Reproduction, Age And Growth, And Movements Of The Gulf Butterfish Peprilus-Burti

Collections were made for gulf butterfish Peprilus burti along a cross-shelf transect at depths of 5-100 m in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas from October 1977 to July 1980. Butterfish mature at 100-160 mm fork length as they approach age I. Spawning occurs primarily from September through May, but length frequencies indicate it concentrates, or is most successful, in distinct Winter (late January-mid-May) and Fall (early September-late October) periods that coincide with downcoast, alongshore currents (toward Mexico). Gonad data and persistence of small fish indicate spawning in winter, but at a low level. Spawning probably occurs offshore and upcoast toward the northcentral Gulf. Surface currents of the cyclonic shelf gyre probably transport eggs/larvae inshore and downcoast to recruit to the bottom in water 5-27 m deep, used as nurseries by butterfish when they are 2-5 months old. Butterfish disperse offshore as they mature and congregate in 36-100 m depths when they are 9-12 months old. They average 130-146 mm in fork length at age I in the northwestern Gulf, but 120-124 mm at age I and about 170 mm at age II in the northcentral Gulf. Estimates for the von Bertalanffy growth parameters L-infinity, K, and t0 were 164 mm, 1.99/year, and -0.20 years, respectively, for pooled northwestern Gulf Winter cohorts and 141 mm, 2.69/year, and -0.06 years, respectively, for pooled Fall cohorts. Somatic growth ceases as spawning approaches in the northwestern Gulf, but fish from the northcentral Gulf show large annual size increments. Butterfish reach about 200 mm in fork length, the largest ones occurring in the northcentral Gulf. Apparent maximum ages are 1-1.5 years in the northwestern Gulf, and 2-2.5 years in the northcentral Gulf. Differences in population attributes suggest complete mortality at age I in the northwestern Gulf or some unknown combination of an offshore and permanent contranatant spawning or postspawning emigration of adults to the northcentral Gulf. The genus Peprilus shows zoogeographic differences in population dynamics near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Absorption Efficiencies of Forsterite. I: DDA Explorations in Grain Shape and Size

We compute the absorption efficiency (Qabs) of forsterite using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) in order to identify and describe what characteristics of crystal grain shape and size are important to the shape, peak location, and relative strength of spectral features in the 8-40 {\mu}m wavelength range. Using the DDSCAT code, we compute Qabs for non-spherical polyhedral grain shapes with a_eff = 0.1 {\mu}m. The shape characteristics identified are: 1) elongation/reduction along one of three crystallographic axes; 2) asymmetry, such that all three crystallographic axes are of different lengths; and 3) the presence of crystalline faces that are not parallel to a specific crystallographic axis, e.g., non-rectangular prisms and (di)pyramids. Elongation/reduction dominates the locations and shapes of spectral features near 10, 11, 16, 23.5, 27, and 33.5 {\mu}m, while asymmetry and tips are secondary shape effects. Increasing grain sizes (0.1-1.0 {\mu}m) shifts the 10, 11 {\mu}m features systematically towards longer wavelengths and relative to the 11 {\mu}m feature increases the strengths and slightly broadens the longer wavelength features. Seven spectral shape classes are established for crystallographic a-, b-, and c-axes and include columnar and platelet shapes plus non-elongated or equant grain shapes. The spectral shape classes and the effects of grain size have practical application in identifying or excluding columnar, platelet or equant forsterite grain shapes in astrophysical environs. Identification of the shape characteristics of forsterite from 8-40 {\mu}m spectra provides a potential means to probe the temperatures at which forsterite formed.Comment: 55 pages, 15 figure

Progress report on friction loss of slurries in straight tubes

This progress report summarizes the work to date on the experimental evaluation of the head loss of slurries flowing in horizontal and vertical tubes. The slurries used in the investigation were spherical glass beads and ion exchange resin particles suspended in water. The tube size used was approximately 0. 3-in. inside diameter. Concentrations from zero to approximately 50 percent by weight were used

A Committee to Manage Innovative Learning Spaces: Balancing Committee Size, Cross-Campus Representation, and Decision-Making Power

The growth in active learning classrooms represents a major shift in the pedagogy and built environment of higher education. While a robust literature exists to discuss the development, use, and evaluation of these innovative learning spaces, the practical considerations of managing innovative learning spaces has not received the same level of attention. This article describes the management model at _____ University, outlining key workflow considerations: committee size, cross-campus representation, and decision-making power. The conclusion sets out future research opportunities related to the institutional dynamics of innovative learning space management

Anderson et al. Reply (to the Comment by Murphy on Pioneer 10/11)

We conclude that Murphy's proposal (radiation of the power of the main-bus electrical systems from the rear of the craft) can not explain the anomalous Pioneer acceleration.Comment: LaTex, 3 pages, Phys. Rev. Lett. (to be published

Fecal-Sac Ingestion by Spotted Towhees

Altricial nestlings encase excrement in fecal sacs that parents remove by either ingesting them or transporting them away from the nest. Ingestion may allow energetically or nutritionally deprived parents to recapture energy or nutrients that might be lost because of nestlings\u27 inefficient digestion (the parental-nutrition hypothesis ), but ingestion may also permit parents to avoid flights from the nest that interfere with parental care (e.g., brooding young; the economic-disposal hypothesis ). We used a hypothetico-deductive approach to test the two hypotheses\u27 ability to account for fecal-sac ingestion by the Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus). We confirmed the parental-nutrition hypothesis\u27 predictions that more fecal sacs should be ingested in years of food shortage (males only), late in the season when food supplies decline (both sexes), by parents that had the greatest difficulty raising young (i.e., underweight young), and that adults\u27 body condition should vary directly with their rate of fecal-sac ingestion (females only). We rejected the economic-disposal hypothesis\u27 prediction of a decline in fecal-sac ingestion with increasing brood size. The latter, plus the observation that nearly 40% of males ingest fecal sacs despite their spending virtually no time attending nests, suggests that fecal-sac ingestion is not a mechanism to avoid needless and time-consuming flights from the nest that interfere with parental care. Fecal-sac ingestion by Spotted Towhees is better interpreted as either a resource supplement to parents or as a mechanism to satiate hunger so that parents can maintain rates of feeding to dependent young

Myeloid DAP12-associating lectin (MDL)-1 regulates synovial inflammation and bone erosion associated with autoimmune arthritis.

DNAX adaptor protein 12 (DAP12) is a trans-membrane adaptor molecule that transduces activating signals in NK and myeloid cells. Absence of functional Dap12 results in osteoclast defects and bone abnormalities. Because DAP12 has no extracelluar binding domains, it must pair with cell surface receptors for signal transduction. There are at least 15 known DAP12-associating cell surface receptors with distinct temporal and cell type-specific expression patterns. Our aim was to determine which receptors may be important in DAP12-associated bone pathologies. Here, we identify myeloid DAP12-associating lectin (MDL)-1 receptor (also known as CLEC5A) as a key regulator of synovial injury and bone erosion during autoimmune joint inflammation. Activation of MDL-1 leads to enhanced recruitment of inflammatory macrophages and neutrophils to the joint and promotes bone erosion. Functional blockade of MDL-1 receptor via Mdl1 deletion or treatment with MDL-1-Ig fusion protein reduces the clinical signs of autoimmune joint inflammation. These findings suggest that MDL-1 receptor may be a therapeutic target for treatment of immune-mediated skeletal disorders