Natural bounds on herbivorous coral reef fishes

Humans are an increasingly dominant driver of Earth's biological communities, but differentiating human impacts from natural drivers of ecosystem state is crucial. Herbivorous fish play a key role in maintaining coral dominance on coral reefs, and are widely affected by human activities, principally fishing. We assess the relative importance of human and biophysical (habitat and oceanographic) drivers on the biomass of five herbivorous functional groups among 33 islands in the central and western Pacific Ocean. Human impacts were clear for some, but not all, herbivore groups. Biomass of browsers, large excavators, and of all herbivores combined declined rapidly with increasing human population density, whereas grazers, scrapers, and detritivores displayed no relationship. Sea-surface temperature had significant but opposing effects on the biomass of detritivores (positive) and browsers (negative). Similarly, the biomass of scrapers, grazers, and detritivores correlated with habitat structural complexity; however, relationships were group specific. Finally, the biomass of browsers and large excavators was related to island geomorphology, both peaking on low-lying islands and atolls. The substantial variability in herbivore populations explained by natural biophysical drivers highlights the need for locally appropriate management targets on coral reefs

Investigating nano-precipitation in a V-containing HSLA steel using small angle neutron scattering

Interphase precipitation (IPP) of nanoscale carbides in a vanadium-containing high-strength low-alloy steel has been investigated. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize the precipitates and their size distributions in Fe-0.047C-0.2V-1.6Mn (in wt.%) alloy samples which had been austenitized, isothermally transformed at 700 °C for between 3 and 600 min and water quenched. TEM confirms that, following heat treatment, rows of vanadium-containing nanoscale interphase precipitates were present. Model-independent analysis of the nuclear SANS signal and model fitting calculations, using oblate spheroid and disc-shapes, were performed. The major axis diameter increased from 18 nm after 3 min to 35 nm after 600 min. Precipitate volume percent increased from 0.09 to 0.22 vol% over the same period and number density fell from 2 × 1021 to 5 × 1020 m−3. A limited number of measurements of precipitate maximum diameters from TEM images showed the mean value increased from 8 nm after 5 min to 28 nm after 600 min which is in reasonable agreement with the SANS data

Four-Dimensional Studies of Morphology Evolution in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Lithium sulfur (Li–S) batteries have great potential as a successor to Li-ion batteries, but their commercialization has been complicated by a multitude of issues stemming from their complex multiphase chemistry. In situ X-ray tomography investigations enable direct observations to be made about a battery, providing unprecedented insight into the microstructural evolution of the sulfur cathode and shedding light on the reaction kinetics of the sulfur phase. Here, for the first time, the morphology of a sulfur cathode was visualized in 3D as a function of state of charge at high temporal and spatial resolution. While elemental sulfur was originally well-dispersed throughout the uncycled cathode, subsequent charging resulted in the formation of sulfur clusters along preferred orthogonal orientations in the cathode. The electrical conductivity of the cathode was found not to be rate-limiting, suggesting the need to optimize the loading of conductive carbon additives. The carbon and binder domain and surrounding bulk pore phase were visualized in the in situ cell, and contrast changes within both phases were successfully extracted. The applications of this technique are not limited to microstructural and morphological characterization, and the volumetric data can serve as a valuable input for true 3D computational modeling of Li–S batteries

What we talk about when we talk about "global mindset": managerial cognition in multinational corporations

Recent developments in the global economy and in multinational corporations have placed significant emphasis on the cognitive orientations of managers, giving rise to a number of concepts such as “global mindset” that are presumed to be associated with the effective management of multinational corporations (MNCs). This paper reviews the literature on global mindset and clarifies some of the conceptual confusion surrounding the construct. We identify common themes across writers, suggesting that the majority of studies fall into one of three research perspectives: cultural, strategic, and multidimensional. We also identify two constructs from the social sciences that underlie the perspectives found in the literature: cosmopolitanism and cognitive complexity and use these two constructs to develop an integrative theoretical framework of global mindset. We then provide a critical assessment of the field of global mindset and suggest directions for future theoretical and empirical research

Observation of Cabibbo suppressed B→D(∗)K−B \to D^{(*)}K^- decays at Belle

Cabibbo-suppressed decays $B \to D^{(*)} K^-$ using a 10.4 fb$^{-1}$ data sample accumulated at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB $e^+ e^-$ storage ring. The high-momentum particle identification system of Belle is used to isolate signals for $B\to D^0 K^-$, $D^+K^-$, $D^{*0}K^-$ and $D^{*+}K^-$ from the $B\to D^{(*)}\pi^-$ decay processes which have much larger branching fractions. We report ratios of Cabibbo-suppressed to Cabibbo-favored branching fractions of: ${\cal B}(B^- \to D^0 K^-)/{\cal B}(B^- \to D^0\pi^-) = 0.079\pm0.009\pm0.006$; ${\cal B}(\bar{B^0} \to D^+ K^-)/{\cal B}(\bar{B^0} \to D^+\pi^-) = 0.068\pm0.015\pm0.007$; ${\cal B}(B^-\to D^{*0}K^-)/{\cal B}(B^-\to D^{*0}\pi^-) = 0.078 \pm 0.019 \pm 0.009$; and ${\cal B}(\bar{B}^0\to D^{*+}K^-)/{\cal B}(\bar{B}^0\to D^{*+}\pi^-)= 0.074 \pm 0.015 \pm 0.006$. The first error is statistical and the second is systematic. These are the first reported observations of the $B\to D^+K^-$, $D^{*0}K^-$ and $D^{*+}K^-$ decay processes.Comment: LaTeX, 12 pages, 2 figure

Search for Direct CP Violation in B -> K pi Decays

We search for direct CP violation in flavor specific B -> K pi decays by measuring the rate asymmetry between charge conjugate modes. The search is performed on a data sample of 11.1 million B B bar events recorded on the Upsilon(4S) resonance by the Belle experiment at KEKB. We measure 90% confidence intervals in the partial rate asymmetry A_CP of -0.25 < A_CP(K-/+ pi+/-) < 0.37, -0.40 < A_CP(K-/+ pi^0) < 0.36, and -0.53 < A_CP(K^0 pi-/+) < 0.82. By combining the K-/+ pi+/- and K-/+ pi^0 final states, we conclude that -0.22 < A_CP[K-/+(pi+/- + pi^0)] < 0.25 at the 90% confidence level.Comment: Submitted to PRD Rapid Communication

Observation of the decay B^0->D+D*-

We report the first observation of the decay B^0->D+-D*-+ with the Belle detector at the KEKB e^+e^- collider operated at the Upsilon(4S) resonance. The sum of branching fractions B(B^0->D+D*-)+B(B^0->D-D*+) is measured to be (1.17+-0.26+0.22-0.25)x10^-3 using the full reconstruction method where both charmed mesons from B^0 decays are reconstructed. A consistent value ((1.48+-0.38+0.28-0.31)x10^-3) is obtained using a partial reconstruction technique that only uses the slow pion from the D*- ->bar D^0pi- decay and a fully reconstructed D+ to reconstruct the B^0.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Measurement of Inclusive Production of Neutral Pions from Upsilon(4S) Decays

Using the Belle detector operating at the KEKB e+e- storage ring, we have measured the mean multiplicity and the momentum spectrum of neutral pions from the decays of the Upsilon(4S) resonance. We measure a mean of 4.70 +/- 0.04 +/- 0.22 neutral pions per Upsilon(4S) decay.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figs. Submitted to Phys.Rev.