278 research outputs found
Just a different place to graze? An unusual occurrence of the echinoid feeding trace Gnathichnus pentax on a marine vertebrate coprolite (Miocene, Italy) and its palaeoethological implications
Faeces produced by marine vertebrates and macro-invertebrates contain sufficient organic matter to represent a usable food source for a wide array of macroscopic animals. In some extant marine environments, coprophagy even represents a crucial trophic interaction in food webs. In ancient ecosystems, coprophagy by macroscopic animals is occasionally exemplified by coprolites that exhibit biting traces or burrows. Here, we report Gnathichnus pentax on an exquisitely preserved vertebrate-bitten vertebrate coprolite from the marine calcareous deposits of the Pietra leccese (Miocene, southern Italy). This unusual occurrence is interpreted as evidence of the feeding activity of a regular echi-noid; in particular, it may represent either exploratory coprophagy or the browsing of an algal (microbial) film that locally developed on the exterior of the faeces. Strengthening the former interpretation, the development of microbial communities on submerged faeces often leads to their destruction; furthermore, some extant Antarctic echinoderms are well known to ordinarily feed on vertebrate faeces, and coprophagy is believed to be fairly widespread among sea urchins. Supporting the algal browsing hypothesis, in turn, only a limited area of the external surface of the faeces was subject to grazing, and the resulting trace is neatly defined, which suggest that the feeding sea urchin targeted a precise location on the dung's exterior when the latter was already rather firm. To our knowledge, the G. pentax specimen studied here represents the first published record of this ichnotaxon on a coprolite
Fluctuation-dissipation relationship in chaotic dynamics
We consider a general N-degree-of-freedom dissipative system which admits of
chaotic behaviour. Based on a Fokker-Planck description associated with the
dynamics we establish that the drift and the diffusion coefficients can be
related through a set of stochastic parameters which characterize the steady
state of the dynamical system in a way similar to fluctuation-dissipation
relation in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. The proposed relationship is
verified by numerical experiments on a driven double well system.Comment: Revtex, 23 pages, 2 figure
The lower Pliocene elasmobranch assemblage from Arcille (Campagnatico, Grosseto Province): palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental significance
- Tuscany hosts a conspicuous fossil record of elasmobranchs.
- New stratigraphically informed studies are need to be performed.
- A newly discovered elasmobranch assemblage is described from the lower Pliocene Campagnatico locality.
- This diverse assemblage allows for a reconstruction of an early Pliocene marginal-marine palaeoenvironment of Tuscany
Self-organized criticality in deterministic systems with disorder
Using the Bak-Sneppen model of biological evolution as our paradigm, we
investigate in which cases noise can be substituted with a deterministic signal
without destroying Self-Organized Criticality (SOC). If the deterministic
signal is chaotic the universality class is preserved; some non-universal
features, such as the threshold, depend on the time correlation of the signal.
We also show that, if the signal introduced is periodic, SOC is preserved but
in a different universality class, as long as the spectrum of frequencies is
broad enough.Comment: RevTex, 8 pages, 8 figure
Self-Organized Criticality Driven by Deterministic Rules
We have investigated the essential ingredients allowing a system to show Self
Organized Criticality (SOC) in its collective behavior. Using the Bak-Sneppen
model of biological evolution as our paradigm, we show that the random
microscopic rules of update can be effectively substituted with a chaotic map
without changing the universality class. Using periodic maps SOC is preserved,
but in a different universality class, as long as the spectrum of frequencies
is broad enough.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex (tar.gz), 4 eps-figures include
Irreversible Quantum Baker Map
We propose a generalization of the model of classical baker map on the torus,
in which the images of two parts of the phase space do overlap. This
transformation is irreversible and cannot be quantized by means of a unitary
Floquet operator. A corresponding quantum system is constructed as a completely
positive map acting in the space of density matrices. We investigate spectral
properties of this super-operator and their link with the increase of the
entropy of initially pure states.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures include
Hyperbolic Scar Patterns in Phase Space
We develop a semiclassical approximation for the spectral Wigner and Husimi
functions in the neighbourhood of a classically unstable periodic orbit of
chaotic two dimensional maps. The prediction of hyperbolic fringes for the
Wigner function, asymptotic to the stable and unstable manifolds, is verified
computationally for a (linear) cat map, after the theory is adapted to a
discrete phase space appropriate to a quantized torus. The characteristic
fringe patterns can be distinguished even for quasi-energies where the fixed
point is not Bohr-quantized. The corresponding Husimi function dampens these
fringes with a Gaussian envelope centered on the periodic point. Even though
the hyperbolic structure is then barely perceptible, more periodic points stand
out due to the weakened interference.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, Submited to Phys. Rev.
Wigner Functions and Separability for Finite Systems
A discussion of discrete Wigner functions in phase space related to mutually
unbiased bases is presented. This approach requires mathematical assumptions
which limits it to systems with density matrices defined on complex Hilbert
spaces of dimension p^n where p is a prime number. With this limitation it is
possible to define a phase space and Wigner functions in close analogy to the
continuous case. That is, we use a phase space that is a direct sum of n
two-dimensional vector spaces each containing p^2 points. This is in contrast
to the more usual choice of a two-dimensional phase space containing p^(2n)
points. A useful aspect of this approach is that we can relate complete
separability of density matrices and their Wigner functions in a natural way.
We discuss this in detail for bipartite systems and present the generalization
to arbitrary numbers of subsystems when p is odd. Special attention is required
for two qubits (p=2) and our technique fails to establish the separability
property for more than two qubits.Comment: Some misprints have been corrected and a proof of the separability of
the A matrices has been adde
mortality risk factors show similar trends in modern and historic populations exposed to plague
Introduction: Plague has been responsible for two major historic pandemics (6thâ8th century CE; 14thâ19th century CE) and a modern one. The recent Malagasy plague outbreaks raised new concerns on the deadly potential of the plague-causing bacteria Yersinia pestis. Between September 2014 and April 2015, outbreaks of bubonic and pneumonic plague hit the Malagasy population. Two hundred and sixty-three cases, including 71 deaths, have been reported in 16 different districts with a case fatality rate of 27%. The scope of our study was to ascertain whether the risk factors for health in modern-day populations exposed to plague and in ancient populations that faced the two historic pandemics varied or remained substantially unaltered. Methodology: The risk of mortality of the Malagasy population with those obtained from the reconstruction of three samples of European populations exposed to the historic pandemics was contrasted. Results: The evidence shows that the risks of death are not uniform across age neither in modern nor in historic populations exposed to plague and shows precise concentrations in specific age groups (children between five and nine years of age and young adults). Conclusions: Although in the post-antibiotic era, the fatality rates have drastically reduced, both modern and historic populations were exposed to the same risk factors that are essentially represented by a low standard of environmental hygiene, poor nutrition, and weak health systems
Enlarged vascular foramina and lytic lesions in vertebral bodies: a diagnostic dilemma
Among the skeletal material from the sites of Alghero, Mesumundu and SantâAntioco di Bisarcio (Sassari, Sardinia) and dated back to the period comprises between the 13th and the late 16th century 5 subadult individuals aged between 5 and 15 years and a mature male showed peculiar osteolytic phenomena of the vertebral bodies. These lesions have the appearance of enlarged vascular foramina, affecting several vertebrae mainly of the thoracic and lumbar spine, sometimes with involvement of the sacrum; on the same vertebral body several lesions are generally visible. In the literature similar features have been attributed to brucellosis or tuberculosis. As for the Sardinian skeletal material, an imaging study on the vertebrae of the adult individual was carried out in order to evaluate the appearance of the lesions within the body. Computed Tomography evidenced internal irregular elongated cavitations, sometimes joined together; erosive rounded lesions, whose presence is not detectable externally, were also showed. The molecular analysis has so far been performed on the subadult from SantâAntioco di Bisarcio, but at initial analysis the DNA resulted degraded. Therefore, the nature of these lesions remains unclear, as it is not sure if they should be referred to tuberculosis, brucellosis or other pathological conditions [hemolytic anemias (eg. Thalassemia), lymphomas, multiple myeloma and infection by Echinococcus]. Further molecular analyses will be carried out on the remains belonging to the other five individuals in an attempt to clarify the etiology of the above mentioned lesions
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