The use of otolith morphology to indicate the stock structure of common coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus) on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

We investigated the use of otolith morphology to indicate the stock structure of an exploited serranid coral reef fish, Plectropomus leopardus, on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia. Otoliths were measured by traditional one-and two-dimensional measures (otolith length, width, area, perimeter, circularity, and rectangularity), as well as by Fourier analysis to capture the finer details of otolith shape. Variables were compared among four regions of the GBR separated by hundreds of kilometers, as well as among three reefs within each region, hundreds of meters to tens of kilometers apart. The temporal stability in otolith structure was examined by comparing two cohorts of fully recruited four-year-old P. leopardus collected two years before and two years after a signif icant disturbance in the southern parts of the GBR caused by a large tropical cyclone in March 1997. Results indicated the presence of at least two stocks of P. leopardus, although the structure of each stock varied depending on the cohort considered. The results highlight the importance of incorporating data from several years in studies using otolith morphology to discriminate temporary and possibly misleading signals from those that indicate persistent spatial structure in stocks. We conclude that otolith morphology can be used as an initial step to direct further research on groups of P. leopardus that have lived at least a part of their life in different environments

Fiduciary content in joint ventures and partnering contracts in the construction industry.

Partnering is a co-operative arrangement in the construction industry which is commonly based on general expressions of trust, co-operation and good faith. However it seems that partnering parties can have negligible expectations that such general expressions will have any fiduciary content requiring them to moderate selfinterest or act in the interests of other parties. Where parties intend that either a general fiduciary relationship or specific fiduciary obligations should be created, it has been suggested that they should consider joint venture agreements and very careful drafting of contract obligations in order to achieve these intentions. This paper firstly examines the potential for fiduciary relationships to arise in joint ventures generally and from the drafting of the ACA Standard Form of Contract for Project Partnering (PPC2000) in particular. It then examines the possibility of distinct fiduciary obligations arising as a result of individual provisions of the PPC2000 contract form. It is concluded that joint ventures are not readily construed as fiduciary relationships and that whilst the PPC2000 partnering form is also unlikely to imply such a relationship, some individual provisions in it may have fiduciary content

The legal content of partnering arrangements in the construction industry.

Successive reports into the construction industry have increasingly emphasised the importance of developing relationships based on trust between the contracting parties. This has led to the development of the co-operative arrangement called partnering in construction contracts. There is, however, minimal industry guidance on what expectations the parties can have of the judicial interpretation of partnering arrangements containing references to relational concepts such as trust, co-operation, openness, etc where the relationship breaks down and parties have relied on it, perhaps to their detriment. This interpretation is relevant to the allocation of commercial liabilities between the parties and therefore represents a commercial risk to them. This paper examines the likely current attitude of the courts in England and Scotland to the various forms of the relationship covered by the term partnering in construction contracts

Demographic and epidemiological characteristics of major regions, 1990-2001

In an era when most societies are coping with greater demand for health resources, choices will have to be made about the provision of health services. Strategic health planning must take into account the comparative burden of diseases and injuries, and the risk factors that cause them, and how this burden is likely to change under various policies and interventions. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) framework is the principal, if not the only, framework for integrating and analyzing information on population health and making it more relevant for health policy and planning purposes. The comprehensive findings of the 2001 GBD study represent a major update of the effort launched with the 1990 GBD study. The 1990 GBD study was a major advance in the quantification of the impact of diseases, injuries, and risk factors on population health globally and by region. Government and nongovernmental agencies alike have used its results to argue for more strategic allocation of health resources to programs that are likely to yield the greatest gains in population health. Publication of the 1990 results led to improvements in analytical methods and mortality data in a number of countries. In addition, critiques of methodological approaches used in the 1990 study prompted a new framework for risk factor assessment along with systematic attempts to quantify some of the uncertainty in national and global assessments of disease burden. The 2001 GBD provides a new and improved baseline for measuring progress in global health

A tale of two disasters: biases in risk communication

Theme for 2016: Recognizing and representing eventsRisk communication, where scientists inform policy-makers or the populace of the probability and magnitude of possible disasters, is essential to disaster management – enabling people to make better decisions regarding preventative steps, evacuations, etc. Psychological research, however, has identified multiple biases that can affect people’s interpretation of probabilities and thus risk. For example, availability (Tversky & Kahneman, 1973) is known to confound probability estimates while the descriptionexperience gap (D-E Gap) (Hertwig & Erev, 2009) shows low probability events being over-weighted when described and under-weighted when learnt from laboratory tasks. This paper examines how probability descriptions interact with real world experience of events. Responses from 294 participants across 8 conditions showed that people’s responses, given the same described probabilities and consequences, were altered by their familiarity with the disaster (bushfire vs earthquake) and its salience to them personally. The implications of this for risk communication are discussed.Matthew B. Welsh, Sandy Steacy, Steve H. Begg, Daniel J. Navarr

Investigations on the sensitivity of the relationships between sound absorption characteristics and microstructure related parameters for polyurethane foams

International audienceStraightforward semi-phenomenological models have been developed for highly porous polyurethane foams to predict the macroscopic nonacoustic parameters involved in the classical Johnson-Champoux-Allard model (i.e., porosity, airflow resistivity...) from microstructure properties (i.e, strut length, strut thickness and reticulation rate). These microstructure properties are measured using sophisticated optical methods (i.e., optical microscope, SEM) and a large variability can be observed due to great complexity of the 3D microstructure; variability which also depends on the precision of the measurement device. This work investigates how the variability associated with the model inputs affects the model outputs (i.e., non-acoustic parameters, surface impedance and sound absorption coefficient). The sensitivity analysis is based on the Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test (FAST). It helps quantify the correlation between the input parameters and identify the parameters contributing the most to output variability, thus requiring precise measurement. This study illustrates the preponderant impact of the reticulation rate (i.e, open pore content) on acoustic performances and guides the user on the required optical measurement device

A study of jet flow and reattachment in control valves

The work continues investigations into the characteristics of piston control valves; in particular it examines fluid flow through constrictions similar to the valve port. The various flow phenomena associated with piston valves are reviewed, then a closer study is made of reports examining more specific aspects of the flow including separation, jet flow reattachment and turbulent entrainment. From these reports a mathematical model of the entrainment process inside valves is constructed for incompressible flow, and predictions of reattachment bubble lengths obtained for various port geometries. Experimental results obtained using a two-dimensional model of the valve port show that the measured bubble lengths hear the same relationship to the predictions as is found in two other investigations of reattaching jet flow in similar configurations which are analysed on the same basis. A further study of reports on compressible jet flow yields three methods to predict the jet angle of compressible flow through the valve geometry, and one is used to obtain theoretical values of jet angle and thickness over a range of geometries and pressure ratios. Further experimental results, obtained from the same valve model, verify the predictions of jet angle and establish the characteristics of the compressible bubble throughout a wide range of pressure ratios and orifice dimensions During the tests several distinct patterns of supersonic flow were observed using a schlieren light system and recorded by photographing theme Prom consideration of the measurements and theoretical predictions some explanation is offered for the observed bubble behaviour and the various flow patterns. Finally the effect of these characteristics on the performance of piston valves is discussed and an attempt made' to describe previously reported valve behaviour in terms of the measured bubble flow patterns