Impacts of grassland fence on the behavior and habitat area of the critically endangered Przewalski’s gazelle around the Qinghai Lake

The trend of fencing grassland as livestock paddocks is spreading on the Eurasian steppe,however,its impacts on grassland wildlife are little known.In order to explore such impacts,we carried out a field study on how grassland fencing impacts Przewalski’s gazelle(Procapra przewalskii),a species listed as EN(Endangered) by SSC/IUCN,on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.The results revealed that(1) in the fenced areas,daily movement distance of Przewalski’s gazelle was 5081±1187 m(Hudong-Ketu) and 4110±912 m(Yuanzhe),which was much shorter than the 7223±546 m recorded in an unfenced area(Kuaierma);(2) the feeding bout duration of Przewalski’s gazelle was much shorter in the fenced habitat;(3) the frequency of walking along both high or low fence lines reached about 81%;while the frequency of jumping across the low fence line was only about 1.2% and frequency of crawling through the bottom of the high fence lines was about 17.8%;(4) the size of post-fencing habitat decreased to about 20% and 6% of the sizes of pre-fencing habitat in Hudong-Ketu and Yuanzhe areas respectively,but no clear change in the size of habitat area was found in the unfenced Kuaierma area;and(5) the fence lines impaired the possibility of gazelles to escape from predators and occasionally trapped the Przewalski’s gazelle which failed to jump over the fence lines.Death occurrence of Przewalski’s gazelle in the intensively fenced area,including gazelles strangled by fence lines and predated by wolves,reached 5% of the population size in Yuanzhe and up to 15%-20% in Hudong-Ketu.This study highlights the negative impacts of grassland fencing on Przewalski’s gazelle and proposes measures for integrating conservation of this gazelle with livestock management practice.     

Management Communication in University’s Digital Library

IntroductionAmericanfuturologistNaisbitthadsaid :“Futurecompetitionisthecompetitionofmanagement,thefocusofwhichistheeffectivepersonnelcommunicationandcross organizationalcommunication.”[1]Communicationisthetransferringprocessofinformation ,knowledgeandemotionamongindividualsandgroups,throughwhichaf fectothers’attitudesandfeelings,andeventuallyaffecttheirbehaviors.Forknowledgehasbeentheprimacyele ment,managementcommunicationinknowledgeeconomicagesismoreimportantthananyotherepoch ,whosestyle…     

Poet’s Escapism and Speaker outside the Poem——William and Dorothy in Composed Upon Westminster Bridge,Sept.3,1802

This paper analyses the author’s escapism In this Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, Sept. 3, 1802 ,and conclusion is reached that the poet wrote this particular poem for his beloved sister. And the sister ’s calmness and complacency came to be the best pill to heal the wounds of the poet.     

Least Privileges and Role’s Inheritance of RBAC

0 IntroductionRoalse -abna asletder ancacteisvse caonndt rsoulp p(lRemBeAnCt) t oh tahse b tereandi tcioonnsaild edries-dcretionary and mandatory access controls (DAC and MAC) .In RBAC,permissions are associated withroles ,and users aremade members of appropriate roles thereby acquiring theroles’permissions[1-4]. Unfortunately,since thereis still lackof specific definition and the necessary formalization forRBAC[5],the well-known security principles and the inherit-ance of roles cannot…     

Infection of SARS-CoV on juvenile and adult Brandt’s vole Microtus brandtii

In the spring of 2003, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) suddenly broke out in many countries of the world, especially China. About 8400 probable cases of SARS were identified worldwide and about 800 patients died. SARS not only caused severe panic all over the world, but also brought huge losses to global economy. SARS is recognized as a new kind of respiratory disease, caused by a novel coranovirus, SARS-CoV. It is characterized by pneumonic infection and pathological change.…     

Robust SLAM using square-root cubature Kalman filter and Huber’ s GM-estimator

Mobile robot systems performing simultaneous localization and mapping ( SLAM) are generally plagued by non-Gaussian noise.To improve both accuracy and robustness under non-Gaussian meas-urement noise, a robust SLAM algorithm is proposed.It is based on the square-root cubature Kal-man filter equipped with a Huber’ s generalized maximum likelihood estimator ( GM-estimator) .In particular, the square-root cubature rule is applied to propagate the robot state vector and covariance matrix in the time update, the measurement update and the new landmark initialization stages of the SLAM.Moreover, gain weight matrices with respect to the measurement residuals are calculated by utilizing Huber’ s technique in the measurement update step.The measurement outliers are sup-pressed by lower Kalman gains as merging into the system.The proposed algorithm can achieve bet-ter performance under the condition of non-Gaussian measurement noise in comparison with benchmark algorithms.The simulation results demonstrate the advantages of the proposed SLAM algorithm.     

Cooperation in an asymmetric volunteer’s dilemma game with relatedness

What motivates some members of a social group to voluntarily incur costs in order to provide for the common good? This question lies at the heart of theoretical and empirical studies of cooperative behavior. This is also the question that underlies the classic volunteer’s dilemma model, which has been previously explored in scenarios where group members are related or interact asym- metrically. Here we present a model that combines asymmetry and relatedness, showing that the probability of volunteerism in such systems depends closely on both the degree of asymmetry and level of relatedness between interacting individuals. As has been shown in previous volunteer’s dilemma models, the payoff ratio and overall group size also influence the probability of volunteerism. The probability of volunteerism decreases with increasing group size or decreasing cost-to-benefit ratio of the coplayers; in the presence of asymmetrical interactions, subordinate players were more likely to offer public goods than the dominant player. More asymmetrical interactions decrease the probability of volunteerism of the dominant player; overall volunteerism increases with increasing relatedness.     

Three-dimensional recon-struction and analysis of structure characteristics on senile plaques of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative dis-order characterized by progressive dementia. The classic neuropathological lesions of Alzheimer’s disease are se-nile plaque (SP) associated with fibrillar and amorphous nonfibrillar amyloid β (Aβ), neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and loss of neurons[1,2]. Many studies show that Aβ plays akey role in the pathogenesis of AD, and fibrillar Aβ has relatively high neurotoxic effects[3―5]. Therefore, studying the mechanism of Aβ aggre…     

Fast and accurate measurement of diffusion coefficient by Taylor’s dispersion analysis

This investigation aimed at improving the performance of Taylor’s dispersion analysis for the fast and accurate measurement of diffusion coefficient of a minute solute in various solvents. The investigation was carried out on a capillary electrophoresis instrument by monitoring the UV absorption peak of a solute pulse and calculating the diffusion coefficient by peak efficiency. With L-phenylalanine as a main testing solute, some key factors were afterward disclosed including especially the capillary size, carrier flow velocity, injection volume and capillary conditioning. Peak tailing, large volume of sample injection and slow migration were found to underestimate the diffusion coefficient while very fast migration and high sample concentration caused overestimation. At a moderate flow velocity of 0.1―1 cm/s with a capillary of 72.44 μm I.D.×60 cm (50 cm effective) maintained at 25℃, the diffusion coefficient of aqueous L-phenylalanine was determined, giving a value of 7.02×10-6 cm2/s with error <2% and relative standard deviation <0.2% (n=3). The method was shown to be applicable to the measurement of various samples such as aqueous phenylalanine, acetone, phenol, toluene and benzene, and nonaqueous benzene (in ethanol or 1-butanol).     

Characterization of MHC class II A genes in Hainan Eld’s deer (Cervus eldi hainanus)

The major histocompatibility complex(MHC) genes play pivotal roles in the immune system of vertebrates against antigens.They are also significant indicators of genetic structure,and are vital to species-level population viability analyses and disease risk assessments.In this study,two DRA and two DQA sequences were isolated from Hainan Eld’s deer(Cervus eldi hainanus) using rapid amplification of cDNA ends(RACE) and single-strand conformation polymorphism-heteroduplex(SSCP-HD) analysis.Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed large differences between the two DQA sequences,especially in their exon 2 regions,but only minimal differences between the variants of the DRA gene.Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequences of the Ceel-MHC class Ⅱ A variants with those from six other species revealed that these molecules share high homology among ruminants.A phylogenetic tree of four class Ⅱ A sequences from Hainan Eld’s deer and the other species placed the newly identified DQA and DRA genes on two distinct branches(100%-supportively),and further divided the two DQA sequences into 98%-supportive DQA1 and 99%-supportive DQA2 clusters,respectively.Therefore,this study identified monomorphic Ceel-DQA1 and Ceel-DQA2 genes,and one dimorphic Ceel-DRA gene from Hainan Eld’s deer.     

Application of EEG multipole model in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

In order to find the electroencephalogram (EEG) characteristic parameters typical of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and explore an effective diagnostic method, a new mobile current multipole model was proposed to simulate the AD patient’s cortical dipole source activities. The indicators of goodness of fit (GOF) and DtononD (DD) were calculated from EEG samples to evaluate the performance of this model. Relevant results showed that this multipole model with higher GOF values and larger DD change well fitted the pathological electrical activities of cortical neurons aroused by AD’s extended sulcus and gyrus in the cerebral cortex. Meanwhile, the products of DD mean & standard variance were found in a clear linear correlation with the diagnostic data of mini-mental state examination (MMSE) used in AD clinics. Furthermore, by tracing this multipole model’s indicators in typical patients and contrasting with the functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) as AD progressed, we suggested that the DD index may be suitable for monitoring the AD developments as a new diagnostic parameter.     

Application of EEG multipole model in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

In order to find the electroencephalogram (EEG) characteristic parameters typical of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and explore an effective diagnostic method, a new mobile current multipole model was proposed to simulate the AD patient’s cortical dipole source activities. The indicators of goodness of fit (GOF) and DtononD (DD) were calculated from EEG samples to evaluate the performance of this model. Relevant results showed that this multipole model with higher GOF values and larger DD change well fitted the pathological electrical activities of cortical neurons aroused by AD’s extended sulcus and gyrus in the cerebral cortex. Meanwhile, the products of DD mean & standard variance were found in a clear linear correlation with the diagnostic data of mini-mental state examination (MMSE) used in AD clinics. Furthermore, by tracing this multipole model’s indicators in typical patients and contrasting with the functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) as AD progressed, we suggested that the DD index may be suitable for monitoring the AD developments as a new diagnostic parameter.     

Quality vs. quantity of publications in nanotechnology field from the People’s Republic of China

This study evaluates trends in quality of nanotechnology and nanoscience papers produced by au- thors from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The metric used to gauge quality is ratio of highly cited nanotechnology papers to total nanotechnology papers produced in sequential time frames. The USA is both the most prolific nanotechnology publishing country and most represented country on highly cited nanotechnology papers (both in absolute numbers of highly cited papers and highly cited papers relative to total publications) over the 1998―2003 time frame, based on the SCI/SSCI databases. Some of the smaller hi-tech countries have relatively high ratios (~2) of highly cited papers to total publications (e.g. Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland). Countries that have exhibited rapid growth in SCI/SSCI nanotechnology paper production in recent years (e.g. PRC, South Korea) had ratios an order of magnitude less than that of the USA for 1998, but by 2003 had increased to about 20% that of the USA (~2.5). PRC and South Korea have climbed in the publications rankings from 6th and 9th in 1998, re- spectively, to 2nd and 6th in 2005, respectively. PRC’s ratio monotonically increased from 0.16 to 0.45 over the 1998―2003 period, and South Korea’s ratio increased from 0.11 to about 0.6 over that same period, indicating their papers are getting more and more citations proportionately. Thus, under rapid growth conditions, PRC and South Korea have been able to increase their share of participation in highly cited papers. As of 2003, PRC and South Korea have ratios comparable to nations like Japan, France, Italy, and Australia but not yet approaching those of the highly cited countries. None of the top ten publications producing institutions are from the USA, while all of the top ten highly cited publica- tions producers are from the USA. Over the 1998―2003 time period, the top six total publications pro- ducing institutions (globally) remained the same, with Chinese Academy of Sciences (which consists of many research institutes) wresting the lead from Russian Academy of Sciences in 1999, and thereafter increasing the gap. Over this same time period, the USA institutions constituted about 90% of the top ten most cited papers list. For Chinese institutions specifically in the period 1998―2003, the nanotech- nology publication leading Chinese Academy of Sciences has maintained an average of about 30% of nanotechnology publications over that time frame. The second tier (in terms of quantity) for the last few years has consisted of Tsinghua University, Nanjing University, University of Science and Technology of China, Peking University, Jilin University, Zhejiang University, Shandong University, and Fudan University. Hong Kong institutions have, on average, been strong in ratio, especially City University Hong Kong, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, indicating significant citations.     

The comparison of Cu(II) adsorption capability of baker’s yeast, nano-titania and their composite adsorbent

The anatase nano-TiO2 powder, with crystal size between 40 and 80 nm, was prepared by the liquid phase hydrolysis of TiCl4. At the same time, the nano-TiO2 was utilized with the baker’s yeast biomass as a composite adsorbent to adsorb the Cu ions in the artificial aqueous solution. The investigation showed that the composite adsorbent had a fine adsorption efficiency. The TiO2 in the composite ad- sorbent could cooperate well with baker’s yeast to improve the adsorbing capability of Cu2 under the following experimental conditions as well: a quantity of composite adsorbent of 5 g·L?1, pH≥4.0, an adsorption time of 40 min and an initial concentration of Cu ions of 10 mg·L?1. In addition, the results of measurements, obtained with a scanning electron microscope, an infrared spectrophotometer and a Zeta potential analyzer, revealed that the baker’s yeast and nano-TiO2 produced the composite ad- sorbent through coordination and hydrogen bonds in particular, etc. The stability of the composite adsorbent and the amount of titania loaded were largely dependent on the concentration of hydrogen ion in the solution.     

Distribution of α-MSH -like immunoreactive cells in the nervous system, Hatschek’s pit and other tissues of amphioxus, Branchiostoma belcheri

Immunohistochemical localization of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) in the nervous system, Hatschek’s pit and other tissues of amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri) was performed using the antibody against synthetic α-MSH. The results revealed that α-MSH-like immunoreactive cells were distributed at the dorsal side and ventral side of the brain vesicle, the dorsal side and the surrounding of central tube in the nerve tube, the epithelial cells of Hatschek’s pit, and zones 1, 3 and 6 in endostyle and hindgut. The immunoreactive substance was also found in the primary oocytes of the small and large growth stage of ovary and early stage spermatogenic cells in testis. These findings indicate that α-MSH is an ancient and highly conserved hormone and it is extensively distributed in amphioxus. Although Hatschek’s pit in amphioxus do not have a structure of the intermediate lobe of vertebrate adenohypophysis, it has already hosted α-MSH-like endocrine cells, implying that the functional differentiation of α-MSH-like cells occurred earlier than the differentiation of the tissue structure. The results of present study provided new evidence for the endocrinology of Hatschek’s pit and the origin and evolution of vertebrate adenphypophysis.