This review article provides a comprehensive analysis of nesting optimization algorithms in the shipbuilding industry,emphasizing their role in improving material utilization,minimizing waste,and enhancing production ...This review article provides a comprehensive analysis of nesting optimization algorithms in the shipbuilding industry,emphasizing their role in improving material utilization,minimizing waste,and enhancing production efficiency.The shipbuilding process involves the complex cutting and arrangement of steel plates,making the optimization of these operations vital for cost-effectiveness and sustainability.Nesting algorithms are broadly classified into four categories:exact,heuristic,metaheuristic,and hybrid.Exact algorithms ensure optimal solutions but are computationally demanding.In contrast,heuristic algorithms deliver quicker results using practical rules,although they may not consistently achieve optimal outcomes.Metaheuristic algorithms combine multiple heuristics to effectively explore solution spaces,striking a balance between solution quality and computational efficiency.Hybrid algorithms integrate the strengths of different approaches to further enhance performance.This review systematically assesses these algorithms using criteria such as material dimensions,part geometry,component layout,and computational efficiency.The findings highlight the significant potential of advanced nesting techniques to improve material utilization,reduce production costs,and promote sustainable practices in shipbuilding.By adopting suitable nesting solutions,shipbuilders can achieve greater efficiency,optimized resource management,and superior overall performance.Future research directions should focus on integrating machine learning and real-time adaptability to further enhance nesting algorithms,paving the way for smarter,more sustainable manufacturing practices in the shipbuilding industry.展开更多
According to the cutting stock problem of 2-dimensional shapes, a nesting system （NS） based on hybrid genetic algorithm （HGA） is established. The system optimizes the sequence and angles of polygons with hybrid Ge...According to the cutting stock problem of 2-dimensional shapes, a nesting system （NS） based on hybrid genetic algorithm （HGA） is established. The system optimizes the sequence and angles of polygons with hybrid Genetic Algorithm to accomplish the superior solution. It nests the irregular shape directly without covering irregular shapes with a rectangle. It also improves the decoding strategy of 2-dimensional shapes nesting based on the classical bottom-left strategy, makes the new strategy be universal to convex polygons, concave polygons and line-circular composted polygons.展开更多
Abiotic factors play an important role in species localisation,but biotic and anthropogenic predictors must also be considered in distribution modelling for models to be biologically meaningful.In this study,we formal...Abiotic factors play an important role in species localisation,but biotic and anthropogenic predictors must also be considered in distribution modelling for models to be biologically meaningful.In this study,we formalised the biotic predictors of nesting sites for four threatened Caucasian vultures by including species distribution models(wild ungulates,nesting tree species)as biotic layers in the vulture Maxent models.Maxent was applied in the R dismo package and the best set of the model parameters were defined in the R ENMeval package.Performance metrics were continuous Boyce index,Akaike's information criterion,the area under receiver operating curve and true skill statistics.We also calculated and evaluated the null models.Kernel density estimation method was applied to assess the overlap of vulture ecological niches in the environmental space.The accessibility of anthropogenic food resources was estimated using the Path Distance measure that considers elevation gradient.The availability of pine forests(Scots Pine)and wild ungulates(Alpine Chamois and Caucasian Goat)contributed the most(29.6%and 34.3%)to Cinereous Vulture(Aegypius monachus)nesting site model.Wild ungulate distribution also contributed significantly(about 46%)to the Bearded Vulture(Gypaetus barbatus)model.This scavenger nests in the highlands of the Caucasus at a minimum distance of 5–10 km from anthropogenic facilities.In contrast,livestock as a food source was most important in colony distribution of Griffon Vulture(Gyps fulvus).The contribution of distances to settlements and agricultural facilities to the model was 45%.The optimal distance from Egyptian Vulture(Neophron percnopterus)nesting sites to settlements was only 3–10 km,to livestock facilities no more than 15 km with the factor contribution of about 57%.Excluding the wild ungulate availability,the ecological niches of studied vultures overlapped significantly.Despite similar foraging and nesting requirements,Caucasian vultures are not pronounced nesting and trophic competitors due to the abundance of nesting sites,anthropogenic food sources and successful niche sharing.展开更多
Nesting is a common problem in industries such as shipbuilding, auto-maker, clothing, shoe-making, and furniture, in which various parts are cut off from a stock or stocks while minimizing the wastes or maximizing the...Nesting is a common problem in industries such as shipbuilding, auto-maker, clothing, shoe-making, and furniture, in which various parts are cut off from a stock or stocks while minimizing the wastes or maximizing the utilization of the stock. Berth allocation at seaside is also considered one form of two dimensional nesting problems, in which a ship is assigned a location for service during a certain time slot. This paper presents an expert system using a heuristic search method for nesting problems. The parts and stocks are represented by pixels with which utility function is used to evaluate current state in search tree. The system is developed in CLIPS, an expert system shell and applied to various example problems with different constraints and to a berth allocation example to illustrate its applicability under different conditions.展开更多
The high-pressure phase diagram of the Nb-Ti binary system at 0 K is explored by systematic crystal structure prediction.The results highlight a novel niobium-rich bcc phase,Nb_(7)Ti,which is the only dynamically stab...The high-pressure phase diagram of the Nb-Ti binary system at 0 K is explored by systematic crystal structure prediction.The results highlight a novel niobium-rich bcc phase,Nb_(7)Ti,which is the only dynamically stable ordered Nb-Ti compound under ambient pressure.Extensive first-principles calculations have provided insights into the electronic structure,bonding and superconducting properties of Nb_(7)Ti.The superconducting transition temperature(T_(c))for Nb_(7)Ti at ambient pressure is estimated within the framework of BCS theory to be about 17.5 K,which is significantly higher—nearly double—that of the widely utilized NbTi alloy.Furthermore,the results unveil that the high T_(c) is mainly attributed to the unique ordered lattice along with the strong electron-phonon coupling driven by interatomic interactions at mid-frequency and phonon softening induced by low-frequency Fermi surface nesting.Valuable insights are provided for the subsequent synthesis of application-oriented superconductors at low pressure.展开更多
The nesting problem involves arranging pieces on a plate to maximize use of material. A new scheme for 2D ir- regular-shaped nesting problem is proposed. The new scheme is based on the NFP (No Fit Polygon) algorithm a...The nesting problem involves arranging pieces on a plate to maximize use of material. A new scheme for 2D ir- regular-shaped nesting problem is proposed. The new scheme is based on the NFP (No Fit Polygon) algorithm and a new placement principle for pieces. The novel placement principle is to place a piece to the position with lowest gravity center based on NFP. In addition, genetic algorithm (GA) is adopted to find an efficient nesting sequence. The proposed scheme can deal with pieces with arbitrary rotation and containing region with holes, and achieves competitive results in experiment on benchmark datasets.展开更多
The common blackbird Turdus merula is one of the most highly urbanized bird species. However, to date, the use of anthropogenic structures as nesting sites in the common blackbird is rarely documented, and the factors...The common blackbird Turdus merula is one of the most highly urbanized bird species. However, to date, the use of anthropogenic structures as nesting sites in the common blackbird is rarely documented, and the factors influencing its use of the anthropogenic structures as nesting sites remain unclear. In this study, we systematically quantified and determined the factors in- fluencing the use of anthropogenie structures as nesting sites in common blackbirds in a highly urbanized city of Hangzhou, Chi- na. We searched for nests of common blackbirds during four breeding seasons from 2010 to 2013. Among the 60 nests found, 34 nests were in anthropogenic structures such as wall ledges, air condition mounts, window canopies, cable poles, guardrails, eaves, balcony frames, flowerpots and flower shelves on balconies. We found that the available anthropogenic nest sites and the availa- ble nesting trees were main factors determining the use of anthropogenic structures as nesting sites in common blackbirds. In ur- ban environments, the amount of available anthropogenic nesting sites increased significantly, whereas the number of natural nesting sites reduced greatly. Our results suggest that common blackbirds can adjust their nest sites in response to urbanization and such nesting behavior shifts may aid them to colonize urban environments. From a management viewpoint, our results indi- cate that behavioral flexibility should be taken into account for effective urban wildlife management and conservation展开更多
Egg discrimination by cavity-nesting birds that build nests under dim light conditions was presumed to depend on nest luminance,although this hypothesis has rarely been tested.Tests of egg discrimination ability by ca...Egg discrimination by cavity-nesting birds that build nests under dim light conditions was presumed to depend on nest luminance,although this hypothesis has rarely been tested.Tests of egg discrimination ability by cavity-nesting tits under dim light conditions may reveal the selection pressure from brood parasitism that they encounter under natural interactions.We manipulated the intensity of luminance of nests of the Green-backed Tit(Parus monticolus),a potential cuckoo host that possesses a strong discrimination ability of non-mimetic foreign eggs.We performed experiments to test their egg discrimination ability under different light conditions.Our results showed that Green-backed Tits discriminate against non-mimetic foreign eggs under normal light conditions in nest boxes,and this ability persisted at nest luminance as low as 4.78±1.31 lux that is several times lower than normal luminance(38.11±24.02 lux).However,egg discrimination by Green-backed Tits disappeared when nest luminance was reduced to a minimum of 0.35±0.15 lux.The latter value represents total darkness for humans.The present study shows that nest luminance plays a key role in egg discrimination by Green-backed Tits that build nests under dim light conditions.This study provides strong experimental evidence for nest illumination altering egg rejection behavior in cavity-nesting birds.展开更多
We present a new algorithm for nesting problems.Many equally spaced points are set on a sheet,and a piece is moved to one of the points and rotated by an angle.Both the point and the rotation angle constitute the pack...We present a new algorithm for nesting problems.Many equally spaced points are set on a sheet,and a piece is moved to one of the points and rotated by an angle.Both the point and the rotation angle constitute the packing attitude of the piece.We propose a new algorithm named HAPE(Heuristic Algorithm based on the principle of minimum total Potential Energy) to find the optimal packing attitude at which the piece has the lowest center of gravity.In addition,a new technique for polygon overlap testing is proposed which avoids the time-consuming calculation of no-fit-polygon(NFP).The detailed implementation of HAPE is presented and two computational experiments are described.The first experiment is based on a real industrial problem and the second on 11 published benchmark problems.Using a hill-climbing(HC) search method,the proposed algorithm performs well in comparison with other published solutions.展开更多
Background: Nest sanitation behavior is one of the most important means to ensure high reproductive efficiency. In avian brood parasitism, nest sanitation behavior may be a pre-adaptation of host birds that allows the...Background: Nest sanitation behavior is one of the most important means to ensure high reproductive efficiency. In avian brood parasitism, nest sanitation behavior may be a pre-adaptation of host birds that allows them to identify the parasitic eggs, so that egg discrimination behavior may have evolved from nest sanitation behavior. However, whether nest sanitation behavior could improve egg rejection in cuckoo hosts was inconclusive.Methods: In this study, we investigated the relationship between nest sanitation and egg discrimination behavior in a potential cuckoo host, the Brown-breasted Bulbul(Pycnonotus xanthorrhous) with two experimental groups. In the first group, we added a blue, non-mimetic egg to the nest of the host, while in the second group we added a blue, non-mimetic egg and a peanut half-shell.Results: The results showed that in the first group, the probability of rejecting the non-mimetic eggs was 53.8%(n = 26 nests). In comparison, all of the Brown-breasted Bulbuls in the second group were able to rapidly remove the peanut shells from the nest, but only 52.6%(n = 19 nests) rejected the non-mimetic eggs. The rejection rates of the non-mimetic eggs in both experimental groups were not significantly different.Conclusions: Our study indicated that nest sanitation behavior of Brown-breasted Bulbuls did not influence their egg recognition and that egg discrimination ability of Brown-breasted Bulbuls was not directly related to nest sanitation behavior.展开更多
The quality of a breeding site may have major fitness consequences.A fundamental step to understanding the process of nest-site selection is the identification of the information individuals use to choose high-quality...The quality of a breeding site may have major fitness consequences.A fundamental step to understanding the process of nest-site selection is the identification of the information individuals use to choose high-quality nest sites.For secondary cavity-nesting bird species that do not add nest lining material,organic remains (faeces,pellets)accumulated inside nest cavities during previous breeding events may be a cue for high-quality nest-sites,as they contain information about past successful breeding and may improve thermal insulation of eggs during incubation.However,cavities in which breeding was successful might also contain more nest-dwelling ectoparasites than unoccupied cavities, offering an incentive for prospective parents to avoid them.We exposed breeding cavity-nesting lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni)to nestbox dyads consisting of a dirty (with a thick layer of organic substrate) and a clean nestbox (without organic material).Dirty nestboxes were strongly preferred,being occupied earlier and more frequently than clean ones.Hatching success in dirty nestboxes was significantly higher than in clean ones,suggesting a positive effect of organic nest material on incubation efficiency, while nestbox dirtiness did not significantly affect clutch and brood size.Nestlings from dirty nestboxes had significantly higher ectoparasite load than those from clean nestboxes soon after egg hatching,but this difference was not evident a few days later.Nest substrate did not significantly affect nestling growth.We concluded that nest substrate is a key driver of nest-site choice in lesser kestrels,although the adaptive value of such a strong preference appears elusive and may be context-dependent.展开更多
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)equipped with uniform linear array has been applied to multiple emitters localization.Meanwhile,nested linear array enables to enhance localization resolution and achieve under-determined D...Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)equipped with uniform linear array has been applied to multiple emitters localization.Meanwhile,nested linear array enables to enhance localization resolution and achieve under-determined Direction of Arrival(DOA)estimation.In this paper,we propose a new system structure for emitters localization that combines the UAV with nested linear array,which is capable of significantly increasing the positioning accuracy of interested targets.Specifically,a localization scheme is designed to obtain the paired two-dimensional DOA(2D-DOA,i.e.azimuth and elevation angles)estimates of emitters by nested linear array with UAV.Furthermore,we propose an improved DOA estimation algorithm for emitters localization that utilizes Discrete Fourier Transform(DFT)method to obtain coarse DOA estimates,subsequently,achieve the fine DOA estimates by sparse representation.The proposed algorithm has lower computational complexity because the coarse DOA estimates enable to shrink the range of over-complete dictionary of sparse representation.In addition,compared to traditional uniform linear array,improved 2D-DOA estimation performance of emitters can be obtained with a nested linear array.Extensive simulation results testify the effectiveness of the proposed method.展开更多
Nest survival is a vital component of breeding success,and affects population dynamics,as the loss of nests is the main cause of reproductive failure in birds.To identify key factors for the conservation of Chinese gr...Nest survival is a vital component of breeding success,and affects population dynamics,as the loss of nests is the main cause of reproductive failure in birds.To identify key factors for the conservation of Chinese grouse Tetrastes sewerzowi,we tested the effects of nest concealment,nest age,nesting season,and habitat edge on nest daily survival rate(DSR)of Chinese grouse using 54 nests found at Lianhuashan Nature Reserve,Gansu,China,2009-2012.Moreover,we controlled for the effect of research activity by testing the effect of nest checks on DSR.Overall,mammal predation caused 93%of nest failures.DSR was 0.986±0.0038 in the constant model and the probability of a nest with a full clutch of 6 eggs surviving the entire 40-day nesting period was 0.526±0.090.DSR decreased with nest age and nesting season(from 19 May to 3 July).Mammals instead of avian predators being responsible for most nest failures suggest that nest sites might be selected to avoid visual avian predators,but not olfactory mammalian predators,and the decreasing trend of DSR with nest age and nesting season could attribute to an additive exposure effect.Moreover,nest checks conducted by investigators significantly lowered nest DSR,especially during the late period of nesting season and for older nests.Mammalian predators might locate the nest site by following the investigator's odor.Based on our results,we suggest that the late incubation stage is a particularly vulnerable period for nest survival of Chinese grouse and those researchers should adjust their activities around nests to balance the need of acquiring accurate data and decreasing nest predation risk.展开更多
Grey heron (Ardea cimerca) is one kind of the great birds which are often seen in the northeast marsh area of P.R.China, and there are many grey herons to reproduce in Zhalong Nature Reserve from March to August annua...Grey heron (Ardea cimerca) is one kind of the great birds which are often seen in the northeast marsh area of P.R.China, and there are many grey herons to reproduce in Zhalong Nature Reserve from March to August annually. In this paper, through the inveingation of the grey herons nesting habitat and according to the water depth, vegetation type, cover density and plan heigh of the nesting place, the grey heron’s nesting habitat suitability index medes are established. The main model is s=(s1xs2xs3xs4)1/4,where s1 is the water depth suitability index, s2 is the vegetation type suitability index, s3 is the cover density index, sa is the plant height suitability index. These models provide a kind of reliable method for evaluating the habitat quality of the grey heron’s nesting.展开更多
Urbanization induced by human activities presents both challenges and adaptive opportunities for wildlife.One notable impact of urban sprawl is the vast amount of waste it produces,which has discernible effects on wil...Urbanization induced by human activities presents both challenges and adaptive opportunities for wildlife.One notable impact of urban sprawl is the vast amount of waste it produces,which has discernible effects on wildlife.Interestingly,an emerging trend has been observed that birds are incorporating anthropogenic materials into their nests.However,the relationship between anthropogenic nesting materials(ANMs)and the reproductive performance of urban birds is unclear.In this study,we investigated the relationship between the incorporation of ANMs into nests and the reproductive performance of Chinese Bulbuls(Pycnonotus sinensis)by monitoring and collecting data on 136 breeding nests in Hangzhou,China.We gathered data on seven reproductive traits of Chinese Bulbuls,including laying date,incubation period,nestling period,clutch size,egg volume,hatching success rate,and fledging success rate.We then calculated the urbanization synthetic index as a measure of the level of urbanization and examined its relationship with the proportion and weight of ANMs.Through examination of nest components,we observed significant increase in the proportion and weight of ANMs with the urbanization synthetic index.Notably,we found a higher hatching success rate of Chinese Bulbuls with an increasing proportion of ANMs.However,the inclusion of ANMs in nests was not correlated with other reproductive traits of Chinese Bulbuls.Overall,the use of ANMs by Chinese Bulbuls is consistent with the adaptive hypothesis and the availability hypothesis.Further studies should use controlled experiments to investigate the impact of ANMs on avian reproductive success.展开更多
This study assessed the nesting patterns of raptors, Gyps africanus and Haliaeetus vocifer in Lochinvar National Park. The main objective of the study was to determine whether tree species, height, girth size, and hab...This study assessed the nesting patterns of raptors, Gyps africanus and Haliaeetus vocifer in Lochinvar National Park. The main objective of the study was to determine whether tree species, height, girth size, and habitat influenced raptor’s nest placement within Lochinvar National Park. Two species were selected as indicator species for the raptors. Habitat types and tree species were identified and measurements of tree species with nests measured. It was found that the minimum height of nest placement was 10 meters above ground and Acacia woodland was found to be the most preferred habitat for nest placement. Raptors avoided human disturbance by placing their nests at least 100 meters away from human disturbance and from the National park boundary inwards or abandoning if human encroachment comes close to the nest. More research is required to assess nesting materials used, and to determine whether raptors can swap nets or return to the abandoned nests when human disturbance ceases.展开更多
Climate change and land use change pose a threat to the world’s biodiversity and have significant impacts on the geographic distribution and composition of many bird species,but little is known about how they affect ...Climate change and land use change pose a threat to the world’s biodiversity and have significant impacts on the geographic distribution and composition of many bird species,but little is known about how they affect threatened large-sized waterbird species that rely on agricultural landscapes.To address this gap,we investigated how climate and land use changes influence the distribution and nesting habitats of the globally vulnerable Lesser Adjutant(Leptoptilos javanicus) in Nepal.Between 2012 and 2023,we collected distribution data from 24 districts and nesting site information from 18 districts.In a nation-wide breeding survey conducted in 2020,we documented a total of 581 fledglings from 346 nests in 109 colonies.The ensemble model predicted a current potential distribution of 15%(21,637 km2) and a potential nesting habitat of 13%(19,651 km2) for the species in Nepal.The highest predicted current suitable distribution and nesting habitat was in Madhesh Province,while none was predicted in Karnali Province.The majority of this predicted distributional and nesting habitat falls on agricultural landscapes(>70%).Our model showed a likely range expansion of up to 15%(21,573 km2) for the distribution and up to 12%(17,482 km2) for the nesting habitat under SSP5-8.5 scenarios for the 2070s.The range expansion is expected to occur mainly within the current distribution and breeding range(Tarai and some regions of Siwalk),particularly in Lumbini and Sudurpashchim provinces,and extend to the northern portions(Siwalik and Mid-hill regions) in other provinces.However,the current Protected Areas and Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas are inadequate for providing optimal habitats for the species.Although the model suggests range expansion,the use of such novel habitats is primarily contingent on the availability and protection of large-sized trees(particularly Bombax ceiba,observed in 65% of colonies) in agricultural regions where nesting occurs.Therefore,our research suggests that agricultural landscapes should be prioritized in management plans for the conservation of the Lesser Adjutant in Nepal.展开更多
文摘This review article provides a comprehensive analysis of nesting optimization algorithms in the shipbuilding industry,emphasizing their role in improving material utilization,minimizing waste,and enhancing production efficiency.The shipbuilding process involves the complex cutting and arrangement of steel plates,making the optimization of these operations vital for cost-effectiveness and sustainability.Nesting algorithms are broadly classified into four categories:exact,heuristic,metaheuristic,and hybrid.Exact algorithms ensure optimal solutions but are computationally demanding.In contrast,heuristic algorithms deliver quicker results using practical rules,although they may not consistently achieve optimal outcomes.Metaheuristic algorithms combine multiple heuristics to effectively explore solution spaces,striking a balance between solution quality and computational efficiency.Hybrid algorithms integrate the strengths of different approaches to further enhance performance.This review systematically assesses these algorithms using criteria such as material dimensions,part geometry,component layout,and computational efficiency.The findings highlight the significant potential of advanced nesting techniques to improve material utilization,reduce production costs,and promote sustainable practices in shipbuilding.By adopting suitable nesting solutions,shipbuilders can achieve greater efficiency,optimized resource management,and superior overall performance.Future research directions should focus on integrating machine learning and real-time adaptability to further enhance nesting algorithms,paving the way for smarter,more sustainable manufacturing practices in the shipbuilding industry.
基金Supported by the National Key Technology and Equipment Project of the 10th Five-Year Plan (ZZ02-03-03-01)
文摘According to the cutting stock problem of 2-dimensional shapes, a nesting system （NS） based on hybrid genetic algorithm （HGA） is established. The system optimizes the sequence and angles of polygons with hybrid Genetic Algorithm to accomplish the superior solution. It nests the irregular shape directly without covering irregular shapes with a rectangle. It also improves the decoding strategy of 2-dimensional shapes nesting based on the classical bottom-left strategy, makes the new strategy be universal to convex polygons, concave polygons and line-circular composted polygons.
基金the State Assignment,project 075-00347-19-00(Patterns of the spatiotemporal dynamics of meadow and forest ecosystems in mountainous areas(Russian Western and Central Caucasus)WWF's‘Save the Forest-Home of Raptors’project(2020-2022).
文摘Abiotic factors play an important role in species localisation,but biotic and anthropogenic predictors must also be considered in distribution modelling for models to be biologically meaningful.In this study,we formalised the biotic predictors of nesting sites for four threatened Caucasian vultures by including species distribution models(wild ungulates,nesting tree species)as biotic layers in the vulture Maxent models.Maxent was applied in the R dismo package and the best set of the model parameters were defined in the R ENMeval package.Performance metrics were continuous Boyce index,Akaike's information criterion,the area under receiver operating curve and true skill statistics.We also calculated and evaluated the null models.Kernel density estimation method was applied to assess the overlap of vulture ecological niches in the environmental space.The accessibility of anthropogenic food resources was estimated using the Path Distance measure that considers elevation gradient.The availability of pine forests(Scots Pine)and wild ungulates(Alpine Chamois and Caucasian Goat)contributed the most(29.6%and 34.3%)to Cinereous Vulture(Aegypius monachus)nesting site model.Wild ungulate distribution also contributed significantly(about 46%)to the Bearded Vulture(Gypaetus barbatus)model.This scavenger nests in the highlands of the Caucasus at a minimum distance of 5–10 km from anthropogenic facilities.In contrast,livestock as a food source was most important in colony distribution of Griffon Vulture(Gyps fulvus).The contribution of distances to settlements and agricultural facilities to the model was 45%.The optimal distance from Egyptian Vulture(Neophron percnopterus)nesting sites to settlements was only 3–10 km,to livestock facilities no more than 15 km with the factor contribution of about 57%.Excluding the wild ungulate availability,the ecological niches of studied vultures overlapped significantly.Despite similar foraging and nesting requirements,Caucasian vultures are not pronounced nesting and trophic competitors due to the abundance of nesting sites,anthropogenic food sources and successful niche sharing.
文摘Nesting is a common problem in industries such as shipbuilding, auto-maker, clothing, shoe-making, and furniture, in which various parts are cut off from a stock or stocks while minimizing the wastes or maximizing the utilization of the stock. Berth allocation at seaside is also considered one form of two dimensional nesting problems, in which a ship is assigned a location for service during a certain time slot. This paper presents an expert system using a heuristic search method for nesting problems. The parts and stocks are represented by pixels with which utility function is used to evaluate current state in search tree. The system is developed in CLIPS, an expert system shell and applied to various example problems with different constraints and to a berth allocation example to illustrate its applicability under different conditions.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12122405,12274169,and 11574109)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities。
文摘The high-pressure phase diagram of the Nb-Ti binary system at 0 K is explored by systematic crystal structure prediction.The results highlight a novel niobium-rich bcc phase,Nb_(7)Ti,which is the only dynamically stable ordered Nb-Ti compound under ambient pressure.Extensive first-principles calculations have provided insights into the electronic structure,bonding and superconducting properties of Nb_(7)Ti.The superconducting transition temperature(T_(c))for Nb_(7)Ti at ambient pressure is estimated within the framework of BCS theory to be about 17.5 K,which is significantly higher—nearly double—that of the widely utilized NbTi alloy.Furthermore,the results unveil that the high T_(c) is mainly attributed to the unique ordered lattice along with the strong electron-phonon coupling driven by interatomic interactions at mid-frequency and phonon softening induced by low-frequency Fermi surface nesting.Valuable insights are provided for the subsequent synthesis of application-oriented superconductors at low pressure.
基金Project (No. 60573146) supported by the National Natural ScienceFoundation of China
文摘The nesting problem involves arranging pieces on a plate to maximize use of material. A new scheme for 2D ir- regular-shaped nesting problem is proposed. The new scheme is based on the NFP (No Fit Polygon) algorithm and a new placement principle for pieces. The novel placement principle is to place a piece to the position with lowest gravity center based on NFP. In addition, genetic algorithm (GA) is adopted to find an efficient nesting sequence. The proposed scheme can deal with pieces with arbitrary rotation and containing region with holes, and achieves competitive results in experiment on benchmark datasets.
基金Acknowledgements We thank Dr. Jukka Jokimaki, Karl Evans and three anonymous referees for helpful comments on the manuscript. We are grateful to many people for kindly reporting the anthropogenic nests of blackbirds and providing help during the study. This study was supported by the Na- tional Natural Science Foundation of China （31071908, 31100394） and the Project-sponsored by SRF for ROCS, SEM （J20130585）.
文摘The common blackbird Turdus merula is one of the most highly urbanized bird species. However, to date, the use of anthropogenic structures as nesting sites in the common blackbird is rarely documented, and the factors influencing its use of the anthropogenic structures as nesting sites remain unclear. In this study, we systematically quantified and determined the factors in- fluencing the use of anthropogenie structures as nesting sites in common blackbirds in a highly urbanized city of Hangzhou, Chi- na. We searched for nests of common blackbirds during four breeding seasons from 2010 to 2013. Among the 60 nests found, 34 nests were in anthropogenic structures such as wall ledges, air condition mounts, window canopies, cable poles, guardrails, eaves, balcony frames, flowerpots and flower shelves on balconies. We found that the available anthropogenic nest sites and the availa- ble nesting trees were main factors determining the use of anthropogenic structures as nesting sites in common blackbirds. In ur- ban environments, the amount of available anthropogenic nesting sites increased significantly, whereas the number of natural nesting sites reduced greatly. Our results suggest that common blackbirds can adjust their nest sites in response to urbanization and such nesting behavior shifts may aid them to colonize urban environments. From a management viewpoint, our results indi- cate that behavioral flexibility should be taken into account for effective urban wildlife management and conservation
基金supported by the Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (No.320CXTD437 and 2019RC189 to CY)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.31772453 and 31970427 to WL)
文摘Egg discrimination by cavity-nesting birds that build nests under dim light conditions was presumed to depend on nest luminance,although this hypothesis has rarely been tested.Tests of egg discrimination ability by cavity-nesting tits under dim light conditions may reveal the selection pressure from brood parasitism that they encounter under natural interactions.We manipulated the intensity of luminance of nests of the Green-backed Tit(Parus monticolus),a potential cuckoo host that possesses a strong discrimination ability of non-mimetic foreign eggs.We performed experiments to test their egg discrimination ability under different light conditions.Our results showed that Green-backed Tits discriminate against non-mimetic foreign eggs under normal light conditions in nest boxes,and this ability persisted at nest luminance as low as 4.78±1.31 lux that is several times lower than normal luminance(38.11±24.02 lux).However,egg discrimination by Green-backed Tits disappeared when nest luminance was reduced to a minimum of 0.35±0.15 lux.The latter value represents total darkness for humans.The present study shows that nest luminance plays a key role in egg discrimination by Green-backed Tits that build nests under dim light conditions.This study provides strong experimental evidence for nest illumination altering egg rejection behavior in cavity-nesting birds.
文摘We present a new algorithm for nesting problems.Many equally spaced points are set on a sheet,and a piece is moved to one of the points and rotated by an angle.Both the point and the rotation angle constitute the packing attitude of the piece.We propose a new algorithm named HAPE(Heuristic Algorithm based on the principle of minimum total Potential Energy) to find the optimal packing attitude at which the piece has the lowest center of gravity.In addition,a new technique for polygon overlap testing is proposed which avoids the time-consuming calculation of no-fit-polygon(NFP).The detailed implementation of HAPE is presented and two computational experiments are described.The first experiment is based on a real industrial problem and the second on 11 published benchmark problems.Using a hill-climbing(HC) search method,the proposed algorithm performs well in comparison with other published solutions.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.31672303 to CY,31472013 and 31772453 to WL)
文摘Background: Nest sanitation behavior is one of the most important means to ensure high reproductive efficiency. In avian brood parasitism, nest sanitation behavior may be a pre-adaptation of host birds that allows them to identify the parasitic eggs, so that egg discrimination behavior may have evolved from nest sanitation behavior. However, whether nest sanitation behavior could improve egg rejection in cuckoo hosts was inconclusive.Methods: In this study, we investigated the relationship between nest sanitation and egg discrimination behavior in a potential cuckoo host, the Brown-breasted Bulbul(Pycnonotus xanthorrhous) with two experimental groups. In the first group, we added a blue, non-mimetic egg to the nest of the host, while in the second group we added a blue, non-mimetic egg and a peanut half-shell.Results: The results showed that in the first group, the probability of rejecting the non-mimetic eggs was 53.8%(n = 26 nests). In comparison, all of the Brown-breasted Bulbuls in the second group were able to rapidly remove the peanut shells from the nest, but only 52.6%(n = 19 nests) rejected the non-mimetic eggs. The rejection rates of the non-mimetic eggs in both experimental groups were not significantly different.Conclusions: Our study indicated that nest sanitation behavior of Brown-breasted Bulbuls did not influence their egg recognition and that egg discrimination ability of Brown-breasted Bulbuls was not directly related to nest sanitation behavior.
文摘The quality of a breeding site may have major fitness consequences.A fundamental step to understanding the process of nest-site selection is the identification of the information individuals use to choose high-quality nest sites.For secondary cavity-nesting bird species that do not add nest lining material,organic remains (faeces,pellets)accumulated inside nest cavities during previous breeding events may be a cue for high-quality nest-sites,as they contain information about past successful breeding and may improve thermal insulation of eggs during incubation.However,cavities in which breeding was successful might also contain more nest-dwelling ectoparasites than unoccupied cavities, offering an incentive for prospective parents to avoid them.We exposed breeding cavity-nesting lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni)to nestbox dyads consisting of a dirty (with a thick layer of organic substrate) and a clean nestbox (without organic material).Dirty nestboxes were strongly preferred,being occupied earlier and more frequently than clean ones.Hatching success in dirty nestboxes was significantly higher than in clean ones,suggesting a positive effect of organic nest material on incubation efficiency, while nestbox dirtiness did not significantly affect clutch and brood size.Nestlings from dirty nestboxes had significantly higher ectoparasite load than those from clean nestboxes soon after egg hatching,but this difference was not evident a few days later.Nest substrate did not significantly affect nestling growth.We concluded that nest substrate is a key driver of nest-site choice in lesser kestrels,although the adaptive value of such a strong preference appears elusive and may be context-dependent.
基金Postgraduate Research&Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province(SJCX18_0103,KYCX18_0293)China NSF Grants(61371169,61601167,61601504)+2 种基金Jiangsu NSF(BK20161489)the open research fund of State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Waves,Southeast University(No.K201826)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(NO.NE2017103).
文摘Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)equipped with uniform linear array has been applied to multiple emitters localization.Meanwhile,nested linear array enables to enhance localization resolution and achieve under-determined Direction of Arrival(DOA)estimation.In this paper,we propose a new system structure for emitters localization that combines the UAV with nested linear array,which is capable of significantly increasing the positioning accuracy of interested targets.Specifically,a localization scheme is designed to obtain the paired two-dimensional DOA(2D-DOA,i.e.azimuth and elevation angles)estimates of emitters by nested linear array with UAV.Furthermore,we propose an improved DOA estimation algorithm for emitters localization that utilizes Discrete Fourier Transform(DFT)method to obtain coarse DOA estimates,subsequently,achieve the fine DOA estimates by sparse representation.The proposed algorithm has lower computational complexity because the coarse DOA estimates enable to shrink the range of over-complete dictionary of sparse representation.In addition,compared to traditional uniform linear array,improved 2D-DOA estimation performance of emitters can be obtained with a nested linear array.Extensive simulation results testify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
基金This research is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Project 31520103903,31172099).
文摘Nest survival is a vital component of breeding success,and affects population dynamics,as the loss of nests is the main cause of reproductive failure in birds.To identify key factors for the conservation of Chinese grouse Tetrastes sewerzowi,we tested the effects of nest concealment,nest age,nesting season,and habitat edge on nest daily survival rate(DSR)of Chinese grouse using 54 nests found at Lianhuashan Nature Reserve,Gansu,China,2009-2012.Moreover,we controlled for the effect of research activity by testing the effect of nest checks on DSR.Overall,mammal predation caused 93%of nest failures.DSR was 0.986±0.0038 in the constant model and the probability of a nest with a full clutch of 6 eggs surviving the entire 40-day nesting period was 0.526±0.090.DSR decreased with nest age and nesting season(from 19 May to 3 July).Mammals instead of avian predators being responsible for most nest failures suggest that nest sites might be selected to avoid visual avian predators,but not olfactory mammalian predators,and the decreasing trend of DSR with nest age and nesting season could attribute to an additive exposure effect.Moreover,nest checks conducted by investigators significantly lowered nest DSR,especially during the late period of nesting season and for older nests.Mammalian predators might locate the nest site by following the investigator's odor.Based on our results,we suggest that the late incubation stage is a particularly vulnerable period for nest survival of Chinese grouse and those researchers should adjust their activities around nests to balance the need of acquiring accurate data and decreasing nest predation risk.
文摘Grey heron (Ardea cimerca) is one kind of the great birds which are often seen in the northeast marsh area of P.R.China, and there are many grey herons to reproduce in Zhalong Nature Reserve from March to August annually. In this paper, through the inveingation of the grey herons nesting habitat and according to the water depth, vegetation type, cover density and plan heigh of the nesting place, the grey heron’s nesting habitat suitability index medes are established. The main model is s=(s1xs2xs3xs4)1/4,where s1 is the water depth suitability index, s2 is the vegetation type suitability index, s3 is the cover density index, sa is the plant height suitability index. These models provide a kind of reliable method for evaluating the habitat quality of the grey heron’s nesting.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32271743,31071908).
文摘Urbanization induced by human activities presents both challenges and adaptive opportunities for wildlife.One notable impact of urban sprawl is the vast amount of waste it produces,which has discernible effects on wildlife.Interestingly,an emerging trend has been observed that birds are incorporating anthropogenic materials into their nests.However,the relationship between anthropogenic nesting materials(ANMs)and the reproductive performance of urban birds is unclear.In this study,we investigated the relationship between the incorporation of ANMs into nests and the reproductive performance of Chinese Bulbuls(Pycnonotus sinensis)by monitoring and collecting data on 136 breeding nests in Hangzhou,China.We gathered data on seven reproductive traits of Chinese Bulbuls,including laying date,incubation period,nestling period,clutch size,egg volume,hatching success rate,and fledging success rate.We then calculated the urbanization synthetic index as a measure of the level of urbanization and examined its relationship with the proportion and weight of ANMs.Through examination of nest components,we observed significant increase in the proportion and weight of ANMs with the urbanization synthetic index.Notably,we found a higher hatching success rate of Chinese Bulbuls with an increasing proportion of ANMs.However,the inclusion of ANMs in nests was not correlated with other reproductive traits of Chinese Bulbuls.Overall,the use of ANMs by Chinese Bulbuls is consistent with the adaptive hypothesis and the availability hypothesis.Further studies should use controlled experiments to investigate the impact of ANMs on avian reproductive success.
文摘This study assessed the nesting patterns of raptors, Gyps africanus and Haliaeetus vocifer in Lochinvar National Park. The main objective of the study was to determine whether tree species, height, girth size, and habitat influenced raptor’s nest placement within Lochinvar National Park. Two species were selected as indicator species for the raptors. Habitat types and tree species were identified and measurements of tree species with nests measured. It was found that the minimum height of nest placement was 10 meters above ground and Acacia woodland was found to be the most preferred habitat for nest placement. Raptors avoided human disturbance by placing their nests at least 100 meters away from human disturbance and from the National park boundary inwards or abandoning if human encroachment comes close to the nest. More research is required to assess nesting materials used, and to determine whether raptors can swap nets or return to the abandoned nests when human disturbance ceases.
基金This work has been supported by CAS-SEABRI(Y4ZK111B01)In-ternational Science,and Technology Commissioner of Yunnan Province(202203AK140027)+2 种基金Yunnan Province Science and Technology Depart-ment(202203AP140007)Rufford Small Grants Foundation(31372-2)Tribhuvan University National Priority Area Research Grant(TU-NPAR-2078/79-ERG-04)。
文摘Climate change and land use change pose a threat to the world’s biodiversity and have significant impacts on the geographic distribution and composition of many bird species,but little is known about how they affect threatened large-sized waterbird species that rely on agricultural landscapes.To address this gap,we investigated how climate and land use changes influence the distribution and nesting habitats of the globally vulnerable Lesser Adjutant(Leptoptilos javanicus) in Nepal.Between 2012 and 2023,we collected distribution data from 24 districts and nesting site information from 18 districts.In a nation-wide breeding survey conducted in 2020,we documented a total of 581 fledglings from 346 nests in 109 colonies.The ensemble model predicted a current potential distribution of 15%(21,637 km2) and a potential nesting habitat of 13%(19,651 km2) for the species in Nepal.The highest predicted current suitable distribution and nesting habitat was in Madhesh Province,while none was predicted in Karnali Province.The majority of this predicted distributional and nesting habitat falls on agricultural landscapes(>70%).Our model showed a likely range expansion of up to 15%(21,573 km2) for the distribution and up to 12%(17,482 km2) for the nesting habitat under SSP5-8.5 scenarios for the 2070s.The range expansion is expected to occur mainly within the current distribution and breeding range(Tarai and some regions of Siwalk),particularly in Lumbini and Sudurpashchim provinces,and extend to the northern portions(Siwalik and Mid-hill regions) in other provinces.However,the current Protected Areas and Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas are inadequate for providing optimal habitats for the species.Although the model suggests range expansion,the use of such novel habitats is primarily contingent on the availability and protection of large-sized trees(particularly Bombax ceiba,observed in 65% of colonies) in agricultural regions where nesting occurs.Therefore,our research suggests that agricultural landscapes should be prioritized in management plans for the conservation of the Lesser Adjutant in Nepal.
