Sweep-synchronized positionable trigger and supplementary components

This report describes the Sweep-Synchronized Positionable Trigger, together with its functions and supplementary components, as designed and built for use with the Precision Graphic Recorder (PGR) at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The positionable trigger provides a means for plotting a variable on the PGR record as a function of time, for triggering equipment such as oscilloscopes at any time, for displaying ship's heading, and for supplying, semi-automatically, ocean depth to a ship- board computer.The Office of Naval Research under Contract Nonr- 40 29(00

The Origin, Evolution, and Demise of the U.S. Sea Turtle Fisheries

Fishing was America's first industry, and turtling played an important role in the nation's developing fisheries. However, before the European settlers arrived in the New World, Native Americans had already developed spiritual and gastronomic relationships with sea turtles. There are indications that ancient Florida tribes had eaten sea turtles and then placed the skulls in burial mounds (Johnson, 1952)

The Origin of the Florida Sponge Fishery

Sponges were used domestically by Key West, Fla., pioneers soon after the town was settled in 1822 (Collins, 1887). Fortunately, aroung 1852, it was discovered that Florida sponges were able to compete with imported sponges from the Mediterranean, and they soon became commercially successful (Moore, 1910). These Florida-caught sponges were shipped to markets in New York and sold for domestic cleaning and personal hygiene, as upholstery stuffing and packing material, and for cleaning military cannons

Weld joint strength and mechanical properties in 2219-T81 aluminum alloy

Plate and sheet were welded using automatic TIG /Tungsten Inert Gas/ weld techniques and manual repair weld techniques. Yield strength of 2219-T81 sheet and plate decreases significantly when welded

Titanium-Oxygen Reactivity Study

A program has been conducted at Astronautics to investigate the likelihood of occurrence of the catastrophic oxidation of titanium alloy sheet under conditions which simulate certain cases of accidental failure of the metal while it is in contact with liquid or gaseous oxygen. Three methods of fracturing the metal were used; they consisted of mechanical puncture, tensile fracture of welded joints, and perforation by very high velocity particles. The results of the tests which have been conducted provide further evidence of the reactivity of titanium with liquid and gaseous oxygen. The evidence indicates that the rapid fracturing of titanium sheet while it is in contact with oxygen initiates the catastrophic oxidation reaction. Initiation occurred when the speed of the fracture was some few feet per second, as in both the drop-weight puncture tests and the static tensile fracture tests of welded joints, as well as when the speed was several thousand feet per second, as in the simulated micrometeoroid penetration tests. The slow propagation of a crack, however, did not initiate the reaction. It may logically be concluded that the localized frictional heat of rapid fracture and/or spontaneous oxidation (exothermic) of minute particles emanating from the fracture cause initiation of the reaction. Under conditions of slow fracture, however, the small heat generated may be adequately dissipated and the reaction is not initiated. A portion of the study conducted consisted of investigating various means by which the reaction might be retarded or prevented. Providing a "barrier" at the titanium-oxygen interface consisting of either aluminum metal or a coating of a petroleum base corrosion inhibitor appeared to be only partially effective in retarding the reaction. The accidental puncturing or similar rupturing of thin-walled pressurized oxygen tanks on missiles and space vehicle will usually constitute loss of function, and may sometimes cause their catastrophic destruction by explosive decompression regardless of the type of material used for their construction. In the case of tanks constructed of titanium alloys the added risk is incurred of catastrophic burning of the tanks. In view of this it is recommended that thin-walled tanks constructed of titanium alloys should not be used to contain liquid or gaseous oxygen

Evaluation of mechanical property data on the 2219 aluminum alloy and application of the data to the design of liquid hydrogen tankage

The potential use of thin guage 2219 aluminum alloy for airborne liquid hydrogen tankage was examined. Existing data were processed using the Newman two parameter equation, a prediction was made for the life expectancy of a hypothetical liquid hydrogen tank, and additional experimental data were generated in an attempt to correct the deficiencies in the existing data

Antifungal effect and reduction of Ulmus minor symptoms to Ophiostoma novo-ulmi by carvacrol and salicylic acid

There are still no effective means to control Dutch elm disease (DED), caused by the vascular fungi Ophiostoma ulmi and O. novo-ulmi. Plant phenolics may provide a new strategy for DED control, given their known antifungal activity against pathogens and their involvement in plant defence mechanisms. The in vitro antifungal activity of salicylic acid, carvacrol, thymol, phenol, o-cresol, m-cresol, p-cresol, and 2,5-xylenol against the DED pathogens was tested. Also, the protective effect of watering Ulmus minor seedlings with these compounds was tested against O. novo-ulmi. Salicylic acid, carvacrol, and thymol showed the strongest antifungal in vitro activity, while carvacrol and salicylic acid provided the strongest in vivo protection against O. novo-ulmi (63 and 46% reduction of leaf wilting symptoms with respect to controls, respectively). The effect of the treatments on tree phenology was low, and a significant negative relation was observed between the number of days to bud burst and the leaf wilting symptoms after inoculation, probably determined by genetic differences among the elm tree progenies used. The treatments with salicylic acid, carvacrol and thymol induced the highest shift in phenolic metabolite profile with respect to control trees. The protective effect of carvacrol and salicylic acid is discussed in terms of their combined activity as antifungal compounds and as inductors of tree defence responses

Nesting Success of Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles, Lepidochelys kempi, at Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, 1982–2004

The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, Lepidochelys kempi, was on the edge of extinction owing to a combination of intense egg harvesting and incidental capture in commercial fishing trawls. Results from a cooperative conservation strategy initiated in 1978 between Mexico and the United States to protect and restore the Kemp’s ridley turtle at the main nesting beach at Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, Mexico are assessed. This strategy appears to be working as there are signs that the species is starting to make a recovery. Recovery indicators include: 1) increased numbers of nesting turtles, 2) increased numbers of 100+ turtle nesting aggregations (arribadas), 3) an expanding nesting season now extending from March to August, and 4) significant nighttime nesting since 2003. The population low point at Rancho Nuevo was in 1985 (706 nests) and the population began to significantly increase in 1997 (1,514 nests), growing to over 4,000 nests in 2004. The size and numbers of arribadas have increased each year since 1983 but have yet to exceed the 1,000+ mark; most arribadas are still 200–800+ turtles

Immature Sea Turtles in Gullivan Bay, Ten Thousand Islands, Southwest Florida

An in-water survey for immature endangered and threatened sea turtles in the coastal waters of southwest Florida during 1997-2003 yielded 191 Kemp\u27s ridley (Lepidochelys kempi), 15 loggerhead (Caretta caretta), 13 green (Chelonia mydas), and one hybrid hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)-loggerhead turtle. Mean carapace lengths were 40.3 cm minimum straightline carapace length (MSCL) for Kemp\u27s ridley, 65.5 cm MSCL for loggerhead, and 51.6 cm MSCL for green turtles. Fibropapilloma tumors were found on seven of the green turtles and one loggerhead turtle. The mean growth rate of recaptured Kemp\u27s ridleys was 6.3 cm/yr. The nearshore waters of Gullivan Bay in the Ten Thousand Islands are an important developmental habitat for the highly endangered Kemp\u27s ridley turtle, and to a lesser degree, immature loggerhead and green turtles

Seasonal Migration of Immature Kemp\u27s Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys kempii Garman) Along the West Coast of Florida

Six immature Kemp\u27s ridley turtles (Lepidochelys hempii) were monitored via satellite telemetry to investigate their winter migration on the west coast of Florida. All turtles departed from Cedar Keys in late Nov., migrated southward in Dec., and overwintered in offshore waters from Anclote Keys to Captiva Island during Jan., 120 km and 296 km from Cedar Keys, respectively. Turtles migrated northward in Feb. and began returning to Cedar Keys in March. Five of the turtles occupied relatively small (3.8-48.0 km2) postmigration foraging ranges through Aug. The sixth turtle returned to Waccasassa Bay, east of Cedar Keys, but locational data were insufficient for postmigration analysis. Mean sea surface temperature (SST) used by turtles in Nov. decreased from 23.6 ± 1.9 C during the first 2 weeks to 17.1 ± 1.5 C during the latter 2 weeks, and corresponded to their departure from Cedar Keys. Mean SST used by turtles in Jan. increased from 14.0 ± 1.6 C during the first 2 weeks to 16.6 ± 1.4 C during the latter 2 weeks, and corresponded to the onset of their northward migration. Turtles traveled up to 13-56 km offshore to maximum depths of 15-31 m. Higher proportions of satellite location classes requiring four or more uplinks were obtained during winter months suggesting that turtles spent more time at the surface during their migrations. Further studies are needed to determine possible size-specific differences in depth use and migration patterns, to identify benthic habitats used by Kemp\u27s ridleys during winter migrations, and to determine what anthropogenic impacts occur within their migratory routes along the Florida coast