The evolution of the shape and size of TiSi2 islands on Si ~111! surfaces is explored with real time ultraviolet photoelectron emission microscopy. During continuous deposition of Ti at elevated temperatures, individual islands in a dilute surface distribution grow larger without island–island interactions. As they increase in size, symmetric islands transform into elongated shaped islands with...

Aim We used insular lizard communities to test the predictions of two hypotheses that attempt to explain patterns of species richness on small islands. We first address the subsidized island biogeography (SIB) hypothesis, which predicts that spatial subsidies may cause insular species richness to deviate from species–area predictions, especially on small islands. Next, we examine the small isla...

Aim I examined the island biogeography and metapopulation dynamics of ants inhabiting two archipelagos of small Bahamian islands. Of particular interest were measurement and comparison of turnover rates, examination of variation in relative population abundances, and the effect of a hurricane force disturbance on the ant fauna of these small islands. Location Archipelagos of small islands in th...

We discuss string theories with small numbers of non-compact moduli and describe constructions of string theories whose low-energy limit is described by various pure supergravity theories. We also construct a D = 4, N = 4 compactification of type II string theory with 34 vector fields.

Mammalian CpG islands are key epigenomic elements that were first characterized experimentally as genomic fractions with low levels of DNA methylation. Currently, CpG islands are defined based on their genomic sequences alone. Here, we develop evolutionary models to show that several distinct evolutionary processes generate and maintain CpG islands. One central evolutionary regime resulting in ...

A flexible electronic system may consist of a polymeric substrate and an array of stiff islands, on which devices are fabricated. When the substrate is stretched, the devices on the islands experience small strains but the islands may debond if they exceed a critical size. The authors show that a thin layer of polymer coating, covering the islands and the substrate, can markedly increase the cr...

During the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea Oceanographic study (PG-GOOS) in autumn 2012, sampling of macrobenthos was undertaken in 31 stations in Hormozgan Province waters. Three samples were taken from each site using Van Veen grab. Effects of environmental variables on assemblages and distributions of macrobenthos were analyzed. A total of 5677 individuals of macrobenthos were counted being repres...

The percentage cover and distribution of scleractinian corals were studied at two Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf. Survey techniques involved the use of 20-m line transects placed at 4-9 m depth interval, parallel to the shore. GIS based maps were employed to show the distribution of hard corals. In Farurgan Island, hard coral cover was concentrated in the west and north-west of the island,...

The methylation status of CpG islands is highly correlated with gene expression. Current methods for computational prediction of DNA methylation only utilize DNA sequence features. In this study, besides 35 DNA sequence features, we added four histone methylation marks to predict the methylation status of CpG islands, and improved the accuracy to 89.94%. Also we applied our model to predict the...

The natural colonisation of many remote oceanic islands by bats, including those of the western Indian Ocean, has been facilitated by their unique capability among mammals for powered flight. In the western Indian Ocean region, only the Malagasy islands of Madagascar and the Comoros archipelago have been naturally colonised by non-volant mammals. Despite their greater potential for inter-island...