Estimating egg mass-body mass relationships in birds

Abstract The mass of a bird’s egg is a critical attribute of the species’ life history and represents a fundamental component of reproductive effort. Indeed, the tradeoff between the number of eggs in a clutch and clutch mass lies at the heart of understanding how environmental attributes such as nest predation or adult mortality influence reproductive investment. However, egg masses have not been reported for the majority of avian species. We capitalized on the strong allometric relationship between avian body mass and egg mass to produce egg mass estimates for over 5,500 species previously lacking such information. These estimates are accompanied by measures of the robustness of the regressions used to produce them (e.g., sample size, root mean square error [RMSE] of estimation, coefficient of determination, and degree of extrapolation), thus allowing independent evaluation of the suitability of any estimate to address a particular research question relating to avian life history. Most estimates (~5,000) were based on family-level egg mass–body mass regressions, with the remainder derived from other relationships such as ordinal regressions. We compared estimating regressions based on adult vs. female body masses and, after finding little difference between the 2, based our final estimates on adult masses as those were more numerous in the literature. What small differences between adult- and female-based regressions that did occur were not related to sexual size dimorphism across families. These new estimates, coupled with ~5,000 egg masses reported in the literature, provide a foundation of over 10,000 species for wider investigations assessing variation in reproductive effort in birds over a broad array of ecological and evolutionary contexts

Characterizing small-scale migration behavior of sequestered CO2 in a realistic geological fabric

For typical reservoir conditions, buoyancy and capillary forces grow dominant over viscous forces within a few hundred meters of the injection wells as the pressure gradient due to injection decreases, resulting in qualitatively different plume migration regimes. The migration regime depends on two factors: the capillary pressure of the leading edge of the plume and the range of threshold entry pressures within the rock at the leading edge of the plume. A capillary channel regime arises when these two factors have the same magnitude. Flow patterns within this regime vary from finger-like structures with minimal rock contact to back-filling structures with compact volumes of saturation distributed between fingers. Reservoir heterogeneity is one of the principal factors influencing CO2 migration pathway in the capillary channel regime. Here we characterize buoyancy-driven migration in a natural 2D geologic domain (1 m × 0.5 m peel from an alluvium) in which sedimentologic heterogeneity has been resolved at sub-millimeter (depositional) resolution. The relevant features of the heterogeneity are grain size distribution, which determines the mean and range of threshold pressures and correlation lengths of threshold pressures in horizontal and vertical directions. The relevant physics for this migration regime is invasion percolation, and simulations indicate that CO2 migrates through the peel in a few narrow pathways which cannot be captured by conventional coarse-grid simulations. The storage efficiency of the capillary channel regime would be low and consequently CO2 would also migrate greater distances than expected from models or simulations that neglect the capillary channel flow regime.Bureau of Economic Geolog

A study on clinico immuno pathological correlation of skin and pulmonary involvement in systemic sclerosis

INTRODUCTION: Systemic sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune connective tissue disease of unknown etiology involving multiple systems. It is characterized by significant dysfunction of the microvasculature, immune system and connective tissue. The currently used classification of Systemic Sclerosis is by the extent of skin involvement1. The extent of skin disease correlates with the disease course. Though many internal organs are involved, lung involvement is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in SSc. While some studies regard skin involvement as a surrogate marker for pulmonary involvement, there are studies that have shown improvement of sclerosis occurring spontaneously or as a result of treatment and therefore it does not reflect the pulmonary fibrosis. In addition several cutaneous features have been found to be associated with clinical and serological manifestations in systemic sclerosis. In a recent study2 elevated serum level of MMP-12 correlated with the severity of skin fibrosis and activity of interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis, suggesting the common pathogenesis between them. So the skin can be useful marker for early diagnosis and to assess pulmonary involvement. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To study the skin and pulmonary manifestations in Systemic Sclerosis. 2. To study the correlation of the clinical, pathological, immunological features of skin and pulmonary involvement in Systemic Sclerosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SUBJECTS: Patients attending the Rheumatology Care Centre (RCC) outpatient and inpatient of Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai were recruited from the period of June 2011 to February 2013. 55 eligible cases who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were enrolled. All subjects gave a written informed consent to enroll in this study. The Ethical committee approval was obtained. INCLUSION CRITERIA: American College of Rheumatology preliminary classification criteria. Major criteria or two minor criteria for diagnosis. Major criteria: Scleroderma proximal to the metacarpophalangeal joints. Minor Criteria: 1. Sclerodactyly. 2. Digital pitting scars or loss of finger pad substance. 3. Bibasilar pulmonary fibrosis. EXCLUSION CRITERIA Overlap syndrome, mixed connective tissue disease, other scleroderma spectrum disorders. RESULTS: Total number of cases were 55. The mean age was 35.5 years. The range was from 20-56 years. Majority were females 49 (89.1%) while males were 6 (10.9%). The mean disease duration was 3.1 years with range 4 months to 10 years. CONCLUSION: In this study on Systemic sclerosis there was a female gender Predominance (8:1). • The limited cutaneous SSc were more than diffuse cutaneous type in this study. • There was positive correlation between disease duration and PHT. • 43.6% of the study group were in the 7-15 MRSS Range. • Presence of salt and pepper had significant association with MRSS in this study. • Dyspnea was the most common respiratory symptom and it correlated positively with MRSS. • The MRSS was significantly associated with presence of ILD in the study group. • ILD was more common in diffuse cutaneous type and the mean MRSS was significantly associated with ILD in diffuse cutaneous type. • There was no association between MRSS and PHT in this study. • There was significant association between MRSS and the Medsger disease severity of lung. • Digital pitted scars and Raynaud‟s Phenomenon positively correlated with ILD in this study group. • ANA positivity was seen in 80% of the cases

Dispersal modes of tree species in the wet forests of southern Western Ghats

Dispersal modes of tree species in a wet evergreen forest at Kakachi in the Kalakad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, southern India are described here. Frugivore visitors to 82 tree species were observed. Biotic agents involved in seed dispersal and seed predation were six species of birds and five species of mammals. Birddispersed species were the most common species (59%), followed by mammal-dispersed species (26%). Primates were less important than bats and civets in seed dispersal. Fifteen per cent of the species had no apparent adaptation for abiotic dispersal (mechanically dispersed) except one wind-dispersed species. Many bird-dispersed species occurred at low density but the total density of bird-dispersed species compares with that of mammal and mechanically dispersed species. Edge or gap habitat species were less abundant than the closed forest ones in all three types of dispersal modes. Species level comparison with other wet forest sites indicates a high degree of similarity between Kakachi and La Selva in central America

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING FOR NONCOMPLIANCE OF FOLLOW-UP CARE AMONG POST CARDIAC PATIENTS

Objective: Compliance in following healthy diet, physical activity schedule, cessation of smoking and alcohol, medication adherence and regular follow up is very essential component in the management of patients with cardiovascular disease to prevent reoccurrence and reduce mortality. Hence the study was conducted with the aim to assess the factors contributing for noncompliance of follow-up care among post cardiac patients. Methods: Cross-sectional research design was employed with 50 samples who matched the inclusion criteria were selected by convenience sampling technique. Demographic variables data were collected by using structured questionnaire followed by assessed the factors contributing for noncompliance using checklist. Results: The findings of the current study revealed that all physical, psychological, economical, social and spiritual factors were highly influenced the noncompliance. Of these, the highest percentage 80% reported lack of accessibility as well financial support and around 70% percentage reported side effects of medication and low health literacy. Conclusion: Health care providers need to be focussed on interventional strategies especially health education in discharge plan to ensure that these patients adhere to follow up including medication adherence, following physical activity plan, dietary modification, lifestyle changes and regular follow up visit to prevent readmission and lead a successful life

Wireless Network For Strategic Boundary Supervision System

The major trouble with national security is "Terrorism" happening in borders. In border areas, regular forces or even satellites cannot monitor accurately intruding. The wireless sensor network scheme gives a possible way to explain this issue. To outline a wireless remote system of estimated sensor motes that contains various installed sensors and a processor to detect and impart an adversary interruption crosswise over a border and war zones. The idea is to distribute many smartdust motes inside an enormous geological region. Every one of these motes shapes a remote system, and one of them will go about as the system organiser that can control the whole system and furthermore goes about as a passage to the outside world. The preferred standpoint with these little motes is that it can be conveyed in a couple of hours by a pair of men or even dropped from an airborne helicopter. Every mote comprises of an assortment of sensors to distinguish every single potential type of interruption

Mystical Sleeping Mats in Siddha Medicine - An Overview

In several components of the globe, sleeping in natural mats are quite common these days although few folks feel they reduce self decorousness, however the particular reason behind is that they are guaranteed with culture. In interior of human calm sleep, there are several advantages of plants based mostly mats that stay dormant still. Siddha, far-famed drugs of Asian nation shortly explains the practices of assorted sleeping mats with its medicative values which are to be delineated

STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOR OF HYBRID FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAM USING STEEL AND POLYVINYL ALCOHOL FIBER

           Fiber reinforcement is commonly used to provide toughness and ductility to cementitious matrix which is brittle in nature. Reinforcement of concrete with a single type of fiber may improve the desired properties of a composites to a limited level, whereas hybrid fiber is a combination of two or more types of fibers which are rationally combined to produce a composite that derives high benefits and exhibits a synergetic response. The aim of this investigation is to determine the addition of optimum dosage level of fibre in concrete. By having the optimum dosage level, beams are casted to determine the structural behaviour of HFRC. The hybrid fibers used are Steel Fiber (Crimped) in shape and PolyVinyl Alcohol Fiber. HFRC specimens are casted for 1% volume fraction. As a result of this investigation the structural performance such as ductility factor, stiffness and energy absorption capacity has significant improvement compared to conventional concrete