1,073 research outputs found
Seabird metapopulations: searching for alternative breeding habitats
Today, many seabird species nest in port areas, which are also necessary for human economic activity. In this paper, we evaluate, using a metapopulation model, the possibilities for creating alternative breeding sites for the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) in the Rhine¿Meuse¿Scheldt estuary. We explore 22 scenarios that differ with respect to (1) loss of breeding habitat in port areas, (2) location and size of newly created habitat, and (3) coexistence of old and new habitat. Results indicate that loss of port area habitats results in a serious 41% decline in the breeding population. When the loss in ports is compensated for within the ports, the decline was negligible. Fourteen scenarios result in an increase of the Common Tern metapopulation. In these, extra breeding habitat is created outside the ports in fish-rich waters, resulting in a potential metapopulation increase of 25%. However, the period of overlap between lost and newly created habitat strongly affects the results. A gap between the removal of old and the creation of new breeding areas might cause a drop in the metapopulation level of 30%. The population recovery from this drop might take more than 100 years due to slow recolonization. Our results suggest that conservation of seabird species should be evaluated on a metapopulation scale and that the creation of new habitat may help to compensate for habitat loss in other areas. Furthermore, the results indicate that overlap between the existence of old and newly created breeding habitats is crucial for the success of compensation efforts. However, new locations should be carefully selected, because not only is the suitability of the breeding grounds important, but ample fish availability nearby is also ke
Polynomial Chaos Expansion method as a tool to evaluate and quantify field homogeneities of a novel waveguide RF Wien Filter
For the measurement of the electric dipole moment of protons and deuterons, a
novel waveguide RF Wien filter has been designed and will soon be integrated at
the COoler SYnchrotron at J\"ulich. The device operates at the harmonic
frequencies of the spin motion. It is based on a waveguide structure that is
capable of fulfilling the Wien filter condition ()
\textit{by design}. The full-wave calculations demonstrated that the waveguide
RF Wien filter is able to generate high-quality RF electric and magnetic
fields. In reality, mechanical tolerances and misalignments decrease the
simulated field quality, and it is therefore important to consider them in the
simulations. In particular, for the electric dipole moment measurement, it is
important to quantify the field errors systematically. Since Monte-Carlo
simulations are computationally very expensive, we discuss here an efficient
surrogate modeling scheme based on the Polynomial Chaos Expansion method to
compute the field quality in the presence of tolerances and misalignments and
subsequently to perform the sensitivity analysis at zero additional
computational cost.Comment: 12 pages, 19 figure
Electromagnetic Simulation and Design of a Novel Waveguide RF Wien Filter for Electric Dipole Moment Measurements of Protons and Deuterons
The conventional Wien filter is a device with orthogonal static magnetic and
electric fields, often used for velocity separation of charged particles. Here
we describe the electromagnetic design calculations for a novel waveguide RF
Wien filter that will be employed to solely manipulate the spins of protons or
deuterons at frequencies of about 0.1 to 2 MHz at the COoler SYnchrotron COSY
at J\"ulich. The device will be used in a future experiment that aims at
measuring the proton and deuteron electric dipole moments, which are expected
to be very small. Their determination, however, would have a huge impact on our
understanding of the universe.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, 4 table
The effect of dietary fish oil on weight gain and insulin sensitivity is dependent on APOE genotype in humanized targeted replacement mice
We investigated the independent and interactive impact of the common APOE genotype and marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on the development of obesity and associated cardiometabolic dysfunction in a murine model. Human APOE3 and APOE4 targeted replacement mice were fed either a high-fat control diet (HFD) or a HFD supplemented with 3% n-3 PUFA from fish oil (HFD + FO) for 8 wk. We established the impact of intervention on food intake, bodyweight, and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass; plasma, lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides), liver enzymes, and adipokines; glucose and insulin during an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test; and Glut4 and ApoE expression in VAT. HFD feeding induced more weight gain and higher plasma lipids in APOE3 compared to APOE4 mice (P < 0.05), along with a 2-fold higher insulin and impaired glucose tolerance. Supplementing APOE3, but not APOE4, animals with dietary n-3 PUFA decreased bodyweight gain, plasma lipids, and insulin (P < 0.05) and improved glucose tolerance, which was associated with increased VAT Glut4 mRNA levels (P < 0.05). Our findings demonstrate that an APOE3 genotype predisposes mice to develop obesity and its metabolic complications, which was attenuated by n-3 PUFA supplementation.—Slim, K. E., Vauzour, D., Tejera, N., Voshol, P. J., Cassidy, A., Minihane, A. M. The effect of dietary fish oil on weight gain and insulin sensitivity is dependent on APOE genotype in humanized targeted replacement mice
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High-global warming potential F-gas emissions in California: comparison of ambient-based versus inventory-based emission estimates, and implications of refined estimates.
To provide information for greenhouse gas reduction policies, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) inventories annual emissions of high-global-warming potential (GWP) fluorinated gases, the fastest growing sector of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. Baseline 2008 F-gas emissions estimates for selected chlorofluorocarbons (CFC-12), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC-22), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFC-134a) made with an inventory-based methodology were compared to emissions estimates made by ambient-based measurements. Significant discrepancies were found, with the inventory-based emissions methodology resulting in a systematic 42% under-estimation of CFC-12 emissions from older refrigeration equipment and older vehicles, and a systematic 114% overestimation of emissions for HFC-134a, a refrigerant substitute for phased-out CFCs. Initial, inventory-based estimates for all F-gas emissions had assumed that equipment is no longer in service once it reaches its average lifetime of use. Revised emission estimates using improved models for equipment age at end-of-life, inventories, and leak rates specific to California resulted in F-gas emissions estimates in closer agreement to ambient-based measurements. The discrepancies between inventory-based estimates and ambient-based measurements were reduced from -42% to -6% for CFC-12, and from +114% to +9% for HFC-134a
Edge-Based Compartmental Modeling for Infectious Disease Spread Part I: An Overview
The primary tool for predicting infectious disease spread and intervention
effectiveness is the mass action Susceptible-Infected-Recovered model of
Kermack and McKendrick. Its usefulness derives largely from its conceptual and
mathematical simplicity; however, it incorrectly assumes all individuals have
the same contact rate and contacts are fleeting. This paper is the first of
three investigating edge-based compartmental modeling, a technique eliminating
these assumptions. In this paper, we derive simple ordinary differential
equation models capturing social heterogeneity (heterogeneous contact rates)
while explicitly considering the impact of contact duration. We introduce a
graphical interpretation allowing for easy derivation and communication of the
model. This paper focuses on the technique and how to apply it in different
contexts. The companion papers investigate choosing the appropriate level of
complexity for a model and how to apply edge-based compartmental modeling to
populations with various sub-structures
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