Towards a Better Understanding of Dynamic Interaction Metrics for Wildlife: a Null Model Approach

The ability to measure dynamic interactions, such as attraction or avoidance, is crucial to understanding socio‐spatial behaviors related to territoriality and mating as well as for exploring resource use and the potential spread of infectious epizootic diseases. In spite of the importance of measuring dynamic interactions, it has not been a main research focus in movement pattern analysis. With very few exceptions (see Benhamou et al. 2014), no new metrics have been developed in the past 20 years to accommodate the fundamental shift in the type of animal movement data now being collected and there have been few comparison or otherwise critical studies of existing dynamic interaction metrics (but see Long et al. 2014; Miller 2012). This research borrows from the null model approach commonly used in community ecology to compare six currently used dynamic interaction metrics using data on five brown hyena dyads in Northern Botswana. There was disconcerting variation among the dynamic interaction results depending on which metric and which null model was used, and these results highlight the need for more extensive research on measuring and interpreting dynamic interactions in order to avoid making potentially misleading inferences about socio‐spatial behaviors.     

Temperature trend over Italy from 1961 to 2004

Summary In order to evaluate the temperature trend over Italy, minimum and maximum daily temperatures reported by SYREP messages from 49 meteorological stations of the national air force weather service from 1961 to 2004 have been collected, controlled and used to calculate the annual series of mean temperature anomalies over Italy, with respect to the 30-years climatological period 1961–1990. Monthly temperature series were homogenized in order to eliminate the effects of non-climatic factors. Then, three trend models (linear, piecewise and sloped steps) were applied and the trends of mean temperature and average minimum and maximum temperature, together with their confidence intervals, were estimated. The results indicate a negative trend for the period 1961–1981, a more pronounced positive trend from 1981 to 2004, and an increase of the average daily temperature range for the whole period. Authors’ address: Andrea Toreti, Franco Desiato, Agenzia per la Protezione dell’Ambiente e per i Servizi Tecnici (APAT), Dipartimento Stato dell’ambiente e metrologia ambientale, Servizio sviluppo sostenibilie e cambiamenti climatici, Settore clima e meteorologia, Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, 00144 Rome, Italy.     

Seismic performance of a 3D full‐scale high‐ductile steel–concrete composite moment‐resisting frame—Part II: Test results and analytical validation

This paper presents the results of a multi‐level pseudo‐dynamic seismic test program that was performed to assess the performance of a full‐scale three‐bay, two‐storey steel–concrete composite moment‐resisting frame built with partially encased composite columns and partial‐strength beam‐to‐column joints. The system was designed to develop a ductile response in the joint components of beam‐to‐column joints including flexural yielding of beam end plates and shear yielding of the column web panel zone. The ground motion producing the damageability limit state interstorey drift caused minor damage while the ultimate limit state ground motion level entailed column web panel yielding, connection yielding and plastic hinging at the column base connections. The earthquake level chosen to approach the collapse limit state induced more damage and was accompanied by further column web panel yielding, connection yielding and inelastic phenomena at column base connections without local buckling. During the final quasi‐static cyclic test with stepwise increasing displacement–amplitudes up to an interstorey drift angle of 4.6%, the behaviour was ductile although cracking of beam‐to‐end‐plate welds was observed. Correlations with numerical simulations taking into account the inelastic cyclic response of beam‐to‐column and column base joints are also presented in the paper together. Inelastic static pushover and time history analysis procedures are used to estimate the structural behaviour and overstrength factors of the structural system under study. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of Natural and Anthropogenic Factors on Soils,Soil Water,and Subsoil Water in Kola Peninsula

The concentrations of mobile compounds of S, Cu, and Ni are determined in podzol soils in the Murmansk region taken at different distances from Severonikel Copper–Nickel Plant and their variations are analyzed. The concentrations are found to have an effect on the distribution of these elements in lysimetric and subsoil waters.     

Stress in the lithosphere: Inferences from steady state flow of rocks

Mechanical data and flow processes from steady state deformation experiments may be used to infer the state of stress in the lithosphere and asthenosphere. Extrapolations of flow equations to a representative geologic strain rate of 10^–14/sec. for halite, marble, quartzite, dolomite, dunite and enstatolite are now warranted because the steady state flow processes in the experiments are identical to those in rocks and because the geotherms are reasonably well established. More direct estimates are obtained from free dislocation densities, subgrain sizes and recrystallized grain sizes all of which are functions only of stress. Using the last of these techniques, we have estimated stress profiles as a function of depth from xenoliths in basalts and kimberlites, whose depths of equilibration were determined by pyroxene techniques, from four different areas of subcontinental and suboceanic upper mantle. The results are similar and indicate stress differences of about 200 to 300 bars at 40 to 50 km, decaying to a few tens of bars at depths betow 100 km. These stresses are reasonable and are in accord with extrapolations of the mechanical data provided that allowance is made for a general increase in strain rate and decrease in viscosity with depth.     

Sediment budget-based estimates of trace metal inputs to a Chesapeake estuary

This article evaluates whether a sediment budget for the South River, Maryland, can be coupled with metals data from sediment cores to identify and quantify sources of historic metal inputs to marsh and subtidal sediments along the estuary. Metal inputs to estuarine marsh sediments come from fluvial runoff and atmospheric deposition. Metal inputs to subtidal sediments come from atmospheric deposition, fluvial runoff, coastal erosion, and estuarine waters. The metals budget for the estuary indicates that metal inputs from coastal erosion have remained relatively constant since 1840. Historical variations in metal contents of marsh sediments have probably resulted primarily from increasing atmospheric deposition in this century, but prior to 1900 may reflect changing fluvial sources, atmospheric inputs, or factors not quantified by the budget. Residual Pb, Cu, and Zn in the marsh sediments not accounted for by fluvial inputs was low to moderate in 1840, decreased to near zero circa 1910, and by 1987 had increased to levels that were one to ten times greater than those of 1840. Sources of variability in subtidal cores could not be clearly discerned because of geochemical fluxes, turbulent mixing, and bioturbation within the cores. The sediment-metal budgeting approach appears to be a viable method for delineating metal sources in small, relatively simple estuarine systems like the South River and in systems where recent deposition (for example, prograding marshes) prevents use of deep core analysis to identify background levels of metal. In larger systems or systems with more variable sources of sediment and metal input, however, assumptions and measurement errors in the metal budgeting approach suggest that deep core analysis and normalization techniques are probably preferable for identifying anthropogenic impacts.Field and laboratory research conducted at the Department of Geography, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USAField and laboratory research conducted at the Marine and Estuarine Environmental Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA     

Local geoid determination combining gravity disturbances and GPS/levelling: a case study in the Lake Nasser area, Aswan, Egypt

 The use of GPS for height control in an area with existing levelling data requires the determination of a local geoid and the bias between the local levelling datum and the one implicitly defined when computing the local geoid. If only scarse gravity data are available, the heights of new data may be collected rapidly by determining the ellipsoidal height by GPS and not using orthometric heights. Hence the geoid determination has to be based on gravity disturbances contingently combined with gravity anomalies. Furthermore, existing GPS/levelling data may also be used in the geoid determination if a suitable general gravity field modelling method (such as least-squares collocation, LSC) is applied. A comparison has been made in the Aswan Dam area between geoids determined using fast Fourier transform (FFT) with gravity disturbances exclusively and LSC using only the gravity disturbances and the disturbances combined with GPS/levelling data. The EGM96 spherical harmonic model was in all cases used in a remove–restore mode. A total of 198 gravity disturbances spaced approximately 3 km apart were used, as well as 35 GPS/levelling points in the vicinity and on the Aswan Dam. No data on the Nasser Lake were available. This gave difficulties when using FFT, which requires the use of gridded data. When using exclusively the gravity disturbances, the agreement between the GPS/levelling data were 0.71 ± 0.17 m for FFT and 0.63 ± 0.15 for LSC. When combining gravity disturbances and GPS/levelling, the LSC error estimate was ±0.10 m. In the latter case two bias parameters had to be introduced to account for a possible levelling datum difference between the levelling on the dam and that on the adjacent roads. Received: 14 August 2000 / Accepted: 28 February 2001     

Controls on knickpoint migration in a drainage network of the moderately uplifted Ardennes Plateau,Western Europe

Much research has been devoted to the development of numerical models of river incision. In settings where bedrock channel erosion prevails, numerous studies have used field data to calibrate the widely acknowledged stream power model of incision and to discuss the impact of variables that do not appear explicitly in the model's simplest form. However, most studies have been conducted in areas of active tectonics, displaying a clear geomorphic response to the tectonic signal. Here, we analyze the traces left in the drainage network 0.7 My after the Ardennes region (western Europe) underwent a moderate 100–150 m uplift. We identify a set of knickpoints that have traveled far upstream in the Ourthe catchment, following this tectonic perturbation. Using a misfit function based on time residuals, our best fit of the stream power model parameters yields m = 0.75 and K = 4.63 × 10^‐8 m^‐0.5y^‐1. Linear regression of the model time residuals against quantitative expressions of bedrock resistance to erosion shows that this variable does not correlate significantly with the residuals. By contrast, proxies for position in the drainage system prove to be able to explain 76% of the residual variance. High time residuals correlate with knickpoint position in small tributaries located in the downstream part of the Ourthe catchment, where some threshold was reached very early in the catchment's incision history. Removing the knickpoints stopped at such thresholds from the data set, we calculate an improved m = 0.68 and derive a scaling exponent of channel width against drainage area of 0.32, consistent with the average value compiled by Lague for steady state incising bedrock rivers. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geomorphic effects of rural-to-urban land use conversion on three streams in the Central Redbed Plains of Oklahoma

This research evaluates the impact of rural-to-urban land use conversion on channel morphology and riparian vegetation for three streams in the Central Redbed Plains geomorphic province (central Great Plains ecoregion) of Oklahoma. The Deep Fork Creek watershed is largely urbanized; the Skeleton Creek watershed is largely rural; and the Stillwater Creek watershed is experiencing a rapid transition from rural to urban land cover. Each channel was divided into reaches based on tributary junctions, sinuosity, and slope. Field surveys were conducted at transects in a total of 90 reaches, including measurements of channel units, channel cross-section at bankfull stage, and riparian vegetation. Historical aerial photographs were available for only Stillwater Creek watershed, which were used to document land cover in this watershed, especially changes in the extent of urban areas (impervious cover).The three streams have very low gradients (< 0.001), width-to-depth ratios < 10, and cohesive channel banks, but have incised into red Permian shales and sandstone. The riparian vegetation is dominated by cottonwoods, ash, and elm trees that provide a dense root mat on stream banks where the riparian vegetation is intact. Channels increased in width and depth in the downstream direction as is normally expected, but the substrate materials and channel units remained unchanged. Statistical analyses demonstrated that urbanization did not explain spatial patterns of changes in any variables. These three channels in the central Redbed Plains are responding as flumes during peak flows, funneling runoff and the wash-load sediment downstream in major runoff events without any effect on channel dimensions. Therefore, local geological conditions (similar bedrock, cohesive substrates and similar riparian vegetation) are mitigating the effects of urbanization.     

On the possibility of investigating the galactic center region with the integral observatory by the method of lunar and terrestrial occultations

The possibility of investigating the sky region near the Galactic center with instruments of the INTEGRAL orbital astrophysical gamma-ray observatory by the method of its occultation by the Earth and the Moon is considered. Existing engineering constraints on the observing conditions, such as the admissible orientation of the INTEGRAL satellite relative to the direction to the Sun and the performance of measurements only outside the Earth??s radiation belts, are taken into account. Long time intervals during which the lunar occultation center passes at angular distances of less than 2° from the Galactic center have been found. Such events occur under the adopted constraints two or three times per year without any correction of the INTEGRAL satellite orbit. The orbit can be corrected to reduce the angular distance between the Moon and the Galactic center in occultation events. The required velocity impulses do not exceed several meters per second. The possibility of the Galactic center being occulted by the Earth has been analyzed. In this case, to perform measurements, the admissible (in radiation exposure) height of the working segment of the orbit should be reduced to 25 000 km, which can be problematic. At the same time, part of the Galaxy??s equatorial region is shadowed by the Earth for a time long enough to carry out the corresponding experiments.