The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (NZG) is involved in the ex situ conservation of Gyps coprotheres, the Cape Griffon vulture (CGV) and houses 24 birds in a 100-yr-old aviary. Following the death of one vulture with high liver lead concentrations, an investigation was launched to ascertain the source(s) and consequences of lead toxicity in this breeding colony. Whole blood from 24...

Any improvement in agricultural systems that results in higher production should also reduce negative environmental impacts and enhance sustainability. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of two different production systems, one open-field and the other shade-enclosure with four bocashi doses, in order to find the best environmental option in terms of yield, physiological and...

Reactive volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are known to affect atmospheric chemistry. Biogenic VOCs (BVOCs) have a significant impact on regional air quality due to their large emission rates and high reactivities. Diterpenes (most particularly, kaur-16-ene) were detected in all of the 205 enclosure air samples collected over multiple seasons at two different sites from Cryptomeria japonica and...

During Phase 2 of our study of the CIXS conceptual design we have tackled additional important issues that are unique to the ITER environment. These include the thermal control of the crystal and detector enclosures located in an environment with a 100°–250° C ambient temperature, tritium containment, and the range of crystal and detector movement based on the need for spectral adjustments and ...

Migration of cells through the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton is essential for morphogenesis of multicellular animals. In a cell culture system, the actin-related protein (Arp) 2/3 complex functions as a nucleation core for actin polymerization when activated by the members of the WASP (Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein) family. However, the regulation of cell motility in vivo remains ...

The morphogenesis of the C. elegans embryo is largely controlled by the development of the epidermis, also known as the hypodermis, a single epithelial layer that surrounds the animal. Morphogenesis of the epidermis involves cell-cell interactions with internal tissues, such as the developing nervous system and musculature. Genetic analysis of mutants with aberrant epidermal morphology has defi...

We introduce a new type of probabilistic boundary coverage problem where a robot has to enclose unknown target fields (UTFs) with large perception uncertainty and limited sensing range. When the robot gets closer to UTF and accumulates sufficient sensory readings, it employs Gaussian processes (GPs) as a local belief function to approximate field boundary distribution in an ellipse-shaped local...

This report describes a low cost, shielded enclosure that was developed to contain the electromagnetic radiation generated by electronic equipment in order to reduce the potential for radio frequency interference (RFI). The enclosure is made from thin wire mesh screening that is attached to a wooden framework for support. Allowances are made at both ends of the enclosure for large cable bulkhea...