Timing, frequency and environmental conditions associated with mainstem-tributary movement by a lowland river fish, golden perch (Macquaria ambigua)

Tributary and mainstem connections represent important links for the movement of fish and other biota throughout river networks. We investigated the timing, frequency and environmental conditions associated with movements by adult golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) between the mainstem of the mid-Murray River and a tributary, the Goulburn River, in south-eastern Australia, using acoustic telemetry over four years (2007–2011). Fish were tagged and released in autumn 2007–2009 in the mid-Murray (n = 42) and lower Goulburn (n = 37) rivers within 3–6 km of the mid-Murray-lower Goulburn junction. 38% of tagged fish undertook mainstem–tributary movements, characterised mostly by temporary occupation followed by return of fish to the original capture river. Approximately 10% of tagged fish exhibited longer-term shifts between the mainstem and tributary. Movement of fish from the tributary into the mainstem occurred primarily during the spawning season and in some years coincided with the presence of golden perch eggs/larvae in drift samples in the mainstem. Many of the tributary-to-mainstem movements occurred during or soon after changes in flow. The movements of fish from the mainstem into the tributary were irregular and did not appear to be associated with spawning. The findings show that golden perch moved freely across the mainstem–tributary interface. This demonstrates the need to consider the spatial, behavioural and demographic interdependencies of aquatic fauna across geographic management units such as rivers

Temperature change and Baltic sprat: from observations to ecological-economic modelling

Temperature effects on Baltic sprat are many and include both direct and indirect effects. Increasing temperature is thought to increase the survival of all early life stages, resulting in increased recruitment success. We quantified the spatially resolved temperature trend for major spawning grounds and depth layers being most relevant for sprat eggs and larvae, using a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model for 1979–2005. Results confirmed an underlying positive temperature trend. Next, we tested these time-series as new explanatory variables in an existing temperature-dependent recruitment function and applied these recruitment predictions in an agestructured ecological–economic optimization model, maximizing for profit. Economic optimal solutions depended upon variability in temperature trajectories. Under climate-change scenarios, mean optimal fishing mortality and related yields and profits increased. The extent of the increase was limited by the general shape of the stock–recruitment model and the assumption of density-dependence. This highlights the need to formulate better environmentally sensitive stock recruitment models. Under the current knowledge of Baltic sprat recruitment, the tested climate-change scenarios would result in a change in management targets. However, to serve as a quantitative management advice tool, models will have to address the above-mentioned concern

Tetrahedral Symmetry in Ground- and Low-Lying States of Exotic A ~ 110 Nuclei

Recent theoretical calculations predict a possible existence of nuclei with tetrahedral symmetry: more precisely, the mean-field hamiltonians of such nuclei are symmetric with respect to double point-group Td. In this paper, we focus on the neutron-rich Zirconium isotopes as an example and present realistic mean-field calculations which predict tetrahedral ground-state configurations in 108,110Zr and low-lying excited states of tetrahedral symmetry in a number of N > 66 isotopes. The motivations for focusing on these nuclei, as well as a discussion of the possible experimental signatures of tetrahedral symmetry are also presented.Comment: Accepted in Phys. Rev. C - Rapid Communication

A checklist for explainable AI in the insurance domain

Algorithms and the Foundations of Software technolog

A checklist for explainable AI in the insurance domain

Algorithms and the Foundations of Software technolog

The relation between self-event connections and personality functioning in youth with severe psychopathology

OBJECTIVE: One way in which individuals construct their narrative identity is by making self‐event connections, which are often linked to better functioning. Being unable to make connections is related to identity discontinuity and psychopathology. Work in the general population corroborates this association, but also highlights the importance of focusing on specific aspects of these connections and on vulnerable populations. METHOD: We examined the association of self‐event connections with personality functioning in youth with severe psychopathology (cross‐sectional N = 228, M (age) = 19.5, longitudinal N = 84), and the role of event and connection valence in the subsample of youth who made a connection (n = 188 and n = 68). Negative affectivity was controlled for in all models. RESULTS: We found no evidence that self‐event connections, nor connection valence and its interaction with event valence, are related to functioning. Positive event valence was associated with better functioning. Higher negative affectivity was strongly linked to lower functioning and explained the relation between event valence and functioning. No longitudinal associations emerged. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that for youth with severe psychopathology making self‐event connections may not be associated with better functioning. Moreover, negative affectivity may be a distal predictor of both event valence and functioning

Numerical study of the lattice vacancy effects on the single-channel electron transport of graphite ribbons

Lattice vacancy effects on electrical conductance of nanographite ribbon are investigated by means of the Landauer approach using a tight binding model. In the low-energy regime ribbons with zigzag boundary provide a single conducting channel whose origin is connected with the presence of edge states. It is found that the chemical potential dependence of conductance strongly depends on the difference ($\Delta$) of the number of removed A and B sublattice sites. The large lattice vacancy with $\Delta\neq 0$ shows $2\Delta$ zero-conductance dips in the single-channel region, however, the large lattice vacancy with $\Delta=0$ has no dip structure in this region. The connection between this conductance rule and the Longuet-Higgins conjecture is also discussed

Quantum Spectra of Triangular Billiards on the Sphere

We study the quantal energy spectrum of triangular billiards on a spherical surface. Group theory yields analytical results for tiling billiards while the generic case is treated numerically. We find that the statistical properties of the spectra do not follow the standard random matrix results and their peculiar behaviour can be related to the corresponding classical phase space structure.Comment: 18 pages, 5 eps figure

Generalized "Quasi-classical" Ground State for an Interacting Two Level System

We treat a system (a molecule or a solid) in which electrons are coupled linearly to any number and type of harmonic oscillators and which is further subject to external forces of arbitrary symmetry. With the treatment restricted to the lowest pair of electronic states, approximate "vibronic" (vibration-electronic) ground state wave functions are constructed having the form of simple, closed expressions. The basis of the method is to regard electronic density operators as classical variables. It extends an earlier "guessed solution", devised for the dynamical Jahn-Teller effect in cubic symmetry, to situations having lower (e.g., dihedral) symmetry or without any symmetry at all. While the proposed solution is expected to be quite close to the exact one, its formal simplicity allows straightforward calculations of several interesting quantities, like energies and vibronic reduction (or Ham) factors. We calculate for dihedral symmetry two different $q$-factors ("$q_z$" and "$q_x$") and a $p$-factor. In simplified situations we obtain $p=q_z +q_x -1$. The formalism enables quantitative estimates to be made for the dynamical narrowing of hyperfine lines in the observed ESR spectrum of the dihedral cyclobutane radical cation.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figure