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The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) and the gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) are top avian predators of Arctic ecosystems. Although existing monitoring efforts are well established for both species, collaboration of activities among Arctic scientists actively involved in research of large falcons in the Nearctic and Palearctic has been poorly coordinated. Here we provide the first overview of Arctic falcon monitoring sites, present trends for long-term occupancy and productivity, and summarize information describing abundance, distribution, phenology, and health of the two species. We summarize data for 24 falcon monitoring sites across the Arctic, and identify gaps in coverage for eastern Russia, the Arctic Archipelago of Canada, and East Greenland. Our results indicate that peregrine falcon and gyrfalcon populations are generally stable, and assuming that these patterns hold beyond the temporal and spatial extents of the monitoring sites, it is reasonable to suggest that breeding populations at broader scales are similarly stable. We have highlighted several challenges that preclude direct comparisons of Focal Ecosystem Components (FEC) attributes among monitoring sites, and we acknowledge that methodological problems cannot be corrected retrospectively, but could be accounted for in future monitoring. Despite these drawbacks, ample opportunity exists to establish a coordinated monitoring program for Arctic-nesting raptor species that supports CBMP goals.

Little is known about brominated flame retardant (BFR) dynamics in birds, especially large molecules such as decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209). In particular, bioaccumulation from food and transfer dynamics to eggs are poorly understood. Therefore, an input-output mass balance study of tri-decaBDEs, DBDPE and HBCDD was performed in three female peregrine falcons from a captive breeding program by analyzing their naturally contaminated food (quail, chicken (cockerels)), plasma, feces and eggs. Predominant BFRs in cockerels and quail were BDE-209 and DBDPE, as well as HBCDD in quail. The predominant BFRs found in falcon plasma were BDE-209, -153 and -183, in eggs, HBCDD, BDE-209 and -153 and in feces, BDE-209. Mean absorption efficiencies (AE) for the tetra-octabrominated BDEs ranged from 84-100% and 70% for HBCDD. The AEs for BDE-206, -207, -208 and -209 varied due to the large variability seen for feces fluxes. All egg/plasma ratios for BDEs were similar and greater than one (range 1.1-2.7), including for BDE-209, indicating efficient transfer from females to the eggs. Excretion via egg-laying was approximately 6.0-29% of the initial, pre-breeding body burden of individual penta-decaBDE congeners, (15-45% for BDE-206). HBCDD was not detected in plasma but was found in eggs, also indicating efficient transfer and excretion via eggs. Input fluxes from food exceeded the output fluxes (feces, eggs) indicating considerable metabolism for tetra-octaBDEs, possibly also for the nona-decaBDEs and HBCDD. Bioaccumulation factors calculated from lipid weight concentrations in plasma and food (BAFp) were highest for BDE-208 (31), -153 (23), -209 (19) and -207 (16) and from eggs and food (BAFe), were highest for HBCDD (140), BDE-153 (41), -208 (42), BDE-207 (24) and BDE-209 (21). BAFe and BAFp values were below 10 for BDE-47, -99 and -100. For one falcon, egg results were available from three different years and estimated half-lives were 65 d (BDE-99), 624 d (BDE-153), 31 d (BDE-154), 349 d (BDE-183), 77 d (BDE-196) and 89 d (BDE-197).

The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) and the gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) are top avian predators of Arctic ecosystems. Although existing monitoring efforts are well established for both species, collaboration of activities among Arctic scientists actively involved in research of large falcons in the Nearctic and Palearctic has been poorly coordinated. Here we provide the first overview of Arctic falcon monitoring sites, present trends for long-term occupancy and productivity, and summarize information describing abundance, distribution, phenology, and health of the two species. We summarize data for 24 falcon monitoring sites across the Arctic, and identify gaps in coverage for eastern Russia, the Arctic Archipelago of Canada, and East Greenland. Our results indicate that peregrine falcon and gyrfalcon populations are generally stable, and assuming that these patterns hold beyond the temporal and spatial extents of the monitoring sites, it is reasonable to suggest that breeding populations at broader scales are similarly stable. We have highlighted several challenges that preclude direct comparisons of Focal Ecosystem Components (FEC) attributes among monitoring sites, and we acknowledge that methodological problems cannot be corrected retrospectively, but could be accounted for in future monitoring. Despite these drawbacks, ample opportunity exists to establish a coordinated monitoring program for Arctic-nesting raptor species that supports CBMP goals. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-019-01300-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A concept for multiple-input, multiple-output antenna arrays, integrated in an ultra-thin full metal cover laptop computer, is proposed. The antennas are for octa-band wireless wide area network (WWAN) and triple-band wireless local area network (WLAN) operation. The proposed solution makes use of the gap between the metallic display lid and keyboard chassis to form notch and slot antenna arrays, thereby removing the need for additional protrusions or openings. Simulated as well as measured performance is presented. The notch antenna array for WWAN exhibits wide impedance bandwidth, with more than 24 dB isolation from 690 MHz to 3 GHz, and a total efficiency better than -2.5 dB. The slot antenna array for WLAN shows more than 12 dB isolation and a total efficiency of more than -3 dB. Both arrays exhibit a very low envelope correlation coefficient of less than 0.1 within their respective frequency bands.

A temporal trend study of brominated flame retardants in eggs from peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus peregrinus), a terrestrial bird of prey, is presented. Eggs collected between 1974 and 2007 were analyzed for the major constituents of the Penta-, Octa- and Decabromodiphenyl ether technical products (BDE-47, -99, -100, -153, -183 and -209), and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). Concentrations of BDE-99, -100, -153, -183, -209 and HBCD increased from 1974 to 2000. After the early 2000s, BDE-99, -100, -153 and -183 concentrations decreased, whereas BDE-209 and HBCD concentrations continued to increase. No temporal trend was detected for BDE-47. Rates of increase also differed, with BDE-99 and -100 increasing 3-fold between the 1980s and mid-1990s, and BDE-153 and -183 increasing approximately 10-fold during the same period. The average yearly increase was 15% and 11% for BDE-209 and HBCD, respectively, based on log-linear regression trends. There is a change in BDE congener patterns over time, with a shift from the predominance of BDE-99 and -47 until the late 1980s, to BDE-153 becoming the predominant congener later on. BFR temporal trends in Swedish peregrine falcon eggs reflect European BFR usage patterns. Keywords: Brominated flame retardants, PBDE, HBCD, Raptor, Temporal trend, Peregrine falcon

The integration of an on-chip folded dipole antenna with a monolithic 24-GHz receiver manufactured in a 0.8-mum SiGe HBT process is presented. A high-resistivity silicon substrate (1000 Omega ldr cm) is used for the implemented circuit to improve the efficiency of the integrated antenna. Crosstalk between the antenna and spiral inductors is analyzed and isolation techniques are described. The receiver, including the receive and an optional transmit antenna, requires a chip area of 4.5 mm2 and provides 30-dB conversion gain at 24 GHz with a power consumption of 960 mW.

A novel technique for enhancing the impedance bandwidth of wireless terminal antennas is presented. By introducing resonant short circuit transmission lines to the long sides of the chassis edges, an effective electrical shortening of the terminal ground plane is achieved. This effect has been used to realize terminal ground planes with resonant lengths at high frequencies, such as GSM 1800/1900 MHz or UMTS 2 GHz, thereby extending the impedance bandwidth. The proposed technique has been validated by simulations and measurements. Three typical applications are presented where the introduction of wavetraps improves the bandwidth and/or in-band performance

We compared the breeding success of Black-throated Divers Gavia arctica inside and outside bird sanctuaries with restricted public access during the incubation period in Lake Fegen-Svansjöarna and Lake Sottern, South Sweden. Both lakes held populations of approximately 15–20 pairs. At Fegen-Svansjöarna, average breeding success was 0.51 large chicks per pair and year inside and 0.27 outside the sanctuaries (field surveys in 1983—1984 and 1997—2000). The difference was not statistically significant, however, and in two out of the six study years breeding success was higher outside the bird sanctuaries. At Sottern, breeding success was 0.39 and 0.25 large chicks per pair and year inside and outside the bird sanctuary, but breeding success was higher inside the sanctuary only in four out of nine years, 1997—2005. The results from the two lakes together indicated an overall positive effect (P = 0.08). We recommend keeping a constant water-level during incubation to be the primary measure to enhance breeding success. Sanctuaries with limited access may be an additional benefit at lakes highly frequented for out-door recreation.

We investigated concentration of mercury in eggs of Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata and Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica collected in South and Central Sweden, 1981—1997. In South Sweden (Sydsvenska Höglandet), mean concentration in Red-throated Diver eggs was remarkably high (6.84 ppm dry weight, 5 pairs), or more than three times as high as in Black-throated Diver eggs (2.11 ppm dry weight, 16 pairs). In Central Sweden (Svealand), the concentration in Red-throated Diver eggs (3.04 ppm dry weight, 8 pairs) was significantly lower than in South Sweden, but still higher than in Black-throated Diver eggs (1.21 ppm dry weight, 5 pairs). In Black-throated, but not in Red-throated Diver, there was higher mercury concentrations in eggs from pairs fishing in lakes affected by acidification. We found no relationship between mercury and breeding success, although concentrations in single Red-throated Diver eggs exceeded the level associated with high risk of impaired reproduction. We recommend that mercury concentration of diver eggs should be further monitored, with reference to the risks of increased exposure, related to leakage from terrestrial deposits of air-borne transmissions to freshwater habitats.

During the latest decades, Canada Geese have increased in numbers and expanded over large parts of north-western Europe. Hitherto, the risk for adverse effects on the native bird fauna has been assessed to be negligible, although there are single records of divers (Gavia spp.) having failed or abandoned the breeding site after the establishment of Canada Geese. Therefore, we initiated an inquiry about breeding success and nest locations of divers and geese in Sweden. For Red-throated Diver, we compared the breeding success for pairs nesting at tarns with and without breeding Canada Geese. We found no indication of any negative effects on breeding success: The average production was 0.82 “large” chicks per pair and year for pairs at tarns with breeding Canada Geese, compared to 0.75 at tarns without breeding geese. For Black-throated Diver, the average hatching success for pairs with and without nesting Canada Geese on the same islet was 46% and 47%, respectively. But the average distance to the closest goose nest (on another islet) was lower for failed nests compared to successful ones. We judge, that the expansion of the Canada Goose is not a threat on a national or regional scale, although single diver pairs certainly suffer from having Canada Geese as close neighbours. Among both species of divers there are also indications of adaptations to the geese, e.g. through moving to new nesting sites at the same breeding lake. Finally, potential benefits from the presence of Canada Geese, e.g. if the geese keep other potential predators away, should not be overlooked.

A novel Salmonella serovar was isolated from Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) nestlings in northern Sweden in 2006. Three isolates of the same clone was retrieved from three falcon siblings and characterized as Salmonella enterica sub-species enterica: O-phase 13, 23:-: e, n, z 15 and the H-phase was not present. We propose the geographical name Salmonella enterica, sub-species entericaserovar Pajala to this novel Salmonella.Keywords: Salmonella; epidemiology; ecology; peregrine falcon; novel serovar(Published: 30 August 2012)Citation: Infection Ecology and Epidemiology 2012, 2: 7373 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/iee.v2i0.7373

Application-perceived throughput plays a major role for the performance of networked applications and user experience and thus, for network selection decisions. To support the latter, this tutorial paper investigates the process of user-perceived throughput in GPRS and UMTS systems seen over rather small averaging intervals, based on test traffic mimicking the needs of streaming applications, and analyzes the results with aid of summary statistics. These results reveal a clear influence of the network, seen from variations and autocorrelation of applicationperceived throughput mostly on the one-second time scale and indicate that applications have to cope with significant jitter when trying to exploit the nominal throughputs. In GPRS, the promised average throughputs are not reached in downlink direction; instead, significant packet loss occurs. Furthermore, with aid of causality arguments for an equivalent bottleneck, bounds for the extra delay of the first packet sent via mobile links is derived from throughput measurements.

The diastereomeric composition of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in eggs of peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), guillemot (Uria aalge) and common tern (Sterna hirundo) as well as the guillemots' main prey, herring (Clupea harengus) was determined by reversed-phase chromatography with triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS-MS). alpha-HBCD was the predominant diastereomer in all bird species, while in herring, gamma-HBCD made a substantial contribution. Two, as yet unidentified diastereomers, were detected in common tern egg. The alpha-, beta- and gamma-HBCD (+) and (-) enantiomers were separated using a chiral stationary phase. The enantiomer fractions for alpha-HBCD differed substantially between different bird species as well as between guillemot and its prey, herring. Total HBCD levels determined by LC-MS-MS were comparable to those previously obtained by GC-MS.

In this paper, matched performance of a double band PIFA antenna is reported. The transducer power gain of the antenna is optimized over the commercialized wireless communication bands of 824-960 MHz and 1710-1990 MHz using only one matching network. In the design process, several commercially available computer aided design packages with variety of different matching network topologies were employed. The best result was obtained by using the Simplified Real Frequency Technique, which in turn yields an "easy to implement circuit topology". The matched antenna provides an average transducer power gain of -1.6±0.4 dB in 824-960 MHz and -2.2±0.5 dB in 1710-1990 MHz. Inst. Electronics, Information Communication Eng., IEICE Japan,IEEE MTT-S,URSI,EuMA,IEEE MTT-S Japan Chapter

A quarter-wave transversal slot in the center of a handheld terminal ground plane is proposed and evaluated as a wideband antenna for low profile mobile phones. By feeding the slot with a microstrip line, a triple-resonance response is obtained from the chassis, slot and microstrip stub interaction, providing sufficient impedance bandwidth and radiation efficiency to cover the 0.9-2.7 GHz frequency range. While the introduction of a slot in the ground plane has many advantages over e.g. PIFA or patch structures, both in terms of performance and cost, the circuit floor planning becomes more complicated. To address this problem, a possible solution in terms of module partitioning and signal line routing is suggested. In addition, simulations of parasitic antenna to signal line coupling and techniques to reduce this effect are presented.

A printed dipole antenna with integrated balun is presented. The radiating structure is a two-element dipole with resonances at 900 and 1700 MHz, with the balun providing one extra resonance at each band. By co-designing the radiating element with a Marchand balun modified for dual-band operation, an antenna covering the cellular bands 824-960 and 1710-2170 MHz has been achieved. Measurements on a fabricated antenna on low-cost FR-4 substrate show antenna efficiencies of >80 and >70% in the lower and upper band respectively. Despite the use of a dual-element radiator, the radiation pattern that is close to omni-directional H-plane is obtained

A modified earpiece cord is proposed and evaluated as a wideband antenna for DVB-H reception. By winding the cord into a high-impedance RF choke at one-quarter wavelength distance from the handset connection, a stable wideband input impedance is achieved. Using two-chip components for impedance matching, the complete UHF band can be covered with >35% antenna efficiency. Measured and simulated results are presented with good agreement.

Rare species with small population sizes are vulnerable to perturbations such as disease, inbreeding, or random events. The threat arising from microbial pathogens could be large and other species could act as reservoirs for pathogens. We report finding three enteric bacterial species, Salmonella Amager, Campylobacter jejuni, and urease-positive thermophilic Campylobacter, in nestling free-flying peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) in Sweden in 2000. Campylobacter jejuni isolates exhibited marked genetic similarities to an isolate from a human, providing a possible association between a human-associated strain of this bacterium and peregrine falcons.