The superseded female's dilemma: ultimate and proximate factors that influence guarding behaviour of the carpenter bee Xylocopa pubescens

Both solitary and primitively social nests of the facultatively social carpenter bee Xylocopa pubescens can be found throughout most of the breeding season. In social nests there is reproductive division of labour between a dominant forager and a guarding female. Two types of guarding females can be discerned: the young pre-reproductive guards, and older, formerly reproductive guards. The latter type of guard is found when, after a take-over of reproductive dominance either by a nestmate (mostly a daughter) or an intruder, the defeated female stays in the nest instead of leaving to try and found or usurp another nest. She is then manipulated into the role of a guard. The dominant female profits from the presence of the guard since she protects the nest against pollen robbery by conspecifics (Hogendoorn and Velthuis 1993). We have studied why superseded females might prefer to remain as a guard, rather than try their luck somewhere else. The hypotheses investigated pertain to (1) the difficulty for the defeated female of finding a new nest and of restarting reproductive activities due to (a) ecological constraints (nest and pollen shortage) and (b) the effect of age and wear on the defeated female; (2) the effects of guarding in terms of inclusive fitness. We found that superseded females remained as guards significantly more often when a nestmate (not necessarily close kin) took over reproductive dominance than when an intruder did so. Other factors associated with the decision of the defeated female to stay or leave were her age and the number of her own young still present after the supersedure. The probability of finding or constructing a new nest was lower for old than for young females. After finding a nest, old females produced less brood than young foundresses. As a result of these two factors old superseded females gained, in terms of inclusive fitness, by staying as guards, whereas young females profited from leaving the nest. We interpret these results as an indication that guarding behaviour has evolved due to kin selection. However, kin discrimination apparently did not occur. Therefore we conclude that in this species kin selection is not, in the proximate frame of reference, based on kin recognition and preference for helping kin. Correspondence to: K. Hogendoorn     

基于视频识别的直接作业环节安全管控

概述了石化行业现场直接作业环节的安全管控现状,分析了现场管控过程中存在的问题。考虑现场安全管理和监督监控的实际需要,设计了石化行业直接作业现场智能化管控系统,并深入研究作业现场违章行为图像识别的关键技术。现场应用表明,系统充分体现了日常管理、实时监控、智能报警、统计分析等方面的便利性和有效性,各类违章行为图像识别准确率达到80%以上,具有一定的推广价值。     

应用隶属函数的条件概率法综合判别雹云

本文提出应用隶属函数的条件概率法综合判别雹云。该方法把雹云和非雹云视作参数的模糊集合,因而在综合判别式中,每个参数对雹云和非雹云都有一个隶属度。利用成都市1982～1987年天气雷达回波历史资料,分别建立了全年、4～6月和7～8月的雹云等强对流天气的综合判别式,并用建立的模式对成都市1990年4～6月的7个强对流天气个例作试报检验。结果表明用该方法建立不同地区和不同季节的雹云等强对流天气综合判别式是可行的。     

Discrimination of different social companions in spectacled parrotlets (Forpus conspicillatus): evidence for individual vocal recognition

Individual recognition is generally assumed to be a prerequisite for establishing and maintaining a complex social system. Indeed, there is good evidence that highly social species have complex systems of vocal communication with individual recognition by acoustic cues. In this study, we provide experimental evidence that vocal class and individual recognition is present in a non-passerine bird, the spectacled parrotlet (Forpus conspicillatus). Spectacled parrotlets live in a complex system of social relationships. Soon after fledging, the young establish close sibling relationships which are important for successful socialization, pairing and reproduction. In a series of playback experiments we tested if spectacled parrotlets use contact calls for vocal recognition. The results showed that spectacled parrotlets discriminate between the contact calls of different social categories. Adult birds preferred to respond to the contact calls of their mates. Subadult individuals recognized the contact calls of their siblings. During the period of pair bond formation, the affiliative contacts to the siblings decrease, but the parrotlets continue to respond to the calls of their siblings. This is the first evidence that vocal sibling recognition might outlast the period of strong sibling interaction and extends into the period of pair bond formation. In cases of mate loss or divorce, the acoustic contact to their siblings might facilitate the re-establishment of close sibling relationships. Received: 29 October 1997 / Accepted after revision: 5 April 1998     

环境管理过程中对锅炉型号的识别

通过对锅炉型号的简要介绍,提高对锅炉的认识,增强在污染源动态更新调查表的填报过程中锅炉技术指标的填报能力是十分必要的。     

基于GIS的乌梁素海水体富营养化状况的模糊模式识别

利用基于MATLAB 7.0实现的模糊模式识别交叉迭代模型对2006年5—10月分布于乌梁素海各水体功能区的21个水质监测点的富营养化等级进行了模糊模式识别,并在GIS技术支持下,用Arcview的空间分析功能绘制富营养化等级识别结果、对富营养化状态影响权重最大的评价指标总氮(TN)含量和富营养化状态控制元素总磷(TP)含量对应的富营养化等级水体和地表水质等级水体的空间分布月变化Grid专题图.将富营养化状态变化及其分布区域与乌梁素海同期水质监测指标浓度变化及其分布区域进行对比分析及验证.结果表明,富营养化等级识别结果的时空分布与实际情况相符,能够比较准确地反映富营养化等级定量的时空变化趋势.      

虹膜识别在肉类食品安全追溯系统中的应用及关键技术研究

为了提高大型动物肉类食品的安全性,在研究肉类食品供应链的安全管理的基础上,将大型动物的虹膜识别技术引入食品供应链管理中,构建基于虹膜识别的大型动物肉类食品安全可追溯系统,达到肉类食品安全信息查询及出现安全问题后的个体溯源的目的。借鉴人眼虹膜识别的相关技术,以牛眼为例对大型动物虹膜识别的相关算法和虹膜定位等关键技术进行研究,运用改进的Sobel算子对图像进行边缘检测;引入二次B样条曲线算法实现了牛眼虹膜的精确定位;分析牛虹膜纹理特征的分布特点,实现了虹膜特征区域的提取及归一化处理。研究成果对大型动物的虹膜识别研究和肉类食品供应链安全管理具有一定的参考意义。     

模式识别在火灾调查中的汽油分类问题的应用研究

在火灾调查中,检测汽油成分并对其进行正确分类尤为重要.运用GC-MS对90#和93#两种普通汽油的共50个样本进行检测,所得的GC-MS原始数据通过PCA方法进行处理,以提取有用信息,避免冗余变量进入后续计算.在此基础上应用KNN方法对这两种汽油助燃剂进行分类.结果表明, KNN方法对这两种汽油的分类准确率达到100%,且当初始数据未经标准化预处理时也能达到同样准确的分类效果.研究表明:将模式识别方法正确地运用到助燃剂鉴定和分类工作中有助于火灾调查.     

镇江市综合防灾系统中消防信息的输入与管理

本文以镇江市消防地图及其相关信息为对象,分析了消防信息的特点和现有的输入方法,以及作者在设计与建造镇江市消防信息数据库的实践中采用的技术路线和具体方法。     

提高交通安全——实现智能汽车的研究

主要介绍了通过智能汽车的研究 ,提高城市交通安全的必要性 ;综述了发达国家关于智能汽车研究的现状与趋势 ,并通过国外智能汽车发展的趋势 ;进一步论证智能汽车的研究是汽车工业发展的方向 ,也是提高交通安全的重要手段之一。此外 ,论文提出利用模式识别技术的智能汽车的结构框架 ;指出神经网络方法应用与模式识别技术结合的优势。最后 ,论文在阐述我国需要发展智能汽车的同时 ,提出应结合中国国情相应研究相关理论 ,为今后的实施奠定基础的近期目标 ,并提出展望