Background:The vulnerable Chinese Egret(Egretta eulophotes)is a long-distance migratory waterbird whose migration and wintering information is poorly understood.This study aims to identify the autumn migration routes ...Background:The vulnerable Chinese Egret(Egretta eulophotes)is a long-distance migratory waterbird whose migration and wintering information is poorly understood.This study aims to identify the autumn migration routes and wintering areas of juvenile Chinese Egrets and determine the migration movement traits of this species.Methods:Thirty-nine juvenile Chinese Egrets from the Fantuozi Island,an uninhabited offshore island with a large breeding colony of Chinese Egrets in Dalian,China,were tracked using GPS/GSM transmitters.Some feathers from each tracked juvenile were collected for molecular identification of sex in the laboratory.The GPS locations,recorded at 2-h intervals from August 2018 to May 2020,were used for the analyses.Results:Of the 39 tracked juveniles,30 individuals began their migration between September and November,and 13 successfully completed their autumn migration between October and November.The juveniles migrated southward via three migration routes,coastal,oceanic and inland,mainly during the night.The migration duration,migration distance,flight speed,and stopover duration of the 13 juvenile egrets that completed migration averaged 5.08±1.04 days,3928.18±414.27 km,57.27±5.73 km/h,and 23.08±19.28 h,respectively.These juveniles wintered in the coastal wetlands of Southeast Asia including those in the Philippines,Vietnam,and Malaysia,and only one successfully began its spring migration in June 2020.Conclusions:This study newly finds that the oceanic route taken by juvenile Chinese Egrets,suggesting that the juveniles are able to fly over the Pacific Ocean without a stopover.Moreover,our novel data indicate that coastal wetlands along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway are important areas for both autumn migration stopover and the wintering of these juveniles,suggesting that international cooperation is important to conserve the vulnerable Chinese Egret and the wetland habitats on which it depends.展开更多
The Oriental Stork(Ciconia boyciana)is listed as'Endangered'on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN)Red List of Threatened Species and is classified as a first category nationally protec...The Oriental Stork(Ciconia boyciana)is listed as'Endangered'on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN)Red List of Threatened Species and is classified as a first category nationally protected bird species in China.Understanding this species'seasonal movements and migration will facilitate effective conservation to promote its population.We tagged 27 Oriental Stork nestlings at Xingkai Lake on the Sanjiang Plain in Heilongjiang Province,China,used GPS tracking to follow them over the periods of 2014-2017 and 2019-2022,and confirmed their detailed migratory routes using the spatial analysis function of ArcGIS 10.7.We discovered four migration routes during autumn migration:one common long-distance migration route in which the storks migrated along the coastline of Bohai Bay to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River for wintering,one short-distance migration route in which the storks wintered in Bohai Bay and two other migration routes in which the storks crossed the Bohai Strait around the Yellow River and wintered in South Korea.There were no significant differences in the number of migration days,residence days,migration distances,number of stopovers and average number of days spent at stopover sites between the autumn and spring migrations(P>0.05).However,the storks migrated significantly faster in spring than in autumn(P=0.03).The same individuals did not exhibit a high degree of repetition in their migration timing and route selection in either autumn or spring migration.Even storks from the same nest exhibited considerable between-individual variation in their migration routes.Some important stopover sites were identified,especially in the Bohai Rim Region and on the Songnen Plain,and we further explored the current conservation status at these two important sites.Overall,our results contribute to the understanding of the annual migration,dispersal and protection status of the endangered Oriental Stork and provide a scientific basis for conservation decisions and the development of action plans for this species.展开更多
Background:The European Kingfisher(Alcedo atthis)is a small plunge-diving bird,today considered a species of conservation concern in Europe given its rapid population decline observed across the continent.We implement...Background:The European Kingfisher(Alcedo atthis)is a small plunge-diving bird,today considered a species of conservation concern in Europe given its rapid population decline observed across the continent.We implemented a pilot study aimed at providing first data allowing to:(1)assess home range features of the European Kingfisher for populations with unevenly distributed feeding habitats;(2)define conservation implications for habitats exploited by such populations;and(3)evaluate possibilities for developing GPS tracking schemes dedicated to home range stud-ies for this species that could be possibly applied to other small plunge-diving birds.Methods:In 2018 and 2019,we equipped 16 breeding European Kingfishers sampled within the marshes of the Gironde Estuary(France),with miniaturized and waterproof GPS archival tags deployed with leg-loop harnesses(total equipment mass=1.4 g;average bird mass=40.18±1.12 g).Results:On average,we collected 35.31±6.66 locations usable for analyses,without a significant effect on bird body condition(n=13 tags retrieved).Data analyses highlighted rather limited home ranges exploited by birds(aver-age=2.50±0.55 ha),composed on average by 2.78±0.40 location nuclei.Our results also underscore:(1)a rather important home range fragmentation index(0.36±0.08);and(2)the use by birds of different types of small wetlands(wet ditches,small ponds or small waterholes),often exploited in addition to habitats encompassing nest locations.Conclusions:Our study reveals interesting GPS tracking possibilities for small plunge-diving birds such as the European Kingfisher.For this species,today classified as vulnerable in Europe,our results underline the importance of developing conservation and ecological restoration policies for wetland networks that would integrate small wet-lands particularly sensitive to global change.展开更多
Most seabird species display colonial behavior during the breeding period which implies that food resources around breeding sites can easily go depleted. Seabirds need to both reach profitable areas, which can be loca...Most seabird species display colonial behavior during the breeding period which implies that food resources around breeding sites can easily go depleted. Seabirds need to both reach profitable areas, which can be located far from the colony, and return to the colony regularly. In this context, flexibility in movement behavior may be crucial for breeding success. During chick-rearing, Procellariformes species can alternate short trips lasting 1-4 days for chick provisioning with longer trips for self-provisioning in what has been called a dual-foraging strategy. We analyzed foraging trips from 136 Scopoli＇s shearwaters from three Mediterranean colonies tracked with GPS during 6 chick-rearing seasons to assess whether the adoption of a dual fo- raging strategy depends on the quality of habitat surrounding the colony. We found a marked dual-foraging strategy only in birds from the Linosa colony which was the largest colony in terms of breeding pairs and was characterized by having a lower marine habitat quality. Birds from this colony performed foraging trips that extended up to 369 km from the nest and lasted more than 10 days. In general, the decision to perform long lasting trips was triggered by lower values of primary production and higher offspring weight. Contrary to expectation, the decision to feed far from the colony was not related to the parents＇ weight. At the same time, despite the higher productivity offered by distant areas, the higher proportion of long trips performed by birds breeding in poor areas was not sufficient to maintain the same body mass as the ones breeding in richer areas [Current Zoology 60 （5）： 622-630, 2014].展开更多
With the continued development of tracking technology and increasing interest in animal movement,our understanding of migration behavior has become more comprehensive.However,there are still many species that have not...With the continued development of tracking technology and increasing interest in animal movement,our understanding of migration behavior has become more comprehensive.However,there are still many species that have not been well studied,particularly sea birds.Here,we present the first year-round Global Positioning System(GPS)tracking data of the Black-tailed Gull(Larus crassirostris)at the population level.We used solar-powered GPS-Global System for Mobile communication(GSM)loggers to successfully track 30 individuals breeding at Xingrentuo Islet,Liaoning Province,China,for 1-3 years.Except for one individual who roamed in the far north of the Yellow Sea during non-breeding period,all others did a directed southward migration.Migration routes and wintering sites differed among migrating gulls and between years for the birds tracked for two or more years.Additionally,during wintering,the migrating gulls were more likely to travel over a large body of water and shift sites,and some trajectories were quite complex,which was probably closely related to what we observed in the field about their boat-chasing behavior.Compared to wintering movements,the post-breeding movements ranged over a smaller area.Specifically,almost all of them had a long post-breeding period near the breeding islet(≥120days,<220 km from the breeding islet),and 80%of the gulls who were tracked more than one year had at least one faithful post-breeding site.Compared to the post-breeding period,only approximately half of the migrating gulls had a pre-breeding period that was shorter(3-20 days)and closer to the breeding islet(≤80 km).Migration distance varied among migrating gulls(range 209-2405 km)and the gulls moved least distance during postbreeding period.Furthermore,we found that the southward movement of the migrating gulls occurred when the temperature near the breeding islet dropped;specifically,the gulls directly migrated southward away from the post-breeding site.Our results suggest that the Black-tailed Gull has a long post-breeding period but a short prebreeding period near the breeding islet and high diversity of their migrating patterns(in especial migration routes and wintering sites).展开更多
Bats are reservoirs of various viruses.The widely distributed cave nectar bat(Eonycteris spelaea)is known to carry both filoviruses and coronaviruses.However,the potential transmission of theses bat viruses to humans ...Bats are reservoirs of various viruses.The widely distributed cave nectar bat(Eonycteris spelaea)is known to carry both filoviruses and coronaviruses.However,the potential transmission of theses bat viruses to humans is not fully understood.In this study,we tracked 16 E.spelaea bats in Mengla County,Yunnan Province,China,using miniaturized GPS devices to investigate their movements and potential contact with humans.Furthermore,to determine the prevalence of coronavirus and filovirus infections,we screened for the nucleic acids of the Měnglàvirus(MLAV)and two coronaviruses(GCCDC1-CoV and HKU9-CoV)in anal swab samples taken from bats and for antibodies against these viruses in human serum samples.None of the serum samples were found to contain antibodies against the bat viruses.The GPS tracking results showed that the bats did not fly during the daytime and rarely flew to residential areas.The foraging range of individual bats also varied,with a mean cumulative nightly flight distance of 25.50 km and flight speed of up to 57.4 km/h.Taken together,these results suggest that the risk of direct transmission of GCCDC1-CoV,HKU9-CoV,and MLAV from E.spelaea bats to humans is very low under natural conditions.展开更多
In recent years,the growth of female employees in the commercial market and industries has increased.As a result,some people think travelling to distant and isolated locations during odd hours generates new threats to...In recent years,the growth of female employees in the commercial market and industries has increased.As a result,some people think travelling to distant and isolated locations during odd hours generates new threats to women’s safety.The exponential increase in assaults and attacks on women,on the other hand,is posing a threat to women’s growth,development,and security.At the time of the attack,it appears the women were immobilized and needed immediate support.Only self-defense isn’t sufficient against abuse;a new technological solution is desired and can be used as quickly as hitting a switch or button.The proposed Women Safety Gadget(WSG)aims to design a wearable safety device model based on Internet-of-Things(IoT)and Cloud Technology.It is designed in three layers,namely layer-1,having an android app;layer-2,with messaging and location tracking system;and layer-3,which updates information in the cloud database.WSG can detect an unsafe condition by the pressure sensor of the finger on the artificial nail,consequently diffuses a pepper spray,and automatically notifies the saved closest contacts and police station through messaging and location settings.WSG has a response time of 1000 ms once the nail is pressed;the average time for pulse rate measure is 0.475 s,and diffusing the pepper spray is 0.2–0.5 s.The average activation time is 2.079 s.展开更多
This paper proposes a Delivery Service Management(DSM)system for Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs)that own a delivery fleet of pickup trucks to manage Business-to-Business(B2B)delivery services.The proposed DSM syste...This paper proposes a Delivery Service Management(DSM)system for Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs)that own a delivery fleet of pickup trucks to manage Business-to-Business(B2B)delivery services.The proposed DSM system integrates four systems:Delivery Location Positioning(DLP),Delivery Route Planning(DRP),Arrival Time Prediction(ATP),and Communication and Data Sharing(CDS)systems.These systems are used to pinpoint the delivery locations of customers,plan the delivery route of each truck,predict arrival time(with an interval)at each delivery location,and communicate and share information among stakeholders,respectively.The DSM system deploys Google applications,a GPS tracking system,Google Map APIs,ATP algorithms(embedded in Excel Macros),Line,and Telegram as supporting tools.To improve the accuracy of the ATP system,three tech-niques are applied considering driver behaviors.The proposed DSM system has been implemented in a Thai SME.From the process perspective,the DSM system is a systematic procedure for end-to-end delivery services.It allows the interactions between planner-driver decisions and supporting tools.The supporting tools are simple,can be easily used with little training,and require low capital expenditure.The statistical analysis shows that the ATP algorithm with the three techniques provides high accuracy.Thus,the proposed DSM system is beneficial for practitioners to manage delivery services,especially for SMEs in emerging countries.展开更多
Background:The Oriental Stork(Ciconia boyciana)breeds in southeastern Siberia and parts of northeast China,and winters mainly in southeast China.Although the autumn migration pattern of Oriental Storks has been previ-...Background:The Oriental Stork(Ciconia boyciana)breeds in southeastern Siberia and parts of northeast China,and winters mainly in southeast China.Although the autumn migration pattern of Oriental Storks has been previ-ously described,differences between spring and autumn migration travel speed in relation to wind assistance were unknown.Methods:Using GPS/GSM transmitters,we tracked the full migrations of 18 Oriental Storks during 2015-2018 to compare differences in autumn and spring migration patterns,and combined the satellite telemetry data with the National Center for Environmental Prediction Reanalysis data to explain the relationship between 850 mbar wind vec-tors and seasonal differences in travel speed.Results:Differences in tailwinds contributed to significant differences in daily average Oriental Storks travel speed in spring(258.11±64.8 km/day)compared to autumn(172.23±49.7 km/day,p<0.001).Storks stopped significantly more often in autumn than spring(1.78±1.1 versus 1.06±0.9,p<0.05),but stopover duration(15.52±12.4 versus 16.30±15.1 days,respectively,p=0.3)did not differ significantly.Tailwinds at 850 mbar pressure level(extracted from the National Center of Environmental Prediction Reanalysis data archive)significantly affected daily flying speed dur-ing spring and autumn migration.Tailwind conditions in spring(mean 4.40±5.6 m/s)were always more favourable than in autumn when they received no net benefit(0.48±5.6 m/s,p<0.001).Despite mean spring migration dura-tion being less than autumn(27.52±15.9 versus 32.77±13.4 days,p=0.17),large individual variation meant that this duration did not differ significantly from each other.Conclusions:For long distance migratory soaring birds(such as storks),relative duration of spring and autumn migration likely relates to the interaction between imperative for earliest arrival to breeding grounds and seasonal meteorological conditions experienced en route.展开更多
The increasing demana for advanced modelling methods, which can reflect complex travel activities of individuals, requires enhanced travel data collection methods. The introduction of GPS-assisted data collection meth...The increasing demana for advanced modelling methods, which can reflect complex travel activities of individuals, requires enhanced travel data collection methods. The introduction of GPS-assisted data collection methods has provided an alternative to the conventional methods of travel data collection. GPS-assisted data collection methods improve the accu- racy of data collection and enable capturing more details of individuals＇ travel behaviour. Recent technological advancements in smartphone-based positioning technologies and communication facilities have opened up new opportunities to apply smartphones as the media of GPS-assisted data collection. Although, different GPS-assisted methods have been employed recently, their performance has not been widely evaluated in real-world experi- ments compared to traditional data collection methods. Accordingly, this paper evaluates the performance of three GPS-assisted methods, namely handheld GPS tracking, smart- phone-based GPS tracking and smartphone-based prompted-recall data collection methods, in conjunction with the web-based data collection to shed light on different aspects of GPS- assisted data collection methods. These methods are compared in terms of the quality and accuracy of the collected data, the demographic attributes of participants and the specifi- cations of labelled trips. The results show that an appropriate employment of smartphones enhances the accuracy of data collection. It is also found that putting an extra burden on participants during a travel data collection survey results in lower trip-rates and poor data quality. Finally, it is found that the application of smartphone-assisted data collection methods help reporting non-motorised trips more accurately.展开更多
With the quick spread of pandemic disease,many individuals have lost their lives across different parts of the world.So,the need for a novel approach or model to overcome the problem becomes a necessity.In this paper,...With the quick spread of pandemic disease,many individuals have lost their lives across different parts of the world.So,the need for a novel approach or model to overcome the problem becomes a necessity.In this paper,a mechanism is proposed called DBCMS(Drone Based Covid-19 Medical Service)for the safety of medical em-ployees who are prone to Covid-19 infection.The proposed mechanism can effectively improve the treatment process of Covid-19 patients.Drones are nowadays commonly used in the field of medical emergency situations.The proposed model in this paper uses drone service to reduce the risk of infection to the doctors or other medical staff,thereby preventing the disease spread.This paper further assumes that the primary step is to isolate people at their home instead of admitting them to the hospitals,also called a situation of lockdown or curfew.Thus,in this way,the spread can be significantly reduced across the globe if DBCMS approach is implemented at cluster level.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.42076107,41676123,and 41476113)。
文摘Background:The vulnerable Chinese Egret(Egretta eulophotes)is a long-distance migratory waterbird whose migration and wintering information is poorly understood.This study aims to identify the autumn migration routes and wintering areas of juvenile Chinese Egrets and determine the migration movement traits of this species.Methods:Thirty-nine juvenile Chinese Egrets from the Fantuozi Island,an uninhabited offshore island with a large breeding colony of Chinese Egrets in Dalian,China,were tracked using GPS/GSM transmitters.Some feathers from each tracked juvenile were collected for molecular identification of sex in the laboratory.The GPS locations,recorded at 2-h intervals from August 2018 to May 2020,were used for the analyses.Results:Of the 39 tracked juveniles,30 individuals began their migration between September and November,and 13 successfully completed their autumn migration between October and November.The juveniles migrated southward via three migration routes,coastal,oceanic and inland,mainly during the night.The migration duration,migration distance,flight speed,and stopover duration of the 13 juvenile egrets that completed migration averaged 5.08±1.04 days,3928.18±414.27 km,57.27±5.73 km/h,and 23.08±19.28 h,respectively.These juveniles wintered in the coastal wetlands of Southeast Asia including those in the Philippines,Vietnam,and Malaysia,and only one successfully began its spring migration in June 2020.Conclusions:This study newly finds that the oceanic route taken by juvenile Chinese Egrets,suggesting that the juveniles are able to fly over the Pacific Ocean without a stopover.Moreover,our novel data indicate that coastal wetlands along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway are important areas for both autumn migration stopover and the wintering of these juveniles,suggesting that international cooperation is important to conserve the vulnerable Chinese Egret and the wetland habitats on which it depends.
基金supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2019YFA0607103)the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China(91217-2022,202999922001,213023721203)。
文摘The Oriental Stork(Ciconia boyciana)is listed as'Endangered'on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN)Red List of Threatened Species and is classified as a first category nationally protected bird species in China.Understanding this species'seasonal movements and migration will facilitate effective conservation to promote its population.We tagged 27 Oriental Stork nestlings at Xingkai Lake on the Sanjiang Plain in Heilongjiang Province,China,used GPS tracking to follow them over the periods of 2014-2017 and 2019-2022,and confirmed their detailed migratory routes using the spatial analysis function of ArcGIS 10.7.We discovered four migration routes during autumn migration:one common long-distance migration route in which the storks migrated along the coastline of Bohai Bay to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River for wintering,one short-distance migration route in which the storks wintered in Bohai Bay and two other migration routes in which the storks crossed the Bohai Strait around the Yellow River and wintered in South Korea.There were no significant differences in the number of migration days,residence days,migration distances,number of stopovers and average number of days spent at stopover sites between the autumn and spring migrations(P>0.05).However,the storks migrated significantly faster in spring than in autumn(P=0.03).The same individuals did not exhibit a high degree of repetition in their migration timing and route selection in either autumn or spring migration.Even storks from the same nest exhibited considerable between-individual variation in their migration routes.Some important stopover sites were identified,especially in the Bohai Rim Region and on the Songnen Plain,and we further explored the current conservation status at these two important sites.Overall,our results contribute to the understanding of the annual migration,dispersal and protection status of the endangered Oriental Stork and provide a scientific basis for conservation decisions and the development of action plans for this species.
基金financial support of the Département de la Charente-Maritime
文摘Background:The European Kingfisher(Alcedo atthis)is a small plunge-diving bird,today considered a species of conservation concern in Europe given its rapid population decline observed across the continent.We implemented a pilot study aimed at providing first data allowing to:(1)assess home range features of the European Kingfisher for populations with unevenly distributed feeding habitats;(2)define conservation implications for habitats exploited by such populations;and(3)evaluate possibilities for developing GPS tracking schemes dedicated to home range stud-ies for this species that could be possibly applied to other small plunge-diving birds.Methods:In 2018 and 2019,we equipped 16 breeding European Kingfishers sampled within the marshes of the Gironde Estuary(France),with miniaturized and waterproof GPS archival tags deployed with leg-loop harnesses(total equipment mass=1.4 g;average bird mass=40.18±1.12 g).Results:On average,we collected 35.31±6.66 locations usable for analyses,without a significant effect on bird body condition(n=13 tags retrieved).Data analyses highlighted rather limited home ranges exploited by birds(aver-age=2.50±0.55 ha),composed on average by 2.78±0.40 location nuclei.Our results also underscore:(1)a rather important home range fragmentation index(0.36±0.08);and(2)the use by birds of different types of small wetlands(wet ditches,small ponds or small waterholes),often exploited in addition to habitats encompassing nest locations.Conclusions:Our study reveals interesting GPS tracking possibilities for small plunge-diving birds such as the European Kingfisher.For this species,today classified as vulnerable in Europe,our results underline the importance of developing conservation and ecological restoration policies for wetland networks that would integrate small wet-lands particularly sensitive to global change.
文摘Most seabird species display colonial behavior during the breeding period which implies that food resources around breeding sites can easily go depleted. Seabirds need to both reach profitable areas, which can be located far from the colony, and return to the colony regularly. In this context, flexibility in movement behavior may be crucial for breeding success. During chick-rearing, Procellariformes species can alternate short trips lasting 1-4 days for chick provisioning with longer trips for self-provisioning in what has been called a dual-foraging strategy. We analyzed foraging trips from 136 Scopoli＇s shearwaters from three Mediterranean colonies tracked with GPS during 6 chick-rearing seasons to assess whether the adoption of a dual fo- raging strategy depends on the quality of habitat surrounding the colony. We found a marked dual-foraging strategy only in birds from the Linosa colony which was the largest colony in terms of breeding pairs and was characterized by having a lower marine habitat quality. Birds from this colony performed foraging trips that extended up to 369 km from the nest and lasted more than 10 days. In general, the decision to perform long lasting trips was triggered by lower values of primary production and higher offspring weight. Contrary to expectation, the decision to feed far from the colony was not related to the parents＇ weight. At the same time, despite the higher productivity offered by distant areas, the higher proportion of long trips performed by birds breeding in poor areas was not sufficient to maintain the same body mass as the ones breeding in richer areas [Current Zoology 60 （5）： 622-630, 2014].
基金financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2022YFC2601601)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.31727901)the China Scholarship Council(No.2019-13045 to H.X.)。
文摘With the continued development of tracking technology and increasing interest in animal movement,our understanding of migration behavior has become more comprehensive.However,there are still many species that have not been well studied,particularly sea birds.Here,we present the first year-round Global Positioning System(GPS)tracking data of the Black-tailed Gull(Larus crassirostris)at the population level.We used solar-powered GPS-Global System for Mobile communication(GSM)loggers to successfully track 30 individuals breeding at Xingrentuo Islet,Liaoning Province,China,for 1-3 years.Except for one individual who roamed in the far north of the Yellow Sea during non-breeding period,all others did a directed southward migration.Migration routes and wintering sites differed among migrating gulls and between years for the birds tracked for two or more years.Additionally,during wintering,the migrating gulls were more likely to travel over a large body of water and shift sites,and some trajectories were quite complex,which was probably closely related to what we observed in the field about their boat-chasing behavior.Compared to wintering movements,the post-breeding movements ranged over a smaller area.Specifically,almost all of them had a long post-breeding period near the breeding islet(≥120days,<220 km from the breeding islet),and 80%of the gulls who were tracked more than one year had at least one faithful post-breeding site.Compared to the post-breeding period,only approximately half of the migrating gulls had a pre-breeding period that was shorter(3-20 days)and closer to the breeding islet(≤80 km).Migration distance varied among migrating gulls(range 209-2405 km)and the gulls moved least distance during postbreeding period.Furthermore,we found that the southward movement of the migrating gulls occurred when the temperature near the breeding islet dropped;specifically,the gulls directly migrated southward away from the post-breeding site.Our results suggest that the Black-tailed Gull has a long post-breeding period but a short prebreeding period near the breeding islet and high diversity of their migrating patterns(in especial migration routes and wintering sites).
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31727901 to Z.L.S.)Key Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KJZD-SW-L11 to Z.L.S.)+1 种基金Guangdong Province Natural Resources Services(Ecological Forestry Construction)Special Fund in 2021(to L.B.Z.)Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS(2019328 to X.L.Y.)。
文摘Bats are reservoirs of various viruses.The widely distributed cave nectar bat(Eonycteris spelaea)is known to carry both filoviruses and coronaviruses.However,the potential transmission of theses bat viruses to humans is not fully understood.In this study,we tracked 16 E.spelaea bats in Mengla County,Yunnan Province,China,using miniaturized GPS devices to investigate their movements and potential contact with humans.Furthermore,to determine the prevalence of coronavirus and filovirus infections,we screened for the nucleic acids of the Měnglàvirus(MLAV)and two coronaviruses(GCCDC1-CoV and HKU9-CoV)in anal swab samples taken from bats and for antibodies against these viruses in human serum samples.None of the serum samples were found to contain antibodies against the bat viruses.The GPS tracking results showed that the bats did not fly during the daytime and rarely flew to residential areas.The foraging range of individual bats also varied,with a mean cumulative nightly flight distance of 25.50 km and flight speed of up to 57.4 km/h.Taken together,these results suggest that the risk of direct transmission of GCCDC1-CoV,HKU9-CoV,and MLAV from E.spelaea bats to humans is very low under natural conditions.
基金The authors extend their appreciation to the deputyship for Research&Innovation,Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia for funding this research work through project number(IFP-2020-19).
文摘In recent years,the growth of female employees in the commercial market and industries has increased.As a result,some people think travelling to distant and isolated locations during odd hours generates new threats to women’s safety.The exponential increase in assaults and attacks on women,on the other hand,is posing a threat to women’s growth,development,and security.At the time of the attack,it appears the women were immobilized and needed immediate support.Only self-defense isn’t sufficient against abuse;a new technological solution is desired and can be used as quickly as hitting a switch or button.The proposed Women Safety Gadget(WSG)aims to design a wearable safety device model based on Internet-of-Things(IoT)and Cloud Technology.It is designed in three layers,namely layer-1,having an android app;layer-2,with messaging and location tracking system;and layer-3,which updates information in the cloud database.WSG can detect an unsafe condition by the pressure sensor of the finger on the artificial nail,consequently diffuses a pepper spray,and automatically notifies the saved closest contacts and police station through messaging and location settings.WSG has a response time of 1000 ms once the nail is pressed;the average time for pulse rate measure is 0.475 s,and diffusing the pepper spray is 0.2–0.5 s.The average activation time is 2.079 s.
文摘This paper proposes a Delivery Service Management(DSM)system for Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs)that own a delivery fleet of pickup trucks to manage Business-to-Business(B2B)delivery services.The proposed DSM system integrates four systems:Delivery Location Positioning(DLP),Delivery Route Planning(DRP),Arrival Time Prediction(ATP),and Communication and Data Sharing(CDS)systems.These systems are used to pinpoint the delivery locations of customers,plan the delivery route of each truck,predict arrival time(with an interval)at each delivery location,and communicate and share information among stakeholders,respectively.The DSM system deploys Google applications,a GPS tracking system,Google Map APIs,ATP algorithms(embedded in Excel Macros),Line,and Telegram as supporting tools.To improve the accuracy of the ATP system,three tech-niques are applied considering driver behaviors.The proposed DSM system has been implemented in a Thai SME.From the process perspective,the DSM system is a systematic procedure for end-to-end delivery services.It allows the interactions between planner-driver decisions and supporting tools.The supporting tools are simple,can be easily used with little training,and require low capital expenditure.The statistical analysis shows that the ATP algorithm with the three techniques provides high accuracy.Thus,the proposed DSM system is beneficial for practitioners to manage delivery services,especially for SMEs in emerging countries.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Programme of China(Grant No.2016YFC0500406)International Cooperation and Exchange project NSFC(Grant No.31661143027)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.31870369 and 31970433)China Biodiversity Observation Networks(Sino BON)。
文摘Background:The Oriental Stork(Ciconia boyciana)breeds in southeastern Siberia and parts of northeast China,and winters mainly in southeast China.Although the autumn migration pattern of Oriental Storks has been previ-ously described,differences between spring and autumn migration travel speed in relation to wind assistance were unknown.Methods:Using GPS/GSM transmitters,we tracked the full migrations of 18 Oriental Storks during 2015-2018 to compare differences in autumn and spring migration patterns,and combined the satellite telemetry data with the National Center for Environmental Prediction Reanalysis data to explain the relationship between 850 mbar wind vec-tors and seasonal differences in travel speed.Results:Differences in tailwinds contributed to significant differences in daily average Oriental Storks travel speed in spring(258.11±64.8 km/day)compared to autumn(172.23±49.7 km/day,p<0.001).Storks stopped significantly more often in autumn than spring(1.78±1.1 versus 1.06±0.9,p<0.05),but stopover duration(15.52±12.4 versus 16.30±15.1 days,respectively,p=0.3)did not differ significantly.Tailwinds at 850 mbar pressure level(extracted from the National Center of Environmental Prediction Reanalysis data archive)significantly affected daily flying speed dur-ing spring and autumn migration.Tailwind conditions in spring(mean 4.40±5.6 m/s)were always more favourable than in autumn when they received no net benefit(0.48±5.6 m/s,p<0.001).Despite mean spring migration dura-tion being less than autumn(27.52±15.9 versus 32.77±13.4 days,p=0.17),large individual variation meant that this duration did not differ significantly from each other.Conclusions:For long distance migratory soaring birds(such as storks),relative duration of spring and autumn migration likely relates to the interaction between imperative for earliest arrival to breeding grounds and seasonal meteorological conditions experienced en route.
基金partially supported by grant DE130100205 from the Australian Research Council
文摘The increasing demana for advanced modelling methods, which can reflect complex travel activities of individuals, requires enhanced travel data collection methods. The introduction of GPS-assisted data collection methods has provided an alternative to the conventional methods of travel data collection. GPS-assisted data collection methods improve the accu- racy of data collection and enable capturing more details of individuals＇ travel behaviour. Recent technological advancements in smartphone-based positioning technologies and communication facilities have opened up new opportunities to apply smartphones as the media of GPS-assisted data collection. Although, different GPS-assisted methods have been employed recently, their performance has not been widely evaluated in real-world experi- ments compared to traditional data collection methods. Accordingly, this paper evaluates the performance of three GPS-assisted methods, namely handheld GPS tracking, smart- phone-based GPS tracking and smartphone-based prompted-recall data collection methods, in conjunction with the web-based data collection to shed light on different aspects of GPS- assisted data collection methods. These methods are compared in terms of the quality and accuracy of the collected data, the demographic attributes of participants and the specifi- cations of labelled trips. The results show that an appropriate employment of smartphones enhances the accuracy of data collection. It is also found that putting an extra burden on participants during a travel data collection survey results in lower trip-rates and poor data quality. Finally, it is found that the application of smartphone-assisted data collection methods help reporting non-motorised trips more accurately.
文摘With the quick spread of pandemic disease,many individuals have lost their lives across different parts of the world.So,the need for a novel approach or model to overcome the problem becomes a necessity.In this paper,a mechanism is proposed called DBCMS(Drone Based Covid-19 Medical Service)for the safety of medical em-ployees who are prone to Covid-19 infection.The proposed mechanism can effectively improve the treatment process of Covid-19 patients.Drones are nowadays commonly used in the field of medical emergency situations.The proposed model in this paper uses drone service to reduce the risk of infection to the doctors or other medical staff,thereby preventing the disease spread.This paper further assumes that the primary step is to isolate people at their home instead of admitting them to the hospitals,also called a situation of lockdown or curfew.Thus,in this way,the spread can be significantly reduced across the globe if DBCMS approach is implemented at cluster level.
