BACKGROUND Combined spinal-epidural(CSE)anesthesia is the preferred anesthesia method for cesarean delivery.The use of an epidural catheter is essential for administering additional drugs intraoperatively and managing...BACKGROUND Combined spinal-epidural(CSE)anesthesia is the preferred anesthesia method for cesarean delivery.The use of an epidural catheter is essential for administering additional drugs intraoperatively and managing postoperative pain.However,the insertion of epidural catheters is associated with various complications,such as total spinal anesthesia,symptoms indicative of spinal nerve root irritation,and challenges in epidural catheter removal.CASE SUMMARY We present a case report of a challenging epidural catheter removal due to knotting.The lumbar computed tomography scan results revealed that the catheter formed a tight knot in the epidural space.We used a novel extubation method and successfully removed the catheter.CONCLUSION The operator can use opposite forces to"spiral"apart the spinal joints by positioning the patient's body in a specific position.The findings indicate that,when combined with imaging examination results,this method is effective for the removal of epidural catheters.展开更多
This paper gives the knotted picture of the unknown quantum state in the process of quantum teleportation and the surgical knotted operations of the unitary operators operated on the teleported quantum state.
Based on the previous work about the knotted pictures of quantum states, quantum logic gates and unitary transformations, this paper further gives the whole complete quantum measurement process of quantum teleportatio...Based on the previous work about the knotted pictures of quantum states, quantum logic gates and unitary transformations, this paper further gives the whole complete quantum measurement process of quantum teleportation from the viewpoint of knot theory.展开更多
By means of the method of torus knot theory, this paper gives the complete processes of obtaining the knotted pictures of four Bell b^es from the knotted pictures of four basic two qubit states.
This paper introduces the unified expression of four Bell bases and uses the composition operation in knot theory to obtain the knotted picture of unitary operators based on Pauli operators, and gives the knotted expr...This paper introduces the unified expression of four Bell bases and uses the composition operation in knot theory to obtain the knotted picture of unitary operators based on Pauli operators, and gives the knotted expressions of 12 inversion relations between the four Bell bases.展开更多
By means of the torus knot theory method, this paper presents the complete process of obtaining the knotted pictures of eight GHZ states on the surface of a trivial torus from the knotted pictures of eight basic three...By means of the torus knot theory method, this paper presents the complete process of obtaining the knotted pictures of eight GHZ states on the surface of a trivial torus from the knotted pictures of eight basic three-qubit states on the surface of a trivial torus. Thus, we obtain eight knotted pictures 121 linkage on the ordinary plane.展开更多
In this paper, a novel decomposition expression for the U(1) gauge field in liquid crystals (LCs) is derived. Using this decomposition expression and the b-mapping topological current theory, we investigate the to...In this paper, a novel decomposition expression for the U(1) gauge field in liquid crystals (LCs) is derived. Using this decomposition expression and the b-mapping topological current theory, we investigate the topological structure of the vortex lines in LCs in detail. A topological invariant, i.e., the Chern-Simons (CS) action for the knotted vortex lines is presented, and the CS action is shown to be the total sum of all the self-linking and linking numbers of the knot family. Moreover, it is pointed out that the CS action is preserved in the branch processes of the knotted vortex lines.展开更多
This paper briefly introduces the five types of the surgical operations in knot theory and obtains the expression of single qubit quantum logic gate in terms of these surgical operations.
In this paper,knotted objects (RS vortices) in the theory of topological phase singularity in electromagneticfield have been investigated in details.By using the Duan's topological current theory,we rewrite the to...In this paper,knotted objects (RS vortices) in the theory of topological phase singularity in electromagneticfield have been investigated in details.By using the Duan's topological current theory,we rewrite the topological currentform of RS vortices and use this topological current we reveal that the Hopf invariant of RS vortices is just the sum ofthe linking and self-linking numbers of the knotted RS vortices.Furthermore,the conservation of the Hopf invariant inthe splitting,the mergence and the intersection processes of knotted RS vortices is also discussed.展开更多
The composition and residue-residue interactions of knotted proteins, compared with those of other proteins, can provide considerable insight into the driver of the knots in proteins. In this paper, we calculate the p...The composition and residue-residue interactions of knotted proteins, compared with those of other proteins, can provide considerable insight into the driver of the knots in proteins. In this paper, we calculate the probabilities of 20 amino acids in 273 knotted entries from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The collection of 273 entries contains all knotted structures in the PDB, and it is not a subset. With an appropriate value of Re, the numbers of all residue residue contacts are counted in all 273 knotted structures. To make an accurate comparison, we count up to 9000 other entries from the PDB as well, and these entries spread over all sorts. In knotted structures, Leu occupies a maximal proportion of 9.62% among all 20 amino acids, and Leu, Phe, Trp, Gly, His, Gln, Asp, Lys and Pro may all play a more important role. Also, we analyse the effects of amino acid residues on the long-range contacts. We observe a larger average number of long-range contacts in the knotted structures than that in other ones, implying their important role in achieving the knots. Accordingly, the average number of short-range contacts becomes small when the structure becomes knotted because it depends mainly on the short-haul sequence of amino acids to form the short-range contact. In addition, the shape distribution of knotted proteins and the contrast with the other proteins are also presented. A comparison shows that the knots may make structures more globular because the average shape factor is 0.059 for the knotted proteins, which is only about 1/3 of the average shape factor for the other proteins.展开更多
The phase behaviour of polyethylene knotted ring chains is investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations. In this paper, we focus on the collapse of the polyethylene knotted ring chain, and also present the res...The phase behaviour of polyethylene knotted ring chains is investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations. In this paper, we focus on the collapse of the polyethylene knotted ring chain, and also present the results of linear and ring chains for comparison. At high temperatures, a fully extensive knot structure is observed. The mean-square radius of gyration per bond (S2)/(Nb2) and the shape factor ((δ*) depend on not only the chain length but also the knot type. With temperature decreasing, chain collapse is observed, and the collapse temperature decreases with the chain length increasing. The actual collapse transition can be determined by the specific heat capacity Cv, and the knotted ring chain undergoes gas-liquid-solid-like transition directly. The phase transition of a knotted ring chain is only one-stage collapse, which is different from the polyethylene linear and ring chains. This investigation can provide some insights into the statistical properties of knotted polymer chains.展开更多
In this paper the influence of a knot on the structure of a polymethylene (PM) strand in the tensile process is investigated by using the steered molecular dynamics (SMD) method. The gradual increasing of end-to-e...In this paper the influence of a knot on the structure of a polymethylene (PM) strand in the tensile process is investigated by using the steered molecular dynamics (SMD) method. The gradual increasing of end-to-end distance, R, results in a tighter knot and a more stretched contour. That the break in a knotted rope almost invariably occurs at a point just outside the 'entrance' to the knot, which has been shown in a good many experiments, is further theoretically verified in this paper through the calculation of some structural and thermodynamic parameters. Moreover, it is found that the analyses on bond length, torsion angle and strain energy can facilitate to the study of the localization and the size of a knot in the tensile process. The symmetries of torsion angles, bond lengths and bond angles in the knot result in the whole symmetry of the knot in microstructure, thereby adapting itself to the strain applied. Additionally, the statistical property of the force-dependent average knot size illuminates in detail the change in size of a knot with force f, and therefore the minimum size of the knot in the restriction of the potentials considered in this work for a PM chain is deduced. At the same time, the difference in response to uniaxial strain, between a knotted PM strand and an unknotted one is also investigated. The force-extension profile is easily obtained from the simulation. As expected, for a given f, the knotted chain has an R significantly smaller than that of an unknotted polymer. However, the scaled difference becomes less pronounced for larger values of N, and the results for longer chains approach those of the unknotted chains.展开更多
Optical vortices as topological objects exist ubiquitously in nature.In this paper,by making use of the Duan's topological current theory,we investigate the topology in the closed and knotted optical vortices.The ...Optical vortices as topological objects exist ubiquitously in nature.In this paper,by making use of the Duan's topological current theory,we investigate the topology in the closed and knotted optical vortices.The topological inner structure of the optical vortices are obtained,and the linking of the knotted optical vortices is also given.展开更多
In order to achieve an innovative strategy to renew the biomass of Phanerochaete chrysosporium in an immobilized growth system which can maintain white-rot fungi biomass, a novel knotted cotton-thread carrier was desi...In order to achieve an innovative strategy to renew the biomass of Phanerochaete chrysosporium in an immobilized growth system which can maintain white-rot fungi biomass, a novel knotted cotton-thread carrier was designed and made. By using a high-speed stirring apparatus under the conditions of 1400 r/min stirring speed for 6 min, mycelia immobilized on the knotted cotton-thread carriers were exfoliated completely and homogenized to a proper size. Furthermore, the homogenized mycelia from the immobilized mycelia can resume their growth on the knotted cotton-thread carriers in agitated flask cultures. The average regrowth biomass on the new carriers and the reused carriers was 0.0171 g/carrier and 0.0314 g/carrier, respectively. It proves that the knotted cotton-thread carrier performs perfectly in homogening the immobilized mycelia to achieve the biomass renewal of P. chrysosporium in an immobilized growth system.展开更多
This study evaluated the hydrodynamic forces produced by whole panels of hand-made(geometrically different)rope meshes typically found in midwater trawls.Experimental treatments included both knotted and knotless mesh...This study evaluated the hydrodynamic forces produced by whole panels of hand-made(geometrically different)rope meshes typically found in midwater trawls.Experimental treatments included both knotted and knotless meshes constructed of helix composite ropes,conventional braided nylon(PA)ropes,and twisted polyethylene(PE)ropes.Direct measurement of lift(L)and drag(D)forces were conducted using controlled flume tank experiments on panels oriented at 21°relative to the flow.For knotted netting,our results showed that the hydrodynamic forces(L and D)were statistically higher for helix ropes compared to conventional ropes of the same diameter.For knotless netting constructed of helix ropes,our primary finding is that the arrangement of helix ropes(S and Z lay)in individual meshes significantly affects the resulting D and Cd of whole netting panels.Arranging the mesh bars in the S-Z-S-Z lay pattern exhibited 29%and 32%lower drag(D)compared to S–S–S–S and S–S-Z-Z lay meshes,respectively.We also use computational fluid dynamics(CFD)to characterize the finescale flow-field around helix and conventional ropes.The resulting streamlines and pressure contours provide a functional explanation for the empirical measurements collected in the flume tank.These results can be useful in informing the design of midwater trawls.展开更多
Understanding the factors that contribute to population stability in long-distance migrant birds is increasingly important, particularly given global climate change, sea level rise, and loss or disturbance at essentia...Understanding the factors that contribute to population stability in long-distance migrant birds is increasingly important, particularly given global climate change, sea level rise, and loss or disturbance at essential habitats. While the populations of most shorebirds are declining worldwide, those that migrate through Delaware Bay, New Jersey and Delaware, are declining at the most rapid rate despite conservation efforts. In this paper, we 1) provide background information on population declines of red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) using Delaware Bay, threats to their foraging, and efforts to reduce threats, 2) summarize briefly our studies of the effects of human activities on knots and other shorebirds, 3) present data on management efforts to protect knots and other shorebirds from the activities of people, and 4) discuss the efficacy of such efforts (usually referred to as “decreasing the effect of human disturbances”). The Shorebird Project on Delaware Bay is over 25 years old and provides long-term data to help assess the status of shorebird numbers, particularly for red knot, as well as the density of horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) and their eggs. Red knots have continued to decline even more precipitously in the last few years, presenting cause for concern. Protective efforts have been successful in reducing human disruption on the N.J. Delaware Bay beaches, but the lack of uniformity in implementation across the New Jersey side, and across the whole Bay have hampered further improvements. Implementation of signs, fencing, and stewards on some beaches significantly enhanced the use of these beaches by red knots, determined by examining the use of beaches pre- and post-implementation. Implementation of fencing and stewards had the greatest effect. From 1986 to 2018, there was a significant shift in the percent of Delaware Bay red knots using the NJ side, where protection efforts had been implemented on many of the beaches. Merely restricting access (without fencing or other efforts) did not result in more knots using the beaches post-restriction. This is the first paper that clearly shows the protective effects of having beach stewards. We discuss the long-term needs for continued management of Delaware Bay beaches, and other beaches coastwide, and of determining the causes of population declines of red knots.展开更多
Variable and unpredictable food resources at stopover sites bring severe challenges to migrating shorebirds. Opportunistic foraging strategies, referring to shorebirds consuming prey in proportion to their availabilit...Variable and unpredictable food resources at stopover sites bring severe challenges to migrating shorebirds. Opportunistic foraging strategies, referring to shorebirds consuming prey in proportion to their availability, allow shorebirds to replenish fuel and nutrient reserves efficiently for continuing their migration. Chongming Dongtan, located in the Yangtze River estuary of eastern China, is the first major stopover site of shorebirds on the Chinese mainland during their northward migration. We investigated the diet of Great Knots (Calidris tenuirostris) at Chongming Dongtan during the spring stopovers of 2009 and 2010 through benthos sampling and dropping analysis. The benthos samples were categorized into gastropods, bivalves, polychaetes, crustaceans and insect larvae. Dropping analysis indicated that gastropods and bivalves constituted more than 70% of the diet of the Great Knot, with Assiminea violacea and Corbicula fluminea being the most frequently consumed. Chi-square tests indicated that for each prey category, there was no significant difference between the frequency of its occurrence in the benthos samples and dropping samples during the early stopover periods of 2009 and 2010 and during the late stopover periods of 2010. Although there was a statistically significant difference between the frequency of occurrence of prey in the total macrobenthos and in the droppings of the Great Knots during the late stopover period in 2009, the more abundant prey were more frequently consumed by the Great Knots. This suggests that Great Knots adopted an opportunistic foraging strategy during their stopover at Chongming Dongtan.展开更多
文摘BACKGROUND Combined spinal-epidural(CSE)anesthesia is the preferred anesthesia method for cesarean delivery.The use of an epidural catheter is essential for administering additional drugs intraoperatively and managing postoperative pain.However,the insertion of epidural catheters is associated with various complications,such as total spinal anesthesia,symptoms indicative of spinal nerve root irritation,and challenges in epidural catheter removal.CASE SUMMARY We present a case report of a challenging epidural catheter removal due to knotting.The lumbar computed tomography scan results revealed that the catheter formed a tight knot in the epidural space.We used a novel extubation method and successfully removed the catheter.CONCLUSION The operator can use opposite forces to"spiral"apart the spinal joints by positioning the patient's body in a specific position.The findings indicate that,when combined with imaging examination results,this method is effective for the removal of epidural catheters.
文摘This paper gives the knotted picture of the unknown quantum state in the process of quantum teleportation and the surgical knotted operations of the unitary operators operated on the teleported quantum state.
文摘Based on the previous work about the knotted pictures of quantum states, quantum logic gates and unitary transformations, this paper further gives the whole complete quantum measurement process of quantum teleportation from the viewpoint of knot theory.
文摘By means of the method of torus knot theory, this paper gives the complete processes of obtaining the knotted pictures of four Bell b^es from the knotted pictures of four basic two qubit states.
文摘This paper introduces the unified expression of four Bell bases and uses the composition operation in knot theory to obtain the knotted picture of unitary operators based on Pauli operators, and gives the knotted expressions of 12 inversion relations between the four Bell bases.
文摘By means of the torus knot theory method, this paper presents the complete process of obtaining the knotted pictures of eight GHZ states on the surface of a trivial torus from the knotted pictures of eight basic three-qubit states on the surface of a trivial torus. Thus, we obtain eight knotted pictures 121 linkage on the ordinary plane.
基金The project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 10475034 and the Doctor Education Fund of the Educational Department of China.Acknowledgments It is a great pleasure to thank Dr. Y.X. Liu and Dr. Z.G. Huang for many useful discussions.
文摘In this paper, a novel decomposition expression for the U(1) gauge field in liquid crystals (LCs) is derived. Using this decomposition expression and the b-mapping topological current theory, we investigate the topological structure of the vortex lines in LCs in detail. A topological invariant, i.e., the Chern-Simons (CS) action for the knotted vortex lines is presented, and the CS action is shown to be the total sum of all the self-linking and linking numbers of the knot family. Moreover, it is pointed out that the CS action is preserved in the branch processes of the knotted vortex lines.
文摘This paper briefly introduces the five types of the surgical operations in knot theory and obtains the expression of single qubit quantum logic gate in terms of these surgical operations.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Cuiying Programme of Lanzhou University
文摘In this paper,knotted objects (RS vortices) in the theory of topological phase singularity in electromagneticfield have been investigated in details.By using the Duan's topological current theory,we rewrite the topological currentform of RS vortices and use this topological current we reveal that the Hopf invariant of RS vortices is just the sum ofthe linking and self-linking numbers of the knotted RS vortices.Furthermore,the conservation of the Hopf invariant inthe splitting,the mergence and the intersection processes of knotted RS vortices is also discussed.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos 20574052 and 20774066)the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University, China (Grant No NCET-05-0538)the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, China (Grant No R404047)
文摘The composition and residue-residue interactions of knotted proteins, compared with those of other proteins, can provide considerable insight into the driver of the knots in proteins. In this paper, we calculate the probabilities of 20 amino acids in 273 knotted entries from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The collection of 273 entries contains all knotted structures in the PDB, and it is not a subset. With an appropriate value of Re, the numbers of all residue residue contacts are counted in all 273 knotted structures. To make an accurate comparison, we count up to 9000 other entries from the PDB as well, and these entries spread over all sorts. In knotted structures, Leu occupies a maximal proportion of 9.62% among all 20 amino acids, and Leu, Phe, Trp, Gly, His, Gln, Asp, Lys and Pro may all play a more important role. Also, we analyse the effects of amino acid residues on the long-range contacts. We observe a larger average number of long-range contacts in the knotted structures than that in other ones, implying their important role in achieving the knots. Accordingly, the average number of short-range contacts becomes small when the structure becomes knotted because it depends mainly on the short-haul sequence of amino acids to form the short-range contact. In addition, the shape distribution of knotted proteins and the contrast with the other proteins are also presented. A comparison shows that the knots may make structures more globular because the average shape factor is 0.059 for the knotted proteins, which is only about 1/3 of the average shape factor for the other proteins.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20574052,20774066,20974081,and 20934004)the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of the Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. NCET-05-0538)the Ph.D. Program Foundation of the Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. 20090101110002)
文摘The phase behaviour of polyethylene knotted ring chains is investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations. In this paper, we focus on the collapse of the polyethylene knotted ring chain, and also present the results of linear and ring chains for comparison. At high temperatures, a fully extensive knot structure is observed. The mean-square radius of gyration per bond (S2)/(Nb2) and the shape factor ((δ*) depend on not only the chain length but also the knot type. With temperature decreasing, chain collapse is observed, and the collapse temperature decreases with the chain length increasing. The actual collapse transition can be determined by the specific heat capacity Cv, and the knotted ring chain undergoes gas-liquid-solid-like transition directly. The phase transition of a knotted ring chain is only one-stage collapse, which is different from the polyethylene linear and ring chains. This investigation can provide some insights into the statistical properties of knotted polymer chains.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos 20274040,20574052 and 20774066)the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University,China (Grant No NCET-05-0538)the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province,China (Grant No R404047)
文摘In this paper the influence of a knot on the structure of a polymethylene (PM) strand in the tensile process is investigated by using the steered molecular dynamics (SMD) method. The gradual increasing of end-to-end distance, R, results in a tighter knot and a more stretched contour. That the break in a knotted rope almost invariably occurs at a point just outside the 'entrance' to the knot, which has been shown in a good many experiments, is further theoretically verified in this paper through the calculation of some structural and thermodynamic parameters. Moreover, it is found that the analyses on bond length, torsion angle and strain energy can facilitate to the study of the localization and the size of a knot in the tensile process. The symmetries of torsion angles, bond lengths and bond angles in the knot result in the whole symmetry of the knot in microstructure, thereby adapting itself to the strain applied. Additionally, the statistical property of the force-dependent average knot size illuminates in detail the change in size of a knot with force f, and therefore the minimum size of the knot in the restriction of the potentials considered in this work for a PM chain is deduced. At the same time, the difference in response to uniaxial strain, between a knotted PM strand and an unknotted one is also investigated. The force-extension profile is easily obtained from the simulation. As expected, for a given f, the knotted chain has an R significantly smaller than that of an unknotted polymer. However, the scaled difference becomes less pronounced for larger values of N, and the results for longer chains approach those of the unknotted chains.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘Optical vortices as topological objects exist ubiquitously in nature.In this paper,by making use of the Duan's topological current theory,we investigate the topology in the closed and knotted optical vortices.The topological inner structure of the optical vortices are obtained,and the linking of the knotted optical vortices is also given.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 206770 33)
文摘In order to achieve an innovative strategy to renew the biomass of Phanerochaete chrysosporium in an immobilized growth system which can maintain white-rot fungi biomass, a novel knotted cotton-thread carrier was designed and made. By using a high-speed stirring apparatus under the conditions of 1400 r/min stirring speed for 6 min, mycelia immobilized on the knotted cotton-thread carriers were exfoliated completely and homogenized to a proper size. Furthermore, the homogenized mycelia from the immobilized mycelia can resume their growth on the knotted cotton-thread carriers in agitated flask cultures. The average regrowth biomass on the new carriers and the reused carriers was 0.0171 g/carrier and 0.0314 g/carrier, respectively. It proves that the knotted cotton-thread carrier performs perfectly in homogening the immobilized mycelia to achieve the biomass renewal of P. chrysosporium in an immobilized growth system.
基金This project was part of Module H of the Ocean Frontier Institute,funded by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
文摘This study evaluated the hydrodynamic forces produced by whole panels of hand-made(geometrically different)rope meshes typically found in midwater trawls.Experimental treatments included both knotted and knotless meshes constructed of helix composite ropes,conventional braided nylon(PA)ropes,and twisted polyethylene(PE)ropes.Direct measurement of lift(L)and drag(D)forces were conducted using controlled flume tank experiments on panels oriented at 21°relative to the flow.For knotted netting,our results showed that the hydrodynamic forces(L and D)were statistically higher for helix ropes compared to conventional ropes of the same diameter.For knotless netting constructed of helix ropes,our primary finding is that the arrangement of helix ropes(S and Z lay)in individual meshes significantly affects the resulting D and Cd of whole netting panels.Arranging the mesh bars in the S-Z-S-Z lay pattern exhibited 29%and 32%lower drag(D)compared to S–S–S–S and S–S-Z-Z lay meshes,respectively.We also use computational fluid dynamics(CFD)to characterize the finescale flow-field around helix and conventional ropes.The resulting streamlines and pressure contours provide a functional explanation for the empirical measurements collected in the flume tank.These results can be useful in informing the design of midwater trawls.
文摘Understanding the factors that contribute to population stability in long-distance migrant birds is increasingly important, particularly given global climate change, sea level rise, and loss or disturbance at essential habitats. While the populations of most shorebirds are declining worldwide, those that migrate through Delaware Bay, New Jersey and Delaware, are declining at the most rapid rate despite conservation efforts. In this paper, we 1) provide background information on population declines of red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) using Delaware Bay, threats to their foraging, and efforts to reduce threats, 2) summarize briefly our studies of the effects of human activities on knots and other shorebirds, 3) present data on management efforts to protect knots and other shorebirds from the activities of people, and 4) discuss the efficacy of such efforts (usually referred to as “decreasing the effect of human disturbances”). The Shorebird Project on Delaware Bay is over 25 years old and provides long-term data to help assess the status of shorebird numbers, particularly for red knot, as well as the density of horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) and their eggs. Red knots have continued to decline even more precipitously in the last few years, presenting cause for concern. Protective efforts have been successful in reducing human disruption on the N.J. Delaware Bay beaches, but the lack of uniformity in implementation across the New Jersey side, and across the whole Bay have hampered further improvements. Implementation of signs, fencing, and stewards on some beaches significantly enhanced the use of these beaches by red knots, determined by examining the use of beaches pre- and post-implementation. Implementation of fencing and stewards had the greatest effect. From 1986 to 2018, there was a significant shift in the percent of Delaware Bay red knots using the NJ side, where protection efforts had been implemented on many of the beaches. Merely restricting access (without fencing or other efforts) did not result in more knots using the beaches post-restriction. This is the first paper that clearly shows the protective effects of having beach stewards. We discuss the long-term needs for continued management of Delaware Bay beaches, and other beaches coastwide, and of determining the causes of population declines of red knots.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.30670269,31071939)
文摘Variable and unpredictable food resources at stopover sites bring severe challenges to migrating shorebirds. Opportunistic foraging strategies, referring to shorebirds consuming prey in proportion to their availability, allow shorebirds to replenish fuel and nutrient reserves efficiently for continuing their migration. Chongming Dongtan, located in the Yangtze River estuary of eastern China, is the first major stopover site of shorebirds on the Chinese mainland during their northward migration. We investigated the diet of Great Knots (Calidris tenuirostris) at Chongming Dongtan during the spring stopovers of 2009 and 2010 through benthos sampling and dropping analysis. The benthos samples were categorized into gastropods, bivalves, polychaetes, crustaceans and insect larvae. Dropping analysis indicated that gastropods and bivalves constituted more than 70% of the diet of the Great Knot, with Assiminea violacea and Corbicula fluminea being the most frequently consumed. Chi-square tests indicated that for each prey category, there was no significant difference between the frequency of its occurrence in the benthos samples and dropping samples during the early stopover periods of 2009 and 2010 and during the late stopover periods of 2010. Although there was a statistically significant difference between the frequency of occurrence of prey in the total macrobenthos and in the droppings of the Great Knots during the late stopover period in 2009, the more abundant prey were more frequently consumed by the Great Knots. This suggests that Great Knots adopted an opportunistic foraging strategy during their stopover at Chongming Dongtan.