Plant ecology meets animal cognition: impacts of animal memory on seed dispersal

We propose that an understanding of animal learning and memory is critical to predicting the impacts of animals on plant populations through processes such as seed dispersal, pollination and herbivory. Focussing on endozoochory, we review the evidence that animal memory plays a role in seed dispersal, and present a model which allows us to explore the fundamental consequences of memory for this process. We demonstrate that decision-making by animals based on their previous experiences has the potential to determine which plants are visited, which fruits are selected to be eaten from the plant and where seeds are subsequently deposited, as well as being an important determinant of animal survival. Collectively, these results suggest that the impact of animal learning and memory on seed dispersal is likely to be extremely important, although to date our understanding of these processes suffers from a conspicuous lack of empirical support. This is partly because of the difficulty of conducting appropriate experiments but is also the result of limited interaction between plant ecologists and those who work on animal cognition

Does federally financed business R&D matter for US productivity growth?

This paper investigates the impact of federally financed business R&D on productivity of the US nonfarm business sector. Results of a cointegration analysis suggest that a long run relation between productivity and total (privately and federally financed) R&D capital stock exists. Moreover, the estimation results do not confirm the finding of previous empirical studies that the productivity effects of federally financed business R&D are lower compared with those of privately financed business R&D.

R&D and productivity: Internal vs. external R&D - evidence from west german manufacturing industries

The paper explores the productivity effects of investment in external (contract) vs. internal (in-house) R&D in a sample of West-German Manufacturing Industries. The results provide strong evidence of a positive relationship between productivity and the share of external R&D in total R&D. This result is robust to alternative econometric specifications. Thus, findings suggest that the decision between internal and external R&D does matter. Moreover, results imply a nonlinear relationship between productivity and the share of external R&D for higher-technology industries, hinting at decreasing productivity effects of an increasing share of external in total R&D.External R&D, Productivity, Innovation Process,

Method for defining a location in a section under medical examination refers to a system of coordinates and subsequently to a collection of topological data

A targeting device (35) determines a first location in an area under examination with reference to a system (13) of coordinates and makes coordinates for the first location available as a first coordinate set allocated to the first location. A topology capture device (37) produces a record of topological data in a 3D expanded area around the first location. An Independent claim is also included for a device for displaying the extent of a section produced from a section under examination. A device for detecting direction of glance records a user's direction of glance at the section under examination. An input device (63) accepts the establishment of a data link through the user. A display device displays a dimension defined by the set of coordinates in the user's field of vision