The ecological basis of fishery yield of the Puerto Rico-Virgin Islands Insular Shelf: 1987 Assessment

A literature review was conducted to locate information on the flow of energy from primary producers to the fishery stocks of the Puerto Rican-Virgin Islands insular shelf. This report uses site-specific information to describe the major ecological subsystems, or habitats, of the region, to identify the more common species and the subsystems in which they occur, to quantify productivity and biomass, and to outline trophic relationships. Discussions on each topic and subsystem vary in substance and detail, being limited by the availability and accessibility of information. (PDF contains 189 pages) Seven distinct subsystems are described: mangrove estuary, seagrass bed, coral reef, algal plain, sand/mud bottom, shelf break, and overlying pelagic. Over 50 tables provide lists of species found in each habitat on various surveys dating back to 1956. Estimates of density, relative abundance, and productivity are provided when possible. We evaluated whether sufficient information exists to support an analysis of the energy basis of fishery production in the area, beginning with the design and development of an ecosystem model. Data needs in three categories - species lists, biomass, and trophic relations - were examined for each subsystem and for each of three species groups - primary producers, invertebrates, and fish. We concluded that adequate data, sufficient for modeling purposes, are available in 16 (25%) of 64 categories; limited data, those requiring greater extrapolation, are available in 35 (55%) categories; and no data are available in 13 (20%) categories. The best-studied subsystems are seagrass beds and coral reefs, with at least limited data in all categories. Invertebrates, the intermediate link in the food web between primary producers and fishes, are the least quantified group in the region. Primary production and fishes, however, are relatively well-studied, providing sufficient data to support an ecosystem-level analysis and to initiate a modeling effort

Results of a fish health survey of North Biscayne Bay, June 1976-June 1977

Fish were collected weekly in Biscayne Bay using a monofilament gill net set from a small skiff during 20-30 minute intervals. Although weekly sampling took place for 2.5 years, only the data from samples collected from June 1976 to June 1977 were used in this document. Abnormal external conditions of fins and body were observed on each fish and recorded. Fish were returned immediately to their habitats. Fish collected in the time period for this study numbered 3,765 and included 32 species. Of these, 16 species, totaling 3,556 fish, were caught in sufficient numbers (20 or more) to warrant data analysis. Only 3 of the 16 species could be considered relatively unafflicted: Aetobatus narinari (spotted eagle ray), Diodon hystrix (porcupinefish), and Selene vomer (lookdown). More than 80% of the examined specimens of these three species were unaffected. Less than 20% of the specimens of Diapterus plumieri (striped mojarra), Micropogonias undulatus (Atlantic croaker), and Pogonias cromis (black drum) displayed normal conditions. The three most afflicted species were Diapterus plumieri, striped mojarra; Micropogonias undulatus, Atlantic croaker; and Pogonias cromis, black drum. Only 7, 3, and 7% respectively showed no external evidence of disease. Data described in this document were originally tabulated in the mid-1970s, remained unpublished, and are no longer available. This document was based on archived unpublished text, a data summary table, and figures. Most of the text and cited references were the ones used in the original manuscript and no attempt was made to update them. (PDF contains 44 pages

A subalgebra of the Hardy algebra relevant in control theory and its algebraic-analytic properties

We denote by A_0+AP_+ the Banach algebra of all complex-valued functions f defined in the closed right half plane, such that f is the sum of a holomorphic function vanishing at infinity and a ``causal'' almost periodic function. We give a complete description of the maximum ideal space M(A_0+AP_+) of A_0+AP_+. Using this description, we also establish the following results: (1) The corona theorem for A_0+AP_+. (2) M(A_0+AP_+) is contractible (which implies that A_0+AP_+ is a projective free ring). (3) A_0+AP_+ is not a GCD domain. (4) A_0+AP_+ is not a pre-Bezout domain. (5) A_0+AP_+ is not a coherent ring. The study of the above algebraic-anlaytic properties is motivated by applications in the frequency domain approach to linear control theory, where they play an important role in the stabilization problem.Comment: 17 page

Utilizing remote sensing of Thematic Mapper data to improve our understanding of estuarine processes and their influence on the productivity of estuarine-dependent fisheries

LANDSAT thematic mapper (TM) data are being used to refine and validate a stochastic spatial computer model to be applied to coastal resource management problems in Louisiana. Two major aspects of the research are: (1) the measurement of area of land (or emergent vegetation) and water and the length of the interface between land and water in TM imagery of selected coastal wetlands (sample marshes); and (2) the comparison of spatial patterns of land and water in the sample marshes of the imagery to that in marshes simulated by a computer model. In addition to activities in these two areas, the potential use of a published autocorrelation statistic is analyzed

Isospin Considerations in Correlations of Pions and BB mesons

The correlations between a $B$ meson and a pion produced nearby in phase space should respect isospin reflection symmetry $I_3 \to -I_3$. Thus, one generally expects similar $\pi^+ B^0$ and $\pi^- B^+$ correlations (non-exotic channels), and similar $\pi^- B^0$ and $\pi^+ B^+$ correlations (exotic channels). Exceptions include (a) fragmentation processes involving exchange of quarks with the producing system, (b) misidentification of charged kaons as charged pions, and (c) effects of decay products of the associated $\overline{B}$. All of these can affect the apparent signal for correlations of charged $B$ mesons with charged hadrons. The identification of the flavor of neutral $B$ mesons through the decay $B^0 \to K^{*0} J/\psi$ requires good particle identification in order that the decay $K^{*0} \to K^+ \pi^-$ not be mistaken for $\overline{K}^{*0} \to K^- \pi^+$, in which case the correlations of neutral $B$ mesons with hadrons can be underestimated.Comment: LaTeX EPSF file; 8 uuencoded figures to be submitted separatel

Is there New Physics in B Decays ?

Rare decays of the $B$ meson are sensitive to new physics effects. Several experimental results on these decays have been difficult to understand within the standard model (SM) though more precise measurements and a better understanding of SM theory predictions are needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn. In this talk we try to understand the present data assuming the presence of new physics. We find that the data points to new physics of an extended Higgs sector and we present a two higgs doublet model with a 2-3 flavor symmetry in the down type quark sector that can explain the deviations from standard model reported in several rare B decays.Comment: 8 pages, Talk presented at Theory Canada II, Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, Canada. New references added and update

Physics at the B Factories

We review recent progress at the two $e^+ e^-$ B factories. The first measurement of CP violation and the prospects for measuring all the angles of the unitarity triangle are discussed.Comment: To appear in the Proceedings of From the Smallest to the Largest Distances, a conference in honor of Tranh Thanh Van in Moscow, Russi

Note on the pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone Boson of Meta-stable SUSY Violation

Many models of meta-stable supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking lead to a very light scalar pseudo-Nambu Goldstone boson (PNGB), P, associated with spontaneous breakdown of a baryon number like symmetry in the hidden sector. Current particle physics data provide no useful constraints on the existence of P. For example, the predicted decay rates for both K --> pi + P, b--> s + P and Upsilon --> photon + P are many orders of magnitude below the present experimental bounds. We also consider astrophysical implications of the PNGB and find a significant constraint from its effect on the evolution of red giants. This constraint either rules out models with a hidden sector gauge group larger than SU(4), or requires a new intermediate scale, of order at most 10^{10} GeV, at which the hidden sector baryon number is explicitly broken.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures. Version 2: minor typographical errors fixed. Version 3: a more reliable estimate for the decay rate of K-->pi+PNGB is provided, and the predicted rate for b-->s+PNGB is now include