Fruit Trait Preference in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) and its Implications for Seed Dispersal

Primates constitute 25-40 % of the frugivore biomass of tropical forests. Primate fruit preference, as a determinant of seed dispersal, can therefore have a significant impact on these ecosystems. Although the traits of fruits included in primate diets have been described, fruit trait preference has been less studied with respect to fruit availability. We examined fruit trait preference and its implications for seed dispersal in the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), a dietarily flexible species and important seed disperser, at the Buxa Tiger Reserve, India. Over a year, we monitored the phenology of selected trees in the study area, observed the feeding behavior of rhesus macaques using scans and focal animal sampling, and documented morphological traits of the fruits/seeds consumed. Using generalized linear modeling, we found that the kind of edible tissue was the chief determinant of fruit consumption, with M. mulatta feeding primarily on fruits with juicy-soft pulp and acting as seed predators for those with no discernible pulp. Overall, the preferred traits were external covers that could be easily pierced by a fingernail, medium to large seeds, true stone-like seeds, and juicy-soft edible tissue, thereby implying that fruit taxa with these traits had a higher probability of being dispersed. Macaques were more selective during the high fruit availability period than the low fruit availability period, preferentially feeding on soft-skinned fruits with juicy-soft pulp. We suggest that further studies be conducted across habitats and time to understand the consistency of interactions between primates and fruits with specific traits to determine the degree of selective pressure (if any) that is exerted by primates on fruit traits.

Influence of Anisotropy on Pavement Responses Using Adaptive Sparse Polynomial Chaos Expansion

Modeling the spatial variability that exists in pavement systems can be conveniently represented by means of random fields; in this study, a probabilistic analysis that considers the spatial variability, including the anisotropic nature of the pavement layer properties, is presented. The integration of the spatially varying log-normal random fields into a linear-elastic finite difference analysis has been achieved through the expansion optimal linear estimation method. For the estimation of the critical pavement responses, metamodels based on polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) are developed to replace the computationally expensive finite-difference model. The sparse polynomial chaos expansion based on an adaptive regression-based algorithm, and enhanced by the combined use of the global sensitivity analysis (GSA) is used, with significant savings in computational effort. The effect of anisotropy in each layer on the pavement responses was studied separately, and an effort is made to identify the pavement layer wherein the introduction of anisotropic characteristics results in the most significant impact on the critical strains. It is observed that the anisotropy in the base layer has a significant but diverse effect on both critical strains. While the compressive strain tends to be considerably higher than that observed for the isotropic section, the tensile strains show a decrease in the mean value with the introduction of base-layer anisotropy. Furthermore, asphalt-layer anisotropy also tends to decrease the critical tensile strain while having little effect on the critical compressive strain. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Appraisal of groundwater resource in Holocene soil deposits by resistivity, hydrochemical and granulomerial studies in the Gulf of Mannar Coast from Southern India

This article is aimed to delineate groundwater sources in Holocene deposits area in the Gulf of Mannar Coast from Southern India. For this purpose 2-D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), hydrochemical and granulomerical studies were carried out and integrated to identify hydrogeological structures and portable groundwater resource in shallow depths which in general appears in the coastal tracts. The 2-D ERT was used to determine the two-dimensional subsurface geological formations by multicore cable with Wenner array. Low resistivity of 1-5 Omega m for saline water appeared due to calcite at the depth of about 5 m below the ground level (bgl). Sea water intrusion was observed around the maximum resistivity as 5 Omega m at the 8 m depth, bgl in the calcite environs, but the calcareous sandstone layer shows around 15-64 Omega m at the 6 m depth, bgl. The hydrochemical variation of TDS, HCO3-, Cl-, Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ concentrations was observed for the saline and sea water intrusion in the groundwater system. The granulometic analysis shows that the study area was under the sea between 5400 and 3000 year ago. The events of ice melting an unnatural ice-stone rain/hail among 5000-4000 years ago resulted in the inundation of sea over the area and deposits of late Holocene marine transgression formation up to Puthukottai quartzite region for a stretch of around 17 km.

Energy conversion in shape memory alloy heat engine - Part II: Simulation

In this paper, a theoretical model proposed in Part I (Zhu et al., 2001a) is used to simulate the behavior of a twin crank NiTi SMA spring based heat engine, which has been experimentally studied by Iwanaga et al. (1988). The simulation results are compared favorably with the measurements. It is found that (1) output torque and heat efficiency decrease as rotation speed increase; (2) both output torque and output power increase with the increase of hot water temperature; (3) at high rotation speed, higher water temperature improves the heat efficiency. On the contrary, at low rotation speed, lower water temperature is more efficient; (4) the effects of initial spring length may not be monotonic as reported. According to the simulation, output torque, output power and heat efficiency increase with the decrease of spring length only in the low rotation speed case. At high rotation speed, the result might be on the contrary.

A Study of Composite Beam with Shape Memory Alloy Arbitrarily Embedded under Thermal and Mechanical Loadings

The constitutive relations and kinematic assumptions on the composite beam with shape memory alloy (SMA) arbitrarily embedded are discussed and the results related to the different kinematic assumptions are compared. As the approach of mechanics of materials is to study the composite beam with the SMA layer embedded, the kinematic assumption is vital. In this paper, we systematically study the kinematic assumptions influence on the composite beam deflection and vibration characteristics. Based on the different kinematic assumptions, the equations of equilibrium/motion are different. Here three widely used kinematic assumptions are presented and the equations of equilibrium/motion are derived accordingly. As the three kinematic assumptions change from the simple to the complex one, the governing equations evolve from the linear to the nonlinear ones. For the nonlinear equations of equilibrium, the numerical solution is obtained by using Galerkin discretization method and Newton-Rhapson iteration method. The analysis on the numerical difficulty of using Galerkin method on the post-buckling analysis is presented. For the post-buckling analysis, finite element method is applied to avoid the difficulty due to the singularity occurred in Galerkin method. The natural frequencies of the composite beam with the nonlinear governing equation, which are obtained by directly linearizing the equations and locally linearizing the equations around each equilibrium, are compared. The influences of the SMA layer thickness and the shift from neutral axis on the deflection, buckling and post-buckling are also investigated. This paper presents a very general way to treat thermo-mechanical properties of the composite beam with SMA arbitrarily embedded. The governing equations for each kinematic assumption consist of a third order and a fourth order differential equation with a total of seven boundary conditions. Some previous studies on the SMA layer either ignore the thermal constraint effect or implicitly assume that the SMA is symmetrically embedded. The composite beam with the SMA layer asymmetrically embedded is studied here, in which symmetric embedding is a special case. Based on the different kinematic assumptions, the results are different depending on the deflection magnitude because of the nonlinear hardening effect due to the (large) deflection. And this difference is systematically compared for both the deflection and the natural frequencies. For simple kinematic assumption, the governing equations are linear and analytical solution is available. But as the deflection increases to the large magnitude, the simple kinematic assumption does not really reflect the structural deflection and the complex one must be used. During the systematic comparison of computational results due to the different kinematic assumptions, the application range of the simple kinematic assumption is also evaluated. Besides the equilibrium study of the composite laminate with SMA embedded, the buckling, post-buckling, free and forced vibrations of the composite beam with the different configurations are also studied and compared.

A Discussion on Modeling Shape Memory Alloy Embedded in A Composite Laminate as Axial Force and Elastic Foundation

In this paper, the possible error sources of the composite natural frequencies due to modeling the shape memory alloy (SMA) wire as an axial force or an elastic foundation and anisotropy are discussed. The great benefit of modeling the SMA wire as an axial force and an elastic foundation is that the complex constitutive relation of SMA can be avoided. But as the SMA wire and graphite-epoxy are rigidly bonded together, such constraint causes the re-distribution of the stress in the composite. This, together with anisotropy, which also reduces the structural stiffness can cause the relatively large error between the experimental data and theoretical results.

A Thermodynamic Constitutive Model for Stress Induced Phase Transformation in Shape Memory Alloys

In this paper a thermodynamic constitutive model is developed for stress induced phase transformation in single crystalline and polycrystalline shape memory alloys (SMAs). Volume fractions of different martensite variants are chosen as internal variables to describe the evolution of microstructure state in the material. This model is then used in prediction the transformation behavior of a SMA (Cu-Al-Zn-Mn) under complex thermomechanical load (including complete and incomplete transformation in mechanical cycling, and proportional/non-proportional loading). (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy Conversion in Shape Memory Alloy Heat Engine Part I: Theory

Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) can be easily deformed to a new shape by applying a small external load at low temperature, and then recovers its original configuration upon heating. This unique shape memory phenomenon has inspired many novel designs. SMA based heat engine is one among them. SMA heat engine is an environment-friendly alternative to extract mechanical energy from low-grade energies, for instance, warm wastewater, geothermal energy, solar thermal energy, etc. The aim of this paper is to present an applicable theoretical model for simulation of SMA-based heat engines. First, a micro-mechanical constitutive model is derived for SMAs. The volume fractions of austenite and martensite variants are chosen as internal variables to describe the evolution of microstructure in SMA upon phase transition. Subsequently, the energy equation is derived based on the first thermodynamic law and the previous SMA model. From Fourier’s law of heat conduction and Newton’s law of cooling, both differential and integral forms of energy conversion equation are obtained.

Archaeometric evidence for the authenticity of the Jehoash inscription tablet

A gray, fine-grained arkosic sandstone tablet bearing an inscription in ancient Hebrew from the First Temple Period contains a rich assemblage of particles accumulated in the covering patina. Two types of patina cover the tablet: a thin layer of black to orange iron-oxide-rich layer, a product of micro-biogenic processes, and a light beige patina that contains feldspars, carbonate, iron oxide, subangular quartz grains, carbon ash particles and gold globules (1 to 4 microns [1 micron = 0.001 millimeter] in diameter). The patina covers the rock surface as well as the engraved lettering grooves and blankets and thus post-dates the incised inscription as well as a crack that runs across the stone and several of the engraved letters. Radiocarbon analyses of the carbon particles in the patina yield a calibrated radiocarbon age of 2340 to 2150 Cal BP. The presence of microcolonial fungi and associated pitting in the patina indicates slow growth over many years. The occurrence of pure gold globules and carbon ash particles is evidence of a thermal event in close proximity to the tablet (above 1000 degrees Celsius). This study supports the antiquity of the patina, which in turn, strengthens the contention that the inscription is authentic.

Caracterización y evaluación preliminar de 14 accesiones de Chile (Capsicum spp)

La presente investigación se llevó a cabo en el Programa de Recursos Genéticos Nicaragüenses (REGEN) de la Universidad Nacional Agraria, durante el período Octubre 2002-Abril-2003. El objetivo fue estudiar y evaluar gennoplasma nativo e introducido de chile {Capsicum spp.) en condiciones del trópico seco de Nicaragua. La caracterización de las 14 accesiones en base a la guía de descriptores propuesta por IBPGR (lt¡83) y mediante el análisis estadístico univariado y multivariados permitió identificar los principales descriptores cualitatí vos ( fonna del fruto, pungencía y forma del fruto en la unión con el pedúnculo) y cuantitativos (diámetro de semillas, diámetro del fruto y peso del fruto) que son de gran utilidad para el estudio de la variación genética de chile. Además se logró conformar un catálogo con las características de cada uno de los material.es. Las accesiones de mayor variación fueron Bacatum, Diente de perro, Pico de pájaro, Alfilerillo y Chile ancho. El resto de materiales tienen características más uniformes. Las accesiones evaluadas presentaron características morfológicas propias de las especies C. annuum, C. frutescens y C. baccatum. En el germopla.sma de Capsicum evaluado se encontraron materiales que poseen diferente reacción a plagas y enfermedades. Palabras claves: Capsicum; accesión; germoplasma; descriptor.

Microstructural evolution and formation of nanocrystalline intermetallic compound during surface mechanical attrition treatment of cobalt

Nanocrystalline intermetallic Co3Fe7 was produced on the surface of cobalt via surface mechanical attrition (SMA). Deformationinduced diffusion entailed the formation of a series of solid solutions. Phase transitions occurred depending on the atomic fraction of Fe in the surface solid solutions: from hexagonal close-packed (<4% Fe) to face-centered cubic (fcc) (4-11% Fe), and from fcc to body-centered cubic (>11% Fe). Nanoscale compositional probing suggested significantly higher Fe contents at grain boundaries and triple junctions than grain interiors. Short-circuit diffusion along grain boundaries and triple junctions dominate in the nanocrystalline intermetallic compound. Stacking faults contribute significantly to diffusion. Diffusion enhancement due to high-rate deformation in SMA was analyzed by regarding dislocations as solute-pumping channels, and the creation of excess vacancies. Non-equilibrium, atomic level alloying can then be ascribed to deformation-induced intermixing of constituent species. The formation mechanism of nanocrystalline intermetallic grains on the SMA surface can be thought of as a consequence of numerous nucleation events and limited growth. (C) 2007 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[A_Laguardia_SanJuan] Levantamiento fotogramétrico de la portada Sur o “de los abuelos” de la iglesia de San Juan de Laguardia (Álava)

[ES] La documentación contenida en este registro ha servido de base para los siguientes documentos:

Metodología fotogramétrica para la cuantificación de las alteraciones en paramentos pétreos patrimoniales. Aplicación a la iglesia de San Juan de Laguardia

[ES] Este proyecto fin de carrera está realacionado con el siguiente proyecto de documentación de un elemento patrimonial:

[G_Oñati_Arantzazu] Documentación fotográfica del Apostolado y la Piedad del exterior del Monasterio de Arantzazu (Oñati, Gipuzkoa)

[ES] Conjunto de figuras en piedra de gran porte (unos 4 metros de altura cada una), lo componen 14 figuras en la zona baja del apostolado y un conjunto de 2 personajes más formando la Piedad en la parte superior. Se trata de formas esquemáticas de perfil redondeado que corresponden artísticamente a una de las corrientes más destacadas del siglo XX.

微通道中应用“流动汇聚”形成分散体系

在微流控器件内集成具有流动汇聚功能的几何结构以研究液-液系统中液滴的形成.相图显示液滴的大小为流量以及两种液体流量比的函数,它包括两个区域,在一个区域中液滴大小和孔隙宽度接近,而在另一区域液滴大小则取决于"汇聚"后的细流直径,从而能形成远小于孔隙的液滴.单分散和多分散乳状液均可以被生成.