ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: For brown bears (Ursus arctos), hibernation is a critical part of the annual life cycle because energy savings during hibernation can be crucial for overwintering, and females give birth to cubs at that time. For hibernation to be a useful strategy, timing is critical. However, environmental conditions vary greatly, which might have a negative effect on the functionality of the evolved biological time-keeping. Here, we used a long-term dataset (69 years) on brown bear denning phenology recorded in 12 Russian protected areas and quantified the phenological responses to variation in temperature and snow depth. Previous studies analyzing the relationship between climate and denning behavior did not consider that the brown bear response to variation in climatic factors might vary through a period preceding den entry and exit. We hypothesized that there is a seasonal sensitivity pattern of bear denning phenology in response to variation in climatic conditions, such that the effect of climatic variability will be pronounced only when it occurs close to den exit and entry dates. RESULTS: We found that brown bears are most sensitive to climatic variations around the observed first den exit and last entry dates, such that an increase/decrease in temperature in the periods closer to the first den exit and last entry dates have a greater influence on the denning dates than in other periods. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that climatic factors are modulating brown bear hibernation phenology and provide a further structuring of this modulation. The sensitivity of brown bears to changes in climatic factors during hibernation might affect their ability to cope with global climate change. Therefore, understanding these processes will be essential for informed management of biodiversity in a changing world.
ABSTRACT
We have measured absolute cross sections for the capture of low-energy electrons by large free sodium nanoclusters ( approximately 10(4) atoms, or 4 nm radius). To explain the results, it is necessary to go beyond the commonly used induced-dipole approximation and to employ the full image-charge interaction potential which accounts for the finite size of the particle. This potential yields an exact analytical expression for the capture cross section and leads to good agreement with the data. It is suggested that electron capture may provide a useful tool for size characterization of nanoparticle beams.
Subject(s)
Crowns/standards , Child , Child, Preschool , Dental Caries/therapy , Humans , Odontometry , Tooth, Deciduous/anatomy & histologyABSTRACT
Cell containing catecholamine noradrenaline were reveled in the adrenals of albino rats and mice after fixation in the formalin-calcium mixture by the method of impregnation in the solution of silver ammonium. The specificity of the method was checked up by blocking the noradrenaline synthesis by reserpine as well as by a comparison of results of the method of impregnation of noradrenocytes with the fluorescent Erönkö's method in serial sections of those organs. The proposed method may be used for the estimation of the functional state of adrenals.
