Diet and distribution of the Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra and American mink, Neovison vison on the River Hull

Conflict between the invasive American mink Neovison vision, and native Eurasian otter Lutra lutra has been identified in several studies, however many questions remain surrounding factors contributing to possible co-existence. Furthermore, each species presence poses possible further economic and ecological threats. Links between mink predation and water vole, Arvicola amphibius decline have been listed as a key factor in the vole’s high risk categorisation. Understanding of mink preference to endangered species therefore may be essential in future conservation efforts. In contrast, otter-human conflict has potential to negatively impact upon efforts to restore otter populations. Regular spraint collection and eDNA analysis have been combined to identify distribution, diet and species specific preferences. Whilst distribution analysis did not support the possibility of co-existence, mink diet has identifiably evolved to reduce conflict with otters in the region. Within this, mink were found to predate on endangered species, supporting removal efforts. Contrastingly, otter preference data was not concluded to display a preference for stocked species

The stratigraphy of the Permian and Triassic formations in Guadalupe County, New Mexico

Geological Science

Stereographic cloud heights from the imagery of two scan-synchronized geostationary satellites

Scan synchronization of the sensors of two SMS-GOES satellites yields imagery from which cloud heights can be derived stereographically with a theoretical two-sigma random uncertainty of + or - 0.25 km for pairs of satellites separated by 60 degrees of longitude. Systematic height errors due to cloud motion can be kept below 100 m for all clouds with east-west components of speed below hurricane speed, provided the scan synchronization is within 40 seconds at the mid-point latitude, and the spin axis of each satellite is parallel to that of the earth

Terminal ballistics of 7.62 mm armour piercing projectiles against spaced, oblique RHA plates

Spacing and obliquity, when used together, are known to provide one of the most weight efficient solutions for armor protection. Although this configuration has been widely used over almost 100 years there is little quantitative or design data for such systems. In the present study a series of tests were performed using a steel-cored 7.62mm bullet (DAG 7.62x51) against RHA plates of varying thicknesses, spacing and obliquity of the front plate. This work showed that front plate should be substantially thinner than the rear, a ratio of 0.48:1 gave the best results. The highest mass efficiency (2.00) was for a large spacing (400mm) but this could be reduced to 50mm with only a 17% reduction in ballistic efficiency if a slightly more oblique front plate was used