Issue: Caribou and Petroleum Development in Arctic Alaska

Intensive petroleum-related development on Alaska's Arctic Slope is not always compatible with the habitat requirements of barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti). Surface alteration can result in displacement of caribou from previously occupied components of range. Although, to date, losses of habitat have been localized, apparently with no adverse effects on herd productivity, uncontrolled or improperly planned future development on state and federal lands could remove large areas of caribou habitat, with potentially serious consequences to all of the arctic herds. Caribou represent a valuable recreational and subsistence resource. State and federal land management agencies must fully acknowledge the potential conflicts associated with industrial activity and adopt conservative policies of subsurface leasing and surface development.Key words: caribou, petroleum development, disturbance, Alask

Summer range fidelity of radio-collared caribou in Alaska's Central Arctic Herd

Sixty-four adult (2 + years) female caribou (Rangifer tarandus grand), radio-collared in April or May 1975 - 82, were relocated during the following June and/or July within the summer range of the Central Arctic Herd (CAH). Relocations made during the following three summers were used to assess range fidelity. Cumulative relocations of radio-collared females in the Central Arctic region were equivalent to 91% of the projected availability based on transmitter life. A chronological analysis indicates that 98%, 91%, and 82% of radio-collared females were found there one, two, and three years later; most of the progressively lower relocation success is probably attributable to transitter malfunctions rather than emigration. These observations suggest that summer range fidelity of adult females in the CAH is at least 90%, and may approach 100%

Abundance and movements of caribou in the oilfield complex near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

We examined the distribution and movements of 141 radiocollared female caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) of the Central Arctic Herd during summer, 1980-1993. Numbers of caribou locations within each of 5 quadrats along the arctic coast were totalled separately for days during which insects were active and inactive, and numbers of east-west and west-east crossings of each quadrat mid-line were determined from sequential observations. Both abundance and lateral movements of radiocollared females in the quadrat encompassing the intensively-developed Prudhoe Bay oilfield complex were significantly lower than in other quadrats (P < 0.001 and P < 0.00001, respectively). Avoidance of, and fewer movements within, the complex by female caribou are ostensibly in response to the dense network of production and support facilities, roads, above-ground pipelines, and the associated vehicular and human activity. Impaired access to this area constitutes a functional loss of habitat

Countable locally 2-arc-transitive bipartite graphs

We present an order-theoretic approach to the study of countably infinite locally 2-arc-transitive bipartite graphs. Our approach is motivated by techniques developed by Warren and others during the study of cycle-free partial orders. We give several new families of previously unknown countably infinite locally-2-arc-transitive graphs, each family containing continuum many members. These examples are obtained by gluing together copies of incidence graphs of semilinear spaces, satisfying a certain symmetry property, in a tree-like way. In one case we show how the classification problem for that family relates to the problem of determining a certain family of highly arc-transitive digraphs. Numerous illustrative examples are given.Comment: 29 page

On a Light Spinless Particle Coupled to Photons

A pseudoscalar or scalar particle $\phi$ that couples to two photons but not to leptons, quarks and nucleons would have effects in most of the experiments searching for axions, since these are based on the $a \gamma \gamma$ coupling. We examine the laboratory, astrophysical and cosmological constraints on $\phi$ and study whether it may constitute a substantial part of the dark matter. We also generalize the $\phi$ interactions to possess $SU(2) \times U(1)$ gauge invariance, and analyze the phenomenological implications.Comment: LaTex, 20p., 6 figures. Changes in sections 4, 5 and figure 2, our bounds are now more stringent. To be published in Physical Review

Axions and their Relatives

A review of the status of axions and axion-like particles is given. Special attention is devoted to the recent results of the PVLAS collaboration, which are in conflict with the CAST data and with the astrophysical constraints. Solutions to the puzzle and the implications for new physics are discussed. The question of axion-like particles being dark matter is also addressed.Comment: Updated version of an invited talk at the Axion Training (CERN, December 2005). To appear as a Lecture Notes in Physics (Springer-Verlag), edited by B. Beltran, M. Kuster and G. Raffel

Hemisystems of small flock generalized quadrangles

In this paper, we describe a complete computer classification of the hemisystems in the two known flock generalized quadrangles of order $(5^2,5)$ and give numerous further examples of hemisystems in all the known flock generalized quadrangles of order $(s^2,s)$ for $s \le 11$. By analysing the computational data, we identify two possible new infinite families of hemisystems in the classical generalized quadrangle $H(3,q^2)$.Comment: slight revisions made following referee's reports, and included raw dat

Strong laser fields as a probe for fundamental physics

Upcoming high-intensity laser systems will be able to probe the quantum-induced nonlinear regime of electrodynamics. So far unobserved QED phenomena such as the discovery of a nonlinear response of the quantum vacuum to macroscopic electromagnetic fields can become accessible. In addition, such laser systems provide for a flexible tool for investigating fundamental physics. Primary goals consist in verifying so far unobserved QED phenomena. Moreover, strong-field experiments can search for new light but weakly interacting degrees of freedom and are thus complementary to accelerator-driven experiments. I review recent developments in this field, focusing on photon experiments in strong electromagnetic fields. The interaction of particle-physics candidates with photons and external fields can be parameterized by low-energy effective actions and typically predict characteristic optical signatures. I perform first estimates of the accessible new-physics parameter space of high-intensity laser facilities such as POLARIS and ELI.Comment: 7 pages, Key Lecture at the ELI Workshop and School on "Fundamental Physics with Ultra-High Fields", 9 September - 2 October 2008 at Frauenworth Monastery, German

The Dead Butler revisited: grammatical accuracy and clarity in the English Primary Curriculum 2013–2014

This paper is an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the grammatical description and advice contained in the new National Curriculum documentation from 2013, focusing on key stages 1 and 2. It builds on previous analyses of deficiencies in the systems of grammar and the materials in earlier incarnations of the National Curriculum. It suggests that there have been advances in the accuracy with which grammar terms are used and illustrated, although there is still no coherent overall view of what grammar is, nor a fully consistent approach to describing language. In addition, the lack of any pedagogic guidance save the most basic suggests that knowledge about language may continue to be taught in a way which is incompatible with real understanding and more in line with prescriptivist approaches