Optimal moult strategies in migratory birds

Avian migration, which involves billions of birds flying vast distances, is known to influence all aspects of avian life. Here we investigate how birds fit moult into an annual cycle determined by the need to migrate. Large variation exists in moulting patterns in relation to migration: for instance, moult can occur after breeding in the summer or after arrival in the wintering quarters. Here we use an optimal annual routine model to investigate why this variation exists. The modelled bird's decisions depend on the time of year, its energy reserves, breeding status, experience, flight feather quality and location. Our results suggest that the temporal and spatial variations in food are an important influence on a migratory bird's annual cycle. Summer moult occurs when food has a high peak on the breeding site in the summer, but it is less seasonal elsewhere. Winter moult occurs if there is a short period of high food availability in summer and a strong winter peak at different locations (i.e. the food is very seasonal but in opposite phase on these areas). This finding might explain why only long-distance migrants have a winter moult.     

基于多尺度标记优化分水岭方法的油茶冠幅提取

针对尺度对地物空间结构的限制以及传统分水岭分割易产生树冠过分割等问题,选择长沙县明月村油茶基地为研究区,提出一种基于多尺度标记优化分水岭分割油茶树冠的方法.首先使用高分辨率无人机影像采集图像,分析影像特征,构建油茶分类体系,提取油茶林分布区域.其次,运用多尺度区域迭代增长方法提取树冠标记,将标记应用于多阈值尺度的分水岭...     

漓江流域生态系统服务价值最大化的土地利用结构优化

土地利用结构优化是促进生态系统可持续发展的重中之重,而生态管理的最终目标是优化生态系统服务,使生态系统提供的服务达到最大化。选择典型生态脆弱区漓江流域为研究区,将整个生态系统服务价值的最大化作为研究目标,首先结合野外实验和五期Landsat高分遥感影像获取基础数据,对研究区1998-2018年各项生态系统服务价值进行估算,然后结合灰色线性模型对2018-2028年价值进行预测,借助Lingo软件提出生态效益最大化的土地结构优化方案,进而对优化前后研究区生态系统服务价值进行比较与分析。结果表明：（1）近20年间研究区主要土地利用类型一直以林地与耕地为主,所占比例保持在整个流域的95%。水域与耕地面积逐年减少,林地、建设用地及未利用地面积持续增加。此外,未利用地面积发生的变化最为显著,增加了近30倍,主要由林地与耕地转变而来。（2）研究区生态系统服务价值总体约减少了19.55×10⁶元,呈现先上升后下降趋势,并将长期处于下降趋势,至2028年时流域生态系统服务价值将减少至8067.43×10⁶元。在流域整体生态系统中,林地价值最高,在历年约占流域总价值的86%,其次是水域及耕地,分别占比8%、6%。（3）对研究区进行优化后,漓江流域总生态系统服务价值增长了2%,其中主要来源于林地与水域面积的增加,提高了生态系统调节服务的供给能力,耕地、建设用地面积略微增加,未利用地面积显著减少,基本与2008年水平持平。本研究通过优化喀斯特地区关键生态系统服务价值,为该区域生态管理提供科学支撑。     

Econometric models for biohydrogen development

Biohydrogen is considered as an attractive clean energy source due to its high energy content and environmental-friendly conversion. Analyzing various economic scenarios can help decision makers to optimize development strategies for the biohydrogen sector. This study surveys econometric models of biohydrogen development, including input-out models, life-cycle assessment approach, computable general equilibrium models, linear programming models and impact pathway approach. Fundamentals of each model were briefly reviewed to highlight their advantages and disadvantages. The input-output model and the simplified economic input-output life-cycle assessment model proved most suitable for economic analysis of biohydrogen energy development. A sample analysis using input-output model for forecasting biohydrogen development in the United States is given.     

STITCHER: Dynamic assembly of likely amyloid and prion β‐structures from secondary structure predictions

The supersecondary structure of amyloids and prions, proteins of intense clinical and biological interest, are difficult to determine by standard experimental or computational means. In addition, significant conformational heterogeneity is known or suspected to exist in many amyloid fibrils. Previous work has demonstrated that probability‐based prediction of discrete β‐strand pairs can offer insight into these structures. Here, we devise a system of energetic rules that can be used to dynamically assemble these discrete β‐strand pairs into complete amyloid β‐structures. The STITCHER algorithm progressively ‘stitches’ strand‐pairs into full β‐sheets based on a novel free‐energy model, incorporating experimentally observed amino‐acid side‐chain stacking contributions, entropic estimates, and steric restrictions for amyloidal parallel β‐sheet construction. A dynamic program computes the top 50 structures and returns both the highest scoring structure and a consensus structure taken by polling this list for common discrete elements. Putative structural heterogeneity can be inferred from sequence regions that compose poorly. Predictions show agreement with experimental models of Alzheimer's amyloid beta peptide and the Podospora anserina Het‐s prion. Predictions of the HET‐s homolog HET‐S also reflect experimental observations of poor amyloid formation. We put forward predicted structures for the yeast prion Sup35, suggesting N‐terminal structural stability enabled by tyrosine ladders, and C‐terminal heterogeneity. Predictions for the Rnq1 prion and alpha‐synuclein are also given, identifying a similar mix of homogenous and heterogeneous secondary structure elements. STITCHER provides novel insight into the energetic basis of amyloid structure, provides accurate structure predictions, and can help guide future experimental studies. Proteins 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The health implications of birth by Caesarean section

Since the first mention of fetal programming of adult health and disease, a plethora of programming events in early life has been suggested. These have included intrauterine and postnatal events, but limited attention has been given to the potential contribution of the birth process to normal physiology and long‐term health. Over the last 30 years a growing number of studies have demonstrated that babies born at term by vaginal delivery (VD) have significantly different physiology at birth to those born by Caesarean section (CS), particularly when there has been no exposure to labour, i.e. pre‐labour CS (PLCS). This literature is reviewed here and the processes involved in VD that might programme post‐natal development are discussed. Some of the effects of CS are short term, but longer term problems are also apparent. We suggest that VD initiates important physiological trajectories and the absence of this stimulus in CS has implications for adult health. There are a number of factors that might plausibly contribute to this programming, one of which is the hormonal surge or “stress response” of VD. Given the increasing incidence of elective PLCS, an understanding of the effects of VD on normal development is crucial.     

Optimal size of storage for recovery after unpredictable disturbances

Terrestrial plants often live in environments in which above-ground photosynthetic organs (production parts) are suddenly removed by unpredictable disturbances, such as fire, frost, desiccation, pathogen attack, breakage by wind and trampling, or herbivory by insects and mammals. We study the optimal growth schedule for a plant having a below-ground storage organ that is used for recovery (or regrowth) of photosynthetic organs after disturbances. We assume the following: (1) the daily production rate increases with the production part size, but saturates for large size due to shading and local resource depletion, (2) disturbances occur randomly and remove all the aerial parts, (3) plants are finally killed by fatal disturbances that also occur randomly and (4) the plant chooses the pattern of growth, reproduction, storage and recovery after disturbances by reallocation of stored material to maximize the total lifetime reproductive success. The model is analysed by stochastic dynamic programming. The results are as follows: (1) the ratio of storage size to production part size (S/F ratio) is large if the longevity is large and if the disturbance rate is large but a little smaller than the productivity coefficient, (2) the S/F ratio is larger for mature plants than for small immature plants, (3) after disturbances, the above-ground production part recovers relatively quickly, but reproductive activity is depressed until storage size recovers and (4) the variations over time and between habitats differing in disturbance frequency are larger for storage size and for reproductive activity than for production part size. These tendencies are more pronounced for a linear production function (with initial linear increase followed by a sudden stop), but less so for a hyperbolic production function (with a gradually decreasing slope). We also discuss the growth and regrowth behaviour of plants adapted to a disturbance frequency growing under one different disturbance frequency.     

On compromise in foraging and an experiment by Krebs et al. (1977)

A vectorized version of the method of stochastic dynamic programming is used to demonstrate that behaviour observed in Parus major by Krebs et al. (1977) is more consistent with the hypothesis that animals compromise between time and energy in foraging than with the hypothesis that they maximize their rate of energy gain.