Comparative foraging ecology and social dynamics of caribou (Rangifer tarandus)

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1995The Southern Alaska Peninsula Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) Herd (SAPCH) and its two sub-groups were the focus of a study addressing the hypotheses: (1) food limitation during winter caused a decline in the herd; and, (2) higher calf productivity within the Caribou River group than within the Black Hill group was related to greater forage availability on the seasonal ranges of the Caribou River group. Intense, systematic range and calving surveys in 1991 and 1992 supported the hypothesis of food limitation during winter, and indicated that greater calf production in the Caribou River group was related to earlier commencement of the season of plant growth and greater forage availability on the summer range of that group, coupled with earlier parturition among females of the Caribou River herd. In a comparative study involving the two SAPCH groups and the West Greenland Caribou Herd, daily variation in sizes of foraging groups, densities of caribou within feeding sites, distances between individuals within feeding sites, distances moved by foraging groups, and frequency of group movement was modeled using the following ecological parameters: predation risk, insect harassment (by mosquitos), range patchiness, feeding-site patchiness, feeding-site area, and range-wide density of caribou. Models revealed that intraseasonal social dynamics of foraging caribou were governed in most instances by patterns of forage availability and distribution across landscapes and within feeding sites, in some instances by insect harassment and social pressures, but in no instance by levels of predation risk inherent to the ranges on which they foraged. In a study of the interrelationships between characteristics of graminoids and intensity of grazing by caribou, vegetation on each of the Black Hill and Caribou River ranges was sampled and tested for responses to clipping. Biomass density (g/m\sp3) of forage, shoot density (#/m\sp2), and nutrient and mineral densities (g/m\sp3) and concentrations (g/100g tissue) correlated positively with use of sites by caribou. Productivity and responses to clipping were independent of previous use, but consistent within ranges. These results indicate that caribou are sensitive to local variation in forage quantity and quality, and preferentially use sites with higher returns of nutrients and minerals

In Response to Margaret M. Gullette

--

On the Rate of Almost Everywhere Convergence of Certain Classical Integral Means

AbstractThe main purpose of this article is to establish nearly optimal results concerning the rate of almost everywhere convergence of the Gauss–Weierstrass, Abel–Poisson, and Bochner–Riesz means of the one-dimensional Fourier integral. A typical result for these means is the following: If the function f belongs to the Besov spaceBsp,p, 1<p<∞, 0<s<1, thenTmtf (x)−f(x)=ox(ts) a.e. ast→0+

Audit Firm Affiliations with Companies Backdating Executive Stock Options

Several reports during 2005 -2007 questioned how over one-hundred pub-licly-traded companies had apparently backdated stock-option grants beginning in the 1990s. An analysis of the external audit firms affiliated with these companies revealed that these firms are dis-proportionally represented as compared to relative audit-market shares of all public companies. After controlling for industry-adjusted audit-market shares, statistically fewer backdating companies than expected used Arthur Andersen as their auditors. Overall, the results argue against the notion of audit firm involvement as a conduit for these transactions

How giving help to others can help young people deal with their own addiction.

ddiction is a significant problem among adolescents – it reduces academic performance, increases the likelihood of injury or criminal behavior, and has been estimated to cost US society as much as $500 billion every year. In new research, which builds on the idea that social connection and helping others can have benefits, Byron R. Johnson, Maria E. Pagano, Matthew T. Lee, and Stephen G. Post studied the effects of social isolation on young people who were being treated for alcohol and drug addiction. They find that socially estranged juveniles were more likely to relapse into addiction post-treatment, but also that those who gave help to others as part of the program were less likely to relapse and to commit crimes

The language codes of ISO 639: A premature, ultimately unobtainable, and possibly damaging standardization

009 Stephen Morey, Mark W. Post and Victor Friedman The language codes of ISO 639: A premature and possibly unobtainable standardization ISO 639 is an ambitious attempt to standardize and organize various types of references to the languages of the world. It is designed to be fully comprehensive and permanent; as such, it promises to greatly enhance the precision and reliability with which language materials can be archived, catalogued, and referenced in the literature, as well as the ease and precision with which such materials and references can be processed by machines and effectively located via search queries. There are, however, a number of serious problems with several components of ISO 639 as they are currently conceived. At a minimum, these are: (1) use of both The Ethnologue as the basis for ISO 639-3’s “three-letter codes” and of SIL as its registration authority is problematic for a number of reasons (2) in-principle “arbitrary” (but in fact not arbitrary) “mnemonic” labels of ISO 639-3 have the potential to enshrine offensive designations for language communities, and in fact currently do so (3) decision-making processes in ISO 639-3 are currently excessively centralized and privilege the views of a minority of the linguistics community (4) the in-principle “permanency” of language codes such as those of ISO 639-3 is fundamentally incompatible with the nature of human languages, which are demonstrably impermanent (5) the structure of ISO 639-3 has a serious potential to be misunderstood, misused, and in fact abused by decision-making bodies (such as arms of government in various political contexts) (6) ISO 639-5, which attempts to catalogue the genetic affiliations of the world’s languages, is highly premature, since there is nothing approaching agreement among specialists in a great number of cases (7) ISO 639-6, which attempts to catalogue language variation, is in principle impossible, unless it aims to extend to an analysis of the language use of every human being on Earth, living or dead On the basis of these observations, which we will illustrate by means of three detailed “case studies” from the Eastern Himalaya, the Burmese/Indian border region, and the Balkan region, we will argue that ISO 639 must be substantially re-conceived and re-organized before it can be supported by linguists. The language codes of ISO 639: A premature and possibly unobtainable standardization. ISO 639 is an ambitious attempt to standardize and organize various types of references to the languages of the world. It is designed to be fully comprehensive and permanent; as such, it promises to greatly enhance the precision and reliability with which language materials can be archived, catalogued, and referenced in the literature, as well as the ease and precision with which such materials and references can be processed by machines and effectively located via search queries. There are, however, a number of serious problems with several components of ISO 639 as they are currently conceived. At a minimum, these are: (1) use of both The Ethnologue as the basis for ISO 639-3’s “three-letter codes” and of SIL as its registration authority is problematic for a number of reasons (2) in-principle “arbitrary” (but in fact not arbitrary) “mnemonic” labels of ISO 639-3 have the potential to enshrine offensive designations for language communities, and in fact currently do so (3) decision-making processes in ISO 639-3 are currently excessively centralized and privilege the views of a minority of the linguistics community (4) the in-principle “permanency” of language codes such as those of ISO 639-3 is fundamentally incompatible with the nature of human languages, which are demonstrably impermanent (5) the structure of ISO 639-3 has a serious potential to be misunderstood, misused, and in fact abused by decision-making bodies (such as arms of government in various political contexts) (6) ISO 639-5, which attempts to catalogue the genetic affiliations of the world’s languages, is highly premature, since there is nothing approaching agreement among specialists in a great number of cases (7) ISO 639-6, which attempts to catalogue language variation, is in principle impossible, unless it aims to extend to an analysis of the language use of every human being on Earth, living or dead On the basis of these observations, which we will illustrate by means of three detailed “case studies” from the Eastern Himalaya, the Burmese/Indian border region, and the Balkan region, we will argue that ISO 639 must be substantially re-conceived and re-organized before it can be supported by linguists

The Speaker\u27s Primer

This book addresses the nuts and bolts of crafting and delivering different types of presentations, but unlike other public speaking handbooks, it builds on those principles and offers guidance on speaking in particular professional arenas. Throughout the book, the authors provide sidebars about the importance and application of public speaking principles specific to business, healthcare, education, politics, and the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. — Description from publisher\u27s websit

Positive Criminology and Rethinking the Response to Adolescent Addiction: Evidence on the Role of Social Support, Religiosity, and Service to Others

Adolescent addiction has emerged as a major public health problem. The greatest increase in alcohol and other drug use disorders can be found among youth. Concurrently, technological advances in policing coupled with aggressive prosecuting and sentencing practices have contributed to the growth of America’s correctional system. The assertive response of policing, courts, and corrections, however, have not prevented the dramatic rise of adolescent addiction. Unfortunately, there is no national data tracking addicted youth in the criminal justice system to evaluate what works when it comes to youth with addiction. This article reviews justice system responses to adolescent offenders with addiction, and promising approaches engaging juveniles in programmatic components of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). This study highlights the role of spirituality, service to others, and social support in maintaining sobriety, reducing arrests, and lowering recidivism for adolescents court-referred to treatment. Recommendations for improving the response to adolescent offenders with addiction are offered