1,001 research outputs found
Elephants can determine ethnicity, gender, and age from acoustic cues in human voices
Animals can accrue direct fitness benefits by accurately classifying predatory threat according to the species of predator and the magnitude of risk associated with an encounter. Human predators present a particularly interesting cognitive challenge, as it is typically the case that different human subgroups pose radically different levels of danger to animals living around them. Although a number of prey species have proved able to discriminate between certain human categories on the basis of visual and olfactory cues, vocalizations potentially provide a much richer source of information. We now use controlled playback experiments to investigate whether family groups of free-ranging African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Amboseli National Park, Kenya can use acoustic characteristics of speech to make functionally relevant distinctions between human subcategories differing not only in ethnicity but also in sex and age. Our results demonstrate that elephants can reliably discriminate between two different ethnic groups that differ in the level of threat they represent, significantly increasing their probability of defensive bunching and investigative smelling following playbacks of Maasai voices. Moreover, these responses were specific to the sex and age of Maasai presented, with the voices of Maasai women and boys, subcategories that would generally pose little threat, significantly less likely to produce these behavioral responses. Considering the long history and often pervasive predatory threat associated with humans across the globe, it is likely that abilities to precisely identify dangerous subcategories of humans on the basis of subtle voice characteristics could have been selected for in other cognitively advanced animal species
Eulerian spectral closures for isotropic turbulence using a time-ordered fluctuation-dissipation relation
Procedures for time-ordering the covariance function, as given in a previous
paper (K. Kiyani and W.D. McComb Phys. Rev. E 70, 066303 (2004)), are extended
and used to show that the response function associated at second order with the
Kraichnan-Wyld perturbation series can be determined by a local (in wavenumber)
energy balance. These time-ordering procedures also allow the two-time
formulation to be reduced to time-independent form by means of exponential
approximations and it is verified that the response equation does not have an
infra-red divergence at infinite Reynolds number. Lastly, single-time
Markovianised closure equations (stated in the previous paper above) are
derived and shown to be compatible with the Kolmogorov distribution without the
need to introduce an ad hoc constant.Comment: 12 page
Non-local modulation of the energy cascade in broad-band forced turbulence
Classically, large-scale forced turbulence is characterized by a transfer of
energy from large to small scales via nonlinear interactions. We have
investigated the changes in this energy transfer process in broad-band forced
turbulence where an additional perturbation of flow at smaller scales is
introduced. The modulation of the energy dynamics via the introduction of
forcing at smaller scales occurs not only in the forced region but also in a
broad range of length-scales outside the forced bands due to non-local triad
interactions. Broad-band forcing changes the energy distribution and energy
transfer function in a characteristic manner leading to a significant
modulation of the turbulence. We studied the changes in this transfer of energy
when changing the strength and location of the small-scale forcing support. The
energy content in the larger scales was observed to decrease, while the energy
transport power for scales in between the large and small scale forcing regions
was enhanced. This was investigated further in terms of the detailed transfer
function between the triad contributions and observing the long-time statistics
of the flow. The energy is transferred toward smaller scales not only by
wavenumbers of similar size as in the case of large-scale forced turbulence,
but by a much wider extent of scales that can be externally controlled.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. E, 15 pages, 18 figures, uses revtex4.cl
A comparison of the in vitro and in planta responses of Phytophthora cinnamomi isolates to phosphite
Research in plant pathology often relies on testing interactions between a fungicide and a pathogen in vitro and extrapolating from these results what may happen in planta. Likewise, results from glasshouse experiments are used to estimate what will happen if the fungicide is applied in the field. However, it is difficult to obtain conditions in vitro and in the glasshouse which reflect the conditions where the fungicide may eventually be used, in the field.
The aim of this paper is to compare results of the effect of phosphite on P. cinnamomi isolates in vitro and in planta
The 1000 GeV gamma rays from ms pulsars
The detection of 1000 GeV gamma-rays with the characteristic 6.1 ms periodicity of the radio pulsar PSR 1953 +29 is reported. This result, significant at the 5.4 beta level, provides the first direct evidence for the association of the 6 ms radio pulsar PSR1953+29 with the gamma-ray source 2CG065+0. Extensive observations of the 1.5 ms pulsar PSR 1937 are also reported
1000 GeV gamma rays from Cygnus X-3: An update
Measurements of 1000 GeV gamma-rays from Cygnus X-3 made with the University of Durham facility at Dugway, Utah in 1981/82 are reviewed. The light curve of the 4.8 hour modulated emission is updated and shows evidence significant at the 4.4 sigma level for strong emission (9% of the cosmic ray rate) at phase 0.625 and less significant (1.4 sigma level) indications of weaker emission (3% of the cosmic ray rate) at phase 0.125. The effect constituting the excess on the few nights showing the strongest emission appears to arise from the smallest Cerenkov light signals suggesting a steep gamma-ray spectrum. The 1982 data have been searched unsuccessfully for evidence of emission at phase 0.2, in coincidence with the results from the ultra-high energy (extensive Air Showers (EAS) measurements in 1979-1982. A systematic investigation of a long term variation in the strength of the peak of the 4.8 hr modulated 1000 GeV gamma-ray emission has been made. We find that in addition to the approximately 34 d variation reported by us previously, a stronger effect exists at around 19d
The 1000 GeV gamma ray emission from radio pulsars
Radio pulsars have concentrated on long observations of the Crab pulsar and showed that it emits short intense bursts and a persistent weak periodic flux at gamma-ray energies 1000 GeV. It was shown that the light curve of the persistent emission was dominated by a single peak, coincident with the position of the radio and low energy gamma-ray main pulse. The results of a more detailed analysis of the structure of this main pulse are reported following an appraisal of the timing system. It is shown that at energies 1000 GeV the duration of the main pulse is not greater than 0.4 ms, which is less than that seen at all frequencies other than radio. Flux limits for the emission of 1000 GeV gamma-rays by seven other radio pulsars are reporte
The 4U 0115+63: Another energetic gamma ray binary pulsar
Following the discovery of Her X-1 as a source of pulsed 1000 Gev X-rays, a search for emission from an X-ray binary containing a pulsar with similar values of period, period derivative and luminosity was successful. The sporadic X-ray binary 4U 0115-63 has been observed, with probability 2.5 x 10 to the minus 6 power ergs/s to emit 1000 GeV gamma-rays with a time averaged energy flux of 6 to 10 to the 35th power
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