3,242 research outputs found
Lupinosis and rates of stocking of lupin stubbles
Lupin stubbles provide valuable summer sheep feed but under some conditions the fungus Phomopsis rossiana (for which lupins are the host plant) produces a toxin that causes lupinosis. Results from research at Badaingarra Research Station over the 1973-74 and 1974- 75 summers have shown that sheep liver damage associated with lupin stubble grazing is likely to be more severe at high than low stocking rates
Towards a publicly available, map-based regional software tool to estimate unregulated daily streamflow at ungauged rivers
Streamflow information is critical for addressing any number of hydrologic problems. Often, streamflow information is needed at locations that are ungauged and, therefore, have no observations on which to base water management decisions. Furthermore, there has been increasing need for daily streamflow time series to manage rivers for both human and ecological functions. To facilitate negotiation between human and ecological demands for water, this paper presents the first publicly available, map-based, regional software tool to estimate historical, unregulated, daily streamflow time series (streamflow not affected by human alteration such as dams or water withdrawals) at any user-selected ungauged river location. The map interface allows users to locate and click on a river location, which then links to a spreadsheet-based program that computes estimates of daily streamflow for the river location selected. For a demonstration region in the northeast United States, daily streamflow was, in general, shown to be reliably estimated by the software tool. Estimating the highest and lowest streamflows that occurred in the demonstration region over the period from 1960 through 2004 also was accomplished but with more difficulty and limitations. The software tool provides a general framework that can be applied to other regions for which daily streamflow estimates are needed
A warped disk model for M33 and the 21-cm line width in spiral galaxies
To determine the actual HI distribution and the velocity field in the
outermost disk of the spiral galaxy M33, a tilted-ring model is fitted to 21-cm
line data taken with the Arecibo Telescope. Since M33 is one of the main
calibrators for the extragalactic distance scale derived through the
Tully-Fisher relation, the outer disk warping is of interest for a correct
determination and deprojection of the galaxy's line width. Even though our best
model predicts small effects on the observed line width of M33, we show that
similar outer disk warping in galaxies oriented differently along our line of
sight could affect the widths considerably. Therefore there may be systematic
effects in the determination of the rotation velocities and dynamic masses of
spiral galaxies, whose exact value depends also on which method is used for
measuring the galaxy's total line width.Comment: 27 pages, ps files only, ApJ in pres
Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction in Sri Lanka: What Methodology?
Research methodology is the procedural framework within which the research is conducted. This includes the overall
approach to a problem that could be put into practice in a research process, from the theoretical underpinning to the
collection and analysis of data. Choice of methodology depends on the primary drivers: topic to be researched and the
specific research questions. Hence, methodological perspectives of managing stakeholder expectations of PDHR context
are composed of research philosophies, research strategy, research design, and research techniques. This research belonged
to social constructivism or interpretivism within a philosophical continuum. The nature of the study was more toward
subjectivism where human behavior favored voluntary stance. Ontological, methodological, epistemological, and axiological
positioning carried the characteristics of idealism, ideographic, anti-positivism, and value laden, respectively. Data collection
comprises two phases, preliminary and secondary. Exploratory interviews with construction experts in the United Kingdom
and Sri Lanka were carried out to refine the interview questions and identify the case studies. Case study interviews during
the secondary phase took place in Sri Lanka. Data collected at the preliminary stage were used to assess the attributes of
power, legitimacy/proximity, and urgency of stakeholders to the project using Stakeholder Circleâą software. Moreover,
the data collected at secondary phase via case studies will be analyzed with NVivo 8. This article aims to discuss these
methodological underpinnings in detail applied in a post-disaster housing reconstruction context in Sri Lanka
On the investigations of galaxy redshift periodicity
In this article we present a historical review of study of the redshift
periodicity of galaxies, starting from the first works performed in the
seventies of the twentieth century until the present day. We discuss the
observational data and methods used, showing in which cases the discretization
of redshifts was observed. We conclude that galaxy redshift periodisation is an
effect which can really exist. We also discussed the redshift discretization in
two different structures: the Local Group of galaxies and the Hercules
Supercluster. Contrary to the previous studies we consider all galaxies which
can be regarded as a structure member disregarding the accuracy of velocity
measurements. We applied the power spectrum analysis using the Hann function
for weighting, together with the jackknife error estimator. In both the
structures we found weak effects of redshift periodisation.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Part. and Nucl. Lett. 200
Boron Abundances in Main Sequence B-type Stars: A Test of Rotational Depletion during Main Sequence Evolution
Boron abundances have been derived for seven main sequence B-type stars from
HST STIS spectra around the B III 2066 A line. In two stars, boron appears to
be undepleted with respect to the presumed initial abundance. In one star,
boron is detectable but it is clearly depleted. In the other four stars, boron
is undetectable implying depletions of 1 to 2 dex. Three of these four stars
are nitrogen enriched, but the fourth shows no enrichment of nitrogen. Only
rotationally induced mixing predicts that boron depletions are unaccompanied by
nitrogen enrichments. The inferred rate of boron depletion from our
observations is in good agreement with these predictions. Other boron-depleted
nitrogen-normal stars are identified from the literature. Also, several
boron-depleted nitrogen-rich stars are identified, and while all fall on the
boron-nitrogen trend predicted by rotationally-induced mixing, a majority have
nitrogen enrichments that are not uniquely explained by rotation.
The spectra have also been used to determine iron-group (Cr, Mn, Fe, and Ni)
abundances. The seven B-type stars have near solar iron-group abundances, as
expected for young stars in the solar neighborhood. We have also analysed the
halo B-type star, PG0832+676. We find [Fe/H] = -0.88 +/- 0.10, and the absence
of the B III line gives the upper limit [B/H]<2.5. These and other published
abundances are used to infer the star's evolutionary status as a post-AGB star.Comment: 31 pages, 14 figures. accepted to Ap
Xenon in Mercury-Manganese Stars
Previous studies of elemental abundances in Mercury-Manganese (HgMn) stars
have occasionally reported the presence of lines of the ionized rare noble gas
Xe II, especially in a few of the hottest stars with Teff ~ 13000--15000 K. A
new study of this element has been undertaken using observations from Lick
Observatory's Hamilton Echelle Spectrograph. In this work, the spectrum
synthesis program UCLSYN has been used to undertake abundance analysis assuming
LTE. We find that in the Smith & Dworetsky sample of HgMn stars, Xe is vastly
over-abundant in 21 of 22 HgMn stars studied, by factors of 3.1--4.8 dex. There
does not appear to be a significant correlation of Xe abundance with Teff. A
comparison sample of normal late B stars shows no sign of Xe II lines that
could be detected, consistent with the expected weakness of lines at normal
abundance. The main reason for the previous lack of widespread detection in
HgMn stars is probably due to the strongest lines being at longer wavelengths
than the photographic blue. The lines used in this work were 4603.03A, 4844.33A
and 5292.22A.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Accepted by Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society, 8 January 200
Corporate Social Responsibility and Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs): Management Perceptions from IFIs in Bahrain
Islamic finance is gaining greater attention in the finance industry, and this paper analyses how Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) are responding to the welfare needs of society. Using interview data with managers and content analysis of the disclosures, this study attempts to understand management perceptions of corporate social
responsibility (CSR) in IFIs. A thorough understanding of CSR by managers, as evident in the interviews, has not been translated fully into practice. The partial use of IFIsâ potential role in social welfare would add further challenges in the era of financialisation
Delusional beliefs and reason giving
Delusions are often regarded as irrational beliefs, but their irrationality is not sufficient to explain what is pathological about them. In this paper we ask whether deluded subjects have the capacity to support the content of their delusions with reasons, that is, whether they can author their delusional states. The hypothesis that delusions are characterised by a failure of authorship, which is a dimension of self knowledge, deserves to be
empirically tested because (a) it has the potential to account for the distinction between endorsing a delusion and endorsing a framework belief; (b) it contributes to a
philosophical analysis of the relationship between rationality and self knowledge; and (c) it informs diagnosis and therapy in clinical psychiatry. However, authorship cannot provide a demarcation criterion between delusions and other irrational belief states
- âŠ