Several methods for measuring cross-sectional areas of cat extensor digitorum communis tendons. were evaluated in terms of repeatability. Estimates of correction factors to be used in relating measurements by different methods were also obtained. The measurements examined included: (1) moist specimen weight per unit length, (2) moist specimen displacement volume per unit length, (3) dry specime...

we histologically determined lipofuscin content in eyestalk neural tissue to estimate the age and growth of Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) in Florida, United States. Neurolipofuscin was measured from size-stratified samples of 145 lobsters from the Florida Keys and 119 lobsters from the Dry Tortugas, the two main fishing areas in Florida. Modal analysis of the neurolipofuscin concent...

The waterchestnut (Trapa natans var. japonica Nakai) has been dominating the entire in Lake North Inbanuma, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. In order to investigate the seasonal variation of its surface coverage area, photographic recording of surface areas occupied by waterchestnuts in ten quadrats carried out from a boat every two weeks over a period of two years. In addition, the waterchestnuts were...

Some 231 birds were recorded on a sandy plateau in central Sao Paulo, in an area forming a natural "habitat spectrum", from dry or wet grasslands to bushy ones (campo-cerrado) plus gallery scrub, marshes, and low woods. Subtracting 12 species that mostly flew over, and 56 species that seemed to be vagrants or accidental visitors, 163 species were regular (including 14 that center in nearby anth...

Drought severely limits forage productivity of C4 grasses across the tropics. The avoidance of water deficit by increasing the capacity for water uptake or by controlling water loss are common responses in forage C4 grasses. Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and Brachiaria hybrid cv. Mulato II are tropical C4 grasses used for livestock production due to their reputed resistance to drought con...

Mobile pastoralists provide major contributions to the gross domestic product in Chad, but little information is available regarding their demography. The Lake Chad area population is increasing, resulting in competition for scarce land and water resources. For the first time, the density of people and animals from mobile and sedentary populations was assessed using randomly defined sampling ar...

We utilized the TerraMODIS Vegetation Index (VI) products to characterize the variability in seasonal and spatial patterns of photosynthetic vegetation activity along an eco-climatic gradient extending from the diverse Brazilian cerrado to the seasonal tropical forest at Tapajos National Forest, including transitional biomes at Santana do Araguaia and land conversion areas. The NDVI and EVI at ...

Previous studies have demonstrated that rapid evacuation, disrobing and emergency decontamination can enhance the ability of emergency services and acute hospitals to effectively manage chemically-contaminated casualties. The purpose of this human volunteer study was to further optimise such an "Initial Operational Response" by (1) identifying an appropriate method for performing improvised ski...

We examined thermoregulatory behaviors in a wild population of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) inhabiting a highly seasonal dry forest in Santa Rosa National Park (SRNP), Costa Rica. The dry season in SRNP lasts approximately 5 months and is characterized by high ambient temperatures regularly exceeding 37 degrees C, low relative humidity, and the near absence of precipitation. This stu...

We address the problem of identifying dry areas in the tear film as part of a diagnostic tool for dry-eye syndrome. The requirement is to identify and measure the growth of the dry regions to provide a time-evolving map of degrees of dryness. We segment dry regions using a multi-label graph-cut algorithm on the 3D spatio-temporal volume of frames from a video sequence. To capture the fact that ...