The impact of village proximity on clutch size and nesting succes of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus 1758)

Čvorak (Sturnus vulgaris) je široko rasprostranjena gnjezdarica kontinentalne Hrvatske, a nastanjuje i prirodna i urbana staništa. Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi eventualni utjecaj blizine naselja na veličinu pologa i uspješnost gniježđenja čvorka tijekom dva gniježđenja u proljeće 2015. godine na području sela Mokrice u Hrvatskom zagorju i okolne šume. Istraživana su gnijezda u škrinjicama. U svakoj škrinjici zabilježen je datum leženja prvog jaja, broj jaja, izmjerena je njihova duljina i širina te zabilježen broj izvaljenih mladunaca. Mjerenje jaja izvođeno je pomičnim mjerilom, a volumen je izračunat prema Hoytovoj formuli. Normalnost podataka testirana je Shapiro – Wilkovim testom, a u statističkoj analizi korištene su Pearsonova korelacija i ANOVA. Značajna razlika između parametara gniježđenja u selu i šumi zabilježena je samo kod broja jaja i broja mladunaca, pri čemu su u šumi dobivene više vrijednosti za obje varijable. Nije zabilježena negativna korelacija između volumena jaja i veličine pologa te nije potvrđena hipoteza ustupka. Veći broj jaja i mladunaca a time i veća uspješnost gniježđenja zabilježeni su u prvom pologu čime su potvrđena i ranija istraživanja o smanjenim reproduktivnim svojstvima čvoraka prilikom odmicanja sezone gniježđenja.Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a widespread nesting bird in continental Croatia inhabiting natural and urban habitats. The aim of this study was to determine the possible impact of the proximity of the settlement to their clutch size and nesting success during two nesting periods in the spring of 2015 conducted at the Mokrice village in Hrvatsko Zagorje region and surrounding woods. The study used nests located in nesting boxes recorded. The laying date of the first egg, number of eggs, egg length and width, as well as the number of hatched offspring were recorded for each nest. Calliper was used to measure the eggs and the volume was calculated according to the Hoyt formula. The normality of the data was tested by the Shapiro - Wilk test and the statistical data were calculated using Pearson correlation and the ANOVA. A significant correlation between the success of nesting in the village and the forest was found only in the number of eggs and the number of offspring, where the forest provided higher value for both variables. No correlation between the volume of eggs and the clutch size was found which have not confirmed trade-off hypothesis of optimal clutch/egg size. A larger number of eggs and offspring and a higher breeding success recorded in the first brood confirmed earlier findings about reduced reproductive characteristics of starling later in breeding season

Spartan Daily, December 18, 1968

Volume 56, Issue 54https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/5070/thumbnail.jp

The population increase of the Hooded Crow, Corvus corone cornix Linnaeus, 1758, in Zagreb, from 2004 to 2017

Siva vrana (Corvus corone cornix, L.) eurazijska je vrsta ptica iz reda vrapčarki (Passeriformes), porodice vrana (Corvidae) koja nastanjuje veći dio europskog kontinenta, pretežno istočnu i sjevernu Europu. Oportunisti su koji uspješno iskorištavaju promjene uslijed urbanizacije krajolika, što pokazuje i rast njihovih populacija u raznim europskim gradovima. Cilj istraživanja bio kvantificirati istražiti brojnost i porast populacije sivih vrana na području Zagreba prebrojavanjem gnijezdećih parova unutar 16 odabranih kvadrata površine 1 km². Dobiveni podaci uspoređeni su s onima prikupljenim između 2004. i 2007. godine, te je utvrđen rast u gotovo svim odabranim kvadratima. Dokazana je korelacija između porasta sivih vrana i visokourbaniziranih područja grada ali i njihovo preferiranje parkova i ostalih otvorenih površina.The Hooded Crow (Corvus corone cornix, L.) is a Eurasian bird species which belongs to the order Passeriformes and family Corvidae. It is found across the European continent, mostly in Eastern and Northern Europe. They are opportunistic species that successfully exploit the habitat changes brought by urbanization, which is reflectedseen by the growth of their populations across European towns. The aim of this research was to quantify the increase of the Hooded Crow population in Zagreb by counting the nesting couples in 16 squares that have a surface of 1 km². The data was compared to those gathered between 2004 and 2007, and an increase has been shown in almost all of the squares. A correlation between the increase of the Hooded Crow population and the highly urbanized parts of the city was found, as well as their prefference has not been proven, as crows preferred parks and green areas

VALIDATION OF A MODEL OF SENSORIMOTOR INTEGRATION WITH CLINICAL BENEFITS

Healthy sensorimotor integration – or how our touch influences our movements – is critical to efficiently interact with our environment. Yet, many aspects of this process are still poorly understood. Importantly, several movement disorders are often considered as originating from purely motor impairments, while a sensory origin could also lead to a similar set of symptoms. To alleviate these issues, we hereby propose a novel biologically-based model of the sensorimotor loop, known as the SMILE model. After describing both the functional, and the corresponding neuroanatomical versions of the SMILE, we tested several aspects of its motor component through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Both experimental studies resulted in coherent outcomes with respect to the SMILE predictions, but they also provided novel scientific outcomes about such broad topics as the sub-phases of motor imagery, the neural processing of bodily representations, or the extend of the role of the extrastriate body area. In the final sections of this manuscript, we describe some potential clinical application of the SMILE. The first one presents the identification of plausible neuroanatomical origins for focal hand dystonia, a yet poorly understood sensorimotor disorder. The last chapter then covers possible improvements on brain-machine interfaces, driven by a better understanding of the sensorimotor system. -- La façon dont votre sens du toucher et vos mouvements interagissent est connue sous le nom d’intégration sensorimotrice. Ce procédé est essentiel pour une interaction normale avec tout ce qui nous entoure. Cependant, plusieurs aspects de ce processus sont encore méconnus. Plus important encore, l’origine de certaines déficiences motrices encore trop peu comprises sont parfois considérées comme purement motrice, alors qu’une origine sensorielle pourrait mener à un même ensemble de symptômes. Afin d’améliorer cette situation, nous proposons ici un nouveau modèle d’intégration sensorimotrice, dénommé « SMILE », basé sur les connaissances de neurobiologie actuelles. Dans ce manuscrit, nous commençons par décrire les caractéristiques fonctionnelles et neuroanatomiques du SMILE. Plusieurs expériences sont ensuite effectuées, via l’imagerie par résonance magnétique fonctionnelle (IRMf), et la stimulation magnétique transcranienne (SMT), afin de tester différents aspects de la composante motrice du SMILE. Si les résultats de ces expériences corroborent les prédictions du SMILE, elles ont aussi mis en évidences d’autres résultats scientifiques intéressants et novateurs, dans des domaines aussi divers que les sous-phases de l’imagination motrice, les processus cérébraux liés aux représentations corporelles, ou encore l’extension du rôle de l’extrastriate body area. Dans les dernières parties de ce manuscrit, nous dévoilons quelques applications cliniques potentielles de notre modèle. Nous utilisons le SMILE afin de proposer deux origines cérébrales plausibles de la dystonie focale de la main. Le dernier chapitre présente comment certaines technologies existantes, telles que les interfaces cerveaux-machines, pourraient bénéficier d’une meilleure compréhension du système sensorimoteur

Distribuição e ecologia de Athene noctua e Tyto alba em áreas rurais

Mestrado em Ecologia, Biodiversidade e Gestão de EcossistemasCom este trabalho pretende-se contribuir para aumentar a informação sobre Strigiformes em geral e para o Mocho-galego e Coruja-das-torres em particular. Para isso foi levado a cabo um censo de forma a conhecer a distribuição na área de estudo, que se cingia às áreas rurais do concelho de Gouveia. Através dos resultados obtidos foi possível cruzar as áreas dos territórios de cada espécie com as cartas de uso de solo, de modo a estudar as preferências de habitat. Verificou-se que para o Mocho-galego algumas variáveis do uso do solo influenciam positivamente, sendo que estas vão de encontro ao habitat preferencial desta espécie, e outras influenciam negativamente, sendo as que normalmente esta espécie evita. No caso da Coruja-das-torres não foram encontradas diferenças significativas, realçando a preferência desta espécie por habitats complexos. ABSTRACT: With this study we tend to contribute to enlarge the information about Strigiformes and more particularly about Little owl and Barn owl. To achieve this purpose was done a census to know the distribution of this species in the study area, which was in the farmland areas in Gouveia. With the results was possible to confront de home range areas of each specie with the land use digital maps, studying habitat preferences. For the Little owl, some of the variables had a positive influence, which agrees with the optimum habitat for this species. Other ones had a negative influence, and those are the ones that this species usually avoid. For the Barn owl, there were no significant differences between the variables, highlighting this specie preference for complex habitats

Dynamic system identification methods for fMRI data processing

Katedra řídicí technik

Modulation der angeborenen Immunität der Lunge durch Umwelteinflüsse und allergische Entzündung

Die Atemwege des Menschen sind von einem mehrzelligen Epithel ausgekleidet. Dieses Atemwegsepithel ist nicht nur eine physikalische Barriere für Pathogene, sondern auch aktiv an der angeborenen Immunität beteiligt. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war es, Komponenten der angeborenen Immunantwort des Respirationstrakts und des Atemwegsepithels bei bakterieller Entzündung unter Einfluß von Zigarettenrauch und allergischer Entzündung zu charakterisieren. Als erstes wurde die angeborene Immunantwort von Atemwegsepithelzellen in vitro untersucht. Es zeigte sich, daß Atemwegsepithelzellen Toll-like Rezeptoren (TLR) exprimieren und sich durch Pathogene sowie deren Bestandteile aktivieren lassen. Dies zeigte sich in der Induktion von Zytokinen, Chemokinen und antimikrobiellen Peptiden. Als nächstes wurden die beiden antimikrobiellen Peptide LL-37/hCAP-18 und hBD-2 in Atemwegssekreten von Pneumoniepatienten und Patienten mit COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) basierend auf einem α1-Antitrypsin-Mangel nachgewiesen. Im Fall der Patienten mit COPD ergab sich ein Zusammenhang zwischen Entzündung und den Konzentrationen von hBD-2 und LL-37/hCAP-18. Während einer Exazerbation waren die Konzentrationen von hBD-2 und von LL-37/hCAP-18 signifikant höher als nach dem Abklingen der Exazerbation. Rauchen ist die wichtigste Ursache für chronische Bronchitis und COPD. Es wurde daher die Auswirkung von Zigarettenrauch auf die angeborene Immunität von Atemwegsepithelzellen untersucht. Es ergab sich, daß Zigarettenrauch in vitro einerseits zu einer MAP Kinasen und NF-κB abhängigen Abgabe pro-inflammatorischer Zytokine führte, anderseits aber Rauch die durch Bakterien induzierte Expression von β-Defensinen hemmte. Es zeigte sich weiter, daß an der geminderten β-Defensin Expression reaktive Sauerstoffspezies beteiligt sind. In Rachenspülwassern von Patienten mit einer Pneumonie ergab sich eine negative Korrelation zwischen der Konzentration des β-Defensins hBD-2 und den „Packyears“, d.h. der Menge an gerauchten Zigaretten. Bei der allergischen Entzündung des Respirationstrakts spielen Th2-Zytokine eine Rolle. Die in dieser Studie durchgeführten in vitro Experimente zeigten, daß Th2-Zytokine die Expression von β-Defensinen bei Atemwegsepithelzellen hemmen. In vivo Studien in einem murinen Asthma-Modell ergaben darüber hinaus, daß die allergische Entzündung zu einem Abwehrdefekt bei einer bakteriellen Infektion führt. Dieser Abwehrdefekt, der sich in einer verzögerten Klärung der bakteriellen Infektion zeigte, konnte auf eine geminderte Abgabe pro-inflammatorischer Zytokine, einen geminderten Einstrom von neutrophilen Granulozyten und eine geminderte Abgabe des antimikrobiellen Peptids CRAMP zurückgeführt werden. Die vorliegende Studie zeigt, daß das Atemwegsepithel aktiv an der angeborenen Immunität beteiligt ist und daß äußere Einflüsse wie Zigarettenrauch aber auch eine allergische Entzündung das Abwehrsystem der Lunge beeinflussen

Washington University Record, December 5, 1991

https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/record/1568/thumbnail.jp

Should patients with abnormal liver function tests in primary care be tested for chronic viral hepatitis: cost minimisation analysis based on a comprehensively tested cohort

Background Liver function tests (LFTs) are ordered in large numbers in primary care, and the Birmingham and Lambeth Liver Evaluation Testing Strategies (BALLETS) study was set up to assess their usefulness in patients with no pre-existing or self-evident liver disease. All patients were tested for chronic viral hepatitis thereby providing an opportunity to compare various strategies for detection of this serious treatable disease. Methods This study uses data from the BALLETS cohort to compare various testing strategies for viral hepatitis in patients who had received an abnormal LFT result. The aim was to inform a strategy for identification of patients with chronic viral hepatitis. We used a cost-minimisation analysis to define a base case and then calculated the incremental cost per case detected to inform a strategy that could guide testing for chronic viral hepatitis. Results Of the 1,236 study patients with an abnormal LFT, 13 had chronic viral hepatitis (nine hepatitis B and four hepatitis C). The strategy advocated by the current guidelines (repeating the LFT with a view to testing for specific disease if it remained abnormal) was less efficient (more expensive per case detected) than a simple policy of testing all patients for viral hepatitis without repeating LFTs. A more selective strategy of viral testing all patients for viral hepatitis if they were born in countries where viral hepatitis was prevalent provided high efficiency with little loss of sensitivity. A notably high alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level (greater than twice the upper limit of normal) on the initial ALT test had high predictive value, but was insensitive, missing half the cases of viral infection. Conclusions Based on this analysis and on widely accepted clinical principles, a "fast and frugal" heuristic was produced to guide general practitioners with respect to diagnosing cases of viral hepatitis in asymptomatic patients with abnormal LFTs. It recommends testing all patients where a clear clinical indication of infection is present (e.g. evidence of intravenous drug use), followed by testing all patients who originated from countries where viral hepatitis is prevalent, and finally testing those who have a notably raised ALT level (more than twice the upper limit of normal). Patients not picked up by this efficient algorithm had a risk of chronic viral hepatitis that is lower than the general population