Exogenous testosterone increases female aggression in the European starling (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sturnus vulgaris</Emphasis>)

In the European starling, Sturnus vulgaris, optimal mating systems differ between males and females. Males gain from polygyny, whereas monogamy increases female fitness. The cost of polygyny to females lead to intense female–female competition, and it has previously been shown that the intensity of female aggression during the pre-breeding period can predict the realised mating system. The physiological regulation of such female aggression in starlings is not yet known. This study examines the role of testosterone in mediating aggressive behaviours involved in intra-specific reproductive competition in female starlings. Testosterone levels were experimentally elevated with testosterone implants in females during the pre-laying period. To simulate a situation in which an additional female tried to mate with the focal female’s mate, a caged female was presented close to a nest-site to which the male could attract a secondary female. Testosterone was significantly related to several behaviours involved in female–female interactions. Females with testosterone implants spent significantly more time close to the caged female and produced more song bouts than control females. In contrast, male behaviour was unrelated to the experimental status of the mate. Females mated to males that attracted a secondary female were less aggressive towards the caged female than those that remained monogamously mated. The effect of exogenous testosterone in this study indicates that androgens may mediate social behaviours in female starlings during the breeding season.     

Bat serenades—complex courtship songs of the sac-winged bat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccopteryx bilineata</Emphasis>)

Vocalisations of many songbirds, anurans, and insects are shaped by sexual selection. Males acoustically compete for territories, and females choose their mates by means of male courtship songs. In courtship, richness and complexity of elements are often favoured characters. Only a few examples of complex songs are known in mammals. Males of the harem-polygynous sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata, Emballonuridae) have an uncommonly complex vocal repertoire, and different song types of males are used in the context of territorial defence and in courting females. We classified the daytime vocalisations of 16 male S. bilineata from a colony in Costa Rica, both on the basis of their acoustical properties and the social context in which they occurred. Seven vocalisation types were differentiated: echolocation pulses, barks, chatter, whistles, screeches, territorial songs and courtship songs. Territorial songs were short, rather stereotyped and not obviously directed towards a certain conspecific. They appear to be of importance in male competition for harem territories, in which females roost during the day. Courtship songs were exclusively observed when males displayed towards a female; they were long and complex, and consisted of highly variable elements (calls). We classified the calls in courtship songs of six males into call types, based on acoustical properties, mainly spectral purity and duration. Four call types are described in detail: trills, noise-bursts, short tonal calls, and quasi constant frequency calls. Twelve parameter values were extracted from the most common call type, the trill. Discriminant function analysis of trills showed that different males had different repertoires. This could allow females to use trill parameters for recognition of individual males and thus for mate choice.Communicated by G. Wilkinson     

Changes in singing behavior of male black-capped chickadees (Parus atricapillus) following mate removal

We removed the mates of ten male black-capped chickadees (Pares atricapillus) during the nest-building period to determine the effect of female presence on dawn singing. During the first dawn chorus following mate removal, males sang significantly longer, increased movement within their territory, and increased the percentage of their territory covered while singing. After the female was returned, these parameters returned to the pre-removal values. Males did not alter the frequency range or modal frequency of their songs when the mate was removed, nor did they change the degree of frequency shifting in the fee-bee song. We conclude that dawn singing in the black-capped chickadee acts, in part, as an intersexual signal, and that the behavior of frequency shifting in the song may be directed more toward rival males than females. Correspondence to: K. Otter     

基于六自由度道路模拟技术的座椅加速试验方法

目的 通过六自由度振动试验台对座椅进行道路模拟加速试验。方法 在整车试验场采集座椅与地板安装位置处六个方向的加速度谱,进行去毛刺、漂移等初步处理后,将加速度谱的幅值放大,得到真实损伤放大后的加速度谱。在六自由度振动试验台上分别采集原始和放大后的加速度谱下相同点位的应变谱,通过危险截面法分别计算出原始和放大后加速度谱下各点的真实损伤。以各点的原始路谱真实损伤值作为横坐标,放大幅值后路谱的真实损伤作为纵坐标,通过曲线拟合将各点拟合出一条直线,直线的斜率即为放大后加速度谱损伤实际放大的倍数,总循环次数得到相应倍数的缩减。结果 通过验证,将路谱幅值放大1~1.2倍左右,总损伤放大1.5~2倍左右,试验时间缩短为原来的1/2~2/3左右。结论 通过该方法在原有的座椅六自由度道路模拟试验的基础上,进一步缩短了试验时间,减少了试验费用。     

基于DEM数据的甘孜-玉树断裂东南段构造地貌研究

基于DEM数据,使用ArcGIS10.2软件提取了甘孜-玉树断裂东南段地区高程、地形起伏度、坡度、水系等地貌信息,结合地质资料,对其构造地貌特征进行初步研究探讨。研究表明,研究区地形起伏度在38~2088m之间、地形起伏度较大,地势总体上呈SW高、NE低的趋势;研究区总体坡度较大、地势较陡,断裂SW盘山体坡度值大于NE盘。甘孜-玉树断裂带活动影响下,断裂两盘地貌特征表现出明显的差异性。研究区内山体走向、河流流向与断裂走向一致,地貌形态受构造活动所控制。     

新型复合粘弹阻尼器不同加载波下的性能研究

为了研究新型复合粘弹阻尼器在不同加载波下的力学性能,分别对其施加正弦波与三角波进行抗疲劳与变幅相关性试验,比较2种加载波下新型复合粘弹阻尼器的力学性能变化规律.结果表明:新型复合粘弹阻尼器,在抗疲劳试验中正弦波加载下的力学性能优于三角波加载;变幅试验中,随着应变幅值的增大,三角波加载下的最大剪应力、存储剪切模量和等效刚...     

岛礁环境对吊耳疲劳性能影响研究

目的 研究吊耳在岛礁环境下的腐蚀特征及其对疲劳性能的影响。方法 通过开展吊耳试验件的岛礁自然环境试验,测试其不同在试验周期的疲劳性能,分析断口形貌、元素含量变化,研究腐蚀对吊耳抗疲劳性能的影响。结果 在1 a的岛礁自然环境试验中,吊耳的腐蚀部位主要为表面镀层,并且呈非均匀腐蚀特征。随着试验时间的延长,吊耳平均疲劳断裂循环次数呈下降趋势,疲劳断口的韧性断裂特征减弱,并且氢含量有所增加。吊耳内部存在MnS夹杂物,位于韧窝底部。结论 吊耳表面点蚀坑、内部MnS夹杂物对疲劳载荷作用下裂纹的萌生和生长起到促进作用,降低了其抗疲劳性能,应加强腐蚀防护和质量控制。     

地震动强度包络线对称性的研究

从欧洲强震记录数据库中挑选出163组强震记录,并按照震级、场地类别和震源机制进行分类,在此基础上讨论了地震动正负向包络线是否具有对称性,并分析了场地类别和震源机制对其的影响。结果表明,地震动正负向包络线一般都不具有对称性,正向包络线要比负向包络线饱满一些,其光滑程度也是不同的,正向包络线比负向包络线更光滑一些。场地类别对地震动正负向包络线的影响程度是比较复杂的,震源机制对地震动包络线不同持时段内的影响也是不同的,但平均包络线基本上都可以用单峰点的曲线来表示。     

Song-type sharing in song sparrows: implications for repertoire function and song learning

One hypothesis for the function of song repertoires is that males learn multiple song types so that they may share songs with neighbors, allowing them to match during territorial interactions. In at least one song sparrow population, in Washington, territorial males share a high proportion of song types with their neighbors and use these shared songs in matching. We recorded song sparrows in Pennsylvania and quantified sharing of whole songs and song segments. We found that song sharing is an order of magnitude less common in the Pennsylvania population. We found sharing of song segments to be significantly more common than the sharing of whole songs in three of the five fields we examined, while we found no significant differences between whole and partial song sharing in the remaining two fields. Finally, we found no evidence that sharing is greater between birds in the same field compared to birds in different fields. Taken with the data from Washington song sparrows, these results provide evidence for intraspecific geographic variation in the organization of song repertoires, and suggest that song sharing has not been a strong selective force in the evolution of song repertoires in song sparrows as a species. Furthermore, Washington and Pennsylvania song sparrows differ in how they learn song, in that Washington birds copy whole songs, while Pennsylvania birds appear to copy and recombine song segments, as has been found in laboratory studies of song learning. Thus both song learning and the function of song repertoires differ between populations of song sparrows. Such intraspecific geographic variation offers a unique opportunity to explore the ecological and historical factors which have influenced the evolution of song. Received: 30 June 1997 / Accepted after revision: 8 March 1998     

中国第1个天线时域近场测量系统

介绍了天线近场测量的历史以及中国第1个天线时域近场测量系统的建立过程和系统组成.指出时基修正和幅度修正技术是天线近场测量由理论向工程实际转化的关键技术,介绍了修正系统的构成和基本计算方法,并给出了修正前后测量结果的对比.在频域近场技术的背景下对时域近场的技术特点进行了分析,指出了天线时域近场测量技术的独到之处和应用前景.