6,826 research outputs found

    Ecology of fishes in Upper Newport Bay, California: seasonal dynamics and community structure

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    A total of 366 bimonthly (January 1978-January 1979) samples taken with six types of gear (otter trawl, gill net, bag seine, small seine, drop net, square enclosure - all with replication except the gill net) at four stations in upper Newport Bay, California yielded 51,816 fishes belonging to 46 species and weighing over 353 kg. Atherinops affinis (topsmelt) was the most abundant species accounting for 76% of total individuals. Seven species, all of low trophic levels, made up over 97% of the total catch. Mugil cephalus (striped mullet) ranked first in biomass (= 36% of the total) with six species accounting for more than 80% of the total biomass. The largest number of individuals (71%) was collected with the bag seine, the greatest number of species (35) was captured with the otter trawl and the largest percentage of the biomass (56%)was obtained with the gill net. Species richness, number of individuals and biomass were lowest in January (1978 or 1979) or March and highest in July (numbers, biomass) or September (species). Bimonthly diversity (H') values ranged from 0.48 to 2.17 (overall value 1.05) and tended to be inversely related to abundance levels. Species richness was greatest at Station 4 (the lowermost station) and least at Station 1 (the uppermost station). Numbers of individuals and biomass peaked at Station 2 and reached lowest levels at Station 1. Length-frequency analysis of six of the most abundant species indicated utilization of the upper bay by two or more stages in the life history of these species. More than 92,000 eggs belonging to seven taxa and an unknown category and 426 larvae from 20 taxa were collected with a 0.5 m net mounted on an epibenthic sled during the same bimonthly periods and at the same stations as the juvenile/adult samples. Most of the eggs were collected at Station 2 in May with the numbers overwhelmingly dominated by those of Anchoa compressa (deepbody anchovy) (99.7% of total numbers). The most abundant larva was that of Clevelandia ios (arrow goby). Nearly 60% of the total larval catch was made up of members of the family Gobiidae. Larval taxa and individuals were fewest in January (1978). The number of taxa was highest in March, September and January (1979) whereas larval numbers peaked in May. The number of taxa and of individual larvae varied only slightly among the four stations. Asymptotic species accumulation curves indicated adequate sampling of juvenile/adult fishes. Cluster analysis produced eight species groups of resident and periodic species that variously utilize the three main habitats (channel, inshore, pannes) in the upper bay. Species richness and abundance were positively correlated with both temperature and salinity. Temperature, salinity and depth of capture were frequently correlated with individual species abundances and were used in combination to partially explain the spatial utilization of species and species groups. The upper bay fish community is important and worthy of preservation for at least three reasons: 1) it contains species assemblages not duplicated in any other coastal environment; 2) it contains life history stages of a variety of coastal fish species; and 3) it contains large populations of small, low-trophic level species and juveniles of other species which serve as forage for larger, predatory species that are frequently of economic importance. Members of the fish community respond noticeably to altered environmental conditions such as the heavy rainfall (and accompanying low salinity and high turbidity) that occurred during the early months of 1978. The short and long term, as yet often unpredictable, fluctuations in the populations emphasize the need for periodic monitoring and for the development of a mathematical model of the fish community if it is to be thoroughly understood and properly managed. (102pp.

    Spin dynamics for the Lebwohl-Lasher model

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    A spin dynamics algorithm, combining checkerboard updating and a rotation algorithm based on the local second-rank ordering field, is developed for the Lebwohl-Lasher model of liquid crystals. The method is shown to conserve energy well and to generate simulation averages that are consistent with those obtained by Monte Carlo simulation. However, care must be taken to avoid the undesirable effects of director rotation, and a method for doing this is proposed

    Maximally Symmetric Spin-Two Bitensors on S3S^3 and H3H^3

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    The transverse traceless spin-two tensor harmonics on S3S^3 and H3H^3 may be denoted by T(kl)abT^{(kl)}{}_{ab}. The index kk labels the (degenerate) eigenvalues of the Laplacian \square and ll the other indices. We compute the bitensor lT(kl)ab(x)T(kl)ab(x)\sum_l T^{(kl)}{}_{ab}(x) T^{(kl)}{}_{a'b'}(x')^* where x,xx,x' are distinct points on a sphere or hyperboloid of unit radius. These quantities may be used to find the correlation function of a stochastic background of gravitational waves in spatially open or closed Friedman-Robertson-Walker cosmologies.Comment: 12 pages, RevTeX, uuencoded compressed .tex file, minor typos correcte

    Women, Bargaining and Change in Seven Structures of World Political Economy

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    Feminist discourses have changed the vision of the issues and sites of political encounter that are important for study in IR. IPE scholars have also been reframing the discipline by their focus upon other agents besides states, and other structures of power and change, besides those of security and production. But these discourses could also complement each other to mutual benefit. This article suggests ways to do that, by positing a framework of analysis through which IPE, Feminist, International-Legal/Institutional, Peace and other critical discourses could intersect. It suggests that world political economy be conceived of in terms of seven intersecting, dynamic structures, in which some common historical processes unfold. These include bargaining and rivalry, realist self-interest and morally enlightened action. This goes beyond the four structures already recognised in critical IPE discourse, and the dichotomous materialist or idealist assumptions about agent motivations, in mainstream IR. By including Nurture/Reproduction as one of the seven structures, women\u27s agency, with its possibilities and limits, cannot be missed in the normal business of the discipline

    Women, Bargaining and Change in Seven Structures of World Political Economy

    Get PDF
    Feminist discourses have changed the vision of the issues and sites of political encounter that are important for study in IR. IPE scholars have also been reframing the discipline by their focus upon other agents besides states, and other structures of power and change, besides those of security and production. But these discourses could also complement each other to mutual benefit. This article suggests ways to do that, by positing a framework of analysis through which IPE, Feminist, International-Legal/Institutional, Peace and other critical discourses could intersect. It suggests that world political economy be conceived of in terms of seven intersecting, dynamic structures, in which some common historical processes unfold. These include bargaining and rivalry, realist self-interest and morally enlightened action. This goes beyond the four structures already recognised in critical IPE discourse, and the dichotomous materialist or idealist assumptions about agent motivations, in mainstream IR. By including Nurture/Reproduction as one of the seven structures, women\u27s agency, with its possibilities and limits, cannot be missed in the normal business of the discipline

    Expressions for forces and torques in molecular simulations using rigid bodies

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    Expressions for intermolecular forces and torques, derived from pair potentials between rigid non-spherical units, are presented. The aim is to give compact and clear expressions, which are easily generalised, and which minimise the risk of error in writing molecular dynamics simulation programs. It is anticipated that these expressions will be useful in the simulation of liquid crystalline systems, and in coarse-grained modelling of macromolecules

    The Production of HI in Photodissociation Regions and A Comparison with CO(1-0) Emission

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    The gas at the surfaces of molecular clouds in galaxies is heated and dissociated by photons from young stars both near and far. HI resulting from the dissociation of molecular hydrogen H2 emits hyperfine line emission at 21 cm, and warmed CO emits dipole rotational lines such as the 2.6 mm line of CO(1-0). We use previously developed models for photodissociation regions (PDRs) to compute the intensities of these HI and CO(1-0) lines as a function of the total volume density n in the cloud and the far ultraviolet flux G0 incident upon it and present the results in units familiar to observers. The intensities of these two lines behave differently with changing physical conditions in the PDR, and, taken together, the two lines can provide a ground-based radio astronomy diagnostic for determining n and G0 separately in distant molecular clouds. This diagnostic is particularly useful in the range Gzero <~ 100, 10 cm^{-3} <~ n <~ 10^5 cm^{-3}, which applies to a large fraction of the volume of the interstellar medium in galaxies. If the molecular cloud is located near discrete sources of far-UV (FUV) emission, the PDR-generated HI and CO(1-0) emission on the cloud surface can be more easily identified, appearing as layered ``blankets'' or ``blisters'' on the side of the cloud nearest to the FUV source. As an illustration, we consider the Galactic object G216 -2.5, i.e. ``Maddalena's Cloud'', which has been previously identified as a large PDR in the Galaxy. We determine that this cloud has n ~ 200 cm^{-3}, G0 ~ 0.8, consistent with other data.Comment: 13 Pages, 3 Figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

    Estimating the Price Elasticity of Demand for Water with Quasi Experimental Methods

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    There is a growing recognition in both the professional and popular literatures that water scarcity is a key policy issue that is especially important in arid, urban settings with the prospects for shortfalls in water availability due to the effects of climate change. Those evaluating these types of water problems usually conclude prices must be reformed so that incentives facing water users change to reflect this scarcity. Demand functions provide the basic economic relationships required to understand how water use will respond to such changes. This paper proposes a new method for estimating the price elasticity of demand that meets policy needs and can accommodate the presence of increasing block pricing structures.Water Demand Elasticity, Quasi Experiment, Climate Change, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

    FEMA's Integration of Preparedness and Development of Robust Regional Offices

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    In October 2006, Congress enacted major legislation to reform the function and organization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in response to the recognized failures in preparation for and response to Hurricane Katrina. The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA) focused national preparedness responsibilities within FEMA and directed additional resources and responsibilities to FEMA's ten regional offices. Directed by Congress, in October 2008 a National Academy Panel began an independent assessment of FEMA's integration of preparedness functions and progress in development of robust regional offices.Main FindingsOver the past three years, FEMA has taken significant steps in an effort to integrate preparedness and develop more robust regional offices. These efforts, undertaken by both the previous and current Administrations, are documented throughout this report and should be recognized and applauded. However, FEMA has yet to define specific goals and outcomes that would permit it, Congress or the public to determine when preparedness has been fully integrated into all aspects of FEMA's work and whether the development and ongoing operation of robust regional offices has been achieved. In the absence of well-defined, measurable outcome indicators, the National Academy Panel relied upon the assessments of FEMA leaders and staff, documentation provided by FEMA, and a review of secondary sources material to inform its findings and recommendations. Based upon this evidence, the Panel has concluded that, while progress has been made: (1) preparedness is not fully integrated across FEMA, (2) FEMA's regional offices do not yet have the capacity required to ensure the nation is fully prepared, (3) stakeholders are not yet full partners with FEMA in national preparedness, and (4) FEMA has ineffective internal business practices, particularly with regard to human resource management. The Panel made seven recommendations for FEMA:Establish a cross-organizational process, with participation from internal and external stakeholders, to develop a shared understanding of preparedness integrationEstablish a robust set of outcome metrics and standards for preparedness integration, as well as a system to monitor and evaluate progress on an ongoing basisWork to eliminate organizational barriers that are adversely impacting the full integration of preparedness across the agencyContinue to build regional office capacity and monitor implementation consistent with the Administrator's recent policy guidanceUndertake steps to improve the ongoing working relationship between headquarters and the regions in accord with Panel-identified principlesTake steps to improve stakeholder engagement and relationships at all levels in accord with Panel-identified principles; andStrengthen internal business practices, especially in the area of human capital planning

    Solid–liquid interfacial free energy of ice Ih, ice Ic, and ice 0 within a mono-atomic model of water via the capillary wave method

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    We apply the capillarywave method, based on measurements of fluctuations in a ribbon-like interfacial geometry, to determine the solid–liquid interfacial free energy for both polytypes of ice I and the recently proposed ice 0 within a mono-atomic model of water. We discuss various choices for the molecular order parameter, which distinguishes solid from liquid, and demonstrate the influence of this choice on the interfacial stiffness. We quantify the influence of discretisation error when sampling the interfacial profile and the limits on accuracy imposed by the assumption of quasi onedimensional geometry. The interfacial free energies of the two ice I polytypes are indistinguishable to within achievable statistical error and the small ambiguity which arises from the choice of order parameter. In the case of ice 0, we find that the large surface unit cell for low index interfaces constrains the width of the interfacial ribbon such that the accuracy of results is reduced. Nevertheless, we establish that the interfacial free energy of ice 0 at its melting temperature is similar to that of ice I under the same conditions. The rationality of a core–shell model for the nucleation of ice I within ice 0 is questioned within the context of our results. © 2017 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4975776
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