7,251 research outputs found

    CLIMATE AND COOPERATION: A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE MANAGEMENT OF SHARED FISH STOCKS

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    Climate regime shifts occur at irregular intervals and have profound and persistent impacts on ocean temperature and circulation patterns and on the dynamics of marine fish populations. Despite a growing scientific literature and some attention to the implications of such regime shifts for domestic fisheries, the issue has received little attention in the context of international fishery management. This paper presents evidence for the significance of climatic regime shifts, and draws upon the recent history of conflict between Canada and the United States over Pacific salmon management to illustrate the dangers that unpredicted, unanticipated environmental regime shifts pose for efforts to maintain international cooperation. This suggests a need for greater attention to this issue. Fishery agreements can be made more resilient to the impacts of such environmental changes by explicitly building in flexibility — for example, by allowing the use of side payments. In addition, pre-agreements on procedures to be followed in the event of sustained changes in fish stock productivity or migration patterns, and cooperation on developing common scientific understandings, can help to prevent destructive conflicts. Finally, the literature employing game theoretic shared-fishery models could be further developed to focus on providing practical guidance for maintaining cooperation in the presence of unpredictable and persistent environmental changes.climate regimes, shared fisheries, potential conflicts, uncertainty, Q21, Q22, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

    Caspofungin Treatment of Aspergillus fumigatus Results in ChsG-Dependent Upregulation of Chitin Synthesis and the Formation of Chitin-Rich Microcolonies

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    Date of Acceptance: 23/07/2015 We thank Gillian Milne for help with electron microscopy, Sophie M. Schäfer for pilot experiments, and Emilia Mellado for strains. All authors acknowledge financial support of Gilead Sciences through Ph.D. studentships for L.A.W. and K.K.L. We also acknowledge research grants from the Wellcome Trust (080088, 086827, 075470, 099215, and 097377) and the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

    Dissection of the Candida albicans class I chitin synthase promoters

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    We acknowledge financial support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (10161), Medical Research Council (New Investigator Award to C.A.M.), the European Community FUNGALWALL and SIGNALPATH initiatives and the Wellcome Trust.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

    Selection from read-only memory with limited workspace

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    Given an unordered array of NN elements drawn from a totally ordered set and an integer kk in the range from 11 to NN, in the classic selection problem the task is to find the kk-th smallest element in the array. We study the complexity of this problem in the space-restricted random-access model: The input array is stored on read-only memory, and the algorithm has access to a limited amount of workspace. We prove that the linear-time prune-and-search algorithm---presented in most textbooks on algorithms---can be modified to use Θ(N)\Theta(N) bits instead of Θ(N)\Theta(N) words of extra space. Prior to our work, the best known algorithm by Frederickson could perform the task with Θ(N)\Theta(N) bits of extra space in O(NlgN)O(N \lg^{*} N) time. Our result separates the space-restricted random-access model and the multi-pass streaming model, since we can surpass the Ω(NlgN)\Omega(N \lg^{*} N) lower bound known for the latter model. We also generalize our algorithm for the case when the size of the workspace is Θ(S)\Theta(S) bits, where lg3NSN\lg^3{N} \leq S \leq N. The running time of our generalized algorithm is O(Nlg(N/S)+N(lgN)/lgS)O(N \lg^{*}(N/S) + N (\lg N) / \lg{} S), slightly improving over the O(Nlg(N(lgN)/S)+N(lgN)/lgS)O(N \lg^{*}(N (\lg N)/S) + N (\lg N) / \lg{} S) bound of Frederickson's algorithm. To obtain the improvements mentioned above, we developed a new data structure, called the wavelet stack, that we use for repeated pruning. We expect the wavelet stack to be a useful tool in other applications as well.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, Preliminary version appeared in COCOON-201

    Using personality as a predictor of diet induced weight loss and weight management

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A major challenge for successful weight management is tailoring weight loss programs to individual needs. The aim of this study was to investigate whether personality traits could be used to match individuals to a compatible weight loss program that would maximize weight loss.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Two different weight loss trials were conducted, both with a weight loss greater than 5% the measure of success. Fifty-four individuals, BMI 30-40 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, either followed a slow, healthy eating weight loss diet (HEWLD) of 5000-6000 kJ/day for 12 weeks (n = 22), or a fast, very low energy diet (VLED) of 3000 kJ/day for 4 weeks (n = 32). Anthropometric measurements were recorded at baseline, at the end of the weight loss period and, for VLED, at the end of 10 weeks of weight maintenance. Personality traits were measured at baseline using the Tangney Self Control Scale plus 3 of the scales from the Five Factor Model - Neuroticism, Conscientiousness and Extraversion.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The percentage weight loss was significantly greater in VLED (-7.38%) compared to HEWLD (-4.11%), (p < 0.001). Weight loss in HEWLD was positively correlated with Anxiety, a facet of Neuroticism. Weight loss in VLED was positively correlated with Neuroticism (r = 0.5, p < 0.01), and negatively correlated with Dutifulness and Discipline, facets of Conscientiousness, (p < 0.05 for both). No link was observed between weight loss and the personality trait, Self Control, in either HEWLD or VLED.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The personality factor, Neuroticism, was linked to successful weight loss (that is ≥ 5%) with a particular weight loss treatment, suggesting that there is a potential to use measures of personality to identify appropriate weight loss/management strategies for individuals.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register (ANZCTR): <a href="http://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12611000716965.aspx">ACTRN12611000716965</a></p

    Sediment resuspension and erosion by vortex rings

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    Particle resuspension and erosion induced by a vortex ringinteracting with a sediment layer was investigated experimentally using flow visualization (particle image velocimetry), high-speed video, and a recently developed light attenuation method for measuring displacements in bed level. Near-spherical sediment particles were used throughout with relative densities of 1.2–7 and diameters (d)(d) ranging between 90 and 1600 μm1600 μm. Attention was focused on initially smooth, horizontal bedforms with the vortex ring aligned to approach the bed vertically. Interaction characteristics were investigated in terms of the dimensionless Shields parameter, defined using the vortex-ring propagation speed. The critical conditions for resuspension (whereby particles are only just resuspended) were determined as a function of particle Reynolds number (based on the particle settling velocity and dd). The effects of viscous damping were found to be significant for d/δ<15d/δ<15, where δδ denotes the viscous sublayer thickness. Measurements of bed deformation were obtained during the interaction period, for a range of impact conditions. The (azimuthal) mean crater profile is shown to be generally self-similar during the interaction period, except for the most energetic impacts and larger sediment types. Loss of similarity occurs when the local bed slope approaches the repose limit, leading to collapse. Erosion, deposition, and resuspension volumes are analyzed as a function interaction time, impact condition, and sediment size
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