Mammal Capture Success of Scent Stations and Remote Cameras in Prairie and Forest Habitat

Two common noninvasive (i.e., no stress to the animal) methods used to survey mammals include track stations (i.e., track captures of mammals) and remote camera-traps (i.e., photo-captures of mammals). Our objectives were to compare capture effectiveness of both track stations and remote cameras in both forested and prairie habitats. This project was conducted on 4 study sires (2 forested sires and 2 prairie sites) located in Fayette County, Iowa. Each study site had 6 trapping stations 2:: 100 m apart. We monitored traps for a total of 216 trap nights and we recorded a total of 368 captures composed of 19 different mammal species. We found that in forest habitat remote camera-traps captured significantly more mammals compared to track stations (n = 53) (P\u3c0.01; df = 1) while in prairie habitat we found no significant difference in the number of mammals captured between trap sires (P=0.27; df = 1). We recommend the use of digital remote cameras with no glow infrared technology in combination with the monitoring of mammal tracks to maximize mammal capture effectiveness

Study of an attitude control system for the astronaut maneuvering unit final report, dec. 1963 - jul. 1964

Attitude control system for astronaut maneuvering unit

Knot homology via derived categories of coherent sheaves II, sl(m) case

Using derived categories of equivariant coherent sheaves we construct a knot homology theory which categorifies the quantum sl(m) knot polynomial. Our knot homology naturally satisfies the categorified MOY relations and is conjecturally isomorphic to Khovanov-Rozansky homology. Our construction is motivated by the geometric Satake correspondence and is related to Manolescu's by homological mirror symmetry.Comment: 51 pages, 9 figure

Shapley Supercluster Survey: Construction of the photometric catalogues and i-band data release

The Shapley Supercluster Survey is a multi-wavelength survey covering an area of ∼23 deg² (∼260 Mpc² at z = 0.048) around the supercluster core, including nine Abell and two poor clusters, having redshifts in the range 0.045–0.050. The survey aims to investigate the role of the cluster-scale mass assembly on the evolution of galaxies, mapping the effects of the environment from the cores of the clusters to their outskirts and along the filaments. The optical (ugri) imaging acquired with OmegaCAM on the VLT Survey Telescope is essential to achieve the project goals providing accurate multi-band photometry for the galaxy population down to m∗ + 6. We describe the methodology adopted to construct the optical catalogues and to separate extended and point-like sources. The catalogues reach average 5σ limiting magnitudes within a 3 arcsec diameter aperture of ugri = [24.4,24.6,24.1,23.3] and are 93 per cent complete down to ugri = [23.8,23.8,23.5,22.0] mag, corresponding to ∼m∗ r + 8.5. The data are highly uniform in terms of observing conditions and all acquired with seeing less than 1.1 arcsec full width at half-maximum. The median seeing in r band is 0.6 arcsec, corresponding to 0.56 kpc h⁻¹ 70 at z = 0.048. While the observations in the u, g and r bands are still ongoing, the i-band observations have been completed, and we present the i-band catalogue over the whole survey area. The latter is released and it will be regularly updated, through the use of the Virtual Observatory tools. This includes 734 319 sources down to i = 22.0 mag and it is the first optical homogeneous catalogue at such a depth, covering the central region of the Shapley supercluster

Shapley Supercluster Survey (ShaSS): Galaxy Evolution from Filaments to Cluster Cores

We present an overview of a multi-wavelength survey of the Shapley supercluster (SSC; z~0.05) covering a contiguous area of 260 h^-2_70 Mpc^2 including the supercluster core. The project main aim is to quantify the influence of cluster-scale mass assembly on galaxy evolution in one of the most massive structures in the local Universe. The Shapley supercluster survey (ShaSS) includes nine Abell clusters (A3552, A3554, A3556, A3558, A3559, A3560, A3562, AS0724, AS0726) and two poor clusters (SC1327- 312, SC1329-313) showing evidence of cluster-cluster interactions. Optical (ugri) and near-infrared (K) imaging acquired with VST and VISTA allow us to study the galaxy population down to m*+6 at the supercluster redshift. A dedicated spectroscopic survey with AAOmega on the Anglo-Australian Telescope provides a magnitude-limited sample of supercluster members with 80% completeness at ~m*+3. We derive the galaxy density across the whole area, demonstrating that all structures within this area are embedded in a single network of clusters, groups and filaments. The stellar mass density in the core of the SSC is always higher than 9E09 M_sun Mpc^-3, which is ~40x the cosmic stellar mass density for galaxies in the local Universe. We find a new filamentary structure (~7 Mpc long in projection) connecting the SSC core to the cluster A3559, as well as previously unidentified density peaks. We perform a weak-lensing analysis of the central 1 sqdeg field of the survey obtaining for the central cluster A3558 a mass of M_500=7.63E14 M_sun, in agreement with X-ray based estimates.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication on MNRA

X-point collapse and saturation in the nonlinear tearing mode reconnection

We study the nonlinear evolution of the resistive tearing mode in slab geometry in two dimensions. We show that, in the strongly driven regime (large Delta'), a collapse of the X-point occurs once the island width exceeds a certain critical value ~1/Delta'. A current sheet is formed and the reconnection is exponential in time with a growth rate ~eta^1/2, where eta is the resistivity. If the aspect ratio of the current sheet is sufficiently large, the sheet can itself become tearing-mode unstable, giving rise to secondary islands, which then coalesce with the original island. The saturated state depends on the value of Delta'. For small Delta', the saturation amplitude is ~Delta' and quantitatively agrees with the theoretical prediction. If Delta' is large enough for the X-point collapse to have occured, the saturation amplitude increases noticeably and becomes independent of Delta'.Comment: revtex4, 4 pages, 18 figure

LoCuSS: The steady decline and slow quenching of star formation in cluster galaxies over the last four billion years

We present an analysis of the levels and evolution of star formation activity in a representative sample of 30 massive galaxy clusters at 0.15<z<0.30 from the Local Cluster Substructure Survey (LoCuSS), combining wide-field Spitzer 24um data with extensive spectroscopy of cluster members. The specific-SFRs of massive (M>10^10 M_sun) star-forming cluster galaxies within r200 are found to be systematically 28% lower than their counterparts in the field at fixed stellar mass and redshift, a difference significant at the 8.7-sigma level. This is the unambiguous signature of star formation in most (and possibly all) massive star-forming galaxies being slowly quenched upon accretion into massive clusters, their SFRs declining exponentially on quenching time-scales in the range 0.7-2.0 Gyr. We measure the mid-infrared Butcher-Oemler effect over the redshift range 0.0-0.4, finding rapid evolution in the fraction (f_SF) of massive (M_K3M_sun/yr, of the form f_SF (1+z)^7.6. We dissect the origins of the Butcher-Oemler effect, revealing it to be due to the combination of a ~3x decline in the mean specific-SFRs of star-forming cluster galaxies since z~0.3 with a ~1.5x decrease in number density. Two-thirds of this reduction in the specific-SFRs of star-forming cluster galaxies is due to the steady cosmic decline in the specific-SFRs among those field galaxies accreted into the clusters. The remaining one-third reflects an accelerated decline in the star formation activity of galaxies within clusters. The slow quenching of star-formation in cluster galaxies is consistent with a gradual shut down of star formation in infalling spiral galaxies as they interact with the intra-cluster medium via ram-pressure stripping or starvation mechanisms. We find no evidence for the build-up of cluster S0 bulges via major nuclear star-burst episodes.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Drought: Understanding and reducing vulnerability through monitoring and early warning systems. Report of the DrIVER workshop, 17 March 2015.

As part of the Belmont Forum funded international DRIVER research project on linking indicators to impacts to improve drought monitoring and early warning systems (MEWs), a stakeholder workshop was held on 17th March 2015 in Wallingford, UK. The workshop was attended by representatives of various UK organisations with an interest in drought and MEWs and DRIVER researchers from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UK), Open University (UK), University of Freiburg (Germany), National Drought Mitigation Center (USA) and CSIRO (Australia). The aims of the workshop were to introduce participants to the DRIVER project and recent RCUK drought projects; engage with stakeholders’ experiences, understandings and needs in relation to droughts; and identify needs for future MEWs. The design of the workshop was based on a commitment to social learning. It comprised a mix of presentations and interactive sessions using innovative techniques to develop collective insights, enabling participants to learn from others and contribute their experiences and ideas and concerns in relation to drought and MEWs. Themes emerging findings from the workshop were wide-ranging, but point to a range of issues, concerns and suggestions for improving drought management and MEWs centred on: recognition of different types of drought; uncertainties and risks relating to indicators; forecasting; impacts; politics of drought; public communication; role of stakeholders; and resilience strategies. The workshop suggests different ways of thinking and acting are required about drought and MEWs in particular. The discussions and presentations also suggest the complexity of droughts requires a more systemic understanding of drought policy, processes and practices in order to determine the role of MEWs and how these can be improved by linking indicators to impacts. The output of the workshop constitute a key source for informing and shaping ongoing DRIVER research activities and other events convened by RCUK drought research projects