CFRAMP's large pelagic fish tagging program

CFRAMP\u27s Large Pelagic Fish Tagging Program was established to examine the distribution and movement patterns of Thunnus atlanticus (blackfin tuna), Acanthocybium solandri (wahoo), Coryphaena hippurus (dolphinfish), and Scomberomorus cavalla (king mackerel), large pelagic fish species of commercial importance to several Caribbean countries. The Program explored several means to facilitate fish tag and release activities, involving collaborative partnerships with national fisheries administrations, the recreational fishing sector, and individual commercial fishers. A Iotal of 1,143 fish were tagged and released in the coastal waters of several islands within the Eastern Caribbean: 787 blackfin tuna, 250 wahoo, 89 dolphinfish, and 17 king mackerel. To date, only 13 recaptures have been reported. Eleven (11) blackfin tuna, released in the coastal waters of St Vincent and the Grenadines were recaptured near to, or at original release sites after times at liberty ranging from 5 d to 1,230 d. Similarly, 2 king mackerel, released off the west coast of Trinidad, were recaptured very near original release sites after 74 and 129 d at liberty

Electroweak Fits and Constraints on the Higgs Mass

The current status of the quantities entering into the global electroweak fits is reviewed, highlighting changes since Summer 2003. These data include the precision electroweak properties of the Z and W bosons, the top-quark mass and the value of the electromagnetic coupling constant, at the scale of the Z boson mass. Using these Z and W (high Q^2) data, the value of the Higss mass is extracted, within the context of the Standard Model (SM). The consistency of the data, and the overall agreement with the SM, are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 5 postscript figure

Effect of ageing on phase evolution and mechanical properties of a high tungsten super-duplex stainless steel

Peer reviewedPostprin

CFRAMP\u27s Large Pelagic Fish Tagging Program

CFRAMP\u27s Large Pelagic Fish Tagging Program was established to examine the distribution and movement patterns of Thunnus atlanticus (blackfin tuna), Acanthocybium solandri (wahoo), Coryphaena hippurus (dolphinfish), and Scomberomorus cavalla (king mackerel), large pelagic fish species of commercial importance to several Caribbean countries. The Program explored several means to facilitate fish tag and release activities, involving collaborative partnerships with national fisheries administrations, the recreational fishing sector, and individual commercial fishers. A Iotal of 1,143 fish were tagged and released in the coastal waters of several islands within the Eastern Caribbean: 787 blackfin tuna, 250 wahoo, 89 dolphinfish, and 17 king mackerel. To date, only 13 recaptures have been reported. Eleven (11) blackfin tuna, released in the coastal waters of St Vincent and the Grenadines were recaptured near to, or at original release sites after times at liberty ranging from 5 d to 1,230 d. Similarly, 2 king mackerel, released off the west coast of Trinidad, were recaptured very near original release sites after 74 and 129 d at liberty

A Bayesian Filtering Algorithm for Gaussian Mixture Models

A Bayesian filtering algorithm is developed for a class of state-space systems that can be modelled via Gaussian mixtures. In general, the exact solution to this filtering problem involves an exponential growth in the number of mixture terms and this is handled here by utilising a Gaussian mixture reduction step after both the time and measurement updates. In addition, a square-root implementation of the unified algorithm is presented and this algorithm is profiled on several simulated systems. This includes the state estimation for two non-linear systems that are strictly outside the class considered in this paper

Mediterranean horse cultures: Greek, Roman and Arabic equine texts in late medieval and early modern Andalusia.

En les històries de la península ibèrica de l’edat mitjana i moderna les diferències entre la cavalleria islàmica i cristiana s’han convertit en una manera d’il·lustrar diferents formes d’organització social i significats culturals vinculats amb la relació entre cavall i genet. És a dir, les pràctiques de la cavalleria —com a conjunt d’estils, tècniques i funcions— també impliquen connotacions regionals, religioses i ètniques, i en efecte han acabat transformant el significat (la tradició eqüestre) en el significant (un element de distinció de territoris i identitats). Tanmateix, la frontera religiosa de la pràctica de la cavalleria musulmana ibèrica es mostra molt subtilment analitzada a la llum de la circulació recurrent d’equins, experts eqüestres i textos relacionats amb equins en un context circummediterrani. Replantejar les cultures del cavall ibèriques dins del marc de connectivitats mediterrànies més extenses posa en evidència un corpus comú de coneixements sobre el cavall, sovint constret de manera excessiva per denominacions regionals, imperials o etnicoreligioses i destaca els aspectes multifuncionals de cavalls, genets i textos sobre aquests animals. En centrarse en les pràctiques particulars que constitueixen les tradicions de la cavalleria, en lloc que en les identitats culturals que impliquen les seves etiquetes, el coneixement de les cultures mediterrànies del cavall pot ajudar els historiadors a entendre més a fons la diplomàcia i l’estratègia militar en el context de les fronteres cristianomusulmanes.In histories of medieval and early modern Iberia, distinctions between ‘Christian’ and ‘Muslim’ cavalries have become shorthand for differing forms of social organization and cultural meaning embedded in the relationship between horse and rider. In other words, practices with horses—as amalgamations of style, technique, and function—also imply region, religion, and eth- nicity, in effect, transforming the signified (the equestrian tradition) into the signifier (a marker of boundaries and identities). However, the religious boundaries implied by the use of Iberian Muslim horse culture are rapidly undermined by examination of the recurrent circulation of equines, equestrian experts, and equine-related texts in a circum-Mediterranean context. Reframing Iberian horse cultures within broader Mediterranean connectivities illuminates a common body of equine knowledge uneasily contained by regional, imperial, or ethnic-religious denominations, and emphasizes the dynamic multi-functionality of horses, riders, and texts about horses. By focusing on the particular practices constituting cavalry traditions, rather than the cultural identities their labels imply, the notion of Mediterranean horse cultures can better aid historians in deciphering outcomes of diplomacy and military strategy across Christian-Muslim borders.En las historias de la península ibérica medieval y moderna, las distinciones entre la caballería islámica y cristiana se han convertido en una cifra de diferentes formas de organización social y de significados culturales vinculados con la relación entre caballo y jinete. En otras palabras, las prácticas de la caballería —como conjunto de estilos, técnicas y funciones— también implican connotaciones regionales, religiosas y étnicas, y en efecto han acabado trans- formando el significado (la tradición ecuestre) en el significante (un elemento distintivo de territorios e identidades). Sin embargo, la frontera religiosa de la práctica de la caballería islámica ibérica aparece muy sutil si se considera la circulación recurrente de equinos, expertos ecuestres y textos relacionados con equinos en un contexto circunmediterráneo. Replantear las culturas de los caballos ibéricos dentro de conectividades mediterráneas más amplias permite apreciar un corpus de conocimientos comunes sobre el caballo, a menudo constreñido de manera excesiva por denominaciones regionales, imperiales o étnico-religiosas, y enfatiza los aspectos multifuncionales de caballos, jinetes y textos sobre caballos. Al centrarse en las prácticas particulares que constituyen las tradiciones de la caballería, en lugar de en las identidades culturales que implican sus etiquetas, la noción de las culturas mediterráneas del caballo puede ayudar mejor a los historiadores a entender más a fondo la diplomacia y la estrategia militar a través de las fronteras cristiano-musulmanas

Evolutionary games between epithelial cells: the impact of population structure and tissue dynamics on the success of cooperation

Cooperation is usually understood as a social phenomenon. However, it also occurs on the cellular level. A number of key mutations associated with malignancy can be considered cooperative, as they rely on the production of diffusible growth factors to confer a fitness benefit. Evolutionary game theory provides a framework for modelling the evolutionary dynamics of these cooperative mutations. This thesis uses evolutionary game theory to examine the evolutionary dynamics of cooperation within epithelial cells, which are the origin point of most cancers. In particular, we consider how the structure and dynamics of an epithelium affect cooperative success. We use the Voronoi tessellation model to represent an epithelium. This allows us much greater flexibility, compared to evolutionary graph theory models, to explore realistic dynamics for population updating. Initially, we consider a model where death and division are spatially decoupled. We analyse pairwise social dilemma games, focussing on the additive prisoner’s dilemma, and multiplayer public goods games. We calculate fixation probabilities, and conditions for cooperative success, by simulation, as well as deriving quasi-analytic results. Comparing with results for graph structured populations with spatially coupled birth and death, or well-mixed populations, we find that in general cooperation is promoted by local game play, but global competition for offspring. We then introduce a more realistic model of population updating, whereby death and division are spatially coupled as a consequence of contact inhibition. The strength of this coupling is positively correlated with the strength of contact inhibition. However, the extent to which strong spatial coupling inhibits cooperation depends on mechanical properties of the tissue