Thomas Ruf
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View article: Telomere length, hibernation, and cognitive function in young edible dormice (Glis glis)
Telomere length, hibernation, and cognitive function in young edible dormice (Glis glis) Open
Telomeres protect chromosomes from damage and shortening during cell division and are suggested to relate to aging and cognitive performance. Hibernating species, such as the edible dormouse ( Glis glis ), exhibit remarkable telomere plast…
View article: Separability and Submetrizability in Locally Convex Spaces
Separability and Submetrizability in Locally Convex Spaces Open
We introduce the property of countable separation for a locally convex Hausdorff space $X$ and relate it to the existence of a metrizable coarser topology. Building on this, we demonstrate how the separability of $X$ is equivalent to the e…
View article: Classification of behaviour with low-frequency accelerometers in female wild boar
Classification of behaviour with low-frequency accelerometers in female wild boar Open
Accelerometers with low sampling rates (1 Hz) are commercially available as ear tags. While an automated and therefore undisturbed sampling of animal behaviour can be useful not only in behavioural studies but also in ecological or wildlif…
View article: Small energy benefits of in-wake flying in long-duration migratory flights
Small energy benefits of in-wake flying in long-duration migratory flights Open
During long-distance migrations, some bird species make use of in-wake flying, which should allow them to profit from the upwash produced by another bird. While indirect evidence supports energy saving as the primary benefit of in-wake fly…
View article: No negative effects of intra-abdominal bio-logger implantation under general anaesthesia on spatial cognition learning in a hibernator the edible dormouse
No negative effects of intra-abdominal bio-logger implantation under general anaesthesia on spatial cognition learning in a hibernator the edible dormouse Open
The effect of hibernation on cognitive capacities of individuals is not fully understood, as studies provide conflicting results. Most studies focus on behavioural observations without taking the physiological state of individuals to accou…
View article: Silencing of ultradian rhythms and metabolic depression during spontaneous daily torpor in Djungarian hamsters
Silencing of ultradian rhythms and metabolic depression during spontaneous daily torpor in Djungarian hamsters Open
Ultradian rhythms of metabolism, body temperature and activity are attenuated or disappear completely during torpor in Djungarian hamsters, for all three ultradian periodicities (UR small , UR medium and UR large ). UR small and UR medium …
View article: Filtering heart rates using data densities: The boxfilter R package
Filtering heart rates using data densities: The boxfilter R package Open
Over the past decades, there has been a growing interest in long‐term heart rate records, especially from free‐living animals. Largely, this increase is because most of the metabolic activity of tissues is based on oxygen delivery by the h…
View article: Orlicz-type Function Spaces and Generalized Gradient Flows with Degenerate Dissipation Potentials in Non-Reflexive Banach Spaces: Theory and Application
Orlicz-type Function Spaces and Generalized Gradient Flows with Degenerate Dissipation Potentials in Non-Reflexive Banach Spaces: Theory and Application Open
This thesis explores two important areas in the mathematical analysis of nonlinear partial differential equations: Generalized gradient flows and vector valued Orlicz spaces. The first part deals with the existence of strong solutions for …
View article: Long-term survival, temperature, and torpor patterns
Long-term survival, temperature, and torpor patterns Open
Mammalian and avian torpor is highly effective in reducing energy expenditure. However, the extent of energy savings achieved and thus long-term survival appear to differ between species capable of multiday hibernation and species restrict…
View article: A Review on the Edible dormouse reproduction (Glis glis Linnaeus, 1766)
A Review on the Edible dormouse reproduction (Glis glis Linnaeus, 1766) Open
The reproduction of the edible dormouse has a unique pattern. A characteristic feature of its reproductive ecology is the regular occurrence of reproductive failure years. This has been observed throughout the entire distribution range. Re…
View article: Energy expenditure and body composition in a hibernator, the alpine marmot
Energy expenditure and body composition in a hibernator, the alpine marmot Open
Visceral organs and tissues of 89 free-living alpine marmots ( Marmota marmota ) shot during a population control program in Switzerland, were collected. Between emergence from hibernation in April to July, the gastrointestinal tract (stom…
View article: Why hibernate? Predator avoidance in the edible dormouse
Why hibernate? Predator avoidance in the edible dormouse Open
We address the question of ultimate selective advantages of hibernation. Biologists generally seem to accept the notion that multiday torpor is primarily a response to adverse environmental conditions, namely cold climate and low food abun…
View article: Hypothesis and Theory: A Two-Process Model of Torpor-Arousal Regulation in Hibernators
Hypothesis and Theory: A Two-Process Model of Torpor-Arousal Regulation in Hibernators Open
Hibernating mammals drastically lower their metabolic rate (MR) and body temperature (T b ) for up to several weeks, but regularly rewarm and stay euthermic for brief periods. It has been hypothesized that the necessity for rewarming is du…
View article: Empirical Evidence for Energy Efficiency Using Intermittent Gliding Flight in Northern Bald Ibises
Empirical Evidence for Energy Efficiency Using Intermittent Gliding Flight in Northern Bald Ibises Open
Birds face exceptionally high energy demands during their flight. One visible feature of some species is alternating between flapping and gliding, which should allow them to save energy. To date, there is no empirical evidence of an energe…
View article: High accuracy prediction of behaviour with slow, low-cost accelerometers in the wild boar
High accuracy prediction of behaviour with slow, low-cost accelerometers in the wild boar Open
Background: We classified the behaviour of wild boar, kept under semi natural conditions in a large outdoor enclosure, using acceleration data. The prediction was made using a machine learning algorithm, specifically a random forest model …
View article: Non-separably valued Orlicz spaces, part I
Non-separably valued Orlicz spaces, part I Open
For a measure space $Ω$ we extend the theory of Orlicz spaces generated by an even convex integrand $φ\colon Ω\times X \to \left[ 0, \infty \right]$ to the case when the range Banach space $X$ is arbitrary. Besides settling fundamental str…
View article: An hourglass mechanism controls torpor bout length in hibernating garden dormice
An hourglass mechanism controls torpor bout length in hibernating garden dormice Open
Hibernating mammals drastically lower their rate of oxygen consumption and body temperature (Tb) for up to several weeks, but regularly rewarm and stay euthermic for brief periods (< 30 h). It has been hypothesized that these periodic a…
View article: Morphometric parameters predict body fat proportions in common hamsters
Morphometric parameters predict body fat proportions in common hamsters Open
Common hamsters (Cricetus cricetus) are hibernators that rely both on body fat reserves and food stores for the winter period. They face an ongoing population decline in most parts of their distribution and recently were classified as crit…
View article: The tarnished silver spoon? Trade‐off between prenatal growth and telomere length in wild boar
The tarnished silver spoon? Trade‐off between prenatal growth and telomere length in wild boar Open
Life‐history theory predicts a trade‐off between growth rates and lifespan, which is reflected by telomere length, a biomarker of somatic state. We investigated the correlation between telomere length and early‐life growth of wild boar pig…
View article: Temperature increase and frost decrease driving upslope elevational range shifts in Alpine grouse and hares
Temperature increase and frost decrease driving upslope elevational range shifts in Alpine grouse and hares Open
Global climate change has led to range shifts in plants and animals, thus threatening biodiversity. Latitudinal shifts have been shown to be more pronounced than elevational shifts, implying that northern range edge margins may be more cap…
View article: Stochastic homogenization of degenerate integral functionals and their Euler-Lagrange equations
Stochastic homogenization of degenerate integral functionals and their Euler-Lagrange equations Open
We prove stochastic homogenization for integral functionals defined on Sobolev spaces, where the stationary, ergodic integrand satisfies a degenerate growth condition of the form \begin{equation*} c|ξA(ω,x)|^p\leq f(ω,x,ξ)\leq |ξA(ω,x)|^p+…
View article: Atypical for northern ungulates, energy metabolism is lowest during summer in female wild boars (Sus scrofa)
Atypical for northern ungulates, energy metabolism is lowest during summer in female wild boars (Sus scrofa) Open
Typically, large ungulates show a single seasonal peak of heart rate, a proxy of energy expenditure, in early summer. Different to other large ungulates, wild boar females had peak heart rates early in the year (at ~ April, 1), which likel…
View article: Maternal effects on reproduction in the precocial European hare (Lepus europaeus)
Maternal effects on reproduction in the precocial European hare (Lepus europaeus) Open
In female mammals, reproduction, and in particular lactation, is the energetically most exigent life-history phase. Reproduction is strongly controlled by body reserves and food availability, so females with better body condition or food s…