Hawaii's Pelagic Fisheries

Hawaii's diverse pelagic fisheries supply the bulk of the State's total catch. The largest Hawaii fishery is the recently expanded longline fishery, which now lands about 4,400 metric tons (t) of broadbill swordfish, Xiphias gladius; 1,500 t of bigeye tuna, Thunnus obesus, and 3,000 t of other pelagic species annually. The increased catch of these other species has raised concerns regarding the continued availability of yellowfin tuna, T. albacares; blue marlin, Makaira mazara; and mahimahi, Coryphaena hippurus, in the small-vessel troll and handline fisheries which target those species. Analysis of catch per unit effort (CPUE) statistics from Hawaii's fisheries did not provide strong evidence of recent declines in availability related to local fishery expansion. A more influential factor was variation in Pacific-wide CPUE, representing overall population abundance and catchability. Exogenous factors, including Pacific-wide fishing pressure, may overwhelm the influence of local fishing pressure on fish availability

Autoignition -A Liquid Propellant Explosive Potential Limiting Phenomena

During the design phase of large liquid launch vehicles, personnel safety considerations and facilities and equipment design criteria must account for the unlikely but potentially possible series of failures that would lead to unplanned, hazardous mixing of bulk quantities of propellants. Massive explosion and destruction might be a suspected result. Simple theory of chemical energetics would predict explosive forces greater than equivalent weights of TNT (trinitrotoluene). Judicious use of buffer zone land and facility or equipment hardening requirements dictates that new projects estimate potential explosive yields by precise, realistic analysis. This paper highlights the work done by NASA to develop and confirm a precise analytical theory and predictive model for liquid propellant explosives. It covers a span of almost fifteen years work, most performed under Contract NAS10-1255 with the University of Florida. Dr. Eric A. Farber of the University and Mr. J. H. Deese of NASA-Kennedy Space Center conceived and conducted tests to establish a theory that autoignition occurs when pro- pellants mix in a certain Critical Mass or greater. The author participated in the latter phases of this work and was technical manager of Contract NAS10-8591. This contract was completed in May 1975 by Battelle Laboratories and describes quantitatively the physical phenomena taking place prior to autoignition

Agency Law and Real Estate Brokerage

The real estate brokerage industry in the United States has a significant liability exposure problem. The liability exposure arises from both the application of agency law principles and judicially imposed duties regarding treatment of parties opposite a broker\u27s principal. If you think the foregoing characterization is extreme, examine at least the evidence presented here and then draw your own conclusions. The facts are convincing that the brokerage industry faces substantial problems in the area of agency affecting not only financial liability, but also public confidence. The intent of this article is to carefully identify the problems, marshal the facts, and propose a solution to avoid further dislocations in the industry

Search for polarization from the prompt gamma-ray emission of GRB 041219a with SPI on INTEGRAL

Measuring the polarization of the prompt γ-ray emission from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can significantly improve our understanding of both the GRB emission mechanisms as well as the underlying engine driving the explosion. We searched for polarization in the prompt γ-ray emission of GRB 041219a with the SPI instrument on INTEGRAL. Using multiple-detector coincidence events in the 100-350 keV energy band, our analysis yields a polarization fraction from this GRB of 98%+/-33%. Statistically, we cannot claim a polarization detection from this source. Moreover, different event selection criteria lead to even less significant polarization fractions, e.g., lower polarization fractions are obtained when higher energies are included in the analysis. We cannot strongly rule out the possibility that the measured modulation is dominated by instrumental systematics. Therefore, SPI observations of GRB 041219a do not significantly constrain GRB models. However, this measurement demonstrates the capability of SPI to measure polarization, as well as the techniques developed for this analysis

Identification of Cost Effective Energy Conservation Methods

In addition to a successful program of readily implemented conservation actions for reducing building energy consumption at Kennedy Space Center, recent detailed analyses have identified further substantial savings for buildings representative of technical facilities designed when energy costs were low. The techniques employed for determination of these energy savings consisted of facility configuration analysis, power and lighting measurements, detailed computer simulations and simulation verifications. Use of these methods resulted in identification of projected energy savings as large as $330,000 a year (approximately fwo year breakeven period) in a single building. Application of these techniques to other commercial buildings is discussed

POLARIZATION MEASUREMENT OF GRB 041219A WITH SPI

Measuring the polarization of the prompt gamma-ray emission from GRBs can signicantly improve our understanding of both the GRB emission mechanisms, as well as of the underlying engine driving the explosion. We searched for polarization in the prompt gamma-ray emission of GRB 041219a with the SPI instrument. Using multiple detector coincidence events in the 100–350 keV energy band, our analysis yields a polarization fraction from this GRB of 98 +-33%. Statistically, we cannot claim a polarization detection from this source. We cannot strongly rule out the possibility that the measured modulation is dominated by instrumental systematics. Therefore, SPI observations of GRB 041219a do not significantly constrain GRB models. However, this measurement demonstrates the capability of SPI to measure polarization, and the techniques developed for this analysis

First global analysis of SEASAT scatterometer winds and potential for meteorological research

The first global wind fields from SEASAT-A scatterometer (SASS) data were produced. Fifteen days of record are available on tape, with unique wind directions indicated for each observation. The methodology of the production of this data set is described, as well as the testing of its validity. A number of displays of the data, on large and small scales, analyzed and gridded, are provided

A new parameterization of an empirical model for wind/ocean scatterometry

The power law form of the SEASAT A Scatterometer System (SASS) empirical backscatter-to-wind model function does not uniformly meet the instrument performance over the range 4 to 24 /ms. Analysis indicates that the horizontal polarization (H-Pol) and vertical polarization (V-Pol) components of the benchmark SASS1 model function yield self-consistent results only for a small mid-range of speeds at larger incidence angles, and for a somewhat larger range of speeds at smaller incidence angles. Comparison of SASS1 to in situ data over the Gulf of Alaska region further underscores the shortcomings of the power law form. Finally, a physically based empirical SASS model is proposed which corrects some of the deficiencies of power law models like SASS1. The new model allows the mutual determination of sea surface wind stress and wind speed in a consistent manner from SASS backscatter measurements