Asymmetry in Orb-Webs: An Adaptation to Web Building Costs?

Orb-web spiders build vertically asymmetric webs, in which the lower part is larger than the upper part. One hypothesis explaining this asymmetry suggests that the spider's mass imposes higher building costs in the upper part of the web, causing the spider to reduce this part of the web. We tested this hypothesis by assessing building costs of different parts of the web. We found that the specific time-cost of building (i.e. the time required to build a certain length of silk) differed between the two parts of the web and that the difference in time-costs influenced web asymmetry. Contrary to predictions, however, building costs were larger in the lower part of the web, suggesting that additional factors affect the spider's decisions while building the web, which are likely to be prey-capture consideration

Coupling between internal spin dynamics and external degrees of freedom in the presence of colored noise

We observe asymmetric transition rates between Zeeman levels (spin-flips) of magnetically trapped atoms. The asymmetry strongly depends on the spectral shape of an applied noise. This effect follows from the interplay between the internal states of the atoms and their external degrees of freedom, where different trapped levels experience different potentials. Such insight may prove useful for controlling atomic states by the introduction of noise, as well as provide a better understanding of the effect of noise on the coherent operation of quantum systems.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; accepted to PR

Parasite- and predator-induced maternal effects in the great tit (Parus major)

Organisms often face the simultaneous risk of predation and parasitism and a trade-off among the responses is predicted. Concurrent exposure of great tit mothers before reproduction to both of these stressors showed no interactive effect on growth and phenotype of offspring via maternal responses conveyed through eggs. Parasites, both via maternal effects and via direct exposure of nestlings, negatively influenced offspring phenotype, while risk of predation had no significant effec

Alien Registration- Coslovsky, Alexander (Brownville, Piscataquis County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/10040/thumbnail.jp

Thyroid dysfunction and anaemia in a large population-based study.

OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND: Anaemia and thyroid dysfunction are common and often co-occur. Current guidelines recommend the assessment of thyroid function in the work-up of anaemia, although evidence on this association is scarce. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the 'European Prospective Investigation of Cancer' (EPIC)-Norfolk population-based cohort, we aimed to examine the prevalence and type of anaemia (defined as haemoglobin <13 g/dl for men and <12 g/dl for women) according to different thyroid function groups. RESULTS: The mean age of the 8791 participants was 59·4 (SD 9·1) years and 55·2% were women. Thyroid dysfunction was present in 437 (5·0%) and anaemia in 517 (5·9%) participants. After excluding 121 participants with three most common causes of anaemia (chronic kidney disease, inflammation, iron deficiency), anaemia was found in 4·7% of euthyroid participants. Compared with the euthyroid group, the prevalence of anaemia was significantly higher in overt hyperthyroidism (14·6%, P < 0·01), higher with borderline significance in overt hypothyroidism (7·7%, P = 0·05) and not increased in subclinical thyroid dysfunction (5·0% in subclinical hypothyroidism, 3·3% in subclinical hyperthyroidism). Anaemia associated with thyroid dysfunction was mainly normocytic (94·0%), and rarely macrocytic (6·0%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of anaemia was higher in overt hyperthyroidism, but not increased in subclinical thyroid dysfunction. Systematic measurement of thyroid-stimulating hormone in anaemic patients is likely to be useful only after excluding common causes of anaemia

Transnational labor regulation, reification and commodification: A critical review

Why does scholarship on transnational labor regulation (TLR) consistently fails to search for improvements in working conditions, and instead devotes itself to relentless efforts for identifying administrative processes, semantics, and amalgamations of stakeholders? This article critiques TLR from a pro-worker perspective, through the philosophical work of Georg Lukács, and the concepts of reification and commodification. A set of theoretically grounded criteria is developed and these are applied against selected contemporary cases of TLR. In the totality that is capitalism, reification of social relations of production conceals completely the experiences of workers. In TLR, managerialist and process-oriented scholarship is dominant, verifiable outcomes and positive improvements in conditions of employment are not sought, and worse, meaningless procedures are celebrated as positive achievements