Detection techniques for tenuous planetary atmospheres Fifth six-month report, 1 Jul. - 30 Dec. 1965

Physical methods description for detection and analysis of tenuous planetary atmospheric component gases, especially water vapo

Design of a Recreational Fishing Survey and Mark-Recapture Study for the Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus, in Chesapeake Bay

The development of bay wide estimates of recreational harvest has been identified as a high priority by the Chesapeake Bay Scientific Advisory Committee (CBSAC) and by the Chesapeake Bay Program as reflected in the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan (Chesapeake Bay Program 1996). In addition, the BiState Blue Crab Commission (BBCAC), formed in 1996 by mandate from the legislatures of Maryland and Virginia to advise on crab management, has also recognized the importance of estimating the levels and trends in catches in the recreational fishery. Recently, the BBCAC has adopted limit and target biological reference points. These analyses have been predicated on assumptions regarding the relative magnitude of the recreational and commercial catch. The reference points depend on determination of the total number of crabs removed from the population. In essence, the number removed by the various fishery sectors, represents a minimum estimate of the population size. If a major fishery sector is not represented, the total population will be accordingly underestimated. If the relative contribution of the unrepresented sector is constant over time and harvests the same components of the population as the other sectors, it may be argued that the population estimate derived from the other sectors is biased but still adequately represents trends in population size over time. If either of the two constraints mentioned above is not met, the validity of relative trends over time is suspect. With the recent increases in the human population in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, there is reason to be concerned that the recreational catch may not have been a constant proportion of the total harvest over time. It is important to assess the catch characteristics and the magnitude of the recreational fishery to evaluate this potential bias. (PDF contains 70 pages

The subarcsecond mid-infrared view of local active galactic nuclei: II. The mid-infrared--X-ray correlation

We present an updated mid-infrared (MIR) versus X-ray correlation for the local active galactic nuclei (AGN) population based on the high angular resolution 12 and 18um continuum fluxes from the AGN subarcsecond MIR atlas and 2-10 keV and 14-195 keV data collected from the literature. We isolate a sample of 152 objects with reliable AGN nature and multi-epoch X-ray data and minimal MIR contribution from star formation. Although the sample is not homogeneous or complete, we show that our results are unlikely to be affected by biases. The MIR--X-ray correlation is nearly linear and within a factor of two independent of the AGN type and the wavebands used. The observed scatter is <0.4 dex. A possible flattening of the correlation slope at the highest luminosities probed (~ 10^45 erg/s) is indicated but not significant. Unobscured objects have, on average, an MIR--X-ray ratio that is only <= 0.15 dex higher than that of obscured objects. Objects with intermediate X-ray column densities (22 < log N_H < 23) actually show the highest MIR--X-ray ratio on average. Radio-loud objects show a higher mean MIR--X-ray ratio at low luminosities, while the ratio is lower than average at high luminosities. This may be explained by synchrotron emission from the jet contributing to the MIR at low-luminosities and additional X-ray emission at high luminosities. True Seyfert 2 candidates and double AGN do not show any deviation from the general behaviour. Finally, we show that the MIR--X-ray correlation can be used to verify the AGN nature of uncertain objects. Specifically, we give equations that allow to determine the intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosities and column densities for objects with complex X-ray properties to within 0.34 dex. These techniques are applied to the uncertain objects of the remaining AGN MIR atlas, demonstrating the usefulness of the MIR--X-ray correlation as an empirical tool.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 40 pages, 25 figure

Automobile Crashworthiness: An Untenable Doctrine

Unobtrusively, but with increasing frequency, the courts are rejecting a theory of liability being vigorously advanced by some members of the plaintiffs\u27 bar with the apparent intent of opening up a vast new source of contingent fee income. The theory, variously labelled as crashworthiness or the second collision doctrine seeks to impose common-law liability upon the automobile industry for injurious consequences- of automobile collisions despite the fact that no defect or mal- function in the vehicle causes the mishap

A Gillnet Survey of Charlotte Harbor, Summer 2014

We conducted a gillnet survey from May through September 2014, at two locations in Charlotte Harbor, Florida: Long Point (LP) and Pine Island (PI). Elasmobranchs and teleosts were sampled using two different methodologies: 1) the same methodology as a previous survey conducted by Mote Marine Laboratory from 1995 to 2004 and in 2013; and 2) the methodology used in the NMFS-coordinated Gulf of Mexico Shark Pupping and Nursery (GULFSPAN) program. The goals of our study were to characterize changes in abundance and species composition of coastal sharks between the two survey periods (1995-2004 vs. 2013-2014); evaluate the potential of the fishery-independent survey to monitor trends in abundance of other fish species found in the area; compare the selectivity of the historical single panel net used by Mote with the selectivity of the multi-panel net used in GULFSPAN projects; and estimate seasonal growth patterns for juvenile blacktip sharks

Comparisons of mean length-based mortality estimators and age-structured models for six southeastern US stocks

Length-based mortality estimators have been developed as alternative assessment methods for data-limited stocks. We compared mortality estimates from three methodologically related mean length-based methods to those from an age-structured model (ASM). We estimated fishing mortality and determined overfishing status, i.e. if F/FMSY \u3e 1, for six stocks which support important recreational and commercial fisheries in the southeastern United States. The similarities in historical fishing mortality between the length-based methods and the most recent assessments varied among the case studies, but the classification of overfishing status in the terminal year did not differ based on the choice of model for all six stocks. There was also high agreement in the number of overfishing years within different historical periods. Applications of length-based methods can be consistent with the results that might be obtained from an ASM. In one case, diagnostics were used to identify the problems with the length-based estimators. The potential for determining overfishing status from these methods can encourage data collection programmes for unassessed stocks