Sea turtle nesting in the Ten Thousand Islands of Florida

Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) nest in numerous substrate and beach types within the Ten Thousand Islands (TTl) of southwest Florida. Nesting beach selection was analyzed on 12 islands within this archipelago. Numerous physical characteristics were recorded to identify the relatedness of these variables and determine their importance for nesting beach selection in C. caretta. These variables were chosen after evaluating the islands, conducting literature searches and soliciting personal communications. Along transects, data were collected, on the following: height of canopy, beach width, overall slope (beach slope and slope of offshore approach) and sand samples analyzed for pH, percentage of water, percentage of organic content, percentage of carbonate and particle size (8 size classes). Data on ordinal aspect of beaches and beach length were also recorded and included in the analysis. All of the variables were analyzed by tree regression, incorporating the nesting data into the analysis. In the TTl, loggerheads appear to prefer wider beaches (p< 0.001; R2 = 0.56) that inherently have less slope, and secondarily, wider beaches that have low amounts of carbonate (p< O.00 1). In addition, C. caretta favors nest sites within or in close proximity to the supra-littoral vegetation zone of beaches in the TTl (p< 0.001). (86 page document

Quantifying the Adaptive Cycle

The adaptive cycle was proposed as a conceptual model to portray patterns of change in complex systems. Despite the model having potential for elucidating change across systems, it has been used mainly as a metaphor, describing system dynamics qualitatively. We use a quantitative approach for testing premises (reorganisation, conservatism, adaptation) in the adaptive cycle, using Baltic Sea phytoplankton communities as an example of such complex system dynamics. Phytoplankton organizes in recurring spring and summer blooms, a well-established paradigm in planktology and succession theory, with characteristic temporal trajectories during blooms that may be consistent with adaptive cycle phases. We used long-term (1994–2011) data and multivariate analysis of community structure to assess key components of the adaptive cycle. Specifically, we tested predictions about: reorganisation: spring and summer blooms comprise distinct community states; conservatism: community trajectories during individual adaptive cycles are conservative; and adaptation: phytoplankton species during blooms change in the long term. All predictions were supported by our analyses. Results suggest that traditional ecological paradigms such as phytoplankton successional models have potential for moving the adaptive cycle from a metaphor to a framework that can improve our understanding how complex systems organize and reorganize following collapse. Quantifying reorganization, conservatism and adaptation provides opportunities to cope with the intricacies and uncertainties associated with fast ecological change, driven by shifting system controls. Ultimately, combining traditional ecological paradigms with heuristics of complex system dynamics using quantitative approaches may help refine ecological theory and improve our understanding of the resilience of ecosystems

Quantifying the Adaptive Cycle

The adaptive cycle was proposed as a conceptual model to portray patterns of change in complex systems. Despite the model having potential for elucidating change across systems, it has been used mainly as a metaphor, describing system dynamics qualitatively. We use a quantitative approach for testing premises (reorganisation, conservatism, adaptation) in the adaptive cycle, using Baltic Sea phytoplankton communities as an example of such complex system dynamics. Phytoplankton organizes in recurring spring and summer blooms, a well-established paradigm in planktology and succession theory, with characteristic temporal trajectories during blooms that may be consistent with adaptive cycle phases. We used long-term (1994–2011) data and multivariate analysis of community structure to assess key components of the adaptive cycle. Specifically, we tested predictions about: reorganisation: spring and summer blooms comprise distinct community states; conservatism: community trajectories during individual adaptive cycles are conservative; and adaptation: phytoplankton species during blooms change in the long term. All predictions were supported by our analyses. Results suggest that traditional ecological paradigms such as phytoplankton successional models have potential for moving the adaptive cycle from a metaphor to a framework that can improve our understanding how complex systems organize and reorganize following collapse. Quantifying reorganization, conservatism and adaptation provides opportunities to cope with the intricacies and uncertainties associated with fast ecological change, driven by shifting system controls. Ultimately, combining traditional ecological paradigms with heuristics of complex system dynamics using quantitative approaches may help refine ecological theory and improve our understanding of the resilience of ecosystems

A Composite Cylinder Model for the Prediction of Residual Stresses in Gamma-Titanium Composites

An experimental study of the residual stress formation and evolution in ␥-titanium-based composite material was completed for some important processing and heat treatment conditions. A concentric cylinder model based on Norton&apos;s creep law with the coefficients replaced by new terms related to time and temperature was developed by a combination of viscoplasticity and thermoelastic analysis of concentric cylinder domains representative for the matrix and the fiber. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was used to measure average residual stresses at the neighborhood of Saphikon fibers. The composite was fabricated by hot isostatic pressing. The residual stress at the matrix decreased as the temperature of the heat treatment increased up to an optimum value, after which the residual stress started to build up despite the increase in the annealing temperature. This phenomenon was depicted through the numerical model as well as in the XRD

Panarchy use in environmental science for risk and resilience planning

Environmental sciences have an important role in informing sustainable management of built environments by providing insights about the drivers and potentially negative impacts of global environmental change. Here, we discuss panarchy theory, a multi-scale hierarchical concept that accounts for the dynamism of complex socio-ecological systems, especially for those systems with strong cross-scale feedbacks. The idea of panarchy underlies much of system resilience, focusing on how systems respond to known and unknown threats. Panarchy theory can provide a framework for qualitative and quantitative research and application in the environmental sciences, which can in turn inform the ongoing efforts in sociotechnical resilience thinking and adaptive and transformative approaches to managemen

IMECE2005-81122 ADHESION ENERGY OF SINGLE WALL CARBON NANOTUBE-POLYETHYLENE COMPOSITE: EFFECT OF MAGNETIC FIELD

ABSTRACT In this paper, we investigate the adhesion energy at the interface between single wall carbon nanotubes and polyethylene matrix with and without an external magnetic field. The carbon nanotubes are of two different chiralities --armchair (10,10), and zigzag (10,0), and the external high magnetic field is of 25 Tesla intensity. The study employs molecular dynamics simulations and concludes that the magnetic field decreases the interfacial adhesion energy although it increases the individual potential energies of the nanotubes, the polyethylene, and the composite

Towards a global sustainable development agenda built on social–ecological resilience

Non-technical summary. The United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) articulate societal aspirations for people and our planet. Many scientists have criticised the SDGs and some have suggested that a better understanding of the complex interactions between society and the environment should underpin the next global development agenda. We further this discussion through the theory of social–ecological resilience, which emphasises the ability of systems to absorb, adapt, and transform in the face of change. We determine the strengths of the current SDGs, which should form a basis for the next agenda, and identify key gaps that should be filled. Technical summary. The United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) are past their halfway point and the next global development agenda will soon need to be developed. While laudable, the SDGs have received strong criticism from many, and scholars have proposed that adopting complex adaptive or social–ecological system approaches would increase the effectiveness of the agenda. Here we dive deeper into these discussions to explore how the theory of social–ecological resilience could serve as a strong foundation for the next global sustainable development agenda. We identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current SDGs by determining which of the 169 targets address each of 43 factors affecting social–ecological resilience that we have compiled from the literature. The SDGs with the strongest connections to social–ecological resilience are the environment-focus goals (SDGs 2, 6, 13, 14, 15), which are also the goals consistently under-prioritised in the implementation of the current agenda. In terms of the 43 factors affecting social–ecological resilience, the SDG strengths lie in their communication, inclusive decision making, financial support, regulatory incentives, economic diversity, and transparency in governance and law. On the contrary, ecological factors of resilience are seriously lacking in the SDGs, particularly with regards to scale, crossscale interactions, and non-stationarity. Social media summary. The post-2030 agenda should build on strengths of SDGs 2, 6, 13, 14, 15, and fill gaps in scale, variability, and feedbacks

Towards a global sustainable development agenda built on social-ecological resilience

Non-technical summary The United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs) articulate societal aspirations for people and our planet. Many scientists have criticised the SDGs and some have suggested that a better understanding of the complex interactions between society and the environment should underpin the next global development agenda. We further this discussion through the theory of social-ecological resilience, which emphasises the ability of systems to absorb, adapt, and transform in the face of change. We determine the strengths of the current SDGs, which should form a basis for the next agenda, and identify key gaps that should be filled. Technical summary The United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs) are past their halfway point and the next global development agenda will soon need to be developed. While laudable, the SDGs have received strong criticism from many, and scholars have proposed that adopting complex adaptive or social-ecological system approaches would increase the effectiveness of the agenda. Here we dive deeper into these discussions to explore how the theory of social-ecological resilience could serve as a strong foundation for the next global sustainable development agenda. We identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current SDGs by determining which of the 169 targets address each of 43 factors affecting social-ecological resilience that we have compiled from the literature. The SDGs with the strongest connections to social-ecological resilience are the environment-focus goals (SDGs 2, 6, 13, 14, 15), which are also the goals consistently under-prioritised in the implementation of the current agenda. In terms of the 43 factors affecting social-ecological resilience, the SDG strengths lie in their communication, inclusive decision making, financial support, regulatory incentives, economic diversity, and transparency in governance and law. On the contrary, ecological factors of resilience are seriously lacking in the SDGs, particularly with regards to scale, cross-scale interactions, and non-stationarity. Social media summary The post-2030 agenda should build on strengths of SDGs 2, 6, 13, 14, 15, and fill gaps in scale, variability, and feedbacks

Innovative Manufacturing Process for Defect Free, Affordable, High Pressure, Thin Walled, Hydraulic Tubing

Various thermo-mechanical processes were performed on a standard and a low oxygen content Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Testing was performed to determine whether it was possible to achieve a combination of tensile properties comparable to those of Ti-3Al-2.5V by means of cold working and annealing Ti-6Al-4V from a thickness of 0.671 cm (0.264 in.) to that between 0.081 and 0.094 cm (0.032-0.037 in.), which had never been carried out before. The resulting mechanical properties of this study were compared to the mechanical properties of Ti-3Al-2.5V to determine whether Ti-6Al-4V could be used as a suitable replacement for hydraulic tubing applications. The optimum results were achieved with 10-15% cold work and annealing at 750 A degrees C (1382 A degrees F) for 2 h between cold work reductions in thickness. It was concluded that Ti-6Al-4V was a suitable replacement for Ti-3Al-2.5V for hydraulic tubing with an increase in ultimate and yield strengths, but with a slight sacrifice of 5-10% elongation