Density-and trait-mediated effects of a parasite and a predator in a tri-trophic food web

1. Despite growing interest in ecological consequences of parasitism in food webs, relatively little is known about effects of parasites on long-term population dynamics of non-host species or about whether such effects are density- or trait- mediated. 2. We studied a tri-trophic food chain comprised of: (i) a bacterial basal resource (Serratia fonticola), (ii) an intermediate consumer (Paramecium caudatum), (iii) a top predator (Didinium nasutum), and (iv) a parasite of the intermediate consumer (Holospora undulata). A fully-factorial experimental manipulation of predator and parasite presence/absence was combined with analyses of population dynamics, modelling, and analyses of host (Paramecium) morphology and behavior. 3. Predation and parasitism each reduced the abundance of the intermediate consumer (Paramecium), and parasitism indirectly reduced the abundance of the basal resource (Serratia). However, in combination, predation and parasitism had non-additive effects on the abundance of the intermediate consumer, as well as on that of the basal resource. In both cases, the negative effect of parasitism seemed to be effaced by predation. 4. Infection of the intermediate consumer reduced predator abundance. Modelling and additional experimentation revealed that this was most likely due to parasite reduction of intermediate host abundance (a density-mediated effect), as opposed to changes in predator functional or numerical response. 5. Parasitism altered morphological and behavioural traits, by reducing host cell length and increasing the swimming speed of cells with moderate parasite loads. Additional tests showed no significant difference in Didinium feeding rate on infected and uninfected hosts, suggesting that the combination of these modifications does not affect host vulnerability to predation. However, estimated rates of encounter with Serratia based on these modifications were higher for infected Paramecium than for uninfected Paramecium. 6. A mixture of density-mediated and trait-mediated indirect effects of parasitism on non- host species creates rich and complex possibilities for effects of parasites in food webs that should be included in assessments of possible impacts of parasite eradication or introduction

Evaluation of a small municipal constructed wetland wastewater treatment system

Modifications were made to an existing wastewater wetland treatment system to improve its effluent quality. Modifications included installation of baffles in the pond and the planting of selected plant materials. Removal efficiencies for BOD, ammonianitrogen, TSS and phosphate were monitored and shown to be influenced more by water temperature, loading rate and hydraulic retention time than presence of sparsely established vegetation. This study shows that the plant materials selected were inappropriate for use in wetland systems for wastewater treatment systems in mid-Missouri. Also, the presence of bottom sludge in the wetland system prevented the propagation of the selected plants.Project # G-1572-04 Agreement # 14-08-0001-G-1572-0

Wavelet Transform of Fractional Integrals for Integrable Boehmians

The present paper deals with the wavelet transform of fractional integral operator (the Riemann- Liouville operators) on Boehmian spaces. By virtue of the existing relation between the wavelet transform and the Fourier transform, we obtained integrable Boehmians defined on the Boehmian space for the wavelet transform of fractional integrals

Entanglement by linear SU(2) transformations: generation and evolution of quantum vortex states

We consider the evolution of a two-mode system of bosons under the action of a Hamiltonian that generates linear SU(2) transformations. The Hamiltonian is generic in that it represents a host of entanglement mechanisms, which can thus be treated in a unified way. We start by solving the quantum dynamics analytically when the system is initially in a Fock state. We show how the two modes get entangled by evolution to produce a coherent superposition of vortex states in general, and a single vortex state under certain conditions. The degree of entanglement between the modes is measured by finding the explicit analytical dependence of the Von Neumann entropy on the system parameters. The reduced state of each mode is analyzed by means of its correlation function and spatial coherence function. Remarkably, our analysis is shown to be equally as valid for a variety of initial states that can be prepared from a two-mode Fock state via a unitary transformation and for which the results can be obtained by mere inspection of the corresponding results for an initial Fock state. As an example, we consider a quantum vortex as the initial state and also find conditions for its revival and charge conjugation. While studying the evolution of the initial vortex state, we have encountered and explained an interesting situation in which the entropy of the system does not evolve whereas its wave function does. Although the modal concept has been used throughout the paper, it is important to note that the theory is equally applicable for a two-particle system in which each particle is represented by its bosonic creation and annihilation operators.Comment: 6 figure

Simulations of the OzDES AGN Reverberation Mapping Project

As part of the OzDES spectroscopic survey we are carrying out a large scale reverberation mapping study of $\sim$500 quasars over five years in the 30 deg$^2$ area of the Dark Energy Survey (DES) supernova fields. These quasars have redshifts ranging up to 4 and have apparent AB magnitudes between $16.8<r<22.5$ mag. The aim of the survey is to measure time lags between fluctuations in the quasar continuum and broad emission line fluxes of individual objects in order to measure black hole masses for a broad range of AGN and constrain the radius-luminosity ($R-L$) relationship. Here we investigate the expected efficiency of the OzDES reverberation mapping campaign and its possible extensions. We expect to recover lags for $\sim$35-45\% of the quasars. AGN with shorter lags and greater variability are more likely to yield a lag, and objects with lags $\lesssim$6 months or $\sim$1 year are expected be recovered the most accurately. The baseline OzDES reverberation mapping campaign is predicted to produce an unbiased measurement of the $R-L$ relationship parameters for H$\beta$, Mg II $\lambda$2798, and C IV $\lambda$1549. However, extending the baseline survey by either increasing the spectroscopic cadence, extending the survey season, or improving the emission line flux measurement accuracy will significantly improve the $R-L$ parameter constraints for all broad emission lines.Comment: Published online in MNRAS. 28 page

Flying-fish fishery along the Coromandel coast

The flying-fish fishery is an important seasonal fishery on the east coast of India extending from Madras to Point CaUmere along the Coromandel coast. Beyond this region there is no organised fishery for this species though they have been recorded in small numbers elsewhere along the east coast and rarely along the west coast. Along the Coromandel coast the season starts towards the end of May and lasts till the middle of July, though occasionally it extends up to the middle of August. It has been observed that the flying-fishes never appear in discoloured and muddy water. It is reported that, if the monsoons break early and discolour the sea-water with the silt from the rivers, the fishes migrate away from the shore and the season comes to an abrupt end