Seals at sea: modelling seal distribution in the German bight based on aerial survey data

The Wadden Sea is an important habitat for harbour seals and grey seals. They regularly haul-out on sandbanks and islands along the coast. Comparably little is known about the time seals spend at sea and how they use the remainder of the North Sea. Yet, human activity in offshore waters is increasing and information on seal distribution in the North Sea is crucial for conservation and management. Aerial line transect surveys were conducted in the German bight from 2002 to 2007 to investigate the distribution and abundance of marine mammals. Distance sampling methodology was combined with density surface modelling for a spatially explicit analysis of seal distribution in the German North Sea. Depth and distance to coast were found to be relevant predictor variables for seal density. Density surface modelling allowed for a depiction of seal distribution in the study area as well as an abundance estimate. This is the first study to use aerial survey data to develop a density surface model (DSM) for a spatially explicit distribution estimate of seals at se

Hydrothermisch behandelte Lupinen zur Eiweißversorgung der Milchkuh

According to producer statements hydrothermal treatment of lupines increases the amount of rumen undegradable protein (UDP) from 20 % to 45 % and nXP values from 196 to 245 g/kg thus providing sufficient protein for dairy cows. To evaluate the effects of hydrothermal treatment on nutritive value of lupines, intestinal protein supply and lactation performance as well as economical and ecological efficiency, a nine months feeding trial was carried out at the Agricultural Centre Haus Riswick, Kleve. Two groups of 20 cows blocked by milk yield, parity and expected calving date were fed a forage diet of grass-clover and corn silage enriched with 3 kg of concentrates (46 % blue lupine, 41 % triticale, 10 % wheat bran, 2 % mineral feed, 1 % rape oil), sufficient for 25 kg ECM (DLG, 2001). Nutrient values per kg dry matter were as follows (control/experiment): 6,8 / 6,8 MJ NEL, 168 / 168 g XP, 144 / 148 g nXP, 3,9 / 3,2 g RNB. Nutritive value of lupines was determined by feeding wethers according to standard procedure (GfE, 1991). Protein fractions were analysed according to Shannak et al. (2000). Experimental groups varied only in lupine treatment (Börde Kraftkorn, Gröningen, GER). Yield of natural and energy corrected milk (ECM), milk fat and milk protein were higher in cows fed treated lupines (p <0,001). Urea nitrogen concentration was marginally lower compared to controls (p <0,001). Improvement of lactational performance was slightly higher during the first 100 days of lactation, but persisted during the whole lactational period. Body weight and condition were not affected by treatment. Improved lactational performance resulted in an overall better economic result

A para-differential renormalization technique for nonlinear dispersive equations

For \alpha \in (1,2) we prove that the initial-value problem \partial_t u+D^\alpha\partial_x u+\partial_x(u^2/2)=0 on \mathbb{R}_x\times\mathbb{R}_t; u(0)=\phi, is globally well-posed in the space of real-valued L^2-functions. We use a frequency dependent renormalization method to control the strong low-high frequency interactions.Comment: 42 pages, no figure

Photonic chip based optical frequency comb using soliton induced Cherenkov radiation

By continuous wave pumping of a dispersion engineered, planar silicon nitride microresonator, continuously circulating, sub-30fs short temporal dissipative solitons are generated, that correspond to pulses of 6 optical cycles and constitute a coherent optical frequency comb in the spectral domain. Emission of soliton induced Cherenkov radiation caused by higher order dispersion broadens the spectral bandwidth to 2/3 of an octave, sufficient for self referencing, in excellent agreement with recent theoretical predictions and the broadest coherent microresonator frequency comb generated to date. In a further step, this frequency comb is fully phase stabilized. The ability to preserve coherence over a broad spectral bandwidth using soliton induced Cherenkov radiation marks a critical milestone in the development of planar optical frequency combs, enabling on one hand application in e.g. coherent communications, broadband dual comb spectroscopy and Raman spectral imaging, while on the other hand significantly relaxing dispersion requirements for broadband microresonator frequency combs and providing a path for their generation in the visible and UV. Our results underscore the utility and effectiveness of planar microresonator frequency comb technology, that offers the potential to make frequency metrology accessible beyond specialized laboratories.Comment: Changes: - Added data (new Fig.4) on the first full phase stabilization of a dissipative Kerr soliton (or dissipative cavity soliton) in a microresonator - Extended Fig. 8 in the SI - Introduced nomenclature of dissipative Kerr solitons - Minor other change

Temporal Variability of Urinary Phthalate Metabolite Levels in Men of Reproductive Age

Phthalates are a family of multifunctional chemicals widely used in personal care and other consumer products. The ubiquitous use of phthalates results in human exposure through multiple sources and routes, including dietary ingestion, dermal absorption, inhalation, and parenteral exposure from medical devices containing phthalates. We explored the temporal variability over 3 months in urinary phthalate metabolite levels among 11 men who collected up to nine urine samples each during this time period. Eight phthalate metabolites were measured by solid-phase extraction–high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the between- and within-subject variance apportionment, and the sensitivity and specificity of a single urine sample to classify a subject’s 3-month average exposure. Five of the eight phthalates were frequently detected. Monoethyl phthalate (MEP) was detected in 100% of samples; monobutyl phthalate, monobenzyl phthalate, mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), and monomethyl phthalate were detected in > 90% of samples. Although we found both substantial day-to-day and month-to-month variability in each individual’s urinary phthalate metabolite levels, a single urine sample was moderately predictive of each subject’s exposure over 3 months. The sensitivities ranged from 0.56 to 0.74. Both the degree of between- and within-subject variance and the predictive ability of a single urine sample differed among phthalate metabolites. In particular, a single urine sample was most predictive for MEP and least predictive for MEHP. These results suggest that the most efficient exposure assessment strategy for a particular study may depend on the phthalates of interest

Quantum Control of the Hyperfine Spin of a Cs Atom Ensemble

We demonstrate quantum control of a large spin-angular momentum associated with the F=3 hyperfine ground state of 133Cs. A combination of time dependent magnetic fields and a static tensor light shift is used to implement near-optimal controls and map a fiducial state to a broad range of target states, with yields in the range 0.8-0.9. Squeezed states are produced also by an adiabatic scheme that is more robust against errors. Universal control facilitates the encoding and manipulation of qubits and qudits in atomic ground states, and may lead to improvement of some precision measurements.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures (color

First evidence for fin whale migration into the Pacific from Antarctic feeding grounds at Elephant Island

Funding: This work was funded by IWC-SORP and by the DFG within the priority programme SPP 1158 ‘Antarctic Research with comparative investigations in Arctic ice areas’ by grant HE5696/3-1. Additional funding from National Geographic / Disney+ supported field efforts by Hickmott.This study presents the first long-distance tracks of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) equipped with satellite transmitters off the Antarctic Peninsula. Southern Hemisphere fin whales were severely depleted by twentieth century industrial whaling, yet recently, they have returned to historical feeding grounds off the northern Antarctic Peninsula, forming large aggregations in austral summers. To date, our knowledge only extended to summer behaviour, while information regarding migration routes and the location of breeding and wintering grounds are lacking. During the austral autumn of 2021, we deployed nsatellite transmitters on four fin whales at Elephant Island. Two transmitters stopped working while the animals were still at the feeding grounds, while two continued to transmit during the transition from feeding activity to migration. Both migrating animals left the feeding ground on 15 April 2021, travelling northward into the Pacific and up along the Chilean coast. The most northerly position received before all tags stopped transmitting on 1 May 2021 was at 48°S. These tracks provide initial evidence of seasonal migratory routes and a first indication toward possible locations of winter destinations. This information, even if preliminary, is critical for investigations of population connectivity, population structure and the identification of breeding grounds of Southern Hemisphere fin whales.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A statistical post-processor for accounting of hydrologic uncertainty in short-range ensemble streamflow prediction

International audienceIn addition to the uncertainty in future boundary conditions of precipitation and temperature (i.e. the meteorological uncertainty), parametric and structural uncertainties in the hydrologic models and uncertainty in the model initial conditions (i.e. the hydrologic uncertainties) constitute a major source of error in hydrologic prediction. As such, accurate accounting of both meteorological and hydrologic uncertainties is critical to producing reliable probabilistic hydrologic prediction. In this paper, we describe and evaluate a statistical procedure that accounts for hydrologic uncertainty in short-range (1 to 5 days ahead) ensemble streamflow prediction (ESP). Referred to as the ESP post-processor, the procedure operates on ensemble traces of model-predicted streamflow that reflect only the meteorological uncertainty and produces post-processed ensemble traces that reflect both the meteorological and hydrologic uncertainties. A combination of probability matching and regression, the procedure is simple, parsimonious and robust. For a critical evaluation of the procedure, independent validation is carried out for five basins of the Juniata River in Pennsylvania, USA, under a very stringent setting. The results indicate that the post-processor is fully capable of producing ensemble traces that are unbiased in the mean and in the probabilistic sense. Due primarily to the uncertainties in the cumulative probability distributions (CDF) of observed and simulated flows, however, the unbiasedness may be compromised to a varying degree in real world situations. It is also shown, however, that the uncertainties in the CDF's do not significantly diminish the value of post-processed ensemble traces for decision making, and that probabilistic prediction based on post-processed ensemble traces significantly improves the value of single-value prediction at all ranges of flow