In-pile loop irradiation studies of organic coolant materials : quarterly progress report, July 1-September 30, 1963

Statement of responsibility on title page reads: Report prepared by: E. A. Mason, Project Supervisor W. N. Bley, Project Engineer; Contributors: C. D. Sawyer A. H. Swan, R. A. Chin, J. P. Casey J. F. Terrien G. C. Nullens"Issued: December 15, 1963.""AEC Research and Development Report"--Cover"SRO-85."Includes bibliographical references (leaf 24)Quarterly progress report; July 1-September 30, 1963M.I.T. Project No. DSR 9819U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Savannah River Operations Office Contract no. AT(38-1)-33

Shorebirds as important vectors for plant dispersal in Europe

Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) undergo rapid migrations with potential for long-distance dispersal (LDD) of plants. We studied the frequency of endozoochory by shorebirds in different parts of Europe covering a broad latitudinal range and different seasons. We assessed whether plants dispersed conformed to morphological dispersal syndromes. A total of 409 excreta samples (271 faeces and 138 pellets) were collected from redshank Tringa totanus, black-winged stilt Himantopus himantopus, pied avocet Recurvirostra avosetta, northern lapwing Vanellus vanellus, Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata and black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa in south-west Spain, north-west England, southern Ireland and Iceland in 2005 and 2016, and intact seeds were extracted and identified. Godwits were sampled just before or after migratory movements between England and Iceland. The germinability of seeds was tested. Intact diaspores were recovered from all bird species and study areas, and were present in 13% of samples overall. Thirteen plant families were represented, including Charophyceae and 26 angiosperm taxa. Only four species had an ‘endozoochory syndrome’. Four alien species were recorded. Ellenberg values classified three species as aquatic and 20 as terrestrial. Overall, 89% of seeds were from terrestrial plants, and 11% from aquatic plants. Average seed length was higher in redshank pellets than in their faeces. Six species were germinated, none of which had an endozoochory syndrome. Seeds were recorded during spring and autumn migration. Plant species recorded have broad latitudinal ranges consistent with LDD via shorebirds. Crucially, morphological syndromes do not adequately predict LDD potential, and more empirical work is required to identify which plants are dispersed by shorebirds. Incorporating endozoochory by shorebirds and other migratory waterbirds into plant distribution models would allow us to better understand the natural processes that facilitated colonization of oceanic islands, or to improve predictions of how plants will respond to climate change, or how alien species spread.Peer Reviewe

NACA Technical Notes

Report presenting an investigation to find the approximate variation of the drag coefficient with Reynolds number of several cylinders with different cross-sectional shapes. Data were obtained for circular cylinders, elliptical cylinders of two fineness ratios, rectangular and diamond cylinders of three fineness ratios, and two isosceles triangular cylinders

Lead poisoning in the globally threatened marbled teal and white-headed duck in Spain

Marbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) and white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala) are the two European ducks threatened with global extinction. We investigated lead (Pb) poisoning in stifftails (Oxyura spp., n = 83) and marbled teal (n = 80) shot or found dead or moribund in Spanish wetlands via gizzard examination and liver, bone, and blood Pb analysis. Ingested Pb shot was present in 32% of shot stifftails and 70 and 43% of dead or moribund stifftails and marbled teal, respectively. Lead-shot ingestion was more frequent in Valencia (eastern Spain), where Pb-shot densities were higher and grit scarcer. Selection of larger grit similar in size to Pb shot may explain the higher rate of Pb-shot ingestion observed in stifftails. Ingested shot was found more frequently in juvenile stifftails than in adults. Lead bone concentrations were higher in ducklings <9 d old than in fully grown teal and were also higher in adult than in juvenile teal. Our results show the need for a ban of Pb shot for waterfowl hunting in Spain and the cleanup of spent shot at major wetlands

Direct and indirect effects of a macroalgal canopy and limpet grazing in structuring a sheltered inter-tidal community

Adult barnacles of Chthamalus stellatus and Chthamalus montagui were collected in August 1998, from Garrettstown Co. Cork and Kilkee Co. Glare, in southwest and west Ireland, respectively. Attached cypris larvae were collected during the settlement season of C. stellatus and C. montagui, on 2 shores in Co. Cork and 1 shore on Glare Island, Co. Mayo in west Ireland. Cyprid collections were made during either August or September, in 1992, 1994 and 1998 and all cyprids were measured along their carapace length. Size-frequency histograms were produced for each sampling occasion. Total DNA was extracted and the COI-COII mitochondrial genes were PCR amplified, both from selected adults and cyprids of each species collected in 1998. Composite haplotypes, produced by digesting PCR products with the restriction endonucleases TaqI and RsaI, showed clear identification between the 2 species as adults and larvae. Of the 68 cyprids examined, those measuring 525 mu m and under were found to have RFLP profiles corresponding with C. moniagui adults, while those of 550 mu m and larger were found to match C. stellatus adults. The findings verify previous length-frequency analysis. Carapace length is an important character in the identification of C. stellatus and C. montagui cyprids. The PCR primers developed during this study will also amplify DNA from 4 other species of acorn barnacle