Paul F. Bruggemann Retires from Editorship

The contributors and readers of Arctic will join in wishing Mr. Paul F. Bruggemann every enjoyment of the leisure that has become his on his retirement from the editorship. He kept the standard high, and there are few contributors who do not feel a sense of debt for the careful attention paid to their work. Readers have been grateful for the wide range of interests to which he catered. He took the job on at an age when most scholars have been compulsively retired, and he has done work of a quality which gives the lie direct to the popular assumption that a man's usefulness ends when he reaches sixty-five. Mr. Bruggemann was born on 28 February 1890 at Gut Mindenerwald, Gemeinde Hille, Westphalia, Germany. He received his formal education in Germany, including a degree in engineering and in this field was captivated by the new world of airplanes and flight. By the time he was ten years old he was very much aware of the world around him and his desire to know it better led him along many paths in natural history. ... In the autumn of 1926 Mr. Bruggemann came to Canada and settled at Lloydminster, Alberta, where he established a small business repairing farm machinery. In his spare time he studied the natural history and ecology of the area around him and made a collection of Lepidoptera. Always an excellent field observer and an intelligent and selective collector, he gathered during the Forties several thousand beautifully prepared specimens of great scientific interest. Several specimens he recognized as being extremely rare. His identifications of Dodia albertae Dyar, Lycea rachelae Hlst., and Boloria frigga saga (Staudinger) were confirmed by authorities in the Department of Agriculture at Ottawa, and the extensive correspondence which followed resulted in the offer of a field position on the newly established Northern Insect Survey to collect insects in the Yukon during the summer of 1949. The result of his work was a large collection of perfectly prepared and much needed series of insects, and the offer of a full time position with the Department. The following year the Survey was continued at Repulse Bay. This time Mr. Bruggemann collected plants as well as insects and contributed new records and distributional data for Melville Peninsula. In 1951, he went to northern Ellesmere Island thus realizing one of his earliest ambitions. Here it was my good fortune to have spent that season and several others with him in the high arctic. He was always the best of companions and this association is the most cherished of my arctic experiences. At Alert, carrying everything for survival with us, we travelled extensively on foot covering much of the area traversed by Fielden. Wherever we went he collected and added several extensions of range for both plants and insects. In 1952, Survey work was continued at Mould Bay, Prince Patrick Island, and in 1953 and 1954 at Eureka, Ellesmere Island, where he undertook as well a two year survey of musk ox for the Canadian wildlife Service. Among the most notable of his plant discoveries was Geum rossii found at Eureka, the second record for the Canadian arctic. Previously it had been known only from eastern Melville Island. Puccinellia bruggemanni, a grass endemic to the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, was named in recognition of its collector. Space does not permit description of the extent of his collections, or of his detailed and meticulously prepared field notes and records on insects, plants, birds and mammals of the arctic regions he studied. On returning to Ottawa, Mr. Bruggemann spent some time photographing type specimens of Lepidoptera for the International Union of Biological Sciences. It was in October, 1956, that he retired from government work to accept the post of Editor of Arctic. He moved to the Montreal Office of the Institute on 1 May, 1958, where he remained until his retirement on 1 July, 1964. ..

Impact of a purina fractal array geometry on beamforming performance and complexity

This paper investigates the possible benefits of using a Purina fractal array for beamforming, since this particular fractal has recently been suggested as the flight formation for a fractionated space craft. We analyse the beam pattern created by this, and define power concentration as measure of focussing the main beam of a multi-dimensional array. Using this performance metric and the computation cost of the array, a comparison to full lattice arrays is made. We quantify the significant benefits of the Purina array offered over a full lattice array of same complexity particularly at lower frequencies, and the complexity advantages over full lattice arrays of same aperture, particularly if energy is to be concentrated within a small angular spread

Alloparental behaviour and long-term costs of mothers tolerating other members of the group in a plurally breeding mammal

Cooperative-breeding studies tend to focus on a few alloparental behaviours in highly cooperative species exhibiting high reproductive skew and the associated short-term, but less frequently long-term, fitness costs. We analysed a suite of alloparental behaviours (assessed via filming) in a kin-structured, high-density population of plurally breeding European badgers, Meles meles, which are not highly cooperative. Group members, other than mothers, performed alloparental behaviour; however, this was not correlated with their relatedness to within-group young. Furthermore, mothers babysat, allogroomed cubs without reciprocation, and allomarked cubs more than other members of the group (controlling for observation time). For welfare reasons, we could not individually mark cubs; however, the number observed pre-independence never exceeded that trapped. All 24 trapped cubs, in three filmed groups, were assigned both parents using 22 microsatellites. Mothers may breed cooperatively, as the time they babysat their assigned, or a larger, litter size did not differ. Furthermore, two mothers probably allonursed, as they suckled more cubs than their assigned litter size. An 18-year genetic pedigree, however, detected no short-term (litter size; maternal survival to the following year) or long-term (offspring breeding probability; offspring lifetime breeding success) fitness benefits with more within-group mothers or other members of the group. Rather, the number of other members of the group (excluding mothers) correlated negatively with long-term fitness. Mothers may tolerate other members of the group, as nonbreeders undertook more digging. Our study highlights that alloparental care varies on a continuum from that seen in this high-density badger population, where alloparenting behaviour is minimal, through to species where alloparental care is common and provides fitness benefits. (C) 2010 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Breeding, Moulting, and Site Fidelity of Brant (Branta bernicla) on Bathurst and Seymour Islands in the Canadian High Arctic

We studied the breeding and moulting ecology of eastern High Arctic brant Branta bernicla hrota on Bathurst and Seymour Islands in the central Canadian High Arctic from 1968 to 1989. In most years, brant arrived in Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Islnd, during the first few days of June (earliest 28 May 1977), where they fed for several days in small flocks before dispersing to nesting areas. First eggs were usually laid on 13 June and the peak of nest initiation occurred about 16 June. The mean clutch size was 4.5 eggs, and the mean incubation period 23 days. Broods were raised along the shorelines of lakes, ponds, estuaries, and rivers. Goslings were capable of flight by 42-43 days. During the 10 years when the studies were most intensive (1974-77 and 1984-89), there were three years in which brant did not attempt to nest (1974, 1986, 1988); they nested in all other years and were known to produce fledged young in at least four of them. Nesting was not attempted when the mean temperature for the period 1-20 June was below -3 C. On Bathurst Island in 1987, arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) preyed heavily on brant eggs, and no young were fledged. Nonbreeding adults assembled in small flocks to moult around nerby inland lakes, in river valleys, and at the mouths of estuaries, and concentrated in the latter in cold summers when inland sites had heavier ice cover. The flightless period began about 6 July and lasted 20-22 days. The recapture or resighting of brant marked on Bathurst Island showed that many adults returned in subsequent years to the same breeding territories, and in nonbreeding years they moulted nearby. A smaller proportion of the brant that had been marked as goslings and yearlings also returned to the island. In comparison with most other stocks of North American brant, those we studied bred at high latitude. That choice of breeding site subjected them to periodic breeding failures caused by cold springs and to a reduced availability of plant biomass, but it offered the advantage of reduced spring snow depth and a full 24 h of daylight for feeding during nesting and brood rearing. By using small wetlands which thaw early in close proximity to nesting sites, these brant were able to initiate egg laying relatively early and produce large clutches in most years. The low availability of plant biomass in the High Arctic probably explained the wide dispersal and low densities of these brant during breeding and moulting.De 1968 à 1989, nous avons étudié l'écologie de reproduction et de mue de la bernache cravant à ventre pâle Branta bernicla hrota dans les îles Bathurst et Seymour situées dans la partie centrale de l'Extrême-Arctique canadien. En général, les bernaches cravants arrivaient dans la vallée Polar Bear de l'île Bathurst durant les premiers jours de juin (le plus tôt étant le 28 mai 1977); elles s'alimentaient par petits groupes pendant plusieurs jours avant de se disperser vers les sites de nidification. Les premiers oeufs étaient généralement pondus le 13 juin et le pic du début de la ponte se situait vers le 16 juin. La taille moyenne de la couvée était de 4,5 oeufs/nid et la durée moyenne d'incubation était de 23 jours. Les couvées étaient élevées en bordure des lacs, des étangs, des estuaires et des cours d'eau. Les oisons étaient capables de voler à 42 ou 43 jours. Au cours des 10 années d'étude intensive (1974-77 et 1984-89), il y en a eu trois pendant lesquelles les bernaches cravants n'ont pas essayé de nicher (1974, 1986, 1988); par contre, elles ont niché toutes les autres années et ont réussi à élever des oisons jusqu'à l'âge d'envol au moins quatre de ces années. Les bernaches cravants n'ont pas essayé de nicher les années où la température moyenne pour la période allant du 1er au 20 juin était inférieure à -3 °C. En 1987, des renards arctiques Alopex lagopus ont prélevé quantité d'oeufs de bernaches cravants dans l'île Bathurst et aucun oison n'a survécu jusqu'à l'âge d'envol. Des adultes non reproducteurs se rassemblaient localement en petits groupes pour muer près des lacs, des rivières et de l'embouchure des estuaires, préférant, durant les étés froids, des estuaires normalement plus dégagés de glace que des sites à l'intérieur des terres. La période de mue débutait autour du 6 juillet et durait de 20 à 22 jours environ. Des bernaches cravants qui avaient été marquées dans l'île Bathurst y ont été observées de nouveau ou y ont été recapturées durant les années subséquentes, prouvant ainsi qu'un grand nombre d'adultes reviennent sur les mêmes aires de reproduction et, pendant les années de non-reproduction, elles muaient à proximité. Une proportion moindre de bernaches cravants marquées au stade juvénile (soit < 2 mois, soit à l'âge d'un an) sont aussi revenues à l'île Bathrust. Comparées à d'autres populations nord-américaines de bernaches, celles que nous avons étudiées se reproduisent à une latitude élevée. En nichant dans l'Extrême-Arctique, cette population était sujette à des échecs périodiques dus à des printemps froids ainsi qu'à une disponibilité réduite de biomasse végétale. Elle bénéficiait par contre d'une faible accumulation de neige au printemps et de 24 heures quotidiennes de clarté pour se nourrir pendant la nidification et l'élevage des oisons. En exploitant de petites superficies de terres humides qui dégèlent tôt, à proximité des sites de nidification, ce bernaches cravants pouvaient, la plupart des années, pondre relativement tôt en saison et produire des couvées de bonne taille. La disponibilité réduite de biomasse végétale dans l'Extrême-Arctique expliquait probablement la dispersion étendue et les faibles densités de ces bernaches cravants en période de reproduction et de mue

The Influence of Alloy Composition and microstructure on the corrosion behaviour of Cu-Ni alloys in seawater

The aim of the study was to relate the general corrosion behaviour of CuNi 10-alloys in seawater with its iron content and microstructure. To that end the microstructure of four commercial alloys with various Fe-contents (1.20-1.78%) and there laboratory melted alloys with various Fe-contents (1.5-2.5%) were investigated in the as delivered state and after three different heat treatments. Samples of these alloys were exposed to flowing natural seawater. During exposure electrochemical measurements were performed. After exposure the weight loss was determined. Moreover, for a number of samples the corrosion products were analysed by means of electron microprobe analysis. Irrespective of the Fe-content, the presence of discontinuous precipitates in the laboratory melted alloys turned out to be detrimental with regard to general corrosion. To a less extent this also holds for alloys with high concentrations of continuous precipitates, as observed for iron contents of 2 and 2.5%. The precipitate free alloys as well as the ones containing low concentrations of continuous precipitates because of low Fe-concentrations (<1.5%Fe) do show a good corrosion behaviour. The corrosion behaviour of commercial CuNi 10 Fe in the as received condition was generally comparable with that of laboratory melted alloys with continuous precipitates. The corrosion rates of the former do not exceed those of the latter, which are very low for practical applications. Finally the corrosion behaviour of five laboratory melted CuNi5 alloys, containing up to 4% fe in solution, was investigated. It turned out that their reciprocal polarisation resistance in the steady state situation is lower than those for the CuNi 10 Fe alloys

Dialogic shifts: The rhythm and sequence of artefacts in aesthetically informed interaction design practice

Aesthetic accounts of interaction design (Löwgren 2008, Wright et al 2008) acknowledge the importance of the descriptive and dialogic roles that design artefacts play. Yet, much of the focus in this aesthetic turn (Udsen 2005) concerns final designs, or products of the design project. Ephemeral artefacts that are produced in the course of these projects or the design actions by those who created the artefacts inside projects are often omitted and rarely discussed. This paper critically reflects on a project to shed some light on the 'secret life of artifacts' and the role they play through making and using by the project team

Camp site habitat preferences of the little red flying-fox (Pteropus scapulatus) in Queensland

Urban flying-fox camps are a major source of human-wildlife conflict, producing noise, odour, vegetation damage, property damage, and concerns about disease. Although there is a significant demand in many communities for bat camps to be dispersed, there is limited information on how such dispersal can be conducted effectively. Determining the habitat characteristics flying-foxes use when selecting a camp site is key to understanding why they establish camps where they do and to where they might move if dispersed. We characterised little red flying-fox (LRFF) camp habitat at two spatial scales: Floristics and vegetation structure at the local scale, and climatic and landscape characteristics at the broad scale. We found weak associations with local-scale tree and shrub height and cover, and stronger associations with increased Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (a measure of 'greenness') and decreased distance to nearest watercourse. These relationships were not strong enough to explain all variation in the model, suggesting that there are other factors, such as social cues, that could also influence camp site selection. Our results suggest that minor modifications to existing or proposed camp sites will be unlikely to repel or attract LRFFs, as other factors are likely to play key roles in the formation of camp sites for this species

An evaluation of nest predator impacts and the efficacy of plastic meshing on marine turtle nests on the western Cape York Peninsula, Australia

Nest predation is considered to be one of the most significant biotic threats to marine turtle populations globally. The introduction of feral predators to nesting beaches has dramatically increased nest predation, reaching near total egg loss in some regions. We monitored a 48 km stretch of beach along western Cape York Peninsula, Australia, from June – November 2018. We recorded a total of 360 nests comprising 117 flatback and 243 olive ridley nests. We installed plastic meshing (90 cm × 100 cm) on 110 olive ridley nests (45.2% of total olive ridley clutches laid) within the study area. We classified all nest predation attempts into three categories: complete, partial, or failed predation events. In total, 109 (30.2%) of all marine turtle nests were depredated by a variety of predators, including feral pigs, dingoes, goannas, and humans. The addition of plastic meshing reduced the likelihood of dingoes gaining access to eggs, but not goannas or feral pigs. Further, we found no difference in the proportion of hatchling emergence between meshed and un-meshed nests. Additionally, while hatchling emergence was reduced in nests that had been partially depredated, these nests still produced live hatchlings and contributed to recruitment. The success of particular predator control methods is often predator, and/or regionally, specific. Our findings highlight a thorough understanding of predator guilds and their relative impacts is required to deploy targeted and predator-specific strategies to maximize conservation results. We present a strong case for data-driven adaptive management that has implications for designing optimal predator management plans