Life History and Environmental Tolerance of the Invasive Oriental Weatherfish \u3ci\u3e(Misgurnus anguillicaudatus)\u3c/i\u3e in Southwestern Idaho, USA

Invasive fish species have been identified as a major threat to aquatic biodiversity world-wide. The most successful of these invaders share several life history characteristics such as long lifespan, high fecundity, multiple reproductive events, generalized omnivorous diet, and tolerance for a wide range of environmental conditions. Although many studies have focused on well-known and economically costly invaders, there are many invasive fish about which very little is known. In this series of studies, I describe some life history characteristics of one such invasive fish, the oriental weatherfish (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus). I collected 586 specimens from water bodies connected with the lower Boise River, Idaho, USA. For the first study, I dissected 237 of these individuals and used morphometrics, ova counts, and otolith ageing to build a life history profile of this invasive population. I found a 1:1 sex ratio of sexually mature males and females. Young of the year displayed rapid growth to sexual maturity within one year of life and fish lived to six years of age in the wild. Upon reaching maturity, the fish became capable of reproduction during two predicted spawning events over a protracted spawning season (June through October). Female fish had the capacity for releasing up to 40,000 eggs per spawning season. For the second study, I examined the stomach contents of the dissected fish and used gravimetric, frequency, and abundance data to determine the fish’s diet. Oriental weatherfish were eating a generalized diet of aquatic invertebrates and detritus. For the third study, I used a temporally extended Critical Thermal Minimum (CTmin) approach to find the lowest water temperature that the fish could survive. Fish survived exposure to subfreezing water temperatures and direct contact with ice. I used logistic regression to estimate the CTmin of this sample of oriental weatherfish as -1.76°C. This series of studies shows that the oriental weatherfish possesses many hallmark characteristics of other successful invasive fishes. These characteristics, coupled with ongoing dispersal through the aquarium pet trade make the oriental weatherfish an ideal invasive species. Currently, the oriental weatherfish is invasive in at least 10 countries throughout the world, and further research into the impacts that the fish has on native faunal communities is needed

ASSESSING RURAL COMMUNITY VIABILITY AN EXPERIMENTAL MODEL

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Diet of a Cryptic but Widespread Invader, the Oriental Weatherfish (\u3cem\u3eMisgurnus anguillicaudatus\u3c/em\u3e) in Idaho, USA

The oriental weatherfish (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) is invasive to 13 U.S. states and at least 9 other countries. Although this cryptic fish species is widespread, very little is known regarding its ecology. We used baited minnow traps to collect 237 individuals from water bodies connected to the Boise River, Idaho. To determine the diet of the fish within this invasive population, we dissected and examined stomach contents of the sampled fish. Most of the stomachs (158 of 237) were empty, and 42 contained only the trap bait. However, 37 contained natural food items. Gravimetric analysis, frequency of occurrence, and mean percent by number all indicated macroinvertebrates as the primary diet component, with chironomid larvae as the most numerous prey eaten. Graphical analysis of prey-specific abundance also indicated that oriental weatherfish fed on a generalized diet, of which detritus is likely an important part. An omnivorous diet may, in part, explain the species’ ability to expand its invasive range quickly and successfully. Our findings add to a growing list of traits indicating that the oriental weatherfish fits the profile of a highly successful invader. As such, the oriental weatherfish should be a target species for further ecological research

New ammonia masers towards NGC6334I

We report the detection of new ammonia masers in the non-metastable (8,6) and (11,9) transitions towards the massive star forming region NGC6334I. Observations were made with the ATCA interferometer and the emitting region appears unresolved in the 2.7" x 0.8" beam, with deconvolved sizes less than an arcsecond. We estimate peak brightness temperatures of 7.8 x 10^5 and 1.2 x 10^5 K for the (8,6) and (11,9) transitions, respectively. The masers appear coincident both spatially and in velocity with a previously detected ammonia (6,6) maser. We also suggest that emission in the (10,9), (9,9) and (7,6) transitions may also be masers, based on their narrow line widths and overlapping velocity ranges with the above masers, as observed with the single-dish Mopra radiotelescope

Characterisation of the Mopra Radio Telescope at 16--50 GHz

We present the results of a programme of scanning and mapping observations of astronomical masers and Jupiter designed to characterise the performance of the Mopra Radio Telescope at frequencies between 16-50 GHz using the 12-mm and 7-mm receivers. We use these observations to determine the telescope beam size, beam shape and overall telescope beam efficiency as a function of frequency. We find that the beam size is well fit by $\lambda$/$D$ over the frequency range with a correlation coefficient of ~90%. We determine the telescope main beam efficiencies are between ~48-64% for the 12-mm receiver and reasonably flat at ~50% for the 7-mm receiver. Beam maps of strong H$_2$O (22 GHz) and SiO masers (43 GHz) provide a means to examine the radial beam pattern of the telescope. At both frequencies the radial beam pattern reveals the presence of three components, a central `core', which is well fit by a Gaussian and constitutes the telescopes main beam, and inner and outer error beams. At both frequencies the inner and outer error beams extend out to approximately 2 and 3.4 times the full-width half maximum of the main beam respectively. Sources with angular sizes a factor of two or more larger than the telescope main beam will couple to the main and error beams, and therefore the power contributed by the error beams needs to be considered. From measurements of the radial beam power pattern we estimate the amount of power contained in the inner and outer error beams is of order one-fifth at 22 GHz rising slightly to one-third at 43 GHz.Comment: Accepted for publication in PAS

Job crafting for female contractors in a male-dominated profession

In this paper, we explore the job crafting experiences of women who left permanent employment for contracting positions in Information Technology (IT), a sector widely considered male-dominated with limited career opportunities for women. This qualitative study is based on interviews with 24 female IT contractors. Findings show that through the flexibility and autonomy that come with contracting, numerous crafting practices are adopted by female IT contractors enabling them to gain empowerment in a male-dominated environment. The study contributes to in-depth understanding of job crafting theory by showing a reflexive relationship between role and resource crafting for women in alternative forms of employment, especially those with a high degree of autonomy. By engaging directly with the experiences of these female IT contractors, we provide unique insights into what might drive women into IT contracting, and why they often stay with this option owing to the freedom and autonomy offered

ESTIMATING MIXTURE FRACTION AND MAP DISTANCE IN A MIXED F\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e, BC\u3csub\u3e1\u3c/sub\u3e POPULATION

An F1 interspecific hybrid onion (Allium cepa x A. fistulosum) was backcrossed to the A. cepa parent line under field conditions. The progeny of this cross were shown by electrophoretic protein analysis to be a mixture of BC1 (the desired backcross) and F2 (A. cepa x A. fistulosum) x (A. cepa x A. fistulosum) individuals. This mixture of populations among the progeny render the usual X2 test for independent segregation of loci invalid. F2 is used to denote progeny derived from either selfing of the F1 or from sib-crosses between two F1 individuals. A model for this mixed population has been developed; from this model the mixture fraction and crossover frequencies can be estimated using maximum likelihood

On SAT representations of XOR constraints

We study the representation of systems S of linear equations over the two-element field (aka xor- or parity-constraints) via conjunctive normal forms F (boolean clause-sets). First we consider the problem of finding an "arc-consistent" representation ("AC"), meaning that unit-clause propagation will fix all forced assignments for all possible instantiations of the xor-variables. Our main negative result is that there is no polysize AC-representation in general. On the positive side we show that finding such an AC-representation is fixed-parameter tractable (fpt) in the number of equations. Then we turn to a stronger criterion of representation, namely propagation completeness ("PC") --- while AC only covers the variables of S, now all the variables in F (the variables in S plus auxiliary variables) are considered for PC. We show that the standard translation actually yields a PC representation for one equation, but fails so for two equations (in fact arbitrarily badly). We show that with a more intelligent translation we can also easily compute a translation to PC for two equations. We conjecture that computing a representation in PC is fpt in the number of equations.Comment: 39 pages; 2nd v. improved handling of acyclic systems, free-standing proof of the transformation from AC-representations to monotone circuits, improved wording and literature review; 3rd v. updated literature, strengthened treatment of monotonisation, improved discussions; 4th v. update of literature, discussions and formulations, more details and examples; conference v. to appear LATA 201

Adaptive architecture and personal data

Through sensors carried by people and sensors embedded in the environment, personal data is being processed to try to understand activity patterns and people’s internal states in the context of human-building interaction. This data is used to actuate adaptive buildings to make them more comfortable, convenient, and accessible or information rich. In a series of envisioning workshops, we queried the future relationships between people, personal data and the built environment, when there are no technical limits to the availability of personal data to buildings. Our analysis of created designs and user experience fictions allows us to contribute a systematic exposition of the emerging design space for adaptive architecture that draws on personal data. This is being situated within the context of the new European information privacy legislation, the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016. Drawing on the tension space analysis method, we conclude with the illustration of the tensions in the temporal, spatial, and inhabitation-related relationships of personal data and adaptive buildings, re-usable for the navigation of the emerging, complex issues by future designers

Molecular Line Emission Towards High-Mass Clumps: The MALT90 Catalogue

The Millimetre Astronomy Legacy Team 90 GHz (MALT90) survey aims to characterise the physical and chemical evolution of high-mass clumps. Recently completed, it mapped 90 GHz line emission toward 3246 high-mass clumps identified from the ATLASGAL 870 �m Galactic plane survey. By utilising the broad frequency coverage of the Mopra telescope's spectrometer, maps in 16 different emission lines were simultaneously obtained. Here we describe the �first line catalog of the detected emission, generated by Gaussian profile �fitting to spectra extracted toward each clumps' dust peak. Synthetic spectra show that the catalog has a completeness of >95%, a probability of a false-positive detection of <0.3%, and a relative uncertainty in the measured quantities of <20% over the range of detection criteria. We find that the detection rates are highest for the (1{0) molecular transitions of HCO+, HNC, N2H+, and HCN (72{88%). The majority of clumps (~� 95%) are detected in at least one of the molecular transitions, just under half of the clumps (�~48%) are detected in 4 or more of the transitions, while only 2 clumps are detected in 13 or more transitions. We find several striking trends in the ensemble of properties for the different molecular transitions when plotted as a function of the clumps' evolutionary state. In particular, the optically thickest HCO+ emission shows a `blue-red asymmetry' that indicates overall collapse that monotonically decreases as the clumps evolve. This catalog represents the largest compiled database of molecular line emission toward high-mass clumps and is a valuable data set for detailed studies of these objects