This review considers factors affecting the flight capacity of carabid beetles and the implications of flight for carabids. Studies from the Dutch polders in particular show that young populations of carabids consist predominantly of macropterous species and macropterous individuals of wing-dimorphic species. Also populations of wing-dimorphic carabid species at the periphery of their geographical range contain high proportions of macropterous individuals. However, studies from Baltic archipelagos show that older populations of even highly isolated island habitats contain considerable proportions of brachypterous species and individuals. This suggests that macroptery is primarily an adaptation for dispersal and that there exists a mechanism for subsequently reducing the ratio of macropterous to brachypterous species under stable conditions, due to the competitive advantage of brachyptery. Populations in isolated habitats, such as islands and mountains, have high proportions of brachypterous species. Many macropterous species do not possess functional flight muscles. Species of unstable habitats, such as tree canopies and wet habitats, are mostly macropterous. Brachypterous species tend to disappear from disturbed habitats. There is uncertainty regarding the extent to which carabid dispersal is directed and how much passive. Both Den Boer and Lindroth recognized that mostly macropterous individuals of macropterous and wing-dimorphic species disperse and found new populations, after which brachyptery tends to rapidly appear and proliferate in the newly founded population. It is most likely that the allele for brachyptery would arrive via the dispersal of gravid females which had mated with brachypterous males prior to emigration. Whilst many studies consider wing morphology traits of carabid beetles to be species-specific and permanent, a number of studies have shown that the oogenesis flight syndrome, whereby females undertake migration and subsequently lose their flight muscles by histolysis before eventually regenerating them after reproducing, has been reported for a growing number of carabid species. Wing morphology of carabid beetles clearly offers strong potential for the study of population dynamics. This field of study flourished during the 1940's to the late 1980's. Whilst a considerable amount of valuable research has been performed and published, the topic clearly holds considerable potential for future study., Stephen Venn., and Obsahuje bibliografii
For low-alloyed cast ferritic steel simultaneous effect of temperature and notch root radius on fracture toughness has been investigated. Due to fact that fracture tests were performed on notched specimens (cylindrical tensile specimens with circumferential notch having there notch root radii), the concept of Notch Fracture Mechanics was applied. Volumetric fracture criterion with two parameters, effective stress and effective distance, was developed. The goal of the work was to quantify the influence of notch radius on transition temperature and notch fracture toughness, and, in addition, to present jointly the role of both these parameters in fracture behaviour.
In the case of the studied cast steel with a low yield stress (375 MPa), effective distance is 3 to 4 times longer than the Creager's effective distance (half of notch radius). The transition region and temperatures are shifted to higher values when notch radius decreases. At temperature higher than a temperature called plateau temperature Tp dactile filure appears. The Tp temperature is sensitive to nothe radius being affected by stress triaxiality. It is possible to define a notch sensitivity compensated temperature T* = √ρ/ρc. In the transition regime, critical notch stress intensity factor varies linearly with T*. and Obsahuje seznam literatury
According to a hypothesis addressing the evolution of eusociality in mole-rats, the female (queen) is not able to raise her (first) offspring without a mate and thus to found a family. Therefore, we predict that the reproductive male (king) has to be socially faithful. In this study we tested this prediction and addressed the related question whether or not the presentation of a new female provokes enhanced sexual interest in male Ansell’s mole-rats (Fukomys anselli).
We performed behavioral partner preference tests in Ansell’s mole-rats where two animals of choice were presented to a subject without allowing direct access. The kings spent significantly more time sniffing an unfamiliar queen or female than their own mate. If given the choice between an unfamiliar queen and her respective non-reproductive daughter, however, the tested kings significantly preferred the queen. In contrast, queens did not show a preference for either their own mate, an unrelated unfamiliar king, or a non-reproductive male.
In a second experiment, we allowed the males to access the compartment of an unfamiliar female while their respective family stayed in an adjacent compartment. Only the non-reproductive adult males seized their chances to copulate with the unfamiliar female whereas the kings remained faithful. When reversing the test condition (i.e. females were given access to an unfamiliar male), aggressiveness of the males impeded sexual encounters in most cases. We recorded only three copulations, all of them between queens and non-reproductive males.
We conclude that the reproductive status is crucial for reproductive decisions. Furthermore, the presence of family members influences the kings’ behavior. Since in Ansell’s mole-rats, repeated copulations over a longer period of cohabitation are necessary for ovulation and fertilization, the kings’ sexual fidelity could have been expected. We postulate that the maintenance of Ansell’s mole-rats’ families depends on the kings’ faithfulness.
Zajímavosti ze života kolibříků a problematika jejich fotografování na příkladu severoamerického kolibříka šestibarvého (Selasphorus platycercus). and This article presents some remarkable features of hummingbird bionomics and the photographic issues involved. Special attention is paid to the North American Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus).
Within the frame of the mass discretisation method has been designed the mathematical - physical model of the pseudoplanetary system of seven degrees of freedom for the analysis of the influence of the number of satellites and for free or elastic mounting of the sun wheel as a next phase of the solution of general differential system with branched - split power flow.
A new application of the parametric anti-resonance is discussed. This phenomenon can be used not only for suppressing self-excited vibration or to reduce the externally excited vibration but also to suppressing self-excited vibration or to reduce the externally excited vibration but also to suppress the parametric resonance when certain conditions are met. Another aim is to stimulate further investigations and the practical applications. and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The aim of this contribution is to present a basic survey of publications dealing with the means of vibration suppression in several kinds of self-excitation. The attention is given to passive and active means using parametric excitation. A special attention is given to the latter and the necessary steps for answering important questions are formulated to initiate further investigation and especially application to real systems. and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Smoking is the most important cardiovascular (CV) risk factor. Stopping smoking halves the CV risk. Every clinician should provide a brief intervention with smokers. Intensive treatment should be available to those who need it. There are 37 Centers for Tobacco Dependence in the Czech Republic, which offer treatment including a psychobehavioral intervention and pharmacotherapy (varenicline, nicotine, bupropion). Czech physicians, pharmacists and nurses are regularly educated about smoking cessation. We describe the results of intensive treatment offered by our centers. Treatment includes screening (1 h), an intervention (2 h), and follow-up visits during the next 12 months. Among 3532 patients, 34.3 % had CO-validated abstinence at 12-months (including 489 patients who attended the screening visit + only the 12-month follow up visit). Among patients who underwent the intervention, the abstinence rate was 38.2 %. The majority of patients who underwent the intervention (N=2470) used some form of pharmacotherapy. After one year, the abstinence rate was 43.4 %, compared to 15.9 % (N=573) without pharmacotherapy. Only 28 % of patients came on the recommendation of a physician. Despite the decrease in CV risk following smoking cessation and the effectiveness of treatment, centers are underutilized., E. Králíková, A. Kmeťová, L. Štěpánková, K. Zvolská, V. Felbrová, S. Kulovaná, Z. Bortlíček, M. Blaha, K. Fraser., and Obsahuje bibliografii