Restoration of Aspen-Dominated Ecosystems in the Lake States

A reserve tree method (RTM) of harvesting was installed in six 70 to 75 year old aspen dominated stands to determine if retaining 10 to 15 dominant aspen per acre would decrease sucker density to facilitate restoration of a conifer component. A reserve shelterwood cut was applied to three additional stands to evaluate performance of white pine planted under 50% crown cover. After the first full growing season following harvest, 96% of the RTM harvested areas were stocked; sucker density averaged 27000 per acre versus 38.2 k per acre on a clearcut control, 41% greater. Basal diameter of dominant suckers averaged 0.45 inch, 28% greater than the control, and mean height was 60 inches, 33% greater. The control site had 3.1k stems per acre of associated commercial species versus 5.8 k on the RTM sites, an 87% difference. Four of the nine stands have been planted; first-year survival ranged from 75% to near 100%. The RTM shows promise for reducing sucker density, increasing their early growth, maintaining species diversity, and providing abundant regeneration of commercial species on a high proportion of the areas harvested. Early results indicate that both the RTM and shelterwood methods can facilitate restoring a component of native conifer species in these ecosystems

Wang Xiaotong on Right Triangles: Six Problems from ‘Continuation of Ancient Mathematics’ (Seventh Century AD)

Wang Xiaotong’s 王孝通 Jigu suanjing 緝古算經 is primarily concerned with problems in solid and plane geometry leading to polynomial equa­tions which are to be solved numerically using a procedure similar to Horner’s Method. We translate and analyze here six problems in plane geometry. In each case the solution is derived using a dissection of a 3-dimensional object. We suggest an interpretation of one fragmentary comment which at first sight appears to refer to a dissection of a 4-dimensional object

Shape Analysis of Traffic Flow Curves using a Hybrid Computational Analysis

This paper highlights and validates the use of shape analysis using Mathematical Morphology tools as a means to develop meaningful clustering of historical data. Furthermore, through clustering more appropriate grouping can be accomplished that can result in the better parameterization or estimation of models. This results in more effective prediction model development. Hence, in an effort to highlight this within the research herein, a Back-Propagation Neural Network is used to validate the classification achieved through the employment of MM tools. Specifically, the Granulometric Size Distribution (GSD) is used to achieve clustering of daily traffic flow patterns based solely on their shape. To ascertain the significance of shape in traffic analysis, a comparative classification analysis of original data and GSD transformed data is carried out. The results demonstrate the significance of functional shape in traffic analysis. In addition, the results validate the need for clustering prior to prediction. It is determined that a span of two through four years of traffic data is found sufficient for training to produce satisfactory BPNN performance

Sunscreen Use on the Dorsal Hands at the Beach

Background. Since skin of the dorsal hands is a known site for the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, an epidemiologic investigation was needed to determine if beachgoers apply sunscreen to the dorsal aspect of their hands as frequently as they apply it to other skin sites. Aim. The aim of the current study was to compare the use of sunscreen on the dorsal hands to other areas of the body during subtropical late spring and summer sunlight exposure at the beach. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional survey from a convenience sample of beachgoers was designed to evaluate respondent understanding and protective measures concerning skin cancer on the dorsal hands in an environment with high natural UVR exposure. Results. A total of 214 surveys were completed and analyzed. Less than half of subjects (105, 49%) applied sunscreen to their dorsal hands. Women applied sunscreen to the dorsal hands more than men (55% women versus 40% men, P = 0.04). Higher Fitzpatrick Skin Type respondents were less likely to protect their dorsal hands from ultraviolet radiation (P = 0.001). Conclusions. More public education focused on dorsal hand protection from ultraviolet radiation damage is necessary to reduce the risk for squamous cell carcinomas of the hands

Large spatial variations in the flux balance along the front of a Greenland tidewater glacier

The frontal flux balance of a medium-sized tidewater glacier in western Greenland in the summer is assessed by quantifying the individual components (ice flux, retreat, calving, and submarine melting) through a combination of data and models. Ice flux and retreat are obtained from satellite data. Submarine melting is derived using a high-resolution ocean model informed by near-ice observations, and calving is estimated using a record of calving events along the ice front. All terms exhibit large spatial variability along the  ∼ 5&thinsp;km wide ice front. It is found that submarine melting accounts for much of the frontal ablation in small regions where two subglacial discharge plumes emerge at the ice front. Away from the subglacial plumes, the estimated melting accounts for a small fraction of frontal ablation. Glacier-wide, these estimates suggest that mass loss is largely controlled by calving. This result, however, is at odds with the limited presence of icebergs at this calving front – suggesting that melt rates in regions outside of the subglacial plumes may be underestimated. Finally, we argue that localized melt incisions into the glacier front can be significant drivers of calving. Our results suggest a complex interplay of melting and calving marked by high spatial variability along the glacier front.</p

Ursinus College Alumni Journal, August 1962

The President writes • Have gun will travel • The Loyalty Fund committee • Ursinus launches campaign for five million dollars • Alumni must think big • Samuel Bond, Ursinus\u27 architect • Faculty notes • 1962 commencement • Distinguished Teaching • Alumni in the news • \u2762 Loyalty Fund nets $52,942.84 • Results of the 1962 Loyalty Fund campaign • Contributors to the 1962 Loyalty Fund • Best track season in Ursinus history • Baseball • Women\u27s sports • Class notes • Weddings • Births • Necrology • Dr. Eugene H. Miller, \u2733, to speak at Forum • New UCC Church conference • The college sealhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/alumnijournal/1073/thumbnail.jp

Localized plumes drive front-wide ocean melting of a Greenlandic tidewater glacier

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2018. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in in Geophysical Research Letters, 45(22), (2018): 12350-12358. doi: 10.1029/2018GL080763.Recent acceleration of Greenland's ocean‐terminating glaciers has substantially amplified the ice sheet's contribution to global sea level. Increased oceanic melting of these tidewater glaciers is widely cited as the likely trigger, and is thought to be highest within vigorous plumes driven by freshwater drainage from beneath glaciers. Yet melting of the larger part of calving fronts outside of plumes remains largely unstudied. Here we combine ocean observations collected within 100 m of a tidewater glacier with a numerical model to show that unlike previously assumed, plumes drive an energetic fjord‐wide circulation which enhances melting along the entire calving front. Compared to estimates of melting within plumes alone, this fjord‐wide circulation effectively doubles the glacier‐wide melt rate, and through shaping the calving front has a potential dynamic impact on calving. Our results suggest that melting driven by fjord‐scale circulation should be considered in process‐based projections of Greenland's sea level contribution.Support was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through PLR‐1418256 and PLR‐1744835, and through Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Ocean and Climate Change Institute (OCCI) and the Clark Foundation. This work was also supported by a UK Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) PhD studentship (NE/L501566/1) and Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment & Society (SAGES) early career research exchange funding to D. A. S. We thank Hanumant Singh, Laura Stevens, Ken Mankoff, Rebecca Jackson, and Jeff Pietro for useful discussions and data collection.2019-05-1