Patterns of growth, mortality, and size of the tropical damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus across the continental shelf of the Great Barrier Reef

Age-based analyses were used to demonstrate consistent differences in growth between populations of Acanthochromis polyacanthus (Pomacentridae) collected at three distance strata across the continental shelf (inner, mid-, and outer shelf) of the central Great Barrier Reef (three reefs per distance stratum). Fish had significantly greater maximum lengths with increasing distance from shore, but fish from all distances reached approximately the same maximum age, indicating that growth is more rapid for fish found on outer-shelf reefs. Only one fish collected from inner-shelf reefs reached >100 mm SL, whereas 38−67% of fish collected from the outer shelf were >100 mm SL. The largest age class of adult-size fish collected from inner and mid-shelf locations comprised 3−4 year-olds, but shifted to 2-year-olds on outer-shelf reefs. Mortality schedules (Z and S) were similar irrespective of shelf position (inner shelf: 0.51 and 60.0%; mid-shelf: 0.48 and 61.8%; outer shelf: 0.43 and 65.1%, respectively). Age validation of captive fish indicated that growth increments are deposited annually, between the end of winter and early spring. The observed cross-shelf patterns in adult sizes and growth were unlikely to be a result of genetic differences between sample populations because all fish collected showed the same color pattern. It is likely that cross-shelf variation in quality and quantity of food, as well as in turbidity, are factors that contribute to the observed patterns of growth. Similar patterns of cross-shelf mortality indicate that predation rates varied little across the shelf. Our study cautions against pooling demographic parameters on broad spatial scales without consideration of the potential for cross-shelf variabi

Effect of Supplier Relationship Management on Humanitarian Supply Chain Performance at the World Food Programme in Somalia

The study sought to unfold the relationship between Supplier Relationship Management on supply chain in humanitarian organizations which is often difficult because of the multi-groups involved (military, government, Non-governmental Organizations). In humanitarian organizations the “customer” is the donor or supplier of goods. The study was conducted at the World Food Programme (WFP) which started operating in Somalia in 1967 and focusing on rural agricultural development and school feeding projects. At the onset of WFP operations, the conflict escalated and the humanitarian needs expanded as well. Today the WFP Somalia goal is to address basic food needs, strengthen coping mechanisms and support the efforts to achieve food security of vulnerable Somalis. The organization has its regional office in charge of operations and supply chain in Nairobi as well as the Somalia liaison office. There are rare studies focusing on supply chain relationship among humanitarian organizations particularly on the challenges of getting supplies on time due financial and other supply chain constraints. This is the gap this study sought to address. In order to achieve the objectives, the population of the study was the WFP employees (senior and the supply chain staff) in both the regional and the liaison office and the WFP food suppliers based in Nairobi. The sample comprised of 87 WFP employees and 7 personnel from the WFP food supplier family. Data was collected from 63 respondents who filled and returned the questionnaires representing a response rate rate of 72%. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyse the data collected in order to meet the objectives of the study. The results revealed that WFP continuously trains employees from the supply chain department and has mechanisms for ensuring suppliers conform to quality standards. It was also found that ICT is used in the execution and management of purchase orders. On WFP humanitarian supply chain performance, results indicated that WFP Somalia delivers defect free food supplies to beneficiaries by working closely with the internal staff and the logistics operators. The study recommends that WFP’s management should begin rewarding suppliers who share information for effective supply chain management. The organization should not only have multiple supply tiers but should also be well vast with each tiers risk profile to enable the organization mitigate any unforeseen events that may affect delivery of supplies especially during emergencies

Do Clouds Save the Great Barrier Reef? Satellite Imagery Elucidates the Cloud-SST Relationship at the Local Scale

Evidence of global climate change and rising sea surface temperatures (SSTs) is now well documented in the scientific literature. With corals already living close to their thermal maxima, increases in SSTs are of great concern for the survival of coral reefs. Cloud feedback processes may have the potential to constrain SSTs, serving to enforce an “ocean thermostat” and promoting the survival of coral reefs. In this study, it was hypothesized that cloud cover can affect summer SSTs in the tropics. Detailed direct and lagged relationships between cloud cover and SST across the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR) shelf were investigated using data from satellite imagery and in situ temperature and light loggers during two relatively hot summers (2005 and 2006) and two relatively cool summers (2007 and 2008). Across all study summers and shelf positions, SSTs exhibited distinct drops during periods of high cloud cover, and conversely, SST increases during periods of low cloud cover, with a three-day temporal lag between a change in cloud cover and a subsequent change in SST. Cloud cover alone was responsible for up to 32.1% of the variation in SSTs three days later. The relationship was strongest in both El Niño (2005) and La Niña (2008) study summers and at the inner-shelf position in those summers. SST effects on subsequent cloud cover were weaker and more variable among study summers, with rising SSTs explaining up to 21.6% of the increase in cloud cover three days later. This work quantifies the often observed cloud cooling effect on coral reefs. It highlights the importance of incorporating local-scale processes into bleaching forecasting models, and encourages the use of remote sensing imagery to value-add to coral bleaching field studies and to more accurately predict risks to coral reefs

Impacts on fish transported in tube fishways

Experimental data and numerical predictions of steady and unsteady flow in a 4 m high, 86 mm internal diameter tube fishway were compared quantitatively, and reflected expected uncertainties characteristic of the experiments and flow hydraulics. We then measured the response of a neutrally-buoyant fluid sensor and the behaviour of live fish transported vertically within the tube fishway. Ten repeat tests using the sensor and tests with seventy individual live fish demonstrated transport with 100% reliability. No ill effects were observed over a post-test monitoring period for two species of Australian native fish (Australian bass (Percalates novemaculeata) and Silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus)) or as a function of size of the Silver perch that can be related to their passage through the fishway. There may have been temporary bruising of a few of the largest Silver perch tested. The largest Silver perch averaged 137 mm in length. The spatial distributions of the inert sensor and fish relative to the moving front during the transport process were quantified. Consequently, the volumes of water required during each operational cycle to ensure reliable delivery of fish over vertical distances less than 4 m were determined. The sensor measurements indicated negligible interactions with straight pipe walls but exposure to significant accelerations at sharp bends. Further experiments with live fish are required to quantify the possible adverse effects of alternative pipe transition designs on animals transported through them. Safe transport of fish up to a fish length/tube fishway delivery diameter ratio of 1.6 is demonstrated

OperonDB: a comprehensive database of predicted operons in microbial genomes

The fast pace of bacterial genome sequencing and the resulting dependence on highly automated annotation methods has driven the development of many genome-wide analysis tools. OperonDB, first released in 2001, is a database containing the results of a computational algorithm for locating operon structures in microbial genomes. OperonDB has grown from 34 genomes in its initial release to more than 500 genomes today. In addition to increasing the size of the database, we have re-designed our operon finding algorithm and improved its accuracy. The new database is updated regularly as additional genomes become available in public archives. OperonDB can be accessed at: http://operondb.cbcb.umd.ed

“Tales and Adventures”: G.A. Henty’s Union Jack and the Competitive World of Publishing for Boys in the 1880s’

In the competitive publishing environment of the late nineteenth century, writers and magazines had to distinguish themselves carefully from potential rivals. This article examines how G.A. Henty’s quality boys’ weekly, Union Jack (1880-83), attempted to secure a niche in the juvenile publishing market by deliberately distinguishing itself from other papers as a literary, imperialist and “healthy” publication. The article explores the design and marketing techniques of the magazine, its status as a fiction paper, the high calibre of its contributors, and its aggressive rhetoric in targeting an exclusively masculine audience. It argues that while Union Jack was marketed as a niche publication, it eventually failed to distinguish itself sufficiently to survive in an extremely competitive environment

Larval dispersal in a changing ocean with an emphasis on upwelling regions

Dispersal of benthic species in the sea is mediated primarily through small, vulnerable larvae that must survive minutes to months as members of the plankton community while being transported by strong, dynamic currents. As climate change alters ocean conditions, the dispersal of these larvae will be affected, with pervasive ecological and evolutionary consequences. We review the impacts of oceanic changes on larval transport, physiology, and behavior. We then discuss the implications for population connectivity and recruitment and evaluate life history strategies that will affect susceptibility to the effects of climate change on their dispersal patterns, with implications for understanding selective regimes in a future ocean. We find that physical oceanographic changes will impact dispersal by transporting larvae in different directions or inhibiting their movements while changing environmental factors, such as temperature, pH, salinity, oxygen, ultraviolet radiation, and turbidity, will affect the survival of larvae and alter their behavior. Reduced dispersal distance may make local adaptation more likely in well-connected populations with high genetic variation while reduced dispersal success will lower recruitment with implications for fishery stocks. Increased dispersal may spur adaptation by increasing genetic diversity among previously disconnected populations as well as increasing the likelihood of range expansions. We hypothesize that species with planktotrophic (feeding), calcifying, or weakly swimming larvae with specialized adult habitats will be most affected by climate change. We also propose that the adaptive value of retentive larval behaviors may decrease where transport trajectories follow changing climate envelopes and increase where transport trajectories drive larvae toward increasingly unsuitable conditions. Our holistic framework, combined with knowledge of regional ocean conditions and larval traits, can be used to produce powerful predictions of expected impacts on larval dispersal as well as the consequences for connectivity, range expansion, or recruitment. Based on our findings, we recommend that future studies take a holistic view of dispersal incorporating biological and oceanographic impacts of climate change rather than solely focusing on oceanography or physiology. Genetic and paleontological techniques can be used to examine evolutionary impacts of altered dispersal in a future ocean, while museum collections and expedition records can inform modern-day range shifts

Flipped Learning in Synchronously-Delivered, Geographically-Dispersed General Chemistry Classrooms

In synchronously-delivered, multi-site classrooms, the physical separation between distance students and instructors may create a perceived divide that negatively affects learning. Building on prior experience in flipping organic chemistry in single-site face-to-face (F2F) classes, we decided to extend our approach to multi-site, synchronously-delivered general chemistry courses. Our thought was to narrow the perceived instructor-student divide in distance teaching by using the flexible in-class time that flipping affords to increase the number of positive teacher/distance-student interactions. In this effort, we gradually developed a technique called “bridging questions,” through which the instructor becomes more familiar with student interests and then connects those interests to chemistry topics discussed in class. Despite anticipating overall positive results, actual consequences were mixed: after flipping the class, evaluation scores and positive feedback increased slightly. However, the mean final exam scores decreased for F2F students by 26.2%, but increased for distance students by 4.4% (not statistically significant). Thus, this new approach (flipping with bridging questions) may have unintentionally skewed our focus to distance students, though this conclusion is speculative. (We acknowledge statistical limitations, due to small sample sizes.) We accordingly advocate proactive efforts to balance engagement between both F2F and distance sites. In this paper we also discuss modifications we made to adapt our flipped format to multi-site, synchronously-delivered freshman chemistry courses, as well as the basic idea of bridging questions in general

Correction factors for δ 18 O-derived global sea surface temperature reconstructions from diagenetically altered intervals of coral skeletal density banding

Reconstruction of sea surface temperature (SST) from the δ18O and Sr/Ca composition of coral skeletal density banding (CSDB), identified with x-ray diffraction and micro computed tomography, provides invaluable centuries-long records of ocean circulation and climate change. Comparison with age-equivalent instrument measurements of SST over the last 125 years has proven these δ18O-derived SST reconstructions to be generally reliable. However, notable exceptions occur within discrete CSDB stratigraphic intervals that yield δ18O-derived SST underestimates of as much as 9°C with respect to instrument measured SST. Here we combine high-resolution optical and electron microscopy with geochemical modeling to establish correction factors for the impact of marine seafloor physical, chemical, and biological alteration (diagenesis) within these altered intervals of CSDB stratigraphy. Four cores were collected from Porites coral heads across a 4-24 m water depth bathymetric transect at Myrmidon Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Precise mapping of diagenetic aragonite cementation was completed within CSDB patterns digitally overlaid on 35 petrographic thin sections fully covering 2.1 m of core. The vast majority of core skeletal material exhibited little to no diagenetic aragonite cementation. However, extensive diagenetic alteration was observed within discrete CSDB intervals near the base of the two deeper water Porites heads. This diagenesis serves to modify skeletal density and CSDB stratigraphy in these intervals, as well as structurally reinforce the coral skeleton. Reliable δ18O-based SST correction factors for these diagenetically altered CSDB intervals are established here by applying the percent mixing of diagenetic aragonite cement to a binary mixing model. This approach, with quantitative extents of mixing established with both microscopy and existing globally distributed coral δ18O and Sr/Ca data sets, accurately restores modern and fossil coral δ18O-derived SST records. Results indicate that as little as 5% mixing of diagenetic aragonite cement with original coral skeleton will cause δ18O-based SST anomalies of 0.9°C

The influence of elemental chemistry on the widths of otolith increments in the neon damselfish (Pomacentrus coelestis)

We examined the potential for water chemistry to affect the width of daily increments in reef fish otoliths using both mensurative and manipulative methods. We found significant differences in the widths of increments in otoliths of the neon damselfish (Pomacentrus coelestis) collected in different habitats at One Tree Island on the Great Barrier Reef. We then used manipulative experiments to determine if natural water masses (ocean water vs. lagoon plume) could produce different incremental widths in otoliths in the absence of potentially confounding factors. Fish exposed to ocean water had significantly wider otolith increments for two of the three experiments. Elemental analyses indicated that Ba/Ca ratios were significantly correlated with increment widths for two of the three experiments and Sr/Ca ratios did not correlate with increment width for any experimental period. Variation in crystal-lattice orientation did not explain differences in increment width between treatments. Differences in water chemistry can affect increment widths in otoliths of reef fishes, potentially confounding patterns previously attributed to growth rate or condition alone