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Period Length (period + length)
Selected AbstractsNonstationary spatio-temporal small rodent dynamics: evidence from long-term Norwegian fox bounty dataJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2009John-André Henden Summary 1The geographical pattern in Fennoscandian small rodent population dynamics with a southern noncyclic and a northern cyclic region, and with latitudinal gradients in density-dependent structure, cycle period length and spatial synchrony within the northern cyclic region, has been widely publicized and interpreted in the ecological literature. However, the time-series data on which these inferences have been established are relatively short and originate from a specific time period (mostly around 1970,90). Hence, it can be questioned whether the geographical population dynamics patterns are consistent over time (i.e. whether they are stationary). 2Here we analyse an almost century long (1880,1976) panel of fox bounty time series including 18 counties of Norway, thus spanning the whole range of latitudes of Fennoscandia (i.e. 15 latitudinal degrees). These fox time series mirror the dynamics of their dominant small rodent prey, in particular, with respect to cycle period length and spatial synchrony. 3While we found some evidence consistent with previous analyses showing a clearly patterned dynamics according to latitude, such patterns were not stationary on a longer time-scale. In particular, we observed a shift from an extensively synchronous (i.e. regionalized) 4-year cycle north of 60°N just after the ,Little Ice Age' (1880,1910) to a diversification of cycle period length (3,5 years) and eventually, partial loss of cyclicity and synchronicity in later periods. Incidents of loss of cyclicity appeared to be preceded by changes in cycle period (i.e. period lengthening and shortening). 4These results show that the dynamics of Fennoscandian small rodents, and their associated guild of predators, are more prone to change than previously acknowledged. [source] Variable-period undulators as synchrotron radiation sourcesJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 3 2003G. K. Shenoy A concept for variable-period undulators for the production of synchrotron radiation from both medium- and high-energy storage rings is described. This concept is based on a staggered array of permeable poles placed in a magnetic solenoid that produces a longitudinal field. The concept permits variations in the short magnetic period of the undulator of as much as 100%. The unique capabilities of such undulators will allow them to be tuned by the variation of the period length and of the solenoid field. The device can be operated at either constant flux or constant power, independent of X-ray energy. It is expected that the new concept will have a major impact on the production and applications of X-rays because of the inherent simplicity and flexibility of the design and the absence of radiation damage. Analyses of the magnetic and mechanical design concepts are presented. [source] Size Economies of a Pacific Threadfin Polydactylus sexfilis Hatchery in HawaiiJOURNAL OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY, Issue 4 2002Lotus E. Kam A spreadsheet model has been developed to determine the viable scale for a commercial Pacific threadfin Polydactylus sexfilis hatchery in Hawaii. The production scheme is modeled after current practices performed at the Oceanic Institute in Waimanalo, Hawaii. For a hatchery enterprise producing 1.2 million fry per year, the cost associated with raising one 40-d-old 1.00-g fry is estimated at 22.01ø. The largest variable costs are in labor and supplies, which comprise 49% and 9% of the total production cost. The combined annualized fixed cost for development and equipment is approximately 12% of total production cost. At a sale price of 25ø per fry, the 20-yr internal rate of return (IRR) is 30.63%. In comparison to the 22.01ø unit cost for 1.2 million fry production, analyses of smaller enterprises producing 900,000 and 600,000 fry per year reflected significant size diseconomies with unit costs of 27.41ø and 38.82ø, respectively. Demand to support a large scale Pacific threadfin commercial hatchery is uncertain. Since smaller scale commercial hatcheries may not be economically feasible, facilities may seek to outsource live feed production modules or pursue multiproduct and multiphase approaches to production. An analysis of the production period length, for example, indicates that the cost for producing a day-25 0.05-g fry is 17.25ø before tax and suggests the financial implications of transferring the responsibility of the nursery stage to grow-out farmers. Evaluation of the benefits gained from changes in nursery length, however, must also consider changes in facility requirements, mortality, and shipping costs associated with transit, and the growout performance of and market demand for different size fry. Sensitivity analyses also indicate the potential cost savings associated with the elimination of rotifer, microalgae, and enriched artemia production. Managerial decisions, however, must also consider the quality and associated production efficiencies of substitutes. [source] RFI2, a RING-domain zinc finger protein, negatively regulates CONSTANS expression and photoperiodic floweringTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 5 2006Mingjie Chen Summary The red and far-red light-absorbing phytochromes interact with the circadian clock, a central oscillator that sustains a 24-h period, to measure accurately seasonal changes in day-length and regulate the expression of several key flowering genes. The interactions and subsequent signalling steps upstream of the flowering genes such as CONSTANS (CO) and FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) remain largely unknown. We report here that a photomorphogenic mutant, red and far-red insensitive 2-1 ( rfi2-1), flowered early particularly under long days. The rfi2-1 mutation also enhanced the expression of CO and FT under day/night cycles or constant light. Both co-2 and gigantea-2 (gi-2) were epistatic to rfi2-1 in their flowering responses. The gi-2 mutation was also epistatic to the rfi2-1 mutation in the expression of CO and hypocotyl elongation. However, the rfi2-1 mutation did not affect the expression of GI, a gene that mediates between the circadian clock and the expression of CO. Like many other flowering genes, the expression of RFI2 oscillated under day/night cycles and was rhythmic under constant light. The amplitude of the rhythmic expression of RFI2 was significantly reduced in phyB-9 or lhy-20 plants, and was also affected by the gi-2 mutation. As previously reported, the gi-2 mutation affects the period length and amplitude of CCA1 and LHY expression, and GI may act through a feedback loop to maintain a proper circadian function. We propose a regulatory step in which RFI2 represses the expression of CO, whereas GI may maintain the proper expression of RFI2 through its positive action on the circadian clock. The regulatory step serves to tune the circadian outputs that control the expression of CO and photoperiodic flowering. [source] Large-scale screening of Arabidopsis circadian clock mutants by a high-throughput real-time bioluminescence monitoring systemTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2004Kiyoshi Onai Summary Using a high-throughput real-time bioluminescence monitoring system, we screened large numbers of Arabidopsis thaliana mutants for extensively altered circadian rhythms. We constructed reporter genes by fusing a promoter of an Arabidopsis flowering-time gene , either GIGANTEA (GI) or FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) , to a modified firefly luciferase gene (LUC+), and we transferred the fusion gene (PGI::LUC+ or PFT::LUC+) into the Arabidopsis genome. After mutagenesis with ethyl methanesulfonate, 50 000 M2 seedlings carrying the PGI::LUC+ and 50 000 carrying PFT::LUC+ were screened their bioluminescence rhythms. We isolated six arrhythmic (AR) mutants and 29 other mutants that showed more than 3 h difference in the period length or phase of rhythms compared with the wild-type strains. The shortest period length was 16 h, the longest 27 h. Five of the six AR mutants carrying PGI::LUC+ showed arrhythmia in bioluminescence rhythms in both constant light and constant dark. These five AR mutants also showed arrhythmia in leaf movement rhythms in constant light. Genetic analysis revealed that each of the five AR mutants carried a recessive mutation in a nuclear gene and the mutations belonged to three complementation groups, and at least one of which was mapped on a novel locus. Our results suggest that the three loci identified here may contain central clock or clock-related genes, at least one of which may be a novel. [source] Modeling of ZnO nanorods for evanescent field optical sensorsPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 10 2007Sandra Börner Abstract The optical wave guiding properties of ZnO nanorods are simulated and studied in detail using a block-iterative frequency-domain method and the results of a finite difference method as reference data. The simulations are performed for different wavelengths in the infrared spectral region that are related to specific gas absorption lines. Here both single ZnO nanorods and nanorod arrays with varying period lengths are investigated. The evanescent field distributions and penetration depths into the surrounding media are analyzed and compared as a function of wavelength and rod diameter. Our results give a general overview on the size range where ZnO nanorods may be used for evanescent field interaction based sensors for the detection of gas molecules like CO, CO2 or O2. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] | ||||||||||