‎let $mathcal a$ and $mathcal b$ be unital rings‎, ‎and $mathcal m$‎ ‎be an $(mathcal a‎, ‎mathcal b)$-bimodule‎, ‎which is faithful as a‎ ‎left $mathcal a$-module and also as a right $mathcal b$-module‎. ‎let ${mathcal u}=mbox{rm tri}(mathcal a‎, ‎mathcal m‎, ‎mathcal‎ ‎b)$ be the triangular ring and ${mathcal z}({mathcal u})$ its‎ ‎center‎. ‎assume that $f:{mathcal u}rightarrow{mathcal u}$ is...

We describe NeST, a flexible software-only storage appliance designed to meet the storage needs of the Grid. NeST has three key features that make it wellsuited for deployment in a Grid environment. First, NeST provides a generic data transfer architecture that supports multiple data transfer protocols (including GridFTP and NFS), and allows for the easy addition of new protocols. Second, NeST ...

Incubation behavior is one component of reproductive effort and thus influences the evolution of life-history strategies. We examined the relative importance of body mass, frequency of mate feeding, food, nest predation, and ambient temperature to explain interspecific variation in incubation behavior (nest attentiveness, on- and off-bout durations, and nest trips per hour) using comparative an...

We investigated the association between brood parasitism by shiny cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis), and behaviour and nest-site characteristics of chalk-browed mockingbirds (Mimus saturninus). This host builds nests on trees, it is aggressive against intruders and it is larger than shiny cowbirds. We conducted focal observations of mockingbird nests, and registered mockingbird activity and atte...

Passerine birds have an extensive repertoire of olfactory receptor genes. However, the circumstances in which passerine birds use olfactory signals are poorly understood. The aim of this study is to investigate whether olfactory cues play a role in natal nest recognition in fledged juvenile passerines. The natal nest provides fledglings with a safe place for sleeping and parental food provision...

When opposing evolutionary selection pressures act on a behavioural trait, the result is often stabilizing selection for an intermediate optimal phenotype, with deviations from the predicted optimum attributed to tracking a moving target, development of behavioural syndromes or shifts in riskiness over an individual's lifetime. We investigated nest-site choice by female golden-winged warblers, ...

Nest size or nest-building activity has recently been hypothesized to be a postmating sexually selected signal in monogamous birds: females may assess a male’s parental quality and willingness to invest in reproduction by his participation in nest building. Females may thus adjust their reproductive effort (i.e. clutch size) not only to their own abilities but also to those of their mates. We i...

Many ant species and some social bees display size-related polyethism, often referred to as alloethism (Wilson, 1971). For example bumblebees (Bombus spp.) exhibit alloethism; there is great size variation within the worker caste, and large bees tend to be foragers, while smaller bees tend to perform within-nest tasks (reviewed in Goulson, 2003). In contrast, honeybees workers are approximately...

Previous studies have shown that reed warblers, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, are more likely to reject a cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, egg if they have seen a cuckoo at their nest. This suggests that they would benefit from watching out for cuckoos. We tested whether presentations of a cuckoo mount near the nest (to simulate nest inspection) led to increased nest attendance by the warblers. Cuckoo prese...

Colonies of the Florida harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius, excavate species-typical subterranean nests up the 3 m deep with characteristic vertical distribution of chamber area/shape, spacing between levels and vertical arrangement of the ants by age and brood stage. Colonies excavate and occupy a new nest about once a year, and doing so requires that they have information about the depth belo...