Dolphin social phenotypes vary in response to food availability but not climate

Acknowledgements We are indebted to Paul Thompson for conception and development of this long-term individual based research study, and for advice during this work. We are especially grateful to our colleagues at the Lighthouse Field Station, past and present, who have contributed to and advanced this long-term study. Matthew Silk, Dan Blumstein, and two anonymous reviewers made numerous useful comments and suggestions on an earlier draft. This long-term study has depended upon a number of funders including University of Aberdeen, NatureScot, Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd., Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd., Marine Scotland, the Crown Estate, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the BES, ASAB, Greenpeace Environmental Trust, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Talisman Energy (UK) Ltd., Department of Energy and Climate Change, Chevron and Natural Environment Research. Survey work was conducted under NatureScot Animal Scientific Licences. We have no conflicts of interest.Peer reviewedPostprin

The Kahnawá:ke Standoff and Reflections on Fascism

This article offers a critical interpretation of the state and media reactions to the crisis at Oka, Québec in the summer of 1990. Drawing on Marx’s analysis of Bonapartism, or fascism, it is argued that the Canadian state was willing to use excessive force to suppress the Mohawk dissidents. Its fascist methods also included racial demonizing and using the basest impulses of angry crowds to intimidate Natives. Mainstream media sources played an unmistakable role in channelling this racist violence against the rebelling Aboriginals. The function of competing nationalisms (Mohawk, Québécois and Canadian) in this episode is analyzed as well. It is argued that solidarity between the working class and the Mohawks may have resulted in a more positive outcome of the conflict. A renewed set of relations between the Canadian left and Aboriginals could reveal constructive ways forward for groups struggling under the weight of capitalist society and its state. Cet article offre une interprétation critique des réactions de l’Etat et des médias à la crise de Oka, Québec dans l’été 1990. Utilisant l’analyse que Marx avait faite du Bonapartisme ou fascisme, il suggère que l’Etat canadien était prêt à employer une force excessive afin de supprimer les dissidents Mohawk. Ses méthodes fascistes incluaient la diabolisation raciale et l’utilisation des pires impulsions des foules en colère afin d’intimider les Autochtones. Les médias dominants ont joué un rôle indubitable en canalisant cette violence raciste contre les Autochtones rebelles. La fonction des nationalismes rivaux (Mohawk, Québécois et Canadien) dans cet épisode est également analysée. Cet article défend que la solidarité entre la classe ouvrière et les Mohawk aurait pu aboutir à un résultat plus positif du conflit. Des relations renouvelées entre la gauche Canadienne et les Autochtones pourrait révéler des voies constructives pour des groupes luttant sous le poids de la société capitaliste et son Etat

Thinking About Life\u27s Meaning

The lively controversy among people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs over the meaning of life suggests that philosophers are not alone in their enthusiasm for the issue. Nor are they content to leave the response to such questions entirely in the hands of poets, theologians, and psychologists. The fact is that the controversy itself is much in need of conceptual clarification, coherent articulation of issues and beliefs, and critical appraisal of conflicting viewpoints - all philosophical tasks. Our aim here is to offer a brief discussion of philosophical contributions to this topic. We shall survey the three most prominent views of the meaning of life – pessimism, theism, and humanism – and indicate some of the strengths and weaknesses of each. In doing this, we have summarized many of the arguments and analyses which philosophers have developed elsewhere in great detail

A linearized inverse boundary value problem for Maxwell's equations

AbstractIn this paper, we consider the problem of determining the electromagnetic state of a body from measurements made on the surface of the body. We study the full set of Maxwell's equations that govern time-harmonic electric and magnetic fields. We seek to reconstruct the magnetic permeability μ, the electric permitivity ϵ and the electric conductivity σ in the interior of the body from measurements made on the surface. We exhibit appropriate boundary measurements in the form of a boundary mapping, specifically the mapping from the tangential components of the electric field to the tangential components of the magnetic field. This data can be used to reconstruct μ, ϵ and σ approximately, provided they deviate only slightly from known constants. We also estimate the reconstruction errors

Development, Test and Evaluation of Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Systems in A Simulated Wide Area Search Scenario: An Implementation of the Autonomous Systems Reference Architecture

The implementation and testing of autonomous and cooperative unmanned systems is challenging due to the inherent design complexity, infinite test spaces, and lack of autonomy specific measures. These challenges are limiting the USAF\u27s ability to deploy and take advantage of tactical and strategic advantages offered by these systems. This research instantiates an Autonomous System Reference Architecture (ASRA) on a Wide Area Search (WAS) scenario as a test bed for rapid prototyping and evaluation of autonomous and cooperative systems. This research aims to pro- vide a framework to evaluate the system’s ability to achieve mission and autonomy objectives, develop reusable autonomous behaviors, and develop reusable cooperative decision making algorithms. For this research and application to the WAS mission, metrics of autonomy were derived from literature requirements for autonomous systems implementing reactive architectures and control: responsiveness, robustness, and perception accuracy. Autonomous behaviors, to include more complex behaviors combining simple (atomic) behaviors were developed, and a variety of cooperative decision rules were defined. The subsequent evaluation implemented a face centered cubic design of experiments over four scenarios including a single vehicle, and three levels of cooperation between two vehicles. Following a rigorous test plan, the tests were conducted in simulation implementing automated testing and expedited analysis. The test results were used to create a response surface model to characterize the system and conduct multiple response optimization to determine an optimal configuration that maximizes area searched, percent detected, and perception accuracy in a given target density