Tuna and billfish larval distributions in a warming ocean

Tuna and billfish are charismatic pelagic fishes attracting considerable scientific attention due to their ecophysiological and socioeconomic importance. However, the knowledge of their basin-wide spawning and larval habitats, especially in a warming ocean, is limited. We use the largest available dataset on tuna and billfish larvae in the Pacific Ocean to build a geostatistical species-distribution model with high explanatory power. The results reveal the spatial distribution of tuna and billfish larvae through all seasons across the Pacific. The model also identifies the optimal temperature ranges for nine major species and assesses the potential impact of ocean warming on larval distributions. We additionally present evidence that environmental variables, such as pH, phosphate concentration, and sea-surface height, exert secondary effects on larval distributions that warrant further investigation. Our findings make a quantum leap in understanding the ecophysiology of tuna and billfish, providing valuable information for future conservation efforts.Comment: 26 pages, 1 table, 6 figure

Agent-based mapping of credit risk for sustainable microfinance

Inspired by recent ideas on how the analysis of complex financial risks can benefit from analogies with independent research areas, we propose an unorthodox framework for mapping microfinance credit risk---a major obstacle to the sustainability of lenders outreaching to the poor. Specifically, using the elements of network theory, we constructed an agent-based model that obeys the stylised rules of microfinance industry. We found that in a deteriorating economic environment confounded with adverse selection, a form of latent moral hazard may cause a regime shift from a high to a low loan repayment probability. An after-the-fact recovery, when possible, required the economic environment to improve beyond that which led to the shift in the first place. These findings suggest a small set of measurable quantities for mapping microfinance credit risk and, consequently, for balancing the requirements to reasonably price loans and to operate on a fully self-financed basis. We illustrate how the proposed mapping works using a 10-year monthly data set from one of the best-known microfinance representatives, Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Finally, we discuss an entirely new perspective for managing microfinance credit risk based on enticing spontaneous cooperation by building social capital.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Application technology of soldering in agricultural engineering

U tehnologiji lemljenja primjenjuju se brojni postupci koji se međusobno mogu razvrstati prema različitim kriterijima. Najvažniji kriterij razvrstavanja je prema temperaturi taljenja lema, na temelju kojega se definira najčešća podjela postupaka lemljenja – meko, tvrdo i visokotemperaturno lemljenje. Tehnologija lemljenja nalazi svoju primjenu u brojnim segmentima poljoprivredne tehnike, pri čemu je primarna svrha lemljenja u ostvarivanju čvrstih, nerastavljivih i nepropusnih spojeva prilikom popravaka dijelova poljoprivrednih strojeva i uređaja koji su oštećeni i uslijed toga su izgubili svoju radnu funkcionalnost. Ovisno o načinu zagrijavanja, lemljenje se dijeli u brojne postupke, od kojih su za primjenu u poljoprivrednoj tehnici najvažniji plinsko i elektrolučno lemljenje te lemljenje lemilima. Za svaki od navedenih postupaka razvijena je i temeljna oprema kojom se isti izvode. Također, za svaki od opisanih postupaka lemljenja postoje i odgovarajući lemovi koji se, osim na temelju postupaka, izabiru i prema vrsti materijala koji se spajaju.In the soldering technology there are numerous procedures that can be grouped together according to different criteria. The most important classification criterion is the melting temperature of the solder, which defines the most common distribution of soldering procedures – soft, hard and high-temperature soldering. The soldering technology is used in many segments of agricultural technique , with the primary purpose of soldering in the realization of rigid, non-removable and impermeable joints when repairing parts of agricultural machines and devices that are damaged and consequently lost their working functionality. Depending on the heating mode, the soldering is divided into a number of processes, the most important of which are gas and electrolux soldering and soldering with solders for agricultural applications. For each of the above mentioned processes, basic equipment has been developed to carry it out. Also, for each of the soldering processes described, there are also suitable washers which, apart from the procedures, are chosen according to the type of material to be joined

Application technology of soldering in agricultural engineering

U tehnologiji lemljenja primjenjuju se brojni postupci koji se međusobno mogu razvrstati prema različitim kriterijima. Najvažniji kriterij razvrstavanja je prema temperaturi taljenja lema, na temelju kojega se definira najčešća podjela postupaka lemljenja – meko, tvrdo i visokotemperaturno lemljenje. Tehnologija lemljenja nalazi svoju primjenu u brojnim segmentima poljoprivredne tehnike, pri čemu je primarna svrha lemljenja u ostvarivanju čvrstih, nerastavljivih i nepropusnih spojeva prilikom popravaka dijelova poljoprivrednih strojeva i uređaja koji su oštećeni i uslijed toga su izgubili svoju radnu funkcionalnost. Ovisno o načinu zagrijavanja, lemljenje se dijeli u brojne postupke, od kojih su za primjenu u poljoprivrednoj tehnici najvažniji plinsko i elektrolučno lemljenje te lemljenje lemilima. Za svaki od navedenih postupaka razvijena je i temeljna oprema kojom se isti izvode. Također, za svaki od opisanih postupaka lemljenja postoje i odgovarajući lemovi koji se, osim na temelju postupaka, izabiru i prema vrsti materijala koji se spajaju.In the soldering technology there are numerous procedures that can be grouped together according to different criteria. The most important classification criterion is the melting temperature of the solder, which defines the most common distribution of soldering procedures – soft, hard and high-temperature soldering. The soldering technology is used in many segments of agricultural technique , with the primary purpose of soldering in the realization of rigid, non-removable and impermeable joints when repairing parts of agricultural machines and devices that are damaged and consequently lost their working functionality. Depending on the heating mode, the soldering is divided into a number of processes, the most important of which are gas and electrolux soldering and soldering with solders for agricultural applications. For each of the above mentioned processes, basic equipment has been developed to carry it out. Also, for each of the soldering processes described, there are also suitable washers which, apart from the procedures, are chosen according to the type of material to be joined

Size scaling in western North Atlantic loggerhead turtles permits extrapolation between regions, but not life stages

Sea turtles face threats globally and are protected by national and international laws. Allometry and scaling models greatly aid sea turtle conservation and research, and help to better understand the biology of sea turtles. Scaling, however, may differ between regions and/or life stages. We analyze differences between (i) two different regional subsets and (ii) three different life stage subsets of the western North Atlantic loggerhead turtles by comparing the relative growth of body width and depth in relation to body length, and discuss the implications. Results suggest that the differences between scaling relationships of different regional subsets are negligible, and models fitted on data from one region of the western North Atlantic can safely be used on data for the same life stage from another North Atlantic region. On the other hand, using models fitted on data for one life stage to describe other life stages is not recommended if accuracy is of paramount importance. In particular, young loggerhead turtles that have not recruited to neritic habitats should be studied and modeled separately whenever practical, while neritic juveniles and adults can be modeled together as one group. Even though morphometric scaling varies among life stages, a common model for all life stages can be used as a general description of scaling, and assuming isometric growth as a simplification is justified. In addition to linear models traditionally used for scaling on log-log axes, we test the performance of a saturating (curvilinear) model. The saturating model is statistically preferred in some cases, but the accuracy gained by the saturating model is marginal

Punishment diminishes the benefits of network reciprocity in social dilemma experiments

Network reciprocity has been widely advertised in theoretical studies as one of the basic cooperation-promoting mechanisms, but experimental evidence favoring this type of reciprocity was published only recently. When organized in an unchanging network of social contacts, human subjects cooperate provided the following strict condition is satisfied: The benefit of cooperation must outweigh the total cost of cooperating with all neighbors. In an attempt to relax this condition, we perform social dilemma experiments wherein network reciprocity is aided with another theoretically hypothesized cooperation-promoting mechanism—costly punishment. The results reveal how networks promote and stabilize cooperation. This stabilizing effect is stronger in a smaller-size neighborhood, as expected from theory and experiments. Contrary to expectations, punishment diminishes the benefits of network reciprocity by lowering assortment, payoff per round, and award for cooperative behavior. This diminishing effect is stronger in a larger-size neighborhood. An immediate implication is that the psychological effects of enduring punishment override the rational response anticipated in quantitative models of cooperation in networks.We thank J. H. Lee for useful discussions. M.J. and Z.W. were, respectively, supported by the Research Grant Program of Inamori Foundation and the Chinese Young 1000 Talents Plan. B.P. received support from the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) and the Croatian Science Foundation through Projects J5-8236 and 5349, respectively. S.H. thanks the Israel-Italian collaborative project Network Cyber Security (NECST), Israel Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research (ONR), Japan Science Foundation, and the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation and the US National Science Foundation (BSF-NSF) for financial support. The Boston University Center for Polymer Studies is supported by NSF Grants PHY-1505000, CMMI-1125290, and CHE-1213217, by Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Grant HDTRA1-14-1-0017, and by Department of Energy (DOE) Contract DE-AC07-05Id14517. (Inamori Foundation; Chinese Young 1000 Talents Plan; J5-8236 - Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS); 5349 - Croatian Science Foundation; Israel-Italian collaborative project Network Cyber Security (NECST); Israel Science Foundation; Office of Naval Research (ONR); Japan Science Foundation; US-Israel Binational Science Foundation; US National Science Foundation (BSF-NSF); PHY-1505000 - NSF; CMMI-1125290 - NSF; CHE-1213217 - NSF; HDTRA1-14-1-0017 - Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA); DE-AC07-05Id14517 - Department of Energy (DOE))Published versio