The taxonomic status of the genus Moseria (Siphonophora, Physonectae)

The status of the two species presently included within the genus Moseria (Siphonophora, Physonectae), M. convoluta (Moser, 1925) and M. similis Margulis, 1977, is reviewed. Based on the availability of new material, described herein, both are considered valid. They can be distinguished by the morphology of their bracts, tentilla and palpons. Whether there are differences in the nectophores remains to be resolved. As the generic name Moseria is pre-occupied for a ctenophore, a new generic name is required and Resomia, gen. nov., is proposed. The systematic position of this genus within the physonect siphonophores is discussed in light of recent molecular phylogeny studies (Dunn et al. 2005b)

RRS Discovery Cruise 224 Leg 2, 30 Dec-17 Jan 1997. Biological and physical investigations in the region of the Almeira-Oran Front (western Mediterranean)

The purpose of Discovery Cruise 224, Leg 2, was to continue the physical and biological surveys previously undertaken during Leg 1 as part of the EEC MAST OMEGA Project; and to undertake comparisons of the western Mediterranean macrozooplankton and micronekton communities on either side of the Almeria-Oran Front.The sampling programme consisted of: 1) Fine scale SeaSoar surveys, at the beginning and end of the leg, to investigate the changes in the structure of the Almeria-Oran frontal system, and to establish the sites for biological sampling. 2) Investigations of the day and night depth distribution, throughout the water column, of the macroplankton and micronekton communities, by means of a vertically stratified series of RMT1+8M net deployments, at two sites on either side of the Almeria-Oran Front. This was largely successful, but bad weather prevented any near-bottom tows being carried out at one of the sites. 3) Investigations of the near-surface cross-frontal distribution of macrozooplankton and micronekton, again using the RMT1+8M net system. 4) Observations on the patterns of acoustic backscatter, using the shipborne ADCP and towed EK500 systems, throughout the cruise and to relate these with data from the biological sampling; with additional ‘sea-truthing’ from Longhurst-Hardy Plankton Recorder deployments.In addition studies were made on the bioluminescent characteristics of the interesting examples of the pelagic fauna

Suradnja sa školama

Re-descriptions are given for all the known species in the siphonophore physonect genera Halistemma (Family Agalma-tidae) and Stephanomia (Family Stephanomiidae fam. nov.) based almost entirely on specimens collected by submersibles or ROVs. A new Halistemma species, H. maculatumsp. nov., is also described. Until now two of the Halistemma species were known only from incomplete specimens, such that for one, H. cupulifera Lens & van Riemsdijk, only the tentilla had been described, while for the other, H. striata Totton, only the nectophores were known. The species Stephanomia amphytridis Lesueur & Petit, originally established on the basis of only an illustration of part of the siphosome, is poorly known and several descriptions in the past have been based on further siphosomal material that actually belonged to a species ofHalistemma. A specimen of that species, which included the nectosome, was recently described by Mapstone (2004) as H. amphytridis , but Pugh (2006) considered that it actually belonged to H. foliacea Quoy & Gaimard. That specimen has been re-examined for this study. The taxonomic position of the two genera is discussed. Although only distantly related the species of the two genera have a post-larval form referred to as the Nectalia stage. Haeckel (1888b) originally described a specimen at this stage as a separate species, Nectalia loligo. Nectalia stage specimens of two Halistemma species and of S. amphytridis were present in the material and their relationship with Haeckel's specimen is discussed

Water surface height determination with a GPS wave glider: a demonstration in Loch Ness, Scotland

A geodetic GPS receiver has been installed on a Wave Glider, an unmanned water surface vehicle. Using kinematic precise point positioning (PPP) GPS, which operates globally without directly requiring reference stations, surface heights are measured with ~0.05-m precision. The GPS Wave Glider was tested in Loch Ness, Scotland, by measuring the gradient of the loch’s surface height. The experiment took place under mild weather, with virtually no wind setup along the loch and a wave field made mostly of ripples and wavelets. Under these conditions, the loch’s surface height gradient should be approximately equal to the geoid slope. The PPP surface height gradient and that of the Earth Gravitational Model 2008 geoid heights do indeed agree on average along the loch (0.03 m km−1). Also detected are 1) ~0.05-m-sized height changes due to daily water pumping for hydroelectricity generation and 2) high-frequency (0.25–0.5 Hz) oscillations caused by surface waves. The PPP heights compare favorably (~0.02-m standard deviation) with relative carrier phase–based GPS processing. This suggests that GPS Wave Gliders have the potential to autonomously determine centimeter-precise water surface heights globally for lake modeling, and also for applications such as ocean modeling and geoid/mean dynamic topography determination, at least for benign surface states such as those encountered during the reported experiment

A retrospective evaluation of the impact of a dedicated obstetric and neonatal transport service on transport times within an urban setting

OBJECTIVE:To determine whether the establishment of a dedicated obstetric and neonatal flying squad resulted in improved performance within the setting of a major metropolitan area.DESIGN AND SETTING:The Cape Town metropolitan service of the Emergency Medical Services was selected for a retrospective review of the transit times for the newly implemented Flying Squad programme. Data were imported from the Computer Aided Dispatch programme. Dispatch, Response, Mean Transit and Total Pre-hospital times relating to the obstetric and neonatal incidents was analysed for 2005 and 2008. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement between 2005 and 2008 in all incidents evaluated. Flying Squad dispatch performance improved from 11.7% to 46.6% of all incidents dispatched within 4 min (p < 0.0001). Response time performance at the 15-min threshold did not demonstrate a statistically significant improvement (p = 0.4), although the improvement in the 30-min performance category was statistically significant in both maternity and neonatal incidents. Maternity incidents displayed the greatest improvement with the 30-min performance increasing from 30.3% to 72.9%. The analysis of the mean transit times demonstrated that neonatal transfers displayed the longest status time in all but one of the categories. Even so, the introduction of the Flying Squad programme resulted in a reduction in a total pre-hospital time from 177 to 128 min. CONCLUSION: The introduction of the Flying Squad programme has resulted in significant improvement in the transit times of both neonatal and obstetric patients. In spite of the severe resource constraints facing developing nations, the model employed offers significant gains

Optimal Cross-Wind Towing and Power Generation with Tethered Kites

Non-powered flight vehicles such as kites can provide a means of transmitting wind energy from higher altitudes to the ground via tethers. Although there have been many proposals for systems to extract wind energy from higher altitudes, this paper focuses on the use of a light lifting body at the end of a tether to generate useful power. Two major configurations are studied: 1) the kite is used to tow a ground vehicle in the cross-wind direction, 2) the kite is flown to generate power using a ground generator. In both cases, the useful work done by the kite is transmitted to the ground through the tether. Both applications require automatic control of the kite. A simplified system model is used to study the nature of the optimal trajectories of the system for different wind speeds. Numerical results illustrate that optimal power generation requires complex three-dimensional kite trajectories, whereas cross-wind towing requires much simpler trajectories. A feedback tracking controller is demonstrated for tracking the kite trajectories in the presence of unsteady winds

Identification of New SRF Binding Sites in Genes Modulated by SRF Over-Expression in Mouse Hearts

Background To identify in vivo new cardiac binding sites of serum response factor (SRF) in genes and to study the response of these genes to mild over-expression of SRF, we employed a cardiac-specific, transgenic mouse model, with mild over-expression of SRF (Mild-O SRF Tg). Methodology Microarray experiments were performed on hearts of Mild-O-SRF Tg at 6 months of age. We identified 207 genes that are important for cardiac function that were differentially expressed in vivo. Among them the promoter region of 192 genes had SRF binding motifs, the classic CArG or CArG-like (CArG-L) elements. Fifty-one of the 56 genes with classic SRF binding sites had not been previously reported. These SRF-modulated genes were grouped into 12 categories based on their function. It was observed that genes associated with cardiac energy metabolism shifted toward that of carbohydrate metabolism and away from that of fatty acid metabolism. The expression of genes that are involved in transcription and ion regulation were decreased, but expression of cytoskeletal genes was significantly increased. Using public databases of mouse models of hemodynamic stress (GEO database), we also found that similar altered expression of the SRF-modulated genes occurred in these hearts with cardiac ischemia or aortic constriction as well. Conclusion and significance SRF-modulated genes are actively regulated under various physiological and pathological conditions. We have discovered that a large number of cardiac genes have classic SRF binding sites and were significantly modulated in the Mild-O-SRF Tg mouse hearts. Hence, the mild elevation of SRF protein in the heart that is observed during typical adult aging may have a major impact on many SRF-modulated genes, thereby affecting Cardiac structure and performance. The results from our study could help to enhance our understanding of SRF regulation of cellular processes in the aged heart

Customer emotions in service failure and recovery encounters

Emotions play a significant role in the workplace, and considerable attention has been given to the study of employee emotions. Customers also play a central function in organizations, but much less is known about customer emotions. This chapter reviews the growing literature on customer emotions in employee–customer interfaces with a focus on service failure and recovery encounters, where emotions are heightened. It highlights emerging themes and key findings, addresses the measurement, modeling, and management of customer emotions, and identifies future research streams. Attention is given to emotional contagion, relationships between affective and cognitive processes, customer anger, customer rage, and individual differences