Topography and biological noise determine acoustic detectability on coral reefs

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2013. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Coral Reefs 32 (2013): 1123-1134, doi:10.1007/s00338-013-1069-2.Acoustic telemetry is an increasingly common tool for studying the movement patterns, behaviour, and site fidelity of marine organisms, but to accurately interpret acoustic data, the variability, periodicity and range of detectability between acoustic tags and receivers must be understood. The relative and interactive effects of topography with biological and environmental noise have not been quantified on coral reefs. We conduct two long-term range tests (one and four months duration) on two different reef types in the central Red Sea, to determine the relative effect of distance, depth, topography, time of day, wind, lunar phase, sea surface temperature and thermocline on detection probability. Detectability, as expected, declines with increasing distance between tags and receivers, and we find average detection ranges of 530 and 120 m, using V16 and V13 tags respectively, but the topography of the reef can significantly modify this relationship, reducing the range by ~70%, even when tags and receivers are in line-of-sight. Analyses that assume a relationship between distance and detections must therefore be used with care. Nighttime detection range was consistently reduced in both locations and detections varied by lunar phase in the four month test, suggesting a strong influence of biological noise (reducing detection probability up to 30%), notably more influential than other environmental noises, including wind-driven noise, which is normally considered important in open-water environments. Analysis of detections should be corrected in consideration of the diel patterns we find, and range tests or sentinel tags should be used for more than one month to quantify potential changes due to lunar phase. Some studies assume that the most usual factor limiting detection range is weather-related noise; this cannot be extrapolated to coral reefs.2014-08-1

The STRS (shortness of breath, tremulousness, racing heart, and sweating): A brief checklist for acute distress with panic-like autonomic indicators; development and factor structure

Background: Peritraumatic response, as currently assessed by Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnostic criterion A2, has weak positive predictive value (PPV) with respect to PTSD diagnosis. Research suggests that indicators of peritraumatic autonomic activation may supplement the PPV of PTSD criterion A2. We describe the development and factor structure of the STRS (Shortness of Breath, Tremulousness, Racing Heart, and Sweating), a one page, two-minute checklist with a five-point Likert-type response format based on a previously unpublished scale. It is the first validated self-report measure of peritraumatic activation of the autonomic nervous system.\ud \ud Methods: We selected items from the Potential Stressful Events Interview (PSEI) to represent two latent variables: 1) PTSD diagnostic criterion A, and 2) acute autonomic activation. Participants (a convenience sample of 162 non-treatment seeking young adults) rated the most distressing incident of their lives on these items. We examined the factor structure of the STRS in this sample using factor and cluster analysis.\ud \ud Results: Results confirmed a two-factor model. The factors together accounted for 68% of the variance. The variance in each item accounted for by the two factors together ranged from 41% to 74%. The item loadings on the two factors mapped precisely onto the two proposed latent variables.\ud \ud Conclusion: The factor structure of the STRS is robust and interpretable. Autonomic activation signs tapped by the STRS constitute a dimension of the acute autonomic activation in response to stress that is distinct from the current PTSD criterion A2. Since the PTSD diagnostic criteria are likely to change in the DSM-V, further research is warranted to determine whether signs of peritraumatic autonomic activation such as those measured by this two-minute scale add to the positive predictive power of the current PTSD criterion A2. Additionally, future research is warranted to explore whether the four automatic activation items of the STRS can be useful as the basis for a possible PTSD criterion A3 in the DSM-V

Scintillator-based ion beam profiler for diagnosing laser-accelerated ion beams

Next generation intense, short-pulse laser facilities require new high repetition rate diagnostics for the detection of ionizing radiation. We have designed a new scintillator-based ion beam profiler capable of measuring the ion beam transverse profile for a number of discrete energy ranges. The optical response and emission characteristics of four common plastic scintillators has been investigated for a range of proton energies and fluxes. The scintillator light output (for 1 MeV > Ep < 28 MeV) was found to have a non-linear scaling with proton energy but a linear response to incident flux. Initial measurements with a prototype diagnostic have been successful, although further calibration work is required to characterize the total system response and limitations under the high flux, short pulse duration conditions of a typical high intensity laser-plasma interaction

Bump at the End of the Bridge: Review and Analysis of Rider Discomfort

Localized irregularities in the road profile are a well-known and persistent cause of rider discomfort when entering and exiting many bridges. This work addresses this so called “bump at the end of the bridge” problem first, through a review of relevant literature focusing on causes of the bump problem, mitigation techniques, retrofitting techniques, and special bump problems related to integral abutment bridges. Then, recognizing that approach slabs play a crucial role in the development of the bump, this problem is addressed through an investigation and comparison of approach slab designs and details utilized by various states. And, finally, the “bump at the end of the bridge” problem is addressed through dynamic analyses to ascertain the impact that various parameters of the bump geometry, road conditions, and vehicle speed have on rider discomfort. The results of the dynamic analyses indicate that the slope of the approach slab (i.e., the bump) and vehicle speed have the biggest impact on rider discomfort. Recommendations for future research are also noted

Magnetoresistance in High-Tc Superconductors: The Role of Vertex Corrections

In high-Tc cuprates, the orbital magnetoresistance in plane (MR, $\Delta\rho/\rho$) is anomalously enhanced at lower tempemeratures compared with conventional Fermi liquids, and thus Kohler's rule is strongly violated. Moreover, it should be noted that an intimate relation between the MR and the Hall coefficient ($R_H$), $\Delta\rho/\rho \propto (R_H/\rho)^2$, holds well experimentally, and is called the "modified Kohler's rule". In this letter, we study this long-standing problem in terms of the nearly antiferromagnetic (AF) Fermi liquid. We analyze the exact expression for the MR by including the vertex corrections (VC's) to keep the conservation laws, and find the approximate "scaling relation" $\Delta\rho/\rho \propto \xi_{AF}^4 /\rho^2$ ($\xi_{AF}$ being the AF correlation length.) in the presence of AF fluctuations. The factor $\xi_{AF}^4$, which comes from the VC's for the current, gives the additional temperature dependence. By taking account of the relation $R_H \propto \xi_{AF}^2$ [Kontani et al., PRB 59 (1999) 14723.], we can naturally explain the modified Kohler's rule. In conclusion, based on the Fermi liquid theory, the famous {\it seemingly} non-Fermi liquid behaviors of the Hall coefficient and the MR in high-Tc cuprates are naturally understood on an equal footing.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 70 (2001) No.

An Exploratory Study of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Suicidal Behaviors in Adolescent Latinas

To date, there is little research to validate empirically differences between nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior (NSSI) and attempted suicide among Latina adolescents. Understanding the characteristics and contextual features of self-harmful behaviors among Latina teens is a critical public health and social justice matter given the disproportionate rates of attempted suicide and anticipated population growth of this vulnerable group. In this article, we draw on an ecodevelopmental model to focus attention on factors in the sociocultural environment that shape suicidal behaviors and NSSIs. Through analysis of qualitative interviews conducted with girls who used NSSI (n ! 18), attempted suicide (n ! 29), used NSSI and attempted suicide (n ! 8,) and had no reported lifetime history of self-harm (n ! 28), we describe the sociocultural factors that shaped psychosocial vulnerabilities and gave rise to decisions to use NSSI or attempt suicide. Our analysis revealed that adolescents who engaged in NSSI perceived their negative feelings as something that could be controlled through self-injurious acts, whereas powerlessness was a theme underlying the emotional states of girls who attempted suicide. When NSSI ceased to function as a mechanism for control, girls came to sudden decisions to attempt suicide. Most teens identified specific, and often multiple, situations that induced intense affective states and shaped decisions to inflict self-harm. Two situational experiences emerged as particularly salient and promising for subsequent studies on self-harmful behaviors among Latina adolescents: transnational stress and bullying. We describe each of these and offer suggestions for future research and practice

An Exploratory Study of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Suicidal Behaviors in Adolescent Latinas

To date, there is little research to validate empirically differences between nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior (NSSI) and attempted suicide among Latina adolescents. Understanding the characteristics and contextual features of self-harmful behaviors among Latina teens is a critical public health and social justice matter given the disproportionate rates of attempted suicide and anticipated population growth of this vulnerable group. In this article, we draw on an ecodevelopmental model to focus attention on factors in the sociocultural environment that shape suicidal behaviors and NSSIs. Through analysis of qualitative interviews conducted with girls who used NSSI (n ! 18), attempted suicide (n ! 29), used NSSI and attempted suicide (n ! 8,) and had no reported lifetime history of self-harm (n ! 28), we describe the sociocultural factors that shaped psychosocial vulnerabilities and gave rise to decisions to use NSSI or attempt suicide. Our analysis revealed that adolescents who engaged in NSSI perceived their negative feelings as something that could be controlled through self-injurious acts, whereas powerlessness was a theme underlying the emotional states of girls who attempted suicide. When NSSI ceased to function as a mechanism for control, girls came to sudden decisions to attempt suicide. Most teens identified specific, and often multiple, situations that induced intense affective states and shaped decisions to inflict self-harm. Two situational experiences emerged as particularly salient and promising for subsequent studies on self-harmful behaviors among Latina adolescents: transnational stress and bullying. We describe each of these and offer suggestions for future research and practice

Natural history of Arabidopsis thaliana and oomycete symbioses

Molecular ecology of plant–microbe interactions has immediate significance for filling a gap in knowledge between the laboratory discipline of molecular biology and the largely theoretical discipline of evolutionary ecology. Somewhere in between lies conservation biology, aimed at protection of habitats and the diversity of species housed within them. A seemingly insignificant wildflower called Arabidopsis thaliana has an important contribution to make in this endeavour. It has already transformed botanical research with deepening understanding of molecular processes within the species and across the Plant Kingdom; and has begun to revolutionize plant breeding by providing an invaluable catalogue of gene sequences that can be used to design the most precise molecular markers attainable for marker-assisted selection of valued traits. This review describes how A. thaliana and two of its natural biotrophic parasites could be seminal as a model for exploring the biogeography and molecular ecology of plant–microbe interactions, and specifically, for testing hypotheses proposed from the geographic mosaic theory of co-evolution

Using self-definition to predict the influence of procedural justice on organizational, interpersonal, and job/task-oriented citizenship behaviors

An integrative self-definition model is proposed to improve our understanding of how procedural justice affects different outcome modalities in organizational behavior. Specifically, it is examined whether the strength of different levels of self-definition (collective, relational, and individual) each uniquely interact with procedural justice to predict organizational, interpersonal, and job/task-oriented citizenship behaviors, respectively. Results from experimental and (both single and multisource) field data consistently revealed stronger procedural justice effects (1) on organizational-oriented citizenship behavior among those who define themselves strongly in terms of organizational characteristics, (2) on interpersonal-oriented citizenship behavior among those who define themselves strongly in terms of their interpersonal relationships, and (3) on job/task-oriented citizenship behavior among those who define themselves weakly in terms of their distinctiveness or uniqueness. We discuss the relevance of these results with respect to how employees can be motivated most effectively in organizational settings

TeV Strings and the Neutrino-Nucleon Cross Section at Ultra-high Energies

In scenarios with the fundamental unification scale at the TeV one expects string excitations of the standard model fields at accessible energies. We study the neutrino-nucleon cross section in these models. We show that duality of the scattering amplitude forces the existence of a tower of massive leptoquarks that mediate the process in the s-channel. Using the narrow-width approximation we find a sum rule for the production rate of resonances with different spin at each mass level. We show that these contributions can increase substantially the standard model neutrino-nucleon cross section, although seem insufficient in order to explain the cosmic ray events above the GZK cutoff energy.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, version to appear in PR