
R. C. B. Slack ◽  
G. Colman

SUMMARYIsolates of Streptococcus pyogenes from vaginal swabs of children with vulvovaginitis received at Nottingham Public Health Laboratory during 1986–9 were studied. A total of 159 isolates was made during the 4 years, increasing from 17 in 1986 to 64 in 1989 and accounting for 11% of all vaginal swabs received from children. The numbers of throat swabs yielding S. pyogenes also showed an increase from 974 in 1986 to 1519 in 1989. A winter peak of isolates was noted for both vaginal swabs and throat swabs. A total of 98 strains from vaginal swabs were serotyped: 22 different types were identified, 61% of which were the common types M4, M6, R28 and M12. Erythromycin sensitivity was done on 89 strains; 84% were highly sensitive (MIC < 0·03 mg/1). There are no other reports of such large numbers in the literature; the reason for seeing this increase in Nottingham is unclear.


2014 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Perler

Abstract:According to Spinoza, there is no categorical distinction between human and non-human animals: they all belong to the same nature and all consist of bodies with corresponding ideas. This thesis gives rise to two problems. How is it possible to distinguish different types of animals, in particular nonrational and rational ones, if all of them have the same metaphysical structure? And why does Spinoza nevertheless claim that human beings have a privileged status that gives them the right to use non-rational animals? This paper examines these two problems, arguing that the solution to both of them lies in Spinoza’s all-embracing naturalism.


Often bizarre in shape and gaudily coloured, the opisthobranchs of the tropical IndoPacific have always been attractive subjects for the specialist worker and for writers of popular natural history. There is certainly no lack of papers describing their anatomy and systematics (Marcus & Burch (1965) give a fairly full bibliography), but only in those by Risbec (1928 a, b , 1951, 1953) are there descriptions of where or how they live and his statements are brief and rather vague. I collected opisthobranchs so as to record them for the British Solomon Islands for the first time and, whenever possible, I noted their habits and habitats. My observations on gut contents are rather scanty as I did not wish to damage any of the few specimens of each species collected. From an examination of ten different types of reef formation I discovered that opisthobranchs are common in only two places; (1) the crest of a semi-exposed reef where algae occur in pools, and (2) the flat of a sheltered or semi-sheltered reef. At each of these sites several distinct habitats can be distinguished. Unfortunately my recognition of these habitats is not supported by strong numerical evidence as none of the 55 species occurred in large numbers.


2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 432-439
Author(s):  
Melville Saayman ◽  
Waldo Krugell ◽  
Andrea Saayman

The Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour is a major event on the road cycling calendar. The majority of cyclists travel significant distances and participation produces a substantial carbon footprint. This paper examines participants’ willingness to pay to offset their carbon footprint. The purpose of this paper is to make a contribution to the literature by linking willingness to pay to attitudes towards or beliefs (green views) about the initiatives in place, to ensure a greener cycle tour. Factor analysis is used to identify different types of cyclists, based on their green views: those with green money, those who prefer green products and the “re-cyclers”. The results of the regression analysis reveal that socio-demographic variables and the right attitude towards the environment are significant predictors of stated willingness to pay for climate change mitigation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-7
Author(s):  
Piotr Tabor ◽  
Czesław Urbanik ◽  
Andrzej Mastalerz

Abstract Introduction. The aim of this study was to determine the correlations between the direction and velocity of the ball in volleyball spike. We adopted the hypothesis that the direction of an attack is dependent upon the arrangement of the pectoral girdles in the phase of flight. Material and methods. The research was carried out for four different types of attacks: from the left side of the court down the line (A) and in the cross-court direction (B) and from the right side in the same directions (C and D). Sixteen young volleyball players from a Sports Championship School run by the Polish Volleyball Federation were examined. Results. The analysis of the results showed different ball velocities in different attacks. The velocity was the lowest in attack B and the highest in attack D. Conclusions. The direction of attack was produced by hitting the ball in a non-central manner and by aligning the glenohumeral joints diagonally to the net.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rozita Mirmotalebi

As the number of web services is increasing on the web, selecting the proper web service is becoming a more and more difficult task. How to make the selection results from a list of services more customized towards users’ personal preferences and help users identify the right services for their personal needs becomes especially important under this context. In this thesis, we propose a novel User Modeling approach to generate user profiles on their non-functional preferences on web services, and then apply the generated profiles to the ranking process in order to make personalized selection results. The User Modeling system is based on both implicit and explicit information from the user. Also, this is a flexible model to include different types of non-functional properties. We performed experiments using a real web service dataset with values on various non-functional properties to show the accuracy of our system.


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