Breeding ecology of northern pintails : nesting ecology, nest-site selection, nutrient reserve use and brood ecology

To meet nutritional demands of egg laying, female pintails obtain nutrients from either exogenous or endogenous sources. I examined use of nutrient reserves during egg formation in pintails and tested whether reserves regulated clutch size. I found that females relied heavily on fat reserves during egg laying, but found no evidence that fat, or protein, proximately limited clutch size. I tested whether nest-site selection patterns were based on vegetative features, female characteristics, or whether site selection was based on nest microclimate. Pintail nests were characterized by less short grass, more shrub cover and were more frequently found in depression than random sites; unsuccessful nests were closer to shrubs than successful ones. The microclimate of nests differed from that of random sites, nests being about 2°C cooler on average than random sites during daylight hours. Furthermore, 30-minute mean temperatures exceeded the upper lethal limit for embryonic development more often at random sites than nest-sites. I evaluated variation in nesting effort and success of female pintails breeding in prairie habitats. I found no relationship between egg size and clutch size, or evidence from one year to the next of a trade-off between current and future investment in eggs. However, greater investment in initial clutches led to longer delays in laying replacement clutches the same year. Therefore, because delays in renesting are costly (late-nesting females produce fewer offspring), females must contend with a tradeoff between maximizing reproductive output in initial clutches versus risk of delayed renesting. I examined brood and duckling survival from radio-marked females and related duckling survival to maternal and environmental attributes. Duckling survival ranged from 42-65% with most duckling mortality occurring during the first 10 days post-hatch. Ducklings in relatively small broods had higher survival than ducklings from larger broods in 2 of 3 years, suggesting a further constraint on clutch size. Thus, trade-offs occurring at several stages likely set limits to clutch size in pintails, illustrating the need for a more comprehensive template in future studies of clutch size determinants in waterfowl and other species

Selection of Food Patches by Sympatric Herbivores in Response to Concealment and Distance from a Refuge

Small herbivores face risks of predation while foraging and are often forced to trade off food quality for safety. Life history, behaviour, and habitat of predator and prey can influence these trade-offs. We compared how two sympatric rabbits (pygmy rabbit, Brachylagus idahoensis; mountain cottontail, Sylvilagus nuttallii) that differ in size, use of burrows, and habitat specialization in the sagebrush-steppe of western North America respond to amount and orientation of concealment cover and proximity to burrow refuges when selecting food patches. We predicted that both rabbit species would prefer food patches that offered greater concealment and food patches that were closer to burrow refuges. However, because pygmy rabbits are small, obligate burrowers that are restricted to sagebrush habitats, we predicted that they would show stronger preferences for greater cover, orientation of concealment, and patches closer to burrow refuges. We offered two food patches to individuals of each species during three experiments that either varied in the amount of concealment cover, orientation of concealment cover, or distance from a burrow refuge. Both species preferred food patches that offered greater concealment, but pygmy rabbits generally preferred terrestrial and mountain cottontails preferred aerial concealment. Only pygmy rabbits preferred food patches closer to their burrow refuge. Different responses to concealment and proximity to burrow refuges by the two species likely reflect differences in perceived predation risks. Because terrestrial predators are able to dig for prey in burrows, animals like pygmy rabbits that rely on burrow refuges might select food patches based more on terrestrial concealment. In contrast, larger habitat generalists that do not rely on burrow refuges, like mountain cottontails, might trade off terrestrial concealment for visibility to detect approaching terrestrial predators. This study suggests that body size and evolutionary adaptations for using habitat, even in closely related species, might influence anti-predator behaviors in prey species

Recommendation on how avoid Interference Issues in companion and organized avalanche rescue

Electronic avalanche rescue devices such as 457kHz transceivers and Recco are today the primary search tools in companion and organized rescue. The requirement for a long receive range in order to shorten rescue time asks for highly sensitive receivers. Such highly sensitive receivers are vulnerable to be influenced by interference from other electronic devices, but as well metal parts and passive electronics may detune the antennas or act as a unwanted reflector in the case of a Recco search. The percentage of users who carry a wide range of electronic devices such as mobile phones, helmet cameras, music players, heart rate monitors etc in the outdoors has considerably increased over time and therefore the negative influence on an efficient search effort has in several cases lead to loss of valuable rescue time and greatly disturbed the rescuers on the accident site. The study includes a detailed analysis on the mechanisms of interference, a matrix of influence and potential consequences as well as a new, user group specific recommendation on how to avoid interference issues in companion and organized rescue

Effectiveness of Doppler Image of the Vertebral Artery as an Anatomical Landmark for Identification of Ultrasound-Guided Target Level in Cervical Spine

Study DesignA prospective sonographic study.PurposeTo verify the effectiveness of simultaneous application of two landmarks, Doppler image of the vertebral artery and shape of the transverse tubercle of the seventh cervical (C7) vertebra.Overview of LiteratureCounting upwards from the C7 vertebra which only has a posterior tubercle of the transverse process is a commonly used method for ultrasound-guided cervical nerve root block. However, each transverse process has a different shape.MethodsSonograms of 20 volunteers were examined. At first, we identified the C7 transverse process based on the presence of the vertebral artery without the anterior tubercle. The C5 and C6 transverse processes were identified based on the presence of anterior tubercle without the vertebral artery. Subsequently, we placed needles on the C5, C6, and C7 transverse processes and the location and direction of needles were confirmed by fluoroscopy.ResultsIn the 120 segments, 93.3% of needles were placed correctly as desired; 97.5% of needles were placed on the 5C transverse process; 97.5% of needles were placed on the C6 transverse process; and 85.0% of needles were placed on the C7 transverse process, respectively. Both sides showed the same accuracy of 93.3%.ConclusionsSimultaneous application of Doppler image of the vertebral artery and shape of the C7 transverse tubercle showed 93.3% accuracy in identifying the target cervical level. Therefore, Doppler image of the vertebral artery can be considered to be a useful landmark for ultrasound-guided cervical nerve root block

Comparative study on the aflatoxin B1 degradation ability of rumen fluid from Holstein steers and Korean native goats

The aflatoxin B1 degrading abilities of two different ruminants were compared in this study. One set of experiments evaluated the aflatoxin B1 degradation ability of different rumen fluid donors (steers vs. goats) as well as the rumen fluid filtration method (cheese cloth filtered vs. 0.45 µm Millipore) in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Additional studies examined aflatoxin B1 degradation by collecting rumen fluid at different times (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 h) after feeding. Cannulated Holstein steers (740 ± 10 kg bw) and Korean native goats (26 ± 3 kg bw) were fed a 60% timothy and 40% commercial diet with free access to water. Rumen fluid from Korean native goats demonstrated higher (p < 0.01) aflatoxin B1 degradability than Holstein steers. However, filtration method had no significant influence on degradability. In addition, aflatoxin degradation did not depend upon rumen fluid collection time after feeding, as no significant differences were observed. Finally, a comparison of two types of diet high in roughage found aflatoxin degradability in goats was higher with timothy hay opposed to rice straw, although individual variation existed. Thus, our findings showed the aflatoxin degradability is comparatively higher in goats compared to steers

Map of Uintah Irrigation Project June 1926 Myton, Utah

UteDepartment of the Interior United States Indian Irrigation Service. N.V. Glotts Chief Engineer C.A. Engle, Supervisor Engineer. Uintah Irrigation Project, June 1926 Myton, Utah. Compiled under directions of Project Engineer, Tom C. Guyn, from maps and other records on file in the Project Office at Myton, Utah

Patent Infringement under the Doctrine of Equivalents in the Federal Circuit

When a device performs substantially the same function, in substantially the same way, to obtain substantial the same result as a patented device, the patent is infringed under the doctrine of equivalents. This doctrine developed to prevent minor and unsubstantial changes in a device from being used to avoid liability for patent infringement. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has addressed the major issues involving the doctrine of equivalents, and these decisions, as well as others, are examined. Specifically, the relationship between the doctrine of equivalents and the statutory equivalents of §112(6) of the Patent Act of 1952 is analyzed. Additionally, the “element by element” approach and “invention as a whole” test for the doctrine of equivalents are contrasted, and the Pennwalt decision on which is the proper method is reviewed. Finally, the effect of doctrine of prosecution history estoppel and the reverse doctrine of equivalents on the doctrine of equivalents is considered