Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (leaves 172-183). / Cancer magister, the Dungeness crab, occurs in different habitats during its life cycle, habitats which vary widely in the magnitude of salinity and temperature changes. Cancer magister hemocyanin also changes in structure and oxygenation properties during development. The following question was considered in this thesis: what are the effects of environmental salinity and temperature on metabolic rates, ionic and osmotic regulation and hemocyanin oxygen affinity in Q. magister during development. Metabolic rates and hemolYmph ionic and osmotic concentrations were measured in the megalopa, 1st juvenile, 5th juvenile and adult crab eight hours after acute exposure to 100% seawater (=32 ppt), 75% seawater and 50% seawater at both 10°C and 20°C. The oxygen binding properties of the whole hemolymph from these stages in 100% seawater at 10°C was determined. The effects of calcium and magnesium on the oxygen affinity of purified hemocyanin from different stages were also determined. In 100% seawater, routine metabolic rates of the four stages scale with body mass over the size range, 0.05 gm to 500 gm. The Q10 (10°C to 20°C) for the megalopa is higher in 75% seawater and 50% seawater than in 100% seawater. For the 1st juvenile, 5th juvenile and adult the Q10 values (10°C to 20°C) are independent of salinity. The megalopa, 1st juvenile and 5th juvenile are weaker regulators of hemolymph chloride, sodium and osmotic concentrations than the adult. The megalopa and adult, unlike the 1st juvenile and 5th juvenile, strongly regulate hemolymph calcium in reduced salinity. In 100% seawater hemolymph magnesium is significantly higher in the megalopa, 1st juvenile and 5th juvenile than in the adult. The oxygen affinities of whole hemolymph from the four stages are indistinguishable when adjusted for endogenous L-lactate concentrations; the Bohr coefficients are not significantly different among stages. The effect of magnesium on oxygen affinity of purified adult hemocyanin is influenced by proton concentration; the effect of calcium is independent of proton concentration. In 100% seawater, endogenous inorganic ion concentrations in the whole hemolymph of the various stages reduce the intrinsic stage specific differences in hemocyanin oxygen affinity.

This study examines the reproductive strategies of the Pill-box crab, Halicarcinus innominatus, at the Oaro Platform (24 km south of the Kaikoura Peninsula, New Zealand). As necessary components of reproductive strategies, the population dynamics, reproductive biology and mating behaviour of H. innominetus were examined from December 1997 through December 1998. There were obvious sexually dimorphic differences in secondary sexual traits in this species. Both males and females display a wide range of sizes over which individuals can moult to maturity. H. innominatus females displayed continuous breeding throughout the year, resulting in continuous recruitment. Females were found to outnumber males in each month. However, when comparisons were made between mature males and females with different brood stages (i.e. 0-5), males outnumbered each female type in each month. Investigations into the reproductive biology of H. innominatus females revealed that brood development and ovary development were in phase. This resulted in the ability of females to produce several broods in quick succession. Ovary development began before the moult to maturity, allowing for immediate production of a brood after the moult to maturity. Egg incubation periods were dependent on water temperature, being longest in the winter and shortest in the summer. Egg numbers were found to increase with female body size, but mortality of eggs through development was apparent. Sperm storage was found to occur in this species with possible layering of different ejaculates. Copulations were only observed between males and females in hard-shell conditions. Males mated more often with females carrying stage 5 broods, but also mated with all other female types, including pre-pubescent females. Postcopulatory mate guarding only occurred with stage 5 females. Males can detect females of different reproductive condition, which seems to be linked to the developmental stages of the females' ovaries. In conclusion, H. innominatus males seem to have two tactics to their reproductive strategies: mating with any receptive female, but only guarding stage 5 females.

Gamma-ray astronomy is generally viewed as an adjunct to cosmic ray physics. As such, the observation of very high energy gamma-rays will allow a new and complementary means of examining the origin and evolution of cosmic rays. However, at present the atmospheric Cerenkov technique (the technique by which very high energy gamma-rays are observed) is seriously hampered by limited flux sensitivity. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the application of imaging to the atmospheric Cerenkov technique will provide a much needed increase in sensitivity. The successful application of imaging to very high energy gamma-ray observations of the Crab nebula will be discussed, as will improved techniques for calibration and noise rejection. These observations permit an improved estimate of the nebular magnetic field strength.

Xu Jiawu. / "March 2005." / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-120) / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

Submitted by Rosivalda Pereira (mrs.pereira@ufma.br) on 2017-06-07T17:41:09Z No. of bitstreams: 1 LucianaAraujo.pdf: 2437389 bytes, checksum: 094b50d27b8fd7e9fad07e01312541e7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-07T17:41:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LucianaAraujo.pdf: 2437389 bytes, checksum: 094b50d27b8fd7e9fad07e01312541e7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-04-25 / The present study, which is part of Cognitive Linguistics, aims to identify and analyse the metaphorical formations which exist in the crab's lexicon in Maranhão. This study was inspired by the interest to verify the recurrance of metaphorical formations in the language spoken by the professionals in that universe, in a labor context, given the fact that various studies have shown such recurrance in other knowledge domains, like the work of Costa (2007), Maciel e Silva (2010), Oliveira (2011), etc. The analysed corpus consists of 14 interviews produced between 2007 and 2008 in São Luís/MA and Araioses/MA, executed with men whose work is to capture the crabs in the mangrove and/or to sell the product, and also with women who are responsible for removing the already cooked and ready for commercialization crab's flesh. It’s worth noting that some denominations were designated to the three kinds of activity mentioned above, respectively: catação (capture), comercialização (commercialization) and processamento de caranguejo (processing of the crab). These interviews are also part of a scientific initiation research, developed by the author of this dissertation, during the undergraduate program in Letras, which had as the main target the construction of the Glossário de Termos do Universo do Caranguejo: São Luís e Araioses, also handled and analysed while the study, which is now presented here, was being completed. This research is done according to the methodological assumptions of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory, created by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (1986), who affirm that our conceptual system is widely metaphorical and plays a nuclear role in the definition of our everyday realities. The data reveal that the metaphors are present in the speaking of the professionals and that the lexical units of the crab’s universe find motivation in the similarity that exists between objects of the human dayly life and the culture itself of the people involved with the universe under study, like the metaphorical lexical units nipper and forceps, in which we notice a conceptual relation established between the nipper and forceps (from the domain of the tools) with the nipper and forceps (crab's claws), among other metaphors. / O presente estudo, que se insere no âmbito da Linguística Cognitiva, busca identificar e analisar as metáforas conceituais presentes no léxico do caranguejo no Maranhão. Este estudo justifica-se pelo interesse em verificarmos a existência dessas metáforas na linguagem de profissionais desse universo, em contextos laborais, já que vários estudos apontam tal ocorrência em outros domínios do saber, como mostram os trabalhos de Costa (2007), Maciel e Silva (2010), Oliveira (2011), dentre outros. O corpus analisado é constituído por 14 entrevistas produzidas entre os anos de 2007 e 2008, em São Luís/MA e Araioses/MA, realizadas com homens que se ocupam da retirada do caranguejo no mangue e/ou da venda do produto, e com mulheres que realizam a atividade de remoção da carne do caranguejo já cozido para comercialização. Aos três tipos de atividade acima mencionados adotamos as seguintes denominações, respectivamente: catação, comercialização e processamento do caranguejo. Essas entrevistas também fazem parte de uma pesquisa de iniciação científica, desenvolvida pela autora desta dissertação, durante o curso de graduação em Letras, que teve como principal objetivo a construção do Glossário de Termos do Universo do Caranguejo: São Luís e Araioses, também manuseado e analisado durante a realização do estudo que ora se apresenta. Esta pesquisa se pauta nos pressupostos metodológicos da Teoria da Metáfora Conceitual, elaborada por George Lakoff e Mark Johnson (1986), que afirmam que o nosso sistema conceitual é, em grande medida, metafórico e desempenha um papel central na definição de nossas realidades cotidianas. Os dados revelam que as metáforas estão presentes também na fala dos profissionais em foco e que as unidades lexicais do universo do caranguejo encontram motivação na semelhança que há entre objetos do cotidiano humano e a própria cultura das pessoas envolvidas com o universo investigado, como por exemplo as unidades lexicais metafóricas alicate e pinça, em que se percebe a relação conceitual que se estabelece entre o alicate e pinça (do domínio das ferramentas) com o alicate e a pinça (presas do caranguejo), dentre outras metáforas.

Pulsars (in short for Pulsating Stars) are magnetized, fast rotating neutron stars. The basic picture of a pulsar describes it as a neutron star which has a rotation axis that is not aligned with its magnetic field axis. The emission is assumed to be generated near the magnetic poles of the neutron star and emitted along the open magnetic field lines. Consequently, the corresponding beam of photons is emitted along the magnetic field line axis. The non-alignment of both, the rotation and the magnetic field axis, results in the effect that the emission of the pulsar is only seen if its beam points towards the observer. The emission from a pulsar is therefore perceived as being pulsed although its generation is not. This rather simple geometrical model is commonly referred to as Lighthouse Model and has been widely accepted. However, it does not deliver an explanation of the precise mechanisms behind the emission from pulsars (see below for more details). Nowadays more than 2000 pulsars are known. They are observed at various wavelengths. Multiwavelength studies have shown that some pulsars are visible only at certain wavelengths while the emission from others can be observed throughout large parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. An example of the latter case is the Crab pulsar which is also the main object of interest in this thesis. Originating from a supernova explosion observed in 1054 A.D. and discovered in 1968, the Crab pulsar has been the central subject of numerous studies. Its pulsed emission is visible throughout the whole electromagnetic spectrum which makes it a key figure in understanding the possible mechanisms of multiwavelength emission from pulsars. The Crab pulsar is also well known for its radio emission strongly varying on long as well as on short time scales. While long time scale behaviour from a pulsar is usually examined through the use of its average profile (a profile resulting from averaging of a large number of individual pulses resulting from single rotations), short time scale behaviour is examined via its single pulses. The short time scale anomalous behaviour of its radio emission is commonly referred to as Giant Pulses and represents the central topic of this thesis. While current theoretical approaches place the origin of the radio emission from a pulsar like the Crab near its magnetic poles (Polar Cap Model) as already indicated by the Lighthouse model, its emission at higher frequencies, especially its gamma-ray emission, is assumed to originate further away in the geometrical region surrounding a pulsar which is commonly referred to as a pulsar magnetosphere (Outer Gap Model). Consequently, the respective emission regions are usually assumed not to be connected. However, past observational results from the Crab pulsar represent a contradiction to this assumption. Radio giant pulses from the Crab pulsar have been observed to emit large amounts of energy on very short time scales implying small emission regions on the surface of the pulsar. Such energetic events might also leave a trace in the gamma-ray emission of the Crab pulsar. The aim of this thesis is to search for this connection in the form of a correlation study between radio giant pulses and gamma-photons from the Crab pulsar. To make such a study possible, a multiwavelength observational campaign was organized for which radio observations were independently applied for, coordinated and carried out with the Effelsberg radio telescope and the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope and gamma-ray observations with the Major Atmospheric Imaging Cherenkov telescopes. The corresponding radio and gamma-ray data sets were reduced and the correlation analysis thereafter consisted of three different approaches: 1) The search for a clustering in the differences of the times of arrival of radio giant pulses and gamma-photons; 2) The search for a linear correlation between radio giant pulses and gamma-photons using the Pearson correlation approach; 3) A search for an increase of the gamma-ray flux around occurring radio giant pulses. In the last part of the correlation study an increase of the number of gamma-photons centered on a radio giant pulse by about 17% (in contrast with the number of gamma-photons when no radio giant pulse occurs in the same time window) was discovered. This finding suggests that a new theoretical approach for the emission of young pulsars like the Crab pulsar, is necessary. / Pulsare (Kurzform von Pulsating Stars) sind stark magnetisierte, rotierende Neutronensterne. Nach dem Standardmodell ist ein Pulsar ein Neutronenstern mit einer Rotationsachse, die nicht entlang der Achse seines Magnetfelds ausgerichtet ist. Es wird angenommen, dass die Pulsarstrahlung in der Nähe der Pole des Neutronensterns an offenen Magnetfeldlinien entsteht. Der dadurch entstehende Photonenstrahl wird entlang der Magnetfeldachse emittiert. Die unterschiedlichen Ausrichtungen der Rotations- und Magnetfeldachse führen dazu, dass die Strahlung des Pulsars von einem Beobachter nur wahrgenommen wird, wenn der Photonenstrahl die Sichtlinie des Beobachters überstreicht. Durch diesen Effekt wird beim Beobachter der Anschein erweckt die Pulsarstrahlung sei gepulst, obwohl sie kontinuerlich produziert wird. Dieses vereinfachte geometrische Model, in der Literatur oftmals als Leuchtturm Modell bezeichnet, ist heutzutage weitestgehend akzeptiert. Es liefert dennoch keine Erklärung für die genaue Entstehung der Pulsarstrahlung (siehe weiter unten). Heutzutage sind mehr als 2000 Pulsare bekannt und werden mittlerweile nicht nur bei Radiowellenlängen untersucht. Multiwellenlängenstudien haben zu der Entdeckung geführt, dass einige Pulsar nur in bestimmten Wellenlängenbereichen sichtbar sind, während die Strahlung von anderen Pulsaren in weiten Teilen des elektromagnetischen Spektrums nachgewiesen werden kann. Ein Beispiel für letzteren Fall ist der Crab Pulsar, das Objekt das die vorliegende Arbeit hauptsächlich betrachtet. Entstanden in einer Supernova, die im Jahre 1054 n.Chr. beobachtet wurde, wurde er 1968 als stellarer Überrest dieser Explosion entdeckt und seitdem im Rahmen zahlreicher Studien untersucht. Seine gepulste Strahlung kann im gesamten elektromagnetischen Spektrum nachgewiesen werden. Diese Eigenschaft macht ihn zu einem Schlüsselobjekt für die Erforschung möglicher Emissionsmechanismen der Strahlung von Pulsaren. Eine weitere Besonderheit des Crab Pulsars liegt auch in dem anomalen Verhalten seiner Radiostrahlung auf kurzen Zeitskalen. Während das Langzeitverhalten eines Pulsars mittels seines mittleren Pulsprofiles (eines Profils resultierend aus der Mittelung vieler Einzelpulse aus einzelnen Rotationen) untersucht wird, wird das Kurzzeitverhalten mittels einzelner Pulse untersucht. Als anomales Verhalten der Radiostrahlung des Crab Pulsars auf diesen kurzen Zeitskalen sind die sogenannten Riesenpulse (Giant Pulses) von Interesse. Einzelpulse dieser Art sind der zentrale zu untersuchende Aspekt der vorliegenden Arbeit. Gängige theoretische Modelle gehen davon aus, dass die Radiostrahlung eines Pulsars in der Nähe der Pole entsteht (Polar Cap Model), wie zuvor vom Leuchtturm Model impliziert wurde, während die hochfrequente Strahlung, wie z.B. die gamma-Strahlung, weiter außen in der Magnetosphäre, die den Pulsar umgibt, entsteht (Outer Gap Model). Ausgehend von diesen beiden theoretischen Ansätzen, wird angenommen, dass die entsprechenden Entstehungsregionen nicht miteinander verbunden sind. Die bisherigen Beobachtungen des Crab Pulsars widersprechen jedoch dieser Annahme. Untersuchungen der Riesenpulse des Crab Pulsars im Radiobereich haben ergeben, dass diese Einzelpulse große Energiemengen binnen sehr kurzen Zeitskalen freisetzen. Dieses Phänomen deutet auf sehr kleine Emissionsregionen auf der Oberfläche des Pulsars hin. Eine Freisetzung dieser Energiemengen könnte auch Spuren im Bereich der hochenergetischen gamma-Strahlung hinterlassen. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist daher eine Untersuchung einer möglichen Verbindung zwischen den Radiopulsen des Crab Pulsars im Radiobereich und seiner gamma-Strahlung in der Form einer Korrelationsstudie. Um eine solche Studie zu ermöglichen, wurde eine Multiwellenlängen Beobachtungskampagne organisiert. Im Rahmen dieser Kampagne wurden selbstständig Radiobeobachtungen am Effelsberger Radioteleskop und am Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope und gamma-Beobachtungen an den Major Atmospheric Imaging Cherenkov Teleskopen erfolgreich beantragt, koordiniert und (teilweise selbstständig vor Ort) ausgeführt. Die daraus entstehenden Datensätze wurden entsprechend bearbeitet und in der resultierenden Korrelationsanalyse wurden die folgenden Aspekte untersucht: 1) Eine Anhäufung in den Ankunftszeiten von Riesenpulsen und gamma-Photonen; 2) Eine Suche nach einer linearen Korrelation zwischen Riesenpulsen und gamma-Photonen mittels der Pearson Korrelation; 3) Eine Suche nach einer Erhöhung des Flusses von gamma-Photonen in der zeitlichen Umgebung eines Riesenpulses im Radiobereich. Im letzten Teil der Analyse konnte eine Erhöhung der Anzahl von gamma-Photonen, die zeitlich auf einem Riesenpuls zentriert sind, von ungefähr 17% (im Vergleich zu der entsprechenden Anzahl im gleichen Zeitfenster, wenn kein Riesenpuls vorhanden ist) nachgewiesen werden. Dieses Ergebnis gibt einen wichtigen Impuls für die Überarbeitung der bereits vorhandenen Emissionsmodelle von jungen Pulsaren wie dem Crab Pulsar.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves: [83]-91)

Little is known of trace metal concentrations and their possible role in the mortality of critically endangered Kemp??s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii). Research described herein characterized concentrations of seven trace metals ?? Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn ?? in the blood and carapace tissue of captive Kemp??s ridleys for use in assessing levels of these metals in wild counterparts. Concentrations of same trace metals were characterized in post-pelagic through adult life stages of 127 wild Kemp??s ridleys captured from the Gulf of Mexico and southeast Atlantic during 2000 to 2002. Blood, carapace, liver, kidney, and muscle tissues from live and/or stranded Kemp??s ridleys were analyzed for the aforementioned trace metals via graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer and cold vapor atomic fluorescence techniques conducted under class-100 clean laboratory conditions. Similar trace metal assessments were conducted on blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) prey to determine the role of food as a possible uptake pathway in Kemp??s ridleys. Overall, trace metal levels in live, captive as well as wild ridleys were higher in carapace tissue than in blood. Carapace concentrations of Ag, Cr and Hg in Kemp??s ridleys across all post-pelagic life stages increased with increasing straight carapace length (SCL). Carapace tissue of wild ridleys exhibited higher Cr, Hg, and Pb levels than their blue crab prey, regardless of study area; whereas, crabs yielded higher Ag and Cu concentrations. Dead stranded ridleys yielded higher Ag, Cr, Hg, Pb, Zn levels in carapace tissue, whereas, their liver exhibited higher Cd and Cu levels. This finding suggests carapace tissue could serve as a suitable surrogate sample source for internal organs/tissues when monitoring exposure of live Kemp??s ridleys to certain metals. The fact that larger, stranded ridleys exhibited higher Ag, Cd, Hg, Pb and Zn levels than did their smaller, live analogs from Texas and Louisiana implies that these older ridleys had increased opportunities to accumulate higher metal concentrations in their carapace tissue than did their younger conspecifics. This trend suggests that carapace tissue has the potential to accumulate trace metals while blood-borne concentrations reflect only recent exposure to trace metals.

No description available.

The North American crab spider Misumenoides formosipes is a sit-and-wait predator of insect pollinators. Females are relatively sedentary and adult males must search for females within a heterogeneous habitat. Females are receptive to mating immediately after their adult molt and a first sperm priority pattern places a premium on male ability to locate females quickly. It is unknown what cues males use to navigate during searches for females. We report here on the male-biased operational sex ratio, the distances traveled and the possible cues utilized by moving males. Males in field trials moved towards inflorescences when both visual and chemical cues were available, but were less likely to do so when chemical cues were eliminated. Males in lab trials chose an inflorescence over leaf substrates even in the absence of visual cues. These findings support the hypothesis that these spiders utilize floral chemistry as an environmental cue to optimize mate searches. / Department of Biology