Tactical Aircraft Modernization: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-11

Subcommittee Chairman Representative Curt Weldon began a hearing by observing that tactical aviation is “in the midst of a massive train wreck financially...Representative Weldon noted that the costs of the F-22 and JSF had increased by “well over 100” and 80% respectively, and one impact of these increases...report by the Defense Science Board published in the Spring of 2000 noted that the defense industry was in the midst of a painful transition that was

Community Involvement as an Effective Institutional Control at the Weldon Spring Site, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deyo, Y.E.; Pauling, T.

2006-07-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project (WSSRAP) was conducted for the purpose of remediating a portion of a former trinitrotoluene and dinitrotoluene production plant that was operational from 1941 to 1945 and a former uranium refinery that was operational from 1957 to 1966. Surface remediation activities concluded in 2001 with the completion of a 45-acre (.18 square kilometer) on-site engineered disposal facility. Long-term surveillance and maintenance activities at the site were officially transferred to the DOE Office of Legacy Management in 2003. The Weldon Spring Site is located within the St. Louis, Missouri, metropolitanmore » area (population 3 million). DOE's close relationship with surrounding land owners created a need for innovative solutions to long-term surveillance and maintenance issues at the site. Through a Secretarial proclamation, a plan was established for development of a comprehensive public involvement and education program. This program would act as an institutional control to communicate the historical legacy of the site and would make information available about contamination present at the site to guide people in making decisions about appropriate site activities. In August 2002, the Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center opened to the public with exhibits about the history of the area, the remediation work that was completed, and a site information repository that is available to visitors. In addition, the Hamburg Trail for hiking and biking was constructed as a joint DOE/MDC effort. The 8-mile trail travels through both DOE and MDC property; a series of historical markers posted along its length to communicate the history of the area and the remediation work that was done as part of WSSRAP activities. A ramp and viewing platform with informational plaques were constructed on the disposal cell to provide an additional mechanism for public education. With a basic marketing program, site visitor-ship has been steadily increasing. In 2005, approximately 15,400 visitors were associated with Interpretive Center operations and outreach activities. Science-oriented educational programs that directly relate to past remediation activities and present long-term surveillance and maintenance issues have been developed and are presented to St. Louis area school groups and other community-based organizations. Other innovative programs have been developed to address daily maintenance issues at the site and to promote beneficial community re-use of the property. Approximately 30,000 square feet of the former Administration Building has been transferred through a use-permit to Lindenwood University, a local institution with a total enrollment of about 12,000 students. Lindenwood is establishing a satellite college campus in the building in exchange for providing basic maintenance and payment of utilities for both the Administration Building and Interpretive Center. A volunteer program developed to address maintenance of the native plant gardens that surround the Interpretive Center has a current enrollment of approximately 25 volunteers. Another volunteer group of prairie ecosystem experts has been meeting regularly for the last 3 years to assist the site in long-term management of the established prairie surrounding the disposal cell. Public support of these community involvement activities at the site is strong. DOE has worked closely with the Weldon Spring Citizens Commission in developing the concepts for this approach and the Commission has helped promote these activities within the community. It is expected that continued public education in this manner will only serve to strengthen the institutional control commitments at the Weldon Spring Site. (authors)« less

Factors affecting microbial 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene mineralization in contaminated soil

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, P.M.; Chapelle, F.H.

1995-01-01

The influence of selected environmental factors on microbial TNT mineralization in soils collected from a TNT-contaminated site at Weldon Spring, MO, was examined using uniformly ring-labeled [14C]TNT. Microbial TNT mineralization was significantly inhibited by the addition of cellobiose and syringate. This response suggests that the indigenous microorganisms are capable of metabolizing TNT but preferentially utilize less recalcitrant substrates when available. The observed inhibition of TNT mineralization by TNT concentrations higher than 100 ??mol/kg of soil and by dry soil conditions suggests that toxic inhibition of microbial activity at high TNT concentrations and the periodic drying of these soils have contributed to the long-term persistence of TNT at Weldon Spring. In comparison to aerobic microcosms, mineralization was inhibited in anaerobic microcosms and in microcosms with a headspace of air amended with oxygen, suggesting that a mosaic of aerobic and anaerobic conditions may optimize TNT degradation at this site.

Taming the Tar Heel Department: D.H. Hill and the Challenges of Operational-Level Command during the American Civil War

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-19

Throughout that spring , he Goldsboro, on the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, the main north-south transportation artery between Virginia and points south... spring of 1862, but Davis did not replace Lee after he took command of the Army of Northern Virginia. Braxton Bragg served as military advisor to...and publications. When called upon in the spring of 1861, Hill brought his cadets to Raleigh to start training recruits for the First North Carolina

Major General Melvin Zais and Hamburger Hill

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-06

Vietnamese were massing men, supplies, and equipment for a spring offensive) by employing tactics influenced by American material superiority.8 Since 1966...Timeline.” 33 Following the decision to replace 3-187 Infantry with 2-506 Infantry, the Iron Rakkasan commander, Lt. Col. Weldon F. Honeycutt

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

The U.S. Department of Energy Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project (chemical plant site), is a former uranium processing facility located in eastern Missouri on the property of the former U.S. Army Weldon Spring Ordnance Works. Surface water, soil, sludge, sediment, and groundwater within the chemical plant site contain chemical and radioactive contaminants. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) reviewed on-site chemical exposure information and site conditions. ATSDR also prepared several Health Consultations on chemical and radioactive contaminants in areas on and off the DOE chemical plant site. ATSDR also reviewed on-site and off-site radiological exposure informationmore » and conditions. The exposure scenarios ATSDR evaluated include: trespassers swimming in quarry or raffinate pits; reservists performing field activities in the training area; anglers fishing, hunters haunting, and hikers hiking in the conservation areas; residents drinking from off-site private wells; staff and students attending the Francis Howell High School; and consumers of crops (e.g., corn) grown in conservation areas.« less

Tactical Aircraft Modernization: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-08

Investigations into the V-22 program, its crashes, and allegations of malfeasance came to a head in the spring of 2001. On May 1, 2001, a Blue...procurement of all weapons through FY2003 and would rise to 16% through FY2009 and 18% through FY2015. Representative Curt Weldon stated that since...the FY2000 defense budget. In the spring of 2003 F-22 affordability was again at issue. During an April 11 hearing of the House Government Reform

Deterrence and Space-Based Missile Defense

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

8. Curt Weldon , “Charting a New Course on Missile Defense,” in Spacepower for a New Millen­ nium: Space and U.S. National Security, ed. Peter L...Stimson Center, 2003), 4. 45. See Baker Spring , “The Enduring Features of the Debate over Missile Defense,” Backgrounder no. 1972, Heritage Foundation

Iwo Jima: The Unnecessary Battle

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-25

bathe on two occasions, both times in a natural spring full of hot sulfur brine (rendering the water too brackish to drink). 72 When the attack on...AppendixB Iwo Jima Monument, Arlington, Virginia Sculpted by Felix W de Weldon and formally opened by President Dwight D. Eishenhower in 1954 http

Formerly Used Defense Sites. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Needs to Improve Its Process for Reviewing Completed Cleanup Remedies to Ensure Continued Protection

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-01

inspections for MMRP sites by September 30, 2010.28 In addition, the delay for the 5-year review for an IRP site at the Former Weldon Spring Ordnance Works...810.573 $810.573 $889.785 Spring Valley, Washington, D.C. 65.762 89.243 155.005 9.701 16.177 25.878 180.883 Buckley Field, CO 0.543...the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials. In the spring of 2008, the association surveyed the states about the

Design and Construction of a Small Whole Body Inhalation Chamber

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-30

by 12 7/8 inch high) were solvent welded onto this base using Weldon 4 (Ridout Plastics, San Diego CA). On the inside of each side wall a 2 inch...together using one inch spring clamps (Just Clamps, model 616,Atlanta Ga) on their respective flanges. These clamps were spaced evenly around the

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

The Quarterly Environmental Data Summary (QEDS) for the fourth quarter of 1997 is prepared in support of the Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project Federal Facilities Agreement. The data presented constitute the QEDS. The data were received from the contract laboratories, verified by the Weldon Spring Site verification group and, except for air monitoring data and site KPA generated data (uranium analyses), merged into the data base during the fourth quarter of 1997. Air monitoring data presented are the most recent complete sets of quarterly data. Air data are not stored in the data base and KPA data are notmore » merged into the regular data base. Significant data, defined as data values that have exceeded defined ``above normal`` level 2 values, are discussed in this letter for Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMP) generated data only. Above normal level 2 values are based, in ES and H procedures, on historical high values, DOE Derived Concentration Guides (DCGs), NPDES limits and other guidelines. The procedures also establish actions to be taken in response to such data. Data received and verified during the fourth quarter were within a permissible range of variability except for those which are detailed.« less

Modeling and Control of State-Affine Probabilistic Systems for Atomic-Scale Dynamics

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

Analysis for Nonlinear Systems. New York: Spring -Verlag, 1987. [5] M. Itoh, "Atomic-scale homoepitaxial growth simulations of reconstructed III-V surfaces...Ridge, NJ; 1995. -- SSC function of the Node 182 [2] M. K. Weldon , K. T. Queeney, J. Eng Jr., K. Raghavachari, and Y. J. Chabal, "The surface science

Geochemistry and migration of contaminants at the Weldon Spring chemical plant site, St. Charles County, Missouri, 1989-91

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schumacher, John G.

1993-01-01

The geochemistry of the shallow aquifer and geochemical controls on the migration of uranium and other constituents from raffinate pits were determined at the Weldon Spring chemical plant site. Surface-water samples from the raffinate pits con- tained large concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfate, nitrite, lithium, moly- bdenum, strontium, vanadium, and uranium. Analyses of interstitial-water samples from raffinate pit 3 indicated that concentrations of most constituents increased with increasing depth below the water- sediment interface. Nitrate and uranium were not chemically reduced and attenuated within the raffinate pits and can be expected to migrate into the overburden. Laboratory sorption experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of pH value on the sorption of several raffinate constituents by the overburden. No sorption of calcium, sodium, sulfate, nitrate, or lithium was observed. Sorption of molybdenum was dependent on solution pH and sorption of uranium was dependent on solution pH and carbonate concentration. The sorption of uranium and molybdenum was consistent with sorption controlled by oxyhydroxides. The quality of water collected in overburden lysimeters near raffinate pit 4 can be modeled as a mixture of water from raffinate pits 3 and 4, and an uncontaminated com- ponent in a system at equilibrium with ferrihydrite and calcite. Increased constituent concentrations in a perennial spring north of the site were the result of a subsurface connection between the spring and several losing stream segments receiving runoff from the site, in addition to seepage from the raffinate pits.

Visible, Durable, Enforceable Institutional Controls: Weldon Spring Site - A 10-Year Journey - 13190

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Uhlmeyer, Terri; Thompson, Randy; Starr, Ken

2013-07-01

The DOE Office of Legacy Management's (LM's) mission is to manage the DOE's post-closure responsibilities and ensure the future protection of human health and the environment. LM has control and custody of legacy land, structures, and facilities and is responsible for maintaining them at levels suitable for their long-term use. This includes all engineered and institutional controls (ICs) designed as another level of assurance to prevent exposure to residual contamination and waste. The development and management of ICs has been, and continues to be, a critical component to the success of LM surveillance and maintenance activities. Many major federal laws,more » Executive Orders, regulations, and various other drivers influence the establishment and use of ICs at LM sites. LM uses a wide range of ICs to appropriately limit access to, or uses of, land, facilities, and other real and personal properties; protect the environment; maintain the physical safety and security of DOE facilities; and prevent or limit inadvertent human and environmental exposure to residual contaminants and other hazards. The ICs at the Weldon Spring, Missouri, Site were developed in close coordination with federal and state regulators. An Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) was issued in February 2005, which clarified the use restrictions necessary for the remedial actions specified in the Records of Decision for the separate operable units to remain protective over the long-term. The operable units included the Chemical Plant Operable Unit, the Chemical Plant Groundwater Operable Unit, and the Quarry Residuals Operable Unit. The ESD clarified specific requirements for each site area that needed use restrictions and established how DOE would implement, maintain, and monitor the specific requirements. DOE developed the Long-Term Surveillance and Maintenance Plan for the U.S. Department of Energy Weldon Spring, Missouri, Site (LTS and M Plan) that addressed the full scope of the site management activities necessary to ensure that the Weldon Spring Site remains protective over the long-term. The LTS and M Plan is revised periodically to ensure its applicability to changing site, regulatory, or procedural conditions. In addition to addressing such activities as long-term groundwater monitoring and disposal cell maintenance, the LTS and M Plan was developed and issued to ensure that the use restrictions identified in the ESD were properly imposed and maintained. The LTS and M Plan included a detailed IC Implementation Plan, which includes a process for evaluating and identifying specific IC mechanisms that best accomplish the objectives set out in the ESD. Consistent with EPA guidance on selecting ICs, various IC mechanisms were evaluated, including government controls, proprietary controls, enforcement tools, and informational devices. Where appropriate, redundant mechanisms were employed to increase the effectiveness of the ICs. Information in the IC Implementation Plan includes: (1) a discussion of current site conditions (reflecting post-remedial action conditions for the Chemical Plant and Quarry Areas and the risk-basis for why use restrictions are needed); (2) the objectives of, or performance expectations for, the use restrictions; (3) specific ICs already in place and additional mechanisms identified for implementation; (4) a schedule for implementing additional ICs; (5) procedures for maintaining the ICs and for conducting periodic inspections; and (6) general provisions for the implementing ICs for the site. The actual agreements and documentation of the various ICs are included in an appendix of the LTS and M Plan. These documents are also available via the internet from the authorizing agencies (County, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, EPA, etc.) The Weldon Spring Site personnel have been successful in finalizing each of the ICs that were established for the site. The planning, establishment, and implementation of the ICs was a long and detailed process with several lessons-learned that were identified along the way. (authors)« less

Assessment and evaluation of engineering options at a low-level radioactive waste storage site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanehiro, B. Y.; Guvanasen, V.

1982-09-01

Solutions to hydrologic and geotechnical problems associated with existing disposal sites were sought and the efficiency of engineering options that were proposed to improve the integrity of such sites were evaluated. The Weldon Spring site is generally like other low-level nuclear waste sites, except that the wastes are primarily in the form of residues and contaminated rubble from the processing of uranium and thorium ores rather than industrial isotopes or mill tailings.

Remedial investigation concept plan for the groundwater operable units at the chemical plant area and the ordnance works area, Weldon Spring, Missouri

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1999-07-15

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of the Army (DA) are conducting cleanup activities at two properties--the DOE chemical plant area and the DA ordnance works area (the latter includes the training area)--located in the Weldon Spring area in St. Charles County, Missouri. These areas are on the National Priorities List (NPL), and cleanup activities at both areas are conducted in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended. DOE and DA are conducting a joint remedial investigation (RI) and baseline risk assessment (BRA) as part of the remedial investigation/feasibility studymore » (RI/FS) for the groundwater operable units for the two areas. This joint effort will optimize further data collection and interpretation efforts and facilitate overall remedial decision making since the aquifer of concern is common to both areas. A Work Plan issued jointly in 1995 by DOE and the DA discusses the results of investigations completed at the time of preparation of the report. The investigations were necessary to provide an understanding of the groundwater system beneath the chemical plant area and the ordnance works area. The Work Plan also identifies additional data requirements for verification of the evaluation presented.« less

Quarterly environmental data summary for first quarter 1998

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1998-05-01

In support of the Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project Federal Facilities Agreement, a copy of the Quarterly Environmental Data Summary (QEDS) for the first quarter of 1998 is enclosed. The data presented in this letter and attachment constitute the QEDS. The data were received from the contract laboratories, verified by the Weldon Spring Site verification group and, except for air monitoring data and site KPA generated data (uranium analyses), merged into the data base during the first quarter of 1998. Air monitoring data presented are the most recent complete sets of quarterly data. Air data are not stored inmore » the data base, and KPA data are not merged into the regular data base. Significant data, defined as data values that have exceeded defined {open_quotes}above normal{close_quotes} Level 2 values, are discussed in this letter for Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMP) generated data only. Above normal Level 2 values are based, in ES&H procedures, on historical high values, DOE Derived Concentration Guides (DCGs), NPDES limits and other guidelines. The procedures also establish actions to be taken in the event that {open_quotes}above normal{close_quotes} data occur. All data received and verified during the first quarter were within a permissible range of variability except for those detailed below. Above normal occurrences are cited for groundwater, air, and NPDES data. There were none for springs or surface water. The following discussion offers a brief summary of the data merged during the first quarter that exceeded the above normal criteria and updates on past reported above normal data. The attached tables present the most recent data for air and the data merged into the data base during the first quarter 1998 for groundwater, NPDES, surface water, and springs. Graphs showing concentrations of selected contaminants of concern at some of the critical locations have also been included in this QEDS. The graphs are discussed in the separate sections.« less

Normalizing Executive Department Boundaries: A Timely First Step to Improving Interagency Coordination

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-21

Representative Curt Weldon (R-PA) effectively summed this up with the following statement: As we fight the global war on terror, we face a...Opening statement by Representative Curt Weldon , 109th Cong., 2nd sess., 4 April 2006, 1. 1 Representative Weldon sets lofty conditions to be...legislation. Thus far, no such sponsor of interagency coordination has come forward. As quoted earlier, Representatives Weldon and Hunter have shown

Compilation and preliminary interpretation of hydrologic data for the Weldon Spring radioactive waste-disposal sites, St Charles County, Missouri; a progress report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kleeschulte, M.J.; Emmett, L.F.

1986-01-01

The Weldon Spring Chemical Plant is located just north of the drainage divide separating the Mississippi River and the Missouri River in St. Charles County, Missouri. From 1957 to 1966 the plant converted uranium-ore concentrates and recycled scrap to pure uranium trioxide, uranium tetrafluoride, and uranium metal. Residues from these operations were pumped to four large pits that had been excavated near the plant. Small springs and losing streams are present in the area. Water overlying the residue in the pits has a large concentration of dissolved solids and a different chemical composition compared to the native groundwater and surface water. This difference is indicated by the concentrations of calcium, sodium, sulfate, nitrate, fluoride, uranium, radium, lithium, molybdenum, strontium, and vanadium, all of which are greater than natural or background concentrations. Water from Burgermeister Spring, located about 1.5 miles north of the chemical plant area, contains uranium and nitrate concentrations greater than background concentrations. Groundwater in the shallow bedrock aquifer moves northward from the vicinity of the chemical plant toward Dardenne Creek. An abandoned limestone quarry several miles southwest of the chemical plant also has been used for the disposal of radioactive waste and rubble. Groundwater flow from the quarry area is southward through the alluvium, away from the quarry and toward the Missouri River. The St. Charles County well field is located in the Missouri River flood plain near the quarry and the large yield wells are open to the Missouri River alluvial aquifer. Water from a well 4,000 ft southeast of the quarry was analyzed; there was no indication of contamination from the quarry. Additional water quality and water level data are needed to determine if water from the quarry moves toward the well field. Observation wells need to be installed in the area between the chemical plant, pits, and Dardenne Creek. The wells would be used to provide access for measurements of depth to ground water and for the collection of water samples from the shallow bedrock aquifer. (Lantz-PTT)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

The Weldon Spring Quarry is one of two noncontiguous areas that constitute the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Weldon Spring site. The main area of the site is the chemical plant. Both areas are located in St. Charles County, Missouri, about 48 km (30 mi) west of St. Louis. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed the quarry on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1987, and the chemical plant area was added to the list in 1989. The quarry is about 6.4 km (4 mi) south-southwest of the chemical plant area; it is accessible from State Route 94 andmore » is currently fenced and closed to the public. The quarry is approximately 300 m (1,000 ft) long by 140 m (450 ft) wide and covers an area of approximately 3.6 ha (9 acres). The quarry was used by the Army for disposal of chemically contaminated (explosive) materials in the 1940s and was later used for the disposal of radioactively contaminated material by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in the 1960s. Approximately 110,000 m{sup 3} (144,000 yd{sup 3}) of soil and waste material was removed from the quarry and transported to the chemical plant area as part of completing the remedial action stipulated in the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Quarry Bulk Waste Operable Unit (DOE 1990). Bulk waste removal was completed in October 1995. These wastes have been placed in the disposal cell at the chemical plant. Prior to bulk waste removal, contaminated water contained in the quarry pond was also removed; approximately 170 million liters (44 million gal) have been treated as of March 1998.« less

U.S. Geological Survey ground-water studies in Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, B.J.

1993-01-01

The activities of the USGS Water Resources Division in Missouri are conducted by scientists, technicians, and support staff in offices in Rolla, Olivette, and Independence. During 1992, the USGS had cooperative or cost-sharing agreements with about 30 Federal, State, and local agencies involving 20 hydrologic investigations in Missouri; 12 of these investigations included studies of groundwater quantity and quality. Several examples of groundwater studies by the USGS that address specific groundwater issues in Missouri include the occurrence of pesticides, groundwater flow and quality in the Missouri River alluvium near Kansas City, groundwater flow in claypan soils, radioactive- and nitroaromatic-compound contami- nation at Weldon Spring, and hydrologic monitoring of a wetland complex. (USGS)

"Describing our whole experience": the statistical philosophies of W. F. R. Weldon and Karl Pearson.

PubMed

Pence, Charles H

2011-12-01

There are two motivations commonly ascribed to historical actors for taking up statistics: to reduce complicated data to a mean value (e.g., Quetelet), and to take account of diversity (e.g., Galton). Different motivations will, it is assumed, lead to different methodological decisions in the practice of the statistical sciences. Karl Pearson and W. F. R. Weldon are generally seen as following directly in Galton's footsteps. I argue for two related theses in light of this standard interpretation, based on a reading of several sources in which Weldon, independently of Pearson, reflects on his own motivations. First, while Pearson does approach statistics from this "Galtonian" perspective, he is, consistent with his positivist philosophy of science, utilizing statistics to simplify the highly variable data of biology. Weldon, on the other hand, is brought to statistics by a rich empiricism and a desire to preserve the diversity of biological data. Secondly, we have here a counterexample to the claim that divergence in motivation will lead to a corresponding separation in methodology. Pearson and Weldon, despite embracing biometry for different reasons, settled on precisely the same set of statistical tools for the investigation of evolution. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Floods of September 15-16, 1992, in the Thompson, Weldon, and Chariton River basins, south-central Iowa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eash, D.A.; Koppensteiner, B.A.

1997-01-01

Water-surface-elevation profiles and peak discharges for the floods of September 15-16, 1992, in the Thompson, Weldon, and Chariton River Basins, south-central Iowa, are presented in this report. The profiles illustrate the 1992 floods along the Thompson, Weldon, Chariton, and South Fork Chariton Rivers and along Elk Creek in the south-central Iowa counties of Adair, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Madison, Ringgold, Union, and Wayne. Water-surface-elevation profiles for the floods of July 4, 1981, along the Chariton River in Lucas County and along the South Fork Chariton River in Wayne County also are included in the report for comparative purposes. The September 15-16, 1992, floods are the largest known peak discharges at gaging stations Thompson River at Davis City (station number 06898000) 57,000 cubic feet per second, Weldon River near Leon (station number 06898400) 76,200 cubic feet per second, Chariton River near Chariton (station number 06903400) 37,700 cubic feet per second, and South Fork Chariton River near Promise City (station number 06903700) 70,600 cubic feet per second. The peak discharges were, respectively, 1.7, 2.6, 1.4, and 2.1 times larger than calculated 100-year recurrence-interval discharges. The report provides information on flood stages and discharges and floodflow frequencies for streamflow-gaging stations in the Thompson, Weldon, and Chariton River Basins using flood information collected through 1995. Information on temporary bench marks and reference points established in the Thompson and Weldon River Basins during 1994-95, and in the Chariton River Basin during 1983-84 and 1994-95, also is included in the report. A flood history summarizes rainfall conditions and damages for floods that occurred during 1947, 1959, 1981, 1992, and 1993.

Congressman Dave Weldon enjoys viewing the STS-97 launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Florida Congressman Dave Weldon enjoys the on-time launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Weldon and other guests of NASA viewed the launch from the Banana Creek VIP viewing site. Liftoff of Endeavour occurred at 10:06:01 p.m. EST. Endeavour is transporting the P6 Integrated Truss Structure that comprises Solar Array Wing-3 and the Integrated Electronic Assembly, to provide power to the Space Station. The 11-day mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections. Endeavour is expected to land Dec. 11 at 6:19 p.m. EST.

Engineering design and test plan for demonstrating DETOX treatment of mixed wastes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goldblatt, S.; Dhooge, P.

1995-03-01

DETOX is a cocatalyzed wet oxidation process in which the catalysts are a relatively great concentration of iron ions (typically as iron(III) chloride) in the presence of small amounts of platinum and ruthenium ions. Organic compounds are oxidized completely to carbon dioxide, water, and (if chlorinated) hydrogen chloride. The process has shown promise as a non-thermal alternative to incineration for treatment and/or volume reduction of hazardous, radioactive, and mixed wastes. Design and fabrication of a demonstration unit capable of destroying 25. Kg/hr of organic material is now in progress. This paper describes the Title 2 design of the demonstration unit,more » and the planned demonstration effort at Savannah River Site (SRS) and Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project (WSSRAP).« less

U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon outside the U.S. Lab Destiny in the SSPF.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Standing in front of the U.S. Lab, named Destiny, U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (left) thanks Thomas R. 'Randy' Galloway, with the Space Station Hardware Integration Office, for briefing him on the equipment inside the Lab. Weldon is on the House Science Committee and vice chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. Destiny is scheduled to be launched on Space Shuttle Endeavour in early 2000. It will become the centerpiece of scientific research on the ISS, with five equipment racks aboard to provide essential functions for station systems, including high data-rate communications, and to maintain the station's orientation using control gyroscopes launched earlier. Additional equipment and research racks will be installed in the laboratory on subsequent Shuttle flights.

Modeling to optimize operational practices to limit shallow dose and dose to the lens at the Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project.

PubMed

Hillman, D J; Green, S W

1994-10-01

The Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project (WSSRAP) began remediation of its chemical plant buildings in June 1992. The chemical plant was used by the Atomic Energy Commission in the 1950's and 1960's to process uranium ore and natural thorium. Many remaining equipment surfaces were highly contaminated with uranium and thorium product residues, which are relatively weak gamma emitters, but are strong beta emitters that deposit the majority of their energy within the first centimeter of tissue. An essential part of the remediation, therefore, is to control the dose to the skin, extremities, and the lens of the eye from the broad range of betas emitted by uranium and thorium decay series radionuclides. The WSSRAP planned to quantitatively record the dose to the skin, extremities, and the lens of the eye, when warranted, through selection and use of appropriate passive dosimeters. That would not, however, constitute control. A direct-reading instrument was needed that could be used by field technicians to anticipate and prevent work methods and situations that would otherwise result in the unnecessary commitment of dose. However, the interpretation of real-time instrument readings produced by a broad spectrum of beta energies is typically challenging at best, particularly when the shallow dose rate and the lens dose rate are both of interest. The purpose of this effort was, therefore, to (1) select a direct-reading instrument for use in the buildings that could be used to provide rule-of-thumb action levels for field technicians, which, if exceeded, would warrant worker protective measures; (2) determine the approximate conversions between the instrument readings and the shallow (including extremity) dose rate and lens of the eye dose rate; and (3) specify protective measures and dosimetry for the lens of the eye, if warranted. Methods described in the literature are used to estimate action levels for direct instrument readings and to demonstrate that lens dosimetry and special protective measures for the lens of the eye are not necessary at the WSSRAP.

U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon looks at the U.S. Lab Destiny in the SSPF.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Inside the U.S. Lab, called 'Destiny,' which is in the Space Station Processing Facility, U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (right) looks over equipment. In the background (center) is Thomas R. 'Randy' Galloway, with the Space Station Hardware Integration Office. Weldon is on the House Science Committee and vice chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. Destiny is scheduled to be launched on Space Shuttle Endeavour in early 2000. It will become the centerpiece of scientific research on the ISS, with five equipment racks aboard to provide essential functions for station systems, including high data-rate communications, and to maintain the station's orientation using control gyroscopes launched earlier. Additional equipment and research racks will be installed in the laboratory on subsequent Shuttle flights.

U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon outside the U.S. Lab Destiny in the SSPF.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

In the Space Station Processing Facility, U.S. Rep Dave Weldon (at left) looks at the U.S. Lab, called Destiny. With him are Thomas R. 'Randy' Galloway, with the Space Station Hardware Integration Office, Dana Gartzke, the congressman's chief of staffm and Boeing workers. Weldon is on the House Science Committee and vice chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. Destiny is scheduled to be launched on Space Shuttle Endeavour in early 2000. It will become the centerpiece of scientific research on the ISS, with five equipment racks aboard to provide essential functions for station systems, including high data-rate communications, and to maintain the station's orientation using control gyroscopes launched earlier. Additional equipment and research racks will be installed in the laboratory on subsequent Shuttle flights.

U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon looks at the U.S. Lab Destiny in the SSPF.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

In the Space Station Processing Facility, U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (center) looks over the U.S. Laboratory, called 'Destiny,' with a group of Boeing workers. Behind (left) the congressman is Dana Gartzke, the congressman's chief of staff. Weldon is on the House Science Committee and vice chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. Destiny, which will become the centerpiece of scientific research on the ISS, will have five equipment racks aboard to provide essential functions for station systems, including high data-rate communications, and to maintain the station's orientation using control gyroscopes launched earlier. Additional equipment and research racks will be installed in the laboratory on subsequent Shuttle flights. Destiny is scheduled to be launched on Space Shuttle Endeavour in early 2000.

Hydrology and water-quality at the Weldon Spring radioactive waste-disposal sites, St Charles County, Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kleeschulte, M.J.; Emmett, L.F.

1987-01-01

Water samples from five monitoring wells adjacent to raffinate pits storing low-level radioactive waste contained concentrations of nitrate as nitrogen ranging from 53 to 990 milligrams per liter. Most samples also had maximum concentrations of calcium (900 milligrams per liter), sodium (340 milligrams per liter), sulfate (320 milligrams per liter), lithium (1,700 micrograms), strontium (1,900 micrograms per liter), and uranium (86 micrograms per liter). The raffinate pits also had large concentrations of these constituents. A water balance made on the raffinate pits indicated a 0.04 to 0.08 inch per day decrease in the water level that cannot be attributed to meterological conditions. These data and seismically-detected areas of saturated overburden beneath one raffinate pit and possibly adjacent to three other pits indicate leakage from the pits. (USGS)

U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon looks at the U.S. Lab Destiny in the SSPF.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

In the Space Station Processing Facility, Thomas R. 'Randy' Galloway, with the Space Station Hardware Integration Office, points out a feature to U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (right) in the U.S. Lab, called 'Destiny.' In the far background is Dana Gartzke, the congressman's chief of staff. Weldon is on the House Science Committee and vice chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. Destiny is scheduled to be launched on Space Shuttle Endeavour in early 2000. It will become the centerpiece of scientific research on the ISS, with five equipment racks aboard to provide essential functions for station systems, including high data-rate communications, and to maintain the station's orientation using control gyroscopes launched earlier. Additional equipment and research racks will be installed in the laboratory on subsequent Shuttle flights.

Science and Technology Text Mining: Mexico Core Competencies

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

leaf represents germination nutrient comparative recovered juvenile nutritional winter_spring white difficult spring_summer segment requirements eggs... nutritional ) focuses on diets for small shrimp, emphasizing impact on feed consumption, weight increase, and nutrition . Factor 4 (patients, patient...species, Yucatan , dry season, Campeche, feeding, sex, reproduction) focuses on reproductive and feeding habits of species of both sexes as a function

75 FR 55461 - Airworthiness Directives; Bombardier, Inc. Model DHC-8-200 and DHC-8-300 Series Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-13

..., preventing gravity feed. In the event of scavenge system failure, the collector tank fuel level can no longer... closed by the valve spring, preventing gravity feed. In the event of scavenge system failure, the... spring, preventing gravity feed. In the event of scavenge system failure, the collector tank fuel level...

U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon looks at the U.S. Lab Destiny in the SSPF.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

In the Space Station Processing Facility, U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (center) and his chief of staff Dana Gartzke (second from left) get a close-up look at the interior of the U.S. Lab, called 'Destiny.' Thomas R. 'Randy' Galloway (second from right), with the Space Station Hardware Integration Office, helps with their familiarization of the equipment. They are joined (far left and right) by workers from Boeing. Weldon is on the House Science Committee and vice chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. Destiny is scheduled to be launched on Space Shuttle Endeavour in early 2000. It will become the centerpiece of scientific research on the ISS, with five equipment racks aboard to provide essential functions for station systems, including high data-rate communications, and to maintain the station's orientation using control gyroscopes launched earlier. Additional equipment and research racks will be installed in the laboratory on subsequent Shuttle flights.

Diel feeding behavior and ingestion rate in the copepod Calanus finmarchicus in the southern Gulf of Maine during late spring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durbin, Edward G.; Campbell, Robert G.; Gilman, Sharon L.; Durbin, Ann G.

In situ feeding was measured on late stage Calanus finmarchicus in the southern Gulf of Maine during late spring 1988 and 1989. The region is a spring feeding ground for the planktivorous right whale, Eubalaena glacialis. Measurements in 1988 were made during the declining spring bloom, when phytoplankton showed considerable spatial variability. 1989 observations were made after summer stratification had become established, when phytoplankton biomass was low and dominated by the <7 μm size fraction. In situ ingestion rates of C. finmarchicus reflected these differences in food, and ranged from 30.2% body C day -1 at a spring bloom station to 0.6% body C day -1 after stratification. These values compare with a maximum ingestion rate of 44.3% body C day -1 measured in a shipboard grazing experiment using cultured algae as food, and indicate that C. finmarchicus became food limited in the southern Gulf of Maine after stratification. Calanus finmarchicus diet feeding behavior and diet vertical migration patterns changed during the seasonal progression from spring bloom to summer stratification. Diet feeding rhythms and vertical migration were absent during the bloom, but developed as the bloom declined. During the post-bloom stratified conditions, diet feeding rhythms continued but vertical migration ceased. Most of the C. finmarchicus population remained near the surface, while a small population of nonmigratory individuals resided at depth and appeared to be feeding upon sedimented spring bloom diatoms. At the spring bloom station C. finmarchicus ingested only a small proportion of the phytoplankton standing stock in the > 7 μm size fraction (2.9% day -1), reflecting the high biomass of phytoplankton and the stage composition of the C. finmarchicus population, dominated by early copepodite stages with low biomass. In contrast, at the post-bloom stations in 1989, the dense surface aggregations of C. finmarchicus populations were dominated by late copepodite stages whose total biomass was comparable to that of the phytoplankton, and C. finmarchicus consumed a significantly larger fraction of the > 7 μm phytoplankton standing crop (up to 62.5% day -1.

Feeding Ecology of Northeast Atlantic Mackerel, Norwegian Spring-Spawning Herring and Blue Whiting in the Norwegian Sea.

PubMed

Bachiller, Eneko; Skaret, Georg; Nøttestad, Leif; Slotte, Aril

2016-01-01

The Norwegian spring-spawning (NSS) herring (Clupea harengus), blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) and Northeast Atlantic (NEA) mackerel (Scomber scombrus) are extremely abundant pelagic planktivores that feed in the Norwegian Sea (NS) during spring and summer. This study investigated the feeding ecology and diet composition of these commercially important fish stocks on the basis of biological data, including an extensive set of stomach samples in combination with hydrographical data, zooplankton samples and acoustic abundance data from 12 stock monitoring surveys carried out in 2005-2010. Mackerel were absent during the spring, but had generally high feeding overlap with herring in the summer, with a diet mainly based on calanoid copepods, especially Calanus finmarchicus, as well as a similar diet width. Stomach fullness in herring diminished from spring to summer and feeding incidence was lower than that of mackerel in summer. However, stomach fullness did not differ between the two species, indicating that herring maintain an equally efficient pattern of feeding as mackerel in summer, but on a diet that is less dominated by copepods and is more reliant on larger prey. Blue whiting tended to have a low dietary overlap with mackerel and herring, with larger prey such as euphausiids and amphipods dominating, and stomach fullness and feeding incidence increasing with length. For all the species, feeding incidence increased with decreasing temperature, and for mackerel so did stomach fullness, indicating that feeding activity is highest in areas associated with colder water masses. Significant annual effects on diet composition and feeding-related variables suggested that the three species are able to adapt to different food and environmental conditions. These annual effects are likely to have an important impact on the predation pressure on different plankton groups and the carrying capacity of individual systems, and emphasise the importance of regular monitoring of pelagic fish diets.

Biomass yield and feeding value of rye, triticale, and wheat straw produced under a dual-purpose management system.

PubMed

Ates, S; Keles, G; Demirci, U; Dogan, S; Ben Salem, H

2017-11-01

Dual-purpose management of winter cereals for grazing and grain production provides highly nutritive forage for ruminants in the spring and may positively affect straw feeding value. A 2-yr study investigated the effect of spring defoliation of triticale, wheat, and rye at the tillering and stem elongation stages on total biomass, grain yields, and straw quality. Furthermore, straws of spring-defoliated and undefoliated (control) cereal crops were evaluated for nutritional value and voluntary intake as a means of assessing the efficiency of dual-purpose management systems from the winter feeding context as well. The feeding study consisted of 9 total mixed rations (TMR), each containing 35% triticale, rye, or wheat straw obtained under 3 spring-defoliation regimens. The TMR were individually fed to fifty-four 1-yr-old Anatolian Merino ewes for 28 d. Defoliation of the crops at tillering did not affect the total biomass production or grain yields. However, biomass and grain yields were reduced ( < 0.01) by 55 and 52%, respectively, in crops defoliated at stem elongation. Straw of spring-defoliated cereals had less NDF and ADF concentrations ( < 0.01) but greater CP ( < 0.01), nonfiber carbohydrates ( < 0.01), and ME concentrations ( < 0.01) compared with straw from undefoliated crops. The increase in the nutritive value of straw led to greater nutrient digestion ( < 0.01) and intake of DM and OM of ewes ( < 0.01). However, sheep live weight gain did not differ among treatments ( > 0.77). This study indicated that straw feeding value and digestibility can be increased through spring defoliation.

CHARACTERIZATION OF WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE SPRING FEEDING HABITAT

EPA Science Inventory

The Great South Channel region of the southwestern Gulf of Maine, between George's Bank and Cape Cod, is the primary spring feeding ground for the western North Atlantic population of the I northern right whale, E. glacialis .Since this whale is so endangered, it is critical to i...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At a press conference, U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney responds to a question from a reporter about the new mission for NASA outlined by President George W. Bush Jan. 14. Present with Feeney are Center Director Jim Kennedy (left) and U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (right).

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-16

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At a press conference, U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney responds to a question from a reporter about the new mission for NASA outlined by President George W. Bush Jan. 14. Present with Feeney are Center Director Jim Kennedy (left) and U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (right).

Scour at a bridge over the Weldon River, Iowa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fischer, Edward E.; ,

1993-01-01

Contraction scour at the State Highway 2 bridge over the Weldon River in south-central Iowa was caused by a flood of record proportions on September 14 and 15, 1992. The peak discharge was 1, 930 cubic meters per second,which was 4 times the probable 100-year flood used to design the bridge, and resulted in road overflow. Contraction scour exposed the pier footings, but a subsurface layer of glacial clay apparently resisted additional vertical scour and caused the scouring process to move laterally. The embankment at the left abutment was eroded away, exposing 3 m of vertical abutment piling.

Trophic ecology of mullets during their spring migration in a European saltmarsh: A stable isotope study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebreton, Benoit; Richard, Pierre; Parlier, Emmanuel P.; Guillou, Gaël; Blanchard, Gérard F.

2011-03-01

Mullet populations are abundant in littoral waters throughout the world and play a significant role in organic matter fluxes. Mullets are opportunistic feeders: adults have frequently been shown to feed on primary producers (e.g. fresh or detrital plant material, microphytobenthos) but they may also feed on meiofauna. The population structure and stomach contents of mullets that colonize saltmarsh creeks in Aiguillon Bay (French Atlantic coast) were studied to determine if they use saltmarshes as a feeding ground in spring. Stable isotope analyses were carried out on mullets sampled to assess their diet during their spring migration. The mullet population was primarily composed of young-of-the-year (G0), 1 year-old (G1) of both Liza ramada and Liza aurata species and 3 year-old or older (G3+) L. ramada individuals. G0 and G3+ population densities increased during the spring period: catch per unit effort (CPUE) increased from 0.22 to 1.49 ind min -1 for the G0 age group; but stomach content analyses revealed that only G1 and G3+ feed in the saltmarsh. Isotopic signatures of G1 (spring: δ 13C: -14.8‰, δ 15N: 14.1‰) and G3+ mullets (spring: δ 13C: -16.9‰, δ 15N: 13.8‰) indicate that mullet growth is supported largely by primary consumers, such as benthic meiofauna or small macrofauna. Mullets are thus positioned at a much higher trophic level than true primary consumers.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Congressman Dave Weldon talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and other government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind Weldon are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; and Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; at right is O’Keefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Congressman Dave Weldon talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and other government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind Weldon are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; and Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; at right is O’Keefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

The Battle Between the Biometricians and the Mendelians: How Sir Francis Galton's Work Caused his Disciples to Reach Conflicting Conclusions About the Hereditary Mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillham, Nicholas W.

2015-01-01

Francis Galton, Charles Darwin's cousin, had wide and varied interests. They ranged from exploration and travel writing to fingerprinting and the weather. After reading Darwin's On the Origin of Species, Galton reached the conclusion that it should be possible to improve the human stock through selective breeding, as was the case for domestic animals and cultivated plants. Much of the latter half of Galton's career was devoted to trying to devise methods to distinguish men of good stock and then to show that these qualities were inherited. But along the way he invented two important statistical methods: regression and correlation. He also discovered regression to the mean. This led Galton to believe that evolution could not proceed by the small steps envisioned by Darwin, but must proceed by discontinuous changes. Galton's book Natural Inheritance (1889) served as the inspiration for Karl Pearson, W.F.R. Weldon and William Bateson. Pearson and Weldon were interested in continuously varying characters and the application of statistical techniques to their study. Bateson was fascinated by discontinuities and the role they might play in evolution. Galton proposed his Law of Ancestral Heredity in the last decade of the nineteenth century. At first this seemed to work well as an explanation for continuously varying traits of the type that interested Pearson and Weldon. In contrast, Bateson had published a book on discontinuously varying traits so he was in a position to understand and embrace Mendel's principles of inheritance when they were rediscovered in 1900. The subsequent battle between Weldon and Pearson, the biometricians, and Bateson, the Mendelian, went on acrimoniously for several years at the beginning of the twentieth century before Mendelian theory finally won out.

Observations of emperor geese feeding at Nelson Lagoon, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Petersen, Margaret R.

1983-01-01

Estuaries along the north side of the Alaska Peninsula provide essential habitat for most of the American population of Emperor Goose (Chen canagica) during migration (Petersen and Gill 1982). Most of the population passes through Nelson Lagoon in spring and fall, with over 40,000 birds recorded there (Gill et al 1981). Little is known about the feeding activity of Emperor Geese while they are in estuaries, and the importance of estuaries as staging areas during spring and fall migration is poorly understood. Here I report observations on the feeding activity of emperor Geese at one estuary (Nelson Lagoon).

Growth and survival of sea lampreys from metamorphosis to spawning in Lake Huron

USGS Publications Warehouse

Swink, William D.; Johnson, Nicholas S.

2014-01-01

Larval Sea Lampreys Petromyzon marinus live burrowed in stream bottoms and then metamorphose into their parasitic stage. Among larvae that metamorphose in a given year (i.e., parasitic cohort), autumn out-migrants (October–December) to the Laurentian Great Lakes can feed on fish for up to 6 months longer than spring outmigrants (March–May), which overwinter in streams without feeding. We evaluated whether the season of outmigration affected growth or survival of newlymetamorphosed Sea Lampreys in LakeHuron. Newlymetamorphosed individuals (n=2,718) from three parasitic cohorts were netted during their out-migration from BlackMallard Creek, Michigan, to LakeHuron during autumn 1997 through spring 2000; each out-migrant was injected with a sequentially numbered coded wire tag and was released back into the creek. After up to 18 months of feeding in the Great Lakes, 224 (8.2%) Sea Lampreys were recaptured (in 1999–2001) as upstream-migrating adults in tributaries to Lakes Huron and Michigan. Recovery rates of autumn and spring out-migrants as adults were 9.4% and 7.8%, respectively, and these rates did not significantly differ. Overwinter feeding (i.e., as parasites) by autumn out-migrants did not produce adult mean sizes greater than those of spring out-migrants. Because we detected no growth or survival differences between autumn and spring out-migrants, the capture of newly metamorphosed Sea Lampreys at any point during their out-migration should provide equal reductions in damage to Great Lakes fisheries. The absence of a difference in growth or survival between autumn and spring out-migrants is an aspect of Sea Lamprey life history that yields resiliency to this invasive parasite and complicates efforts for its control in the Great Lakes.

Research note: the performance of spring- and summer-reared broilers as affected by precision beak trimming at seven days of age.

PubMed

Christmas, R B

1993-12-01

In each of two duplicate trials approximately 2,500 day-old Peterson x Arbor Acres straight-run broiler chicks were equally divided between two treatments of three pens each. Treatment 1 was maintained as controls (C), and Treatment 2 birds were precision beak-trimmed (PBT) at 7 days of age. Feed and water were supplied for ad libitum consumption to both groups. Trials 1 and 2 were initiated in March and June, respectively. Performance of spring-reared broilers were comparable regardless of beak trimming procedure, except that PBT broilers experienced slightly higher mortality after PBT. Final body weights of the summer-reared broilers were 15% lower than those reared in the spring. Additionally, PBT resulted in significantly reduced final body weights and feed intake. There were no significant differences in mortality or feed conversion due to PBT.

KSC-04PD-0270

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. After a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center, Congressmen Tom Feeney (center) and Dave Weldon (right) share a humorous moment with NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (foreground). Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

U.S. Congressmen from Florida Tom Feeney and Dave Weldon at the STS-113 launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Congressmen from Florida Tom Feeney (left) and Dave Weldon wait in the VIP viewing site for the STS-113 launch. The launch will carry the Expedition 6 crew to the Station and return the Expedition 5 crew to Earth. The major objective of the mission is delivery of the Port 1 (P1) Integrated Truss Assembly, which will be attached to the port side of the S0 truss. Three spacewalks are planned to install and activate the truss and its associated equipment. Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-113 is now scheduled for Nov. 23 at 7:50 p.m. EST.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Imes, J.L.; Kleeschulte, M.J.

Ground-water-level measurements to support remedial actions were made in 37 piezometers and 19 monitoring wells during a 19-month period to assess the potential for ground-water flow from an abandoned quarry to the nearby St. Charles County well field, which withdraws water from the base of the alluvial aquifer. From 1957 to 1966, low-level radioactive waste products from the Weldon Spring chemical plant were placed in the quarry a few hundred feet north of the Missouri River alluvial plain. Uranium-based contaminants subsequently were detected in alluvial ground water south of the quarry. During all but flood conditions, lateral ground-water flow inmore » the bedrock from the quarry, as interpreted from water-table maps, generally is southwest toward Little Femme Osage Creek or south into the alluvial aquifer. After entering the alluvial aquifer, the ground water flows southeast to east toward a ground-water depression presumably produced by pumping at the St. Charles County well field. The depression position varies depending on the Missouri River stage and probably the number and location of active wells in the St. Charles County well field.« less

Determination of polychlorinated biphenyls, selected persistent organochlorine pesticides, and polybrominated flame retardants in fillets of fishes from the 2006 Missouri Department of Conservation Monitoring Programs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gale, Robert W.; May, Thomas W.; Orazio, Carl E.; McKee, Michael J.

2008-01-01

This report presents the results of a study to determine polychlorinated biphenyl, organochlorine pesticide, and polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardant concentrations in selected fishes from lakes and streams across Missouri. Fillets were collected from each fish sample, and after homogenization, compositing, and preparation, analyte concentrations were determined with dual column capillary gas chromatography-electron-capture detection. Total concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls in samples ranged from background levels of about 20 to 1,200 nanograms per gram. Chlordanes and DDT-related chemicals constituted the primary classes of pesticides present at elevated concentrations in most samples, and ranged from 5 to 340 nanograms per gram. Total concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in samples ranged from background levels of about 5 to about 410 nanograms per gram. Concentrations of total technical chlordane ranged from less than 5 to 260 nanograms per gram. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls, chlordanes, DDT-related compounds, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers were all greatest in samples of blue catfish from Cape Girardeau and Weldon Spring.

KSC-04pd0270

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center, Congressmen Tom Feeney (center) and Dave Weldon (right) share a humorous moment with NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (foreground). Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

Yarn carrier with clutch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doyne, Richard A. (Inventor); Benson, Rio H. (Inventor); El-Shiekh, Aly (Inventor)

1994-01-01

A yarn carrier apparatus particularly suited for use in braiding machinery or the like due to its capability of continuous yarn feeding and retraction of long lengths of yarn. The yarn carrier apparatus comprises a yarn supply spool which is rotatably mounted within the housing, a spring motor also mounted within the housing and operatively connected to the yarn supply spool through a mechanical transmission assembly which is adapted to multiply rotational movement between the first element of the gear assembly operatively connected to the spring motor and the final element of the gear assembly operatively connected to the yarn supply spool. The spring motor is adapted to tension the yarn during both feeding and retraction thereof, and it is further adapted to periodically rotatably slip within the housing and partially unwind so as to allow for continuous withdrawal of a long length of yarn without the spring motor becoming fully wound and preventing further yarn retraction.

Yarn carrier apparatus for braiding machines and the like

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

El-Shiekh, Aly (Inventor); Li, Wei (Inventor); Hammad, Mohamed (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A yarn carrier apparatus particularly suited for use in braiding machinery or the like due to its capability of continuous yarn feeding and retraction of long lengths of yarn. The yarn carrier apparatus comprises a yarn supply spool which is rotatably mounted within the housing, a spring motor also mounted within the housing and operatively connected to the yarn supply spool through a mechanical transmission assembly which is adapted to multiply rotational movement between the first element of the gear assembly operatively connected to the spring motor and the final element of the gear assembly operatively connected to the yarn supply spool. The spring motor is adapted to tension the yarn during both feeding and retraction thereof, and it is further adapted to periodically rotatably slip within the housing and partially unwind so as to allow for continuous withdrawal of a long length of yarn without the spring motor becoming fully wound and preventing further yarn retraction.

Feeding selectivity of Calanus finmarchicus in the Trondheimsfjord

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leiknes, Øystein; Striberny, Anja; Tokle, Nils Egil; Olsen, Yngvar; Vadstein, Olav; Sommer, Ulrich

2014-01-01

The feeding selectivity of Calanus finmarchicus was studied by carrying out three incubation experiments; two experiments with natural seawater sampled during spring bloom (Exp. 1) and post-bloom conditions (Exp. 2) and a third experiment with cultured dinoflagellates and ciliates (Exp. 3). In the first two experiments a gradient in ciliate concentration was created to investigate the potential for prey density dependent selective feeding of C. finmarchicus. Results of microplankton counts indicated C. finmarchicus to be omnivorous. Diatoms contributed chiefly to the diet during spring bloom conditions. Despite the high microphytoplankton biomass during the spring bloom (Exp. 1), ciliates were selected positively by C. finmarchicus when the ciliate biomass exceeded 6.5 μg C L- 1. A selection in favor of large conic ciliates such as Laboea sp. and Strombidium conicum was indicated by positive selectivity indices. Ciliates were throughout positively selected by C. finmarchicus during Exp. 2, and selectivity indices indicated a negative selection of diatoms. The results from Exp. 3 showed that C. finmarchicus has the ability to switch from dinoflagellates to ciliates as sole food source, even if the dinoflagellate was offered in surplus. This suggests that other factors, such as nutrition may be of significance for the feeding selectivity of C. finmarchicus.

Acoustic monitoring on a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) feeding ground shows continual singing into late Spring.

PubMed

Clark, Christopher W; Clapham, Phillip J

2004-05-22

Singing by males is a major feature of the mating system of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski). Although a few songs have been opportunistically recorded on the whales' high-latitude feeding grounds, singing in these regions was thought to be only sporadic. We report results from the first continuous acoustic monitoring of a humpback whale feeding ground (off Cape Cod, MA, USA) in spring. Using autonomous sea-floor recording systems, we found singing on a daily basis over the entire 25 day monitoring period, from 14 May to 7 June 2000. For much of the period, song was recorded 24 h per day. These results, combined with evidence for aseasonal conceptions in whaling catch data, suggest that the humpback whale breeding season should no longer be considered as confined to lower-latitude regions in winter. Rather, we suggest breeding extends geographically and temporally onto feeding grounds into at least spring and early summer. Singing at these times represents either low-cost opportunistic advertising by (perhaps relatively few) males to court females that failed to conceive during the winter, and/or possibly an intrasexual display.

Improving feeding management and work performance of Mashona oxen through strategic supplementation with cobsheath-groundnut stover.

PubMed

Francis, J; Ndlovu, L R

1995-11-01

Six pairs of Mashona oxen ploughed dry, red clay soils in August (winter) and in mid-November (spring). Between September and November the oxen were randomly assigned to 3 feeding groups: no supplement (control), 400 g/head per day of cobsheath-groundnut stover for 70 days and 800 g/head per day of the same supplement for 35 days. Cobsheath-groundnut stover was fed in order to determine its potential as supplementary feed for draught oxen during the dry season. The liveweight (LW) lost by heavy oxen during winter ploughing was lower (P < 0.001) than that of light oxen. During spring ploughing heavy oxen again lost less (P < 0.001) LW than light ones. In addition, non-supplemented oxen lost more LW than those supplemented. Therefore feeding strategies for Mashona draught oxen should aim at providing adequate nutrients to at least maintain LW during the dry season. Heavy oxen outperformed (P < 0.001) light ones during winter ploughing. Work output of supplemented oxen in spring was also significantly greater (P < 0.05) than that of non-supplemented ones. This result demonstrated the benefits of supplementary feed during the dry season. Concentrations of lactate and free fatty acids in plasma, heart rates and rectal temperatures increased (P < 0.05) markedly during work. The increases were higher (P < 0.05) for light oxen, particularly those not fed supplement.

Impacts of Groundwater Discharge at Myora Springs (North Stradbroke Island, Australia) on the Phenolic Metabolism of Eelgrass, Zostera muelleri, and Grazing by the Juvenile Rabbitfish, Siganus fuscescens

PubMed Central

Arnold, Thomas; Freundlich, Grace; Weilnau, Taylor; Verdi, Arielle; Tibbetts, Ian R.

2014-01-01

Myora Springs is one of many groundwater discharge sites on North Stradbroke Island (Queensland, Australia). Here spring waters emerge from wetland forests to join Moreton Bay, mixing with seawater over seagrass meadows dominated by eelgrass, Zostera muelleri. We sought to determine how low pH / high CO2 conditions near the spring affect these plants and their interactions with the black rabbitfish (Siganus fuscescens), a co-occurring grazer. In paired-choice feeding trials S. fuscescens preferentially consumed Z. muelleri shoots collected nearest to Myora Springs. Proximity to the spring did not significantly alter the carbon and nitrogen contents of seagrass tissues but did result in the extraordinary loss of soluble phenolics, including Folin-reactive phenolics, condensed tannins, and phenolic acids by ≥87%. Conversely, seagrass lignin contents were, in this and related experiments, unaffected or increased, suggesting a shift in secondary metabolism away from the production of soluble, but not insoluble, (poly)phenolics. We suggest that groundwater discharge sites such as Myora Springs, and other sites characterized by low pH, are likely to be popular feeding grounds for seagrass grazers seeking to reduce their exposure to soluble phenolics. PMID:25127379

[Transcatheter embolization for huge pulmonary arteriovenous fistula using metallic "spider" and spring embolus--application of hand-made metallic "spider" using partial monorail technique].

PubMed

Hirota, S; Sako, M; Fujita, Y; Hasegawa, Y; Sugimoto, K; Suzuki, Y; Kono, M

1992-07-25

We performed transcatheter embolization in two cases with huge pulmonary arteriovenous fistula (AVF) using a metallic "spider" and spring embolus. Conventional spring embolus or detachable balloon could not be used in these cases. Metallic spider was indicated for pulmonary AVF with a feeding artery diameter of more than 16 mm to prevent embolus passing through the AVF. In the first case, we used large handmade metallic spiders of 25 mm in diameter followed by embolization by numerous spring coils. At that time, a partial monorail technique was newly devised to carry the large metallic spider into the feeding artery, otherwise the spider could not pass into a 9F catheter. After embolization, symptoms and PaO2 in arterial blood improved remarkably in both cases. In the second case, a spring coil migrated into the normal pulmonary artery, but no infarction resulted. In conclusion, the metallic spider was very useful for embolization of hugee pulmonary AVF to avoid the embolus passing through and to tangle spring coils together with it. If commercially available "spiders" are too small, ones can be made easily.

Sulphur and oxygen isotopic composition of sulphates in springs feeding the Wieprz river and other springs of Lublin Upland and Roztocze.

PubMed

Trembaczowski, A; Swieca, A

2002-12-01

Springs on Roztocze and Lublin Upland have been studied. Isotopic data are compared with data of chemical analyses. The results of studies allow us to distinguish five types of groundwaters. The differentiation is based upon different lithology; opokas, gaizes, sandy-silty-clay deposits, sands with shell sandstones, marly opokas, marly limestones and 'soft limestones of chalk type. A correlation can be observed between delta34S and the concentration of Ca or Mg ions also a correlation between HCO3- ion concentration and delta18O in sulphates. Probably these correlations are the result of some simultaneous processes, which occur in groundwater. The seasonal variations of the isotopic composition and sulphate concentration were observed in four springs feeding the upper Wieprz. The variations were simultaneous and often similar in these springs. Probably, these variations are caused by the admixture of sulphates coming from shallow water layers (or leached from soil); however the variations of the groundwater level may also change chemical and isotopic composition in groundwater.

Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, Spring 1991. Volume 28, Number 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

diameter extruded bars of nylon 6/6. Total requested to be returned to the ankle following the test manufacturing cost has been reduced drastically and part...Open bottle cap Spoon-feed meals Close bottle cap Feed snack Place drinking straw Remove drinking straw Open small refrigerator door Close small...Observed in this Study as Being Performed by a Monkey Helper Feeding Manipulating Objects Spoon-feed meals Feed snacks Wipe table top Hold sandwich

KSC-04PD-0284

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Congressman Dave Weldon talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He, NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe and other government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Behind Weldon are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; and Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; at right is OKeefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

KSC-99pp0808

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-07-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the cockpit of the orbiter Atlantis, which is in the Orbiter Processing Facility, U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon looks at the newly installed Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem (MEDS), known as the "glass cockpit." Weldon is on the House Science Committee and vice chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. He was in Palmdale, Calif., when Atlantis underwent the modification and he wanted to see the final product. The full-color, flat-panel MEDS upgrade improves crew/orbiter interaction with easy-to-read, graphic portrayals of key flight indicators like attitude display and mach speed. The installation makes Atlantis the most modern orbiter in the fleet and equals the systems on current commercial jet airliners and military aircraft. Atlantis is scheduled to fly on mission STS-101 in early December

Wetland use and feeding by lesser scaup during spring migration across the upper Midwest, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anteau, M.J.; Afton, A.D.

2009-01-01

Low food availability and forage quality and concomitant decreased lipid reserves of lesser scaup (Aythya affinis; hereafter scaup) during spring migration in the upper Midwest may partially explain reductions in the continental population of scaup. In springs 20042005, we examined wetland use and feeding activity of scaup on 356 randomly-selected wetlands within 6 regions in Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota. We examined wetland characteristics that favor high scaup use in 286 of these wetlands. We found that probabilities of wetland use and feeding by scaup increased with turbidity up to 45 and 30 NTU, respectively, but then declined at higher turbidity levels. Wetland use was positively correlated with size of open-water zone and amphipod densities, but was not correlated with chironomid densities. Feeding increased with amphipod density up to 26 m-3 and then declined at higher amphipod densities; scaup seemingly forage most efficiently at amphipod densities above 26 m -3. Wetland use was higher in North Dakota than in southern Minnesota and Iowa. Our results indicate that effective wetland restoration efforts to benefit scaup require maintaining abundant populations of amphipods (generally near 26 m-3 landscape geometric mean) in wetlands with large (> 500 m diameter) open-water zones throughout the upper Midwest, but especially within Iowa and southern Minnesota.

KSC-04PD-0273

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (left) talks to U.S. Representative Ric Keller across the table after a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. In the center is U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Florida Congressman Tom Feeney, Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-99pp0807

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-07-08

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the cockpit of the orbiter Atlantis, which is in the Orbiter Processing Facility, U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (right) looks at the newly installed Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem (MEDS), known as the "glass cockpit." At left is Laural Patrick, a systems engineer with MEDS. Weldon is on the House Science Committee and vice chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. He was in Palmdale, Calif., when Atlantis underwent the modification and he wanted to see the final product. The full-color, flat-panel MEDS upgrade improves crew/orbiter interaction with easy-to-read, graphic portrayals of key flight indicators like attitude display and mach speed. The installation makes Atlantis the most modern orbiter in the fleet and equals the systems on current commercial jet airliners and military aircraft. Atlantis is scheduled to fly on mission STS-101 in early December

KSC-04pd0273

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (left) talks to U.S. Representative Ric Keller across the table after a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. In the center is U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Florida Congressman Tom Feeney, Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

Translocation of 14-C in ponderosa pine seedlings

Treesearch

Robert R. Ziemer

1971-01-01

The movement of 14-C from the old needles to the roots, and later to the new needles, was measured in 2-year-old ponderosa pine seedlings. The seedlings were in one of three growth stages at the time of the feeding of 14-CO-2: 9 days before spring bud break with no root activity; 7 days before spring bud break with high root activity; and 7 days after spring bud break...

Fall spawning of Atlantic sturgeon in the Roanoke River, North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Joseph A.; Hightower, Joseph E.; Flowers, H. Jared

2015-01-01

In 2012, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus to be threatened or endangered throughout its range in U.S. waters. Restoration of the subspecies will require much new information, particularly on the location and timing of spawning. We used a combination of acoustic telemetry and sampling with anchored artificial substrates (spawning pads) to detect fall (September–November) spawning in the Roanoke River in North Carolina. This population is included in the Carolina Distinct Population Segment, which was classified by NOAA as endangered. Sampling was done immediately below the first shoals encountered by anadromous fishes, near Weldon. Our collection of 38 eggs during the 21 d that spawning pads were deployed appears to be the first such collection (spring or fall) for wild-spawned Atlantic Sturgeon eggs. Based on egg development stages, estimated spawning dates were September 17–18 and 18–19 at water temperatures from 25.3°C to 24.3°C and river discharge from 55 to 297 m3/s. These observations about fall spawning and habitat use should aid in protecting critical habitats and planning research on Atlantic Sturgeon spawning in other rivers.

Combined electromagnetic geophysical mapping at Arctic perennial saline springs: Possible applications for the detection of water in the shallow subsurface of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samson, C.; Mah, J.; Haltigin, T.; Holladay, S.; Ralchenko, M.; Pollard, W.; Monteiro Santos, F. A.

2017-05-01

Perennial springs at the Gypsum Hill site on Axel Heiberg Island in the Canadian Arctic (79°24‧N, 90°44‧W) represent a high-fidelity analogue to hydrothermal systems that might exist on Mars. The springs were surveyed using an electromagnetic induction sounder (EMIS) and ground penetrating radar (GPR). Both instruments probed the subsurface to a depth of approximately 3 m. Lateral EMIS soundings were performed every metre along a 400 m long reconnaissance line roughly oriented SW-NE and extending through 23 active springs and 1 dry outlet to measure electrical conductivity. Two distinct zones were identified within the survey area on the basis of these data: in the southwest portion, sharp conductivity peaks correspond to isolated springs with well-defined outlets, flowing over dry rocky soil; in the northeast portion, the springs are fed by a pervasive network of saline fluids, resulting in high background readings and muddy surface conditions. These observations are consistent with vertical EMIS sounding data which showed that the brine body feeding the saline springs can be found closer to the ground surface towards the northeast portion of the survey site. In areas of high electrical conductivity, the GPR data exhibits strong scattering. The noisy areas are sharply defined and interpreted to correspond to narrow vertical conduits feeding individual spring outlets. The EMIS is a rugged instrument that could be included as payload in future rover-based Mars exploration missions aiming at probing the shallow subsurface for the presence of brine pockets.

U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon looks at the U.S. Lab Destiny in the SSPF.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

In the cockpit of the orbiter Atlantis, which is in the Orbiter Processing Facility, Laural Patrick (left), a systems engineer with MEDS, points out a feature of the newly installed Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem (MEDS), known as the 'glass cockpit,' to U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon. The congressman is on the House Science Committee and vice chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. He was in Palmdale, Calif., when Atlantis underwent the modification and he wanted to see the final product. The full-color, flat-panel MEDS upgrade improves crew/orbiter interaction with easy-to-read, graphic portrayals of key flight indicators like attitude display and mach speed. The installation makes Atlantis the most modern orbiter in the fleet and equals the systems on current commercial jet airliners and military aircraft. Atlantis is scheduled to fly on mission STS- 101 in early December.

Dangerous dining: surface foraging of North Atlantic right whales increases risk of vessel collisions.

PubMed

Parks, Susan E; Warren, Joseph D; Stamieszkin, Karen; Mayo, Charles A; Wiley, David

2012-02-23

North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered and, despite international protection from whaling, significant numbers die from collisions with ships. Large groups of right whales migrate to the coastal waters of New England during the late winter and early spring to feed in an area with large numbers of vessels. North Atlantic right whales have the largest per capita record of vessel strikes of any large whale population in the world. Right whale feeding behaviour in Cape Cod Bay (CCB) probably contributes to risk of collisions with ships. In this study, feeding right whales tagged with archival suction cup tags spent the majority of their time just below the water's surface where they cannot be seen but are shallow enough to be vulnerable to ship strike. Habitat surveys show that large patches of right whale prey are common in the upper 5 m of the water column in CCB during spring. These results indicate that the typical spring-time foraging ecology of right whales may contribute to their high level of mortality from vessel collisions. The results of this study suggest that remote acoustic detection of prey aggregations may be a useful supplement to the management and conservation of right whales.

Scaling of chew cycle duration in primates.

PubMed

Ross, Callum F; Reed, David A; Washington, Rhyan L; Eckhardt, Alison; Anapol, Fred; Shahnoor, Nazima

2009-01-01

The biomechanical determinants of the scaling of chew cycle duration are important components of models of primate feeding systems at all levels, from the neuromechanical to the ecological. Chew cycle durations were estimated in 35 species of primates and analyzed in conjunction with data on morphological variables of the feeding system estimating moment of inertia of the mandible and force production capacity of the chewing muscles. Data on scaling of primate chew cycle duration were compared with the predictions of simple pendulum and forced mass-spring system models of the feeding system. The gravity-driven pendulum model best predicts the observed cycle duration scaling but is rejected as biomechanically unrealistic. The forced mass-spring model predicts larger increases in chew cycle duration with size than observed, but provides reasonable predictions of cycle duration scaling. We hypothesize that intrinsic properties of the muscles predict spring-like behavior of the jaw elevator muscles during opening and fast close phases of the jaw cycle and that modulation of stiffness by the central nervous system leads to spring-like properties during the slow close/power stroke phase. Strepsirrhines show no predictable relationship between chew cycle duration and jaw length. Anthropoids have longer chew cycle durations than nonprimate mammals with similar mandible lengths, possibly due to their enlarged symphyses, which increase the moment of inertia of the mandible. Deviations from general scaling trends suggest that both scaling of the jaw muscles and the inertial properties of the mandible are important in determining the scaling of chew cycle duration in primates.

Feeding ecology of sandhill cranes during spring migration in Nebraska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reinecke, K.J.; Krapu, G.L.

1986-01-01

We studied the food habits of midcontinent sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) during spring 1978 and 1979 at their primary staging area along the Platte River and compared population food and foraging habitat requirements with availability. Crane diets varied among the 3 principal foraging habitats, but not between sexes, ages, or years. Cranes feeding in cornfields ate >99% corn (total dry wt); those feeding in native grasslands and alfalfa fields consumed 79-99% invertebrates. The composite diet of cranes was 97% corn and 3% invertebrates, including 2% earthworms, 0.5% snails, and 0.5% insects. Presumably, corn provided energy, whereas invertebrates from grasslands and alfalfa fields provided supplemental nutrients to compensate for protein and calcium deficiencies in corn. The mean density of waste corn decreased (P 50%. Management by burning, haying, and grazing is compatible with crane use of grasslands, and reduced-till farming could benefit cranes by increasing invertebrate populations.

Nutrition Frontiers - Spring 2017 | Division of Cancer Prevention

Cancer.gov

Volume 8, Issue 2 Dear Colleague, The spring issue of Nutrition Frontiers showcases the calcium/magnesium intake ratio in colorectal adenoma, the role of PPARγ in metabolism and reproduction, and the effects of time-restricted feeding on metabolic parameters. Meet our spotlight investigator, Dr. Maria Cruz-Correa, and her research on gut bacterial genes, diet, and colorectal

Seasonal Shoot-Feeding By Tomicus Piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) In Michigan

Treesearch

Robert A. Haack; Robert K. Lawrence; George C. Heaton

2000-01-01

Seasonal shoot-feeding by Tomicus piniperda (L.) was monitored at 2-week intervals on 15 Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris L., trees from 8 April through 16 November 1994 in southern Michigan. All shoots that showed evidence of T. piniperda attack were removed every two weeks. In 1994, initial spring flight of

Optimal wildlife management in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem: A spatiotemporal model of disease risk

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

South of Yellowstone National Park there are twenty-three sites where elk herds are provided supplementary feeding during the winter and spring months. Supplementary feeding of elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) has been practiced since the early twentieth century, but the practice has b...

Feeding habitats of the Gulf sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi, in the Suwannee and Yellow rivers, Florida, as identified by multiple stable isotope analyses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sulak, Kenneth J.; Berg, James J.; Randall, Michael T.

2012-01-01

Stable 13C, 15N, and 34S isotopes were analyzed to define the feeding habitats of Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi in the Suwannee and Yellow River populations. For the majority (93.9%) of Suwannee subadults and adults, 13C and 34S signatures indicate use of nearshore marine waters as primary winter feeding habitat, probably due to the limiting size of the Suwannee Sound estuary. In the Yellow River population, 13C isotope signatures indicate that adults remain primarily within Pensacola Bay estuary to feed in winter, rather than emigrating to the open Gulf of Mexico. A minor Suwannee River subset (6% of samples), comprised of juveniles and subadults, displayed 13C signatures indicating continued feeding in freshwater during the spring immigration and fall emigration periods. This cannot be interpreted as incidental feeding since it resulted in a 20.5% turnover in tissue δ13C signatures over a 1–3 month period. Cessation of feeding in the general population does not coincide with high river water temperatures. The hypothesis of reduced feeding in freshwater due to localized prey depletion as a result of spatial activity restriction is not supported by the present study. Instead, Suwannee River A. o. desotoi appear to follow two trophic alternatives; 1) complete cessation of feeding immediately upon immigration in spring, continuing through emigration 8–9 months later (the predominant alternative); 2) continued intensive feeding for 1–3 months following immigration, switching to freshwater prey, selected primarily from high trophic levels (i.e., large prey). Stable –34S data verifies that recently immigrated, fully-anadromous A. o. desotoi adults had fed in nearshore marine waters, not offshore waters.

Transient nature of Arctic spring systems driven by subglacial meltwater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scheidegger, J. M.; Bense, V. F.; Grasby, S. E.

2012-06-01

In the High Arctic, supra- and proglacial springs occur at Borup Fiord Pass, Ellesmere Island. Spring waters are sulfur bearing and isotope analysis suggests springs are fed by deeply circulating glacial meltwater. However, the mechanism maintaining spring flow is unclear in these areas of thick permafrost which would hamper the discharge of deep groundwater to the surface. It has been hypothesized that fracture zones along faults focus groundwater which discharges initially underneath wet-based parts of the ice. With thinning ice, the spring head is exposed to surface temperatures, tens of degrees lower than temperatures of pressure melting, and permafrost starts to develop. Numerical modeling of coupled heat and fluid flow suggest that focused groundwater discharge should eventually be cut off by permafrost encroaching into the feeding channel of the spring. Nevertheless, our model simulations show that these springs can remain flowing for millennia depending on the initial flow rate and ambient surface temperature. These systems might provide a terrestrial analog for the possible occurrence of Martian springs recharged by polar ice caps.

Dalhousie Fire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Fred W.

1986-01-01

Describes steps taken by the Weldon Law Library at Dalhousie University in salvaging books damaged in a major fire, including procedures and processes used in packing, sorting, drying, and cleaning the books. The need for a disaster plan for specific libraries is emphasized, and some suggestions are made. (CDD)

DETAIL VIEW OF BALL MILL FEED SYSTEM, MOUTH OF CLASSIFIER, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

DETAIL VIEW OF BALL MILL FEED SYSTEM, MOUTH OF CLASSIFIER, AND ORE BIN CHUTE, LOOKING EAST NORTHEAST. CRUSHED ORE FROM THE SECONDARY ORE BIN WAS INTRODUCED INTO THE FEED TROUGH VIA A CHUTE. AS THE BALL MILL TURNED, THE ROUND SCOOP ALSO TURNED IN THE TROUGH TO CHANNEL ORE INTO THE BALL MILL. SEE CA-292-14 FOR IDENTICAL B&W NEGATIVE. - Gold Hill Mill, Warm Spring Canyon Road, Death Valley Junction, Inyo County, CA

DETAIL VIEW OF BALL MILL FEED SYSTEM, MOUTH OF CLASSIFIER, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

DETAIL VIEW OF BALL MILL FEED SYSTEM, MOUTH OF CLASSIFIER, AND ORE BIN CHUTE, LOOKING EAST NORTHEAST. CRUSHED ORE FROM THE SECONDARY ORE BIN WAS INTRODUCED INTO THE FEED TROUGH VIA A CHUTE. AS THE BALL MILL TURNED, THE ROUND SCOOP ALSO TURNED IN THE TROUGH TO CHANNEL ORE INTO THE BALL MILL. SEE CA-292-20 (CT) FOR IDENTICAL COLOR TRANSPARENCY. - Gold Hill Mill, Warm Spring Canyon Road, Death Valley Junction, Inyo County, CA

Relationship between foliar chemistry and insect performance: the forest tent caterpillar

Treesearch

Francois Lorenzetti; Yves Mauffette; Eric Bauce

1999-01-01

Forest tent caterpillar (FTC) feeds on several species of deciduous trees (Stehr and Cook 1968), in northeastern North America, quaking aspen is the preferred host of this spring-feeding insect. FTC commonly defoliates several thousands of hectares of aspen stands each year in Quebec (Bordeleau 1990), although its secondary hosts seldom are attacked.

Registration of STARS 1501B and STARS 1502B barley germplasm with Rsg2 resistance to greenbug

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

STARS 1501B (Reg. No. GP- , PI 675335) greenbug-resistant, six-rowed, spring, feed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) germplasm and STARS 1502B (Reg. No. GP-, PI 675336) greenbug-resistant, six-rowed, winter, feed barley germplasm, tested as GR 001 and GR 010 respectively, were developed and released by US...

Analysis on Characteristics of a C-Shaped Constant-Force Spring with a Guide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohtsuki, Atsumi; Ohshima, Shigemichi; Itoh, Daisuke

A C-shaped constant-force spring is made of pre-stressed material in various sizes that offer the advantage of a constant tensile load, suitable for a variety of applications (for example, extension spring, motor-brush holder, power feed, retracting and restoring mechanism). Essentially, this spring consists of a coil of flat spring material and when unstressed it takes the form of a tightly wound spiral. This spiral is placed on a drum. When a tensile load is applied, the spiral uncoils. The load is practically independent of the amount of deformation. In this report, the extension mechanism of constant-force spring and the state of deformation are analyzed by using a large deformation theory. Moreover, experiments are carried out to confirm the applicability of the proposed theory. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical estimations.

A multidisciplinary approach to define the hydrogeological model of the carbonate aquifer system in the Versilia River basin (Tuscany, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menichini, M.; Doveri, M.; Giannecchini, R.; Raco, B.; Rosi, M.

2012-12-01

A hydrogeological study was carried out on important fractured/karst aquifer systems located in the Versilia River basin (Tuscany, Italy), in order to optimize the groundwater resources management. The main aim was the individuation of the feeding areas of the most important springs by means of a multidisciplinary approach using geological, hydrogeological and geochemical-isotopic tools. Some hydrogeological sections were elaborated in order to define the geometry of the main hydrostructures and to individuate possible groundwater divides. The elaboration of geochemical data allowed at identifying 3 main chemical facies: Ca-HCO3, Ca-SO4 and Na-Cl. The first two highlight the interaction of water with limestone/dolostone and carbonate-evaporite rocks for a time sufficient to acquire these chemical compositions and to achieve saturation/supersaturation in calcite and dolomite. The Na-Cl groundwater shows low salinity and a composition similar to rainwater, indicating a circulation in rocks containing minerals not very reactive and/or short interaction time with carbonate rocks. These two main types of water-rock interaction are confirmed by the isotopic ratio δ13C: for the Ca-HCO3 and Ca-SO4 types, δ13C value requires a significant contribution of carbon derived from dissolution of calcite, while for Na-Cl water, δ13C values are consistent with the addition of biogenic CO2 in rainwater. Stable water isotopes (δ18O and δ2H) confirm that groundwaters have a meteoric origin and that the wide range of values essentially depends on the different average altitude of feeding zone. Comparing the geological and hydrogeological features with the results of the geochemical processing, it is reasonable to assume that: the Na-Cl springs are representative of the superficial circuits, with small feeding zones and very low residence times in aquifer; whereas the Ca-HCO3 and Ca-SO4 springs are representative of relatively deep circuits developed in extensive aquifers with high permeability. The first type of springs was used to obtain the relationship between the δ18O ratio and the altitude of rainwater infiltration. Taking into account that they drain a small basin and considering the regulator effect of the aquifers, the isotopic composition of these springs are very similar to the annual average isotopic values of the local meteoric water. This relationship was used to evaluate the average altitude of the feeding area of the second type of springs. All these elements, and some tracer test results available in literature, allowed us to delimit the hydrogeological basins likely drained by the most important springs under study. In addition, for each hydrogeological system, a simplified water balance using meteorological data and the effective infiltration coefficients reported in the literature was performed, verifying that the delimited catchment areas are entirely consistent with the flow rate data of the springs.

76 FR 5810 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-02

... February 17, 2011. A. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (E. Ann Worthy, Vice President) 2200 North Pearl... Weldon Boles and Lisa Gayle McAdams, both in Center, Texas (the ``Boles Family Group''); Clyde Donald...

Use of vegetation sampling and analysis to detect a problem within a portion of a prairie restoration project.

PubMed

Franson, Raymond; Scholes, Chad; Krabbe, Stephen

2017-01-02

In June 2005, the Department of Energy (DOE) began establishing the 60-ha Howell Prairie around the disposal cell at the DOE Weldon Spring Site (WSS). Prairies were historically present in the area of the site. Quantitative Cover sampling was used to quantify Total Cover, Native Grass Cover, Non-Native Grass Cover, Native Forb Cover, Non-Native Forb Cover, Warm Season (C 4 Grass), Cool Season (C 3 Grass), Perennial Cover and Annual Cover, Litter, and Bare Ground. Four permanent vegetation sampling plots were established. The first 4 years of vegetation measurements at Howell Prairie were made during above-average rainfall years on burned and unburned plots. The fifth-year (2012) vegetation measurements were made after below-average rainfall. Five years of results not only document the consistency of the restoration effort in three areas, but also demonstrate deficiencies in Grass Cover in a fourth area. The results are not only useful for Howell Prairie, but will be useful for restoration work throughout the region. Restoration work suffers from a lack of success monitoring and in this case from a lack of available reference areas. Floristic Quality Indices are used to make qualitative comparisons of the site to Konza Prairie sites.

Quantification of prairie restoration for phytostability at a remediated defense plant.

PubMed

Franson, Raymond L; Scholes, Chad M

2011-01-01

In June 2008 and 2009, cover, density, and species diversity were measured on two areas of the prairie at the U. S. Department of Energy Weldon Spring Site to begin quantification of the prairie establishment and the effects of a prairie burn. Sampling began by testing for the most appropriate transect length (cover) and quadrat size (density) for quantification of vegetation. Total cover increased in the first growing season after burning. Conversely, total cover decreased in the unburned area in one year. The trend in litter cover is the opposite with litter decreasing after burning, but increasing in one year in the unburned area. Bare ground decreased in one year in the unburned area, but was unchanged after burning. Species diversity tripled after fire, but was unchanged in one year in the unburned area. The results show that litter and fire both affect plant cover. If land reclamation activities are to be an integral part of hazardous waste remediation at contaminated sites, then the success of reclamation efforts needs to be quantified along with success criteria for waste remediation of the sites. The results show that plant cover can be easily quantified, but that density measures are more biased which makes it more difficult to achieve adequate sample size for plant density.

Suppression of prairie grasses due to excess magnesium in a portion of a restored prairie.

PubMed

Franson, Raymond; Krabbe, Stephen; Scholes, Chad

2017-01-02

In June 2002, the Department of Energy (DOE) began establishing the 60 ha Howell Prairie at the DOE Weldon Spring Site (WSS). In one area, the clay base is different from the other soil (subarea 2C). Vegetation sampling was conducted on four permanent plots across the prairie beginning in 2008, and shows that three of the four plots have strong establishment of native prairie species including prairie grasses. The fourth plot (subarea 2C), where the soil is different, shows significantly less native grass cover and stunted vegetation compared to the other three plots. One hundred twenty-five soil samples were taken in 6 different months and in 6 different years across the entire prairie restoration. Across the prairie, potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) were not limiting. The pH, organic matter content (OM), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) did not show trends related to the vegetation issues in subarea 2C. Ordination of the ratio of magnesium (Mg):K shows that Mg is very high in subarea 2C, which has been demonstrated to suppress the growth of prairie grasses. Subarea 2C contains interstratified kaolinite-smectite clay which contributes Mg to soil. It is hypothesized that an inexpensive, nondestructive treatment (addition of K) could be applied to remediate this area.

Hydrogeochemical exploration of geothermal prospects in the Tecuamburro Volcano region, Guatemala

USGS Publications Warehouse

Janik, C.J.; Goff, F.; Fahlquist, L.; Adams, A.I.; Alfredo, Roldan M.; Chipera, S.J.; Trujillo, P.E.; Counce, D.

1992-01-01

Chemical and isotopic analyses of thermal and nonthermal waters and of gases from springs and fumaroles are used to evaluate the geothermal potential of the Tecuamburro Volcano region, Guatemala. Chemically distinct geothermal surface manifestations generally occur in separate hydrogeologic areas within this 400 km2 region: low-pressure fumaroles with temperatures near local boiling occur at 1470 m elevation in a sulfur mine near the summit of Tecuamburro Volcano; non-boiling acid-sulfate hot springs and mud pots are restricted to the Laguna Ixpaco area, about 5 km NNW of the sulfur mine and 350-400 m lower in elevation; steam-heated and thermal-meteoric waters are found on the flanks of Tecuamburro Volcano and several kilometers to the north in the andesitic highland, where the Infernitos fumarole (97??C at 1180 m) is the primary feature; neutral-chloride hot springs discharge along Rio Los Esclavos, principally near Colmenares at 490 m elevation, about 8-10 km SE of Infernitos. Maximum geothermometer temperatures calculated from Colmenares neutral-chloride spring compositions are ???180??C, whereas maximum subsurface temperatures based on Laguna Ixpaco gas compositions are ???310??C. An exploration core hole drilled to a depth of 808 m about 0.3 km south of Laguna Ixpaco had a bottom-hole temperature of 238??C but did not produce sufficient fluids to confirm or chemically characterize a geothermal reservoir. Hydrogeochemical data combined with regional geologic interpretations indicate that there are probably two hydrothermal-convection systems, which are separated by a major NW-trending structural boundary, the Ixpaco fault. One system with reservoir temperatures near 300??C lies beneath Tecuamburro Volcano and consists of a large vapor zone that feeds steam to the Laguna Ixpaco area, with underlying hot water that flows laterally to feed a small group of warm, chloriderich springs SE of Tecuamburro Volcano. The other system is located beneath the Infernitos area in the andesitic highland and consists of a lower-temperature (150-190??C) reservoir with a large natural discharge that feeds the Colmenares hot springs. ?? 1992.

They Made Black History.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elward, Thomas J.

1981-01-01

Reviews the history of Black music education in the public schools of Washington, D.C., from 1869 through the 1920s. Appended (on pp38-39) are historical notes on Black composers James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson, and their song "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing." (Author/SJL)

Effects of bird-feeding activities on the health of wild birds

PubMed Central

Horn, David J; Hogan, Brianna M; Hubble, Cody N; Huber, Sarah J; Flamm, Joseph; Knott, Madeline; Lundstrom, Lisa; Salik, Faaria; Wassenhove, Samantha J; Wrobel, Elizabeth R

2015-01-01

Abstract Among the most popular reasons that people feed wild birds is that they want to help birds. The extent to which supplemental food helps birds, however, is not well established. From spring 2011 to spring 2014, we examined how feeding of wild birds influences the health of individual birds at forested sites in central Illinois, USA. Specifically, we compared three forested sites where we provided supplemental food with three forested sites for which no supplemental food was available and monitored changes in the individual health of birds. In addition, we determined whether any changes in bird health had occurred after feeders had been removed from sites 10 months before. Generally, the individual health of birds improved with supplemental feeding, including increased antioxidant levels, reduced stress (heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio) and more rapid feather growth. In some species, we also found improved body condition index scores and innate immune defense. The difference among sites was not present 10 months after feeders were removed, suggesting that the impact on health was indeed related to supplemental feeding. Potential negative effects of supplemental feeding were also found, including an increase in infectious disease prevalence among individual birds at forested sites where supplemental food was offered. Birds with clear signs of pathology showed deficits in most of the physiological metrics in which birds at feeder sites typically showed improved health condition. At the peak of prevalence of infectious disease, 8.3% of all birds at feeders exhibited symptoms of conjunctivitis, pox, dermal disease or cloacal disease. We found both positive and negative impacts of wild bird feeding, and that, in general, birds that had access to supplemental food were in better physiological condition. Moreover, the negative effects we found may be mitigated by hobbyists engaging in safer bird-feeding practices. PMID:27293740

"Mano a Mano": Arts-Based Nonfiction Literacy and Content Area Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryce, Nadine

2012-01-01

At the James Weldon Johnson Leadership Academy in East Harlem, New York, administrators, teachers, students, families, and community-based artists worked together to create a visually explosive environment that reflected enriched learning experiences based on their multidisciplinary study of New York's history. The Mano a Mano ("Hand to…

Lipid markers of diet history and their retention during experimental starvation in the Bering Sea euphausiid Thysanoessa raschii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pleuthner, Rachel L.; Shaw, C. Tracy; Schatz, Megan J.; Lessard, Evelyn J.; Harvey, H. Rodger

2016-12-01

Two extended pulsed feeding experiments, following the spring bloom period, investigated lipid retention in the prominent Bering Sea euphausiid (krill) Thysanoessa raschii. These experiments occurred during late spring and early summer of 2010. Concurrent taxonomic analysis of the natural algal community allowed prey type to be linked to lipid composition of the natural communities. In late spring, experimental periods of feeding followed by starvation showed an overall decrease in total lipid for T. raschii. In early summer, no consistent trend was observed for total lipid with the visible presence of storage lipid in some animals. Polar lipids, as phospholipids, were the dominant krill lipid class in both experiments constituting ≥88% of total lipid, and triacylglycerols reached a maximum of 5% of total lipid. The sterols cholesterol and brassicasterol+desmosterol comprised 98-99% of total sterol abundances in T. raschii throughout both experiments, even after feeding periods when alternative sterols (i.e. the algal sterol 24-methylenecholesterol) accounted for up to 39% of sterols in potential food particles. Cholesterol abundance and concentration increased during both incubations, likely due to the metabolism of dietary sterols. Major fatty acids observed in krill included C14:0n, C16:0n, C16:1(n-7), C18:1(n-7), C18:1(n-9), C20:5(n-3), and C22:6(n-3) with the diatom-attributed C16:1(n-7) decreasing in abundance and concentration during starvation. Low concentrations of the dinoflagellate-derived sterol and a novel C28:8 PUFA, typically found in dinoflagellates and prymnesiophytes, indicated predation on protozooplankton in early summer when diatom abundances were low. The stability of lipid distributions over periods of starvation and intermittent feeding suggest that fatty acid and sterol biomarkers present in this polar euphausiid principally reflect long-term diet history rather than short-term feeding episodes.

[Habitat use patterns of the Black Brant Branta bernicla nigricans (Anseriformes: Anatidae) in natural and artificial areas of Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico].

PubMed

Cedillo, Israel Martínez; Carmona, Roberto; Ward, David H; Danemann, Gustavo D

2013-06-01

The Black Brant is a common inhabitant of the Western Artic American tundra, which migrates to Southern Pacific coasts during the winter season. Approximately, 31000 birds (31%) constitute the Mexican population of Brants at Guerrero Negro, Ojo de Liebre, and Exportadora de Sal lagoon complex; nevertheless, there is little information about the distribution patterns and zone usage. At Guerrero Negro Lagoon (GNL), Ojo de Liebre Lagoon (OLL, both natural sites), and at Exportadora de Sal (ESSA, artificial site) we determined by monthly censuses (from November 2006 to April 2007, 08:00-16:00h) and observed: (1) season and site effects on population structure (age groups), and (2) the tide level relationship with the abundance and proportion of feeding birds. Within a total of 150 observation hours and 98 birds, our results showed a general 0.68 proportion of adults, that was higher in winter than in spring. The statistics analysis showed no effects by site on the proportion of feeding birds, but we observed a temporal decrease at ESSA and at GNL. In contrast the proportion of feeding birds at OLL was constant. We observed an increase in the juveniles between winter and spring. This increase is related with the differential migration, which mentions that the juveniles are the last to leave the wintering area. In winter the relations of the tide level with the abundance of Brant were: direct at ESSA, inverse at OLL and no relation found at GNL. In spring, no relation was observed in the sites. The proportion of Brants feeding at OLL (the site with the higher abundance) was independent of the tide level. This is related with two possible behaviors of the geese: (1) they can move through the lagoon and take advantage of the tidal lag, which is up to four hours; and (2) they can modify their feeding strategies, more on floating eelgrass (Zostera marina).

Time allocation by Greater White-fronted Geese: Influence of diet, energy reserves and predation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ely, Craig R.

1992-01-01

I determined the amount of time Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons frontalis) allocated to various activities from September to May, 1980-1982 at their primary wintering areas in the Pacific Flyway of North America. The length of time spent on roosts during the day was positively correlated to day length. Geese at roost sites spent the majority of their time sleeping (24-46%), alert (17-40%), walking or swimming (6-24%), and in comfort behaviors (3-25%). The amount of time geese fed each day varied little from early autumn to late spring (4.5-4.9 hr), except during mid-winter when minimum temperatures were below freezing (3.9 hr), and immediately before migration in spring (6.3 hr). The proportion of time devoted to feeding and alert behavior, the two most dominant activities at field sites, varied significantly among seasons and locations. The amount of time geese were actively engaged in foraging each season was more dependent on feeding intensity than the amount of time spent at foraging sites (fields), and varied almost three-fold, from 1.8 hr during late winter to 5.1 hr during late spring. Geese fed in closer proximity to conspecifics, were more frequently disturbed, and spent less time feeding during the hunting season. Exploitation of high energy foods and catabolism of substantial energy reserves probably enabled geese to minimize foraging time during periods of harsh weather and high predation pressure. Seasonal variation in the proportion of time spent feeding corresponded closely to changes in body mass. Greater White-fronted Geese wintering in the Pacific Flyway spent substantially less time feeding than they do in Europe, as geese in California fed primarily on high energy cereal grains, while in Europe they subsist on green vegetation which has relatively less digestible energy than cereal grains.

Use of nearshore and estuarine areas by gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) in the eastern Bering Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gill, Robert E.; Hall, John D.

1983-01-01

During spring aerial surveys of the coast of the southeastern Bering Sea significant numbers of gray whales were seen in nearshore waters along the north side of the Alaska Peninsula. Many (50-80%) of these animals were observed surfacing with mud trails or lying on their sides, characteristics both associated with feeding. A migration route close to shore (within 1-2 km) was used until whales neared Egegik Bay, where they began to head west 5-8 km offshore, across northern Bristol Bay. Smaller numbers of gray whales were present throughout summer in nearshore waters and estuaries along the north side of the Alaska Peninsula. At Nelson Lagoon gray whales normally used the lagoon in spring, were absent during early summer, returned in mid-summer, and then were present until late November when they departed for the wintering grounds. Gray whales were present in the lagoon most often during periods of peak tidal flow; those that appeared to be feeding were oriented into the current. Three behaviors that appeared to be associated with feeding were observed: side-feeding from a stationary position within shallow waters of lagoon channels, diving within the lagoon and in nearshore waters, and elliptical side-feeding in the surf zone along the outer coast. Large crustaceans of the genus Crangon were available to and probably eaten by gray whales at Nelson Lagoon.

Changes in trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) activities from winter to spring in the greater Yellowstone area

Treesearch

John R. Squires; Stanley H. Anderson

1997-01-01

Trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator), in the winter, primarily, slept 42% of the time, fed 30%, swam 12%; and preened 7%. Comparisons of swan activities among die periods during the winter indicated they increased feeding throughout the day into night, when they fed at their highest rate. Swans spent more time sleeping as winter temperatures decreased; feeding...

Biology, spread, and biological control of winter moth in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Joseph Elkinton; George Boettner; Andrew Liebhold; Rodger Gwiazdowski

2015-01-01

The winter moth (Operophtera brumata L.; Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is an inchworm caterpillar that hatches coincident with bud-break on its hosts and feeds on a wide range of deciduous trees. It is one of a group of geometrid species that feed in early spring and then pupate in the top layer of the soil or litter beginning in mid-May. As postulated...

Interspecific synchrony among foliage-feeding forest Lepidoptera species and the potential role of generalist predators as synchronizing agents

Treesearch

Sandy Raimondo; Marek Turcáni; Jan Patoèka; Andrew M. Liebhold

2004-01-01

While synchrony among geographically disjunct populations of the same species has received considerable recent attention, much less is known about synchrony between sympatric populations of two or more species. We analyzed time series of the abundance of ten species of spring foliage feeding Lepidoptera sampled over a 25- year period at 20 sites in the Slovak Republic...

Characterization of the hydrogeology of the sacred Gihon Spring, Jerusalem: a deteriorating urban karst spring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amiel, Ronit Benami; Grodek, Tamir; Frumkin, Amos

2010-09-01

The Gihon Spring, Jerusalem, is important for the major monotheistic religions. Its hydrogeology and hydrochemistry is studied here in order to understand urbanization effects on karst groundwater resources, and promote better water management. High-resolution monitoring of the spring discharge, temperature and electrical conductivity, was performed, together with chemical and bacterial analysis. All these demonstrate a rapid response of the spring to rainfall events and human impact. A complex karst system is inferred, including conduit flow, fissure flow and diffuse flow. Electrical conductivity, Na+ and K+ values (2.0 mS/cm, 130 and 50 mg/l respectively) are very high compared to other nearby springs located at the town margins (0.6 mS/cm, 15 and <1 mg/l respectively), indicating considerable urban pollution in the Gihon area. The previously cited pulsating nature of the spring was not detected during the present high-resolution monitoring. This phenomenon may have ceased due to additional water sources from urban leakage and irrigation feeding the spring. The urbanization of the recharge catchment thus affects the spring water dramatically, both chemically and hydrologically. Appropriate measures should therefore be undertaken to protect the Gihon Spring and other karst aquifers threatened by rapid urbanization.

Karst spring real time monitoring to identify the groundwater circulation in the feeding aquifer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sappa, Giuseppe; Ferranti, Flavia; De Filippi, Francesco M.; Cardilo, Giulia

2017-04-01

About one quarter of the world's population is largely or entirely dependent on groundwater from karst systems. However, karst aquifers have specific hydraulic and hydrogeological characteristics that render them highly vulnerable to pollution from human activities. Intrinsic vulnerability of a karst aquifer takes account of the inherent geological, hydrological and hydrogeological characteristics of an area; however, it is independent of the nature of contaminants. Groundwater circulation is usually very rapidly as a function of high rainfall input. As consequence, in case of contamination, these systems are characterized by limited attenuation processes in the unsaturated zone. The analysis of karst spring responses to rainfall events, at the catchment scale, is one promising approach for groundwater flow characterization. Karst springs are, in fact, an important source of information in order to understand the circulation characteristics in such complex systems. The karst Pertuso Spring, located in the Upper Valley of Aniene River, is the main outlet of a large aquifer which is one of the most important water resource in the southeast part of Latium Region, Central Italy, used for drinking, agriculture and hydroelectric supplies. This paper deals with Pertuso Spring data collected from December 2014 to March 2016, using a multiparametric probe which directly interfaces with a data logger for real-time recording of hourly data. This instrument simultaneously measures up to 6 parameters (pH, groundwater level, temperature, electric conductivity, redox and dissolved oxygen). In particular, water temperature, electrical conductivity and rainfall data coming from meteorological stations have been studied to identify the groundwater circulation in the aquifer feeding Pertuso Spring. The study of the lag time between peak rainfall and peak of T and EC allow to highlight the seasonal vulnerability of this aquifer.

Tension is servo controlled in film advance system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1965-01-01

Servocontrol device feeds film into a roller system. Two linear potentiometers connected to spring loaded tension rollers furnish servo input signal. Can be used in any continuous material transport system.

High prey-predator size ratios and unselective feeding in copepods: A seasonal comparison of five species with contrasting feeding modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djeghri, Nicolas; Atkinson, Angus; Fileman, Elaine S.; Harmer, Rachel A.; Widdicombe, Claire E.; McEvoy, Andrea J.; Cornwell, Louise; Mayor, Daniel J.

2018-07-01

There has been an upsurge of interest in trait-based approaches to zooplankton, modelling the seasonal changes in the feeding modes of zooplankton in relation to phytoplankton traits such as size or motility. We examined this link at two English Channel plankton monitoring sites south of Plymouth (L4 and E1). At L4 there was a general transition from diatoms in spring to motile microplankton in summer and autumn, but this was not mirrored in the succession of copepod feeding traits; for example the ambushing Oithona similis dominated during the spring diatom bloom. At nearby E1 we measured seasonality of food and grazers, finding strong variation between 2014 and 2015 but overall low mesozooplankton biomass (median 4.5 mg C m-3). We also made a seasonal grazing study of five copepods with contrasting feeding modes (Calanus helgolandicus, Centropages typicus, Acartia clausi, Pseudocalanus elongatus and Oithona similis), counting the larger prey items from the natural seston. All species of copepod fed on all food types and differences between their diets were only subtle; the overriding driver of diet was the composition of the prey field. Even the smaller copepods fed on copepod nauplii at significant rates, supporting previous suggestions of the importance of intra-guild predation. All copepods, including O. similis, were capable of tackling extremely long (>500 μm) diatom chains at clearance rates comparable to those on ciliates. Maximum observed prey:predator length ratios ranged from 0.12 (C. helgolandicus) up to 0.52 (O. similis). Unselective feeding behaviour and the ability to remove highly elongated cells have implications for how copepod feeding is represented in ecological and biogeochemical models.

Education in Honduras. Bulletin, 1955, No. 7

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, M. Weldon

1955-01-01

With the publication of "Education in Honduras," the Office of Education is continuing the series of basic studies on education in the American republics which was initiated in 1943. The Office of Education is indebted to Professor M. Weldon Thompson of Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, Virginia, for the original study which led to the…

A Stealth Drug Recall: Who Protects Consumers and Shareholders?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monseau, Susanna; Lasher, Nancy

2015-01-01

In September 2010, William Weldon, chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), was called to testify in front of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to explain the largest product recall in the 125-year history of the well-known pharmaceutical and consumer products company. This article presents a…

Seismic Expression of Fault Related Folding in Southeastern Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beauchamp, W.; McDonald, D.

2009-12-01

Weldon Beauchamp, and David McDonald,TransAtlantic Petroleum Corp. 5910 N. Central Expressway, Suite 1755, Dallas, TX 75206 weldon@tapcor.com, 214-395-7125 The Zagros fold belt extends northwest from Iran and Iraq into southeastern Turkey. Large scale fault related folds control the topography of this region and the path of the Tigris river. Large surface anticlines in the Zagros Mountains provide traps for giant oil and gas fields in Iran and Iraq. Similar scale folds extend into southeast Turkey. These southward verging fault related folds are believed to detach in the Paleozoic. Borehole data, surface geological maps, satellite data and digital topographic models were used to create models to constrain structure at depth. Structural modeling of these folds was used to design, acquire and process seismic reflection data in the region. The seismic reflection data confirmed the presence of asymmetrical, south verging complex fault related folding. Faults related to these folds detach in the Lower Ordovician to Cambrian age shales. These folds are believed to form doubly plunging structures that fold Tertiary through Paleozoic age rocks forming multiple levels of possible hydrocarbon entrapment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (center) listens to Congressman Tom Feeney (second from left) during a tour of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. At right is U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon. Central Florida leaders are proposing the research park as the site for the new NASA Shared Services Center. The center would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration by NASA.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (center) listens to Congressman Tom Feeney (second from left) during a tour of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. At right is U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon. Central Florida leaders are proposing the research park as the site for the new NASA Shared Services Center. The center would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration by NASA.

Commercial sheep flocks--fatty acid and fat-soluble antioxidant composition of milk and cheese related to changes in feeding management throughout lactation.

PubMed

Valdivielso, Izaskun; Bustamante, María Ángeles; Buccioni, Arianna; Franci, Oreste; Ruiz de Gordoa, Juan Carlos; de Renobales, Mertxe; Barron, Luis Javier R

2015-08-01

Fatty acids (FAs), tocopherols and retinoids were analysed in raw milk and cheese from six commercial sheep flocks monitored from early lactation in winter to late lactation in summer. In winter, animals received concentrate and forage indoors; in early spring, animals grazed part-time on cultivated or natural valley grasslands; and from mid spring on, animals were kept outdoors constantly on mountain natural pastures. Mountain grazing in late lactation significantly increased the amount of healthy desirable unsaturated FAs such as C18:1t11 (VA), C18:2c9t11 (RA), C18:2t11c13, C18:3c9c12c15 (ALA) and C20:5c5c8c11c14c17 (EPA), and those of α-tocopherol and α-tocotrienol of milk and cheese. Stepwise discriminant analysis was applied to classify cheese samples according to seasonal feeding management. The multivariate approach was able to discriminate beyond doubt mountain cheeses from those of indoor feeding and part-time valley grazing.

Feed-forward motor control of ultrafast, ballistic movements.

PubMed

Kagaya, K; Patek, S N

2016-02-01

To circumvent the limits of muscle, ultrafast movements achieve high power through the use of springs and latches. The time scale of these movements is too short for control through typical neuromuscular mechanisms, thus ultrafast movements are either invariant or controlled prior to movement. We tested whether mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda: Neogonodactylus bredini) vary their ultrafast smashing strikes and, if so, how this control is achieved prior to movement. We collected high-speed images of strike mechanics and electromyograms of the extensor and flexor muscles that control spring compression and latch release. During spring compression, lateral extensor and flexor units were co-activated. The strike initiated several milliseconds after the flexor units ceased, suggesting that flexor activity prevents spring release and determines the timing of strike initiation. We used linear mixed models and Akaike's information criterion to serially evaluate multiple hypotheses for control mechanisms. We found that variation in spring compression and strike angular velocity were statistically explained by spike activity of the extensor muscle. The results show that mantis shrimp can generate kinematically variable strikes and that their kinematics can be changed through adjustments to motor activity prior to the movement, thus supporting an upstream, central-nervous-system-based control of ultrafast movement. Based on these and other findings, we present a shishiodoshi model that illustrates alternative models of control in biological ballistic systems. The discovery of feed-forward control in mantis shrimp sets the stage for the assessment of targets, strategic variation in kinematics and the role of learning in ultrafast animals. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Geochemical investigation of the hydrothermal system on Akutan Island, Alaska, July 2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bergfeld, D.; Lewicki, Jennifer L.; Evans, William C.; Hunt, Andrew G.; Revesz, Kinga; Huebner, Mark

2014-01-01

We have studied the geochemistry of the hot springs on Akutan Island in detail for the first time since the early 1980s. Springs in four discrete groups (A-D) along Hot Springs Creek showed generally higher temperatures and substantially higher Na, Ca, and Cl concentrations than previously reported, and total hot-spring discharge has also increased markedly. The springs now account for a heat output of ~29 MW, about an order of magnitude more than in 1981. Gas samples from the hot springs and from a fumarolic area on the flank of Akutan Volcano show high 3He/4He ratios (>6.4 RA) after correction for air contamination and reveal a common magmatic heat source. Hot-spring gases are unusually rich in N2, Ar, and CH4, suggesting that the water has boiled and lost CO2 during upflow beneath the flank fumarole field. Gas geothermometry calculations applied to the flank fumarole field implies temperatures of 200–240 °C for the reservoir, and Na-K-Ca geothermometry implies temperatures near 180 °C for the outflow waters that feed the hot springs. The results of our study confirm the existence of a substantial geothermal resource on the island.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mugel, D.N.

Geohydrologic data for this well field and public water supply data for St. Charles County were compiled to assist US DOE in developing the St. Charles County well field contingency plan to ensure a supply of water in the event that the well field becomes contaminated from wastes (radioactive, nitroaromatic, other) stored in the Weldon Spring quarry. The well field consists of 8 wells penetrating the entire thickness of the Missouri River alluvial aquifer and is 98-116 feet deep. Aquifer tests were conducted on 3 occasions at 3 different locations in the well field. Calculated transmissivities range from 900 tomore » 60,200 feet squared per day; hydraulic conductivities ranged from 23 to 602 feet/day. Calculated/estimated storage coefficients ranged from 0.005 to 0.2. Tracer test showed effective porosity of 0. 21-0.32. Point dilution showed a ground-water velocity of 0.83 foot/day. From 1985-91, ave daily water supply from the well field and water treatment plant increased from 5.76 to 10.23 Mgd; this is projected to increase to 11.0 Mgd in 1995 and to 12.2 Mgd in 2000. The water department`s projections of peak daily demands from customers indicate that these demands will exceed the capacity of the treatment plant in 1995 and will exceed the capacities of the well field and plant during 2000.« less

Novel Optical Methods for Identification, Imaging, and Preservation of the Cavernous Nerves Responsible for Penile Erections during Prostate Cancer Surgery

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

epartment of Physics and Optical Science harlotte, North Carolina 28223 homas P. Weldon niversity of North Carolina at Charlotte epartment of...Lens Glass Ferrule Visible Diode Laser IR Diode Laser 90% 10% Fiber Coupler 10/90 (SMF-28) Butterfly Diode Laser Mount 1420 1430 147014501440

The Issues Papers. National Forum on Issues in Vocational Assessment (4th, St. Louis, Missouri, March 9-11, 1989).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fry, Ronald R., Ed.

Of the 50 papers, selected titles include "Redefining the Client, Expanding the Evaluator's Role" (Weldon, Gibson); "Professional Contacts for Evaluator's Expanding Roles" (Dowd); "Vocational Evaluators and the Law" (Kass); "Ethics in Vocational Evaluation" (Early); "Professional Advocacy in Vocational Evaluation and Assessment" (Bowers et al.);…

Characteristics of Fishes with the Potential to Cause Acoustic Clutter off Oregon and Washington during the Summer of 2012

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-10

14. Barboza, T., "West Coast sardine crash could radiate throughout ecosystem," Los Angeles Times, January 5, 2014. 15. Enticknap, B., Letter to the...AND SURVEYS Much of the Pacific sardine and Pacific hake stocks undertake annual north-south migrations . They migrate in late spring from off...California to the Pacific Northwest to feed during the summer. In the fall they migrate back to California to spawn during the winter and spring. The

[Tick borne encephalitis and enviromental changes].

PubMed

Zajkowska, Joanna; Malzahn, Elzbieta; Kondrusik, Maciej; Grygorczuk, Sambor; Pancewicz, Sławomir S; Kuśmierczyk, Justyna; Czupryna, Piotr; Hermanowska-Szpakowicz, Teresa

2006-01-01

Currently observed markedly increased incidence of various tick borne diseases in many parts of Europe is due to documented climatic changes as well anthropogenic influence on habitat structure. One of the analyzed factors is tendency to increase of the spring temperatures, especially in the third decade of the April. Such conditions (spring temperatures above 7-10 degrees C) let the nymphs and larvae of Ixodes ricinus to feed simultaneously on rodents. This increases the risk of infection of Ixodes ricinus with TBE virus, so dangerous for humans.

Delineating the Rattlesnake Springs, New Mexico Watershed Using Precision Gravity Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doser, D. I.; Boykov, N. D.; Baker, M. R.; Kaip, G. M.; Langford, R. P.

2009-12-01

Rattlesnake Springs serves as the sole domestic water source for Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The recent development of oil and gas leases and agricultural lands surrounding the springs has led to concern about contamination of the fracture controlled aquifer system. We have conducted a series of precision gravity surveys (station spacing 200 to 300 m in a 4 x 4 km area), combined with other geophysical studies and geologic mapping, to delineate possible fracture systems in the gypsum and carbonate bedrock that feed the spring system. Our combined results suggest several pathways for water to enter the springs. A series of WNW-ESE striking features are apparent in our gravity data that appear to align with relict spring valleys we have mapped to the west of the springs. A self potential survey indicates that water is entering the springs at a shallow level from the northwest direction. However, gravity data also indicate a north-south trending fracture system could be providing a pathway for water to enter from the south. This is consistent with drawdown tests conducted in the 1950’s and 1960’s on irrigation wells located to the south of the springs. The north-south fracture system appears related to a basin bounding fault system observed in the regional gravity data.

21 CFR 520.2640 - Tylosin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... phosphate medicated feed as in § 558.625(f)(1)(vi)(c) of this chapter. (4) Honey bees—(i) Amount. Mix 200... spring or fall and consumed by the bees before the main honey flow begins, to avoid contamination of...

21 CFR 520.2640 - Tylosin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... phosphate medicated feed as in § 558.625(f)(1)(vi)(c) of this chapter. (4) Honey bees—(i) Amount. Mix 200... spring or fall and consumed by the bees before the main honey flow begins, to avoid contamination of...

Mesozooplankton grazing during spring sea-ice conditions in the eastern Bering Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, Robert G.; Ashjian, Carin J.; Sherr, Evelyn B.; Sherr, Barry F.; Lomas, Michael W.; Ross, Celia; Alatalo, Philip; Gelfman, Celia; Keuren, Donna Van

2016-12-01

Mesozooplankton (copepods and euphausiids) grazing rates and prey preferences were determined during a series of three research cruises to the eastern Bering Sea in spring 2008, 2009, and 2010. Chlorophyll was dominated by large cells (>5 μm), especially at bloom locations where they usually comprised greater than 90% of the total chlorophyll biomass. The relative importance of microzooplankton to the prey field biomass decreased with increasing chlorophyll concentration, and was less than 10% of the total prey biomass in ice-edge bloom regions. Overall, microzooplankton was the preferred prey of the mesozooplankton, although phytoplankton/ice algae were the dominant component of the diet because of their much greater biomass, especially during blooms. There were differences between mesozooplankton species in their prey preferences: Metridia pacifica, Pseudocalanus spp. and Calanus spp. had the strongest preference for microzooplankton prey, while euphausiids (Thysanoessa spp.) and Neocalanus flemingeri/plumchrus appeared to feed non-selectively on all prey items. Mesozooplankton exhibited a saturating feeding response to chlorophyll concentration (Holling's type II) that could be modeled by Michaelis-Menten equations. Taxa-specific maximum ingestion rates generally followed allometric theory, with smaller zooplankton having higher feeding rates than larger zooplankton, and ranged from about 4-30% body carbon day-1. Trophic cascades during grazing experiments could result in a substantial underestimate of chlorophyll ingestion rates, especially for those taxa that had a strong preference for microzooplankton. Grazing impacts by mesozooplankton on the integrated chlorophyll biomass and primary production were 2.7±4.4 and 26±48% day-1, respectively. Impacts increased significantly with increasing mesozooplankton biomass, which increased from early to late spring. However, grazing impacts were extremely low in ice-edge bloom regions. Our findings suggest that even when grazing by microzooplankton is included in our grazing impact estimates, about 50% of the primary production in phytoplankton blooms during spring on the eastern Bering Sea shelf is not grazed and is available for direct export to the benthic community.

Identifying Variations in Baseline Behavior of Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) to Contextualize Their Responses to Anthropogenic Noise.

PubMed

Samarra, Filipa I P; Miller, Patrick J O

2016-01-01

Determining the baseline behavior of a whale requires understanding natural variations occurring due to environmental context, such as changes in prey behavior. Killer whales feeding on herring consistently encircle herring schools; however, depth of feeding differs from near the surface in winter to deeper than 10 m in spring and summer. These variations in feeding depth are probably due to the depth of the prey and the balance between the costs and benefits of bringing schools of herring to the surface. Such variation in baseline behavior may incur different energetic costs and consequently change the motivation of whales to avoid a feeding area. Here, we discuss these variations in feeding behavior in the context of exposure to noise and interpret observed responses to simulated navy sonar signals.

Seasonal patterns of bacterial communities in the coastal brackish sediments of the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vetterli, Adrien; Hyytiäinen, Kirsi; Ahjos, Minttu; Auvinen, Petri; Paulin, Lars; Hietanen, Susanna; Leskinen, Elina

2015-11-01

Coastal areas are critical in mitigating the impact of nutrient runoffs and downstream eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems. In the Gulf of Finland, the easternmost sub-basin of the Baltic Sea, seasonal and long-term oxygen depletion at the surface of the sediment feeds back the eutrophication loop by promoting the release of nutrients locked in the sediment matrix. In order to understand how the bacterial community responds to the seasonal variations, we sequenced ribosomal gene fragments from the top sediment layer at two coastal sites in southern Finland in spring, summer and late autumn during two consecutive years. Analysis of the samples collected at a shallow (11 m) and deep site (33 m) revealed that the overall community composition was rather constant over time with an extensive collection of shared operational taxonomic units (OTU) between sites. The dominant taxa were related to organoheterotrophs and sulfate reducers and the variation in community structure was linked to the availability of organic matter in the surface sediment. Proteobacteria formed the most abundant and diverse group. The taxa characteristic of spring samples belonged primarily to Actinobacteria, possibly of fresh water origin and linked to humic carbon. Summer communities were characterized by an increase in the number of reads associated with heterotrophic bacteria such as Bacteroidetes which feed on labile organic matter from spring bloom. Taxa typical of autumn samples were linked to Cyanobacteria and other bloom-forming bacteria from the overlying water and to bacteria feeding on organic matter drifting from the phytal zone.

Food habits of the hoary bat (LASIURUS CINEREUS) during spring migration through new mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Valdez, E.W.; Cryan, P.M.

2009-01-01

Hoary bats (Lasiums cinernis) exhibit continental patterns of migration that are unique to bats, but details about their behaviors during migration are lacking. We captured 177 hoary bats in spring and early summer 2002 as individuals migrated through the Sandia Mountains of north-central New Mexico. Our results support earlier observations of asynchronous timing of migration between sexes of L. cinernis during spring, with females preceding males by ca. 1 month. We provide the first evidence that hoary bats may travel in dispersed groups, fly below the tree canopy along streams, and feed while migrating during spring. Analysis of guano revealed that diet of L. cinereus consisted mostly of moths, with more than one-half of samples identified as Noctuidae and Geometridae. We observed a late-spring decline in consumption of moths that might be related to seasonal changes in abundance of prey, differential selection of prey by bats, or sampling bias. We suspect that spring migration of L. cinernis through New Mexico temporally coincides with the seasonal abundance of moths.

Lunar influence on prey availability, diet shifts and niche overlap between Engraulidae larvae in tropical mangrove creeks.

PubMed

Lima, A R A; Barletta, M

2016-10-01

The influence of the lunar cycle on prey availability, diet shifts and overlap between larval Anchovia clupeoides and Cetengraulis edentulus was evaluated in mangrove creeks of the Goiana Estuary. Copepod eggs were highly abundant in the first and last quarter, at the full moon and zoea of Ucides cordatus (Ocypodidae) in the new moon. The Engraulidae larvae fed on microcrustaceans, algae and early planktonic stages of benthic organisms. The relative importance of prey varied according to prey availability in all moon phases. Larval diets were more even in the full and new moons, when the relative importance of calanoid copepods and zoeae of U. cordatus as food items increased (index of relative importance, >80% I RI ). Mangrove creeks were very important feeding grounds for engraulid larvae during spring tides. Larval diets were more diverse in the first and last-quarter moon and included protozoeae of Caridean shrimp, larvae of Anomalocardia brasiliana (Veneridae), Isopoda, Gastropoda, ephippium of Daphnia sp. and nauplii of Cirripedia, Harpacticoidia and cyclopoid Copepoda. The last five items were not found in the creeks, suggesting feeding in the main channel. During neap tides, mangrove creeks were probably also used as refugia. These larvae are opportunistic and feed on highly available prey and both species feed on the same items, leading to high dietary overlap in all moon phases. The lunar cycle, which is related to the spring-neap tidal cycle, was the major driver of quantitative and qualitative changes in feeding of engraulid larvae on a short time scale. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

KSC-04PD-0038

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Mike Rein (at left), division chief of KSC External Affairs, moderates the press conference featuring (second from left to right) U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, Center Director Jim Kennedy and U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon. The media were interested in hearing Kennedys and the congressmens reactions to the new mission for NASA outlined by President George W. Bush Jan. 14.

CH4 and N2O emissions from China's beef feedlots with ad libitum and restricted feeding in fall and spring seasons.

PubMed

Lin, Zhi; Liao, Wenhua; Yang, Yuanyuan; Gao, Zhiling; Ma, Wenqi; Wang, Dianwu; Cao, Yufeng; Li, Jianguo; Cai, Zhenjiang

2015-04-01

Accurately quantifying methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from beef operations in China is necessary to evaluate the contribution of beef cattle to greenhouse gas budgets at the national and global level. Methane and N2O emissions from two intensive beef feedlots in the North China Plain, one with a restricted feeding strategy and high manure collection frequency and the other with an ad libitum feeding strategy and low manure collection frequency, were quantified in the fall and spring seasons using an inverse dispersion technique. The diel pattern of CH4 from the beef feedlot with an ad libitum feed strategy (single peak during a day) differed from that under a restricted feeding condition (multiple peaks during a day), but little difference in the diel pattern of N2O emissions between two feeding strategies was observed. The two-season average CH4 emission rates of the two intensive feedlots were 230 and 198gCH4animal(-1)d(-1) and accounted for 6.7% and 6.8% of the gross energy intake, respectively, indicating little impact of the feeding strategy and manure collection frequency on the CH4 conversion factor at the feedlot level. However, the average N2O emission rates (21.2g N2Oanimal(-1)d(-1)) and conversion factor (8.5%) of the feedlot with low manure collection frequency were approximately 131% and 174% greater, respectively, than the feedlot under high frequency conditions, which had a N2O emission rate and conversion factor of 9.2g N2Oanimal(-1)d(-1) and 3.1%, respectively, indicating that increasing manure collection frequency played an important role in reducing N2O emissions from beef feedlots. In addition, comparison indicated that China's beef and dairy cattle in feedlots appeared to have similar CH4 conversion factors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A range extension for an Australian katydid, Zaprochilus australis (Tettigoniidae; Zaprochilinae).

PubMed

Rentz, D C F

2015-12-14

The Pollen and Nectar-feeding katydids (Zaprochilinae) are an entire subfamily comprising four genera with species wholly confined to Australia. All are flimsy, soft-bodied and rather clumsy katydids. They are prognathous (Fig. 1A) and have the mouthparts adapted for their unusual habits of feeding on pollen and nectar. All fully winged species in Zaprochilus have peculiarly "rolled" wings (Fig. 1D). In addition, most are active during winter or spring and early summer, Rentz (1993).

Charakterystyka wydajności wybranych źródeł w zlewni Lutynki na Wyżynie Lubelskiej

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chabudziński, Łukasz

2010-01-01

The Lutynka River basin, located in the zone of the Lublin Upland and Roztocze region edge, is characterized by the occurrence of numerous springs of underground waters. First information about springs in this area was pointed in the sixties of the 20th century (Wilgat 1968). Thereafter, Janiec (1972, 1984, 1997), Malinowski (1973, 1974) and Michalczyk (1983, 1993, 1996, 2001) carried out research into them. The basin is located in the boundary of the subregions: Wzniesienia Urzędowskie (Urzędów Hills) and Roztocze Zachodnie (Western Roztocze) regions against the background of the physiographic division after Chałubińska & Wilgat (1954). From May 2005 to March 2007, measurements of springs discharge and the Lutynka river flow were measured per month. On the basis of precipitation, air temperature and evapotranspiration, month by outflow deficit were appointed and water infiltration was estimated. Springs of the Lutynka River basin are fed from Neogene and Cretaceous-Neogene aquifiers. Maximum depths to the water (above 60 m) are noted in Wojciechów and Kamienna Góra. Water table is slightly inclined to river valleys. It circulates mainly in fissures of tectonic genesis. Thickness of Quaternary deposits exceeds dozens of meters in valleys, in turn it has only 2-3 meters in plateaus. They are formed in glacial till of Elsterian glaciation and sands of Saalian age, located in the central and southern part of the Lutynka River basin. In turn, loesses and loess-like deposits occur in its north-eastern part. Four springs located near the Lute village were described and characteristics of their discharge were presented. One spring occurs in a pond's bed and the rest are situated below the left slope of the Lutynka River valley, directly near the pond. The slope has a north-western exposition, 20 m height and 16° inclination. All three springs are located on 210 m a. s. l. height. The springs in the Lute village are characterized by various discharge and regime. Spring no. 1 is one of the biggest springs on the Lublin Upland and Roztocze regions and its average discharge amounts to 139.4 dm3·s-1. All the examined springs display different reaction to feeding and time of water flow between feeding and its outflow lasts from one to six months. It is conditioned by underground water circulation in channels and fissures existing in Cretaceous and Neogene rocks and their spatial extent. Total discharge of the examined springs was changing from 130 to 250 dm3·s-1. Spring water constitutes from 60 to 90% of water led by the Lutynka River, which causes that its basin is characterized by one of the biggest modules of underground and spring flow in the Lublin region. Good quality of the spring water, high landscape and scientific value of spring combs, steady and high discharge indicate the necessity of security of the Lutynka River basin, especially places of water outflows.

Trace elements transport in western Siberia rivers across a permafrost gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pokrovsky, O. S.; Manasypov, R. M.; Loiko, S.; Krickov, I. A.; Kopysov, S. G.; Kolesnichenko, L. G.; Vorobyev, S. N.; Kirpotin, S. N.

2015-11-01

Towards a better understanding of trace element transport in permafrost-affected Earth surface environments, we sampled ∼ 60 large and small rivers (< 100 to ≤ 150 000 km2 watershed area) of Western Siberia Lowland (WSL) during spring flood and summer and winter base-flow across a 1500 km latitudinal gradient covering continuous, discontinuous, sporadic and permafrost-free zones. Analysis of ∼ 40 major and trace elements in dissolved (< 0.45 μm) fraction allowed establishing main environmental factors controlling the transport of metals and trace elements in rivers of this environmentally important region. No statistically significant effect of the basin size on most TE concentration was evidenced. Three category of trace elements were distinguished according to their concentration - latitude pattern: (i) increasing northward in spring and winter (Fe, Al, Ga (only winter), Ti (only winter), REEs, Pb, Zr, Hf, Th (only winter)), linked to leaching from peat and/or redox processes and transport in the form of Fe-rich colloids, (ii) decreasing northward during all seasons (Sr, Mo, U, As, Sb) marking the underground water influence of river feeding and (iii) elements without distinct trend from S to N whose variations within each latitude range were higher than the difference between latitudinal ranges (B, Li, Ti (except summer), Cr, V, Mn, Zn, Cd, Cs, Hf, Th). In addition to these general features, specific, northward increase during spring period was mostly pronounced for Fe, Mn, Co, Zn and Ba and may stem from a combination of enhanced leaching from the topsoil and vegetation and bottom waters of the lakes (spring overturn). A spring time northward decrease was observed for Ni, Cu, Zr, Rb. The southward increase in summer was strongly visible for Fe, Ni, Ba, Rb and V, probably due to peat/moss release (Ni, Ba, Rb) or groundwater feeding (Fe, V). The Principal Component Analysis demonstrated two main factors potentially controlling the ensemble of TE concentration variation. The first factor, responsible for 16-20 % of overall variation, included trivalent and tetravalent hydrolysates, Cr, V, and DOC and presumably reflected the presence of organo-mineral colloids, as also confirmed by previous studies in Siberian rivers. The 2nd factor (8-14 % variation) was linked to the latitude of the watershed and acted on elements affected by the groundwater feeding (DIC, Sr, Mo, As, Sb, U), whose concentration decreased significantly northward during all seasons. Overall, the rank of environmental factors on TE concentration in western Siberian rivers was latitude (3 permafrost zones) > season > watershed size. The effect of the latitude was minimal in spring for most TE but highly visible for Sr, Mo, Sb and U. The main factors controlling the shift of river feeding from surface and subsurface flow to deep underground flow in the permafrost-bearing zone were the depth of the active (unfrozen) seasonal layer and its position in organic or mineral horizons of the soil profile. In the permafrost-free zone, the relative role of carbonate mineral-bearing base rock feeding vs. bog water feeding determined the pattern of trace element concentration and fluxes in rivers of various size as a function of season. Comparison of obtained TE fluxes in WSL rivers with those of other subarctic rivers demonstrated reasonable agreement for most trace elements; the lithology of base rocks was the major factor controlling the magnitude of TE fluxes. The climate change in western Siberia and permafrost boundary migration will affect essentially the elements controlled by underground water feeding (DIC, alkaline-earth elements (Ca, Sr), oxyanions (Mo, Sb, As) and U). The thickening of the active layer may increase the export of trivalent and tetravalent hydrolysates in the form of organo-ferric colloids. Plant litter-originated divalent metals present as organic complexes may be retained via adsorption on mineral horizon. However, due to various counterbalanced processes controlling element source and sinks in plants - peat - mineral soil - river systems, the overall impact of the permafrost thaw on TE export from the land to the ocean may be smaller than that foreseen by merely active layer thickening and permafrost boundary shift.

Conceptual Design of a Basic Production Facility for the XM587E2/XM724 Electronic Time Fuzes

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-11-01

blue side up, and then staked. The spri.ng pin is pressed in position and probed for the 1. 644-0. 010- inch dimension. See figure 33. 4.6.7.2 Parts...fitting subassembly. The detonator 69 IDLE HOPPER FEED -PROBE STAKE SPRING PIN PROBE PRESENCE STAKE LEADL IPROB LEADID ~ ASSEMBLY14 3 1 BLUE SIDE UP...automatic shutoffs. * Warning lights /alarms/ signs /’Jecals where necessary. * Electrical grounding of machine. [ 98 0 Noise levels below 85 decibals at

High cold tolerance through four seasons and all free-living stages in an ectoparasite.

PubMed

Härkönen, Laura; Kaitala, Arja; Kaunisto, Sirpa; Repo, Tapani

2012-06-01

Off-host stages of temperate parasites must cope with low temperatures. Cold tolerance is often highest in winter, as a result of diapause and cold acclimation, and low during the active summer stages. In some blood-feeding ectoparasites, offspring provisioning determines cold tolerance through all the non-feeding, off-host stages. Large size increases survival in the cold, but so far seasonal variation in within-female offspring size has not been associated with offspring cold tolerance. The deer ked (Lipoptena cervi) reproduces on cervids from autumn to spring. Newborn pupae drop off the host, facing frosts without any acclimation. We examined cold tolerance through 4 seasons and from birth to adulthood by means of short- and long-term frost exposure. We expected females to produce more tolerant offspring in winter than in spring. Large spring pupae survived prolonged frosts better than did small winter pupae. Thus more tolerant offspring were not produced when the temperature outside the host is at its lowest. Unexpectedly, the freezing points were -20 °C or below all year round. We showed that high cold tolerance is possible without acclimation regardless of life stage, which presumably correlates with other survival characteristics, such as the starvation resistance of free-living ectoparasites.

A baseline study of metals in herring (Clupea harengus) from the Norwegian Sea, with focus on mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead.

PubMed

Frantzen, Sylvia; Maage, Amund; Duinker, Arne; Julshamn, Kaare; Iversen, Svein A

2015-05-01

The Norwegian spring spawning (NSS) herring is an ecologically and economically important fish population in the Norwegian Sea. It was the first of several Norwegian fish stocks subject to a baseline study designed to give a comprehensive account of the levels of contaminants in a fish species from most of its area of distribution and during different seasons. During 2006 and 2007, 800 individual herring were sampled in their feeding areas in the Norwegian Sea in spring and autumn and at their spawning grounds off the coast of Norway during late winter. Metals including Hg, Cd, As and Pb were determined in muscle samples of individual herring, and mean concentrations±sd (mg kg(-1) ww) were: Hg: 0.04±0.03, Cd: 0.010±0.006, As: 2.2±0.6 and Pb: <0.01-0.10. Apart from one sample, no individual herring exceeded the EU's maximum level for any of these elements, as has been seen also in previous monitoring. Hg and Cd concentration increased with increasing fish age and As concentration varied seasonally, possibly due to uptake during feeding (summer), elimination during starvation (winter) and up-concentration during spawning (spring). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rowland, Joel C; Manga, Michael

The origin of increased stream flow and spring discharge following earthquakes have been the subject of controversy, in large part because there are many models to explain observations and few measurements suitable for distinguishing between hypotheses. On October 30, 2007 a magnitude 5.5 earthquake occurred near the Alum Rock springs, California, USA. Within a day we documented a several-fold increase in discharge. Over the following year, we have monitored a gradual return towards pre-earthquake properties, but for the largest springs there appears to be a permanent increase in the steady discharge at all the springs. The Alum Rock springs dischargemore » waters that represent a mixture between modern ('shallow') meteoric water and old ('deep') connate waters expelled by regional transpression. After the earthquake, the increased discharge at the largest springs was accompanied by a small decrease in the fraction of connate water in the spring discharge. Combined with the rapid response, this implies that the increased discharge has a shallow origin. Increased discharge at these springs occurs for earthquakes that cause static volumetric expansion and those that cause contraction, supporting models in which dynamic strains are responsible for the subsurface changes that cause flow to increase. We show that models in which the permeability of the fracture system feeding the springs increases after the earthquake are in general consistent with the changes in discharge. The response of these springs to another earthquake will provide critical constraints on the changes that occur in the subsurface.« less

Distribution, abundance, and feeding ecology of decapods in the Arabian Sea, with implications for vertical flux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mincks, Sarah L.; Bollens, Stephen M.; Madin, Laurence P.; Horgan, Erich; Butler, Mari; Kremer, Patricia M.; Craddock, James E.

Macrozooplankton and micronekton samples were collected on two cruises in the Arabian Sea conducted during the Spring Intermonsoon period (May) and the SW Monsoon period (August) of 1995. Discrete depth samples were collected down to depths of 1000-1500 m. Quantitative gut content analyses were performed on four species of decapod shrimps, Gennadas sordidus, Sergia filictum, Sergia creber, and Eupasiphae gilesii, as well as on the pelagic crab Charybdis smithii. Of the shrimps, only S. filictum and S. creber increased significantly in abundance between the Spring Intermonsoon and SW Monsoon seasons. These four species were found at all depths sampled, and most did not appear to be strong vertical migrators. G. sordidus and S. filictum did appear to spread upward at night, especially during the SW Monsoon, but this movement did not include the entire population. S. creber showed signs of diel vertical migration only in some areas. All four shrimp species except, to some degree, S. creber lived almost exclusively within the oxygen minimum zone (150-1000 m), and are likely to have respiratory adaptations that allow them to persist under such conditions. Feeding occurred at all depths throughout these species' ranges, but only modest feeding occurred in the surface layer (0-150 m). G. sordidus appeared to feed continuously throughout the day and night. Estimated contribution of fecal material to vertical flux ranged from <0.01-2.1% of particulate flux at 1000 m for the shrimps and 1.8-3.0% for C. smithii.

Carbon Dynamics on the Louisiana Continental Shelf and Cross-Shelf Feeding of Hypoxia

EPA Science Inventory

Large-scale hypoxia regularly develops during the summer on the Louisiana continental shelf. Traditionally, hypoxia has been linked to the vast winter and spring nutrient inputs from the Mississippi River and its distributary, the Atchafalaya River. However, recent studies indica...

Prevalence of toxigenic Penicillium species associated with poultry house in Telangana, India.

PubMed

Koteswara Rao, Vankudoth; Girisham, Sivadevuni; Madhusudhan Reddy, Solipuram

2016-11-01

The prevalence of mycotoxigenic Penicillium species in poultry houses of Telangana, India, was studied during 4 seasons between June 2009 and May 2010. Fungi belonging to 13 genera, including Penicillium, comprising 43 species were collected using petri plates. Fourteen Penicillium species demonstrated varying degrees of mycotoxigenicity. Chemical and chromatographic analysis of the different poultry feed samples revealed 8 different mycotoxins with ochratoxin A (OTA) predominating. The mean contamination rate of OTA was 38%. OTA quantities ranged between 5.78 and 6.73 µg/kg -1 , 10.13 and 14.23 µg/kg -1 , and 12.33 and 15.20 µg/kg -1 in starter, broiler, and layer feeds, respectively. Statistically significant positive correlation between prevalence of Penicillium species and the monsoon, autumn, and spring seasons and negative correlation between prevalence and the autumn, spring, and summer seasons were observed. These findings may serve as risk exposure indicators and contribute toward the initiation of a sustainable control program.

The Bitterroot Ecosystem Management Research Project: How did it happen?

Treesearch

Clinton E. Carlson

2000-01-01

Greg Jones asked last winter if Leslie Weldon and I present a synoptic paper on the early history of the Bitterroot Ecosystem Management/Research Project (BEMRP). I agreed, as did Leslie, but as you can see she is not here. Leslie had other last-minute commitments to deal with so what you see is what you get. There is far more detail about BEMRP than time here permits...

National Dam Safety Program. N.J. No Name Number 30 Dam (NJ00339), Delaware River Basin, Weldon Brook, Morris County, New Jersey. Phase I Inspection Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-01

type of migating measures required to increase the capacity of the spillway. 2. Stability analyses should be performed to determine the need for and...type of migating measures required to ensure that the darn is stable. 3. The outlet works should be repaired to allow for emergency drawdown of the

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Congressman Dave Weldon listens to a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Tom Feeney, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Congressman Dave Weldon listens to a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Tom Feeney, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

Groundwater origin and recharge in the hyperarid Cordillera de la Costa, Atacama Desert, northern Chile.

PubMed

Herrera, Christian; Gamboa, Carolina; Custodio, Emilio; Jordan, Teresa; Godfrey, Linda; Jódar, Jorge; Luque, José A; Vargas, Jimmy; Sáez, Alberto

2018-05-15

The Cordillera de la Costa is located along the coastline of northern Chile, in the hyperarid Atacama Desert area. Chemical and isotopic analyses of several small coastal springs and groundwater reservoirs between 22.5 °S and 25.5 °S allow understanding groundwater origin, renewal time and the probable timing of recharge. The aquifers are mostly in old volcanic rocks and alluvial deposits. All spring waters are brackish, of the sodium chloride type due to intensive concentration of precipitation due aridity and for deep groundwater to additional water-rock interaction in slowly renewed groundwater and mixing with deep seated brines. The heavy δ 18 O and δ 2 H values in spring water are explained by recharge by the arrival of moist air masses from the Pacific Ocean and the originally lighter values in the deep wells can be associated to past recharge by air masses coming from the Atlantic Ocean. Current recharge is assumed almost nil but it was significant in past wetter-than-present periods, increasing groundwater reserves, which are not yet exhausted. To explain the observed chloride content and radiocarbon ( 14 C) activity, a well-mixed (exponential) flow model has been considered for aquifer recharge. The average residence time of groundwater feeding the springs has been estimated between 1 and 2kyr, up to 5kyr and between 7 and 13kyr for deep well water, assuming that current recharge is much less than during the previous wetter period. The recharge period feeding the coastal springs could have been produced 1 to 5kyr BP, when the area was already inhabited, and recharge in the Michilla mine was produced during the 10 to 14.5kyr BP CAPE (Central Andean Pluvial Event) pluvial events of the central Andes. The approximate coincidence of turnover time with the past wet periods, as revealed by paleoclimate data, points to significant recharge during them. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Future Availability of Water Supply from Karstic Springs under Probable Climate Change. The case of Aravissos, Central Macedonia, Greece.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vafeiadis, M.; Spachos, Th.; Zampetoglou, K.; Soupilas, Th.

2012-04-01

The test site of Aravissos is located at 70 Km to the West (W-NW) of Thessaloniki at the south banks of mount Païko, in the north part of Central Macedonia The karstic Aravissos springs supply 40% of total volume needed for the water supply of Thessaloniki, Greece. As the water is of excellent quality, it is feed directly in the distribution network without any previous treatment. The availability of this source is therefore of high importance for the sustainable water supply of this area with almost 1000000 inhabitants. The water system of Aravissos is developed in a karstic limestone with an age of about Late Cretaceous that covers almost the entire western part of the big-anticline of Païko Mountain. The climate in this area and the water consumption area, Thessaloniki, is a typical Mediterranean climate with mild and humid winters and hot and dry summers. The total annual number of rainy days is around 110. The production of the Aravissos springs depends mostly from the annual precipitations. As the feeding catchement and the karst aquifer are not well defined, a practical empirical balance model, that contains only well known relevant terms, is applied for the simulation of the operation of the springs under normal water extraction for water supply in present time. The estimation of future weather conditions are based on GCM and RCM simulation data and the extension of trend lines of the actual data. The future evolution of the availability of adequate water quantities from the springs is finally estimated from the balance model and the simulated future climatic data. This study has been realised within the project CC-WaterS, funded by the SEE program of the European Regional Development Fund (http://www.ccwaters.eu/).

Development of Wideband Feed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ujihara, Hideki; Takefuji, Kazuhiro; Sekido, Mamoru; Kondo, Tetsuro

2015-08-01

Wideband feeds have developed for Kashima 34m antenna and new 2.4m portable VLBI antennas. Prototypes of the wideband feeds are multimode horns, first one was set on 34m in the end of 2013, and then replaced next one with 6.5-15.0GHz receiving frequency. Now, a new feed for 3.2GHz-14.4GHz will be installed in 2.4m and 34m antennas in this spring, which are named NINJA feed, because of its design flexibility in beam shpae. Next, IGUANA feed is now under design and fabrication, which is aimed for 2.2-22GHz and covers VGOS(VLBI2010) specification. This has coaxial structure, the smaller "daughter feed" for 6.4-22GHz is placed in the center of the larger "Mother feed" for 2.2-6.4GHz.They are used for our project of time and frequency transfer between remote atomic clocks by wideband VLBI, named Gala-V(Garapagos VLBI), and will also be used wideband VLBI observation for astronmy and geodesy.Prototype feeds were tested in measurement of aperture efficiency, SEFD and Tsys of 34m "Super Kashima Antenna" and both 6.7/12.2GHz methanol maser detection in one reciever system, and then better one is used for wideband VLBI observations.

Hydrogeochemical response of groundwater springs during central Italy earthquakes (24 August 2016 and 26-30 October 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Archer, Claire; Binda, Gilberto; Terrana, Silvia; Gambillara, Roberto; Michetti, Alessandro; Noble, Paula; Petitta, Marco; Rosen, Michael; Pozzi, Andrea; Bellezza, Paolo; Brunamonte, Fabio

2017-04-01

Co-seismic hydrological and chemical response at groundwater springs following strong earthquakes is a significant concern in the Apennines, a region in central Italy characterized by regional karstic groundwater systems interacting with active normal faults capable of producing Mw 6.5 to 7.0 seismic events. These aquifers also provide water supply to major metropolitan areas in the region. On August 24, 2016, a Mw 6.0 earthquake hit Central Italy in the area where Latium joins Umbria, Marche and Abruzzi; this was immediately followed one hour later by a Mw 5.4 shock. The epicenter of the event was located at the segment boundary between the Mt. Vettore and Mt. Laga faults. On October 26, 2016 and on October 30, 2016, three other big shocks (Mw 5.5, Mw 6.0 and Mw 6.5) ruptured again the Vettore Fault and its NW extension. Immediately after Aug. 24, we sampled springs discharging different aquifers in the Rieti area, including the Peschiera spring, which feeds the aqueduct of Rome. Thermal springs connected with deep groundwater flowpaths were also sampled. These springs, sampled previously in 2014 and 2015, provide some pre-earthquake data. Moreover, we sampled 4 springs along the Mt. Vettore fault system: 3 small springs at Forca di Presta, close to the trace of the earthquake surface ruptures, and two in Castel Sant'Angelo sul Nera. The latter are feeding the Nera aqueduct and the Nerea S.p.A. mineral water plant, which also kindly allowed us to collect bottled water samples from the pre-seismic period. The aim of this study is to evaluate the strong earthquake sequence effects on the hydrochemistry and flow paths of groundwater from different aquifer settings based on analysis before and after seismic events. The comparison between the responses of springs ca. 40 km from the epicenter (Rieti basin) and the springs located near the epicenter (Castelsantangelo sul Nera and Forca di Presta) is especially significant for understanding the resilience of groundwater systems in an active tectonic zone because these springs are located near parallel active fault segments within the same extensional regime. The epicentral springs are subject to the direct effects of the shaking and coseismic fault displacement; the more distal ones to the tectonic displacement of large hydrogeologic structures, which affect the chemical composition and flow path even with late responses, lasting for weeks and months after the mainshocks. Temporal trend analysis, based on pre-earthquake and post-earthquake chemical-physical data, point out alteration of different parameters. For example, the lowering of different trace metals in all areas after the first earthquake. These changes could be due to fluctuations in redox equilibria related to degassing and/or interactions with deeper fluid flow. In the Rieti springs, the EC, alkalinity, and trace metals show small transient responses within 1-3 days following the main shocks, however δ2H vs. δ18O remain stable and plot with previous data, indicating no major change in recharge source. Analysis is ongoing and preliminary results will be presented here.

Evaluation of aestival diapause in hemlock woolly adelgid

Treesearch

Scott M. Salom; Warren T. Mays; John Neal; Alexei Sharov

2000-01-01

Hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand (Homoptera: Adelgidae), has two generations/year that feed and reproduce on hemlock, Tsugae spp. The spring generation, present from March to June, is called progrediens. The next generation, present from June until the following March, is called sistens (McClure 1987, Gray and Salom...

Oak Leaftier and Oak Leafroller (Pest Alert)

Treesearch

USDA Forest Service

1998-01-01

The oak leaftier, Croesia semipurpurana (Kearfott), and the oak leafroller, Archips semiferanus (Walker), are important Tortricidae moths in a complex of native species feeding in the early spring on oak foliage throughout the forests of Eastern North America. Outbreaks periodically develop with frequent and severe defoliation resulting in tree mortality. The last...

Wildlife openings

Treesearch

William M. Healy

1989-01-01

Openings provide important feeding areas for forest wildlife because herbaceous vegetation grows much more abundantly in the open than beneath a forest canopy. Herbage (grasses and forbs) is generally more nutritious and digestible than woody plant growth. Herbage is important in the diet of deer, especially in late winter and early spring. Voles and rabbits use...

Snow accumulations and melt under certain forest conditions in the Adirondacks

Treesearch

Howard W. Lull; Francis M. Rushmore

1960-01-01

The Adirondack region of New York is a land of many lakes and streams. It feeds water into Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, and the Hudson River. Much of this streamflow comes from the melting of the spring snowpack in the Adirondacks.

Two sides of a coin: host-plant synchrony fitness trade-offs in the population dynamics of the western spruce budworm.

PubMed

Régnière, Jacques; Nealis, Vincent G

2018-02-01

Conifer-feeding budworms emerge from overwintering sites as small larvae in early spring, several days before budburst, and mine old needles. These early-emerging larvae suffer considerable mortality during this foraging period as they disperse in search of available, current-year buds. Once buds flush, surviving budworms construct feeding shelters and must complete maturation before fresh host foliage senesces and lignifies later in the summer. Late-developing larvae suffer greater mortality and survivors have lower fecundity when feeding on older foliage. Thus, there is a seasonal trade-off in fitness associated with host synchrony: early-emerging budworms have a greater risk of mortality during spring dispersal but gain better access to the most nutritious foliage, while, on the other hand, late-emerging larvae incur a lower risk during the initial foraging period but must contend with rapidly diminishing resource quality at the end of the feeding period. We investigate the balance that results from these early-season and late-season synchrony fitness trade-offs using the concept of the phenological window. Parameters associated with the variation in the phenological window are used to estimate generational fitness as a function of host-plant synchrony. Because defoliation modifies these relationships, it is also included in the analysis. We show that fitness trade-offs characterizing the phenological window result in a robust synchrony relationship between budworm and host plant over a wide geographic range in southern British Columbia, Canada. © 2016 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada Insect Science © 2016 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Trace element transport in western Siberian rivers across a permafrost gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pokrovsky, Oleg S.; Manasypov, Rinat M.; Loiko, Sergey V.; Krickov, Ivan A.; Kopysov, Sergey G.; Kolesnichenko, Larisa G.; Vorobyev, Sergey N.; Kirpotin, Sergey N.

2016-03-01

Towards a better understanding of trace element (TE) transport in permafrost-affected Earth surface environments, we sampled ˜ 60 large and small rivers (< 100 to ≤ 150 000 km2 watershed area) of the Western Siberian Lowland (WSL) during spring flood and summer and winter baseflow across a 1500 km latitudinal gradient covering continuous, discontinuous, sporadic and permafrost-free zones. Analysis of ˜ 40 major and TEs in the dissolved (< 0.45 µm) fraction allowed establishing main environmental factors controlling the transport of metals and TEs in rivers of this environmentally important region. No statistically significant effect of the basin size on most TE concentrations was evidenced. Two groups of elements were distinguished: (1) elements that show the same trend throughout the year and (2) elements that show seasonal differences. The first group included elements decreasing northward during all seasons (Sr, Mo, U, As, Sb) marking the underground water influence of river feeding. The elements of the second group exhibited variable behavior in the course of the year. A northward increase during spring period was mostly pronounced for Fe, Al, Co, Zn and Ba and may stem from a combination of enhanced leaching from the topsoil and vegetation and bottom waters of the lakes (spring overturn). A springtime northward decrease was observed for Ni, Cu, Zr and Rb. The increase in element concentration northward was observed for Ti, Ga, Zr and Th only in winter, whereas Fe, Al, rare earth elements (REEs), Pb, Zr, and Hf increased northward in both spring and winter, which could be linked to leaching from peat and transport in the form of Fe-rich colloids. A southward increase in summer was strongly visible for Fe, Ni, Ba, Rb and V, probably due to peat/moss release (Ni, Ba, Rb) or groundwater feeding (Fe, V). Finally, B, Li, Cr, V, Mn, Zn, Cd, and Cs did not show any distinct trend from S to N. The order of landscape component impact on TE concentration in rivers was lakes > bogs > forest. The lakes decreased export of Mn and Co in summer and Ni, Cu, and Rb in spring, presumably due to biotic processes. The lakes enriched the rivers in insoluble lithogenic elements in summer and winter, likely due to TE mobilization from unfrozen mineral sediments. The rank of environmental factors on TE concentration in western Siberian rivers was latitude (three permafrost zones) > season > watershed size. The effect of the latitude was minimal in spring for most TEs but highly visible for Sr, Mo, Sb and U. The main factors controlling the shift of river feeding from surface and subsurface flow to deep underground flow in the permafrost-bearing zone were the depth of the active (unfrozen) seasonal layer and its position in organic or mineral horizons of the soil profile. In the permafrost-free zone, the relative role of carbonate mineral-bearing base rock feeding versus bog water feeding determined the pattern of TE concentration and fluxes in rivers of various sizes as a function of season. Comparison of obtained TE fluxes in WSL rivers with those of other subarctic rivers demonstrated reasonable agreement for most TEs; the lithology of base rocks was the major factor controlling the magnitude of TE fluxes. Climate change in western Siberia and permafrost boundary migration will essentially affect the elements controlled by underground water feeding (DIC, alkaline earth elements (Ca, Sr), oxyanions (Mo, Sb, As) and U). The thickening of the active layer may increase the export of trivalent and tetravalent hydrolysates in the form of organo-ferric colloids. Plant litter-originated divalent metals present as organic complexes may be retained via adsorption on mineral horizon. However, due to various counterbalanced processes controlling element source and sinks in plant-peat-mineral soil-river systems, the overall impact of the permafrost thaw on TE export from the land to the ocean may be smaller than that foreseen with merely active layer thickening and permafrost boundary shift.

Seasonal changes in the vocal behavior of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in Disko Bay, Western-Greenland.

PubMed

Tervo, Outi M; Parks, Susan E; Miller, Lee A

2009-09-01

Singing behavior has been described from bowhead whales in the Bering Sea during their annual spring migration and from Davis Strait during their spring feeding season. It has been suggested that this spring singing behavior is a remnant of the singing during the winter breeding season, though no winter recordings are available. In this study, the authors describe recordings made during the winter and spring months of bowhead whales in Disko Bay, Western-Greenland. A total of 7091 bowhead whale sounds were analyzed to describe the vocal repertoire, the singing behavior, and the changes in vocal behavior from February to May. The vocal signals could be divided into simple (frequency-modulated) calls (n=483), complex (amplitude-modulated) calls (n=635), and song notes (n=5973). Recordings from the end of February to middle of March were characterized by higher call rates with a greater diversity of call types than recordings made later in the season. This study is the first description of bowhead song from the stock in Western-Greenland during both the winter and spring months, and provides support for the hypothesis that song during the winter months contains more song notes than song from the spring making the winter song more variable.

Fire Safety: Protecting Our Children and Families. Hearing before the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families. House of Representatives, One Hundred Second Congress, Second Session (August 11, 1992).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families.

This hearing, chaired by Representative Patricia Schroeder, was held to find ways to reduce the number of deaths and injuries that result from fires. Testimony or prepared statements were given by Representatives Schroeder, Michael Bilirakis, Romano Mazzoli, and Curt Weldon, as well as nine other individuals involved in fire safety issues,…

KSC-00pp0056

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-14

During the First Florida Space Summit, held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush pose for a photo. The event, featuring a discussion on the future of space as it relates to the State of Florida and moderated by Center Director Roy Bridges, included other participants such as Senator Bob Graham, Rep. Dave Weldon, 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit and heads of aerospace companies

KSC00pp0056

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-14

During the First Florida Space Summit, held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush pose for a photo. The event, featuring a discussion on the future of space as it relates to the State of Florida and moderated by Center Director Roy Bridges, included other participants such as Senator Bob Graham, Rep. Dave Weldon, 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit and heads of aerospace companies

Stable isotope tracing of trout hatchery carbon to sediments and foodwebs of limestone spring creeks.

PubMed

Hurd, Todd M; Jesic, Slaven; Jerin, Jessica L; Fuller, Nathan W; Miller, David

2008-11-01

Limestone springs support productive ecosystems and fisheries, yet aquaculture may modify or impair these ecosystems. We determined trout hatchery organic contribution to spring creek sediments and foodwebs with natural abundance stable isotope methods. Hatchery feed, waste, and trout were significantly enriched in delta(13)C relative to autotrophs and wild fish. Spring creek sediments were enriched in delta(13)C toward the hatchery endmember relative to reference streams without hatcheries and relative to a larger larger-order, spring-influenced stream. Contribution of hatchery C to spring creek sediments was greatest during March and associated with greatest sediment %C. Contribution of hatchery C to pollution-tolerant isopod diet was 39-51% in a stream receiving limestone spring water via hatchery effluent. Isopods of one spring creek also relied on hatchery-derived C within one month of hatchery closure. Four years later, less pollution pollution-tolerant amphipods dominated and consumed non-vascular over vascular autotrophs (86%). Isopods of a second spring creek with an active hatchery did not appear to be using hatchery matter directly, but were enriched in delta(34)S relative to a spring creek tributary with no hatchery influence. Isopods in both of these streams were relatively enriched in delta(15)N, indicating general nutrient enrichment from surrounding agricultural land use. The contribution of hatchery vs. wild fish in diet of herons and egrets was traced with delta(13)C of guano. These birds were strongly dependent on stocked trout in a spring creek with a recently closed state trout hatchery, and also near another large, state-run hatchery. Heron dependence on hatchery fish in the spring creek decreased with time since hatchery closure. Use of stable isotope natural abundance techniques in karst spring creeks can reveal stream impairment due to aquaculture, specific C sources to bio-indicating consumers, losses of farmed fish to predation, and potential exposure of higher order consumers to contaminants associated with aquaculture.

Hibernation-associated changes in persistent organic pollutant (POP) levels and patterns in British Columbia grizzly bears (ursus arctos horribilis).

PubMed

Christensen, Jennie R; MacDuffee, Misty; Yunker, Mark B; Ross, Peter S

2007-03-15

We hypothesized that depleted fat reserves in grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) following annual hibernation would reveal increases in persistent organic pollutant (POP) concentrations compared to those present in the fall. We obtained fat and hair from British Columbia grizzly bears in early spring 2004 to compare with those collected in fall 2003, with the two tissue types providing contaminant and dietary information, respectively. By correcting for the individual feeding habits of grizzlies using a stable isotope-based approach, we found that polychlorinated biphenyls (sigmaPCBs) increased by 2.21x, polybrominated diphenylethers (sigmaPBDEs) increased by 1.58x, and chlordanes (sigmaCHL) by 1.49x in fat following hibernation. Interestingly, individual POPs elicited a wide range of hibernation-associated concentration effects (e.g., CB-153, 2.25x vs CB-169, 0.00x), resulting in POP pattern convergence in a PCA model of two distinct fall feeding groups (salmon-eating vs non-salmon-eating) into a single spring (post-hibernation) group. Our results suggest that diet dictates contaminant patterns during a feeding phase, while metabolism drives patterns during a fasting phase. This work suggests a duality of POP-associated health risks to hibernating grizzly bears: (1) increased concentrations of some POPs during hibernation; and (2) a potentially prolonged accumulation of water-soluble, highly reactive POP metabolites, since grizzly bears do not excrete during hibernation.

Evaluation of baker's yeast in honey using a real-time PCR assay.

PubMed

Kast, Christina; Roetschi, Alexandra

2017-04-01

Occasionally, melissopalynological analysis reveals the presence of baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in honey sediments. A field experiment reproducing a common spring bee feeding practice, using sugar paste containing baker's yeast, was performed to understand how S. cerevisiae are introduced into honey. Apart from classical microscopy, a real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) system specific for S. cerevisiae was established for quantification of S. cerevisiae in honeys. Results showed that S. cerevisiae cells are stored in the honey of the brood combs and are also transferred into honey in the supers. The concentrations of S. cerevisiae were highest in honey of the brood frames immediately after the feeding and decreased over time to low concentrations at the end of the year. A high content of S. cerevisiae cells were also found in the honey from supers of the spring harvest. Observed S. cerevisiae cells were not able to multiply in a high-sugar environment, such as honey, and their viability decreased rapidly after addition to the honey. The screening of 200 Swiss honeys revealed the presence of S. cerevisiae in 4.5% of the samples, as determined by microscopy and qPCR. Finally, the method described here may indicate an unwanted sucrose addition to honey through bee-feeding. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feeding the Soul

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinshaw, Craig

2006-01-01

Traveling to other countries to see other cultures rejuvenates one's spirit and broadens one's perspective. In this article, the author, who is an elementary art teacher shares his experiences on his visit to South Korea in the spring of 2005. The purpose of the tour was to visit potters who fire their work in traditional wood fired, hill-climbing…

INTERSPECIFIC SYNCHRONY AMONG FOLIAGE-FEEDING FOREST LAPIDOPTERA SPECIES AND THE ROLE OF GENERALIST PREDATORS AS POSSIBLE SYNCHRONIZING AGENTS

EPA Science Inventory

While synchrony among geographically disjunct populations of the same species has received considerable recent attention, much less is known about synchrony between sympatric populations of two or more species. We analyzed time series of the abundance of ten species of spring fol...

Diel and seasonal variation in food habits of Atlantic salmon parr in a small stream

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grader, M.; Letcher, B.H.

2006-01-01

The diel and seasonal food habits of young-of-year (YOY) and post-young-of-year (PYOY) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr were assayed over the course of 11 months in the West Brook, Massachusetts USA. Gut fullness of YOY salmon did not vary significantly among months. PYOY salmon exhibited significant seasonal differences in gut fullness, with peak fullness occurring in the spring and late fall. Significant diel differences in PYOY gut fullness occurred in June and April, with peak fullness always occurring at dawn. Prey composition varied substantially among months. Dominant prey items of PYOY salmon were baetid mayflies in June, July, and August, limnephilid caddisflies in October and November, and ephemerellid mayflies in February and April. Few differences in prey composition between PYOY and YOY salmon were observed. Fish growth was unrelated to prey availability, but gut fullness explained up to 97% of growth variation across seasons. Results suggest that spring and fall are critical periods of feeding for PYOY salmon and that diel feeding intensity shifts seasonally.

Evaluation of a nutritional strategy to increase ovulation rate in merino ewes mated in late spring-early summer.

PubMed

Nottle, M B; Kleemann, D O; Grosser, T I; Seamark, R F

1997-07-01

A nutritional strategy for increasing ovulation rate in Merino ewes mated in late spring-early summer was evaluated on two commercial farms. The strategy used the 'ram effect' to induce oestrus in seasonally anoestrus ewes and supplementary feeding of lupin grain six days prior to oestrus to increase ovulation rate. Ewes that had been isolated from rams for 6 weeks were exposed to vasectomised rams for 2 weeks and then mated to fertile rams for 6 weeks. Feeding 500 g lupins/head/day for 14 days commencing 12 days after the introduction of vasectomised rams, increased the number of ovulations from 126 to 146 per 100 ewes exposed to rams (P < 0.05). This increase was reflected in an improvement in fecundity (lambs born per ewe lambing; P < 0.05) but not fertility (ewes lambing per ewe mated to rams). Net reproductive performance (the product of fertility, fecundity and lamb survival) was increased by 11 lambs weaned per 100 ewes exposed to rams due to lupin supplementation at mating.

Understanding care and feeding practices: building blocks for a sustainable intervention in India and Pakistan.

PubMed

Lingam, Raghu; Gupta, Pallavi; Zafar, Shamsa; Hill, Zelee; Yousafzai, Aisha; Iyengar, Sharad; Sikander, Siham; Haq, Zaeem ul; Mehta, Shilpa; Skordis-Worrel, Jolene; Rahman, Atif; Kirkwood, Betty

2014-01-01

Undernutrition and inadequate stimulation both negatively influence child health and development and have a long-term impact on school attainment and income. This paper reports data from India and Pakistan looking at how families interact, play with, and feed children; their expectations of growth and development; and the perceived benefits, consequences, opportunities, and barriers of adopting recommended feeding and developmental behaviors. These data were collected as part of formative research for the Sustainable Program Incorporating Nutrition and Games (SPRING) trial. This trial aims to deliver an innovative, feasible, affordable, and sustainable intervention that can achieve delivery at a scale of known effective interventions that maximize child development, growth, and survival and improve maternal psychosocial well-being in rural India and Pakistan. © 2014 New York Academy of Sciences.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe discusses the presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Florida Congressman Tom Feeney, Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe discusses the presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Florida Congressman Tom Feeney, Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (center) makes a point while talking to NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (right) about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Tom Feeney, Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (center) makes a point while talking to NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (right) about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Tom Feeney, Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA officials and government representatives are gathered to learn about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. At the far end of the table is NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. He is flanked, on the left, by Florida Congressman Tom Feeney and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; and on the right by U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon. Central Florida leaders are proposing the research park as the site for the NASA Shared Services Center. The center would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration by NASA.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA officials and government representatives are gathered to learn about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. At the far end of the table is NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. He is flanked, on the left, by Florida Congressman Tom Feeney and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; and on the right by U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon. Central Florida leaders are proposing the research park as the site for the NASA Shared Services Center. The center would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration by NASA.

Corticosterone and the transition from courtship behavior to dispersal in male red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis).

PubMed

Cease, Arianne J; Lutterschmidt, Deborah I; Mason, Robert T

2007-01-01

Seasonal modulation of baseline glucocorticoid concentrations as well as the sensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays an important role in supporting critical life-history events such as seasonal reproduction and migration. Despite numerous studies on adrenocortical modulation, little is known about the exact timing of this seasonal modulation with respect to critical life-history stages. We tested the hypothesis that seasonal modulation of the HPA axis during the spring mating season in male red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) is temporally linked to the mechanisms regulating dispersal. We compared hormonal responses to capture stress in courting male red-sided garter snakes collected from the den site and den perimeter to those of dispersing snakes collected 0.6 km from the den. We also investigated possible changes in steroid hormones during the spring mating season. These studies support previous findings that plasma androgen and corticosterone concentrations significantly decline over the mating season. Our results demonstrate that males 0.6 km into a 15-20 km route to the feeding grounds have lower baseline corticosterone concentrations than male snakes actively courting at the den. Dispersing males also exhibit a typical stress response marked by a significant increase in corticosterone while actively courting males do not. Capture stress did not significantly influence androgen concentrations of either courting or dispersing male red-sided garter snakes. There were no significant differences in body composition indices among male snakes collected from the den, den perimeter, or 0.6 km away from the den. However, we did observe a significant negative correlation between baseline corticosterone levels and body composition indices. These data suggest that breeding is a distinct stage accompanied by specific physiological parameters that differ from those during dispersal to the feeding grounds. Our results indicate that declining baseline corticosterone concentrations may play a role in the behavioral switch between actively courting and dispersing (i.e., feeding) in the late spring.

Oil Crop Potential for Biodiesel Production: Summary of Three Years of Spring Mustard Research -- Methodologies, Results, and Recommendations; 2000-2003

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, J.

2005-07-01

This report summarizes a project whose goal was to support R&D to develop an oil-seed crop that has the potential to reduce the feedstock cost of biodiesel to between 7 and 8 cents per pound of oil and expand supplies of biodiesel as demand for biodiesel grows. The key to this goal is that the non-oil fraction of the oil crop (the seed meal) must have a high value outside of the animal feed markets and produce oil that is not suitable for human consumption. To that end, a spring breeding program was developed to increase diversity of glucosinolate andmore » the concentration of glucosinolates in the meal and to optimize the oil composition for biodiesel fuels. This report presents the research on the spring planted hybrids.« less

Effects of maturity and harvest season of grass-clover silage and of forage-to-concentrate ratio on milk production of dairy cows.

PubMed

Alstrup, L; Søegaard, K; Weisbjerg, M R

2016-01-01

This study examined the effects of maturity and season of harvest of grass-clover silages and forage:concentrate ratio (FCR) on feed intake, milk production, chewing activity, digestibility, and fecal consistency of Holstein dairy cows. Comparison included 2 cuts in spring season (early and late) and 2 cuts in summer season (early and late) combined with high FCR (80:20; HFCR) and low FCR (50:50; LFCR). The experiment included 24 lactating Holstein cows arranged as 2 repeated 4 × 4 Latin squares with four 21-d periods and included measurements of feed composition, feed intake, milk production and composition, chewing activities, digestibilities, and fecal dry matter (DM) concentration and scoring. Forages were fed as two-thirds grass-clover and one-third corn silage supplemented with either 20 or 50% concentrate. Rations were fed ad libitum as total mixed rations. Early maturity cuts were more digestible than late maturity cuts, which was also reflected in a lower concentration of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in early maturity cuts, whereas summer cuts had a higher crude protein concentration than spring cuts. Increased maturity decreased the intake of DM and energy, increased NDF intake, and decreased the yield of energy-corrected milk (ECM). Summer cuts increased the ECM yield compared with spring cuts. Milk yield (kg and kilogram of ECM) was numerically higher for cows fed early summer cut, independent of FCR in the ration. Milk protein concentration decreased, or tended to decrease, with maturity. For LFCR, the milk fat concentration increased with maturity resulting in a decreased protein:fat ratio. At HFCR, increased maturity increased the time spent chewing per kilogram of DM. Digestibility of silages was positively correlated with the fecal DM concentration. The DM intake and ECM yield showed no significant response to FCR in the ration, but the milk composition was affected. The LFCR decreased the milk fat percentage and increased the milk protein percentage numerically followed by a higher protein:fat ratio. Total chewing time per kilogram of DM decreased and total chewing time per kilogram of NDF increased with LFCR. This study indicates that silages from summer cuts have a similar value for milk production as do spring cuts, when forage digestibility is taken into account. Moreover, it appears that supplementation of extra concentrate has no effect on ECM production when forages with a high digestibility are fed, and that the physical structural value is adequate even when feeding high digestible forages. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between body condition of American alligators and water depth in the Everglades, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fujisaki, Ikuko; Rice, Kenneth G.; Pearlstine, Leonard G.; Mazzotti, Frank J.

2009-01-01

Feeding opportunities of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) in freshwater wetlands in south Florida are closely linked to hydrologic conditions. In the Everglades, seasonally and annually fluctuating surface water levels affect populations of aquatic organisms that alligators consume. Since prey becomes more concentrated when water depth decreases, we hypothesized an inverse relationship between body condition and water depth in the Everglades. On average, condition of adult alligators in the dry season was significantly higher than in the wet season, but this was not the case for juveniles/subadults. The correlation between body condition and measured water depth at capture locations was weak; however, there was a significant negative correlation between the condition and predicted water depth prior to capture for all animals except for spring juveniles/subadults which had a weak positive condition-water depth relationship. Overall, a relatively strong inverse correlation occurred at 10-49 days prior to the capture day, suggesting that current body condition of alligators may depend on feeding opportunities during that period. Fitted regression of body condition on water depth (mean depth of 10 days when condition-water depth correlation was greatest) resulted in a significantly negative slope, except for spring adult females and spring juveniles/subadults for which slopes were not significantly different from zero. Our results imply that water management practices may be critical for alligators in the Everglades since water depth can affect animal condition in a relatively short period of time.

Role of climatic factors on damage incidence by Dermolepida albohirtum (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in Burdekin sugarcane fields, Australia.

PubMed

Horsfield, Andrew; Sallam, Mohamed Nader S; Drummond, Frank A; Williams, Don J; Schultz, Rod J

2008-04-01

Inconsistent control of Dermolepida albohirtum (Waterhouse) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the period after the removal of organochlorines allowed us to study the impact of climatic variables and insecticide application on subsequent damage in sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). D. albohirtum damage records from the Invicta and Inkerman mill areas of the Burdekin district of North Queensland were compared with climatic averages during spring from 1989 to 2003. D. albohirtum damage demonstrated autocorrelation, indicating that the area of damage will increase from one year to the next if the grub is not effectively controlled. Insecticide use did not significantly impact on the area of damage between 1989 and 2003. Of the climatic variables evaluated, only pan evaporation was significant, and it was inversely related to the subsequent area of grub damage. Therefore, we suggest that weather conditions in spring impact on beetle emergence, feeding, and oviposition. Hot and dry spring weather may reduce beetle activity and ultimately the severity of crop damage, whereas wet and mild spring weather may favor beetle activity and an increase in the area of potential crop damage.

[Effects of grazing on zoobenthos community in beach].

PubMed

Zhao, Yun-long; An, Chuan-guang; Lin, Ling; Duan, Xiao-wei; Zeng, Cuo; Cui, Li-li

2007-05-01

In May (spring) and October (autumn) 2005, the effects of grazing on the zoobenthos community in Chongming Dongtan wetland of Shanghai were investigated. A total of 3 transects including 90 sampling plots were set up. Transects I and II were in feeding area, and transect III was in non-pasture area. All of these three transects were set in mid-tidal zone. 13 zoobenthos species were observed, with 7 species of arthropod, 4 species of mollusk, and 2 species of annelid. In spring, there were 6, 8 and 10 species in transects I , II and III while in autumn, the species number was 6, 8 and 12, respectively. The mean abundance of zoobenthos community in all transects was higher in autumn than in spring, and transect III had the highest mean abundance and biomass both in autumn and spring. Transect III also had the highest evenness, richness and diversity, indicating that grazing could change the species distribution of zoobenthos, and affect their abundance and biomass to different degree. Grazing had made certain negative effects on the biodiversity of zoobenthos community in Chongming Dongtan wetland.

Feed efficiency of tropically adapted cattle when fed in winter or spring in a temperate location

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Earlier work has shown that young, tropically adapted cattle do not gain as rapidly as temperately adapted cattle during the winter in OK. The objective for this study was to determine if efficiency of gains was also impacted in tropically adapted cattle and if efficiency is consistent in different...

Post-weaning feed efficiency of tropically adapted purebred and crossbred calves when fed in either winter or spring

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Earlier work has shown that young, tropically adapted (Brahman and Romosinuano) cattle do not gain as rapidly as temperately adapted (Angus) cattle during the winter in OK. The objective for this study was as to compare efficiency of gains between tropically- and temperately-adapted cattle breeds. O...

Growth, survival, and fatty acid composition of coppernose bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus subspecies) offered different winter feeding regimes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Winter fish losses are routinely reported by Arkansas sportfish producers in the spring. Juvenile centrarchid species (less than 7.6 cm) are quite susceptible to harsh winter conditions. While some of these winter fish losses can be attributed to predation by fish eating birds and water quality fact...

Sericea lespdeza as an aid in the control of Emeria spp. in lambs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this research was to examine the effects of feeding sericea lespedeza leaf meal [SL, Lespedeza cuneata (Dum.-Cours. G. Don)] on control of coccidiosis in lambs. In Exp. 1, naturally infected lambs (n = 76) were weaned (102.7 ± 1.4 d of age) in May (spring) and randomly assigned to ...

Nitrate Contamination in the groundwater of the Lake Acıgöl Basin, SW Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karaman, Muhittin; Budakoǧlu, Murat; Taşdelen, Suat

2017-04-01

The lacustrine Acıgöl basin, formed as an extensional half-graben, hosts various bodies of water, such as cold-hot springs, lakes, streams, and wells. The hydrologically closed basin contains a hypersaline lake (Lake Acıgöl) located in the southern part of the basin. The brackish springs and deep waters discharged along the Acıgöl fault zone in the southern part of the basin feed the hypersaline lake. Groundwater is used as drinking, irrigation, and domestic water in the closed Acıgöl Basin. Groundwater flows into the hypersaline lake from the highland. The Acıgöl basin hosts large plains (Hambat, Başmakçı, and Evciler). Waters in agricultural areas contain high amounts of nitrate; groundwater samples in agricultural areas contain nitrate levels higher than 10 mg/L. Nitrate concentrations in the groundwater samples varied from 0 to 487 mg/L (n=165); 25.4 % of the groundwater samples from the basin had nitrate concentrations above 10 mg/L (the WHO drinking guideline) and 52.2% of the groundwater samples from the basin had nitrate concentrations above 3.0 mg/L, and these high values were regarded as the result of human activity. The highest nitrate values were measured in the Hambat plain (480 and 100 mg/L) and Yirce Pinari spring (447 mg/L), which discharges along the Acıgöl fault zone in the southern part of the basin. The average multi-temporal nitrate concentration of the Yirce Pınarı spring was 3.3 mg/L. Extreme nitrate values were measured in the Yirce Pınarı spring during periods when sheep wool was washed (human activity). The lowest nitrate concentrations were observed in some springs that discharged along the Acıgöl fault zone in the southern part of the basin. Nitrate was not detected in deep groundwater discharged along the Acıgöl fault zone. Nitrate concentrations in deep groundwater and some springs discharged along the Acıgöl fault zone and those feeding the hypersaline lake were significantly affected by redox conditions. Nitrate in these reducing waters was transformed into ammonium. Nitrate concentrations in the Acıgöl Basin were enriched in groundwater beneath agricultural areas and this affected redox conditions. The main source of nitrate contamination was agricultural fertilizers. Elevated nitrate concentrations in groundwater, especially in agricultural areas of the Acigol Basin, can cause public health problems and environmental pollution.

High Bypass Turbofan Component Development. Amendment I. Small Fan Redesign.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-02-01

A0A89 67 BENRAL EECTRIC CO LYNN MA AIRCRAFT ENGINE GROUP P’S 21 5 HIGH BYPASS TURBOFAN COMPONENT DEVELOPMENT. AMENDMENT I. SMALL -ETC(U) FEB 80 H...Weldon Aircraft Engine Group S General Electric Co. Lynn, Massachusetts 01910 0 February 1980 DTC Technical Report AF.AL-TR-80-2011 Final Report for...LARRY W.4ILL, CAPT, USAF ERIK W. LINDNER, TAM Project Engineer Special Engines Performance Branch Performance Branch Turbine Engine Division FOR THE

Identification of a Gene on Chromosome 18q21 Involved in Suppressing Metastatic Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

manuscript: Padalecki SS, Weldon KS, Reveles XT, Buller CL, Grubbs B, Cui Y, Yin JJ, Hall DC, Hummer BT, Weissman BE, Dallas M , Guise TA, Leach RJ...B, Cui Y, Yin JJ, Hall DC, Hummer BT, Weissman BE, Dallas M , Guise TA, Leach RJ, Johnson-Pais TL 2003. Chromosome 18 suppresses prostate cancer...Postdoctoral Fellow Devon C. Hall – Graduate Student References Chen J, Sun M , Lee S, Zhou G, Rowley JD, Wang SM 2002. Identifying novel

Binomial test statistics using Psi functions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bowman, Kimiko o

2007-01-01

For the negative binomial model (probability generating function (p + 1 - pt){sup -k}) a logarithmic derivative is the Psi function difference {psi}(k + x) - {psi}(k); this and its derivatives lead to a test statistic to decide on the validity of a specified model. The test statistic uses a data base so there exists a comparison available between theory and application. Note that the test function is not dominated by outliers. Applications to (i) Fisher's tick data, (ii) accidents data, (iii) Weldon's dice data are included.

KSC-00pp0060

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-14

Participants in the First Florida Space Summit take part in a discussion on the future of space as it relates to the State of Florida. The discussion, held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, was moderated by Center Director Roy Bridges. Seated (left to right) are Representative Jim Davis, Secretary of Transportation Tom Barry and Rick Stephens, who represented The Boeing Company. The event also included Senator Bob Graham, Senator Connie Mack, Representative Dave Weldon, 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit and heads of aerospace companies

KSC00pp0060

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-14

Participants in the First Florida Space Summit take part in a discussion on the future of space as it relates to the State of Florida. The discussion, held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, was moderated by Center Director Roy Bridges. Seated (left to right) are Representative Jim Davis, Secretary of Transportation Tom Barry and Rick Stephens, who represented The Boeing Company. The event also included Senator Bob Graham, Senator Connie Mack, Representative Dave Weldon, 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit and heads of aerospace companies

KSC00pp0055

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-14

During the First Florida Space Summit, held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Senator Bob Graham and F.J. Antonio Vittamil, with the governor's office, take a break. The event, featuring a discussion on the future of space as it relates to the State of Florida and moderated by Center Director Roy Bridges, included other participants such as Rep. Dave Weldon, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit and heads of aerospace companies

KSC-00pp0055

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-14

During the First Florida Space Summit, held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Senator Bob Graham and F.J. Antonio Vittamil, with the governor's office, take a break. The event, featuring a discussion on the future of space as it relates to the State of Florida and moderated by Center Director Roy Bridges, included other participants such as Rep. Dave Weldon, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit and heads of aerospace companies

KSC00pp0054

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-14

Senator Connie Mack and Senator George Kirkpatrick talk before the Florida Space Summit being held today at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The event, featuring a discussion on the future of space as it relates to the State of Florida and moderated by Center Director Roy Bridges, included participants such as Senator Bob Graham, Rep. Dave Weldon, members of Florida's State government including Gov. Jeb Bush, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit and heads of aerospace companies

KSC-00pp0054

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-14

Senator Connie Mack and Senator George Kirkpatrick talk before the Florida Space Summit being held today at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The event, featuring a discussion on the future of space as it relates to the State of Florida and moderated by Center Director Roy Bridges, included participants such as Senator Bob Graham, Rep. Dave Weldon, members of Florida's State government including Gov. Jeb Bush, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit and heads of aerospace companies

Permissive parental feeding behavior is associated with an increase in intake of low-nutrient-dense foods among American children living in rural communities.

PubMed

Hennessy, Erin; Hughes, Sheryl O; Goldberg, Jeanne P; Hyatt, Raymond R; Economos, Christina D

2012-01-01

Parents play an important role in shaping children's eating habits. Few studies have evaluated the influence of both parenting style and parenting practices on child outcomes such as dietary intake. During spring 2007, 99 parent-child dyads from four rural US areas participated in this cross-sectional study. Child food intake was reported during two interviewer-administered, parent-assisted 24-hour recalls. Diet quality was defined as the average number of low-nutrient-dense (LND) foods consumed. Validated questionnaires were used to assess parental feeding practices and feeding style. Pearson correlations identified relationships among child food intake, parental feeding style typologies, and covariates. Regression analyses were used to predict child diet quality. Sixty percent of children and 76% of parents were overweight or obese. A permissive feeding style, which is highly responsive to a child's requests and sets few demands on him or her, was the most common (n=37) parental feeding style. This feeding style was associated with child intake of LND foods (r=0.3; P<0.001) and moderated the relationship between parental feeding practices and child intake of LND foods. In the presence of a permissive feeding style, higher levels of monitoring were associated with child intake of LND foods (β=.69; P<0.05). Parental feeding style may alter the effectiveness of parental feeding practices on children's food intake. More research is needed to understand the parent-child feeding relationship in the context of parental feeding styles and practices. Copyright © 2012 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Feeding ecology of arctic-nesting sandpipers during spring migration through the prairie pothole region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eldridge, J.L.; Krapu, G.L.; Johnson, D.H.

2009-01-01

We evaluated food habits of 4 species of spring-migrant calidrid sandpipers in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North Dakota. Sandpipers foraged in several wetland classes and fed primarily on aquatic dipterans, mostly larvae, and the midge family Chironomidae was the primary food eaten. Larger sandpiper species foraged in deeper water and took larger larvae than did smaller sandpipers. The diverse wetland habitats that migrant shorebirds use in the PPR suggest a landscape-level approach be applied to wetland conservation efforts. We recommend that managers use livestock grazing and other tools, where applicable, to keep shallow, freshwater wetlands from becoming choked with emergent vegetation limiting chironomid production and preventing shorebird use.

CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O emissions from China’s beef feedlots with ad libitum and restricted feeding in fall and spring seasons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, Zhi; Liao, Wenhua; Yang, Yuanyuan

Accurately quantifying methane (CH{sub 4}) and nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O) emissions from beef operations in China is necessary to evaluate the contribution of beef cattle to greenhouse gas budgets at the national and global level. Methane and N{sub 2}O emissions from two intensive beef feedlots in the North China Plain, one with a restricted feeding strategy and high manure collection frequency and the other with an ad libitum feeding strategy and low manure collection frequency, were quantified in the fall and spring seasons using an inverse dispersion technique. The diel pattern of CH{sub 4} from the beef feedlot with anmore » ad libitum feed strategy (single peak during a day) differed from that under a restricted feeding condition (multiple peaks during a day), but little difference in the diel pattern of N{sub 2}O emissions between two feeding strategies was observed. The two-season average CH{sub 4} emission rates of the two intensive feedlots were 230 and 198 g CH{sub 4} animal{sup −1} d{sup −1} and accounted for 6.7% and 6.8% of the gross energy intake, respectively, indicating little impact of the feeding strategy and manure collection frequency on the CH{sub 4} conversion factor at the feedlot level. However, the average N{sub 2}O emission rates (21.2 g N{sub 2}O animal{sup −1} d{sup −1}) and conversion factor (8.5%) of the feedlot with low manure collection frequency were approximately 131% and 174% greater, respectively, than the feedlot under high frequency conditions, which had a N{sub 2}O emission rate and conversion factor of 9.2 g N{sub 2}O animal{sup −1} d{sup −1} and 3.1%, respectively, indicating that increasing manure collection frequency played an important role in reducing N{sub 2}O emissions from beef feedlots. In addition, comparison indicated that China’s beef and dairy cattle in feedlots appeared to have similar CH{sub 4} conversion factors. - Highlights: • CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O emissions from China’s beef feedlots were provided in the first time. • Feeding strategies determined the diurnal pattern of feedlot CH{sub 4} emission. • Frequency of manure collection played an important role in N{sub 2}O from feedlots.« less

The role of tributary mixing in chemical variations at a karst spring, Milandre, Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perrin, J.; Jeannin, P.-Y.; Cornaton, F.

2007-01-01

SummarySolute concentration variations during flood events were investigated in a karst aquifer of the Swiss Jura. Observations were made at the spring, and at the three main subterraneous tributaries feeding the spring. A simple transient flow and transport numerical model was able to reproduce chemographs and hydrographs observed at the spring, as a result of a mixing of the concentration and discharge of the respective tributaries. Sensitivity analysis carried out with the model showed that it is possible to produce chemical variations at the spring even if all tributaries have constant (but different for each of them) solute concentrations. This process is called tributary mixing. The good match between observed and modelled curves indicate that, in the phreatic zone, tributary mixing is probably an important process that shapes spring chemographs. Chemical reactions and other mixing components (e.g. from low permeability volumes) have a limited influence. Dissolution-related (calcium, bicarbonate, specific conductance) and pollution-related parameters (nitrate, chloride, potassium) displayed slightly different behaviours: during moderate flood events, the former showed limited variations compared to the latter. During large flood events, both presented chemographs with significant changes. No significant event water participates in moderate flood events and tributary mixing will be the major process shaping chemographs. Variations are greater for parameters with higher spatial variability (e.g. pollution-related). Whereas for large flood events, the contribution of event water becomes significant and influences the chemographs of all the parameters. As a result, spring water vulnerability to an accidental pollution is low during moderate flood events and under base flow conditions. It strongly increases during large flood events, because event water contributes to the spring discharge.

Life Cycle, Feeding and Production of Isoptena serricornis(Pictet, 1841)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derka, Tomá; Tierno de Figueroa, José Manuel; Krno, Il'ja

2004-05-01

Some aspects of the biology and ecology (life cycle, feeding and production) of a population of Isoptena serricornis in the Rudava River (Slovakia) are studied, reported and discussed. The life cycle is annual, with slow growth in autumn-winter and fast growth in late summer and spring. The growth decreased two weeks before the Fall Equinox and increased two weeks after the Spring Equinox. The flight period spans from the end of May to the beginning of July. The presence of large sand particles in the gut of all studied nymphs is of note, and indicates that I. serricornis acts as a deposit-collector species. Nymphal food is principally composed of detritus, unicellular organisms and, in nymphs of intermediate or large size, Chironomidae larvae. Adult food is composed fundamentally of different types of pollen grains. Males usually have lower food content than females. Annual production of this species (694-750 mg · m-2) is very high in relation to other previously studied Chloroperlidae. This is probably largely responsible for I. serricornis being one of the most abundant components of the macroinvertebrate community in its habitat in the Rudava River. A negative correlation between production and temperature was observed.

Persistence and performance of esfenvalerate residues on broccoli.

PubMed

Antonious, George F

2002-01-01

The efficacy of esfenvalerate (84 g litre-1 EC; Asana XL) at 7.0 g AI ha-1 on broccoli was tested against the flea beetle, Phyllotreta cruciferae Goeze (Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera) and the imported cabbage worm, Pieris rapae L (Pieridae: Lepidoptera) under field conditions. Insect populations were monitored before and after treatment. Periodic sweep-net collections and examination of the leaves in treated and untreated broccoli plots revealed mean reductions of P cruciferae levels of nearly 98% 1 week post-application compared with untreated plots. The residual toxicity of esfenvalerate was also effective for 2 weeks in reducing population density of P rapae by 69% on broccoli leaves. The impact of esfenvalerate on feeding damage to broccoli leaves was established by counting the number of feeding holes made by P cruciferae on spring broccoli and P rapae on fall broccoli. As the leaf area ingested increased, a linear relationship was seen between the number of holes and number of insects. Results indicated that forage destruction by the two pests was significantly reduced by esfenvalerate application. Esfenvalerate was extracted from broccoli at 1 h and 1, 3, 7, 10, and 14 days post-application for residue analysis. Residues on spring broccoli were 12.2, 5.2 and 2.9 micrograms cm-2 on the leaves and 0.13, 0.05 and 0.02 microgram g-1 on the heads at 1 h, 1 and 3 days, respectively. Only trace levels (0.001 microgram g-1) were detected in/on the heads 14 days after spraying. On the basis of half-life (T1/2) values, persistence of esfenvalerate on spring broccoli leaves (T1/2 = 1 day) was shorter than on fall broccoli (T1/2 = 1.6 days). T1/2 values were 2.1 and 3.6 days on spring and fall broccoli heads, respectively. The implications of these residue levels on re-entry times into treated fields are discussed.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (center) and NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe are deep in conversation as they leave the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. Behind Nelson at left is Congressman Tom Feeney. The research park is being proposed as the location for NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Congressman Dave Weldon, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (center) and NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe are deep in conversation as they leave the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. Behind Nelson at left is Congressman Tom Feeney. The research park is being proposed as the location for NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Congressman Dave Weldon, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (left front) and NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (right front) leave the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. Behind Nelson (at left) is Congressman Tom Feeney. The research park is being proposed as the location for NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Congressman Dave Weldon, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (left front) and NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (right front) leave the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. Behind Nelson (at left) is Congressman Tom Feeney. The research park is being proposed as the location for NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Congressman Dave Weldon, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

An update of Quaternary faults of central and eastern Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weldon, Ray J.; Fletcher, D.K.; Weldon, E.M.; Scharer, K.M.; McCrory, P.A.

2002-01-01

This is the online version of a CD-ROM publication. We have updated the eastern portion of our previous active fault map of Oregon (Pezzopane, Nakata, and Weldon, 1992) as a contribution to the larger USGS effort to produce digital maps of active faults in the Pacific Northwest region. The 1992 fault map has seen wide distribution and has been reproduced in essentially all subsequent compilations of active faults of Oregon. The new map provides a substantial update of known active or suspected active faults east of the Cascades. Improvements in the new map include (1) many newly recognized active faults, (2) a linked ArcInfo map and reference database, (3) more precise locations for previously recognized faults on shaded relief quadrangles generated from USGS 30-m digital elevations models (DEM), (4) more uniform coverage resulting in more consistent grouping of the ages of active faults, and (5) a new category of 'possibly' active faults that share characteristics with known active faults, but have not been studied adequately to assess their activity. The distribution of active faults has not changed substantially from the original Pezzopane, Nakata and Weldon map. Most faults occur in the south-central Basin and Range tectonic province that is located in the backarc portion of the Cascadia subduction margin. These faults occur in zones consisting of numerous short faults with similar rates, ages, and styles of movement. Many active faults strongly correlate with the most active volcanic centers of Oregon, including Newberry Craters and Crater Lake.

Microbial diversity in The Cedars, an ultrabasic, ultrareducing, and low salinity serpentinizing ecosystem.

PubMed

Suzuki, Shino; Ishii, Shun'ichi; Wu, Angela; Cheung, Andrea; Tenney, Aaron; Wanger, Greg; Kuenen, J Gijs; Nealson, Kenneth H

2013-09-17

The Cedars, in coastal northern California, is an active site of peridotite serpentinization. The spring waters that emerge from this system feature very high pH, low redox potential, and low ionic concentrations, making it an exceptionally challenging environment for life. We report a multiyear, culture-independent geomicrobiological study of three springs at The Cedars that differ with respect to the nature of the groundwater feeding them. Within each spring, both geochemical properties and microbial diversity in all three domains of life remained stable over a 3-y period, with multiple samples each year. Between the three springs, however, the microbial communities showed considerable differences that were strongly correlated with the source of the serpentinizing groundwater. In the spring fed solely by deep groundwater, phylum Chloroflexi, class Clostridia, and candidate division OD1 were the major taxa with one phylotype in Euryarchaeota. Less-abundant phylotypes include several minor members from other candidate divisions and one phylotype that was an outlier of candidate division OP3. In the springs fed by the mixture of deep and shallow groundwater, organisms close to the Hydrogenophaga within Betaproteobacteria dominated and coexisted with the deep groundwater community members. The shallow groundwater community thus appears to be similar to those described in other terrestrial serpentinizing sites, whereas the deep community is distinctly different from any other previously described terrestrial serpentinizing community. These unique communities have the potential to yield important insights into the development and survival of life in these early-earth analog environments.

Microbial diversity in The Cedars, an ultrabasic, ultrareducing, and low salinity serpentinizing ecosystem

PubMed Central

Suzuki, Shino; Ishii, Shun’ichi; Wu, Angela; Cheung, Andrea; Tenney, Aaron; Wanger, Greg; Kuenen, J. Gijs; Nealson, Kenneth H.

2013-01-01

The Cedars, in coastal northern California, is an active site of peridotite serpentinization. The spring waters that emerge from this system feature very high pH, low redox potential, and low ionic concentrations, making it an exceptionally challenging environment for life. We report a multiyear, culture-independent geomicrobiological study of three springs at The Cedars that differ with respect to the nature of the groundwater feeding them. Within each spring, both geochemical properties and microbial diversity in all three domains of life remained stable over a 3-y period, with multiple samples each year. Between the three springs, however, the microbial communities showed considerable differences that were strongly correlated with the source of the serpentinizing groundwater. In the spring fed solely by deep groundwater, phylum Chloroflexi, class Clostridia, and candidate division OD1 were the major taxa with one phylotype in Euryarchaeota. Less-abundant phylotypes include several minor members from other candidate divisions and one phylotype that was an outlier of candidate division OP3. In the springs fed by the mixture of deep and shallow groundwater, organisms close to the Hydrogenophaga within Betaproteobacteria dominated and coexisted with the deep groundwater community members. The shallow groundwater community thus appears to be similar to those described in other terrestrial serpentinizing sites, whereas the deep community is distinctly different from any other previously described terrestrial serpentinizing community. These unique communities have the potential to yield important insights into the development and survival of life in these early-earth analog environments. PMID:24003156

Regional management of farmland feeding geese using an ecological prioritization tool.

PubMed

Madsen, Jesper; Bjerrum, Morten; Tombre, Ingunn M

2014-10-01

Wild geese foraging on farmland cause increasing conflicts with agricultural interests, calling for a strategic approach to mitigation. In central Norway, conflicts between farmers and spring-staging pink-footed geese feeding on pastures have escalated. To alleviate the conflict, a scheme by which farmers are subsidized to allow geese to forage undisturbed was introduced. To guide allocation of subsidies, an ecological-based ranking of fields at a regional level was recommended and applied. Here we evaluate the scheme. On average, 40 % of subsidized fields were in the top 5 % of the ranking, and 80 % were within the top 20 %. Goose grazing pressure on subsidized pastures was 13 times higher compared to a stratified random selection of non-subsidized pastures, capturing 67 % of the pasture feeding geese despite that subsidized fields only comprised 13 % of the grassland area. Close dialogue between scientists and managers is regarded as a key to the success of the scheme.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MacVean, D.W.; Franzen, D.K.; Keefe, T.J.

To elucidate the role of air quality on the occurrence of pneumonia in feedlot cattle, the following environmental values were measured at a feedlot: suspended particulates in 5 particle-size fractions, relative humidity, air temperature, and barometric pressure. Pneumonia incidence data were classified by the number of days the cattle had been at the feedlot (days on feed). The concentration of airborne particles, range of temperature, days on feed, and season of the year were associated with incidence of pneumonia in cattle. Pneumonia incidence rates were greatest both within 15 days of arrival at the feedlot and during the fall samplingmore » periods. The incidence of pneumonia in the 16 to 30 days-on-feed group was closely associated with the concentration of particles 2.0 to 3.3 microns in diameter and the range of daily temperature when exposure occurred 15 days before the onset of disease in the fall and 10 days before in the spring.« less

Gray whale sightings in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, September 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwahara, Yuka; Fujiwara, Amane; Ito, Keizo; Miyashita, Kazushi; Mitani, Yoko

2016-06-01

Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) are distributed within the productive neritic and estuarine waters of the North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, and adjacent waters of the Arctic Ocean. They migrate to high-latitude feeding grounds each spring. Their main feeding grounds in the Arctic include the Chirikov Basin, the northeastern Chukchi Sea from Pt. Hope to Cape Lisburne and Pt. Lay to Pt. Barrow, and the northwestern Chukchi Sea along the Chukotka coast. Although sightings are rare in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, we observed three gray whales in two groups in this area in September 2014. A mud plume was observed near one of the whales, suggesting the animal had been feeding. In the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, large-scale monitoring of the distributions of marine mammals has been continuously conducted since 1979; however, there has been less monitoring in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Therefore, it is necessary to record opportunistic sightings, such as those described here.

Habitat conservation and creation: Invoking the flood-pulse concept to enhance fisheries in the lower Mississippi River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schramm, H.L.; Eggleton, M.A.; Mayo, R.M.

2000-01-01

Analysis of four years of growth data failed to identify a single temperature or hydrologic variable that consistently accounted for variation in annual growth of catfishes (Ictaluridae). Instead, a composite variable that measured duration of floodplain inundation when water temperature exceeded minima for active feeding was directly related to growth. Results indicated that floodplain inundation have provided little direct energetic benefit to fishes when water temperatures were sub-optimal for active feeding, but floodplain resources were exploited when thermal conditions were sufficient for active feeding and growth. Thus, the flood-pulse concept applies to the lower Mississippi River (LMR) when modified to consider temperature. Managing the existing leveed floodplain to prolong inundation, increase water temperatures during spring flooding, and maintain connectivity of floodplain habitats with the main river channel should benefit fish production in the LMR.

Optimizing Drone Fertility With Spring Nutritional Supplements to Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies.

PubMed

Rousseau, Andrée; Giovenazzo, Pierre

2016-03-27

Supplemental feeding of honey bee (Apis melliferaL., Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies in spring is essential for colony buildup in northern apicultural regions. The impact of pollen and syrup feeding on drone production and sperm quality is not well-documented, but may improve fecundation of early-bred queens. We measured the impact of feeding sucrose syrup, and protein supplements to colonies in early spring in eastern Canada. Drones were reared under different nutritional regimes, and mature individuals were then assessed in regard to size, weight, and semen quality (semen volume, sperm count, and viability). Results showed significant increases in drone weight and abdomen size when colonies were fed sucrose and a protein supplement. Colonies receiving no additional nourishment had significantly less semen volume per drone and lower sperm viability. Our study demonstrates that feeding honey bee colonies in spring with sucrose syrup and a protein supplement is important to enhance drone reproductive quality. RÉSUMÉ: L'administration de suppléments alimentaires aux colonies de l'abeille domestique (Apis melliferaL., Hymenoptera: Apidae) au printemps est essentielle pour le bon développement des colonies dans les régions apicoles nordiques. L'impact de la supplémentation des colonies en pollen et en sirop sur la production des faux-bourdons et la qualité du sperme demeure peu documenté mais pourrait résulter en une meilleure fécondation des reines produites tôt en saison. Nous avons mesuré l'impact de la supplémentation en sirop et/ou en supplément de pollen sur les colonies d'abeilles tôt au printemps dans l'est du Canada. Les faux-bourdons ont été élevé sous différents régimes alimentaires et les individus matures ont ensuite été évalués pour leur taille, leur poids ainsi que la qualité de leur sperme (volume de sperme, nombre et viabilité des spermatozoïdes. Les résultats montrent une augmentation significative du poids et de la taille de l'abdomen des faux-bourdons élevés dans les colonies recevant des suppléments de sirop et de protéine. Les faux-bourdons élevés dans les colonies ne recevant aucun supplément alimentaire possédaient les plus petits volumes de sperme ainsi que la plus faible viabilité des spermatozoïdes. Notre étude démontre que la supplémentation alimentaire des colonies en sirop et en protéines au printemps est importante pour favoriser la qualité reproductive des faux-bourdons. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Contribution of landbird migration to the biological diversity of the northwest gulf coastal plain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barrow, W.C.; Hamilton, R.B.; Powell, M.A.; Ouchley, K.

2000-01-01

This study examined seasonal diversity and feeding behavior of those avian species utilizing that region of the Northwest Gulf Coastal Plain known as the Chenier Plain. Field observations were conducted at three forested locations on coastal cheniers for three years (1993-95) in the spring and at one location for three years (1996-98) in autumn to determine species presence and diet. One hundred and twenty-eight species were present during the spring and 103 species in autumn. The majority of these species were migrants (103 species in spring and 89 species in autumn) and the majority of these were Nearctic/Neotropical species (73 species in spring and 66 species in autumn). The diet of these migrants was more variable than expected. Many insectivorous species were observed to consume seeds, fruit and nectar as well as insects. Because of these varied diets, many species serve as seed dispersers, occasional pollinators and important predators of herbivorus insects. Wooded areas were found to be important in providing food, cover and water for migrating species. A review of historical changes in the landscape of this area is presented and management practices designed to restore wooded habitat to this area are proposed.

Magnetic measurements of the 10 T superconducting wiggler for the SPring-8 storage ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batrakov, A.; Borovikov, V.; Bekhtenev, E.; Fedurin, M.; Hara, M.; Karpov, G.; Kuzin, M.; Mezentsev, N.; Miahara, Y.; Shimada, T.; Shkaruba, V.; Soutome, K.; Tzumaki, K.

2001-07-01

In 1999, in the frame of the project ISTC #767 "Budker INP/RIKEN Slow Positron Source", the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics had made a 10 T Three-pole Superconducting Wiggler. The wiggler will be the keystone of this project by its installation on the SPring-8 storage ring for powerful gamma ray generation ( λ c=450 keV ), that will be used for slow positron production ( Nγ( ɛ>1 MeV)˜10 15, γ/s I e=0.1 A ). A. Ando et al., Proposal of the high magnetic field super conducting WLS for slow positron source at SPring-8, presented at SR1 '97 Conference. In January, 2000, the wiggler was transported to SPring-8, where the last test and measurements were carried out in collaboration with Japan. In this article, the results of measurements of the magnetic field, finding the magnetic field amplitude by an NMR probe, the definition of feed current relations by stretch current wire method, the calibration of a Hall probe in the high magnetic field, and the measurement of the magnetic field profile by a Hall probe are presented.

Season matters when sampling streams for swine CAFO waste pollution impacts.

PubMed

Mallin, Michael A; McIver, Matthew R

2018-02-01

Concentrated (or confined) animal feed operations (CAFOs) are the principal means of livestock production in the United States, and such facilities pollute nearby waterways because of their waste management practices; CAFO waste is pumped from the confinement structure into a cesspit and sprayed on a field. Stocking Head Creek is located in eastern North Carolina, a state with >9,000,000 head of swine confined in CAFOs. This watershed contains 40 swine CAFOs; stream water quality was investigated at seven sites during 2016, with five sampling dates in early spring and five in summer. Geometric mean fecal coliform counts were in the thousands/100 mL at five sites in spring and all seven sites in summer. Excessive nitrate pollution was widespread with concentrations up to >11.0 mg N/L. Seasonality played an important role in pollutant concentrations. In North Carolina, spraying animal waste on adjoining fields is permissible from March 1 through September 30. Seasonal data showed significantly higher (p < 0.01) concentrations of conductivity, nitrate, total nitrogen, total organic carbon, and fecal bacteria in summer as opposed to early spring. Thus, sampling performed only in winter-early spring would significantly underestimate impacts from swine CAFO spray fields on nearby waterways.

Kelley Hot Spring Geothermal Project: Kelly Hot Spring Agricultural Center conceptual design

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Longyear, A.B.

1980-06-01

The proposed core activity in the Kelly Hot Spring Agricultural Center is a nominal 1200 sow swine raising complex. The swine raising is to be a totally confined operation for producing premium pork in controlled environment facilities that utilize geothermal energy. The complex will include a feedmill for producing the various feed formulae required for the animals from breeding through gestation, farrowing, nursery, growing and finishing. The market animals are shipped live by truck to slaughter in Modesto, California. A complete waste management facility will include manure collection from all raising areas, transport via a water flush sysem to methanemore » (biogas) generators, manure separation, settling ponds and disposition of the surplus agricultural quality water. The design is based upon the best commercial practices in confined swine raising in the US today. The most unique feature of the facility is the utilization of geothermal hot water for space heating and process energy throughout the complex.« less

Massive salp swarm tilts ocean's chemical balance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schultz, Colin

2012-03-01

A surge of nutrients to the warm waters off the southeastern coast of Australia during the highly productive austral spring can spark an explosion in the phytoplankton population. Where phytoplankton bloom, so do the predators that feed on them. Some, like the globally prevalent salp Thalia democratica, excel at capitalizing on the transient nature of phytoplankton blooms. Salps are tiny gelatinous creatures that feed on plankton and other microorganisms by straining them from the ocean water with a fine mesh sieve. A rarity among multicellular animals, salps retain the ability to reproduce by asexual budding, with one salp spawning a clone of itself. This budding, combined with sexual reproduction, enables salp populations to grow by up to 250% per day.

[Diet composition and seasonal variation in feeding habits of Collichthy lucidus in Yangtze Estuary, China].

PubMed

Wang, Jian-feng; Zhao, Feng; Song, Chao; Yang, Gang; Hou, Jun-li; Zhuang, Ping

2016-01-01

Spiny head croaker (Collichthy lucidus) is an important bottom fish distributing from the East China Sea to the Yellow Sea. In order to investigate the seasonal variation in diet composition and feeding habits, a total of 270 specimens were collected in the Yangtze Estuary from November, 2013 to August, 2014, and analyzed by using the stomach contents analysis method. The importance of different prey items was evaluated by the frequency of occurrence, abundance and mass followed by using these data to calculate the index of relative importance (IRI) and the index of preponderance (Ip) for each taxonomic category. The results showed that the diet of C. lucidus consisted of 30 species belonging to 8 orders, in which shrimps, with 38.5 IRI% and 79.1 Ip values, was the most important prey species. The followings were Mysidacea and Amphipoda. The dominant species in the diet of C. lucidus were Palaemon gravieri, Exopalaemon annandalei, E. carinicauda, Acanthomysis longirostris, A. brevirostris, Synidotea laevidorsalis and Calanus sinicus. The dominant species in the diet varied in different seasons. P. gravieri, E. annandalei and A. brevirostris were dominant species in spring and summer, A. longirostris, A. brevirostris and E. carinicauda in autumn, and P. gravieri, C. sinicus and Pesudeuphausia sinica in winter. There was 10.4% of total samples with empty stomachs, and the highest percent appeared in winter, and the lowest in autumn. The mean stomach fullness index of the whole samples was 0.6%, with the highest found in spring, the lowest in winter, indicating the feeding activity of C. lucidus varied significantly among seasons.

Diverse host feeding on nesting birds may limit early-season West Nile virus amplification.

PubMed

Egizi, Andrea M; Farajollahi, Ary; Fonseca, Dina M

2014-06-01

Arboviral activity tracks vector availability, which in temperate regions means that transmission ceases during the winter and must be restarted each spring. In the northeastern United States, Culex restuans Theobald resumes its activity earlier than Culex pipiens L. and is thought to be important in restarting West Nile virus (WNV) transmission. Its role in WNV amplification, however, is unclear, because viral levels commonly remain low until the rise of Cx. pipiens later in the season. Because a vector's feeding habits can reveal key information about disease transmission, we identified early-season (April-June) blood meals from Cx. restuans collected throughout New Jersey, and compared them to published datasets from later in the season and also from other parts of the country. We found significantly higher avian diversity, including poor WNV hosts, and fewer blood meals derived from American Robins (17% versus over 40% found in later season). Critically, we identified blood meals from significantly more female than male birds in species where females are the incubating sex, suggesting that Cx. restuans is able to feed on such a wide variety of hosts in early spring because incubating birds are easy targets. Because WNV amplification depends on virus consistently reaching competent hosts, our results indicate that Cx. restuans is unlikely to be an amplifying vector of WNV in the early season. As the season progresses, however, changes in the availability of nesting birds may make it just as capable as Cx. pipiens, although at somewhat lower abundance as the summer progresses.

Reproduction, mastitis, and body condition of seasonally calved Holstein and Jersey cows in confinement or pasture systems.

PubMed

Washburn, S P; White, S L; Green, J T; Benson, G A

2002-01-01

Dairy cows in confinement and pasture-based feeding systems were compared across four spring-calving and three fall-calving replicates for differences in reproduction, mastitis, body weights, and body condition scores. Feeding systems and replicates included both Jersey and Holstein cows. Cows in confinement were fed a total mixed ration, and cows on pasture were supplemented with concentrates and provided baled hay or haylage when pasture supply was limiting. Breeding periods were for 75 d in spring or fall. Reproductive performance did not differ significantly due to feeding system or season. Jerseys had higher conception rates (59.6 vs. 49.5 +/- 3.3%) and higher percentages of cows pregnant in 75 d (78.1 vs. 57.9 +/- 3.9%) than Holsteins. Cows in confinement had 1.8 times more clinical mastitis and eight times the rate of culling for mastitis than did cows on pasture. Jerseys had half as many clinical cases of mastitis per cow as Holsteins. Only 41 +/- 5% of confinement Holsteins remained for a subsequent lactation, starting within the defined calving season compared with 51 +/- 5% of pastured Holsteins and 71 and 72 +/- 5% of Jerseys, respectively. Body weights and condition scores were generally higher for confinement cows than pastured cows, and Jerseys had higher condition scores and lower body weights than Holsteins. In summary, pastured cows had fewer clinical cases of mastitis, lower body condition scores, and lower body weights than confinement cows. Holsteins were less likely to rebreed, had more mastitis, higher culling rates, and lower body condition scores than Jerseys.

Effects of increased temperatures on Gammarus fossarum under the influence of copper sulphate.

PubMed

Schmidlin, Lara; von Fumetti, Stefanie; Nagel, Peter

2015-03-01

The specialised fauna of freshwater springs will have to cope with a possible temperature rise owing to Global Change. It is affected additionally by contamination of the water with xenobiotics from human activities in the surrounding landscape. We assessed the combined effects of temperature increase and exposure to toxins in laboratory experiments by using copper sulphate as a model substance and Gammarus fossarum Koch, 1835, as the model organism. This amphipod is a common representative of the European spring fauna and copper ions are widespread contaminants, mainly from agricultural practice. The experiments were conducted in boxes placed in flow channels and the water temperatures were varied. The gammarids were fed with conditioned beech leaf discs. The feeding activity of the amphipods was quantified on the level of the organism; and the respiratory electron transport system (ETS) assay was conducted in order to determine changes on the cellular level in the test organisms. The results show that the feeding activity increased slightly with higher water temperature. The sub-lethal copper dose had no significant effect other than a trend towards lower feeding activity. The ETS activity was significantly higher at the higher water temperatures, and the copper ions significantly lowered the ETS activity of the organisms. The combination of the two methods was useful when testing for combined effects of environmental changes and pollutants on a species. From the results one can reasonably infer a higher risk of adverse effects with increase in water temperature and exposure to a particular heavy metal.

Effects of seasonal changes in feeding management under part-time grazing on terpene concentrations of ewes' milk.

PubMed

Abilleira, Eunate; Virto, Mailo; Nájera, Ana Isabel; Albisu, Marta; Pérez-Elortondo, Francisco José; Ruiz de Gordoa, Juan Carlos; de Renobales, Mertxe; Barron, Luis Javier R

2011-05-01

Terpene composition of ewes' raw milk from nine commercial flocks was analysed from February to July. Ewes' diet consisted of concentrate and conserved forage in winter (indoor feeding) and part-time grazing from spring (transition and outdoor feeding). Regardless of the feeding, limonene and β-phellandrene were the most abundant monoterpenes and β-caryophyllene showed the highest concentrations among sesquiterpenes. Terpene content increased in the milks of commercial flocks when animals were reared under grazing management. Monoterpenes were detected in the milks of all the commercial flocks throughout the season, whereas sesquiterpenes were only detected in the milks from flocks grazing on non-cultivated community-owned grasslands in which a higher biodiversity of plant species grew. These preliminary results indicated that β-caryophyllene could be a potential pasture-diet marker in the case of milks from animals grazing a higher biodiversity of plant species but in-depth studies including information on terpene composition of plants ingested by the animals are necessary to evaluate the suitability of β-caryophyllene or another terpenoid compound as pasture biomarker.

KSC-04PD-0251

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (center) listens to Congressman Tom Feeney (second from left) during a tour of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. At right is U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon. Central Florida leaders are proposing the research park as the site for the new NASA Shared Services Center. The center would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration by NASA.

Emergency Operations Center ribbon cutting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

Center Director Gene Goldman and special guests celebrate the opening of the site's new Emergency Operations Center on June 2. Participants included (l t r): Steven Cooper, deputy director of the National Weather Service Southern Region; Tom Luedtke, NASA associate administrator for institutions and management; Charles Scales, NASA associate deputy administrator; Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour; Gene Goldman, director of Stennis Space Center; Jack Forsythe, NASA assistant administrator for the Office of Security and Program Protection; Dr. Richard Williams, NASA chief health and medical officer; and Weldon Starks, president of Starks Contracting Company Inc. of Biloxi.

Participants in the First Florida Summit at the KSC Visitor Complex.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Participants in the First Florida Space Summit take part in a discussion on the future of space as it relates to the State of Florida. The discussion, held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, was moderated by Center Director Roy Bridges. Seated (left to right) are Representative Jim Davis, Secretary of Transportation Tom Barry and Rick Stephens, who represented The Boeing Company. The event also included Senator Bob Graham, Senator Connie Mack, Representative Dave Weldon, 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit and heads of aerospace companies.

Emergency Operations Center ribbon cutting

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-02

Center Director Gene Goldman and special guests celebrate the opening of the site's new Emergency Operations Center on June 2. Participants included (l t r): Steven Cooper, deputy director of the National Weather Service Southern Region; Tom Luedtke, NASA associate administrator for institutions and management; Charles Scales, NASA associate deputy administrator; Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour; Gene Goldman, director of Stennis Space Center; Jack Forsythe, NASA assistant administrator for the Office of Security and Program Protection; Dr. Richard Williams, NASA chief health and medical officer; and Weldon Starks, president of Starks Contracting Company Inc. of Biloxi.

Radioprotective Effects of Sulfur-containing Mineral Water of Ramsar Hot Spring with High Natural Background Radiation on Mouse Bone Marrow Cells.

PubMed

Heidari, A H; Shabestani Monfared, A; Mozdarani, H; Mahmoudzadeh, A; Razzaghdoust, A

2017-12-01

We intend to study the inhibitory effect of sulfur compound in Ramsar hot spring mineral on tumor-genesis ability of high natural background radiation. The radioprotective effect of sulfur compounds was previously shown on radiation-induced chromosomal aberration, micronuclei in mouse bone marrow cells and human peripheral lymphocyte. Ramsar is known for having the highest level of natural background radiation on Earth. This study was performed to show the radioprotective effect of sulfur-containing Ramsar mineral water on mouse bone marrow cells. Mice were fed three types of water (drinking water, Ramsar radioactive water containing sulfur and Ramsar radioactive water whose sulfur was removed). Ten days after feeding, mice were irradiated by gamma rays (0, 2 and 4 Gy). 48 and 72 hours after irradiating, mice were killed and femurs were removed. Frequency of micronuclei was determined in bone marrow erythrocytes. A significant reduction was shown in the rate of micronuclei polychromatic erythrocyte in sulfur-containing hot spring water compared to sulfur-free water in hot spring mineral water. Gamma irradiation induced significant increases in micronuclei polychromatic erythrocyte (MNPCE) and decreases in polychromatic erythrocyte/polychromatic erythrocyte + normochromatic erythrocyte ratio (PCEs/PCEs+NCEs) (P < 0.001) in sulfur-containing hot spring water compared to sulfur-free hot spring mineral water. Also, apparently there was a significant difference between drinking water and sulfur-containing hot spring water in micronuclei polychromatic erythrocyte and polychromatic erythrocyte/polychromatic erythrocyte+ normochromatic erythrocyte ratio. The results indicate that sulfur-containing mineral water could result in a significant reduction in radiation-induced micronuclei representing the radioprotective effect of sulfur compounds.

[Long-term dynamic of fecal corticosterone and its ecological and social correlates in males of great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus Licht.). Non-invasive approach in studies of stress in natural populations].

PubMed

Rogovin, K A; Tupikin, A A; Randall, J A; Kolosova, I E; Moshkin, M P

2006-01-01

The relationship between fecal corticosterone concentrations and characteristics of the environment and population demography were studied in adult male gerbils (Rhombomys opimus Licht.) at the southern border of Kyzylkum desert (Reserve "Ecocentre Dzeiran", Bukhara region, Republic Uzbekistan) in spring and fall seasons from 1999 to 2004. We extracted hormones from air-dried fecal samples and analyzed their concentrations by radioimmunoassay (Gerlinskaya et al., 1993). An analysis for year-specific relationships between hormone concentrations and environmental variables of temperature and precipitation using Pearson's r statistic revealed that corticosterone concentrations correlated positively with total precipitation in January and February and negatively with precipitation during March and April. There was also a significant negative relationship between fecal corticosterone and the number of hot days in March (>20 degrees C). Demographic variables that characterized population densities (percent of burrow systems occupied, mean and maximum number of burrow systems/1 ha, number of females in the burrow system) correlated positively with corticosterone concentrations in feces in the beginning of spring, but these relationships were small compared with mean concentrations of corticosterone for the entire spring season that were strongly and positively correlated with number of gerbils, including all pups emerged, in burrow systems owned by one male (within its home range). In contrast, correlation coefficients of corticosterone concentrations with characteristics of feeding resources in the spring were low and negative. In the long-term perspective (interannual comparison), mortality among adult males was highly negatively correlated with mean corticosterone concentrations in the beginning of spring, which is within the period of maximum reproductive effort and potential stress. Body mass was independent of corticosterone concentrations in males in either the beginning of spring, or during the whole spring. In the fall, mean concentrations of fecal corticosterone in males was positively correlated with the number of days from June to October with mean daily temperatures exceeding 30 degrees C, and with percent of burrow systems where at least one adult, > or = 1 year old gerbil had survived. Mortality from fall to spring of the next year and the fall body mass did not correlate with concentrations of corticosterone in feces collected in the fall. When we analyzed corticosterone concentrations in spring seasons of all years combined using a stepwise regression analysis of a sampling of individual males (we analyzed residuals after withdrawal of year effect) on a set of variables representing habitat resources, distances between nearest neighbor males, and variables representing group demography we found low R2 values not exceeding 0.17. Within the six-year period, concentrations of corticosterone in the spring related negatively with abundance of annual herbs and positively with number of females in a male's social group. When only years of high density were analyzed, fecal corticosterone concentrations in males in the spring were again negatively determined by abundance of herbs, as well as by the nearest neighbor distance, and positively determined by the number of females within a male's home range. At the beginning of spring the only determinants were distance to the nearest neighbor male and number of females. In years of low density none of the variables were found to affect corticosterone levels during the whole spring, while in the beginning of spring only partial regression coefficients of abundance of herbs were negative and significant. Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed positive dependence (P = 0.05) of disappearance of adult males during summer drought on concentrations of fecal corticosterone in the spring, but only when burrow systems with at least one adult (male or female) surviving after the summer were considered. Our results provide evidence ground for the assumption that in a desert rodent with non-regular population fluctuations such as the great gerbil, density may be more suppressed by external factors and not by density dependent mortality mediated by stress. Density dependent increases of stress caused by intense reproductive effort occurred when feeding and climatic conditions were favorable to compensate for negative effects on survival. However, in individual gerbils mortality mediated by stress can take place because we found higher stress in the beginning of spring in males, which did not occur in the population after the summer drought.

One Year in the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary: Feeding Niche Separation of Two Co-existing Krill Species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winkler, G.; Cabrol, J.; Sage, R.; Nozais, C.; Tremblay, R.; Starr, M.

2016-02-01

The lower St. Lawrence estuary (LSLE) is influenced by river discharge and saltwater inflow. Together with arctic water inflow and ice cover in winter a strong stratification occurs resulting in a cold intermediate layer (CIL) from spring to autumn. This stratification provides thermal habitats. Here, we focus on two krill species Thysanoessa raschii and Meganyctiphanes norvegica that aggregate in the CIL and the warmer deep water layer, respectively. Both species are known to migrate into the surface layer to feed and thus transfering energy through the food web by linking lower with higher trophic levels. However, their specific feeding biology and trophic interactions are poorly understood. We tested the following hypotheses: (1) the diets vary throughout the season depending on food availability, (2) similar to thermal habitat separation, trophic niche separation between T. raschii and M. norvegica occurs, characterized by herbivory in T. raschii and carnivory in M. norvegica. Trophic position and feeding behavior of theses krill populations were monitored throughout one year 2014-2015 using a stable isotope approach. The two species showed a seasonal shift in their trophic position being on a higher trophic level in summer than in spring and autumn, which did not correspond to phytoplankton or zooplankton availability. Within the trophic space of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes M. norvegica showed a relatively stable position, whereas T. raschii covered a much larger space throughout the year. M. norvegica was always positioned at a higher trophic level than T. raschii. Results of a stable isotope mixing model (SIAR) revealed 50% phytoplankton and 50% copepods in the diet of M. norvegica, while T. raschii showed a higher proportion of ca. 70% phytoplankton in its diet. Both species exploited several trophic levels, but in different proportions, thereby minimizing diet overlap, suggesting a further mechanism to enhance stable co-existence of these krill species in the highly stratified LSLE.

Supplemental feeding alters migration of a temperate ungulate.

PubMed

Jones, Jennifer D; Kauffman, Matthew J; Monteith, Kevin L; Scurlock, Brandon M; Albeke, Shannon E; Cross, Paul C

Conservation of migration requires information on behavior and environmental determinants. The spatial distribution of forage resources, which migration exploits, often are altered and may have subtle, unintended consequences. Supplemental feeding is a common management practice, particularly for ungulates in North America and Europe, and carryover effects on behavior of this anthropogenic manipulation of forage are expected in theory, but have received limited empirical evaluation, particularly regarding effects on migration. We used global positioning system (GPS) data to evaluate the influence of winter feeding on migration behavior of 219 adult female elk (Cervus elaphus) from 18 fed ranges and 4 unfed ranges in western Wyoming. Principal component analysis revealed that the migratory behavior of fed and unfed elk differed in distance migrated, and the timing of arrival to, duration on, and departure from summer range. Fed elk migrated 19.2 km less, spent 11 more days on stopover sites, arrived to summer range 5 days later, resided on summer range 26 fewer days, and departed in the autumn 10 days earlier than unfed elk. Time-to-event models indicated that differences in migratory behavior between fed and unfed elk were caused by altered sensitivity to the environmental drivers of migration. In spring, unfed elk migrated following plant green-up closely, whereas fed elk departed the feedground but lingered on transitional range, thereby delaying their arrival to summer range. In autumn, fed elk were more responsive to low temperatures and precipitation events, causing earlier departure from summer range than unfed elk. Overall, supplemental feeding disconnected migration by fed elk from spring green-up and decreased time spent on summer range, thereby reducing access to quality forage. Our findings suggest that ungulate migration can be substantially altered by changes to the spatial distribution of resources, including those of anthropogenic origin, and that management practices applied in one season may have unintended behavioral consequences in subsequent seasons.

Supplemental feeding alters migration of a temperate ungulate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Jennifer D; Kauffman, Matthew J.; Monteith, Kevin L.; Scurlock, Brandon M.; Albeke, Shannon E.; Cross, Paul C.

2014-01-01

Conservation of migration requires information on behavior and environmental determinants. The spatial distribution of forage resources, which migration exploits, often are altered and may have subtle, unintended consequences. Supplemental feeding is a common management practice, particularly for ungulates in North America and Europe, and carryover effects on behavior of this anthropogenic manipulation of forage are expected in theory, but have received limited empirical evaluation, particularly regarding effects on migration. We used global positioning system (GPS) data to evaluate the influence of winter feeding on migration behavior of 219 adult female elk (Cervus elaphus) from 18 fed ranges and 4 unfed ranges in western Wyoming. Principal component analysis revealed that the migratory behavior of fed and unfed elk differed in distance migrated, and the timing of arrival to, duration on, and departure from summer range. Fed elk migrated 19.2 km less, spent 11 more days on stopover sites, arrived to summer range 5 days later, resided on summer range 26 fewer days, and departed in the autumn 10 days earlier than unfed elk. Time-to-event models indicated that differences in migratory behavior between fed and unfed elk were caused by altered sensitivity to the environmental drivers of migration. In spring, unfed elk migrated following plant green-up closely, whereas fed elk departed the feedground but lingered on transitional range, thereby delaying their arrival to summer range. In autumn, fed elk were more responsive to low temperatures and precipitation events, causing earlier departure from summer range than unfed elk. Overall, supplemental feeding disconnected migration by fed elk from spring green-up and decreased time spent on summer range, thereby reducing access to quality forage. Our findings suggest that ungulate migration can be substantially altered by changes to the spatial distribution of resources, including those of anthropogenic origin, and that management practices applied in one season may have unintended behavioral consequences in subsequent seasons.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of the Army (DA) are evaluating conditions in groundwater and springs at the DOE chemical plant area and the DA ordnance works area near Weldon Spring, Missouri. The two areas are located in St. Charles County, about 48 km (30 mi) west of St. Louis. The 88-ha (217-acre) chemical plant area is chemically and radioactively contaminated as a result of uranium-processing activities conducted by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in the 1950s and 1960s and explosives-production activities conducted by the U.S. Army (Army) in the 1940s. The 6,974-ha (17,232-acre) ordnancemore » works area is primarily chemically contaminated as a result of trinitrotoluene (TNT) and dinitrotoluene (DNT) manufacturing activities during World War II. This baseline risk assessment (BRA) is being conducted as part of the remedial investigation/feasibility study (RUFS) required under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended. The purpose of the BRA is to evaluate potential human health and ecological impacts from contamination associated with the groundwater operable units (GWOUs) of the chemical plant area and ordnance works area. An RI/FS work plan issued jointly in 1995 by the DOE and DA (DOE 1995) analyzed existing conditions at the GWOUs. The work plan included a conceptual hydrogeological model based on data available when the report was prepared; this model indicated that the aquifer of concern is common to both areas. Hence, to optimize further data collection and interpretation efforts, the DOE and DA have decided to conduct a joint RI/BRA. Characterization data obtained from the chemical plant area wells indicate that uranium is present at levels slightly higher than background, with a few concentrations exceeding the proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 20 {micro}g/L (EPA 1996c). Concentrations of other radionuclides (e.g., radium and thorium) were measured at back-ground levels and were eliminated from further consideration. Chemical contaminants identified in wells at the chemical plant area and ordnance works area include nitroaromatic compounds, metals, and inorganic anions. Trichloroethylene (TCE) and 1,2-dichloroethylene (1,2 -DCE) have been detected recently in a few wells near the raffinate pits at the chemical plant.« less

Snow cover and snow goose Anser caerulescens caerulescens distribution during spring migration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hupp, Jerry W.; Zacheis, Amy B.; Anthony, R. Michael; Robertson, Donna G.; Erickson, Wallace P.; Palacios, Kelly C.

2001-01-01

Arctic geese often use spring migration stopover areas when feeding habitats are partially snow covered. Melting of snow during the stopover period causes spatial and temporal variability in distribution and abundance of feeding habitat. We recorded changes in snow cover and lesser snow goose Anser caerulescens caerulescens distribution on a spring migration stopover area in south-central Alaska during aerial surveys in 1993-1994. Our objectives were to determine whether geese selected among areas with different amounts of snow cover and to assess how temporal changes in snow cover affected goose distribution. We also measured temporal changes in chemical composition of forage species after snow melt. We divided an Arc/Info coverage of the approximately 210 km2 coastal stopover area into 2-km2 cells, and measured snow cover and snow goose use of cells. Cells that had 10-49.9% snow cover were selected by snow geese, whereas cells that lacked snow cover were avoided. In both years, snow cover diminished along the coast between mid-April and early May. Flock distribution changed as snow geese abandoned snow-free areas in favour of cells where snow patches were interspersed with bare ground. Snow-free areas may have been less attractive to geese because available forage had been quickly exploited as bare ground was exposed, and because soils became drier making extraction of underground forage more difficult. Fiber content of two forage species increased whereas non-structural carbohydrate concentrations of forage plants appeared to diminish after snow melt, but changes in nutrient concentrations likely occurred too slowly to account for abandonment of snow-free areas by snow geese.

A comparison of Oregon pellet and fish-meat diets for administration of sulfamethazine to Chinook salmon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Amend, D.F.; Fryer, J.L.; Pilcher, K.S.

1967-01-01

The absorption of sulfamethazine by yearling spring chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) was compared when administered in the Oregon Pellet and a fish-meat diet. The pelleted diet delivered the drug to the fish approximately twice as efficiently as the fish-meat diet. Dosage levels are recommended for both diets, and the efficacy of administering drugs in fish feed is discussed.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After talking to the media, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (left) speaks to Congressman Dave Weldon (center) and Florida Congressman Tom Feeney (right). O’Keefe and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After talking to the media, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (left) speaks to Congressman Dave Weldon (center) and Florida Congressman Tom Feeney (right). O’Keefe and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (left foreground) and NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (right) look deep in conversation as they leave the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. Behind Nelson is Congressman Tom Feeney and Center Director Jim Kennedy. The research park is being proposed as the location for NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Congressman Dave Weldon and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (left foreground) and NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (right) look deep in conversation as they leave the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. Behind Nelson is Congressman Tom Feeney and Center Director Jim Kennedy. The research park is being proposed as the location for NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Congressman Dave Weldon and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida, talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. She gave a presentation to NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (far right) about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind Dana are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; and Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida, talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. She gave a presentation to NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (far right) about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind Dana are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; and Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

Domestic animal hosts strongly influence human-feeding rates of the Chagas disease vector Triatoma infestans in Argentina.

PubMed

Gürtler, Ricardo E; Cecere, María C; Vázquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo M; Ceballos, Leonardo A; Gurevitz, Juan M; Fernández, María Del Pilar; Kitron, Uriel; Cohen, Joel E

2014-01-01

The host species composition in a household and their relative availability affect the host-feeding choices of blood-sucking insects and parasite transmission risks. We investigated four hypotheses regarding factors that affect blood-feeding rates, proportion of human-fed bugs (human blood index), and daily human-feeding rates of Triatoma infestans, the main vector of Chagas disease. A cross-sectional survey collected triatomines in human sleeping quarters (domiciles) of 49 of 270 rural houses in northwestern Argentina. We developed an improved way of estimating the human-feeding rate of domestic T. infestans populations. We fitted generalized linear mixed-effects models to a global model with six explanatory variables (chicken blood index, dog blood index, bug stage, numbers of human residents, bug abundance, and maximum temperature during the night preceding bug catch) and three response variables (daily blood-feeding rate, human blood index, and daily human-feeding rate). Coefficients were estimated via multimodel inference with model averaging. Median blood-feeding intervals per late-stage bug were 4.1 days, with large variations among households. The main bloodmeal sources were humans (68%), chickens (22%), and dogs (9%). Blood-feeding rates decreased with increases in the chicken blood index. Both the human blood index and daily human-feeding rate decreased substantially with increasing proportions of chicken- or dog-fed bugs, or the presence of chickens indoors. Improved calculations estimated the mean daily human-feeding rate per late-stage bug at 0.231 (95% confidence interval, 0.157-0.305). Based on the changing availability of chickens in domiciles during spring-summer and the much larger infectivity of dogs compared with humans, we infer that the net effects of chickens in the presence of transmission-competent hosts may be more adequately described by zoopotentiation than by zooprophylaxis. Domestic animals in domiciles profoundly affect the host-feeding choices, human-vector contact rates and parasite transmission predicted by a model based on these estimates.

How predictability of feeding patches affects home range and foraging habitat selection in avian social scavengers?

PubMed

Monsarrat, Sophie; Benhamou, Simon; Sarrazin, François; Bessa-Gomes, Carmen; Bouten, Willem; Duriez, Olivier

2013-01-01

Feeding stations are commonly used to sustain conservation programs of scavengers but their impact on behaviour is still debated. They increase the temporal and spatial predictability of food resources while scavengers have supposedly evolved to search for unpredictable resources. In the Grands Causses (France), a reintroduced population of Griffon vultures Gyps fulvus can find carcasses at three types of sites: 1. "light feeding stations", where farmers can drop carcasses at their farm (spatially predictable), 2. "heavy feeding stations", where carcasses from nearby farms are concentrated (spatially and temporally predictable) and 3. open grasslands, where resources are randomly distributed (unpredictable). The impact of feeding stations on vulture's foraging behaviour was investigated using 28 GPS-tracked vultures. The average home range size was maximal in spring (1272 ± 752 km(2)) and minimal in winter (473 ± 237 km(2)) and was highly variable among individuals. Analyses of home range characteristics and feeding habitat selection via compositional analysis showed that feeding stations were always preferred compared to the rest of the habitat where vultures can find unpredictable resources. Feeding stations were particularly used when resources were scarce (summer) or when flight conditions were poor (winter), limiting long-ranging movements. However, when flight conditions were optimal, home ranges also encompassed large areas of grassland where vultures could find unpredictable resources, suggesting that vultures did not lose their natural ability to forage on unpredictable resources, even when feeding stations were available. However during seasons when food abundance and flight conditions were not limited, vultures seemed to favour light over heavy feeding stations, probably because of the reduced intraspecific competition and a pattern closer to the natural dispersion of resources in the landscape. Light feeding stations are interesting tools for managing food resources, but don't prevent vultures to feed at other places with possibly high risk of intoxication (poison).

Effects of feed quality and quantity on growth, early maturation and smolt development in hatchery-reared landlocked Atlantic salmon Salmo salar.

PubMed

Norrgård, J R; Bergman, E; Greenberg, L A; Schmitz, M

2014-10-01

The effects of feed quality and quantity on growth, early male parr maturation and development of smolt characteristics were studied in hatchery-reared landlocked Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. The fish were subjected to two levels of feed rations and two levels of lipid content from first feeding until release in May of their second year. Salmo salar fed high rations, regardless of lipid content, grew the most and those fed low lipid feed with low rations grew the least. In addition, fish fed low lipid feed had lower body lipid levels than fish fed high lipid feed. Salmo salar from all treatments showed some reduction in condition factor (K) and lipid levels during their second spring. Smolt status was evaluated using both physiological and morphological variables. These results, based on gill Na(+) , K(+) -ATPase (NKA) enzyme activity, saltwater tolerance challenges and visual assessments, were consistent with each other, showing that S. salar from all treatments, except the treatment in which the fish were fed low rations with low lipid content, exhibited characteristics associated with smolting at 2 years of age. Sexually mature male parr from the high ration, high lipid content treatment were also subjected to saltwater challenge tests, and were found to be unable to regulate plasma sodium levels. The proportion of sexually mature male parr was reduced when the fish were fed low feed rations, but was not affected by the lipid content of the feed. Salmo salar fed low rations with low lipid content exhibited the highest degree of severe fin erosion. © 2014 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Sediment reworking by a polychaete, Perinereis aibuhitensis, in the intertidal sediments of the Gomso Bay, Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koo, Bon Joo; Seo, Jaehwan

2017-12-01

Bioturbation, especially sediment reworking by the activities of macroinvertebrates, such as feeding and burrowing, is one of the major processes that affect the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of marine sediments. Given the importance of sediment reworking, this study was designed to evaluate the sediment reworking rate of a polychaete, Perinereis aibuhitensis, which is dominant in the upper tidal flats on the west coast of Korea, based on quantification of pellet production during spring and fall surveys. The density of individuals was higher in fall than in spring, whereas, due to a difference in the proportion of adults between the two seasons, the morphometric dimensions of the worm and its pellets were significantly longer and heavier in the spring. Hourly pellet production per inhabitant and density were closely related, with pellet production gradually decreasing as density increased. Daily pellet production was much higher in spring than in fall, mostly due to an increase in daytime production. The sediment reworking rate of Perinereis was similar in the two seasons in which observations were made and depended on its density and the sediment reworking rate per individual. The overall sediment reworking rate of Perinereis was 31 mm yr-1 based on its density in the study area.

Rain-induced spring wheat harvest losses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauer, A.; Black, A. L. (Principal Investigator)

1983-01-01

When rain or a combination of rain and high humidity delay wheat harvest, losses can occur in grain yield and/or grain quality. Yield losses can result from shattering, from reduction in test weight, and in the case of windrowed grain, from rooting of sprouting grain at the soil: windrow contact. Losses in grain quality can result from reduction in test weight and from sprouting. Sprouting causes a degradation of grain proteins and starches, hence flour quality is reduced, and the grain price deteriorates to the value of feed grain. Although losses in grain yield and quality are rain-induced, these losses do not necessarily occur because a standing or windrowed crop is wetted by rain. Spike water concentration in hard red spring wheat must be increased to about 45-49% before sprouting is initiated in grain that has overcome dormancy. The time required to overcome this dormancy after the cultivar has dried to 12 to 14% water concentration differs with hard red spring cultivars. The effect of rain on threshing-ready standing and windrowed hard red spring wheat grain yeild and quality was evaluated. A goal was to develop the capability to forecast the extent of expected loss of grain yield and quality from specific climatic events that delay threshing.

[Distribution and species composition of hyporheic macroinvertebrates in a mountain stream].

PubMed

Zhang, Yue-wei; Yuan, Xing-zhong; Liu, Hong; Ren, Hai-qing; Deng, Wei; Wang, Xiao-feng

2015-09-01

Hyporheic macroinvertebrates are an important component of stream ecosystem. The composition and distribution of the hyporheic macroinvertebrates were investigated using artificial substrates in the upper reaches of Heishuitan River in August, December 2013 and April 2014. The results indicated that a total of 27 microinvertbrate species were identified in all three seasons. In summer, 22 species were identified, accounting for 81.8% of aquatic insects. 16 species were identified both in winter and spring, accounting for 75.0% and 62.5% of aquatic insects, respectively. The density of macroinvertebrate assemblage was significantly lower in summer than in winter and spring, and was the highest in spring. The biomass of macroinvertebrate assemblage was significantly higher in winter than in summer and spring, and was the lowest in summer. Species richness, Shannon index and Pielou index all had no significant difference among the three seasons. The density and richness of macroinvertebrates decreased with bed depth, and the maximum invertebrate density was found within the top 20 cm of the stream bed. Collector-filterer and collector-gatherer were the dominant functional feeding group in all three seasons. The community structure and temporal-spatial distribution of macroinvertebrates were determined by interactions and life history strategy of macroinvertebrates, and physical-chemical factors of hyporheic zone.

Spring feeding on ungulate carcasses by grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Green, Gerald I.; Mattson, D.J.; Peek, J.M.

1997-01-01

We studied the spring use of ungulate carcasses by grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) on ungulate winter ranges in Yellowstone National Park. We observed carcasses and bear tracks on survey routes that were travelled biweekly during spring of 1985-90 in the Firehole-Gibbon winter range and spring of 1987-90 in the Northern winter range. The probability that grizzly bears used a carcass was positively related to elevation and was lower within 400 m of a road, or within 5 km of a major recreational development compared to elsewhere. Carcass use peaked in April, coincident with peak ungulate deaths. Grizzly bears also were more likely to use carcasses in the Firehole-Gibbon compared to Northern Range study area. We attributed the effects of study area and elevation to the fact that grizzly bears den and are first active in the spring at high elevations and to differences in densities of competing scavengers. Probability of grizzly bear use was strongly related to body mass of carcasses on the Northern Range where densities of coyotes (Canis latrans) and black bears (U. americanus) appeared to be much higher than in the Firehole-Gibbon study area. We suggest that additional restrictions on human activity in ungulate winter ranges or movement of carcasses to remote areas could increase grizzly bear use of carrion. Fewer competing scavengers and greater numbers of adult ungulates vulnerable to winter mortality could have the same effect.

Reproduction and Feeding of the Electric Fish Brachyhypopomus gauderio (Gymnotiformes: Hypopomidae) and the Discussion of a Life History Pattern for Gymnotiforms from High Latitudes

PubMed Central

Giora, Julia; Tarasconi, Hellen M.; Fialho, Clarice B.

2014-01-01

The reproductive biology and feeding habits of the electric fish Brachyhypopomus gauderio were studied. The species has seasonal reproductive behavior, with breeding occurring during the Southern Hemisphere spring and summer, and having a positive relation with the photoperiod variation. Brachyhypopomus gauderio was defined as a fractional spawner, with low relative fecundity and high first maturation size. Sexual dimorphism was registered, males undergoing hypertrophy of the distal portion of caudal filament. The results on reproductive biology herein obtained are in agreement with data concerning gymnotiforms from Southern Brazil and Uruguay, pointing to an ecological pattern for the species from high latitudes, differing from species with tropical distribution. According to the analysis of the food items, B. gauderio feed mainly on autochthonous insects, likewise the other gymnotiforms previously investigated, leading to conclude that there is no variation on the diet of the species of the order related to climatic conditions or even to habitat of occurrence. PMID:25207924

Feeding habits of an endemic fish, Oxygymnocypris stewartii, in the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huo, Bin; Xie, Cong Xin; Madenjian, Charles P.; Ma, Bao Shan; Yang, Xue Feng; Huang, Hai Ping

2014-01-01

Feeding habits of Oxygymnocypris stewartii were investigated based on monthly sampling in the Yarlung Zangbo River from August 2008 to August 2009. The gut contents of 194 individuals were analysed and quantified with numerical and gravimetric methods. This species can be considered a generalized and opportunistic predator feeding both on teleosts and aquatic insects. A multivariate analysis revealed noticeable variation in O. stewartii diet composition with fish size and season. The smaller specimens fed primarily on Cobitidae and Hydropsychidae. As they grew, Cyprinidae and Chironomidae larvae became important prey. The preferred food items were teleosts in summer and autumn. For winter and spring, the predominant prey switched to chironomidae larvae. Diet composition did not significantly vary between the sexes. Finally, a significant and positive correlation between predator and prey length was found. These findings provide the fundamental information better understanding the role of this important endemic species in the Yarlung Zangbo River food web.

Passive acoustic tracking of singing humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on a northwest Atlantic feeding ground.

PubMed

Stanistreet, Joy E; Risch, Denise; Van Parijs, Sofie M

2013-01-01

Passive acoustic tracking provides an unobtrusive method of studying the movement of sound-producing animals in the marine environment where traditional tracking methods may be costly or infeasible. We used passive acoustic tracking to characterize the fine-scale movements of singing humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on a northwest Atlantic feeding ground. Male humpback whales produce complex songs, a phenomenon that is well documented in tropical regions during the winter breeding season, but also occurs at higher latitudes during other times of year. Acoustic recordings were made throughout 2009 using an array of autonomous recording units deployed in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Song was recorded during spring and fall, and individual singing whales were localized and tracked throughout the array using a correlation sum estimation method on the time-synchronized recordings. Tracks were constructed for forty-three song sessions, revealing a high level of variation in movement patterns in both the spring and fall seasons, ranging from slow meandering to faster directional movement. Tracks were 30 min to 8 h in duration, and singers traveled distances ranging from 0.9 to 20.1 km. Mean swimming speed was 2.06 km/h (SD 0.95). Patterns and rates of movement indicated that most singers were actively swimming. In one case, two singers were tracked simultaneously, revealing a potential acoustic interaction. Our results provide a first description of the movements of singers on a northwest Atlantic feeding ground, and demonstrate the utility of passive acoustic tracking for studying the fine-scale movements of cetaceans within the behavioral context of their calls. These methods have further applications for conservation and management purposes, particularly by enhancing our ability to estimate cetacean densities using passive acoustic monitoring.

Passive Acoustic Tracking of Singing Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on a Northwest Atlantic Feeding Ground

PubMed Central

Stanistreet, Joy E.; Risch, Denise; Van Parijs, Sofie M.

2013-01-01

Passive acoustic tracking provides an unobtrusive method of studying the movement of sound-producing animals in the marine environment where traditional tracking methods may be costly or infeasible. We used passive acoustic tracking to characterize the fine-scale movements of singing humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on a northwest Atlantic feeding ground. Male humpback whales produce complex songs, a phenomenon that is well documented in tropical regions during the winter breeding season, but also occurs at higher latitudes during other times of year. Acoustic recordings were made throughout 2009 using an array of autonomous recording units deployed in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Song was recorded during spring and fall, and individual singing whales were localized and tracked throughout the array using a correlation sum estimation method on the time-synchronized recordings. Tracks were constructed for forty-three song sessions, revealing a high level of variation in movement patterns in both the spring and fall seasons, ranging from slow meandering to faster directional movement. Tracks were 30 min to 8 h in duration, and singers traveled distances ranging from 0.9 to 20.1 km. Mean swimming speed was 2.06 km/h (SD 0.95). Patterns and rates of movement indicated that most singers were actively swimming. In one case, two singers were tracked simultaneously, revealing a potential acoustic interaction. Our results provide a first description of the movements of singers on a northwest Atlantic feeding ground, and demonstrate the utility of passive acoustic tracking for studying the fine-scale movements of cetaceans within the behavioral context of their calls. These methods have further applications for conservation and management purposes, particularly by enhancing our ability to estimate cetacean densities using passive acoustic monitoring. PMID:23593447

Feeding preferences of West Indian manatees in Florida, Belize, and Puerto Rico as indicated by stable isotope analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alves-Stanley, Christy D.; Worthy, Graham A.J.; Bonde, Robert K.

2010-01-01

The endangered West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus has 2 recognized subspecies: the Florida T. m. latirostris and Antillean T. m. manatus manatee, both of which are found in freshwater, estuarine, and marine habitats. A better understanding of manatee feeding preferences and habitat use is essential to establish criteria on which conservation plans can be based. Skin from manatees in Florida, Belize, and Puerto Rico, as well as aquatic vegetation from their presumed diet, were analyzed for stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios. This is the first application of stable isotope analysis to Antillean manatees. Stable isotope ratios for aquatic vegetation differed by plant type (freshwater, estuarine, and marine), collection location, and in one instance, season. Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios for manatee skin differed between collection location and in one instance, season, but did not differ between sex or age class. Signatures in the skin of manatees sampled in Belize and Puerto Rico indicated a diet composed primarily of seagrasses, whereas those of Florida manatees exhibited greater regional variation. Mixing model results indicated that manatees sampled from Crystal River and Homosassa Springs (Florida, USA) ate primarily freshwater vegetation, whereas manatees sampled from Big Bend Power Plant, Ten Thousand Islands, and Warm Mineral Springs (Florida) fed primarily on seagrasses. Possible diet-tissue discrimination values for 15N were estimated to range from 1.0 to 1.5 per mil. Stable isotope analysis can be used to interpret manatee feeding behavior over a long period of time, specifically the use of freshwater vegetation versus seagrasses, and can aid in identifying critical habitats and improving conservation efforts.

Migration of radio-marked whooping cranes from the Aransas-wood buffalo population: Patterns of habitat use, behavior, and survival. Technical report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Howe, M.A.

1989-01-01

Use of migration stopovers by radio-marked whooping cranes (Grus americana) between Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, and central Saskatchewan was studied in fall 1981-83 and spring 1983-84 as part of a cooperative program with the Canadian Wildlife Service. Twenty-seven cranes were monitored for one or several seasons, including nine radio-marked birds and others that associated with them. Whooping cranes showed variations in their use of migration habitats, feeding primarily in a variety of croplands and roosting primarily in palustrine wetlands. More than 40% of the roosting wetlands were smaller than 0.5 ha. Although heavily vegetated wetlands were generally not used,more » family groups appeared to select more heavily vegetated wetlands than nonfamilies. Juveniles allocated 25% more time to foraging than did parents. Parents increased their foraging rate and showed less alert behavior in spring migration. Dissociation of parents and young occurred late in spring migration and after arrival on the breeding grounds.« less

Effect of seasonal differences in dietary meat intake on changes in body mass and composition in wild and captive brown bears

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hilderbrand, Grant V.; Jenkins, S.G.; Schwartz, C.C.; Hanley, Thomas A.; Robbins, C.T.

1999-01-01

The influence of seasonal dietary meat intake on changes in body mass and composition in wild and captive brown bears (Ursus arctos) was investigated because the importance and availability of meat to brown bear populations is currently an important management consideration in several North American ecosystems. Adult female brown bears on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, utilized meat heavily in both spring and fall. Meat accounted for 76.2 ± 26.0% (mean ± 1 SD; primarily moose carrion and calves) of assimilated carbon and nitrogen in the spring and 80.4 ± 22.2% (primarily salmon) in the fall. Mass increases in the spring (71.8 ± 28.2%) were mostly lean body mass, but increases in the fall (81.0 ± 19.5%) were primarily fat. Daily intake by captive brown bears fed meat ad libitum during 12-day trials was positively related to body mass. Mass change was positively related to intake in both seasons, but the composition of the gain varied by season, with spring gains primarily lean body mass (64.2 ± 9.4%), while fall gains were 78.8 ± 19.6% lipid. Absolute rates of gain by wild bears occasionally equaled, but were usually much less than, those of captive bears. This was likely due to a combination of factors, which included the time required to locate and handle meat resources, the limited availability of or access to meat resources, and (or) the duration of meat resource availability. Estimated intake by bears not feeding selectively on high-energy components of moose and salmon were 8.5 ± 1.5 kg/day and 541 ± 156 kg/year and 10.8 ± 4.6 kg/day and 1003 ± 489 kg/year, respectively. Intake would drop by as much as 58% for bears feeding exclusively on salmon roe. Management strategies for areas with brown bears that consume significant amounts of meat should address the perpetuation and availability of these meat resources.

Scaling of rotational inertia of primate mandibles.

PubMed

Ross, Callum F; Iriarte-Diaz, Jose; Platts, Ellen; Walsh, Treva; Heins, Liam; Gerstner, Geoffrey E; Taylor, Andrea B

2017-05-01

The relative importance of pendulum mechanics and muscle mechanics in chewing dynamics has implications for understanding the optimality criteria driving the evolution of primate feeding systems. The Spring Model (Ross et al., 2009b), which modeled the primate chewing system as a forced mass-spring system, predicted that chew cycle time would increase faster than was actually observed. We hypothesized that if mandibular momentum plays an important role in chewing dynamics, more accurate estimates of the rotational inertia of the mandible would improve the accuracy with which the Spring Model predicts the scaling of primate chew cycle period. However, if mass-related momentum effects are of negligible importance in the scaling of primate chew cycle period, this hypothesis would be falsified. We also predicted that greater "robusticity" of anthropoid mandibles compared with prosimians would be associated with higher moments of inertia. From computed tomography scans, we estimated the scaling of the moment of inertia (I j ) of the mandibles of thirty-one species of primates, including 22 anthropoid and nine prosimian species, separating I j into the moment about a transverse axis through the center of mass (I xx ) and the moment of the center of mass about plausible axes of rotation. We found that across primates I j increases with positive allometry relative to jaw length, primarily due to positive allometry of jaw mass and I xx , and that anthropoid mandibles have greater rotational inertia compared with prosimian mandibles of similar length. Positive allometry of I j of primate mandibles actually lowers the predictive ability of the Spring Model, suggesting that scaling of primate chew cycle period, and chewing dynamics in general, are more strongly influenced by factors other than scaling of inertial properties of the mandible, such as the dynamic properties of the jaw muscles and neural control. Differences in cycle period scaling between chewing and locomotion systems reinforce the suggestion that displacement and force control are more important in the design of feeding systems than energetics and speed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Episodic Upwelling of Zooplankton within a Bowhead Whale Feeding Area Near Barrow, AK

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-30

the Beaufort year-round. Bowhead whales vocalize using both calls and songs . There was distinct seasonal variability in the detection of the...different species’ calls/ songs . Calls/ songs from whale species were detected in fall and declined as ice concentration in the mooring vicinity increased...Figs. 4 & 5). In the spring, however, whale calls/ songs were detected beginning in April when the region was still covered with ice, and continued

KSC-05PD-0195

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (center) talks to John Douglass, with the Aerospace Industries Association, at the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, being held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando. OKeefe is the keynote speaker kicking off the conference. Douglass is one of the panelists. Topics being presented focus on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Other keynote speakers at the three-day conference are Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

KSC-05PD-0208

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (center) talks to John Douglass, with the Aerospace Industries Association, at the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, being held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando. OKeefe is the keynote speaker kicking off the conference. Douglass is one of the panelists. Topics being presented focus on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Other keynote speakers at the three-day conference include Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

00pp0065

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-14

Before the start of the First Florida Space Summit, participants gather around the poster. From left are Center Director Roy Bridges, Representative Jim Davis, Representative Dave Weldon, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, Senator Connie Mack, Governor Jeb Bush, Senator Bob Graham and 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit. The summit, which was held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, featured key state officials and aerospace companies to discuss the future of space as it relates to the State of Florida. Moderated by Bridges, the event also included State Senator Patsy Kurth, State Senator Charlie Bronson, and State Representative Randy Ball

KSC-00pp0065

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-14

Before the start of the First Florida Space Summit, participants gather around the poster. From left are Center Director Roy Bridges, Representative Jim Davis, Representative Dave Weldon, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, Senator Connie Mack, Governor Jeb Bush, Senator Bob Graham and 45th Space Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit. The summit, which was held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, featured key state officials and aerospace companies to discuss the future of space as it relates to the State of Florida. Moderated by Bridges, the event also included State Senator Patsy Kurth, State Senator Charlie Bronson, and State Representative Randy Ball

KSC00pp0021

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-12

One of a new series of U.S. Postage stamps, The 1980s, is unveiled at the KSC Visitors Complex. The stamp, shown here, is the Space Shuttle Columbia, first launched in April 1981. This collection of stamps is the ninth in the Post Office's "Celebrate the Century" commemorative series honoring the last 100 years of American history. Taking part in the "First Day of Issue Ceremony" were astronaut Richard Linnehan, U.S. Representative, 15th Congressional District, Dave Weldon, U.S. Postal Service District Manager Viki Brennan, Center Director Roy Bridges and President of the Visitor Complex Rick Abramson

KSC-00pp0022

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-12

A new series of U.S. Postage stamps, The 1980s, is unveiled at the KSC Visitors Complex. Taking part in the "First Day of Issue Ceremony" were astronaut Richard Linnehan, U.S. Representative, 15th Congressional District, Dave Weldon, U.S. Postal Service District Manager Viki Brennan, Center Director Roy Bridges and President of the Visitor Complex Rick Abramson. Among the stamps issued is one of Space Shuttle Columbia (upper left corner), first launched in April 1981. This collection of stamps is the ninth in the Post Office's "Celebrate the Century" commemorative series honoring the last 100 years of American history

KSC00pp0010

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-12

A new series of U.S. Postage stamps, The 1980s, is unveiled at the KSC Visitors Complex. Shown taking part in the "First Day of Issue Ceremony" are (left to right) astronaut Richard Linnehan, U.S. Representative, 15th Congressional District, Dave Weldon, U.S. Postal Service District Manager Viki Brennan, Center Director Roy Bridges and President of the Visitor Complex Rick Abramson. Among the stamps issued is one of Space Shuttle Columbia, first launched in April 1981. This collection of stamps is the ninth in the Post Office's "Celebrate the Century" commemorative series honoring the last 100 years of American history

KSC-00pp0010

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-12

A new series of U.S. Postage stamps, The 1980s, is unveiled at the KSC Visitors Complex. Shown taking part in the "First Day of Issue Ceremony" are (left to right) astronaut Richard Linnehan, U.S. Representative, 15th Congressional District, Dave Weldon, U.S. Postal Service District Manager Viki Brennan, Center Director Roy Bridges and President of the Visitor Complex Rick Abramson. Among the stamps issued is one of Space Shuttle Columbia, first launched in April 1981. This collection of stamps is the ninth in the Post Office's "Celebrate the Century" commemorative series honoring the last 100 years of American history

KSC00pp0022

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-12

A new series of U.S. Postage stamps, The 1980s, is unveiled at the KSC Visitors Complex. Taking part in the "First Day of Issue Ceremony" were astronaut Richard Linnehan, U.S. Representative, 15th Congressional District, Dave Weldon, U.S. Postal Service District Manager Viki Brennan, Center Director Roy Bridges and President of the Visitor Complex Rick Abramson. Among the stamps issued is one of Space Shuttle Columbia (upper left corner), first launched in April 1981. This collection of stamps is the ninth in the Post Office's "Celebrate the Century" commemorative series honoring the last 100 years of American history

KSC-00pp0021

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-12

One of a new series of U.S. Postage stamps, The 1980s, is unveiled at the KSC Visitors Complex. The stamp, shown here, is the Space Shuttle Columbia, first launched in April 1981. This collection of stamps is the ninth in the Post Office's "Celebrate the Century" commemorative series honoring the last 100 years of American history. Taking part in the "First Day of Issue Ceremony" were astronaut Richard Linnehan, U.S. Representative, 15th Congressional District, Dave Weldon, U.S. Postal Service District Manager Viki Brennan, Center Director Roy Bridges and President of the Visitor Complex Rick Abramson

KSC00pp0011

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-12

One of a new series of U.S. Postage stamps, The 1980s, is unveiled at the KSC Visitors Complex. The stamp, shown here, is the Space Shuttle Columbia, first launched in April 1981. This collection of stamps is the ninth in the Post Office's "Celebrate the Century" commemorative series honoring the last 100 years of American history. Taking part in the "First Day of Issue Ceremony" are (left to right) astronaut Richard Linnehan, U.S. Representative, 15th Congressional District, Dave Weldon, U.S. Postal Service District Manager Viki Brennan, Center Director Roy Bridges and President of the Visitor Complex Rick Abramson

KSC-00pp0011

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-12

One of a new series of U.S. Postage stamps, The 1980s, is unveiled at the KSC Visitors Complex. The stamp, shown here, is the Space Shuttle Columbia, first launched in April 1981. This collection of stamps is the ninth in the Post Office's "Celebrate the Century" commemorative series honoring the last 100 years of American history. Taking part in the "First Day of Issue Ceremony" are (left to right) astronaut Richard Linnehan, U.S. Representative, 15th Congressional District, Dave Weldon, U.S. Postal Service District Manager Viki Brennan, Center Director Roy Bridges and President of the Visitor Complex Rick Abramson

Paleo-earthquake timing on the North Anatolian Fault: Where, when, and how sure are we?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraser, J.; Vanneste, K.; Hubert-Ferrari, A.

2009-04-01

The North Anatolian Fault (NAF) traces from the Karilova Triple Junction in the east 1400km into the Aegean Sea in the west, forming a northwardly convex arch across northern Turkey. In the 20th century the NAF ruptured in an approximate east to west migrating sequence of large, destructive and deadly earthquakes. This migrating sequence suggests a simple relationship between crustal loading and fault rupture. A primary question remains unclear: Does the NAF always rupture in episodic bursts? To address this question we have reanalysed selected pre-existing paleoseismic investigations (PIs), from along the NAF, using Bayesian statistical modelling to determine a standardised record of the temporal probability distribution of earthquakes. A wealth of paleoseismic records have accumulated over recent years concerning the NAF although sadly much research remains un-published. A significant output of this study is tabulated results from all of the existing published paleoseismic studies on the NAF with recalibration of the radiocarbon ages using standardized methodology and standardized error reporting by determining the earthquake probability rather than using errors associated with individual bounding dates. We followed the approach outlined in Biasi & Weldon (1994) and in Biasi et al. (2002) to calculate the actual probability density distributions for the timing of paleoseismic events and for the recurrence intervals. Our implementation of these algorithms is reasonably fast and yields PDFs that are comparable to but smoother than those obtained by Markov Chain Monte Carlo type simulations (e.g., OxCal, Bronk-Ramsey, 2007). Additionally we introduce three new earthquake records from PIs we have conducted in spatial gaps in the existing data. By presenting all of this earthquake data we hope to focus further studies and help to define the distribution of earthquake risk. Because of the long historical record of earthquakes in Turkey, we can begin to address some fundamental questions in the field of paleoseismology. For example; can we use sample ages from PIs situated 100s of kilometres apart, on a historical rupture segment, to more accurately determine the timing of paleo-earthquakes? Because the approach to earthquake age constraint is continuing to evolve, this study highlights the importance of publishing raw data from paleoseismic investigations. Biasi, G. and R. Weldon (1994). "Quantitative refinement of calibrated C-14 distributions."Quaternary Research 41: 1-18 Biasi, G. and R. Weldon (2002). "Paleoseismic Event Dating and the Conditional Probability of Large Earthquakes on the Southern San Andreas Fault, California." Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 92(7): 2761-2781. Bronk Ramsey, C. (2007). OxCal version 4.0.5 Radiocarbon Calibration software.

Humpback whales feed on hatchery-released juvenile salmon

PubMed Central

Straley, Janice M.; McPhee, Megan V.; Atkinson, Shannon; Reifenstuhl, Steve

2017-01-01

Humpback whales are remarkable for the behavioural plasticity of their feeding tactics and the diversity of their diets. Within the last decade at hatchery release sites in Southeast Alaska, humpback whales have begun exploiting juvenile salmon, a previously undocumented prey. The anthropogenic source of these salmon and their important contribution to local fisheries makes the emergence of humpback whale predation a concern for the Southeast Alaska economy. Here, we describe the frequency of observing humpback whales, examine the role of temporal and spatial variables affecting the probability of sighting humpback whales and describe prey capture behaviours at five hatchery release sites. We coordinated twice-daily 15 min observations during the spring release seasons 2010–2015. Using logistic regression, we determined that the probability of occurrence of humpback whales increased after releases began and decreased after releases concluded. The probability of whale occurrence varied among release sites but did not increase significantly over the 6 year study period. Whales were reported to be feeding on juvenile chum, Chinook and coho salmon, with photographic and video records of whales feeding on coho salmon. The ability to adapt to new prey sources may be key to sustaining their population in a changing ocean. PMID:28791145

Humpback whales feed on hatchery-released juvenile salmon.

PubMed

Chenoweth, Ellen M; Straley, Janice M; McPhee, Megan V; Atkinson, Shannon; Reifenstuhl, Steve

2017-07-01

Humpback whales are remarkable for the behavioural plasticity of their feeding tactics and the diversity of their diets. Within the last decade at hatchery release sites in Southeast Alaska, humpback whales have begun exploiting juvenile salmon, a previously undocumented prey. The anthropogenic source of these salmon and their important contribution to local fisheries makes the emergence of humpback whale predation a concern for the Southeast Alaska economy. Here, we describe the frequency of observing humpback whales, examine the role of temporal and spatial variables affecting the probability of sighting humpback whales and describe prey capture behaviours at five hatchery release sites. We coordinated twice-daily 15 min observations during the spring release seasons 2010-2015. Using logistic regression, we determined that the probability of occurrence of humpback whales increased after releases began and decreased after releases concluded. The probability of whale occurrence varied among release sites but did not increase significantly over the 6 year study period. Whales were reported to be feeding on juvenile chum, Chinook and coho salmon, with photographic and video records of whales feeding on coho salmon. The ability to adapt to new prey sources may be key to sustaining their population in a changing ocean.

Identification and validation of QTL for grain yield and plant water status under contrasting water treatments in fall-sown spring wheats.

PubMed

Zhang, Junli; Gizaw, Shiferaw Abate; Bossolini, Eligio; Hegarty, Joshua; Howell, Tyson; Carter, Arron H; Akhunov, Eduard; Dubcovsky, Jorge

2018-05-16

Chromosome regions affecting grain yield, grain yield components and plant water status were identified and validated in fall-sown spring wheats grown under full and limited irrigation. Increases in wheat production are required to feed a growing human population. To understand the genetic basis of grain yield in fall-sown spring wheats, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) including 262 photoperiod-insensitive spring wheat accessions grown under full and limited irrigation treatments. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 4.1% of the total variation in the panel was partitioned among accessions originally developed under fall-sowing or spring-sowing conditions, 11.7% among breeding programs within sowing times and 84.2% among accessions within breeding programs. We first identified QTL for grain yield, yield components and plant water status that were significant in at least three environments in the GWAS, and then selected those that were also significant in at least two environments in a panel of eight biparental mapping populations. We identified and validated 14 QTL for grain yield, 15 for number of spikelets per spike, one for kernel number per spike, 11 for kernel weight and 9 for water status, which were not associated with differences in plant height or heading date. We detected significant correlations among traits and colocated QTL that were consistent with those correlations. Among those, grain yield and plant water status were negatively correlated in all environments, and six QTL for these traits were colocated or tightly linked (< 1 cM). QTL identified and validated in this study provide useful information for the improvement of fall-sown spring wheats under full and limited irrigation.

Feeding ecology of Gila boraxobius (Osteichthyes: Cyprindae) endemic to a thermal lake in southeastern Oregon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, J.E.; Williams, C.D.

1980-06-30

Gila boraxobius is a dwarf species of cyprinid endemic to a thermal lake in southeastern Oregon. Despite a relatively depauperate fauna and flora in the lake, 24 food items were found in intestines of G. boraxobius. Ten of the 24 foods, including six insects, were of terrestrial origin. The relative importance of food items fluctuated seasonally. Diatoms, chironomid larvae, microcrustaceans, and dipteran adults were the primary foods during spring. In summer, diatoms decreased and terrestrial insects increased in importance. During autumn important foods were terrestrial insects, chironomid larvae, and diatoms. Diatoms and microcrustaceans increased in importance during winter. Chironomid larvaemore » were of importance in winter, when the importance of terrestrial food items decreased substantially. Similar food habits were observed between juveniles and adults, except that adults consumed more gastropods and diatoms and juveniles consumed more copepods and terrestrial insects. Gila boraxobius feeds opportunistically with individuals commonly containing mostly one food item. Fish typically feed by picking foods from soft bottom sediments or from rocks. However, fish will feed throughout the water column or on the surface if food is abundant there. Gila boraxobius feeds throughout the day, with a peak in feeding activity just after sunset. A daily ration of 11.1 percent body weight was calculated for the species during June. A comparison of food habits among G. boraxobius and populations of G. alvordensis during the summer shows that all are opportunistic in feeding, but that G. boraxobius relies more heavily on terrestrial foods.« less

Clam density and scaup feeding behavior in San Pablo Bay, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Poulton, Victoria K.; Lovvorn, James R.; Takekawa, John Y.

2002-01-01

San Pablo Bay, in northern San Francisco Bay, California, is an important wintering area for Greater (Aythya marila) and Lesser Scaup (A. affinis). We investigated variation in foraging behavior of scaup among five sites in San Pablo Bay, and whether such variation was related to densities of their main potential prey, the clams Potamocorbula amurensis and Macoma balthica. Time-activity budgets showed that scaup spent most of their time sleeping at some sites, and both sleeping and feeding at other sites, with females feeding more than males. In the first half of the observation period (12 January–5 February 2000), percent time spent feeding increased with increasing density of P. amurensis, but decreased with increasing density of M. balthica (diet studies have shown that scaup ate mostly P. amurensis and little or no M. balthica). Densities of M. balthica stayed about the same between fall and spring benthic samples, while densities of P. amurensis declined dramatically at most sites. In the second half of the observation period (7 February–3 March 2000), percent time feeding was no longer strongly related to P. amurensis densities, and dive durations increased by 14%. These changes probably reflected declines of P. amurensis, perhaps as affected by scaup predation. The large area of potential feeding habitat, and alternative prey elsewhere in the estuary, might have resulted in the low correlations between scaup behavior and prey densities in San Pablo Bay. These low correlations made it difficult to identify specific areas of prey concentrations important to scaup.

Food habits of the Arabian skink, Scincus hemprichii Wiegmann, 1837, (Sauria: Scincidae), in the Southwest Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Paray, Bilal A; Al-Mfarij, Abdul Rahman; Al-Sadoon, Mohammed K

2018-01-01

Food and feeding habits of the Arabian skink, Scincus hemprichii were investigated in Jazan province, southwest of Saudi Arabia. S. hemprichii individuals fed during eleven months of the year. The mass of food in the stomachs indicated that a high degree of foraging success occurred during the warm spring while the lowest was during winter with January as an exception to feeding by the lizard. Analysis of the contents of 60 stomachs revealed that the diet of S. hemprichii in the study area consisted of arthropods, with two species of beetles of the family Dermestidae ( Dermestis vulpinus and Dermestis maculates ) and three type of dipteran larvae, accounting for 76% of the total volume of the food items. Specimens collected during January had empty stomachs.

Pioneering Techniques to Determine Wastewater and Urban Runoff Loads in Karst Spring Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasenmueller, E. A.; Criss, R. E.

2010-12-01

Comparison of urban and rural springs quantifies the magnitude and sources of water quality degradation in east-central Missouri. Urban springs consistently display a suite of impairment characteristics including increases in: (1) specific conductance; (2) coliform bacteria; (3) total suspended solids (TSS); (4) nutrient concentrations including N, P, and S species; (5) B concentration; (6) heavy metal concentrations such as Cd, Cr, and Pb; and (7) temperature variability. Several dozen springs, representing a range in magnitude and recharge area land use, were sampled in and around St. Louis, MO. In addition, effluent from the Duckett Creek Treatment Plant was sampled to ascertain the chemistry of municipal waste waters in the area. Sodium perborate is a primary ingredient in bleaching agents for detergents, and therefore B is found in very high concentrations in waste waters (> 240 ppb) compared to background levels (< 20 ppb) in carbonate-hosted springs. Consequently, B provides an excellent, conservative tracer of sewage contributions to groundwater systems, and this study has shown that several urban springs comprise > 25% waste water. High B concentrations correlate well with increased nutrient contents and high E. coli and total coliform levels, which also suggest large sewage contributions to the shallow groundwater. Elevated specific conductance in these springs is primarily due to road salt contamination of these Ca-Mg-bicarbonate waters. In marked contrast to natural springs, Na and Cl can even be the dominant ions in urban springs, so they are useful indicators of urban runoff. High concentrations of Na and Cl ions persist well into late summer, confirming stable isotope models for the ~ 1 year residence time of these shallow groundwaters. Further, specific conductance, temperature, and TSS are highly variable in urban springs because of amplified throughput of storm water runoff; in fact, many detention basins directly feed into cave systems. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH are useful indicators of the nature of subsurface groundwater environments. In particular, springs with no known cave passage typically have low DO and pH (< 60% saturation and < 7.7, respectively), as is common in goundwaters that do not communicate with the atmosphere. However, springs draining open cave systems have higher DO and pH (60 - 90% saturation and > 7.7, respectively) due to the equilibration of DO with the overlying cave atmosphere and the degassing of carbon dioxide. This pair of parameters might provide a novel means to detect undiscovered caves.

Radon as a natural tracer for underwater cave exploration.

PubMed

Csondor, Katalin; Erőss, Anita; Horváth, Ákos; Szieberth, Dénes

2017-07-01

The Molnár János cave is one of the largest hypogenic caves of the Buda Thermal Karst (Budapest, Hungary) and mainly characterized by water-filled passages. The major outflow point of the waters of the cave system is the Boltív spring, which feeds the artificial Malom Lake. Previous radon measurements in the cave system and in the spring established the highest radon concentration (71 BqL -1 ) in the springwater. According to previous studies, the origin of radon was identified as iron-hydroxide containing biofilms, which form where there is mixing of cold and thermal waters, and these biofilms efficiently adsorb radium from the thermal water component. Since mixing of waters is responsible for the formation of the cave as well, these iron-hydroxide containing biofilms and the consequent high radon concentrations mark the active cave forming zones. Based on previous radon measurements, it is supposed that the active mixing and cave forming zone has to be close to the spring, since the highest radon concentration was measured there. Therefore radon mapping was carried out with the help of divers in order to get a spatial distribution of radon in the cave passages closest to the spring. Based on our measurements, the highest radon activity concentration (84 BqL -1 ) was found in the springwater. Based on the distribution of radon activity concentrations, direct connection was established between the spring and the István-room of the cave, which was verified by an artificial tracer. However, the distribution of radon in the cave passages shows lower concentrations (18-46 BqL -1 ) compared to the spring, therefore an additional deep inflow from hitherto unknown cave passages is assumed, from which waters with high radon content arrive to the spring. These passages are assumed to be in the active cave formation zone. This study proved that radon activity concentration distribution is a useful tool in underwater cave exploration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - - U.S. Representative Ric Keller talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind Keller are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; Congressman Dave Weldon; and O’Keefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - - U.S. Representative Ric Keller talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind Keller are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; Congressman Dave Weldon; and O’Keefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind O’Keefe are (left to right) Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; and Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind O’Keefe are (left to right) Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; and Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA and government officials are gathered to hear about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration. At the far end is NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. He is flanked, on the left, by Florida Congressman Tom Feeney and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; and on the right by U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon and U.S. Representative Ric Keller. In the foreground, at left, is Center Director Jim Kennedy. At right is Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida. The center would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA and government officials are gathered to hear about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration. At the far end is NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. He is flanked, on the left, by Florida Congressman Tom Feeney and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; and on the right by U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon and U.S. Representative Ric Keller. In the foreground, at left, is Center Director Jim Kennedy. At right is Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida. The center would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Florida Congressman Tom Feeney talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind Feeney are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; Congressman Dave Weldon; and O’Keefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Florida Congressman Tom Feeney talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind Feeney are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; Congressman Dave Weldon; and O’Keefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and other government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind Nelson are (left to right) Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; Congressman Dave Weldon and O’Keefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Senator Bill Nelson talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and other government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind Nelson are (left to right) Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; Congressman Dave Weldon and O’Keefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind O’Keefe are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; and Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind O’Keefe are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; and Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind O’Keefe are (left to right) Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; and Congressman Dave Weldon. At right is Mike Rein, division chief of KSC External Affairs. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and Center Director Jim Kennedy.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind O’Keefe are (left to right) Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; and Congressman Dave Weldon. At right is Mike Rein, division chief of KSC External Affairs. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and Center Director Jim Kennedy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind O’Keefe are (left to right) Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; and Congressman Dave Weldon. At right is Mike Rein, division chief of KSC External Affairs. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and Center Director Jim Kennedy.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind O’Keefe are (left to right) Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; and Congressman Dave Weldon. At right is Mike Rein, division chief of KSC External Affairs. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and Center Director Jim Kennedy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind O’Keefe are (left to right) Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; and Florida Congressman Tom Feeney. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Congressman Dave Weldon and Center Director Jim Kennedy.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Behind O’Keefe are (left to right) Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; and Florida Congressman Tom Feeney. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Congressman Dave Weldon and Center Director Jim Kennedy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. On the left is Center Director Jim Kennedy. On the right are U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; and U.S. Representative Ric Keller . Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Florida Congressman Tom Feeney and Congressman Dave Weldon.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. On the left is Center Director Jim Kennedy. On the right are U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; and U.S. Representative Ric Keller . Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Florida Congressman Tom Feeney and Congressman Dave Weldon.

Short papers of the Fourth International Conference, Geochronology, Cosmochronology, Isotope Geology, 1978

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zartman, Robert E.

1978-01-01

Tritium content of both hot and cold waters in Yellowstone National Park was used to infer something of the ground-water system feeding hot springs and geysers. Curves in three figures show: (1) Tritium content of water leaving piston flow and well mixed ground-water systems in Yellowstone Park; (2) tritium in precipitation, mixed reservoirs, and cold waters of Yellowstone Park, and (3) tritium in mixed reservoirs and hot waters of Yellowstone Park. (Woodard-USGS)

Species profiles: Life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (South Atlantic): Bluefish

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oliver, J.D.; Van Den Avyle, M.J.; Bozeman, E.L. Jr.

1989-04-01

Species profiles are literature summaries of the life history, distribution, and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates. Profiles are prepared to assist with environmental impact assessment. The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is a valuable recreational and commercial fish on the Atlantic coast. In the South Atlantic Region the recreational catch exceeds the commercial catch. The bluefish is a migratory pelagic fish that generally travels northward in spring and summer and southward in fall and winter along the Atlantic seaboard. In the South Atlantic Region, spawning occurs primarily during spring waters just shoreward of the Gulf Stream form southern North Carolinamore » to Florida. Most larvae are carried northward by the Gulf Stream and are dispersed over the continental slope of the Middle Atlantic Region. Adult bluefish inhabit nearshore areas in the South Atlantic Region during their southerly migration in fall and winter. Larval bluefish eat mostly copepods, cladocerans, and invertebrate eggs; juveniles eat larger invertebrates and fishes. Adult bluefish eat fishes and seem to prefer schooling coastal species. Bluefish have been reported to avoid areas of low dissolved oxygen. Water turbidity may affect feeding because bluefish rely on vision to locate prey. Environmental disturbances which affect the dissolved oxygen concentration or turbidity of estuarine and nearshore waters may, therefore, affect bluefish distribution and feeding. 40 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Diet niches of major forage fish in Lake Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hunter, R. Douglas; Savino, J.F.; Ogilvie, L.M.; ,

2007-01-01

A large complex of coregonine species historically dominated the fish community of Lake Michigan. The current species complex is simplified with one remaining coregonine, bloater (Coregonus hoyi), deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsoni), slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus), and two dominant invaders, alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). To better understand the diet relationships of the major offshore forage fishes now in Lake Michigan, diets of bloater, alewife, rainbow smelt, deepwater sculpin, and slimy sculpin were compared. The three sites, chosen to represent northern, central, and southern components of the lake, were sampled during spring, summer, and fall in 1994, and spring and fall in 1995. Forage fishes had diverse and variable diets, with niches differentiated by prey type or location. Diporeia hoyi, Mysis relicta, and zooplankton were the major diet items. The index of relative importance showed benthic (slimy and deepwater sculpins) and pelagic (alewife, rainbow smelt) feeding strategies with opportunistic bloaters incorporating both feeding strategies. Highest diet overlaps were between species of sculpin, and between large and small bloaters; both groups partitioned food by size. Though competition for food may be minimized by spatial segregation of potential competitors, the forage fish in Lake Michigan apparently partition food resources. Fishery management models incorporating food habits of pelagic forage fish would need to take into account diet variation associated with location and season. ?? 2007 E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung.

A geochemical model of the Platanares geothermal system, Honduras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Janik, C.J.; Truesdell, A.H.; Goff, F.; Shevenell, L.; Stallard, M.L.; Trujillo, P.E.; Counce, D.

1991-01-01

Results of exploration drilling combined with results of geologic, geophysical, and hydrogeochemical investigations have been used to construct a geochemical model of the Platanares geothermal system, Honduras. Three coreholes were drilled, two of which produced fluids from fractured Miocene andesite and altered Cretaceous to Eocene conglomerate at 450 to 680 m depth. Large volume artesian flows of 160-165??C, predominantly bicarbonate water are chemically similar to, but slightly less saline than widespread boiling hot-spring waters. The chemistry of the produced fluid is dominated by equilibrium reactions in sedimentary rocks at greater depths and higher temperatures than those measured in the wells. Chemical, isotope, and gas geothermometers indicate a deep fluid temperature of 200-245??C and reflect a relatively short residence time in the fractures feeding the wells. Chloride-enthalpy relations as well as isotopic and chemical compositions of well discharges, thermal springs, and local cold waters support a conceptual model of ascending high-temperature (minimum 225??C) parent fluid that has cooled conductively to form the 160-165??C shallow (to 680 m) fluid encountered by the wells. The hot-spring waters are formed by boiling and steam loss from more or less conductively cooled parent fluid. The more dilute boiling spring waters (Cl = ???32 mg/kg) have cooled from > 225??C to about 160??C by conduction and from 160??C to 98??C by boiling. The most concentrated boiling spring waters (Cl = 37 mg/kg) have cooled from > 225??C to about 200??C by conduction and from 200??C to 98??C by boiling. Intermediate concentrations reflect mixed cooling paths. ?? 1991.

Characteristics of the Norwegian Coastal Current during Years with High Recruitment of Norwegian Spring Spawning Herring (Clupea harengus L.)

PubMed Central

Skagseth, Øystein; Slotte, Aril; Stenevik, Erling Kåre; Nash, Richard D. M.

2015-01-01

Norwegian Spring Spawning herring (NSSH) Clupea harengus L. spawn on coastal banks along the west coast of Norway. The larvae are generally transported northward in the Norwegian Coastal Current (NCC) with many individuals utilizing nursery grounds in the Barents Sea. The recruitment to this stock is highly variable with a few years having exceptionally good recruitment. The principal causes of recruitment variability of this herring population have been elusive. Here we undertake an event analysis using data between 1948 and 2010 to gain insight into the physical conditions in the NCC that coincide with years of high recruitment. In contrast to a typical year when northerly upwelling winds are prominent during spring, the years with high recruitment coincide with predominantly southwesterly winds and weak upwelling in spring and summer, which lead to an enhanced northward coastal current during the larval drift period. Also in most peak recruitment years, low-salinity anomalies are observed to propagate northward during the spring and summer. It is suggested that consistent southwesterly (downwelling) winds and propagating low-salinity anomalies, both leading to an enhanced northward transport of larvae, are important factors for elevated recruitment. At the same time, these conditions stabilize the coastal waters, possibly leading to enhanced production and improved feeding potential along the drift route to Barents Sea. Further studies on the drivers of early life history mortality can now be undertaken with a better understanding of the physical conditions that prevail during years when elevated recruitment occurs in this herring stock. PMID:26636759

Domestic Animal Hosts Strongly Influence Human-Feeding Rates of the Chagas Disease Vector Triatoma infestans in Argentina

PubMed Central

Gürtler, Ricardo E.; Cecere, María C.; Vázquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo M.; Ceballos, Leonardo A.; Gurevitz, Juan M.; Fernández, María del Pilar; Kitron, Uriel; Cohen, Joel E.

2014-01-01

Background The host species composition in a household and their relative availability affect the host-feeding choices of blood-sucking insects and parasite transmission risks. We investigated four hypotheses regarding factors that affect blood-feeding rates, proportion of human-fed bugs (human blood index), and daily human-feeding rates of Triatoma infestans, the main vector of Chagas disease. Methods A cross-sectional survey collected triatomines in human sleeping quarters (domiciles) of 49 of 270 rural houses in northwestern Argentina. We developed an improved way of estimating the human-feeding rate of domestic T. infestans populations. We fitted generalized linear mixed-effects models to a global model with six explanatory variables (chicken blood index, dog blood index, bug stage, numbers of human residents, bug abundance, and maximum temperature during the night preceding bug catch) and three response variables (daily blood-feeding rate, human blood index, and daily human-feeding rate). Coefficients were estimated via multimodel inference with model averaging. Findings Median blood-feeding intervals per late-stage bug were 4.1 days, with large variations among households. The main bloodmeal sources were humans (68%), chickens (22%), and dogs (9%). Blood-feeding rates decreased with increases in the chicken blood index. Both the human blood index and daily human-feeding rate decreased substantially with increasing proportions of chicken- or dog-fed bugs, or the presence of chickens indoors. Improved calculations estimated the mean daily human-feeding rate per late-stage bug at 0.231 (95% confidence interval, 0.157–0.305). Conclusions and Significance Based on the changing availability of chickens in domiciles during spring-summer and the much larger infectivity of dogs compared with humans, we infer that the net effects of chickens in the presence of transmission-competent hosts may be more adequately described by zoopotentiation than by zooprophylaxis. Domestic animals in domiciles profoundly affect the host-feeding choices, human-vector contact rates and parasite transmission predicted by a model based on these estimates. PMID:24852606

The effect of Agaricus brasiliensis extract supplementation on honey bee colonies.

PubMed

Stevanovic, Jevrosima; Stanimirovic, Zoran; Simeunovic, Predrag; Lakic, Nada; Radovic, Ivica; Sokovic, Marina; Griensven, Leo J L D VAN

2018-01-01

This study was done to discover any beneficial effect of a medicinal mushroom Agaricus brasiliensis extract on the honey bee. Firstly, a laboratory experiment was conducted on 640 bees reared in 32 single-use plastic rearing cups. A. brasiliensis extract proved safe in all doses tested (50, 100 and 150 mg/kg/day) irrespective of feeding mode (sugar syrup or candy). Secondly, a three-year field experiment was conducted on 26 colonies treated with a single dose of A. brasiliensis extract (100 mg/kg/day) added to syrup. Each year the colonies were treated once in autumn and twice in spring. The treatments significantly increased colony strength parameters: brood rearing improvement and adult population growth were noticed more often than the increase in honey production and pollen reserves. These positive effects were mainly observed in April. In conclusion, A. brasiliensis extract is safe for the bees and helps maintaining strong colonies, especially in spring.

Littoral foraging by red phalaropes during spring in the northern Bering Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haney, J. Christopher; Stone, Amy E.

1988-01-01

Phalaropes demonstrate considerable plasticity in their choice of foraging habitats. The Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicaria) alternates use of pelagic environments in winter and migration (Taning 1933, Stanford 1953, Briggs et al 1984) with wet tundra habitats during the breeding season (Kistchinski 1975, Mayfield 1979, Ridley 1980). Foods available and taken in littoral zones of the Arctic Ocean in fall have been identified (Conners and Risebrough 1978, Johnson and Richardson 1980), but otherwise little attention has been devoted to the transition between the marine and terrestrial periods of the Red Phalarope’s life history. We report phalarope use of littoral areas during spring in the northern Bering Sea and Kongkok Bay, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. In addition, we describe phalarope foraging tactics and foods available in the sur zone, emphasizing this form of littoral foraging as an opportunistic and facultative feeding strategy.

Development of the Aquarius Antenna Deployment Mechanisms and Spring/Damper Actuator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Joel A.

2008-01-01

The Aquarius Instrument s large radar reflector dish needed to be stowed for launch, and then deployed on-orbit. The Deployment Subsystem consisted of a cantilevered boom structure and two single-axis hinge mechanisms to accurately deploy and position the reflector dish relative to the radar feed horns. The cantilevered design demanded high stiffness and accuracy from the deployment mechanism at the root of the boom. A preload-generating end-of-travel latch was also required. To largely eliminate the need for control systems, each deployment mechanism was actuated by a passive spring motor with viscous-fluid damping. Tough requirements and adaptation of a heritage actuator to the new application resulted in numerous challenges. Fabrication, assembly, and testing encountered additional problems, though ultimately the system was demonstrated very successfully. This paper revisits the development to highlight which design concepts worked and the many important lessons learned.

Extensive feeding on sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka smolts by bull trout Salvelinus confluentus during initial outmigration into a small, unregulated and inland British Columbia river

USGS Publications Warehouse

Furey, Nathan B.; Hinch, Scott G.; Lotto, A.G.; Beauchamp, David A.

2015-01-01

Stomach contents were collected and analysed from 22 bull trout Salvelinus confluentus at the edge of the Chilko Lake and Chilko River in British Columbia, Canada, during spring outmigration of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka smolts. Twenty of the 22 (>90%) stomachs contained prey items, virtually all identifiable prey items were outmigrant O. nerka smolts and stomach contents represented a large portion (0·0–12·6%) of estimated S. confluentus mass. The results demonstrate nearly exclusive and intense feeding by S. confluentus on outmigrant smolts, and support recent telemetry observations of high disappearance rates of O. nerka smolts leaving large natural lake systems prior to entering high-order unregulated river systems.

Extensive feeding on sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka smolts by bull trout Salvelinus confluentus during initial outmigration into a small, unregulated and inland British Columbia river.

PubMed

Furey, N B; Hinch, S G; Lotto, A G; Beauchamp, D A

2015-01-01

Stomach contents were collected and analysed from 22 bull trout Salvelinus confluentus at the edge of the Chilko Lake and Chilko River in British Columbia, Canada, during spring outmigration of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka smolts. Twenty of the 22 (>90%) stomachs contained prey items, virtually all identifiable prey items were outmigrant O. nerka smolts and stomach contents represented a large portion (0·0-12·6%) of estimated S. confluentus mass. The results demonstrate nearly exclusive and intense feeding by S. confluentus on outmigrant smolts, and support recent telemetry observations of high disappearance rates of O. nerka smolts leaving large natural lake systems prior to entering high-order unregulated river systems. © 2014 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Reciprocal Trophic Interactions and Transmission of Blood Parasites between Mosquitoes and Frogs

PubMed Central

Ferguson, Laura V.; Smith, Todd G.

2012-01-01

The relationship between mosquitoes and their amphibian hosts is a unique, reciprocal trophic interaction. Instead of a one-way, predator-prey relationship, there is a cyclical dance of avoidance and attraction. This has prompted spatial and temporal synchrony between organisms, reflected in emergence time of mosquitoes in the spring and choice of habitat for oviposition. Frog-feeding mosquitoes also possess different sensory apparatuses than do their mammal-feeding counterparts. The reciprocal nature of this relationship is exploited by various blood parasites that use mechanical, salivary or trophic transmission to pass from mosquitoes to frogs. It is important to investigate the involvement of mosquitoes, frogs and parasites in this interaction in order to understand the consequences of anthropogenic actions, such as implementing biocontrol efforts against mosquitoes, and to determine potential causes of the global decline of amphibian species. PMID:26466534

KSC-02pd0119

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-02-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. (center) cuts the ribbon for the opening of KSC Direct, the new Web-Broadcast Studio at KSC. Joining him are (left to right) Dennis Armstrong, Web Multimedia manager; JoAnn H. Morgan, director of External Relations and Business Development; Bridges; Vanessa Stromer, Information Technology Division, Spaceport Services; and Brian Chase, district director for Congressman Dave Weldon, who was unable to attend the ceremony. Located in the News Center on the Press Mound at KSC, the Web Broadcast Studio provides video clips of launches, landings and other KSC events in a real-time environment, called KSC Direct, through KSC's Web pages

KSC-04PD-0265

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Congressman Dave Weldon listens to a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Tom Feeney, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-00pp1244

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-09-06

The ribbon is cut and the new Checkout and Launch Control System (CLCS) declared operational. Those taking part in the ceremony are (from left) Joseph Rothenberg, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight; Pam Gillespie, from Rep. Dave Weldon's office; Roy Bridges, Kennedy Space Center director; Dave King, director of Shuttle Processing; Retha Hart, deputy associate director, Spaceport Technology Management Office; and Ron Dittemore, manager, Space Shuttle Program. The new control room will be used to process the Orbital Maneuvering System pods and Forward Reaction Control System modules at the HMF. This hardware is removed from Space Shuttle orbiters and routinely taken to the HMF for checkout and servicing

KSC00pp1244

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-09-06

The ribbon is cut and the new Checkout and Launch Control System (CLCS) declared operational. Those taking part in the ceremony are (from left) Joseph Rothenberg, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight; Pam Gillespie, from Rep. Dave Weldon's office; Roy Bridges, Kennedy Space Center director; Dave King, director of Shuttle Processing; Retha Hart, deputy associate director, Spaceport Technology Management Office; and Ron Dittemore, manager, Space Shuttle Program. The new control room will be used to process the Orbital Maneuvering System pods and Forward Reaction Control System modules at the HMF. This hardware is removed from Space Shuttle orbiters and routinely taken to the HMF for checkout and servicing

Energy profiling of demersal fish: a case-study in wind farm artificial reefs.

PubMed

De Troch, Marleen; Reubens, Jan T; Heirman, Elke; Degraer, Steven; Vincx, Magda

2013-12-01

The construction of wind farms introduces artificial hard substrates in sandy sediments. As Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and pouting (Trisopterus luscus) tend to aggregate in order to feed around these reefs, energy profiling and trophic markers were applied to study their feeding ecology in a wind farm in the Belgian part of the North Sea. The proximate composition (carbohydrates, proteins and lipids) differed significantly between liver and muscle tissue but not between fish species or between their potential prey species. Atlantic cod showed to consume more energy than pouting. The latter had a higher overall energy reserve and can theoretically survive twice as long on the available energy than cod. In autumn, both fish species could survive longer on their energy than in spring. Polyunsaturated fatty acids were found in high concentrations in fish liver. The prey species Jassa and Pisidia were both rich in EPA while Jassa had a higher DHA content than Pisidia. Energy profiling supported the statement that wind farm artificial reefs are suitable feeding ground for both fish species. Sufficient energy levels were recorded and there is no indication of competition.

Effect of commercially available egg cures on the survival of juvenile salmonids

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clements, S.; Chitwood, R.; Schreck, C.B.

2011-01-01

There is some concern that incidental consumption of eggs cured with commercially available cures for the purpose of sport fishing causes mortality in juvenile salmon. We evaluated this by feeding juvenile spring Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss) with eggs cured with one of five commercially available cures. We observed significant levels of mortality in both pre-smolts and smolts. Depending on the experiment, 2, 3, or 4 of the cures were associated with mortality. Mortality tended to be higher in the smolts than in the parr, but there was no clear species effect. The majority of mortality occurred within the first 10 d of feeding. Removal of sodium sulfite from the cure significantly reduced the level of mortality. Soaking the eggs prior to feeding did not reduce mortality. We observed a clear relationship between the amount of cured egg consumed each day and the survival time. We conclude that consumption of eggs cured with sodium sulfite has the potential to cause mortality in juvenile steelhead and Chinook salmon in the wild.

The winter pack-ice zone provides a sheltered but food-poor habitat for larval Antarctic krill.

PubMed

Meyer, Bettina; Freier, Ulrich; Grimm, Volker; Groeneveld, Jürgen; Hunt, Brian P V; Kerwath, Sven; King, Rob; Klaas, Christine; Pakhomov, Evgeny; Meiners, Klaus M; Melbourne-Thomas, Jessica; Murphy, Eugene J; Thorpe, Sally E; Stammerjohn, Sharon; Wolf-Gladrow, Dieter; Auerswald, Lutz; Götz, Albrecht; Halbach, Laura; Jarman, Simon; Kawaguchi, So; Krumpen, Thomas; Nehrke, Gernot; Ricker, Robert; Sumner, Michael; Teschke, Mathias; Trebilco, Rowan; Yilmaz, Noyan I

2017-12-01

A dominant Antarctic ecological paradigm suggests that winter sea ice is generally the main feeding ground for krill larvae. Observations from our winter cruise to the southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean contradict this view and present the first evidence that the pack-ice zone is a food-poor habitat for larval development. In contrast, the more open marginal ice zone provides a more favourable food environment for high larval krill growth rates. We found that complex under-ice habitats are, however, vital for larval krill when water column productivity is limited by light, by providing structures that offer protection from predators and to collect organic material released from the ice. The larvae feed on this sparse ice-associated food during the day. After sunset, they migrate into the water below the ice (upper 20 m) and drift away from the ice areas where they have previously fed. Model analyses indicate that this behaviour increases both food uptake in a patchy food environment and the likelihood of overwinter transport to areas where feeding conditions are more favourable in spring.

Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition Impact through the Feed the Future Initiative.

PubMed

Du, Lidan; Pinga, Victor; Klein, Alyssa; Danton, Heather

2015-01-01

Nutrition is a multisectoral problem; current state of empirical evidence for agricultural interventions' impacts on nutrition is weak. In the past 10 years, both agriculture and nutrition have risen on the global policy agenda. Several recent international movements have created great momentum for nutrition among global political leaders and policymakers. The 2008 world food price crisis prompted larger investment pledges to agricultural development. The U.S. Government launched the Feed the Future initiative in 2009 to address global hunger and food security, with a primary goal to reduce poverty and undernutrition by simultaneously promoting inclusive agriculture sector growth and improved nutritional status for women and children. With operations in 19 focus countries, Feed the Future provides an important laboratory of learning where efforts can be effective and, once proven, taken to scale to make agriculture work for nutrition. The Strengthening Partnerships, Results, and Innovations in Nutrition Globally (SPRING) project has been conducting a series of research on the Feed the Future initiative. This chapter will first provide a review of the nutrition narrative in relation to food and nutrition, introduce the current understanding of linkages between agriculture and nutrition and the Feed the Future initiative's efforts to strengthen the nutritional impact of agricultural and economic growth activities, and describe an extensive review of how the design and early implementation of Feed the Future activities linked agriculture and nutrition. Finally, the chapter presents an updated framework that incorporates ways to improve nutrition outcomes of agricultural programming in the broader context of food system. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NASA/DOD (National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Department of Defense) Control/Structures Interaction Technology Conference (2nd) Held in Colorado Springs, Colorado on 17-19 November 1987.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-01

James McKelvy and Harold Tinsley *," . CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF A SPACE STATION DYNAMIC SCALE MODEL ............. 87 Robert Letchworth, Paul E... CONCEPTUAL SYSTEM DESIGN FOR ANTENNA THERMAL AND DYNAMIC DISTORTION COMPENSATION USING A PHASED ARRAY FEED ................... 145 G. R. Sharp, R. J...to achieve somne desired state or trajectory. For conceptual purposes, however, an alternate view is useful in which the measurement reference against

Manatees at the KSC Wildlife Refuge

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-01-08

Manatees gather in the shallows of Banana Creek inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

Manatees at the KSC Wildlife Refuge

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-01-08

Manatees gather in the Banana Creek inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

KSC-08pd2103

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-06-19

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Two manatees frolic in the Banana Creek at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, adjacent to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida’s warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Kennedy shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

KSC-05PD-1076

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Seemingly asleep, a manatee floats in the Haulover Canal near NASAs Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

KSC-05PD-1074

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Two manatees surface in the Haulover Canal near NASAs Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, Aquatic Plant Control Research Program (25th) Held in Orlando, Florida on 26-30 November 1990

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-01

to locate and treat pioneering aquatic plants in late spring to assist in populations prior to their rapid expansion the formulation of treatment... Demography Wulff, R. D. 1986a. "Seed Size Variation in and Its Consequences for Potamogeton Desmodium paniculatum; I. Factors Af- pectinatus L...formed by the confluence of the include longevity of the method, constant fish- Wateree and Congaree Rivers. The Wateree feeding activity against

Type C botulism in dairy cattle from feed contaminated with a dead cat

USGS Publications Warehouse

Galey, F.D.; Terra, R.; Walker, R.; Adaska, J.; Etchebarne, M.A.; Puschener, B.; Whitlock, R.H.; Rocke, T.E.; Willoughby, D.; Tor, E.

2000-01-01

Four hundred twenty-seven of 441 adult Holstein dairy cattle from a 1,200-cow dairy died over a 1-week period during early spring 1998. Affected animals were from 4 late lactation pens, one of which included the bull string. Signs included weakness, recumbency, watery diarrhea, and death. Eighty animals from the 4 pens were dead approximately 8 hours after the first ill cows were noted. Affected cows would collapse on stimulation and extend all 4 limbs with moderate rigidity. Several lacked lingual tonus and had abdominal breathing patterns. The animals had been fed a load of total mixed ration that included a rotten bale of oat hay containing a dead cat. No common toxicants were identified, and pathologic examination revealed no consistent lesions. Testing of tissue from the cat carcass found in the feed sample using mouse protection bioassay identified the presence of type C botulinum toxin. Samples of feed, tissue from affected animals, cat tissue from feed, milk, and serum were also tested using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) specific for type C botulinum. Two samples of rumen contents were tested and found to be positive for botulism by ELISA, and 1 of 3 liver samples had a weak positive finding. No botulinum toxin was found in milk or sera using the ELISA.

Spring-staging ecology of midcontinent greater white-fronted geese

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krapu, G.L.; Reinecke, K.J.; Jorde, Dennis G.; Simpson, S.G.

1995-01-01

A major part of the midcontinent greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) population stages for several weeks in spring in the Rainwater Basin Area (RBA) of south-central Nebraska where substantial mortality from disease occurs periodically. Effective management of this population requires better data on use of habitat, vulnerability to disease, and the role of staging areas in migration and reproduction. We studied use of habitat, foods, nutrient dynamics, and effect of changes in agriculture on food availability and habitat needs in spring 1979-80. During daylight, geese were observed primarily in harvested cornfields (76%) and growing winter wheat (23%). Corn grain and winter wheat shoots composed 90 and 9%, respectively, of foods consumed by collected geese (n = 42). Feeding activity did not vary among post-harvest cornfield treatments except that little feeding occurred (P 0.05) of temporal variation in calcium content. Adult geese storing 14.2 g of fat per day deposited approximately 582 g of fat between 22 February and 8 April. Energy requirements for thermal regulation were small compared with requirements for fat synthesis and probably had little effect on nutrient deposition. The 34,000 white-fronted geese present on the Harvard Marsh and Prairie Dog Marsh study areas in March 1980 probably used <20% of the corn available within a 5-km radius. We believe that midcontinent white-fronted geese arrive on Arctic breeding grounds with larger and less variable fat reserves than prior to modern agricultural development. We attribute this response to increased food availability on staging areas where the net effect of agricultural changes has been an increase in corn availability. Waterfowl managers can increase dispersion of geese and provide favorable foraging conditions by maintaining well-distributed wetland roosting habitat and by working with private landowners to ensure access to grain in the vicinity of wetlands.

Technical note: Nitrogen isotopic fractionation can be used to predict nitrogen-use efficiency in dairy cows fed temperate pasture.

PubMed

Cheng, L; Sheahan, A J; Gibbs, S J; Rius, A G; Kay, J K; Meier, S; Edwards, G R; Dewhurst, R J; Roche, J R

2013-12-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between nitrogen isotopic fractionation (δ(15)N) and nitrogen-use efficiency (milk nitrogen/nitrogen intake; NUE) in pasture-fed dairy cows supplemented with increasing levels of urea to mimic high rumen degradable protein pastures in spring. Fifteen cows were randomly assigned to freshly cut pasture and either supplemented with 0, 250, or 336 g urea/d. Feed, milk, and plasma were analyzed for δ(15)N, milk and plasma for urea nitrogen concentration, and plasma for ammonia concentration. Treatment effects were tested using ANOVA and relationships between variables were established by linear regression. Lower dry matter intake (P = 0.002) and milk yield (P = 0.002) occurred with the highest urea supplementation (336 g urea/d) compared with the other two treatments. There was a strong linear relationship between milk δ(15)N - feed δ(15)N and NUE: [NUE (%) = 58.9 - 10.17 × milk δ(15)N - feed δ(15)N (‰) (r(2) = 0.83, P < 0.001, SE = 1.67)] and between plasma δ(15)N - feed δ(15)N and NUE: [NUE (%) = 52.4 - 8.61 × plasma δ(15)N - feed δ(15)N (‰) (r(2) = 0.85, P < 0.001, SE = 1.56)] . This study confirmed the potential use of δ(15)N to predict NUE in cows consuming different levels of rumen degradable protein.

Insights into Andean slope hydrology: reservoir characteristics of the thermal Pica spring system, Pampa del Tamarugal, northern Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scheihing, Konstantin W.; Moya, Claudio E.; Tröger, Uwe

2017-09-01

The thermal Pica springs, at ˜1,400 m above sea level (asl) in the Pampa del Tamarugal (Chile), represent a low-saline spring system at the eastern margin of the hyper-arid Atacama Desert, where groundwater resources are scarce. This study investigates the hydrogeological and geothermal characteristics of their feed reservoir, fostered by the interpretation of a 20-km east-west-heading reflection-seismic line in the transition zone from the Andean Precordillera to the Pampa del Tamarugal. Additional hydrochemical, isotope and hydrologic time-series data support the integrated analysis. One of the main factors that enabled the development of the spring-related vertical fracture system at Pica, is a disruption zone in the Mesozoic Basement caused by intrusive formations. This destabilized the younger Oligocene units under the given tectonic stress conditions; thus, the respective groundwater reservoir is made up of fractured Oligocene units of low to moderate permeability. Groundwater recharge takes place in the Precordillera at ˜3,800 m asl. From there groundwater flow covers a height difference of ˜3,000 m with a maximum circulation depth of ˜800-950 m, where the waters obtain their geothermal imprint. The maximal expected reservoir temperature, as confirmed by geothermometers, is ˜55 °C. Corrected mean residence times of spring water and groundwater plot at 1,200-4,300 years BP and yield average interstitial velocities of 6.5-22 m/year. At the same time, the hydraulic head signal, as induced by recharge events in the Precordillera, is transmitted within 20-24 months over a distance of ˜32 km towards the Andean foothills at Pica and Puquio Nunez.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adams, Marshall; Fortner, Allison M

On December 22, 2008, over 4 million cubic meters of fly ash slurry was released into the Emory River when a dike surrounding a solid waste containment area at the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant ruptured. One component of TVA's response to the spill is a biological monitoring program to assess short- and long-term ecological responses to the ash and associated chemicals, including studies on fish health and contaminant bioaccumulation. These studies were initiated in early Spring 2009 for the purposes of: (1) documenting the levels of fly ash-associated metals in various tissues of representative sentinel fish speciesmore » in the area of the fly ash spill, (2) determining if exposure to fly ash-associated metals causes short, intermediate, or long-term health effects on these sentinel fish species, (3) assessing if there are causal relationships between exposure to metals and health effects on fish, (4) evaluating, along with information from other ecological and physicochemical studies, the nature and route of contaminant transfer though food chains into higher level consumers, (5) providing important information for the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) for the Kingston fly ash project, and (6) serving as an important technology information transfer or model study focused on how to best evaluate the environmental effects of fly ash (and related environmental stressors), not only at the Kingston site, but also at sites on other aquatic systems where coal-fired generating stations are located. This report presents the results of the first two years of the fish health study. To date, fish health and bioaccumulation studies have been conducted from Spring 2009 though Fall 2011 and includes 6 seasonal studies: Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, and Fall 2011. Both the Spring and Fall studies have focused on 3-4 sentinel fish species that represent different feeding habits, behaviors, and home ranges. In addition to fish health and bioaccumulation, the Spring investigations also included reproductive integrity studies on the same fish used for bioaccumulation and fish health. In this report, results of the fish health studies from Spring 2009 through Fall 2010 are presented while an associated report will present the fish reproductive studies conducted during Spring 2009 and Spring 2010. A report on fish bioaccumulation was submitted to TVA in June 2011. The fish health study conducted in conjunction with the bioaccumulation and reproductive study is critical for assessing and evaluating possible causal relationships between contaminant exposure (bioaccumulation) and the response of fish to exposure as reflected by the various measurements of fish health.« less

Stable isotope labeling confirms mixotrophic nature of streamer biofilm communities at alkaline hot springs.

PubMed

Schubotz, Florence; Hays, Lindsay E; Meyer-Dombard, D'Arcy R; Gillespie, Aimee; Shock, Everett L; Summons, Roger E

2015-01-01

Streamer biofilm communities (SBC) are often observed within chemosynthetic zones of Yellowstone hot spring outflow channels, where temperatures exceed those conducive to photosynthesis. Nearest the hydrothermal source (75-88°C) SBC comprise thermophilic Archaea and Bacteria, often mixed communities including Desulfurococcales and uncultured Crenarchaeota, as well as Aquificae and Thermus, each carrying diagnostic membrane lipid biomarkers. We tested the hypothesis that SBC can alternate their metabolism between autotrophy and heterotrophy depending on substrate availability. Feeding experiments were performed at two alkaline hot springs in Yellowstone National Park: Octopus Spring and "Bison Pool," using various (13)C-labeled substrates (bicarbonate, formate, acetate, and glucose) to determine the relative uptake of these different carbon sources. Highest (13)C uptake, at both sites, was from acetate into almost all bacterial fatty acids, particularly into methyl-branched C15, C17 and C19 fatty acids that are diagnostic for Thermus/Meiothermus, and some Firmicutes as well as into universally common C16:0 and C18:0 fatty acids. (13)C-glucose showed a similar, but a 10-30 times lower uptake across most fatty acids. (13)C-bicarbonate uptake, signifying the presence of autotrophic communities was only significant at "Bison Pool" and was observed predominantly in non-specific saturated C16, C18, C20, and C22 fatty acids. Incorporation of (13)C-formate occurred only at very low rates at "Bison Pool" and was almost undetectable at Octopus Spring, suggesting that formate is not an important carbon source for SBC. (13)C-uptake into archaeal lipids occurred predominantly with (13)C-acetate, suggesting also that archaeal communities at both springs have primarily heterotrophic carbon assimilation pathways. We hypothesize that these communities are energy-limited and predominantly nurtured by input of exogenous organic material, with only a small fraction being sustained by autotrophic growth.

Trophodynamics of a deep-sea demersal fish assemblage from the bathyal eastern Ionian Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madurell, T.; Cartes, J. E.

2005-11-01

Daily food consumption of the eight dominant demersal fish species of the bathyal eastern Ionian Sea were determined from field data on four seasonal cruises (April 1999, July August 1999, November 1999 and February 2000). Daily ration (DR) estimates ranged from 0.198 to 4.273% WW/WW. Overall, DR estimates were independent of the model used, and they were comparable to the daily consumption of other deep-sea fauna (e.g. fish and crustaceans). Both sharks studied ( Galeus melastomus and Etmopterus spinax) exhibited the highest values of DRs, together with the macrourid Coelorhynchus coelorhynchus in August. Among osteichthyes, DR estimates were related (in a multi-linear regression model) to the nature of their diet (i.e. their trophic level deduced from δ15N isotopic composition, the mean number of prey and trophic diversity). Thus, species feeding at a lower trophic level, ingesting a large number of prey items and with a very diversified diet had higher DR than species from higher trophic level and feeding fewer prey items. By season, the DR of species feeding mainly on mesopelagic prey ( Hoplostethus mediterraneus and Helicolenus dactylopterus) were higher in summer, while DR for benthos/suprabenthos feeders (i.e. C. coelorhynchus and Nezumia sclerorhynchus) were higher in spring. Higher food consumption coincides with maximum food availability, both among mesopelagic feeders (higher availability of euphausiids, Pasiphaea sivado and Sergestes arcticus in summer) and among Macrouridae (higher suprabenthos densities in spring). In a tentative estimate the energy intake deduced from diet (i.e. mean energy value of food ingested) was constant in all seasons for each species studied. Results for the energy intake also indicate higher energy intake in the diet of mesopelagic feeders than in the diet of benthic feeders. Overall results are discussed in relation to the deep-sea ecosystem structure and functioning.

Natural heterotrophic feeding by a temperate octocoral with symbiotic zooxanthellae: a contribution to understanding the mechanisms of die-off events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coma, Rafel; Llorente-Llurba, Eduard; Serrano, Eduard; Gili, Josep-Maria; Ribes, Marta

2015-06-01

Octocorals are among the most emblematic and representative organisms of sublittoral communities in both tropical and temperate seas. Eunicella singularis is the most abundant gorgonian in shallow waters and the only gorgonian with symbiotic zooxanthellae in the Mediterranean Sea. We studied the natural diet and prey capture rate of this species over an annual cycle and characterized prey digestion time over the natural temperature regime. The species captured zooplankton prey between 40 and 920 µm. A mean content of 0.14 ± 0.02 prey polyp-1 was observed throughout the year. The strong pattern of decrease in digestion time with temperature increase (from 25 h at 13 °C to 8 h at 21 °C) allowed us to estimate that the prey capture rate was 0.017 ± 0.002 prey polyp-1 h-1 (mean ± SE); the ingestion rate exhibited a seasonal pattern with higher values in spring (0.007 µg C polyp-1 h-1). Feeding on zooplankton had a low contribution to the respiratory expenses of E. singularis except in early spring. Then, heterotrophic nutrition in the natural environment seems unable to meet basal metabolic requirements, especially in summer and fall. This result, in conjunction with the documented collapse of photosynthetic capacity above a warm temperature threshold, indicates the occurrence of a resource acquisition limitation that may play a role in the repeated summer die-off events of the species.

Linking oceanic food webs to coastal production and growth rates of Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.), using models on three scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aydin, Kerim Y.; McFarlane, Gordon A.; King, Jacquelynne R.; Megrey, Bernard A.; Myers, Katherine W.

2005-03-01

Three independent modeling methods—a nutrient-phytoplankton-zooplankton (NPZ) model (NEMURO), a food web model (Ecopath/Ecosim), and a bioenergetics model for pink salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)—were linked to examine the relationship between seasonal zooplankton dynamics and annual food web productive potential for Pacific salmon feeding and growing in the Alaskan subarctic gyre ecosystem. The linked approach shows the importance of seasonal and ontogenetic prey switching for zooplanktivorous pink salmon, and illustrates the critical role played by lipid-rich forage species, especially the gonatid squid Berryteuthis anonychus, in connecting zooplankton to upper trophic level production in the subarctic North Pacific. The results highlight the need to uncover natural mechanisms responsible for accelerated late winter and early spring growth of salmon, especially with respect to climate change and zooplankton bloom timing. Our results indicate that the best match between modeled and observed high-seas pink salmon growth requires the inclusion of two factors into bioenergetics models: (1) decreasing energetic foraging costs for salmon as zooplankton are concentrated by the spring shallowing of pelagic mixed-layer depth and (2) the ontogenetic switch of salmon diets from zooplankton to squid. Finally, we varied the timing and input levels of coastal salmon production to examine effects of density-dependent coastal processes on ocean feeding; coastal processes that place relatively minor limitations on salmon growth may delay the seasonal timing of ontogenetic diet shifts and thus have a magnified effect on overall salmon growth rates.

Bird mortality following DDT spray for Dutch elm disease

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wurster, D.H.; Wurster, C.F.; Strickland, W.N.

1965-01-01

Avian populations in Hanover, N. H., a town that has sprayed its elms with DDT for many years in an attempt to control Dutch elm disease, were compared with those in Norwich, Vt., a town 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Hanover that has never sprayed. Hanover applied 109 lb DDT/acre (2.1 kg/hectare) in April 1963, then used Methoxychlor in April 1964. Population surveys were taken regularly during spring and early summer of these years, dead birds were collected in both towns, and 106 birds were analyzed for DDT, DDE, and DDD. Severe mortality of both resident and migrant birds occurred in Hanover during spring 1963, and the evidence implicates DDT as its cause. Robin loss was estimated at 70% of the resident population, or 350 to 400 individuals, but mortality among other species of widely varied feeding habits was also substantial. Feeding habits suggest that some birds acquired the toxicant by eating living insects carrying DDT, presenting the paradox of survival of the intended DDT victims, and death, instead, of insectivorous birds. Organ and whole bird analyses are presented and criteria for establishing cause of death are discussed. Most of the DDT had been converted to DDE and DDD, and residues were found in all organs analyzed. Robin mortality was reduced, but not eliminated following Methoxychlor application in 1964; these losses were believed caused by residual DDT in the soil. There was no evidence DDT poisoning among other species in 1964, though the dead birds collected were not analyzed.

Dry matter intake and feed efficiency profiles of 3 genotypes of Holstein-Friesian within pasture-based systems of milk production.

PubMed

Coleman, J; Berry, D P; Pierce, K M; Brennan, A; Horan, B

2010-09-01

The primary objective of the study was to quantify the effect of genetic improvement using the Irish total merit index (Economic Breeding Index) on dry matter intake and feed efficiency across lactation and to quantify the variation in performance among alternative definitions of feed efficiency. Three genotypes of Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle were established from within the Moorepark dairy research herd: 1) low Economic Breeding Index North American Holstein-Friesian representative of the Irish national average dairy cow, 2) high genetic merit North American Holstein-Friesian, and 3) high genetic merit New Zealand Holstein-Friesian. Animals from within each genotype were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 possible intensive pasture-based feed systems: 1) the Moorepark pasture system (2.64 cows/ha and 500 kg of concentrate supplement per cow per lactation) and 2) a high output per hectare pasture system (2.85 cows/ha and 1,200 kg of concentrate supplement per cow per lactation). A total of 128 and 140 spring-calving dairy cows were used during the years 2007 and 2008, respectively. Each group had an individual farmlet of 17 paddocks, and all groups were managed similarly throughout the study. The effects of genotype, feed system, and the interaction between genotype and feed system on dry matter intake, milk production, body weight, body condition score, and different definitions of feed efficiency were studied using mixed models with factorial arrangements of genotypes and feed systems accounting for the repeated cow records across years. No significant genotype-by-feed-system interactions were observed for any of the variables measured. Results showed that aggressive selection using the Irish Economic Breeding Index had no effect on dry matter intake across lactation when managed on intensive pasture-based systems of milk production, although the ranking of genotypes for feed efficiency differed depending on the definition of feed efficiency used. Performance of animals grouped on alternative definitions of feed efficiency showed that conventional definitions such as feed conversion efficiency or residual feed intake may be inappropriate measures of efficiency for lactating dairy cows. An alternative definition, residual solids production, is proposed. This definition of feed efficiency identifies animals that produce greater volumes of milk solids at similar levels of feed intake without excessive body tissue mobilization and with improved fertility performance. The results also suggest that although there are differences in feed efficiency between strains of Holstein-Friesian, there is also variation within genotypes so that improvements in feed efficiency can be realized if the appropriate definition of feed efficiency is incorporated into breeding programs. Copyright (c) 2010 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ground-water quality and effects of poultry confined animal feeding operations on shallow ground water, upper Shoal Creek basin, Southwest Missouri, 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mugel, Douglas N.

2002-01-01

Forty-seven wells and 8 springs were sampled in May, October, and November 2000 in the upper Shoal Creek Basin, southwest Missouri, to determine if nutrient concentrations and fecal bacteria densities are increasing in the shallow aquifer as a result of poultry confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Most of the land use in the basin is agricultural, with cattle and hay production dominating; the number of poultry CAFOs has increased in recent years. Poultry waste (litter) is used as a source of nutrients on pasture land as much as several miles away from poultry barns.Most wells in the sample network were classified as ?P? wells, which were open only or mostly to the Springfield Plateau aquifer and where poultry litter was applied to a substantial acreage within 0.5 mile of the well both in spring 2000 and in several previous years; and ?Ag? wells, which were open only or mostly to the Springfield Plateau aquifer and which had limited or no association with poultry CAFOs. Water-quality data from wells and springs were grouped for statistical purposes as P1, Ag1, and Sp1 (May 2000 samples) and P2, Ag2, and Sp2 (October or November 2000 samples). The results of this study do not indicate that poultry CAFOs are affecting the shallow ground water in the upper Shoal Creek Basin with respect to nutrient concentrations and fecal bacteria densities. Statistical tests do not indicate that P wells sampled in spring 2000 have statistically larger concentrations of nitrite plus nitrate or fecal indicator bacteria densities than Ag wells sampled during the same time, at a 95-percent confidence level. Instead, the Ag wells had statistically larger concentrations of nitrite plus nitrate and fecal coliform bacteria densities than the P wells.The results of this study do not indicate seasonal variations from spring 2000 to fall 2000 in the concentrations of nutrients or fecal indicator bacteria densities from well samples. Statistical tests do not indicate statistically significant differences at a 95-percent confidence level for nitrite plus nitrate concentrations or fecal indicator bacteria densities between either P wells sampled in spring and fall 2000, or Ag wells sampled in spring and fall 2000. However, analysis of samples from springs shows that fecal streptococcus bacteria densities were statistically smaller in fall 2000 than in spring 2000 at a 95-percent confidence level.Nitrite plus nitrate concentrations in spring 2000 samples ranged from less than the detection level [0.02 mg/L (milligram per liter) as nitrogen] to 18 mg/L as nitrogen. Seven samples from three wells had nitrite plus nitrate concentrations at or larger than the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg/L as nitrogen. The median nitrite plus nitrate concentrations were 0.28 mg/L as nitrogen for P1 samples, 4.6 mg/L as nitrogen for Ag1 samples, and 3.9 mg/L as nitrogen for Sp1 samples.Fecal coliform bacteria were detected in 1 of 25 P1 samples and 5 of 15 Ag1 samples. Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria were detected in 3 of 24 P1 samples and 1 of 13 Ag1 samples. Fecal streptococcus bacteria were detected in 8 of 25 P1 samples and 6 of 15 Ag1 samples. Bacteria densities in samples from wells ranged from less than 1 to 81 col/100 mL (colonies per 100 milliliters) of fecal coliform, less than 1 to 140 col/100 mL of E. coli, and less than 1 to 130 col/100 mL of fecal streptococcus. Fecal indicator bacteria densities in samples from springs were substantially larger than in samples from wells. In Sp1 samples, bacteria densities ranged from 12 to 3,300 col/100 mL of fecal coliform, 40 to 2,700 col/100 mL of E. coli, and 42 to 3,100 col/100 mL of fecal streptococcus.

Predatory behavior of grizzly bears feeding on elk calves in Yellowstone National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

French, Steven P.; French, Marilynn G.

1990-01-01

Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) were observed preying on elk calves (Cervus elaphus) on 60 occasions in Yellowstone National Park, with 29 confirmed kills. Some bears were deliberate predators and effectively preyed on elk calves for short periods each spring, killing up to 1 calf daily. Primary hunting techniques were searching and chasing although some bears used a variety of techniques during a single hunt. They hunted both day and night and preyed on calves in the open and in the woods. Excess killing occurred when circumstances permitted. One bear caught 5 calves in a 15-minute interval. Elk used a variety of antipredator defenses and occasionally attacked predacious bears. The current level of this feeding behavior appears to be greater than previously reported. This is probably related to the increased availability of calves providing a greater opportunity for learning, and the adaptation of a more predatory behavior by some grizzly bears in Yellowstone.

Feeding ecology of the copepod Lucicutia aff. L. grandis near the lower interface of the Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gowing, Marcia M.; Wishner, Karen F.

Feeding ecology of the calanoid copepod Lucicutia aff. L. grandis collected in the Arabian Sea at one station during the Spring Intermonsoon and during the Southwest Monsoon of 1995 was studied with transmission electron microscopy of gut-contents. Highest abundances of these animals occurred from ˜400 to 1100 m, near the lower interface of the oxygen minimum zone and at the inflection point where oxygen starts to increase. We expected that their gut-contents would include particles and cells that had sunk relatively undegraded from surface waters as well as those from within the oxygen minimum zone, and that gut-contents would differ between the Spring Intermonsoon and the more productive SW Monsoon. Overall, in both seasons Lucicutia aff. L. grandis was omnivorous, and consumed a variety of detrital particles, prokaryotic and eukaryotic autotrophs, gram-negative bacteria including metal-precipitating bacteria, aggregates of probable gram-positive bacteria, microheterotrophs, virus-like particles and large virus-like particles, as well as cuticle and cnidarian tissue. Few significant differences in types of food consumed were seen among life stages within or among various depth zones. Amorphous, unidentifiable material was significantly more abundant in guts during the Spring Intermonsoon than during the late SW Monsoon, and recognizable cells made up a significantly higher portion of gut-contents during the late SW Monsoon. This is consistent with the Intermonsoon as a time when organic material is considerably re-worked by the surface water microbial loop before leaving the euphotic zone. In both seasons Lucicutia aff. L. grandis had consumed what appeared to be aggregates of probable gram-positive bacteria, similar to those we had previously found in gut-contents of several species of zooplankton from the oxygen minimum zone in the eastern tropical Pacific. By intercepting sinking material, populations of Lucicutia aff. L. grandis act as a filter for carbon sinking to the sea floor. They also modify sinking carbon in several ways: enhancing pelagic-abyssal coupling of carbon from cyanobacteria, eliminating part of the deep-sea microbial loop by direct consumption of bacterial aggregates, and redistributing particulate manganese and iron from association with suspended cells or aggregates to containment in rapidly sinking fecal pellets. Lucicutia aff. L. grandis can be viewed as representative of deep-dwelling detritivorous mesozooplankton. Assessing the magnitude of the effects of such organisms on carbon flux in the Arabian Sea will require data on feeding rates.

Factors associated with the financial performance of spring-calving, pasture-based dairy farms.

PubMed

Ramsbottom, G; Horan, B; Berry, D P; Roche, J R

2015-05-01

As land becomes a limiting resource for pasture-based dairy farming, the inclusion of purchased supplementary feeds to increase milk production per cow (through greater dry matter intake) and per hectare (through increased stocking rate) is often proposed as a strategy to increase profitability. Although a plausible proposition, virtually no analysis has been done on the effect of such intensification on the profitability of commercial pasture-based dairy farm businesses. The objective of this study was to characterize the average physical and financial performance of dairy systems differing in the proportion of the cow's diet coming from grazed pasture versus purchased supplementary feeds over 4 yr, while accounting for any interaction with geographic region. Physical, genetic, and financial performance data from 1,561 seasonal-calving, pasture-based dairy farms in Ireland were available between the years 2008 and 2011; data from some herds were available for more than 1 yr of the 4-yr study period, providing data from 2,759 dairy farm-years. The data set was divided into geographic regions, based on latitude, rainfall, and soil characteristics that relate to drainage; these factors influence the length of the pasture growth season and the timing of turnout to pasture in spring and rehousing in autumn. Farms were also categorized by the quantity of feed purchased; farms in which cows received <10, 11-20, 21-30, or >30% of their annual feed requirements from purchased feed were considered to be categories representative of increasing levels of system intensification. Geographic region was associated with differences in grazing days, pasture harvested per hectare, milk production per cow and per hectare, and farm profitability. Farms in regions with longer grazing seasons harvested a greater amount of pasture [an additional 19kg of dry matter (DM)/ha per grazing day per hectare], and greater pasture harvested was associated with increased milk component yield per hectare (58.4kg of fat and 51.4kg of protein more per tonne of DM pasture harvested/ha) and net profit per hectare (€268/ha more per tonne of DM harvested). Milk yield and yield of milk components per cow and per hectare increased linearly with increased use of purchased feed (additional 30.6kg of milk fat and 26.7kg of milk protein per tonne of DM purchased feed per hectare), but, on average, pasture harvested/hectare and net profit/hectare declined (-0.60 t of DM/ha and -€78.2/ha, respectively) with every tonne of DM supplementary feed purchased per hectare. The results indicate an effect of purchased feeds not usually accounted for in marginal economic analyses (e.g., milk to feed price ratio): the decline in pasture harvested/hectare, with the costs of producing the unutilized pasture in addition to the cost of feed resulting in a lower profit. In conclusion, greater milk component yields per cow were associated with increased profit per hectare, and a greater use of purchased feeds was associated with an increase in the yield of milk components. However, on average, increasing yield of milk components through the supply of purchased feeds to pasture-based cows was associated with a decline in pasture harvested per hectare and profitability. The decline in pasture harvested per hectare with increased use of purchased supplements per cow is probably the primary reason for the low milk production response and the failure to capitalize on the potential benefits of purchased supplements, with the associated costs of growing the unutilized pasture, in conjunction with increased nonfeed variable and fixed costs outweighing the increased milk production and revenue from supplementation. Farmers considering intensification through use of purchased supplements to increase the stock-carrying capacity of the farm (i.e., stocking rate) must ensure that they focus on management of pasture and total cost control to capture the potential benefits of supplementary feed use. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Feeding ecology of Ammothella longipes (Arthropoda: Pycnogonida) in the Mediterranean Sea: A fatty acid biomarker approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soler-Membrives, Anna; Rossi, Sergio; Munilla, Tomás

2011-05-01

Fatty acid analysis has proved valuable in determining seasonal trophic links and the feeding behavior in organisms in which these diet and trophic links cannot be inferred from stomach content analyses. Seasonal variations in total free fatty acid content (TFFA) and fatty acid composition of seston (<250 μm), the brown macroalgae Stypocaulon spp., polychaetes (Nereididae) and the pycnogonid Ammothella longipes have been used to establish their trophic links, with particular focus on seasonality and feeding ecology of A. longipes. Samples were collected in a coastal environment (NW Mediterranean Sea) at 7-10 m depth, in five different periods (August and October 2008, February, June and September 2009). Seston and Stypocaulon spp. samples did not show significant seasonal variations in TFFA content, while nereids showed a significant variation. Analysis of fatty acid profile showed high similarities of fatty acid composition between seston and Stypocaulon spp. Nereids were closer to seston and Stypocaulon spp. than A. longipes, which seemed to follow a seasonal trend. The results of this study reveal that A. longipes may change its feeding behavior depending on the season and available food. This pycnogonid species appears to be carnivore during spring and early summer but seems to feed on detritus when availability of prey diminishes during winter. Notable high amounts of odd-chain fatty acids are found in summer-autumn for this species, which may come from bacteria acquired from the detrital diet or from de novo biosynthesis from propionate. The results obtained provide new and valuable data on the understudied feeding biology of pycnogonids in general, and contribute to the understanding of their functioning of Mediterranean shallow oligotrophic systems and their trophic links.

Strategies of zooplanktivory shape the dynamics and diversity of littoral plankton communities: a mesocosm approach

PubMed Central

Helenius, Laura K; Aymà Padrós, Anna; Leskinen, Elina; Lehtonen, Hannu; Nurminen, Leena

2015-01-01

Planktivorous fish can exert strong top-down control on zooplankton communities. By incorporating different feeding strategies, from selective particulate feeding to cruising filter feeding, fish species target distinct prey. In this study, we investigated the effects of two species with different feeding strategies, the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus (L.)) and roach (Rutilus rutilus (L.)), on a low-diversity brackish water zooplankton community using a 16-day mesocosm experiment. The experiment was conducted on a small-bodied spring zooplankton community in high-nutrient conditions, as well as a large-bodied summer community in low-nutrient conditions. Effects were highly dependent on the initial zooplankton community structure and hence seasonal variation. In a small-bodied community with high predation pressure and no dispersal or migration, the selective particulate-feeding stickleback depleted the zooplankton community and decreased its diversity more radically than the cruising filter-feeding roach. Cladocerans rather than copepods were efficiently removed by predation, and their removal caused altered patterns in rotifer abundance. In a large-bodied summer community with initial high taxonomic and functional diversity, predation pressure was lower and resource availability was high for omnivorous crustaceans preying on other zooplankton. In this community, predation maintained diversity, regardless of predator species. During both experimental periods, predation influenced the competitive relationship between the dominant calanoid copepods, and altered species composition and size structure of the zooplankton community. Changes also occurred to an extent at the level of nontarget prey, such as microzooplankton and rotifers, emphasizing the importance of subtle predation effects. We discuss our results in the context of the adaptive foraging mechanism and relate them to the natural littoral community. PMID:26045953

Capacity of milk composition to identify the feeding system used to feed dairy cows.

PubMed

Vicente, Fernando; Santiago, Carme; Jiménez-Calderón, José D; Martínez-Fernández, Adela

2017-08-01

This Research Paper addresses the hypothesis that is possible to identify the type of feed used for dairy cows by means of the analysis of milk composition and the fatty acid profile of milk fat. Sixteen dairy farms were monitored during 1 year with quarterly visits between summer 2014 and spring 2015. Rations varied throughout the year due to annual dynamic change of forage production, forage rotation, variation of nutrient requirements according to physiological state of the animal, etc. The ingredients of the rations were analysed by cluster identifying five feeding systems based on the main ingredient of the diet: grazing, maize silage, grass silage, dry forage and concentrate. Milk composition could explain up to 91·3% of the total variability among feeding systems, while fatty acid profile could explain only up to 61·2% of total variability. However, when the sum of types of fatty acids and their ratios are taken, up to 93·5% of total variability could be explained. The maize silage system had the greatest milk yield, protein, solid non-fat and urea proportions, as well as the highest proportion of saturated fatty acid and lowest concentration of trans11 18 : 1, cis9 18 : 1 and 18 : 3 n3. Principal component analysis distinguishes the maize silage system from other feeding systems, both from milk composition and milk fatty acid profile. Concentrate system overlapped partially with the grazing, grass silage and dry forage systems. The latter systems had the highest concentrations of cis9 18 : 1, trans11 18 : 1 and 18 : 3, but there was no clear differentiation among them.

'Uninterested in anything except food': the work of nurses feeding the liberated inmates of Bergen-Belsen.

PubMed

Brooks, Jane

2012-10-01

The aim of this article is to explore the work of nurses feeding and helping liberate the inmates of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in the spring of 1945. A considerable amount has been published on the relief of Belsen, but the majority of the research has focused on the medical staff and the army in general. The exception to this is an article published by Ellen Ben-Sefer, but its analysis of the actual work of the nurses is limited. The data are explored through the medium of nurses' work, especially feeding work and its place in the historiography. This article will offer an analysis of archival material, including official reports and personal testimony and published primary sources. Nurses were very much hidden from the liberation picture, partly through government policy, partly because of gendered ideologies and partly because of the desire of many to hide their memories. However, the data identify the pivotal role of nurses in the saving of lives and rehabilitation of inmates. This article demonstrates this role through the work of feeding. The nurses had to continually negotiate and renegotiate their place in the liberation. As women, their place at Belsen was problematic and often thwarted by the ideologies of the day. Nevertheless, the services of registered nurses during the war had proved indispensible. The Allied governments and Royal Army Medical Corps were ultimately to rely on their professional expertise. The nurses' work in the feeding of starving inmates demonstrates their value. This article demonstrates the importance of nurses' feeding work and their role in the caring of people's humanity. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

KSC-04PD-0256

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA officials and government representatives are gathered to learn about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. At the far end of the table is NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe. He is flanked, on the left, by Florida Congressman Tom Feeney and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; and on the right by U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon. Central Florida leaders are proposing the research park as the site for the NASA Shared Services Center. The center would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration by NASA.

KSC-04PD-0266

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (center) makes a point while talking to NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (right) about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Tom Feeney, Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04PD-0264

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Florida Congressman Tom Feeney (left) and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (right) listen to a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04PD-0268

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe gestures during a discussion with Florida government leaders about the location for NASAs new Shared Services Center. At left of OKeefe is U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; at right is Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The Florida location being proposed is of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Tom Feeney, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04PD-0276

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe discusses the presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Florida Congressman Tom Feeney, Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04PD-0267

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (left) talks with Congressman Dave Weldon (right) after a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Tom Feeney, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04PD-0269

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (left) talks with Congressman Dave Weldon (right) after a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Tom Feeney, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04PD-0275

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (center) talks to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (left) after a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Florida Congressman Tom Feeney, Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04pd0264

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Florida Congressman Tom Feeney (left) and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (right) listen to a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04pd0269

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (left) talks with Congressman Dave Weldon (right) after a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Tom Feeney, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04pd0275

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (center) talks to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (left) after a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Florida Congressman Tom Feeney, Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04pd0267

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (left) talks with Congressman Dave Weldon (right) after a presentation about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Tom Feeney, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

Analysis of the origin of Aufeis feed-water on the arctic slope of Alaska

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, D. K.; Roswell, C. (Principal Investigator)

1980-01-01

The origin of water feeding large aufeis fields (overflow river ice) on the Arctic Slope of Alaska is analyzed. Field measurements of two large aufeis fields on the eastern Arctic Slope were taken during July of 1978 and 1979. Measurements of aufeis extent and distribution were made using LANDSAT Multispectral Scanner Subsystem (MSS) satellite data from 1973 through 1979. In addition, ice cores were analyzed in the laboratory. Results of the field and laboratory studies indicate that the water derived from aufeis melt water has a chemical composition different from the adjacent upstream river water. Large aufeis fields are found in association with springs and faults thus indicating a subterranean origin of the feed water. In addition, the maximum extent of large aufeis fields was not found to follow meteorological patterns which would only be expected if the origin of the feed water were local. It is concluded that extent of large aufeis in a given river channel on the Arctic Slope is controlled by discharge from reservoirs of groundwater. It seems probable that precipitation passes into limestone aquifers in the Brooks Range, through an interconnecting system of subterranean fractures in calcareous rocks and ultimately discharges into alluvial sediments on the coastal plain to form aufeis. It is speculated that only small aufeis patches are affected by local meteorological parameters in the months just prior to aufeis formation.

Food and feeding habits of larval striped bass: an analysis of larval striped bass stomachs from 1976 Potomac Estuary collections. Potomac River fisheries program. Final report. [Morone saxatilis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beaven, M.; Mihursky, J.

1980-01-01

The stomachs of 605 striped bass (Morone saxatilis) larvae collected from the Potomac River Estuary during the spring of 1976 were examined, and food organisms identified to species when possible. Copepods, cladocerans, and rotifers were the most abundant organisms found. Electivity indices indicated positive selection for the larger stages of copepods and cladocerans, and negative selection for copepod nauplii and most rotifer species, regardless of the size or stage of striped bass larvae.

A Virus-like disease of chinook salmon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ross, A.J.; Pelnar, J.; Rucker, R.R.

1960-01-01

Consideration is given to a recurring disease of early feeding chinook salmon fingerlings at the Coleman, California, Federal Fish Cultural Station. The infection becomes manifest in the early spring months at low water temperatures and abates as the water temperature rises. Bacteriological studies have failed to yield the presence of a disease agent, either by cultural or staining procedures. The disease has been successfully transmitted from infected fish to healthy fish by the injection of bacteria-free filtrates prepared from diseased fish tissue. The causative agent is therefore believed to be a virus-like entity.

KSC-04PD-1299

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the mouth of Banana Creek on Kennedy Space Center, a manatee rests in the shallows. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

KSC-07pd0117

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-01-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Manatees gather in the Banana Creek inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd0118

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-01-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Manatees gather in the shallows of Banana Creek inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd0120

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-01-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Manatees gather in the Banana Creek inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-07pd0119

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-01-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Manatees gather in the shallows of Banana Creek inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

KSC-04pd1299

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-06-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the mouth of Banana Creek on Kennedy Space Center, a manatee rests in the shallows. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

Variation in wind and piscivorous predator fields affecting the survival of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, in the Gulf of Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Friedland, K.D.; Manning, J.P.; Link, Jason S.; Gilbert, J.R.; Gilbert, A.T.; O'Connell, A.F.

2012-01-01

Observations relevant to the North American stock complex of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., suggest that marine mortality is influenced by variation in predation pressure affecting post-smolts during the first months at sea. This hypothesis was tested for Gulf of Maine (GOM) stocks by examining wind pseudostress and the distribution of piscivorous predator fields potentially affecting post-smolts. Marine survival has declined over recent decades with a change in the direction of spring winds, which is likely extending the migration of post-smolts by favouring routes using the western GOM. In addition to changes in spring wind patterns, higher spring sea surface temperatures have been associated with shifting distributions of a range of fish species. The abundance of several pelagic piscivores, which based on their feeding habits may predate on salmon post-smolts, has increased in the areas that serve as migration corridors for post-smolts. In particular, populations of silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis (Mitchell), red hake, Urophycis chuss (Walbaum), and spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias L., increased in size in the portion of the GOM used by post-smolts. Climate variation and shifting predator distributions in the GOM are consistent with the predator hypothesis of recruitment control suggested for the stock complex.

Effects of rearing density and raceway conformation on growth, food conversion, and survival of juvenile spring chinook salmon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ewing, R.D.; Sheahan, J.E.; Lewis, M.A.; Palmisano, Aldo N.

2000-01-01

Four brood years of juvenile spring chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were reared in conventional and baffled raceways at various rearing densities and loads at Willamette Hatchery, Oregon. A period of rapid linear growth occurred from August to November, but there was little or no growth from November to March when the fish were released. Both fall and winter growth rates were inversely related to rearing density. Final weight and length were also inversely related to rearing density. No significant relationship between load and any growth variable was observed. Fish reared at lower densities in conventional raceways tended to develop bimodal length distributions in winter and early spring. Fish reared in conventional raceways showed significantly larger growth rates and final lengths and weights than those reared in baffled raceways. Food conversions and average delivery times for feed were significantly greater in baffled than in conventional raceways. No significant relationships were observed between either rearing density or load and condition factor, food conversion, or mortality. Mortality was not significantly different between the two raceway types. When fish were transported to seawater for further rearing, there were no significant relationships between mortality in seawater and rearing density or load, but fish reared in baffled raceways had significantly higher mortality than those reared in conventional raceways.

Effect of feeding glucose, fructose, and inulin on blood glucose and insulin concentrations in normal ponies and those predisposed to laminitis.

PubMed

Borer, K E; Bailey, S R; Menzies-Gow, N J; Harris, P A; Elliott, J

2012-09-01

Identification of ponies (Equus caballus) at increased risk of pasture-associated laminitis would aid in the prevention of the disease. Insulin resistance has been associated with laminitis and could be used to identify susceptible individuals. Insulin resistance may be diagnosed by feeding supplementary water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and measuring blood glucose and insulin concentrations. The aim of this study was to assess the glycemic and insulinemic responses of 7 normal (NP) and 5 previously laminitic (PLP), mixed breed, native UK ponies fed glucose, fructose, and inulin [1 g/(kg·d) for 3 d] or no supplementary WSC (control) in spring and fall after a 7-d adaptation to a pasture or hay diet. Blood samples were taken for 12 h after feeding on each day, and baseline and peak concentrations and area under the curve (AUC) for glucose and insulin were recorded. Linear mixed models were used for statistical analysis. Differences between PLP and NP groups were most marked after glucose feeding with differences in peak glucose (P = 0.02) and peak insulin (P = 0.016) concentrations. Season and diet adaptation also affected results. Peak concentrations of glucose and insulin occurred 2 to 4 h after WSC feeding. Peak insulin concentration was greater and more variable in fall, particularly in PLP adapted to fall pasture. Baseline glucose and insulin concentrations varied between individuals and with season and diet adaptation but were not greater in PLP than NP. Insulin AUC was greater in PLP than NP after feeding both glucose and fructose (P = 0.017), but there were no differences between PLP and NP in glucose AUC. Glycemic and insulinemic changes were less (P ≤ 0.05) after feeding fructose than glucose, although differences between PLP and NP were still evident. Minimal changes in glucose and insulin concentrations occurred after inulin feeding. Measurement of peak insulin 2 h after feeding of a single dose of glucose (1 g/kg) may be a simple and practical way to aid identification of laminitis-prone ponies before the onset of clinical disease, particularly when ponies are adapted to eating fall pasture.

Circadian and feeding cues integrate to drive rhythms of physiology in Drosophila insulin-producing cells.

PubMed

Barber, Annika F; Erion, Renske; Holmes, Todd C; Sehgal, Amita

2016-12-01

Circadian clocks regulate much of behavior and physiology, but the mechanisms by which they do so remain poorly understood. While cyclic gene expression is thought to underlie metabolic rhythms, little is known about cycles in cellular physiology. We found that Drosophila insulin-producing cells (IPCs), which are located in the pars intercerebralis and lack an autonomous circadian clock, are functionally connected to the central circadian clock circuit via DN1 neurons. Insulin mediates circadian output by regulating the rhythmic expression of a metabolic gene (sxe2) in the fat body. Patch clamp electrophysiology reveals that IPCs display circadian clock-regulated daily rhythms in firing event frequency and bursting proportion under light:dark conditions. The activity of IPCs and the rhythmic expression of sxe2 are additionally regulated by feeding, as demonstrated by night feeding-induced changes in IPC firing characteristics and sxe2 levels in the fat body. These findings indicate circuit-level regulation of metabolism by clock cells in Drosophila and support a role for the pars intercerebralis in integrating circadian control of behavior and physiology. © 2016 Barber et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Species profiles: Life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (North Atlantic)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buckley, J.

1989-08-01

Species profiles are literature summaries of the taxonomy, life history, and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and aquatic invertebrates. They are designed to assist with environmental impact assessments. The rainbow smelt is an abundant forage fish for commercially and recreationally valuable fishes such as striped bass and bluefish on the East Coast and several species of salmon and trout in the Great Lakes. The rainbow smelt also supports an important sportfishery throughout most of its range. In 1976, the total smelt harvest in the coastal waters of New England was 105,000 lb. Coastal rainbow smelt are anadromous, spawning in freshwatermore » and maturing in saline water. Spawning peaks in spring. Salinities above 12 ppt were fatal to eggs. Reported fecundities are 7,000 to 44,000 eggs per female. Smelt are always found in shallow water (<6 m deep) and within 2 km of the shore. Larval and juvenile smelt along the coast feed on planktonic crustaceans. Larger juveniles and adults feed on euphausiids, amphipods, on planktonic crustaceans. Larger juveniles and adults feed on euphausiids, amphipods, polychaetes, and fish. Smelt move locally to search for optimum water temperatures. 46 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.« less

Coping with copepods: do right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) forage visually in dark waters?

PubMed Central

Fasick, Jeffry I.; Kezmoh, Lorren J.; Baumgartner, Mark F.

2017-01-01

North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) feed during the spring and early summer in marine waters off the northeast coast of North America. Their food primarily consists of planktonic copepods, Calanus finmarchicus, which they consume in large numbers by ram filter feeding. The coastal waters where these whales forage are turbid, but they successfully locate copepod swarms during the day at depths exceeding 100 m, where light is very dim and copepod patches may be difficult to see. Using models of E. glacialis visual sensitivity together with measurements of light in waters near Cape Cod where they feed and of light attenuation by living copepods in seawater, we evaluated the potential for visual foraging by these whales. Our results suggest that vision may be useful for finding copepod patches, particularly if E. glacialis searches overhead for silhouetted masses or layers of copepods. This should permit the whales to locate C. finmarchicus visually throughout most daylight hours at depths throughout their foraging range. Looking laterally, the whales might also be able to see copepod patches at short range near the surface. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Vision in dim light’. PMID:28193812

Coping with copepods: do right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) forage visually in dark waters?

PubMed

Cronin, Thomas W; Fasick, Jeffry I; Schweikert, Lorian E; Johnsen, Sönke; Kezmoh, Lorren J; Baumgartner, Mark F

2017-04-05

North Atlantic right whales ( Eubalaena glacialis ) feed during the spring and early summer in marine waters off the northeast coast of North America. Their food primarily consists of planktonic copepods, Calanus finmarchicus , which they consume in large numbers by ram filter feeding. The coastal waters where these whales forage are turbid, but they successfully locate copepod swarms during the day at depths exceeding 100 m, where light is very dim and copepod patches may be difficult to see. Using models of E. glacialis visual sensitivity together with measurements of light in waters near Cape Cod where they feed and of light attenuation by living copepods in seawater, we evaluated the potential for visual foraging by these whales. Our results suggest that vision may be useful for finding copepod patches, particularly if E. glacialis searches overhead for silhouetted masses or layers of copepods. This should permit the whales to locate C. finmarchicus visually throughout most daylight hours at depths throughout their foraging range. Looking laterally, the whales might also be able to see copepod patches at short range near the surface.This article is part of the themed issue 'Vision in dim light'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Food habits of the raccoon in eastern Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baker, R.H.; Newman, C.C.; Wilke, F.

1945-01-01

The food habits of raccoons were studied along the Neches River in three counties of eastern Texas in 1940-42. Field studies mere supplemented by laboratory analyses of 344 scats collected in all months and of 23 stomachs and 11 intestines obtained in winter. Acorns and crayfish constitute more than half of the yearly diet and both are consumed in considerable amount at all seasons. Persimmons and grapes were utilized heavily when available and other fruits in smaller amounts. Insects and other invertebrates formed an important part of the diet. Vertebrates were eaten sparingly but species of water snakes were preyed upon as were winter and spring concentrations of water fowl.....Raccoons were found to concentrate in timbered river bottoms during the winter and spring, feeding largely on acorns and crayfish. Under these conditions they are readily trapped. In the summer and autumn the populations appear to be dispersed through the uplands as well as bottomlands in search of seasonal foods.

Chemical and isotopic prediction of aquifer temperatures in the geothermal system at Long Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fournier, R.O.; Sorey, M.L.; Mariner, R.H.; Truesdell, A.H.

1979-01-01

Temperatures of aquifers feeding thermal springs and wells in Long Valley, California, estimated using silica and Na-K-Ca geothermometers and warm spring mixing models, range from 160/dg to about 220??C. This information was used to construct a diagram showing enthalpy-chloride relations for the various thermal waters in the Long Valley region. The enthalpy-chloride information suggests that a 282 ?? 10??C aquifer with water containing about 375 mg chloride per kilogram of water is present somewhere deep in the system. That deep water would be related to ??? 220??C Casa Diablo water by mixing with cold water, and to Hot Creek water by first boiling with steam loss and then mixing with cold water. Oxygen and deuterium isotopic data are consistent with that interpretation. An aquifer at 282??C with 375 mg/kg chloride implies a convective heat flow in Long Valley of 6.6 ?? 107 cal/s. ?? 1979.

Association of spring-summer hydrology and meteorology with human West Nile virus infection in West Texas, USA, 2002-2016.

PubMed

Ukawuba, Israel; Shaman, Jeffrey

2018-04-04

The emergence of West Nile virus (WNV) in the Western Hemisphere has motivated research into the processes contributing to the incidence and persistence of the disease in the region. Meteorology and hydrology are fundamental determinants of vector-borne disease transmission dynamics of a region. The availability of water influences the population dynamics of vector and host, while temperature impacts vector growth rates, feeding habits, and disease transmission potential. Characterization of the temporal pattern of environmental factors influencing WNV risk is crucial to broaden our understanding of local transmission dynamics and to inform efforts of control and surveillance. We used hydrologic, meteorological and WNV data from west Texas (2002-2016) to analyze the relationship between environmental conditions and annual human WNV infection. A Bayesian model averaging framework was used to evaluate the association of monthly environmental conditions with WNV infection. Findings indicate that wet conditions in the spring combined with dry and cool conditions in the summer are associated with increased annual WNV cases. Bayesian multi-model inference reveals monthly means of soil moisture, specific humidity and temperature to be the most important variables among predictors tested. Environmental conditions in March, June, July and August were the leading predictors in the best-fitting models. The results significantly link soil moisture and temperature in the spring and summer to WNV transmission risk. Wet spring in association with dry and cool summer was the temporal pattern best-describing WNV, regardless of year. Our findings also highlight that soil moisture may be a stronger predictor of annual WNV transmission than rainfall.

Magnitude and Surface Rupture Length of Prehistoric Upper Crustal Earthquakes in the Puget Lowland, Washington State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherrod, B. L.; Styron, R. H.

2016-12-01

Paleoseismic studies documented prehistoric earthquakes after the last glaciation ended 15 ka on 13 upper-crustal fault zones in the Cascadia fore arc. These fault zones are a consequence of north-directed fore arc block migration manifesting as a series of bedrock uplifts and intervening structural basins in the southern Salish Sea lowland between Vancouver, B.C. to the north and Olympia, WA to the south, and bounded on the east and west by the Cascade Mountains and Olympic Mountains, respectively. Our dataset uses published information and includes 27 earthquakes tabulated from observations of postglacial deformation at 63 sites. Stratigraphic offsets along faults consist of two types of measurements: 1) vertical separation of strata along faults observed in fault scarp excavations, and 2) estimates from coastal uplift and subsidence. We used probabilistic methods to estimate past rupture magnitudes and surface rupture length (SRL), applying empirical observations from modern earthquakes and point measurements from paleoseismic sites (Biasi and Weldon, 2006). Estimates of paleoearthquake magnitude ranged between M 6.5 and M 7.5. SRL estimates varied between 20 and 90 km. Paleoearthquakes on the Seattle fault zone and Saddle Mountain West fault about 1100 years ago were outliers in our analysis. Large offsets observed for these two earthquakes implies a M 7.8 and 200 km SRL, given the average observed ratio of slip/SRL in modern earthquakes. The actual mapped traces of these faults are less than 200km, implying these earthquakes had an unusually high static stress drop or, in the case of the Seattle fault, splay faults may have accentuated uplift in the hanging wall. Refined calculations incorporating fault area may change these magnitude and SRL estimates. Biasi, G.P., and Weldon, R.J., 2006, Estimating Surface Rupture Length and Magnitude of Paleoearthquakes from Point Measurements of Rupture Displacement: B. Seismol. Soc. Am., 96, 1612-1623.

[Comparative study of three feeding methods for draught horses of the Swiss army].

PubMed

Riond, J L; Leoni, S; Wanner, M

2000-10-01

Three feeding methods were compared in 36 4- to 6-year-old Franche-Montagne horses during the military school of St-Luzisteig (GR) of Spring 1992. The horses were separated into 3 groups: a group with the traditional oats-hay ration (OH), a group with a pelleted feed and hay ration (PFH), and a group with the complete diet (CD). Feed analyses were performed and food consumption, eating behavior and digestibility were studied. The horses received their daily amount of feed in 3 portions covering the requirements for a medium work: OH = 8 kg hay and 3 kg oats, PFH = 8 kg hay and 3 kg pelleted feed and CD = 10 kg of the complete diet. For the 3 rations, the amount of digestible crude protein for horses was higher than the reference value for the requirement of a 600 kg horse with a medium work. In the 3 diets, the calcium content was higher than the required 32 g per day (g/d). Not enough sodium (OH: 1.2 g/d; PFH: 7.3 g/d; CD: 9.6 g/d) and too much potassium (OH: 140.3 g/d; PFH 153.0 g/d; CD: 167.5 g/d) were present in the diets, both without consequences for the blood parameters. In 3 meals of 60 minutes, the horses of the group OH, PFH and CD ingested 82%, 89% and 92%, respectively, of the daily ration. The complete diet was ingested more quickly than the hay. The number of mastications per minute was smaller for the complete diet than for the hay. Ingestion times were similar for oats and pelleted feed. However, the number of mastications per minute was smaller for the pelleted feed. The digestibility of nutrients was not influenced by the method of feeding. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that the 3 types of ration studied here are adequate for the swiss army horses if sodium is added to the diet. However, despite the fact that both PFH and CD correct excessive supply or deficiencies of nutrients and despite the fact that these two feeding methods offer nutrients in amounts that are closer to the requirements of the horse, the method PFH was introduced in 1994.

Condition of Euphausia crystallorophias off East Antarctica in winter in comparison to other seasons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicol, S.; Virtue, P.; King, R.; Davenport, S. R.; McGaffin, A. F.; Nichols, P.

2004-08-01

Antarctic coastal krill ( Euphausia crystallorophias) were collected in Austral winter (July/August) 1999 in the Mertz Glacier polynya off the coast of East Antarctica and were compared to krill collected off East Antarctica during summer in 1996 and 2001 and spring 1999. A range of experiments and measurements were conducted to assess their relative condition in winter and summer. Krill collected in winter had pale yellow-green digestive glands, indicating some recent feeding activity. The size of the digestive glands was small relative to those of krill caught in summer. This indicates that feeding had been occurring at low levels during the collection period. Growth rates, measured using the instantaneous growth rate methodology, were close to zero in winter (range -5% to 7% per moult). This was an indication that some food had been available during the period of the moult cycle. Growth rates in spring ranged from -0.5% to +8.7% per moult and from 4% to 12% per moult in the summer. The mean length of the winter moult cycle (68 days) was considerably greater than the measured intermoult period in summer and spring (24-33 days). Lipid levels were low in winter, less than 5% of body weight, compared to summer levels of ˜15% (dry weight). Winter krill were richer in wax esters and poorer in polar lipids than specimens collected in summer. Krill in winter were lacking in C16 PUFA that are markers of the phytoplankton diet common in summer krill. Krill caught in the winter had significantly higher levels of 20:1 and 22:1 fatty acids (2.3%) and alcohols (8.1%) than krill sampled in summer (0.2%, 0%), indicating a shift to a carnivorous diet. Results from this study suggest that E. crystallorophias respond to low food abundance during the winter through metabolic and physiological processes. These processes were reflected in a decrease in growth rate and a significant increase in the intermoult period. The process of lipid utilisation and switching to a carnivorous/detrital type diet are also overwintering strategies employed by this species.

Spring-staging ecology of midcontinent greater white-fronted geese

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krapu, G.L.; Reinecke, K.J.; Jorde, Dennis G.; Simpson, S.G.

1995-01-01

A major part of the midcontinent greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) population stages for several weeks in spring in the Rainwater Basin Area (RBA) of south-central Nebraska where substantial mortality from disease occurs periodically. Effective management of this population requires better data on use of habitat, vulnerability to disease, and the role of staging areas in migration and reproduction, We studied use of habitat, foods, nutrient dynamics, and effect of changes in agriculture on food availability and habitat needs in spring 1979-80. During daylight, geese were observed primarily in harvested cornfields (76%) and growing winter wheat (23%). Corn grain and winter wheat shoots composed 90 and 9%, respectively, of foods consumed by collected geese (n = 42). Feeding activity did not vary among post-harvest cornfield treatments except that little feeding occurred (P lt 0.05) in moldboard-plowed fields ( lt 1%). Fat content for all geese increased (P ltoreq 0.01) with Julian date; protein content increased (P = 0.03) only among adult females, and there was no evidence (P gt 0.05) of temporal variation in calcium content. Adult geese storing 14.2 g of fat per day deposited approximately 582 g of fat between 22 February and 3 April. Energy requirements for thermal regulation were small compared with requirements for fat synthesis and probably had little effect on nutrient deposition. The 34,000 white-fronted geese present on the Harvard Marsh and Prairie Dog Marsh study areas in March 1980 probably used lt 20% of the corn available within a 5-km radius. We believe that midcontinent white-fronted geese arrive on Arctic breeding grounds with larger and less variable fat reserves than prior to modern agricultural development. We attribute this response to increased food availability on staging areas where the net effect of agricultural changes has been an increase in corn availability. Waterfowl managers can increase dispersion of geese and provide favorable foraging conditions by maintaining well-distributed wetland roosting habitat and by working with private landowners to ensure access to grain in the vicinity of wetlands.

Source of metabolizable energy affects gene transcription in metabolic pathways in adipose and liver tissue of nonlactating, pregnant dairy cows.

PubMed

Crookenden, M A; Mandok, K S; Grala, T M; Phyn, C V C; Kay, J K; Greenwood, S L; Roche, J R

2015-02-01

The objective of this experiment was to determine if transcript abundance of genes involved in metabolic pathways in adipose and liver tissue could provide some explanation for the low efficiency with which ME in autumn pasture is used for BW gain. Nonlactating, pregnant (208 ± 19 d of gestation or approximately 75 d precalving) dairy cows (n = 90) were randomly allocated to either a control diet (i.e., offered fresh autumn pasture to maintenance requirements: 0.55 MJ ME/kg of measured metabolic BW [BW0.75] per day) or, in addition to the control diet, 1 of 2 supplement amounts (2.5 and 5.0 kg DM/d) of autumn pasture or 1 of 4 supplementary feeds (i.e., a control and 2 levels of feeding for each of 5 feeds: 11 groups of cows). Along with autumn pasture, evaluated feeds included spring pasture silage, maize silage, maize grain, and palm kernel expeller. Adipose and liver tissues were biopsied in wk 4 of the experiment and transcript abundance of genes involved in metabolic pathways associated with energy metabolism, lipolysis, and lipogenesis was determined. Additional feed, irrespective of type, increased BW gain (P < 0.01) and this effect was reflected in the expression of genes in adipose and liver tissue. However, autumn pasture had lower energy-use efficiency than the other feeds. Genes involved in both lipogenesis (ACACA, THRSP, GPAM, GPD1, and LPL) and lipolysis (PNPLA2) were upregulated (P < 0.05) in adipose tissue in response to increased ME intake/kilogram BW0.75. Hepatic expression of APOA1 decreased and that of APOB increased (P < 0.05) in cows offered maize grain and maize silage (i.e., starch-containing feeds). In comparison, pasture-fed cows demonstrated a degree of uncoupling of the somatotropic axis, with lower hepatic transcript abundance of both GHR1A and IGF-1 compared with cows offered any of the other 4 feeds. Changes to gene transcription indicate a possible molecular mechanism for the poor BW gain evident in ruminants consuming autumn pasture.

KSC-03pd0305

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Columbia Crew Memorial Service is held at the Shuttle Landing Facility for KSC employees and invited guests. Florida Senator Bill Nelson, seated in the center (gold tie), flew on Columbia in 1986 as a payload specialist on mission STS 61-C. Beside him (left) is Congressman Dave Weldon. The Columbia and her crew of seven were lost on Feb. 1, 2003, over East Texas as they returned to Earth after a 16-day research mission. Taking part in the service were NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, former KSC Director Robert Crippen, astronaut Jim Halsell, several employees, area clergymen, and members of Patrick Air Force Base. The service concluded with a “Missing Man Formation Fly Over” by NASA T-38 jet aircraft.

KSC-02pd0614

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- U.S. Representative Dave Weldon addresses a large group attending the opening of a new program known as SABRE, Space Agricultural Biotechnology Research and Education, that involves the University of Florida and NASA. SABRE will focus on the discovery, development and application of the biological aspects of advanced life support strategies. The program will include faculty from UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who will be located at both KSC - in the state-owned Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL) being built there - and UF in Gainesville. SABRE will be directed by Robert Ferl, professor in the horticultural sciences department and assistant director of UF's Biotechnology Program. He will be responsible for coordinating the research and education efforts of UF and NASA

KSC-01pp1267

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-06

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The signing of a lease agreement between Spaceport Florida Authority (SFA) and United Space Alliance (USA) for the use of a hangar at Kennedy Space Center brings smiles to the participants. Seated at the table are (left) Marcie Harris, USA Site Director, and (right) Ed Gormel, Spaceport Florida Executive Director. Observing behind them are (left to right) Rochelle Cooper, USA associate general counsel; Marv Jones, KSC associate director; Greg Popp, Spaceport Florida business manager; Congressman Dave Weldon; and State Rep. Mike Haridopolos. The hangar was originally developed by the state as part of a joint NASA/SFA Reusable Launch Vehicle Support Complex at KSC. USA plans to use the state-developed 50,000-square-foot facility to store and maintain Space Shuttle ground equipment

KSC-01pp1269

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-06

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After the signing of a lease agreement between Spaceport Florida Authority (SFA) and United Space Alliance (USA) for the use of a hangar at Kennedy Space Center, (foreground left) Marcie Harris, USA site director, and (foreground right) Ed Gormel, Spaceport Florida executive director, hold a symbolic ribbon. Behind them are (left to right) Rochelle Cooper, USA associate general counsel; Marv Jones, KSC associate director; Greg Popp, Spaceport Florida business manager; Congressman Dave Weldon; and State Rep. Mike Haridopolos. The hangar was originally developed by the state as part of a joint NASA/SFA Reusable Launch Vehicle Support Complex at KSC. USA plans to use the state-developed 50,000-square-foot facility to store and maintain Space Shuttle ground equipment

KSC-04PD-0271

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Congressman Tom Feeney (left) makes a point during a discussion around the table about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. At center is U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; at right is NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04PD-0291

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. After talking to the media, NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (left) speaks to Congressman Dave Weldon (center) and Florida Congressman Tom Feeney (right). OKeefe and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04PD-0277

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (left foreground) and NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (right) look deep in conversation as they leave the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. Behind Nelson is Congressman Tom Feeney and Center Director Jim Kennedy. The research park is being proposed as the location for NASAs new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Congressman Dave Weldon and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04PD-0279

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (center) and NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe are deep in conversation as they leave the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. Behind Nelson at left is Congressman Tom Feeney. The research park is being proposed as the location for NASAs new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Congressman Dave Weldon, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04PD-0278

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (left front) and NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (right front) leave the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. Behind Nelson (at left) is Congressman Tom Feeney. The research park is being proposed as the location for NASAs new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Congressman Dave Weldon, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04pd0271

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Congressman Tom Feeney (left) makes a point during a discussion around the table about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. At center is U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; at right is NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Dave Weldon, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04pd0268

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe gestures during a discussion with Florida government leaders about the location for NASA’s new Shared Services Center. At left of O’Keefe is U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; at right is Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The Florida location being proposed is of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. Others attending the presentation included Congressman Tom Feeney, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

The study of the chatchment area and hydrodinamics of Árbol de Navidad (Chiapas, Mexico) to solve the problem of its feeding during the dry season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Matteo, Ada; Bernabei, Tullio; Davila Garcia, Luis I.; Del Vecchio, Umberto; Forti, Paolo; Zarate Galvez, Kaleb

2016-04-01

The Sumidero Canyon, and its surrounding National Park is one of the most remarkable natural sites in the State of Chiapas, Mexico. Its principal attraction is the 200 m waterfall called "Árbol de Navidad" (Christmas tree), situated about 175 m above the river, close to the Chicoasén dam. The Árbol de Navidad is characterized by its own particular ecosystem and by the presence of a travertine formation flowing out from a little cave, with a characteristic form from which derives its name. The cave from which the Árbol de Navidad takes origin is a karst spring fed by water infiltration from somewhere in the highland behind. In the last years the flow rate decreased drastically and disappeared completely during few months every years. Since the importance of this natural marvel, with high naturalistic, cultural, and touristic interests, local authorities asked La Venta Exploring Team and its Mexican branch CEKLAV (Centro de Estudios Kársticos La Venta) to lead a research aimed to understand the causes of this decreasing and to formulate suggestions to rescue and maintain the waterfall. The project, called "Guardianes del Árbol" (Tree Guardian) consists of several steps: 1- inspection of the spring cave to verify the presence of possible obstructions; 2- search for the principal karst sinkholes located on highland behind; geological and hydrogeological study of the highland; 3- hydrological tracing, to understand the hydrogeological system which fed the waterfall; 4- potential solutions for rescue and maintenance. At the moment the first step has been concluded and the second and third steps are on the way. The first results were the complete cleaning of the underground river which was rather completely filled by sand, mud and roots thus avoiding the water circulation during the dry season. During the beginning of the second and third steps a detailed structural analysis has been carried out in order to detect the possible recharge areas for the Árbol. Then two dye tracing tests have been performed to define the recharge area: these experiments allowed to state that at least a part of the water springing in the Árbol comes from an active sinkhole 4-5 km estward. Anyway it is still impossible to define the whole recharge area for the Árbol, more dye tracing test are required. In the near future the cave feeding the Árbol will be equipped with automatic devices to measure temperature, conductivity and amount of springing water in order to understand the behaviour of this karst system with respect to rainfalls. Next year, when these data will be available it will be prepared a project to ensure the correct amount of water to the spring even in the dry season.

The effect of substrate, season, and agroecological zone on mycoflora and aflatoxin contamination of poultry feed from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

PubMed

Alam, Sahib; Shah, Hamid Ullah; Khan, Habibullah; Magan, Naresh

2012-10-01

To study the effects of and interactions among feed types, seasons, and agroecological zones on the total fungal viable count and aflatoxins B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1), and G2 (AFG2) production in poultry feed, an experiment was conducted using three-factorial design. A total of 216 samples of poultry feed ingredients, viz. maize, wheat, rice, cotton seed meal (CSM), and finished products, that is, starter and finisher broilers' rations, were collected from Peshawar, Swat, and D. I. Khan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, during the winter, spring, summer, and autumn seasons of the year 2007/2008. Analysis of variance showed that there was a complex interaction among all these factors and that this influenced the total fungal viable count and relative concentrations of the aflatoxins produced. Minimum total culturable fungi (6.43 × 10³ CFUs/g) were counted in CSM from D. I. Khan region in winter season while maximum (26.68 × 10³ CFUs/g) in starter ration from Peshawar region in summer. Maximum concentrations of AFB1 (191.65 ng/g), AFB2 (86.85 ng/g), and AFG2 (89.90 ng/g) were examined during the summer season whereas the concentration of AFG1 was maximum (167.82 ng/g) in autumn in finisher ration from Peshawar region. Minimum aflatoxins were produced in the winter season across all the three agroecological zones.

KSC-04pd1301

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-06-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the mouth of Banana Creek on Kennedy Space Center, a baby manatee seems to be smiling as it floats on its back nestled between two adults. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

KSC-04pd1302

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-06-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Looking more like an alien than a mammal, an adult manatee (left) nuzzles its baby (right) in the water at the mouth of Banana Creek on Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

Characterization of the treefrog null allele, 1991

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guttman, S.I.

1992-04-01

Spring peeper (Hyla crucifer) tadpoles collected from the waste storage area during the Biological and Ecological Site Characterization of the Feed Materials Production Center (FEMP) in 1986 and 1987 appeared to be unique. A null (inactive) allele was found at the glucose phosphate isomerase enzyme locus in significant frequencies (approximately 20%) each year; this allele did not appear to occur in the offsite sample collected approximately 15km from the FEMP. Null alleles at this locus have not been reported in other amphibian populations; when they have been found in other organisms they have invariably been lethal in the homozygous condition.

KSC-04PD-1301

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the mouth of Banana Creek on Kennedy Space Center, a baby manatee seems to be smiling as it floats on its back nestled between two adults. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

KSC-04PD-1300

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the mouth of Banana Creek on Kennedy Space Center, a baby manatee (foreground) is nuzzled by one of its parents while another swims nearby. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

KSC-05PD-1075

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Looking more like an alien life form than a mammal, a manatee floats on its back in the Haulover Canal near NASAs Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm- water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

KSC-04PD-1302

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Looking more like an alien than a mammal, an adult manatee (left) nuzzles its baby (right) in the water at the mouth of Banana Creek on Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

KSC-04pd1300

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-06-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the mouth of Banana Creek on Kennedy Space Center, a baby manatee (foreground) is nuzzled by one of its parents while another swims nearby. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

Life history and feeding biology of the deep-sea pycnogonid Nymphon hirtipes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mercier, Annie; Baillon, Sandrine; Hamel, Jean-François

2015-12-01

Pycnogonids (sea spiders) are commonly collected at bathyal and abyssal depths all around the world; however, little is known about species from deep-water habitats. The present study explores the life history of Nymphon hirtipes collected in northeastern Newfoundland between 700 and 1450 m depth and monitored in mesocosms for over 2 years. The pycnogonids were found in association with octocorals, hydrozoans and sea anemones. Adult females developed mature oocytes between June and August. Paired mating followed by oviposition occurred between early July and mid-October. Up to three egg masses were brooded by each male. It took a maximum of 4 months for the propagules to hatch from the egg mass. Offspring developed from walking leg-bearing larvae to early juveniles over the next ~5 months before leaving the male's protection. Mating and oviposition coincided with the highest water temperatures of the annual cycle and dispersal of juveniles occurred in spring, when phytodetritus deposition was high and as ocean temperature rose markedly. All the females died after oviposition and the males ~9 months later, after juvenile dispersal. The sex ratio of mature individuals (~55-60 mm leg span) was 2 males for 3 females. Fecundity was estimated to be 184-288 eggs per adult female. Adults of N. hirtipes were seen feeding on hydrozoan polyps, small sea anemones (Stephanauge nexilis) and nudibranchs. Larvae and early juveniles did not feed while brooded by the male. Upon dispersal, their feeding apparatus became functional and they began feeding on hydrozoan polyps. After 13 months of growth post hatching, the juveniles reached ~21 mm leg span. Curve fitting estimated that ~7 years are required to reach the adult size of 55 mm leg span.

Anopheline Reproductive Biology: Impacts on Vectorial Capacity and Potential Avenues for Malaria Control.

PubMed

Mitchell, Sara N; Catteruccia, Flaminia

2017-12-01

Vectorial capacity is a mathematical approximation of the efficiency of vector-borne disease transmission, measured as the number of new infections disseminated per case per day by an insect vector. Multiple elements of mosquito biology govern their vectorial capacity, including survival, population densities, feeding preferences, and vector competence. Intriguingly, biological pathways essential to mosquito reproductive fitness directly or indirectly influence a number of these elements. Here, we explore this complex interaction, focusing on how the interplay between mating and blood feeding in female Anopheles not only shapes their reproductive success but also influences their ability to sustain Plasmodium parasite development. Central to malaria transmission, mosquito reproductive biology has recently become the focus of research strategies aimed at malaria control, and we discuss promising new methods based on the manipulation of key reproductive steps. In light of widespread resistance to all public health-approved insecticides targeting mosquito reproduction may prove crucial to the success of malaria-eradication campaigns. Copyright © 2017 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

Changes in land use as a possible factor in Mourning Dove population decline in Central Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ostrand, William D.; Meyers, P.M.; Bissonette, J.A.; Conover, M.R.

1998-01-01

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) population indices for the western United States have declined significantly since 1966. Based on data collected in 1951-1952, in Fillmore, Utah, we examined whether there had been a local decline in the dove population index since the original data were collected. We then determined whether habitat had been altered, identified which foraging habitats doves preferred, and assessed whether changes in land use could be responsible, in part, for a decline in the local population index. We found that dove population indices declined 72% and 82% from 1952-1992 and 1952-1993, respectively. The most dramatic change in habitat was an 82% decline in land devoted to dry land winter wheat production and a decline in livestock feed pens. Doves foraged primarily in harvested wheat fields, feed pens, and weedy patches. We hypothesize that a decrease in wheat availability during the spring and the consolidation of the livestock industry have contributed to a population decline of Mourning Doves in central Utah.

Close coupling of pre- and post-processing vision stations using inexact algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shih, Chi-Hsien V.; Sherkat, Nasser; Thomas, Peter D.

1996-02-01

Work has been reported using lasers to cut deformable materials. Although the use of laser reduces material deformation, distortion due to mechanical feed misalignment persists. Changes in the lace patten are also caused by the release of tension in the lace structure as it is cut. To tackle the problem of distortion due to material flexibility, the 2VMethod together with the Piecewise Error Compensation Algorithm incorporating the inexact algorithms, i.e., fuzzy logic, neural networks and neural fuzzy technique, are developed. A spring mounted pen is used to emulate the distortion of the lace pattern caused by tactile cutting and feed misalignment. Using pre- and post-processing vision systems, it is possible to monitor the scalloping process and generate on-line information for the artificial intelligence engines. This overcomes the problems of lace distortion due to the trimming process. Applying the algorithms developed, the system can produce excellent results, much better than a human operator.

Differential endozoochory of aquatic invertebrates by two duck species in shallow lakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valls, Luis; Castillo-Escrivà, Andreu; Barrera, Luis; Gómez, Eulalia; Gil-Delgado, José Antonio; Mesquita-Joanes, Francesc; Armengol, Xavier

2017-04-01

Animal vectors are essential for the movement of invertebrate resting eggs between water bodies. However, differences in habitat preferences and feeding behaviour between bird species may result in variations in the dispersal of invertebrates via these birds, even if the different bird species live in the same lake. To test such effects, faecal samples from Anas platyrhynchos (collected in autumn and spring) and Tadorna tadorna (collected in spring) were cultured in water at 20° C and 12 L: 12 D conditions in order to quantify the resting eggs which could be internally transported by these birds. One half of each faecal sample was initially cultured at a conductivity of 0.6 mS cm-1 and the other half at 6 mS cm-1. 1054 invertebrates hatched from a total of 60 faecal samples, including cladocerans, copepods, ostracods, rotifers and ciliates, with a wide variability among faeces. Autumn yielded a low proportion of samples with hatchlings (12.5%) compared to spring (90%). Significant differences were observed between birds, but not between conductivity treatments. Thus, our results imply different hatching dynamics affected by disperser and season, but most species transported as resting eggs by birds seem to have a wide tolerance to hatch under variable salinity conditions. These differences may largery influence the metacommunity dynamics of lake networks, and could be a key factor to consider in wetland conservation planning.

The White Sea, Russia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Editor's Note: The caption below, published on May 10, 2001, is incorrect. According to Masha Vorontsova, director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Moscow, the situation with the seal pups in the White Sea is normal. There is no disaster and there never was. For more details, refer to the article entitled 'No Danger' on the New Scientist home page. The Earth Observatory regrets the earlier errant report. Original Caption According to the Russian Polar Research Institute for Fisheries and Oceanography, between 250,000 and 300,000 Greenland seal pups face death by starvation over the next two months due to a cruel trick by mother nature. The seals, most of them less than two months old, are trapped on ice sheets that remain locked in the White Sea, located near Archangel in Northern Russia. Typically, during the spring thaw the ice sheets break up and flow with the currents northward into the Barents Sea, the seals' spring feeding grounds. The seal pups hitch a ride on the ice floes, living on their own individual stores of fat until they arrive in the Barents Sea. Their mothers departed for the Barents Sea weeks ago. In a normal year, the seal pups' trip from the White Sea out to the Barents takes about six weeks and the seals have adapted to rely upon this mechanism of mother nature. During their yearly migration, the mother seals usually stay with their pups and feed them until their pelts turn from white to grey--a sign that the pups are mature enough to swim and feed themselves. Unfortunately, this year unusually strong northerly winds created a bottleneck of ice near the mouth of the white sea, thus blocking the flow of ice and trapping the pups. These true-color images of the White Sea were acquired by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA's Terra spacecraft. This image, taken May 2, 2000 that there is usually much less ice in the White Sea this time of year as most of it is typically en route to the Barents Sea.

Trophic ecology of European sardine Sardina pilchardus and European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus in the Bay of Biscay (north-east Atlantic) inferred from δ13C and δ15N values of fish and identified mesozooplanktonic organisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chouvelon, T.; Chappuis, A.; Bustamante, P.; Lefebvre, S.; Mornet, F.; Guillou, G.; Violamer, L.; Dupuy, C.

2014-01-01

European sardine (Sardina pilchardus) and European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) are two species of economical and ecological significance in the Bay of Biscay (north-east Atlantic). However, the trophic ecology of both species is still poorly known in the area, and more generally, few studies have considered the potential trophic overlap between sardines and anchovies worldwide. This study aims to highlight the trophic links between the mesozooplankton and adults of these two pelagic fish in the Bay of Biscay, through carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis (SIA). Mesozooplankton and individuals of sardines and anchovies were collected during one season (spring 2010), over spatially contrasted stations within the study area. First, the potential effect of preservation (ethanol vs. freezing) and of delipidation (by cyclohexane) on mesozooplankton δ13C and δ15N values was assessed. Results demonstrated the necessity to correct for the preservation effect and for lipid contents in mesozooplankton for further analyses of sardines' and anchovies' diet through SIA. Next, this study highlighted the interest of working on identified mesozooplanktonic organisms instead of undetermined assemblages when unravelling food sources of planktivorous fish using stable isotopes. The inter-specific variability of isotope values within a planktonic assemblage was effectively high, probably depending on the various feeding behaviours that can occur among mesozooplankton species. Intra-specific variability was also significant and related to the spatial variations of baseline signatures in the area. To investigate the foraging areas and potential diet overlap of S. pilchardus and E. encrasicolus, mixing models (SIAR) were applied. Both fish species appeared to feed mainly in the neritic waters of the Bay of Biscay in spring and to select mainly small- to medium-sized copepods (e.g. Acartia sp., Temora sp.). However, E. encrasicolus showed a greater trophic plasticity by foraging more offshore and on a wider range of prey sizes, while S. pilchardus seemed more limited to coastal areas and the mesozooplanktonic species of these waters for feeding.

Feeding habits of the Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus (L. 1758), in the central Mediterranean Sea (Strait of Messina)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battaglia, Pietro; Andaloro, Franco; Consoli, Pierpaolo; Esposito, Valentina; Malara, Danilo; Musolino, Simona; Pedà, Cristina; Romeo, Teresa

2013-03-01

The study of feeding habits of the Atlantic bluefin tuna was carried out in 123 specimens, ranging from 115 to 222 cm fork length (FL) and collected during spring seasons of 2010 and 2011 in the central Mediterranean Sea (Strait of Messina). The analysis of stomach contents allowed us to identify 91 taxa of prey items, mainly belonging to Teleostea (54), Cephalopoda (20) and Crustacea (13). The percentage of index of relative abundance ( IRI) shows the highest values for the myctophid Hygophum benoiti (% IRI = 22.854) and the stomiid Chauliodus sloani (% IRI = 15.124), followed by the oegopsid squid Illex coindetii (% IRI = 14.316). The broad spectrum of prey items could suggest a generalist behavior of this predator, with several species that occasionally occurs in its diet. However, if prey are grouped into food categories, the importance of mesopelagic and benthopelagic fishes can be appreciated (54.41 % of % IRI). The assessment of the hypothetical foraging rhythm of the Atlantic bluefin tuna highlighted that its feeding activity is concentrated on diel migrating fauna during night and on larger preys upon daylight. The predation on the high-energetic food as mesopelagic and bathypelagic fishes during the pre-spawning and the spawning period may bring an energetic advantage in tuna metabolism and gonadal maturation

General and species-specific impacts of a neonicotinoid insecticide on the ovary development and feeding of wild bumblebee queens

PubMed Central

Baron, Gemma L.

2017-01-01

Bumblebees are essential pollinators of crops and wild plants, but are in decline across the globe. Neonicotinoid pesticides have been implicated as a potential driver of these declines, but most of our evidence base comes from studies of a single species. There is an urgent need to understand whether such results can be generalized across a range of species. Here, we present results of a laboratory experiment testing the impacts of field-relevant doses (1.87–5.32 ppb) of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on spring-caught wild queens of four bumblebee species: Bombus terrestris, B. lucorum, B. pratorum and B. pascuorum. Two weeks of exposure to the higher concentration of thiamethoxam caused a reduction in feeding in two out of four species, suggesting species-specific anti-feedant, repellency or toxicity effects. The higher level of thiamethoxam exposure resulted in a reduction in the average length of terminal oocytes in queens of all four species. In addition to providing the first evidence for general effects of neonicotinoids on ovary development in multiple species of wild bumblebee queens, the discovery of species-specific effects on feeding has significant implications for current practices and policy for pesticide risk assessment and use. PMID:28469019

Aposematism in Archips cerasivoranus not linked to the sequestration of host-derived cyanide.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, T D; Stevens, M A; Miller, S; Jeffers, P

2008-10-01

This study addressed the question of how caterpillars of Archips cerasivoranus feeding upon Prunus virginiana cope with the cyanogenic compounds of their food. Analysis by ion chromatography showed that young and aged leaves of P. virginiana consumed by the caterpillars during spring have hydrogen cyanide potentials (HCN-ps) of 2,473 +/- 130 ppm and 1,058 +/- 98 ppm, respectively. Although less than 3% of the cyanide released as the caterpillars feed escapes into the atmosphere, the larva's bright-yellow aposematic coloration and conspicuous activity can not be attributed to the sequestration of cyanide. Only six of 25 samples of the caterpillars' defensive regurgitants collected from 12 field colonies contained cyanide (17.6 +/- 6.54 ppm), less than 5% of the quantity previously reported to occur in the regurgitant of the tent caterpillar M. americanum. Only seven of 13 caterpillars assayed had detectable quantities of cyanide in their bodies (3.9 +/- 0.9 ppm). The fecal pellets that encase the cocoon contained no cyanide, nor did the frass that litters the leaf shelters. The small quantities of cyanide that occur in the caterpillar compared to the HCN-p of ingested plant material appear attributable to paced bouts of feeding and the maintenance of a highly alkaline foregut that inhibits cyanogenesis.

Electromagnetic analysis of groundwater on the Arizona-Utah border

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vander Vis, T.; Porter, R. C.; Macy, J. P.

2016-12-01

Understanding subsurface structure and groundwater flow is an essential part of managing groundwater resources, especially in southwestern United States where supply is limited and demand is increasing. This study describes the preliminary results of a transient electromagnetic survey conducted on the Arizona-Utah border to better understand the groundwater system which supplies water to many wells and springs in the region. Electromagnetic surveys are ideal for groundwater investigations because they can locate and characterize areas of high conductivity, which often are indicative of groundwater. The study area is on the southwestern margin of the Colorado Plateau and consists of uplifted, flat-lying sedimentary units. Regionally, groundwater is located within the Navajo Sandstone and underlying Kayenta Formation as an unconfined aquifer that extends from Pipe Springs National Monument north to the East Fork of the Virgin River. This area is characterized by step-like structural blocks that accommodate small amounts of extension and are bounded by long north-south-trending normal faults. The Sevier Fault runs through the sedimentary units near the study area and has been shown to influence groundwater movement by offsetting permeable units west of the fault adjacent to impermeable units east of the fault. Electromagnetic measurements were recorded with a Zonge GDP-32 receiver at 30 receiver locations at 16 and 32 Hz with a 100mx100m transmitter loop. These data were used to create a subsurface conductivity model. Water levels from local wells and local geologic data were utilized to relate the geophysical data to the groundwater system. Preliminary results define the depth to water table and the location of the groundwater divide between the groundwater that flows north towards the springs that feed the East Fork of the Virgin River and the groundwater that flows south towards Pipe Springs National Monument.

Estimating background and threshold nitrate concentrations using probability graphs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Panno, S.V.; Kelly, W.R.; Martinsek, A.T.; Hackley, Keith C.

2006-01-01

Because of the ubiquitous nature of anthropogenic nitrate (NO 3-) in many parts of the world, determining background concentrations of NO3- in shallow ground water from natural sources is probably impossible in most environments. Present-day background must now include diffuse sources of NO3- such as disruption of soils and oxidation of organic matter, and atmospheric inputs from products of combustion and evaporation of ammonia from fertilizer and livestock waste. Anomalies can be defined as NO3- derived from nitrogen (N) inputs to the environment from anthropogenic activities, including synthetic fertilizers, livestock waste, and septic effluent. Cumulative probability graphs were used to identify threshold concentrations separating background and anomalous NO3-N concentrations and to assist in the determination of sources of N contamination for 232 spring water samples and 200 well water samples from karst aquifers. Thresholds were 0.4, 2.5, and 6.7 mg/L for spring water samples, and 0.1, 2.1, and 17 mg/L for well water samples. The 0.4 and 0.1 mg/L values are assumed to represent thresholds for present-day precipitation. Thresholds at 2.5 and 2.1 mg/L are interpreted to represent present-day background concentrations of NO3-N. The population of spring water samples with concentrations between 2.5 and 6.7 mg/L represents an amalgam of all sources of NO3- in the ground water basins that feed each spring; concentrations >6.7 mg/L were typically samples collected soon after springtime application of synthetic fertilizer. The 17 mg/L threshold (adjusted to 15 mg/L) for well water samples is interpreted as the level above which livestock wastes dominate the N sources. Copyright ?? 2006 The Author(s).

A Transient Electromagnetic Analysis of Groundwater on the Utah-Arizona Border

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vander Vis, Tanya

Groundwater is often the primary water source for municipal and agricultural purposes, especially in the arid and semi-arid southwestern United States where surface water is limited. Understanding subsurface structure and groundwater flow is an essential part of managing this limited resource, however, it is often difficult and expensive to obtain extensive subsurface data. The purpose of this study was to better understand the Navajo Sandstone Aquifer in the region south of the East Fork of the Virgin River in southern Utah and north of Pipe Spring National Monument in northern Arizona. This was accomplished by using transient electromagnetics (TEM) to define the depth to the water table and to determine the location of the groundwater divide between the East Fork of the Virgin River and Pipe Spring National Monument. The Navajo Sandstone Aquifer is important regionally as it supplies water to the National Park Service (NPS), the Kaibab Paiute Tribe, and local communities, as well as, numerous springs that feed the Virgin River and Pipe Spring National Monument. A transient electromagnetic survey was conducted using an in-loop configuration and 30 receiver locations. This method was chosen because it is inexpensive relative to drilling costly wells and is highly sensitive to groundwater systems. Results from modeling the transient response show the groundwater divide 1500m south of the Utah-Arizona border. The National Park Service is interested in the location of the groundwater divide because, in Utah, Zion National Park has rights to water that flows through park boundaries and these rights extend to the groundwater system. Subsurface information from this study can be used to inform future policy decisions.

Threatened fishes of the world: Moapa coriacea Hubbs and Miller, 1948 (cyprinidae)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scoppettone, G.G.; Goodchild, S.

2009-01-01

Moapa dace. Conservation status: Endangered (U.S. Department of the Interior 1967), Critically Endangered, IUCN (Gimenez 1996). Identification: Small embedded scales, narrow caudal peduncle and a bright black spot at the base of deeply forked tail. Pharyngeal teeth (0,5–4,0) hooked but with a grinding surface. Adults 50 to 120 mm total length. Drawing adapted from La Rivers (1962). Distribution: Endemic to the upper Muddy River system, Clark County, Nevada where the river originates from over 20 thermal springs. Prior to 1995 Moapa dace occupied 9.5 stream km including the upper Muddy River and spring-fed tributaries (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1995). Distribution has contracted to 2 km (unpublished data) since the 1995 invasion of blue tilapia, Oreochromis aurea. Abundance: In 1994 the population was about 3,800, but after tilapia invasion dropped below 1,600 (Scoppettone et al. 1998) where it has remained (unpublished data). Habitat and ecology: Omnivorous but tends toward carnivory. Feed primarily on drift in areas adjacent to fast water 26–32°C. Reproduction: Occurs year round in spring-fed tributaries to the Muddy River in water temperature of 30–32°C (Scoppettone et al. 1992). Threats: Nonnative species (Scoppettone 1993; Scoppettone et al. 1998) and ground-water pumping (Mayer and Congdon 2008). Conservation actions: Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge was established in the upper Muddy River for the protection and perpetuation of Moapa dace. Barrier installation and chemical removal of blue tilapia downstream of refuge habitat provides 2 km of stream without tilapia. Conservation recommendations: Eliminate tilapia from the Muddy River system and control or eliminate other nonnative species. Protect spring discharge from excessive water withdrawal. Remarks: Given a high priority for recovery by the U.S. Government.

Key Source Habitats and Potential Dispersal of Triatoma infestans Populations in Northwestern Argentina: Implications for Vector Control

PubMed Central

Gürtler, Ricardo E.; Cecere, María C.; Fernández, María del Pilar; Vazquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo M.; Ceballos, Leonardo A.; Gurevitz, Juan M.; Kitron, Uriel; Cohen, Joel E.

2014-01-01

Background Triatoma infestans —the principal vector of the infection that causes Chagas disease— defies elimination efforts in the Gran Chaco region. This study identifies the types of human-made or -used structures that are key sources of these bugs in the initial stages of house reinfestation after an insecticide spraying campaign. Methodology and Principal Findings We measured demographic and blood-feeding parameters at two geographic scales in 11 rural communities in Figueroa, northwest Argentina. Of 1,297 sites searched in spring, 279 (21.5%) were infested. Bug abundance per site and female fecundity differed significantly among habitat types (ecotopes) and were highly aggregated. Domiciles (human sleeping quarters) had maximum infestation prevalence (38.7%), human-feeding bugs and total egg production, with submaximal values for other demographic and blood-feeding attributes. Taken collectively peridomestic sites were three times more often infested than domiciles. Chicken coops had greater bug abundance, blood-feeding rates, engorgement status, and female fecundity than pig and goat corrals. The host-feeding patterns were spatially structured yet there was strong evidence of active dispersal of late-stage bugs between ecotopes. Two flight indices predicted that female fliers were more likely to originate from kitchens and domiciles, rejecting our initial hypothesis that goat and pig corrals would dominate. Conclusions and Significance Chicken coops and domiciles were key source habitats fueling rapid house reinfestation. Focusing control efforts on ecotopes with human-fed bugs (domiciles, storerooms, goat corrals) would neither eliminate the substantial contributions to bug population growth from kitchens, chicken coops, and pig corrals nor stop dispersal of adult female bugs from kitchens. Rather, comprehensive control of the linked network of ecotopes is required to prevent feeding on humans, bug population growth, and bug dispersal simultaneously. Our study illustrates a demographic approach that may be applied to other regions and triatomine species for the design of innovative, improved vector control strategies. PMID:25299653

Seasonal variation of assemblage and feeding guild structure of fish species in a boreal tidal basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kellnreitner, Florian; Pockberger, Moritz; Asmus, Harald

2012-08-01

Species composition, abundance, feeding relationships and guild structure of the fish assemblage in the Sylt-Rømø bight, a tidal basin in the northern Wadden Sea, were investigated to show seasonal differences and the importance of functional groups in this area. The tidal flats and in shallow subtidal areas were sampled using a beach seine and a bottom trawl net was used for deeper subtidal areas and tidal gullies. Species richness of fish was highest in summer where 26 species were caught, while the lowest richness was recorded in winter (17 species). Clear differences in species richness and abundance were found between shallow areas and deeper parts of the bight. Clupea harengus and Ammodytes tobianus were the most abundant species in deeper areas, while Pomatoschistus microps and Pomatoschistus minutus dominated shallower waters. Gut contents of 27 fish species were identified and the guild structure analyzed by UPGMA clustering of niche overlaps. Calanoid copepods (19.9%), Crangon crangon (18.2%) and mysid shrimps (8.4%) were the most abundant prey items of all fish species combined. Seven feeding guilds were present in the fall and winter, and eight and six in spring and summer, respectively. Fish feeding on calanoid copepods and C. crangon were present year round, whereas the occurrence of other guilds varied between seasons. Species composition of prey changed through seasons and, for some fish species, even the feeding mode itself varied with season. Most noticeable, 11 fish species changed guilds between seasons. We found a convergence in summer towards abundant prey items, whereas in winter diet overlap was lower. This is the first investigation of guild structure of almost all fish species present in a Wadden Sea area, and shows that consideration of seasonal differences is essential when determining feeding relationships of fish in temperate areas.

Neonatal Late-onset Hypocalcemia: Is There Any Relationship with Maternal Hypovitaminosis D?

PubMed Central

Do, Hyun Jeong; Park, Ji Sook; Seo, Ji-Hyun; Lee, Eun Shin; Woo, Hyang-Ok; Youn, Hee-Shang

2014-01-01

Purpose Neonatal late-onset hypocalcemia is defined as hypocalcemia developed after postnatal 3 days and associated with hypoparathyroidism, high phosphate diets and vitamin D deficiency. We experienced the increment of neonatal late onset hypocalcemia over 1 year. We tried to evaluate the relationship between late onset hypocalcemia and maternal hypovitaminosis D. Methods The medical records in the neonates with late-onset hypocalcemia during January 2007 to July 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Among those patients, 17 paired sera of mothers and neonates had collected. The levels of 25-OH vitamin D (25OHD) and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) were measured and were compared with neonate and the mother. Results The mean gestational age was 38+1 weeks, and the mean body weight was 2,980 g. The onset time of hypocalcemia was 5.9 days of age. Most of them (88.2%) were feeding with formula and no one was only breast milk feeding. Of the 17 patients, 13 were born in spring or in winter. The median levels of calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, iPTH and 25OHD were 7.0 mg/dL, 8.6 mg/dL, 191.0 U/L, 57.2 pg/mL and 24.0 ng/mL in neonates. The levels of 25OHD of 6 neonates were <20 ng/mL. A total of 16 mothers were considered vitamin D-deficient (<20 ng/mL), and vitamin D insufficient (20<25OHD<30 ng/mL). Conclusion Neonatal late-onset hypocalcemia in our study seems to be influenced by maternal vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency. Sun tanning and vitamin D supplements from winter to spring would be helpful to prevent maternal vitamin D deficiency, one of the causes of neonatal late-onset hypocalcemia. PMID:24749088

Stable isotope and pen feeding trial studies confirm the value of horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus eggs to spring migrant shorebirds in Delaware Bay

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haramis, G.M.; Link, W.A.; Osenton, P.C.; Carter, Daniel B.; Weber, R.G.; Clark, N.A.; Teece, M.A.; Mizrahi, D.S.

2007-01-01

We used stable isotope (SI) methods in combination with pen feeding trials to determine the importance of eggs of the Atlantic horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus to migratory fattening of red knots Calidris canutus rufa and ruddy turnstones Arenaria interpres morinella during spring stopover in Delaware Bay. By manifesting measurable fractionation (ca +3?) and rapid turnover, blood plasma *15 nitrogen proved a functional marker for SI diet tracking during the short 3-week stopover. Blood samples from free-ranging knots (3 data sets) and turnstones (1 data set) produced similar convergence of plasma *15 N signatures with increasing body mass that indicated highly similar diets. Asymptotes deviated slightly (0.3? to 0.7?) from that of captive shorebirds fed a diet of only crab eggs during stopover, thus confirming a strong crab egg-shorebird linkage. The plasma *15N crab-egg diet asymptote was enriched ca +4.5? and therefore readily discriminated from that of either blue mussels Mytilus edulis or coquina clams Donax variabilis, the most likely alternative prey of knots in Delaware Bay. Crab eggs were highly palatable to captive knots and turnstones which achieved rates of mass gain (3?11 g/d) comparable to that of free-ranging birds. Peak consumption rates during hyperphagic events were 23,940 and 19,360 eggs/bird/d, respectively. The empirical conversions of eggs consumed to body mass gained (5,017 eggs/g for knots and 4,320 eggs/g for turnstones) indicate the large quantities of crab eggs required for the maintenance of these shorebird populations during stopover.

The potential of fruit trees to enhance converted habitats for migrating birds in southern Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Foster, M.S.

2007-01-01

Migration routes used by Nearctic migrant birds can cover great distances; they also differ among species, within species, and between years and seasons. As a result, migration routes for an entire migratory avifauna can encompass broad geographic areas, making it impossible to protect continuous stretches of habitat sufficient to connect the wintering and breeding grounds for most species. Consequently, ways to enhance habitats converted for human use (i.e. for pasture, crop cultivation, human settlement) as stopover sites for migrants are especially important. Shelterbelts around pastures and fields, if planted with species targeted to support migrant (and resident) bird species that naturally occupy mature forest habitats and that are at least partially frugivorous, could be a powerful enhancement tool for such species, if the birds will enter the converted areas to feed. I tested this approach for Nearctic migrant birds during the spring migration through an area in Chiapas, Mexico. Mature forest tree species whose fruits are eaten by birds were surveyed. Based on life form, crop size and fruit characteristics, I selected three tree species for study: Cymbopetalum mayanum (Annonaceae), Bursera simaruba (Burseraceae) and Trophis racemosa (Moraceae). I compared the use of fruits of these species by migrants and residents in forest with their use of the fruits of isolated individuals of the same species in pasture and cropland. All three plant species were useful for enhancing converted habitats for forest-occupying spring migrants, although species differed in the degree to which they entered disturbed areas to feed on the fruits. These tree species could probably enhance habitats for migrants at sites throughout the natural geographic ranges of the plants; in other geographic areas for other target bird groups, other tree species might be more appropriate.

Conservation, status, and life history of the endangered White River spinedace, Lepidomeda albivallis (Cyprinidae)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scoppettone, G.G.; Harvey, J.E.; Heinrich, J.

2004-01-01

Lepidomeda albivallis (White River spinedace), a fish species endemic to the White River, Nevada, appeared headed toward extinction. In 1991 only 1 population remained, and it comprised fewer than 50 individuals in a 70-m stream reach. We monitored population recruitment and distribution and studied life history and habitat use from 1993 through 1998. We determined that L. albivallis was not reproducing and was continuing to decline, and as an emergency measure we relocated the population (14 in spring 1995 and 6 in spring 1996) downstream 200 m to a secure habitat that we judged more favorable for reproduction. The relocated population reproduced, and by September 1998 it had increased to 396 individuals that inhabited more than 1 km of stream including both pond and stream habitats. In streams they oriented near the bottom but frequently moved up in the water column to strike at drift items. Gut analysis of museum specimens indicated L. albivallis is omnivorous but feeds primarily upon aquatic invertebrates. Conservation of L. albivallis will require reestablishing additional populations within its former range.

Research observation: Hydrolyzable and condensed tannins in plants of northwest Spain forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gonzalez-Hernandez, M. P.; Karchesy, J.; Starkey, E.E.

2003-01-01

Tannins are secondary metabolites that may influence feeding by mammals on plants. We analyzed hydrolyzable and condensed tannins in 30 plant species consumed by livestock and deer, as a preliminary attempt to study their possible implications on browsing and grazing in forest ecosystems. Heathers (Ericaceae) and plants of the Rose (Rosaceae) family had tannins, while forbs, grasses and shrubs other than the heathers did not show astringency properties. We found the highest tannin content of all the species in Rubus sp., with the highest value around 180 mg TAE/g dry weight in spring. Potentilla erecta, Alnus glutinosa and Quercus robur were next with 57 to 44 mg TAE/g dw. Total tannins in heathers ranged from 22 to 36 mg TAE/g dw. Levels of condensed tannins were higher than hydrolyzable for most of the species. Only Betula alba, Calluna vulgaris, Pteridium aquilinum and Vaccinium myrtillus had 100% hydrolyzable tannins. Tannin content of the species changed seasonally with highest values during the growing season, corresponding to late winter or early spring, depending on the species.

Research observation: Hydrolyzable and condensed tannins in plants of the northwest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gonzalez-Hernandez, M. P.; Karchesy, J.; Starkey, Edward E.

2003-01-01

Tannins are secondary metabolites that may influence feeding by mammals on plants. We analyzed hydrolyzable and condensed tannins in 30 plant species consumed by livestock and deer, as a preliminary attempt to study their possible implications on browsing and grazing in forest ecosystems. Heathers (Ericaceae) and plants of the Rose (Rosaceae) family had tannins, while forbs, grasses and shrubs other than the heathers did not show astringency properties. We found the highest tannin content of all the species in Rubus sp., with the highest value around 180 mg TAE/g dry weight in spring. Potentilla erecta, Alnus glutinosa and Quercus robur were next with 57 to 44 mg TAE/g dw. Total tannins in heathers ranged from 22 to 36 mg TAE/g dw. Levels of condensed tannins were higher than hydrolyzable for most of the species. Only Betula alba, Calluna vulgaris, Pteridium aquilinum and Vaccinium myrtillus had 100% hydrolyzable tannins. Tannin content of the species changed seasonally with highest values during the growing season, corresponding to late winter or early spring, depending on the species.

Decadal Bering Sea seascape change: consequences for Pacific walruses and indigenous hunters.

PubMed

Ray, G Carleton; Hufford, Gary L; Overland, James E; Krupnik, Igor; McCormick-Ray, Jerry; Frey, Karen; Labunski, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

The most significant factors currently affecting the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) population are climate change and consequent changes in sea-ice morphology and dynamics. This paper integrates recent physical sea-ice change in the Bering Sea with biological and ecological conditions of walruses in their winter-spring reproductive habitat. Historically, walrus in winter-spring depended on a critical mass of sea-ice habitat to optimize social networking, reproductive fitness, feeding behavior, migration, and energetic efficiency. During 2003-2013, our cross-disciplinary, multiscale analysis from shipboard observations, satellite imagery, and ice-floe tracking, reinforced by information from indigenous subsistence hunters, documented change of sea-ice structure from a plastic continuum to a "mixing bowl" of ice floes moving more independently. This fragmentation of winter habitat preconditions the walrus population toward dispersal mortality and will also negatively affect the availability of resources for indigenous communities. We urge an expanded research and management agenda that integrates walrus natural history and habitat more completely with changing sea-ice morphology and dynamics at multiple scales, while also meeting the needs of local communities.

Can Thin-lipped Mullet Directly Exploit the Primary and Detritic Production of European Macrotidal Salt Marshes?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laffaille, P.; Feunteun, E.; Lefebvre, C.; Radureau, A.; Sagan, G.; Lefeuvre, J.-C.

2002-04-01

Juveniles and adults (>100 mm) of Liza ramada colonize macrotidal salt marsh creeks of Mont Saint-Michel bay (France) between March and November, during spring tide floods (43% of the tides) and return to coastal waters during the ebb. This fish species actively feeds during its short stay in the creek (from 1 to 2 h). On average, each fish swallows sediment including living and inert organic matter, which amounts to 8% of its fresh body weight. Their diet is dominated by small benthic items (especially diatoms and salt marsh plant detritus), that correspond to the primary and detritic production of this macrotidal salt marsh creek. Despite very short submersion periods, mullets filter and ingest large quantities of sediment and concentrated organic matter (on average organic matter in stomach content is 31%) produced by these coastal wetlands. European salt marshes are thus shown to act as trophic areas for mullets, which are well adapted to this constraining habitat which is only flooded for short periods during spring tides.

Newer insecticides for plant virus disease management.

PubMed

Castle, Steven; Palumbo, John; Prabhaker, Nilima

2009-05-01

Effective management of insect and mite vectors of plant pathogens is of crucial importance to minimize vector-borne diseases in crops. Pesticides play an important role in managing vector populations by reducing the number of individuals that can acquire and transmit a virus, thereby potentially lowering disease incidence. Certain insecticides exhibit properties other than lethal toxicity that affect feeding behaviours or otherwise interfere with virus transmission. To evaluate the potential of various treatments against the Bemisia tabaci-transmitted Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV), insecticide field trials were conducted in Yuma, AZ, USA, during spring and autumn growing seasons. Differences in vector-intensity each season led to mixed results, but at least five insecticide treatments showed promise in limiting virus spread during spring 2008. Increasing concern among growers in this region regarding recent epidemics of CYSDV is leading to more intensive use of insecticides that threatens to erupt into unmanageable resistance. Sustainability of insecticides is an important goal of pest management and more specifically resistance management, especially for some of the most notorious vector species such as B. tabaci and Myzus persiscae that are likely to develop resistance.

Continuous chain bit with downhole cycling capability

DOEpatents

Ritter, Don F.; St. Clair, Jack A.; Togami, Henry K.

1983-01-01

A continuous chain bit for hard rock drilling is capable of downhole cycling. A drill head assembly moves axially relative to a support body while the chain on the head assembly is held in position so that the bodily movement of the chain cycles the chain to present new composite links for drilling. A pair of spring fingers on opposite sides of the chain hold the chain against movement. The chain is held in tension by a spring-biased tensioning bar. A head at the working end of the chain supports the working links. The chain is centered by a reversing pawl and piston actuated by the pressure of the drilling mud. Detent pins lock the head assembly with respect to the support body and are also operated by the drilling mud pressure. A restricted nozzle with a divergent outlet sprays drilling mud into the cavity to remove debris. Indication of the centered position of the chain is provided by noting a low pressure reading indicating proper alignment of drilling mud slots on the links with the corresponding feed branches.

KSC-04PD-0272

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. U.S. Representative Ric Keller (center) talks to NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (left foreground) about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. At left behind OKeefe is Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Florida Congressman Tom Feeney, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04PD-0283

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He, NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe and other government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Behind Nelson are (left to right) Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; Congressman Dave Weldon and OKeefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

KSC-04PD-0289

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Behind OKeefe are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; and Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

KSC-04PD-0281

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Behind OKeefe are (left to right) Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; and Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

KSC-04PD-0282

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida, talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. She gave a presentation to NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (far right) about the assets of the research park as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Behind Dana are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; and Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

KSC-04PD-0285

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Florida Congressman Tom Feeney talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He, NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Behind Feeney are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; Congressman Dave Weldon; and OKeefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

KSC-04PD-0286

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. U.S. Representative Ric Keller talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He, NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Behind Keller are (left to right) U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; Congressman Dave Weldon; and OKeefe. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Center Director Jim Kennedy also attended the presentation.

The SSMEPF opens with a ribbon-cutting ceremony

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

Participants in the ribbon cutting for KSC's new 34,600-square- foot Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility (SSMEPF) gather to talk inside the facility following the ceremony. From left, they are Robert B. Sieck, director of Shuttle Processing; KSC Center Director Roy D. Bridges Jr.; U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon; John Plowden, vice president of Rocketdyne; and Donald R. McMonagle, manager of Launch Integration. A major addition to the existing Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3, the SSMEPF replaces the Shuttle Main Engine Shop located in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The decision to move the shop out of the VAB was prompted by safety considerations and recent engine processing improvements. The first three main engines to be processed in the new facility will fly on Shuttle Endeavour's STS-88 mission in December 1998.

KSC-02pd1259

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-08-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Cape Canaveral Spaceport leaders gather after the master plan signing ceremony at Port Canaveral Terminal 10. From left are Canaveral National Seashore Superintendent Robert Newkirk, Canaveral Port Authority Executive Director Malcolm "Mac" McLouth, KSC Director Roy Bridges Jr., U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, 45th Space Wing Commander Gregory Pavlovich, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services Refuge Manager Ron Hight, Naval Ordnance Test Unit Commanding Officer William Borger, and Florida Space Authority Executive Director Ed Gormel. The plan represents interagency cooperation between the leadership group's agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and U.S. Navy. Joining them in developing a vision of the Spaceport's future have been aerospace educators, researchers, and businesses, along with representatives from local, state and national government.

KSC-02pd1261

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-08-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson talks to the media after the master plan signing ceremony at Port Canaveral Terminal 10. Also attending were Canaveral National Seashore Superintendent Robert Newkirk, Canaveral Port Authority Executive Director Malcolm "Mac" McLouth, KSC Director Roy Bridges Jr., U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, 45th Space Wing Commander Gregory Pavlovich, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services Refuge Manager Ron Hight, Naval Ordnance Test Unit Commanding Officer William Borger, and Florida Space Authority Executive Director Ed Gormel. The plan represents interagency cooperation between the leadership group's agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and U.S. Navy. Joining them in developing a vision of the Spaceport's future have been aerospace educators, researchers, and businesses, along with representatives from local, state and national government.

KSC-02pd1264

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-08-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Center Director Roy Bridges addresses guests at the master plan signing ceremony at Port Canaveral Terminal 10. Also attending were Canaveral National Seashore Superintendent Robert Newkirk, Canaveral Port Authority Executive Director Malcolm "Mac" McLouth, KSC Director Roy Bridges Jr., U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, 45th Space Wing Commander Gregory Pavlovich, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services Refuge Manager Ron Hight, Naval Ordnance Test Unit Commanding Officer William Borger, and Florida Space Authority Executive Director Ed Gormel. The plan represents interagency cooperation between the leadership group's agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and U.S. Navy. Joining them in developing a vision of the Spaceport's future have been aerospace educators, researchers, and businesses, along with representatives from local, state and national government.

KSC-05PD-0198

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando, film director James Cameron (right) talks to Daniel Stearns, a 13-year-old student from Longmeadow, Mass., who won the Space Exploration Video Festival award sponsored by Lockheed Martin. Stearns shared first place with a team from McNair High School in Dekalb County, Ga. The Georgia school participates in NASAs Explorer School program. Cameron is one of the keynote speakers at the conference. Topics being presented focus on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Other keynote speakers at the three-day conference are Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

Physics in the Galtonian sciences of heredity.

PubMed

Radick, Gregory

2011-06-01

Physics matters less than we once thought to the making of Mendel. But it matters more than we tend to recognize to the making of Mendelism. This paper charts the variety of ways in which diverse kinds of physics impinged upon the Galtonian tradition which formed Mendelism's matrix. The work of three Galtonians in particular is considered: Francis Galton himself, W. F. R. Weldon and William Bateson. One aim is to suggest that tracking influence from physics can bring into focus important but now little-remembered flexibilities in the Galtonian tradition. Another is to show by example why generalizations about what happens when 'physics' meets 'biology' require caution. Even for a single research tradition in Britain in the decades around 1900, these categories were large, containing multitudes. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KSC-04pd0272

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-02-19

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - U.S. Representative Ric Keller (center) talks to NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe (left foreground) about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASA’s new Shared Services Center. At left behind O’Keefe is Congressman Dave Weldon. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASA’s payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Florida Congressman Tom Feeney, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Center Director Jim Kennedy and Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida.

Abnormally high digestive enzyme activity and gene expression explain the contemporary evolution of a Diabrotica biotype able to feed on soybeans

PubMed Central

Curzi, Matías J; Zavala, Jorge A; Spencer, Joseph L; Seufferheld, Manfredo J

2012-01-01

Western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera) (WCR) depends on the continuous availability of corn. Broad adoption of annual crop rotation between corn (Zea mays) and nonhost soybean (Glycine max) exploited WCR biology to provide excellent WCR control, but this practice dramatically reduced landscape heterogeneity in East-central Illinois and imposed intense selection pressure. This selection resulted in behavioral changes and “rotation-resistant” (RR) WCR adults. Although soybeans are well defended against Coleopteran insects by cysteine protease inhibitors, RR-WCR feed on soybean foliage and remain long enough to deposit eggs that will hatch the following spring and larvae will feed on roots of planted corn. Other than documenting changes in insect mobility and egg laying behavior, 15 years of research have failed to identify any diagnostic differences between wild-type (WT)- and RR-WCR or a mechanism that allows for prolonged RR-WCR feeding and survival in soybean fields. We documented differences in behavior, physiology, digestive protease activity (threefold to fourfold increases), and protease gene expression in the gut of RR-WCR adults. Our data suggest that higher constitutive activity levels of cathepsin L are part of the mechanism that enables populations of WCR to circumvent soybean defenses, and thus, crop rotation. These new insights into the mechanism of WCR tolerance of soybean herbivory transcend the issue of RR-WCR diagnostics and management to link changes in insect gut proteolytic activity and behavior with landscape heterogeneity. The RR-WCR illustrates how agro-ecological factors can affect the evolution of insects in human-altered ecosystems. PMID:22957201

Partial life tables from three generations of Enaphalodes rufulus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae).

PubMed

Haavik, Laurel J; Crook, Damon J; Fierke, Melissa K; Galligan, Larry D; Stephen, Fred M

2012-12-01

We used life table analyses to investigate age specific mortality and to better understand the population dynamics of the red oak borer, Enaphalodes rufulus (Haldeman) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). We continually sampled populations within 177 trees at primarily two sites in the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas throughout three (2-yr) generations. The first cohort (adults emerged in 2003) was sampled during a severe population outbreak, whereas the second and third (2005 and 2007) were sampled during the population crash that followed. Generation mortality was 94% in 2003 and 99% in both 2005 and 2007. Estimates of apparent mortality indicated that the E. rufulus population crash likely occurred during or before the first overwintering period (2003-2004) of the generation that emerged as adults in 2005. We found limited evidence for density dependent mortality, which suggest that intraspecific competition after the first active feeding period was apparently not an important mortality factor during E. rufulus development. Life tables revealed that E. rufulus larvae generally experienced the greatest apparent mortality during the second summer of active feeding (80-94%) when larvae were feeding in, and moving between phloem and sapwood. The least apparent mortality was incurred during the following spring and early summer (26-67%) when late stage larvae and pupae were deepest and most protected within sapwood or heartwood tunnels. We found very little evidence for mortality from associated species. Scarring of vascular tissue in response to E. rufulus feeding occurred during early life stages and may be an important tree resistance mechanism and E. rufulus mortality factor.

Habitat selection of a declining white-tailed deer herd in the central Black Hills, South Dakota and Wyoming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deperno, Christopher Shannon

Habitat selection, survival rates, the Black Hills National Forest Habitat Capability Model (HABCAP), and the USDA Forest Service Geographic Information System (GIS) data base were evaluated for a declining white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus dacotensis) herd in the central Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. From July 1993 through July 1996, 73 adult and yearling female and 12 adult and yearling male white-tailed deer were radiocollared and visually monitored. Habitat information was collected at 4,662 white-tailed deer locations and 1,087 random locations. Natural mortality (71%) was the primary cause of female mortality, followed by harvest (22.5%) and accidental causes (6.5%). More females died in spring (53.2%) than in fall (22.6%), winter (14.5%), or summer (9.7%). Male mortality resulted from hunting in fall (66.7%) and natural causes in spring (33.3%). Survival rates for all deer by year were 62.1% in 1993, 51.1% in 1994, 56.4% in 1995, and 53.9% in 1996 and were similar (P = 0.691) across years. During winter, white-tailed deer selected ponderosa pine- (Pinus ponderosa ) deciduous and burned pine cover types. Overstory-understory habitats selected included pine/grass-forb, pine/bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), pine/snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), burned pine/grass-forb, and pine/shrub habitats. Structural stages selected included sapling-pole pine stands with >70% canopy cover, burned pine sapling-pole and saw-timber stands with <40% canopy cover. Bedding locations were represented by saw-timber pine structural stages with >40% canopy cover and all sapling-pole pine structural stages; sapling-pole stands with >70% canopy cover received the greatest use. White-tailed deer primarily fed in pine saw-timber structural stage with less than 40% canopy cover. Overall, selected habitats contained lower amounts of grass/forb, shrubs, and litter than random locations. Male and female deer generally bedded in areas that were characterized by greater horizontal cover than feeding and random sites. When feeding and bedding sites were combined males selected areas that were characterized by greater levels of horizontal cover than females. During summer, white-tailed deer selected pine-deciduous, aspen (Populus tremuloides), aspen-coniferous, spruce (Picea glauca), and spruce-deciduous cover types. Overstory-understory habitats selected included pine/juniper (Juniperus communis), aspen/shrubs, spruce/juniper, and spruce/shrub habitats. Structural stages selected included pine, aspen, and spruce sapling pole stands with all levels (0--40%, 41--70%, 71--100%) of canopy cover. All habitat types (i.e., pine, aspen, and spruce) were used as bedding locations with pine sapling-pole structural stages with >70% canopy cover used most, whereas pine saw-timber structural stage with less than 40% canopy cover was primarily used for feeding. Females bedded in areas that were characterized by greater horizontal cover than feeding and random sites, whereas male feeding sites had greater horizontal cover characteristics than bedding or random locations.

Update on CERN Search based on SharePoint 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez, E.; Fernandez, S.; Lossent, A.; Posada, I.; Silva, B.; Wagner, A.

2017-10-01

CERN’s enterprise Search solution “CERN Search” provides a central search solution for users and CERN service providers. A total of about 20 million public and protected documents from a wide range of document collections is indexed, including Indico, TWiki, Drupal, SharePoint, JACOW, E-group archives, EDMS, and CERN Web pages. In spring 2015, CERN Search was migrated to a new infrastructure based on SharePoint 2013. In the context of this upgrade, the document pre-processing and indexing process was redesigned and generalised. The new data feeding framework allows to profit from new functionality and it facilitates the long term maintenance of the system.

Ecology and Epidemiology of Lyme Borreliosis.

PubMed

Schotthoefer, Anna M; Frost, Holly M

2015-12-01

Lyme borreliosis is a zoonotic, tick-borne disease that infects humans worldwide. The disease is currently recognized as the most common vector-borne disease in Europe and North America. Disease is caused by several genospecies of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. Humans are at high risk of infection in regions where highly competent reservoirs are the primary hosts for the subadult stages of the tick, in contrast to regions where less competent or refractory animals feed ticks. Human infections are also most frequently associated with spring and summer months when the nymph stage of the tick is active. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radon as a natural tracer for underwater cave exploration and hypogenic cave formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Csondor, Katalin; Erőss, Anita; Horváth, Ákos; Szieberth, Dénes

2017-04-01

Using 222Rn as a natural tracer is a novel approach in underwater cave exploration and in the research of active hypogenic caves. The research area, the Molnár János cave is one of the largest caves of an unique hypogenic karst system, the Buda Thermal Karst (Budapest, Hungary). The cave system is mainly characterized by water-filled passages. The cave is located at one of the main discharge areas of the Buda Thermal Karst and the major outflow point of the waters of the cave system is the Boltív spring, which feeds the artificial Malom Lake. Previous complex hydrogeological studies and radon measurements in the cave system and in the spring established the highest radon concentration (71 Bq/L, where the average is 44 Bq/L) in the springwater. The origin of radon was identified in the form of iron-hydroxide containing biofilms, which form by mixing of waters and efficiently adsorb radium from the thermal water component and cause local radon anomalies. Since mixing of waters is responsible for the formation of the cave as well, these iron-hydroxide containing biofilms and consequently high radon concentrations mark the active cave forming zones. The aim of the study was to use the radon as a natural tracer to locate active mixing and cave forming zones. Based on previous radon measurements it is supposed that the active mixing and cave forming zone has to be close to the spring, since the highest radon concentration was measured there. Therefore, the radon activity concentration mapping was carried out with the help of divers and involving that part of the cave which closest to the spring. Based on our measurements the highest radon concentration (84 Bq/L) ever was achieved in the springwater. Based on the radon concentration distribution direct connection and active karst conduit was established between the spring and the deepest room of the researched part of the cave, which was verified by artificial tracer as well. However, the distribution of radon in the cave passages shows lower concentrations (18-46 Bq/L) compared to the spring, therefore an addition deep inflow from a hitherto unknown cave passages is assumed, from which waters with high radon content arrive to the spring. These passages are supposed to be in the active cave formation (mixing) zone. The Buda Thermal Karst research was funded by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund under the grant agreement no. NK 101356.

Seasonal food habits of introduced blue catfish in Lake Oconee, Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jennings, Cecil A.; Mitchell, Geoffrey E.; Nelson, Chris

2018-01-01

Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) are native to the Coosa River drainage in northwest Georgia but have been widely introduced outside of this range including Lake Oconee, a 7677-ha impoundment on the Oconee River in central Georgia. Blue catfish abundance and growth rates have increased dramatically since their introduction in Lake Oconee, but their food habits are unknown. Therefore, food habits of blue catfish in this impoundment were determined by examining the stomachs of 808 specimens in the reservoir’s upper and lower regions across all seasons from summer 2012 to summer 2013. Diet was summarized using the Relative Importance of specific prey by weight. In the upper region of the reservoir, Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea) were the dominant prey item during the summer (75.7%), fall (66.4%), and winter (37.6%); whereas crappie (Pomoxis spp.) was the dominant prey item in the spring (38.7%). Asian clams also were the dominant prey items in the lower region during the fall (68.4%), winter (33.9%), and spring (36.4%). Blue catfish seemed to feed opportunistically on seasonally abundant prey items in both the upper riverine and lower lacustrine portions of the reservoir. Of the many sportfishes in the reservoir, only crappie was an important prey item, and then only in the upper region during the spring. Our results do not support concerns that blue catfish are an apex predator that would decimate the sportfish assemblage in this recently colonized reservoir.

Influence of biotic variables on invertebrate size structure and diversity in coastal wetlands of Southeastern Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antón-Pardo, María; Armengol, Xavier

2016-10-01

Biomass and size-based estimations provide relevant information regarding ecosystem functioning and biotic interactions. Our aims were to study the effect of fish and macrophytes on the size structure of invertebrate assemblages (from rotifers to insects) in a set of coastal water bodies, estimating the biomass (total and main invertebrate groups), the biomass-size spectra (model of Pareto) and size diversity. In fishless ponds, cladoceran and ostracod biomass were higher, and they presented greater size diversity. In fish ponds, rotifer biomass presented greater proportion; while in fishless ponds, cladocerans were usually the most abundant taxa and the largest organisms. The biomass size spectra showed more irregularities in fishless ponds, due to the low densities of small taxa (rotifers and copepod juveniles) and big taxa (malacostraceans or insects). Differences is size structure and diversity were also observed between spring and summer, suggesting a higher recruitment of juveniles in spring, and thus, a higher predation pressure upon zooplankton at that moment. Macrophyte cover did not apparently influence those parameters, except for the biomass of ostracods, copepods, and insects. Therefore, predation by fish strongly affected invertebrate biomass, reflecting their selective feeding, and allowing high densities of small taxa. Predation pressure decreased size diversity, by limiting the abundance of vulnerable taxa of specific size. Seasonal changes were likely related to the spring recruitment of fish juveniles. The presence of small fish and invertebrate predator taxa among the macrophytes, restrict their role as refuges for prey invertebrates.

Changes in the midgut cells in the European cave spider, Meta menardi, during starvation in spring and autumn.

PubMed

Lipovšek, Saška; Leitinger, Gerd; Novak, Tone; Janžekovič, Franc; Gorgoń, Szymon; Kamińska, Karolina; Rost-Roszkowska, Magdalena

2018-03-01

During the growth period, in surface habitats, spiders catch enough prey to feed normally. In contrast, in the cave entrance zone, prey may be relatively scarce. Meta menardi inhabits this cave section, resulting in temporary starvation. We studied structural changes in the midgut epithelial cells of M. menardi during a short-term and a medium-term controlled starvation to mimic the occasional starvation in caves, during spring and autumn. Digestive cells, secretory cells and adipocytes were examined before the experimental starvation, in the middle and at the end of starvation. We used light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and specific histochemical methods for the detection of lipids, polysaccharides and proteins. Detection of lysosomes, autolysosomes and apoptosis was also carried out. The general structures of the cells did not change during the experimental starvation in either season, while some specific differences in the ultrastructure were observed. In both sexes, in both seasons, the amounts of lipids, glycogen and proteins decreased during starvation. Larger amounts of lipids were found in autumn, while there were no significant differences in the amounts of glycogen and proteins. In both sexes, in both seasons, autophagy and apoptosis intensified with starvation in progress, but more intensively in females. Thus, autumn individuals, in contrast to spring ones, compile energy-supplying stores to confront the subsequent winter deficiency of prey in caves, while the cellular ultrastructures undergo the same starvation-dependant changes at any time during the growth period.

Microclimate and the zoonotic cycle of tick-borne encephalitis virus in Switzerland.

PubMed

Burri, C; Bastic, V; Maeder, G; Patalas, E; Gern, L

2011-05-01

The focal distribution of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV; Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) appears to depend mainly on cofeeding transmission between infected Ixodes ricinus L. nymphs and uninfected larvae. To better understand the role of cofeeding ticks in the transmission of TBEV, we investigated tick infestation of rodents and the influence of microclimate on the seasonality of questing I. ricinus ticks. A 3-yr study was carried out at four sites, including two confirmed TBEV foci. Free-living ticks and rodents were collected monthly, and microclimatic data were recorded. A decrease in questing nymph density was observed in 2007, associated with low relative humidity and high temperatures in spring. One site, Thun, did not show this decrease, probably because of microclimatic conditions in spring that favored the questing nymph population. During the same year, the proportion of rodents carrying cofeeding ticks was lower at sites where the questing nymph density decreased, although the proportion of infested hosts was similar among years. TBEV was detected in 0.1% of questing ticks, and in 8.6 and 50.0% of larval ticks feeding on two rodents. TBEV was detected at all but one site, where the proportion of hosts with cofeeding ticks was the lowest. The proportion of hosts with cofeeding ticks seemed to be one of the factors that distinguished a TBEV focus from a non-TBEV focus. The enzootic cycle of TBEV might be disrupted when dry and hot springs occur during consecutive years.

Predicting characteristics of rainfall driven estrogen runoff and transport from swine AFO spray fields.

PubMed

Lee, Boknam; Kullman, Seth W; Yost, Erin E; Meyer, Michael T; Worley-Davis, Lynn; Williams, C Michael; Reckhow, Kenneth H

2015-11-01

Animal feeding operations (AFOs) have been implicated as potentially major sources of estrogenic contaminants into the aquatic environment due to the relatively minimal treatment of waste and potential mobilization and transport of waste components from spray fields. In this study a Bayesian network (BN) model was developed to inform management decisions and better predict the transport and fate of natural steroidal estrogens from these sites. The developed BN model integrates processes of surface runoff and sediment loss with the modified universal soil loss equation (MUSLE) and the soil conservation service curve number (SCS-CN) runoff model. What-if scenario simulations of lagoon slurry wastes to the spray fields were conducted for the most abundant natural estrogen estrone (E1) observed in the system. It was found that E1 attenuated significantly after 2 months following waste slurry application in both spring and summer seasons, with the overall attenuation rate predicted to be higher in the summer compared to the spring. Using simulations of rainfall events in conjunction with waste slurry application rates, it was predicted that the magnitude of E1 runoff loss is significantly higher in the spring as compared to the summer months, primarily due to spray field crop management plans. Our what-if scenario analyses suggest that planting Bermuda grass in the spray fields is likely to reduce runoff losses of natural estrogens near the water bodies and ecosystems, as compared to planting of soybeans. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Predicting Characteristics of Rainfall Driven Estrogen Runoff and Transport from Swine AFO Spray Fields

PubMed Central

Lee, Boknam; Kullman, Seth W.; Yost, Erin E.; Meyer, Michael T.; Worley-Davis, Lynn; Williams, C. Michael; Reckhow, Kenneth H.

2017-01-01

Animal feeding operations (AFOs) have been implicated as potentially major sources of estrogenic contaminants into the aquatic environment due to the relatively minimal treatment of waste and potential mobilization and transport of waste components from spray fields. In this study a Bayesian network (BN) model was developed to inform management decisions and better predict the transport and fate of natural steroidal estrogens from these sites. The developed BN model integrates processes of surface runoff and sediment loss with the modified universal soil loss equation (MUSLE) and the soil conservation service curve number (SCS-CN) runoff model. What-if scenario simulations of lagoon slurry wastes to the spray fields were conducted for the most abundant natural estrogen estrone (E1) observed in the system. It was found that E1 attenuated significantly after 2 months following waste slurry application in both spring and summer seasons, with the overall attenuation rate predicted to be higher in the summer compared to the spring. Using simulations of rainfall events in conjunction with waste slurry application rates, it was predicted that the magnitude of E1 runoff loss is significantly higher in the spring as compared to the summer months, primarily due to spray field crop management plans. Our what-if scenario analyses suggest that planting Bermuda grass in the spray fields is likely to reduce runoff losses of natural estrogens near the water bodies and ecosystems, as compared to planting of soybeans. PMID:26102057

Temporal and spatial variability of zooplankton on the Faroe shelf in spring 1997-2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobsen, Sólvá; Gaard, Eilif; Larsen, Karin Margretha Húsgarð; Eliasen, Sólvá Káradóttir; Hátún, Hjálmar

2018-01-01

Zooplankton availability during spring and summer determines the growth and survival of first-feeding fish larvae, and thus impacts the recruitment to both fish prey species and commercial fish stocks. On the Faroe shelf, however, the relative importance of oceanic versus neritic zooplankton species has hitherto not been well understood. In this study, spatio-temporal variability in zooplankton community structure and size spectra on the Faroe shelf is investigated using observations from late April during the period 1997-2016. The main objective was to explore which environmental variables influence the zooplankton community structure in early spring. The zooplankton community in the permanently well mixed central shelf inside the tidal front consists of a mixture of neritic, cosmopolitan and oceanic species. In this region, redundancy analyses showed that chlorophyll concentration had a positive effect on abundance of neritic copepods and meroplankton as well as all zooplankton < 1.2 mm. The abundance variability of these species shows increased production around 2000 and 2008-2009. The highest zooplankton abundance, mainly consisting of Calanus finmarchicus, is however observed off-shore from the tidal front, especially on the western side of the Faroe Plateau. A shift in C. finmarchicus phenology occurred around 2007, resulting in earlier reproduction of this species, and this variability could not be explained by the employed regional environmental parameters. Our results indicate that the Faroe shelf biological production is more dependent on the local primary production and neritic zooplankton species than on the large oceanic C. finmarchicus stock.

Ecological characteristics of core-use areas used by Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort (BCB) bowhead whales, 2006-2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Citta, John J.; Quakenbush, Lori T.; Okkonen, Stephen R.; Druckenmiller, Matthew L.; Maslowski, Wieslaw; Clement-Kinney, Jaclyn; George, John C.; Brower, Harry; Small, Robert J.; Ashjian, Carin J.; Harwood, Lois A.; Heide-Jørgensen, Mads Peter

2015-08-01

The Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort (BCB) population of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) ranges across the seasonally ice-covered waters of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas. We used locations from 54 bowhead whales, obtained by satellite telemetry between 2006 and 2012, to define areas of concentrated use, termed "core-use areas". We identified six primary core-use areas and describe the timing of use and physical characteristics (oceanography, sea ice, and winds) associated with these areas. In spring, most whales migrated from wintering grounds in the Bering Sea to the Cape Bathurst polynya, Canada (Area 1), and spent the most time in the vicinity of the halocline at depths <75 m, which are within the euphotic zone, where calanoid copepods ascend following winter diapause. Peak use of the polynya occurred between 7 May and 5 July; whales generally left in July, when copepods are expected to descend to deeper depths. Between 12 July and 25 September, most tagged whales were located in shallow shelf waters adjacent to the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, Canada (Area 2), where wind-driven upwelling promotes the concentration of calanoid copepods. Between 22 August and 2 November, whales also congregated near Point Barrow, Alaska (Area 3), where east winds promote upwelling that moves zooplankton onto the Beaufort shelf, and subsequent relaxation of these winds promoted zooplankton aggregations. Between 27 October and 8 January, whales congregated along the northern shore of Chukotka, Russia (Area 4), where zooplankton likely concentrated along a coastal front between the southeastward-flowing Siberian Coastal Current and northward-flowing Bering Sea waters. The two remaining core-use areas occurred in the Bering Sea: Anadyr Strait (Area 5), where peak use occurred between 29 November and 20 April, and the Gulf of Anadyr (Area 6), where peak use occurred between 4 December and 1 April; both areas exhibited highly fractured sea ice. Whales near the Gulf of Anadyr spent almost half of their time at depths between 75 and 100 m, usually near the seafloor, where a subsurface front between cold Anadyr Water and warmer Bering Shelf Water presumably aggregates zooplankton. The amount of time whales spent near the seafloor in the Gulf of Anadyr, where copepods (in diapause) and, possibly, euphausiids are expected to aggregate provides strong evidence that bowhead whales are feeding in winter. The timing of bowhead spring migration corresponds with when zooplankton are expected to begin their spring ascent in April. The core-use areas we identified are also generally known from other studies to have high densities of whales and we are confident these areas represent the majority of important feeding areas during the study (2006-2012). Other feeding areas, that we did not detect, likely existed during the study and we expect core-use area boundaries to shift in response to changing hydrographic conditions.

Seasonal quality profile and production of foliage from trees grown on degraded cropland in arid Uzbekistan, Central Asia.

PubMed

Lamers, J P A; Khamzina, A

2010-10-01

Feed shortages hamper livestock rearing and thus impede the development of rural livelihoods in Central Asia. The production and in vitro quality of foliage from Ulmus pumila, Elaeagnus angustifolia and Populus euphratica on degraded cropland were examined to determine the potential of these species to supplement diary cattle diets. Leaf dry matter (DM) production of the species, respectively, averaged 6, 8 and 17 t DM/ha, 4 years after planting. Over seasons and years, crude protein concentrations (g/kg DM) ranged within 151-257 for E. angustifolia, 70-241 for U. pumila and 92-187 for P. euphratica. The metabolizable energy concentrations (MJ/kg DM) were the highest in U. pumila and ranged within 9-10, followed by 7-10 of E. angustifolia and 7-9 of P. euphratica. The organic matter digestibility (%) ranged within 58-70, 54-66, and 51-66, respectively, for these species. These indicators combined denoted a medium-to-good feed quality of E. angustifolia and U. pumila leaves as a cheap protein supplement to roughages. The foliage of P. euphratica was the least suitable. The seasonal profile of in vitro indicators revealed the highest feed quality in spring but early fall seems most appropriate for forage collection given the peak leaf production and an adequate quality. © 2010 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Erythroneura lawsoni abundance and feeding injury levels are influenced by foliar nutrient status in intensively managed American sycamore.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coyle, David, Robert: Aubrey, Doug, Patric; Bentz, Jo-Ann

2010-01-01

Abstract 1 Abundance and feeding injury of the leafhopper Erythroneura lawsoni Robinson was measured in an intensively-managed American sycamore Platanus occidentalis L. plantation. Trees were planted in spring 2000 in a randomized complete block design, and received one of three annual treatments: (i) fertilization (120 kg N/ha/year); (ii) irrigation (3.0 cm/week); (iii) fertilization + irrigation; or (iv) control (no treatment). 2 Foliar nutrient concentrations were significantly influenced by the treatments because only sulphur and manganese levels were not statistically greater in trees receiving fertilization. 3 Over 116 000 E. lawsoni were captured on sticky traps during the study. Leafhopper abundancemore » was highest on nonfertilized trees for the majority of the season, and was positively correlated with foliar nutrient concentrations. Significant temporal variation in E. lawsoni abundance occurred, suggesting five discrete generations in South Carolina. 4 Significant temporal variation occurred in E. lawsoni foliar injury levels, with the highest injury ratings occurring in late June and August. Foliar injury was negatively correlated with foliar nutrient content, and higher levels of injury occurred more frequently on nonfertilized trees. 5 The results obtained in the present study indicated that increased E. lawsoni abundance occurred on trees that did not receive fertilization. Nonfertilized trees experienced greater foliar injury, suggesting that lower foliar nutrient status may have led to increased levels of compensatory feeding.« less

Using stable isotopes to characterize groundwater recharge sources in the volcanic island of Madeira, Portugal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prada, Susana; Cruz, J. Virgílio; Figueira, Celso

2016-05-01

The hydrogeology of volcanic islands remains poorly understood, despite the fact that populations that live on them rely on groundwater as a primary water source. This situation is exacerbated by their complex structure, geological heterogeneity, and sometimes active volcanic processes that hamper easy analysis of their hydrogeological dynamics. Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool that has been used to assess groundwater dynamics in complex terrains. In this work, stable isotopes are used to better understand the hydrogeology of Madeira Island and provide a case-study that can serve as a basis for groundwater studies in other similar settings. The stable isotopic composition (δ18O and δ2H) of rain at the main recharge areas of the island is determined, as well as the sources and altitudes of recharge of several springs, groundwater in tunnels and wells. The water in tunnels was found to be recharged almost exclusively by rain in the deforested high plateaus, whilst several springs associated with shallow perched aquifers are recharged from rain and cloud water interception by the vegetated slopes. Nevertheless some springs thought to be sourced from deep perched aquifers, recharge in the central plateaus, and their isotopic composition is similar to the water in the tunnels. Recharge occurs primarily during autumn and winter, as evidenced by the springs and tunnels Water Lines (WL). The groundwater in wells appears to originate from runoff from rain that falls along the slopes that infiltrates near the streams' mouths, where the wells are located. This is evident by the evaporation line along which the wells plot. Irrigation water is also a possible source of recharge. The data is compatible with the hydrogeological conceptual model of Madeira. This work also shows the importance of cloud water interception as a net contributor to groundwater recharge, at least in the perched aquifers that feed numerous springs. As the amount of rainfall is expected to decrease until the end of the century and water supply to become scarcer, cloud water interception might become an increasingly important aspect of Madeira Island hydrology.

Spring hunting changes the regional movements of migrating greater snow geese

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bechet, A.; Giroux, J.-F.; Gauthier, G.; Nichols, J.D.; Hines, J.E.

2003-01-01

1. Human-induced disturbance such as hunting may influence the migratory behaviour of long-distance migrants. In 1999 and 2000 a spring hunt of greater snow geese Anser caerulescens atlanticus occurred for the first time in North America since 1916, aimed at stopping population growth to protect natural habitats. 2. We evaluated the impact of this hunt on the staging movements of geese along a 600-km stretch of the St. Lawrence River in southern Quebec, Canada. 3. We tracked radio-tagged female geese in three contiguous regions of the staging area from the south-west to the north-east: Lake St Pierre, Upper Estuary and Lower Estuary, in spring 1997 (n = 37) and 1998 (n = 70) before the establishment of hunting, and in 1999 (n = 60) and 2000 (n = 59) during hunting. 4. We used multi-state capture-recapture models to estimate the movement probabilities of radio-tagged females among these regions. To assess disturbance level, we tracked geese during their feeding trips and estimated the probability of completing a foraging bout without being disturbed. 5. In the 2 years without hunting, migration was strongly unidirectional from the south-west to the north-east, with very low westward movement probabilities. Geese gradually moved from Lake St Pierre to Upper Estuary and then from Upper Estuary to Lower Estuary. 6. In contrast, during the 2 years with hunting westward movement was more than four times more likely than in preceding years. Most of these backward movements occurred shortly after the beginning of the hunt, indicating that geese moved back to regions where they had not previously experienced hunting. 7. Overall disturbance level increased in all regions in years with hunting relative to years without hunting. 8. Synthesis and applications. We conclude that spring hunting changed the stopover scheduling of this long-distance migrant and might further impact population dynamics by reducing prenuptial fattening. The spring hunt may also have increased crop damage. We propose that staggered hunt opening dates could attenuate secondary effects of such management actions.

Groundwater, springs, and stream flow generation in an alpine meadow of a tropical glacierized catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, R.; Lautz, L. K.; McKenzie, J. M.; Mark, B. G.; Chavez, D.

2013-12-01

Melting tropical glaciers supply approximately half of dry season stream discharge in glacierized valleys of the Cordillera Blanca, Peru. The remainder of streamflow originates as groundwater stored in alpine meadows, moraines and talus slopes. A better understanding of the dynamics of alpine groundwater, including sources and contributions to streamflow, is important for making accurate estimates of glacial inputs to the hydrologic budget, and for our ability to make predictions about future water resources as glaciers retreat. Our field study, conducted during the dry season in the Llanganuco valley, focused on a 0.5-km2 alpine meadow complex at 4400 m elevation, which includes talus slopes, terminal moraines, and a debris fan. Two glacial lakes and springs throughout the complex feed a network of stream channels that flow across the meadow (~2 km total length). We combined tracer measurements of stream and spring discharge and groundwater-surface water exchange with synoptic sampling of water isotopic and geochemical composition, in order to characterize and quantify contributions to streamflow from different geomorphic features. Surface water inputs to the stream channels totaled 58 l/s, while the stream gained an additional 57 l/s from groundwater inputs. Water chemistry is primarily controlled by flowpath type (surface/subsurface) and length, as well as bedrock lithology, while stable water isotopic composition appears to be controlled by water source (glacial lake, meadow or deep groundwater). Stream water chemistry is most similar to meadow groundwater springs, but isotopic composition suggests that the majority of stream water, which issues from springs at the meadow/fan interface, is from the same glacial source as the up-gradient lake. Groundwater sampled from piezometers in confined meadow aquifers is unique in both chemistry and isotopic composition, but does not contribute a large percentage of stream water exiting this small meadow, as quantified by discharge measurements and isotopic mixing. However, we expect that as streams flow down through extensive meadows and wetlands in many Cordillera Blanca valleys, meadow groundwater is a more significant contributor to streamflow. Results from this small, high meadow in Llanganuco will be compared to a larger and lower-elevation meadow system in the Quilcayhuanca valley.

Red fox prey demands and implications to prairie duck production

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sargeant, A.B.

1978-01-01

Experiments were conducted during spring and summer with 33 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) to determine prey demands, feeding characteristics, and growth rates using natural foods. Pups began eating prey the 4th week after birth. Then, prey consumption averaged 1.38 and 1.90 kg/pup/week for weeks 5-8 and 9-12 of the denning season respectively, and 2.54 kg/pup/week for the postdenning period. Feeding by adults averaged 2.25 kg/adult/week. Free water was not needed by either pups or adults. About 90 percent of the prey offered to pups on simulated natural diets was consumed, remains varied with prey availability and prey type. Prey biomass required by a typical fox family was estimated at 18.5 kg/km2 for the 12-week denning season and 2.4 kg/km2/week for the postdenning period. Because of the large prey demands, ducks could represent a small part of the foxes' diet and yet be of consequence to the productivity of particular species. An example is provided for the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos).

A large outbreak of bovine botulism possibly linked to a massive contamination of grass silage by type D/C Clostridium botulinum spores on a farm with dairy and poultry operations.

PubMed

Relun, A; Dorso, L; Douart, A; Chartier, C; Guatteo, R; Mazuet, C; Popoff, M R; Assié, S

2017-12-01

Type D bovine botulism outbreaks associated with poultry litter are increasingly reported in European countries, but the circumstances of exposure to Clostridium botulinum toxins remain unclear. In spring 2015, a large type D/C bovine botulism outbreak affected a farm with dairy and poultry operations. Epidemiological and laboratory investigations strongly suggest that the outbreak was caused by feeding cattle with insufficiently acidified grass silage that was contaminated by type D/C C. botulinum spores. The source of the spores remains unclear, but could have been a stack of poultry litter stored in the grass silage pasture before harvesting. The presence of putrefied poultry carcasses mixed in with the litter is relatively unlikely considering the careful daily removal of poultry carcasses. These findings reinforce the importance of proper ensiling of feed materials and highlight the need for safe disposal of poultry litter, even in the case of good management of poultry deadstock, in order to prevent bovine botulism.

The effect of using prebiotic and probiotic products on intestinal micro-flora of the honeybee (Apis mellifera carpatica).

PubMed

Pătruică, S; Mot, D

2012-12-01

Maintaining bee colonies in a healthy state throughout the year is one of the main concerns of apiculture researchers. The phenomenon of disappearance of bee colonies is determined by several factors, one of which is bee disease. Due to the organizational structure of the bee colony, disease transmission is rapid, especially through infected food or via the nurse worker bees that feed the brood bees of the colony concerned. The practice of stimulating the bee colonies in spring using sugar syrup feeds with added prebiotic products (lactic acid or acetic acid) and probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-14 and Bifidobacterium lactis BI-04) by using an Enterobiotic product (Lactobacillus casei), marketed as Enterolactis Plus, for three weeks, resulted in a significant reduction of the total number of bacteria in the digestive tracts of the bees, compared with the control group. By contrast, intestinal colonization with beneficial bacteria contained in probiotics products administered to the bees was observed. This resulted in an improved health status and bio productive index of the bee colonies studied.

Mother Knows Best: Occurrence and Associations of Resighted Humpback Whales Suggest Maternally Derived Fidelity to a Southern Hemisphere Coastal Feeding Ground

PubMed Central

Barendse, Jaco; Best, Peter B.; Carvalho, Inês; Pomilla, Cristina

2013-01-01

Site fidelity is common among migratory cetaceans, including humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). In the Northern Hemisphere it has been found that fidelity to humpback whale feeding grounds is transferred maternally but this has never been shown for the species in the Southern Hemisphere. We examined this in a unique feeding area off west South Africa using resighting data of 68 individually identified humpback whales by means of photographic (tail flukes and dorsal fins) and/or molecular methods (microsatellite genotyping) over an 18 year span. We found short-term association patterns and recurrent visits typical of other feeding grounds. Males and females had different seasonality of attendance. Significant female-dominated presence corresponded to timing of an expected influx of females on their southward migration from the breeding ground: firstly non-nursing (possibly pregnant) females in mid-spring, and mothers and calves in mid-to late summer. The potential benefit of this mid-latitude feeding area for females is illustrated by a record of a cow with known age of at least 23 years that produced calves in three consecutive years, each of which survived to at least six months of age: the first record of successful post-partum ovulation for this species in the Southern Hemisphere. We recorded association of a weaned calf with its mother, and a recurring association between a non-lactating female and male over more than two years. Moreover, three animals first identified as calves returned to the same area in subsequent years, sometimes on the same day as their mothers. This, together with numerous Parent-Offspring relations detected genetically among and between resighted and non-resighted whales is strongly suggestive of maternally derived site fidelity at a small spatial scale by a small sub-population of humpback whales. PMID:24349047

Wind effects on prey availability: How northward migrating waders use brackish and hypersaline lagoons in the sivash, Ukraine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verkuil, Yvonne; Koolhaas, Anita; Van Der Winden, Jan

Large numbers of waders migrating northward in spring use the Sivash, a large system of shallow, brackish and hypersaline lagoons in the Black Sea and Azov Sea region (Ukraine). The bottoms of these lagoons are often uncovered by the wind. Hence, for waders the time and space available for feeding depend on wind conditions. In hypersaline lagoons the benthic and pelagic fauna was very poor, consisting mainly of chironomid larvae (0.19 g AFDM·m -2) and brine shrimps Artemia salina, respectively. Brine shrimp abundance was correlated with salinity, wind force, wind direction and water depth. Dunlin Calidris alpina and curlew sandpiper Calidris ferruginea were the only species feeding on brine shrimp. As brine shrimp densities are higher in deeper water, smaller waders such as broad-billed sandpipers Limicola falcinellus are too short-legged to reach exploitable densities of brine shrimp. In brackish lagoons the benthic and pelagic fauna was rich, consisting of polychaetes, bivalves, gastropods, chironomid larvae, isopods and amphipods (8.9 to 30.5 g AFDM·m -2), but there were no brine shrimps. Prey biomass increased with the distance from the coast, being highest on the site that was most frequently inundated. Dunlin, broad-billed sandpiper and grey plover Pluvialis squatarola were the most abundant birds in the brackish lagoon. Due to the effects of wind-tides only a small area was usually available as a feeding site. Gammarus insensibilis was the alternative prey resource in the water layer, and their density varied with wind direction in the same way as brine shrimp. Curlew sandpipers and dunlins in the hypersaline lagoons and broad-billed sandpipers in the brackish lagoons often changed feeding sites, probably following the variation in prey availability. Only because of the large size and variety of lagoons are waders in the Sivash always able to find good feeding sites.

Mother knows best: occurrence and associations of resighted humpback whales suggest maternally derived fidelity to a Southern Hemisphere coastal feeding ground.

PubMed

Barendse, Jaco; Best, Peter B; Carvalho, Inês; Pomilla, Cristina

2013-01-01

Site fidelity is common among migratory cetaceans, including humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). In the Northern Hemisphere it has been found that fidelity to humpback whale feeding grounds is transferred maternally but this has never been shown for the species in the Southern Hemisphere. We examined this in a unique feeding area off west South Africa using resighting data of 68 individually identified humpback whales by means of photographic (tail flukes and dorsal fins) and/or molecular methods (microsatellite genotyping) over an 18 year span. We found short-term association patterns and recurrent visits typical of other feeding grounds. Males and females had different seasonality of attendance. Significant female-dominated presence corresponded to timing of an expected influx of females on their southward migration from the breeding ground: firstly non-nursing (possibly pregnant) females in mid-spring, and mothers and calves in mid-to late summer. The potential benefit of this mid-latitude feeding area for females is illustrated by a record of a cow with known age of at least 23 years that produced calves in three consecutive years, each of which survived to at least six months of age: the first record of successful post-partum ovulation for this species in the Southern Hemisphere. We recorded association of a weaned calf with its mother, and a recurring association between a non-lactating female and male over more than two years. Moreover, three animals first identified as calves returned to the same area in subsequent years, sometimes on the same day as their mothers. This, together with numerous Parent-Offspring relations detected genetically among and between resighted and non-resighted whales is strongly suggestive of maternally derived site fidelity at a small spatial scale by a small sub-population of humpback whales.

KSC-98pc786

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-07-06

James W. Tibble (pointing at engine), an Engine Systems/Ground Support Equipment team manager for Rocketdyne, discusses the operation of a Space Shuttle Main Engine with Robert B. Sieck, director of Shuttle Processing; U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon; and KSC Center Director Roy D. Bridges Jr. Following the ribbon cutting ceremony for KSC's new 34,600-square-foot Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility (SSMEPF), KSC employees and media explored the facility. A major addition to the existing Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3, the SSMEPF replaces the Shuttle Main Engine Shop located in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The decision to move the shop out of the VAB was prompted by safety considerations and recent engine processing improvements. The first three main engines to be processed in the new facility will fly on Shuttle Endeavour's STS-88 mission in December 1998

KSC-02pd0621

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the opening ceremony for the new program known as SABRE, Space Agricultural Biotechnology Research and Education, key participants gather around the SABRE poster. From left are Robert Ferl, professor in the horticultural sciences department and assistant director of the University of Florida Biotechnology Program, who will direct and be responsible for coordinating the research and education; William Knott, senior scientist in the NASA biological sciences office; U.S. Representative Dave Weldon; Center Director Roy D. Bridges Jr.; and Florida Representative Bob Allen. Involving UF and NASA, SABRE will focus on the discovery, development and application of the biological aspects of advanced life support strategies. The program will include faculty from UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who will be located at both KSC - in the state-owned Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL) being built there - and UF in Gainesville

KSC-04PD-0287

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Behind OKeefe are (left to right) Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; and Florida Congressman Tom Feeney. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, U.S. Representative Ric Keller, Congressman Dave Weldon and Center Director Jim Kennedy.

KSC-04PD-0262

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA and government officials are gathered to hear about the assets of the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando, as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration. At the far end is NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe. He is flanked, on the left, by Florida Congressman Tom Feeney and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; and on the right by U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon and U.S. Representative Ric Keller. In the foreground, at left, is Center Director Jim Kennedy. At right is Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida. The center would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus.

KSC-04PD-0288

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. On the left is Center Director Jim Kennedy. On the right are U.S. Senator Bill Nelson; Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; and U.S. Representative Ric Keller . Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included Florida Congressman Tom Feeney and Congressman Dave Weldon.

The SSMEPF opens with a ribbon-cutting ceremony

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

James W. Tibble (pointing at engine), an Engine Systems/Ground Support Equipment team manager for Rocketdyne, discusses the operation of a Space Shuttle Main Engine with Robert B. Sieck, director of Shuttle Processing; U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon; and KSC Center Director Roy D. Bridges Jr. Following the ribbon cutting ceremony for KSC's new 34,600-square-foot Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility (SSMEPF), KSC employees and media explored the facility. A major addition to the existing Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3, the SSMEPF replaces the Shuttle Main Engine Shop located in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The decision to move the shop out of the VAB was prompted by safety considerations and recent engine processing improvements. The first three main engines to be processed in the new facility will fly on Shuttle Endeavour's STS-88 mission in December 1998.

KSC-05PD-0210

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando, the winners of the Space Exploration Video Festival award sponsored by Lockheed Martin get together. Second from left is Daniel Stearns, from East Longmeadow, Mass. The others are the winning team from NASA Explorer School McNair High School in Dekalb County, Ga. At left is Theo Maxie; at right are Daniel Jackson and Trenten Nash. The three-day conference drew attendees from around the world. It presented topics on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Keynote speakers at the three-day conference include NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

KSC-05PD-0199

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando, film director James Cameron (right) talks to the winning students of the Space Exploration Video Festival award sponsored by Lockheed Martin. At left is Daniel Stearns, from East Longmeadow, Mass. The others are Daniel Jackson, Trenten Nash and Theo Maxie, from the NASA Explorer School McNair High School in Dekalb County, Ga.. Cameron is one of the keynote speakers at the conference. Topics being presented focus on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Keynote speakers at the three-day conference include NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

Avian Plasmodium in Culex and Ochlerotatus Mosquitoes from Southern Spain: Effects of Season and Host-Feeding Source on Parasite Dynamics

PubMed Central

Ferraguti, Martina; Martínez-de la Puente, Josué; Muñoz, Joaquín; Roiz, David; Ruiz, Santiago; Soriguer, Ramón; Figuerola, Jordi

2013-01-01

Haemosporidians, a group of vector-borne parasites that include Plasmodium, infect vertebrates including birds. Although mosquitoes are crucial elements in the transmission of avian malaria parasites, little is known of their ecology as vectors. We examined the presence of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus lineages in five mosquito species belonging to the genera Culex and Ochlerotatus to test for the effect of vector species, season and host-feeding source on the transmission dynamics of these pathogens. We analyzed 166 blood-fed individually and 5,579 unfed mosquitoes (grouped in 197 pools) from a locality in southern Spain. In all, 15 Plasmodium and two Haemoproteus lineages were identified on the basis of a fragment of 478 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Infection prevalence of blood parasites in unfed mosquitoes varied between species (range: 0–3.2%) and seasons. The feeding source was identified in 91 mosquitoes where 78% were identified as bird. We found that i) several Plasmodium lineages are shared among different Culex species and one Plasmodium lineage is shared between Culex and Ochlerotatus genera; ii) mosquitoes harboured Haemoproteus parasites; iii) pools of unfed females of mostly ornithophilic Culex species had a higher Plasmodium prevalence than the only mammophylic Culex species studied. However, the mammophylic Ochlerotatus caspius had in pool samples the greatest Plasmodium prevalence. This relative high prevalence may be determined by inter-specific differences in vector survival, susceptibility to infection but also the possibility that this species feeds on birds more frequently than previously thought. Finally, iv) infection rate of mosquitoes varies between seasons and reaches its maximum prevalence during autumn and minimum prevalence in spring. PMID:23823127

Feeding habits of the bluemouth, Helicolenus dactylopterus dactylopterus (Delaroche, 1809) (Pisces: Sebastidae) in the Portuguese coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neves, Ana; Sequeira, Vera; Paiva, Rafaela Barros; Vieira, Ana Rita; Gordo, Leonel Serrano

2012-06-01

In order to investigate the feeding habits of Helicolenus dactylopterus dactylopterus along the continental Portuguese coast, a total of 619 individuals were sampled of which 60% contained food in their stomach and 35% had more than one prey item. Among the 81 prey items that were identified in the stomachs, benthic and benthopelagic prey prevail on this species diet. Acantephyra sp, Pasiphaea sp, mysidacea, and teleostei n.i. were the prey with the higher percent index of relative importance (%IRI) value. Three length groups (5-20 cm, 21-27 cm, and 28-48 cm) were defined through cluster analysis of the mean abundance of prey items. A permutational MANOVA detected significant differences in the diet and stomach fullness index for TLG, season, and maturation stage. Smaller fishes had a generalized diet, feeding mainly on mysidacea changing their diet above 20 cm TL, where a major consumption of natantia was found. The larger individuals, >28 cm TL, present a less generalized diet with pisces as dominant prey group. Seasonally, natantia and pisces were the principal prey groups during spring and winter, respectively, while mysidacea and other crustaceans were predominant during the rest of the year. Mysidacea were also the main prey group for immature individuals while natantia and pisces were the principal prey groups to the other maturity stages. The results of this study indicate that H. d. dactylopterus has a diverse diet focused on small crustaceans such as misyds and as specimens grow shrimps and fishes become more consumed, with larger specimens having a more specialized diet. The different nutritional needs during spawning season also seemed to influence the feeding habits of H. d. dactylopterus.

Feeding by larvae of intertidal invertebrates: assessing their position in pelagic food webs.

PubMed

Vargas, Cristian A; Manríquez, Patricio H; Navarrete, Sergio A

2006-02-01

One of the leading determinants of the structure and dynamics of marine populations is the rate of arrival of new individuals to local sites. While physical transport processes play major roles in delivering larvae to the shore, these processes become most important after larvae have survived the perils of life in the plankton, where they usually suffer great mortality. The lack of information regarding larval feeding makes it difficult to assess the effects of food supply on larval survival, or the role larvae may play in nearshore food webs. Here, we examine the spectrum of food sizes and food types consumed by the larvae of two intertidal barnacle species and of the predatory gastropod Concholepas concholepas. We conducted replicated experiments in which larvae were exposed to the food size spectrum (phytoplankton, microprotozoan and autotrophic picoplankton) found in nearshore waters in central Chile. Results show that barnacle nauplii and gastropod veligers are omnivorous grazers, incorporating significant fractions of heterotrophs in their diets. In accordance with their feeding mechanisms and body size, barnacle nauplii were able to feed on autotrophic picoplankton (<5 microm) and did not consume the largest phytoplankton cells, which made the bulk of phytoplankton biomass in spring-summer blooms. Balanoid nauplii exhibited higher ingestion rates than the smaller-bodied chthamaloid larvae. Newly hatched C. concholepas larvae also consumed picoplankton cells, while competent larvae of this species ingested mostly the largest phytoplankton cells and heterotrophic protozoans. Results suggest that persistent changes in the structure of pelagic food webs can have important effects on the species-specific food availability for invertebrate larvae, which can result in large-scale differences in recruitment rates of a given species, and in the relative recruitment success of the different species that make up benthic communities.

[Distribution features of chlorophyll a and primary productivity in high frequency area of red tide in East China Sea during spring].

PubMed

Zhou, Weihua; Huo, Wenyi; Yuan, Xiangcheng; Yin, Kedong

2003-07-01

The distributions of chlorophyll a and primary productivity were determined during April to May 2002 in the East China Sea. The results showed that the average concentration of chlorophyll a was 1.086 mg.m-3 at surface layer, and that nano- and pico-phytoplankton (< 20 microns) dominated the phytoplankton biomass in this sea region during Spring (up to 64% of total chlorophyll a content). Ultra-phytoplankton (< 5 microns) consisted 27% of total phytoplankton biomass. Nutrients and feeding pressure of zooplankton affected the distribution of chlorophyll a and its size-fractionation. The average primary productivity was 10.091 mg.m-3.h-1, while that of red tide tracking stations R-03, RL-01 and RG-01 was 399.984 mg.m-3.h-1. Light and nutrients were the main factors affecting the distributions of chlorophyll a and primary productivity. The station DC-11 had a high concentration of phytoplankton biomass. The surface layer concentration of chlorophyll a and primary productivity were up to 9,082 mg.m-3 and 128,79 mg.m-3.h-1, respectively, but the color of the seawater was normal.

Mortality of fish in Lake Erie

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Oosten, John

1936-01-01

The food habits of Blue Grouse vary from a simple winter diet that is made up predominantly of coniferous needles to a complex diet during the summer months, characterized by great variety of foods including green leaves, fruits and seeds, flowers, animal matter and coniferous needles. The spring and fall, which represent the transition periods between these two, are characterized by feeding habits that are generally intermediate. The diets of the two species of Blue Grouse, Dendrugapus obscurus and Dendragapus juliginosus, are quite similar as far as major types of food are concerned, but they differ considerably in the species that are taken. Such differences reflect differences in the vegetation within the ecologic and geographic ranges occupied by the two species.

Food habits of blue grouse

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stewart, R.E.

1944-01-01

The food habits of Blue Grouse vary from a simple winter diet that is made up predominantly of coniferous needles to a complex diet during the summer months, characterized by great variety of foods including green leaves, fruits and seeds, flowers, animal matter and coniferous needles. The spring and fall, which represent the transition periods between these two, are characterized by feeding habits that are generally intermediate. The diets of the two species of Blue Grouse, Dendrugapus obscurus and Dendragapus juliginosus, are quite similar as far as major types of food are concerned, but they differ considerably in the species that are taken. Such differences reflect differences in the vegetation within the ecologic and geographic ranges occupied by the two species.

Avian tick paralysis caused by Ixodes brunneus in the southeastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Luttrell, M.P.; Creekmore, L.H.; Mertins, J.W.

1996-01-01

Between 1988 and 1994, 16 definitive and 26 presumptive cases of tick paralysis were diagnosed in 10 species of birds from five southeastern states in the USA. All birds had engorged adult female Ixodes brunneus ticks on the head region and were partially paralyzed or dead. Cases occurred in the winter and early spring months, and most birds were passerines found in private yards or near feeders. All stages of I. brunneus feed exclusively on birds, and this species previously has been associated with avian tick paralysis. Little is known concerning the life cycle of this ixodid tick and its impact on wild bird populations.

Littoral zone fish assemblages of northern Cayuga Lake.

USGS Publications Warehouse

McKenna, James E.

2001-01-01

Fish assemblages from northern Cayuga Lake were examined for patterns in temporal structure. Fish assemblages changed significantly between seasons. Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus), and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) formed the basis for most assemblages, but the spring assemblage was dominated by common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Correlations between community structure and abiotic factors were identified. Ten abiotic factors strongly influenced species assemblages, including phosphorus concentration, but could not fully explain differences between assemblages. Results indicate that the seasonal pattern of fish assemblage structure and abundance of fish that tend to feed in the water column were related to the annual cycle of productivity in the lake and behavioral adaptations of the fish.

Tracer Tests History in the Alburni Massif (Southern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parise, Mario; Santo, Antonio

2017-12-01

The Alburni Massif (Campania, southern Italy) is among the most important Italian karst areas, due to high number of caves (about 300), with several karst systems reaching depth of 500 m, and development of some kilometres. This remarkable karst is mainly related to three geological factors: presence of highly karstifiable and low-fractured Cretaceous and Tertiary limestones; peculiar morphological and structural conformation, with four main faults bounding the massif, forming a wide highplain with a variety of infiltration sites; presence of blind valleys and small catchments on flysch deposits, feeding the many swallets at the contact with the limestone rocks. The Alburni Massif represents an important hydrogeological structure, with a potential of about 10 mc/sec. Three basal spring systems are the main outcomes (Castelcivita, Tanagro and Pertosa) while other minor systems are located at higher elevation, as the Auso spring. The Castelcivita and Pertosa caves, located on the Alburni SW and NE foothills, respectively, are of particular importance also for the local economy, since Castelcivita became a show cave in 1930, followed two years later by Pertosa. Since 1950 many cavers have explored the Alburni Massif, due to the high potential of overall karstification, estimated in about 1 300m, and to the presence on its southern slope of the spectacular Auso spring. In this paper, the tracer tests carried out in the Massif are summarized, with the aim to update the available hydrogeological data, with particular regard to the most recent explorations and tests, carried out during the last 5 years, which brought significant new data to the overall knowledge of this remarkable karst area.

Life History and Production of the Western Gray Whale's Prey, Ampelisca eschrichtii Krøyer, 1842 (Amphipoda, Ampeliscidae).

PubMed

Demchenko, Natalia L; Chapman, John W; Durkina, Valentina B; Fadeev, Valeriy I

2016-01-01

Ampelisca eschrichtii are among the most important prey of the Western North Pacific gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus. The largest and densest known populations of this amphipod occur in the gray whale's Offshore feeding area on the Northeastern Sakhalin Island Shelf. The remote location, ice cover and stormy weather at the Offshore area have prevented winter sampling. The incomplete annual sampling has confounded efforts to resolve life history and production of A. eschrichtii. Expanded comparisons of population size structure and individual reproductive development between late spring and early fall over six sampling years between 2002 and 2013 however, reveal that A. eschrichtii are gonochoristic, iteroparous, mature at body lengths greater than 15 mm and have a two-year life span. The low frequencies of brooding females, the lack of early stage juveniles, the lack of individual or population growth or biomass increases over late spring and summer, all indicate that growth and reproduction occur primarily in winter, when sampling does not occur. Distinct juvenile and adult size cohorts additionally indicate growth and juvenile production occurs in winter through spring under ice cover. Winter growth thus requires that winter detritus or primary production are critical food sources for these ampeliscid populations and yet, the Offshore area and the Eastern Sakhalin Shelf ampeliscid communities may be the most abundant and productive amphipod population in the world. These A. eschrichtii populations are unlikely to be limited by western gray whale predation. Whether benthic community structure can limit access and foraging success of western gray whales is unclear.

Epizootiologic studies on filarioids of the raccoon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Herman, C.M.; Price, D.L.

1965-01-01

Filarioid worms (Dirofilaria immitis, D. tenuis, Dipetalonema procyonis, and D. llewellyni) were discovered in raccoons (Procyon lotar) in Maryland. Raccoons were trapped in lowland, upland, and agricultural-residential areas, which were further classified as stream borders, poorly drained, and well drained. Data on incidence of D. llewellyni were analyzed on basis of host distribution within these areas to indicate type of habitat in which one might seek the vector. It was concluded that exposure takes place in the spring of the year. The arthropod found associated most often with the raccoon in spring was Ixodes texanus. Larvae of this tick which were fed on infected raccoons presented no evidence of development of the microfilariae. Feeding experiments were also conducted with mosquitoes: Aedes aegypti, A. canadensis, A. sollicitans, A. triseriatus, A. vexans, Culex pipiens, Anopheles punctipennis, and A. quadrimaculatus. Although microfilariae remained alive and active in the gut contents of all these mosquitoes for 2 days, only in Aedes aegypti did they enter the hemocele, but no developmental changes were noted and all microfilariae were dead by the eighth day. Although the intermediate host of D. llewellyni was not determined, evaluation of the accumulated data provides criteria for seeking the vector. It appeared unlikely that exposure of the raccoons took place in the den or that the filarioids were transmitted by an ectoparasite commonly found in raccoon dens. The data suggest that the vector is available only early in spring, although there are infected raccoons throughout the year. Prevalence in juveniles was 21 percent; in subadults, 64 percent; in adults, 87 percent.

Stable isotope fractionation at a glacial hydrothermal field: implications for biogeochemistry and biosignatures on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cousins, C.; Bowden, R.; Fogel, M.; Cockell, C.; Crawford, I.; Gunn, M.; Karlsson, M. T.; Thorsteinsson, T.

2012-12-01

Hydrothermal environments that arise through the interaction between volcanogenic heat and glacial ice are ideal sites for understanding microbial biogeochemical processes on Earth, and also potentially on Mars where similar volcano-cryosphere interactions are thought to have occurred in the past. The Kverkfjöll subglacial basaltic volcano in central Iceland is geographically isolated, with little influence from flora, fauna, and human activity. Major environmental inputs include geothermal heat, meltwater from ice and snow, and outgassing of CO2, H2S, and SO2. Large physiochemical gradients exist, from steaming fumaroles and boiling hydrothermal pools, to frozen geothermal ground and glacial ice. Stable isotope measurements of total organic carbon, total sulphur, and total nitrogen were coupled with metagenomic analysis of the residing microbial communities, with the aim to identify biogeochemical relationships and processes operating within the Kverkfjöll geothermal environment, and also to identify any isotopic biosignatures that could be preserved within geothermal sediments. This study focused on a variety of samples taken along a hot spring stream that fed into a large ice-confined geothermal lake. Samples analysed range from unconsolidated hot spring sediments, well-developed microbial mats, and dissolved sulphate from hot spring fluids. From the anoxic spring source, the stream water increases in dissolved oxygen, decreases in temperature, yet maintains a pH of ~4. The spring environment is dominated by dissolved sulphate (~2.3 mM), with lower levels of nitrate (~50 μM), phosphorus (~5μM), and ammonium (~1.5 μM). Stable S isotope analysis reveals a fractionation of ~3.2 ‰ between sediment sulphide (as pyrite; δ34S ~0‰), and dissolved water sulphate (δ34S ~3.2 ‰) consistently along the hot spring stream, indicating the presence of an active sulphur cycle, although not one dominated by sulphate reduction (e.g. very negative sulphide δ34S). This fractionation trend was absent within lake sediments, possibly due to a number of mixed sources feeding into the lake, in addition to the spring stream. δ13C in sediments becomes increasingly more negative going downstream, along with increasing removal of TOC. Microbial mats were largely similar with very positive C isotope ratios (δ13C -9.4 to -12.6 ‰) typical of sulphur oxidizing microbes. Bulk genomic DNA was extracted from sediments and mats in order to identify firstly the community composition via 454-pyrosequencing, and secondly the functional diversity within these physiochemically varied environments. This metagenomic data will be combined with stable isotope patterns to elucidate the metabolic potential of hydrothermal environments at Kverkfjöll, which can be used to infer potential biogeochemical pathways of signatures of such pathways on Mars in similar, past environments.

The effect of bedrock originated groundwater on the triggering mechanism of different landslides in Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broennimann, Cornelia; Tacher, Laurent; Jaboyedoff, Michel; Jongmans, Denis; Springman, Sarah; Askarinejad, Amin

2010-05-01

It is well known that the most important triggering mechanism for rapid landslides is the infiltration of precipitation water at the surface of slopes which decreases the soils shear strength. However, the present study put focus on the exfiltration of groundwater from the substratum and its effect on the triggering of overlying landslides. Which is the origin of this groundwater? Which role does the hydrogeology play on the triggering mechanism of landslides? Is the bedrock locally feeding (springs) or draining (fractures) the overlying soil material in slopes? Due to the invisibility of the underground, these questions are difficult to answer. The aims of this research are 1) combining suitable field methods in order to create geological and hydrogeological conceptual models for different landslides located in representative geological settings in Switzerland, 2) to compare the different models and 3) to complement them with numerical flow modelling. For this purpose, three different case studies were chosen: • Landslide triggerd by artificial rainfall on a natural slope: This experiment was carried out in the Northern Swiss Molasse Basin where horizontally layered porous and fractured sandstone intersects with marlstone and is overlied by silty colluvium and sandy eluvium. The role of the joints and the groundwater in the porous sandstone is studied. • Reactivated fast moving landslide: This landslide affects moraine material and weathered bedrock which overlies black schist, flysch and rauhwacke in a tectonically affected zone in the Western Swiss Prealps. The origin of the groundwater in the landslide area and the influence of a spring at the base of the landslide are of special interest. • Slope prone to landslides: This slope is located in the Swiss Subalpine Molasse where inclined and heavily fractured conglomerate is interbedded with sandstone and marlstone and covered with silty and clayey eluvium. The destabilizing effect of springs on the slope, their origin from the fractured conglomerate and their response to rainfall is investigated. In a first project step, the geology and geometry of the landslides are investigated by the combination of geophysical methods (active seismic and electric resistivity), LIDAR, borehole drilling and geological mapping. In a second step, the hydrological/hydrogeological regime is investigated by measuring the hydraulic conductivity with the use of infiltration tests, measuring of precipitation and spring flux, monitoring the groundwater level in boreholes and analyzing hydrogeochemical parameters. Based on these investigations, hydrogeological conceptual models are created. In a next step, different water flow scenarios will be simulated using finite element hydrological flow models. The first results give evidence that for the understanding of the triggering mechanism of the different landslide types it is important to take into account the groundwater regime of the substratum: either it acts as a drain or it is feeding the overlying unstable mass and therefore either disadvantages the triggering or brings it forward. In a further step, the described conceptual models will be compared and verified with related landslides in similar geological settings.

Technology Evaluation for the Big Spring Water Treatment System at the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Becthel Jacobs Company LLC

2002-11-01

The Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12 Complex) is an active manufacturing and developmental engineering facility that is located on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation. Building 9201-2 was one of the first process buildings constructed at the Y-12 Complex. Construction involved relocating and straightening of the Upper East Fork Poplar Creek (UEFPC) channel, adding large quantities of fill material to level areas along the creek, and pumping of concrete into sinkholes and solution cavities present within the limestone bedrock. Flow from a large natural spring designated as ''Big Spring'' on the original 1943 Stone & Webster Buildingmore » 9201-2 Field Sketch FS6003 was captured and directed to UEFPC through a drainpipe designated Outfall 51. The building was used from 1953 to 1955 for pilot plant operations for an industrial process that involved the use of large quantities of elemental mercury. Past operations at the Y-12 Complex led to the release of mercury to the environment. Significant environmental media at the site were contaminated by accidental releases of mercury from the building process facilities piping and sumps associated with Y-12 Complex mercury handling facilities. Releases to the soil surrounding the buildings have resulted in significant levels of mercury in these areas of contamination, which is ultimately transported to UEFPC, its streambed, and off-site. Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC (BJC) is the DOE-Oak Ridge Operations prime contractor responsible for conducting environmental restoration activities at the Y-12 Complex. In order to mitigate the mercury being released to UEFPC, the Big Spring Water Treatment System will be designed and constructed as a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act action. This facility will treat the combined flow from Big Spring feeding Outfall 51 and the inflow now being processed at the East End Mercury Treatment System (EEMTS). Both discharge to UEFPC adjacent to Bldg. 9201-2. The EEMTS treats mercury-contaminated groundwater that collects in sumps in the basement of Bldg. 9201-2. A pre-design study was performed to investigate the applicability of various treatment technologies for reducing mercury discharges at Outfall 51 in support of the design of the Big Spring Water Treatment System. This document evaluates the results of the pre-design study for selection of the mercury removal technology for the treatment system.« less

Mesozooplankton biomass, composition, and potential grazing pressure on phytoplankton during austral winter and spring 1993 in the Subtropical Convergence region near New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradford-Grieve, Janet; Murdoch, Rob; James, Mark; Oliver, Megan; McLeod, Jeff

1998-10-01

The biomass, composition, and grazing rates of three size fractions of mesozooplankton (200-500, 500-1000, and some >1000 μm) were estimated in shelf waters and the water masses associated with Subtropical Convergence east of New Zealand, in the austral winter and spring of 1993, as part of a larger New Zealand study of ocean carbon flux that contributes to the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS). The total biomass was largest in spring in all water types. It was similar to the biomass measurements made previously in subantarctic and subtropical water masses in the Southwest Pacific and those from the North Atlantic, except for the spring biomass in subtropical water which was unusually large (86.5 and 101.3 mg m -3 dry weight). Biomass was concentrated in the upper 100 m, especially within the 0-25 or 25-50 m layers, both day and night. Night/day biomass ratios in the surface 100 m were often >2, and are presumed to be the result of sampling patchy populations as well as vertical migration. Biomass was greatest for the >1000 μm fraction of the mesozooplankton population, followed by the 500-1000, and 200-500 μm fractions, respectively. The unusually small fraction of biomass residing in the 200-500 μm fraction is assumed to be the result of predation by larger mesozooplankton. The mesozooplankton community had maximum gut fluorescence at night only at stations where chlorophyll a was >2 mg m -3 and at many of the stations gut fluorescence was persistently low. This was probably the result of the poor feeding environment, since a large proportion of the primary production resided in the <2 μm fraction. The total meaningestion of phytoplankton was calculated to be 1-40 mgC m -2 d -1, based mainly on ingestion by the 200-500 and 500-1000 μm fractions, which were dominated by herbivores or herbivores and omnivores. The heaviest grazing pressure was in subtropical and Subtropical Convergence waters, in spring. Total grazing represented <1-4% of daily total integrated primary production. Phytoplankton carbon ingested usually met only a small fraction of the basic metabolic requirements of the mesozooplankton. These data, and the fact that spring populations were apparently actively growing, since they contained a large proportion of developmental stages, imply that mesozooplankton diets were mainly microzooplankton.

Landscape movements by two species of migratory nectar-feeding bats (Leptonycteris) in a northern area of seasonal sympatry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bogan, Michael A.; Cryan, Paul; Weise, Christa D.; Valdez, Ernest W.

2017-01-01

Animals often migrate to exploit seasonally ephemeral food. Three species of nectar-feeding phyllostomid bats migrate north from Mexico into deserts of the United States each spring and summer to feed on blooms of columnar cactus and century plants (Agave spp.). However, the habitat needs of these important desert pollinators are poorly understood. We followed the nighttime movements of 2 species of long-nosed bats (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae and L. nivalis) in an area of late-summer sympatry at the northern edges of their migratory ranges. We radio-tracked bats in extreme southwestern New Mexico during 22 nights over 2 summers and acquired location estimates for 31 individuals. Both species cohabitated 2 major day roosts that were 30 km apart and in different mountain ranges, and individual bats sometimes moved between the roosts. Sampling was opportunistic and limited, but there were no obvious qualitative differences in observed patterns of movement between species or years, or among sex, age, and reproductive groups. Both species were observed foraging most often in the mountain range that had a relatively higher observed density of presumed food plants (Agave palmeri); when roosting in an adjacent mountain range, bats sometimes commuted >20 km one way to forage. Contrary to evidence indicating these species partition resources farther south in Mexico, our findings suggest that L. yerbabuenae and L. nivalis seasonally share common roost and food resources during late summer in this northern area of sympatry.

Clinical investigation into feed-related hypervitaminosis D in a captive flock of budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus): morbidity, mortalities, and pathologic lesions.

PubMed

Olds, June E; Burrough, Eric; Madison, Darin; Ensley, Steve; Horst, Ronald; Janke, Bruce H; Schwartz, Kent; Stevenson, Gregory W; Gauger, Phillip; Cooper, Vickie L; Arruda, Paulo; Opriessnig, Tanja

2015-03-01

The Blank Park Zoo began suffering mortalities in the spring of 2012 within a flock of 229 captive budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) housed in an interactive public-feeding aviary. Clinical signs in affected birds included weakness, posterior paresis, inability to fly, or acute death. Gross and microscopic lesions were not initially apparent in acutely affected deceased birds. Many birds had evidence of trauma, which is now hypothesized to have been related to the birds' weakness. Investigation into the cause(s) of morbidity and mortality were complicated by the opening of a new interactive enclosure. For this reason, environmental conditions and husbandry protocols were heavily scrutinized. Microscopic examination of dead budgies later in the course of the investigation revealed mineralization of soft tissues consistent with hypervitaminosis D. Pooled serum analysis of deceased birds identified elevated vitamin D3 levels. Vitamin D3 analysis was performed on the feed sticks offered by the public and the formulated maintenance diet fed to the flock. This analysis detected elevated levels of vitamin D3 that were 22.5-times the manufacturer's labeled content in the formulated diet. These findings contributed to a manufacturer recall of more than 100 formulated diets fed to a wide variety of domestic and captive wild animal species throughout the United States and internationally. This case report discusses the complexities of determining the etiology of a toxic event in a zoologic institution.

Family Resemblances: Human Reproductive Cloning as an Example for Reconsidering the Mutual Relationships between Bioethics and Science Fiction.

PubMed

Hansen, Solveig L

2018-03-08

In the traditions of narrative ethics and casuistry, stories have a well-established role. Specifically, illness narratives provide insight into patients' perspectives and histories. However, because they tend to see fiction as an aesthetic endeavour, practitioners in these traditions often do not realize that fictional stories are valuable moral sources of their own. In this paper I employ two arguments to show the mutual relationship between bioethics and fiction, specifically, science fiction. First, both discourses use imagination to set a scene and determine a perspective. Second, bioethics and science fiction share the family resemblance of expressing moral beliefs. I then consider how understanding bioethics and science fiction as interrelated discourses can be the basis of a methodology for inquiry into relational autonomy in the context of biotechnologies and medicine. As an example of this methodology, I analyse Fay Weldon's novel The Cloning of Joanna May (1989).

Regulation for the enforcement of federal health care provider conscience protection laws. Final rule.

PubMed

2011-02-23

The Department of Health and Human Services issues this final rule which provides that enforcement of the federal statutory health care provider conscience protections will be handled by the Department's Office for Civil Rights, in conjunction with the Department's funding components. This Final Rule rescinds, in part, and revises, the December 19, 2008 Final Rule entitled "Ensuring That Department of Health and Human Services Funds Do Not Support Coercive or Discriminatory Policies or Practices in Violation of Federal Law" (the "2008 Final Rule"). Neither the 2008 final rule, nor this final rule, alters the statutory protections for individuals and health care entities under the federal health care provider conscience protection statutes, including the Church Amendments, Section 245 of the Public Health Service Act, and the Weldon Amendment. These federal statutory health care provider conscience protections remain in effect.

KSC-02pd0616

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Honorable Diana Morgan speaks to attendees at the opening ceremony kicking off a new program known as SABRE, Space Agricultural Biotechnology Research and Education. In the foreground are Center Director Roy D. Bridges Jr. (left) and U.S. Representative Dave Weldon (right). The SABRE program is a combined effort of the University of Florida and NASA. Morgan is vice chair on the UF Board of Trustees. SABRE will focus on the discovery, development and application of the biological aspects of advanced life support strategies. The program will include faculty from UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who will be located at both KSC - in the state-owned Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL) being built there - and UF in Gainesville. SABRE will be directed by Robert Ferl, professor in the horticultural sciences department and assistant director of UF's Biotechnology Program. He will be responsible for coordinating the research and education efforts of UF and NASA

KSC-02pd0609

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Mike Martin, University of Florida vice president for agriculture and natural resources, speaks during the opening ceremony to launch a new program called SABRE, Space Agricultural Biotechnology Research and Education, that involves UF and NASA. Officials from UF and NASA attended the event. In the foreground are Center Director Roy D. Bridges Jr. (left) and U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (right). SABRE will focus on the discovery, development and application of the biological aspects of advanced life support strategies. The program will include faculty from UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who will be located at both KSC - in the state-owned Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL) being built there - and UF in Gainesville. SABRE will be directed by Robert Ferl, professor in the horticultural sciences department and assistant director of UF's Biotechnology Program. He will be responsible for coordinating the research and education efforts of UF and NASA

KSC01padig063

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-08

Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. addresses attendees at a groundbreaking ceremony held on S.R. 3. The groundbreaking is for a roadway, to be known as Space Commerce Way, that will serve the public by providing a 24-hour access route through KSC from S.R. 3 to the NASA Causeway and KSC Visitor Complex. It is the start of a construction project that includes the Space Experiment Research & Processing Laboratory (SERPL). The project is enabled by a partnership and collaboration between NASA and the State of Florida to create a vital resource for international and commercial space customers. Among the participants and guests seated under the tent are (in front row, at right) Florida’s Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan and Congressman Dave Weldon. SERPL is considered a magnet facility, and will support the development and processing of life sciences experiments destined for the International Space Station and accommodate NASA, industry and academic researchers performing associated biological research

KSC-98pc1882

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-12-18

Federal, state, NASA, KSC and Space Florida Authority (SFA) officials dig in at the planned site of a multi-purpose hangar, phase one of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Support Complex to be built near the Shuttle Landing Facility. From left, they are a representative from Rush Construction; Ed O'Connor, executive director of the Spaceport Florida Authority (SFA); Stephen T. Black, Lockheed Martin technical operations program manager; Warren Wiley, deputy director of engineering development; Tom Best, district director, representing U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon; Roy Bridges, director, Kennedy Space Center; Bill Posey, 32nd district representative; Randy Ball, state representative; Charlie Bronson, state senator; Donald McMonagle, manager of launch integration; and John London, Marshall Space Flight Center X-34 program manager. The new complex is jointly funded by SFA, NASA's Space Shuttle Program and Kennedy Space Center. It is intended to support the Space Shuttle and other RLV and X-vehicle systems. Completion is expected by the year 2000

KSC-04PD-0280

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Behind OKeefe are (left to right) Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; and Congressman Dave Weldon. At right is Mike Rein, division chief of KSC External Affairs. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and Center Director Jim Kennedy.

KSC-04PD-0290

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe talks to the media at the Central Florida Research Park, near Orlando. He and government officials were at the park for a presentation about the assets of the research park as the site of NASAs new Shared Services Center. Behind OKeefe are (left to right) Pamella J. Dana, Ph.D., director, Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development in Florida; U.S. Representative Ric Keller; Florida Congressman Tom Feeney; and Congressman Dave Weldon. At right is Mike Rein, division chief of KSC External Affairs. Six sites around the U.S. are under consideration for location of the Center, which would centralize NASAs payroll, accounting, human resources, facilities and procurement offices that are now handled at each field center. The consolidation is part of the One NASA focus. Others attending the presentation included U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and Center Director Jim Kennedy.

KSC-02pd1265

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-08-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - During the master plan signing ceremony at Port Canaveral Terminal 10, Matt Taylor gives a presentation to attendees, who included Canaveral National Seashore Superintendent Robert Newkirk, Canaveral Port Authority Executive Director Malcolm "Mac" McLouth, KSC Director Roy Bridges Jr., U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, 45th Space Wing Commander Gregory Pavlovich, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services Refuge Manager Ron Hight, Naval Ordnance Test Unit Commanding Officer William Borger, and Florida Space Authority Executive Director Ed Gormel. Taylor is vice president and chief planning officer of ZHA, Inc., which provided consulting services for the plan. The plan represents interagency cooperation between the leadership group's agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and U.S. Navy. Joining them in developing a vision of the Spaceport's future have been aerospace educators, researchers, and businesses, along with representatives from local, state and national government.

KSC-05PD-0209

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, being held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando, the NASA Explorer School team from McNair High School in Dekalb County, Ga., receives the Space Exploration Video Festival award sponsored by Lockheed Martin. Standing with the awards are Trenten Nash, Theo Maxie and Daniel Jackson. Presenting the awards were John Karas (left), with Lockheed, and Adm. Craig Steidle (right), associate administrator, Office of Exploration Systems at NASA. The three- day conference drew attendees from around the world. It presented topics on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Keynote speakers at the three-day conference include NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

KSC-97PC1281

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-08-22

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Following the presentation of the Universal Signal Conditioning Amplifier (USCA), a new piece of technology developed through a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) partnership with industry, to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Director Roy Bridges, Jr., key participants in the partnership pose for a group portrait. They are (from left) Bill Larson, NASA; Dr. Pedro Medelius, INET; Roy Bridges, Jr., KSC Director; Ed Gladney and William Saputo, L-3 Communications; Pam Gillespi, representing Congressman Dave Weldon; and Frank Kinney, Technological Research and Development Authority. The USCA is a key component of the codeveloped Automated Data Acquisition System (ADAS) that measures temperature, pressure and vibration at KSC's launch pads. The breakthrough technology is expected to reduce sensor setup and configuration times from hours to seconds. KSC teamed up with Florida's Technological Research and Development Authority and manufacturer L-3 Communications to produce a system that would benefit the aerospace industry and other commercial markets

Key participants in codeveloped technology pose for group picture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Following the presentation of the Universal Signal Conditioning Amplifier (USCA), a new piece of technology developed through a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) partnership with industry, to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Director Roy Bridges, Jr., key participants in the partnership pose for a group portrait. They are (from left) Bill Larson, NASA; Dr. Pedro Medelius, INET; Roy Bridges, Jr., KSC Director; Ed Gladney and William Saputo, L-3 Communications; Pam Gillespi, representing Congressman Dave Weldon; and Frank Kinney, Technological Research and Development Authority. The USCA is a key component of the codeveloped Automated Data Acquisition System (ADAS) that measures temperature, pressure and vibration at KSC's launch pads. The breakthrough technology is expected to reduce sensor setup and configuration times from hours to seconds. KSC teamed up with Florida's Technological Research and Development Authority and manufacturer L-3 Communications to produce a system that would benefit the aerospace industry and other commercial markets.

Maximizing profit on New England organic dairy farms: an economic comparison of 4 total mixed rations for organic Holsteins and Jerseys.

PubMed

Marston, S P; Clark, G W; Anderson, G W; Kersbergen, R J; Lunak, M; Marcinkowski, D P; Murphy, M R; Schwab, C G; Erickson, P S

2011-06-01

The objective of these experiments was to compare 4 total mixed rations fed to USDA-certified organic dairy cows in New England. Forty-eight Jersey cows from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and 64 Holstein cows from the University of Maine (UMaine) were assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments testing the main effects of corn silage versus grass silage as the forage base and commodity concentrates versus a complete pelleted concentrate mixture. Treatment diets were fed as a total mixed ration for 8 wk during the winter and spring months of 2007, 2008, and 2009. Milk yield, component, and quality data were recorded and used to calculate the value of the milk produced for each cow. The dry matter intake (DMI) was recorded and used to calculate the average cost per cow per day of each diet. Income over feed costs were calculated for each diet using milk value and feed cost data. Feed cost and income over feed cost data were resampled using bootstrap methodology to examine potential patterns. Milk yield, milk fat and true protein concentrations, and SCC were similar among treatments. Cows at UNH fed corn silage tended to have higher DMI and lower milk urea nitrogen than did cows fed grass silage, whereas cows fed pellets had higher DMI than cows fed commodities. Cows at UNH fed commodities tended to have higher body condition scores than those fed pellets. Cows at UMaine fed commodities tended to have higher DMI than did cows fed pellets, and cows fed corn silage had lower milk urea nitrogen than did cows fed grass silage. Body weights and body condition scores were not different for cows at UMaine. Feed costs were significantly higher for corn silage diets and diets at UNH containing pellets, but not at UMaine. The calculated value of the milk and income over feed costs did not differ among treatments at either university. Bootstrap replications indicated that the corn silage with commodities diet generally had the highest feed cost at both UNH and UMaine, whereas grass silage diets containing commodities generally had the lowest cost. In contrast, the grass silage with commodities diets had the highest income over feed cost in the majority of the replications at both UNH and UMaine replications, whereas the corn silage with commodities diets had the lowest rank. Similar results were observed when forage prices were increased or decreased by 5, 10, and 25% above or below the actual feed price. Feeding a grass silage-based diet supplemented with commodity concentrates may have an economic advantage for dairy producers in New England operating under an organic system of production. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.