Savage Jaguars,King Cats,and Ghostly Tigres: Affective Logics and Predatory Natures in Twentieth-Century American Nature Writing

The emerging subfield of historical animal geography provides an opportunity to trace the origins and evolutions of how affective logics framing the conservation of an animal species are co-constituted through embodied interaction between humans and nonhumans, revealing the dynamic ways in which charismatic species are imagined into and out of positions of priority within conservation agendas. This article takes an interest in the shifting perception of predatory species in the environmental conservation movement in the United States, looking to the appearance of jaguars (Panthera onca) in the work of prominent U.S. nature writers Theodore Roosevelt, Ernest Thompson Seton, and Aldo Leopold in the early- to mid-twentieth century. These human–jaguar entanglements reveal a period marked by dynamic changes in the ways in which interspecies encounters were constituted in place; a layering on of affective logics that reveal the complicated origins, practices, and potentialities at the outset of the modern conservation movement. The resulting narratives and images of predatory nature were taken up into dynamic assemblages of jaguar-ness, influencing the formation of new logics that framed public perceptions of predatory natures and provoking a reconsideration of long-held attitudes and policies toward these species.     

A high magnitude storm and flood in a hyperarid catchment,Nahal Zin,Negev Desert,Israel

In October 1991 a high magnitude rainstorm flood, estimated return period 40 years, occurred in Nahal Zin, a 1400 km² catchment in the hyperarid Negev Desert. The meso-scale structure of the storm was a curved squall line that developed from a thunderstorm in accordance with the topography of the catchment divide, by which it was strongly affected. Tropical moisture reached the area via the subtropical jet stream, in conjunction with a lower level northward intrusion of the Red Sea trough (RST-N) into the Mediterranean Sea. Rainfall, as measured at the few and sparse gauging stations, was much too small to account for the resulting large flood. Peak flow and other hydraulic characteristics of the flood were indirectly reconstructed. The techniques of palaeoflood hydrology used were based on sedimentological evidence of fine-grained flood sediments deposited in back-flooded tributaries, as well as on other stage indicators. The HEC-2 procedure was employed to determine water surface profiles. The spatial and temporal characteristics of the event were studied through a combination of rainstorm analysis, remote sensing, hydrological and sedimentological data; they jointly explain the magnitude and timing of tributary contributions producing the integrated flood in the main channel. The flood as reconstructed reveals a three-peak hydrograph: two peaks were generated by the same storm but had different floodwave arrival times in the main channel; the third resulted from a local rainstorm which occurred on the following day and covered only one tributary. The curved structure of the storm and its dynamics in relation to catchment orientation resulted in storm move- ment in tandem with the floodwave. The synchronous contribution from all main tributaries preserved evidence of the floodwave both in stage and volume by replacing the transmission losses in the sections with thick alluvium. Other high magnitude floods on record for the large Negev Desert catchments are caused by a cold upper air incursion associated with the RST-N. Most of them occur in the autumn and are caused by storms with high-intensity rainfall. This is in stark contrast with the flooding behaviour of the semi-arid zone further north, which is linked primarily to the core of the Mediterranean winter. The complexities involved in the generation of a large desert flood, as revealed by this study, illustrate the fallacy of applying routine hydrological modelling to such events, and underline the need to study the processes involved in adequate detail. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating the Science-Policy Interface for Climate Change Research

We propose a general method for evaluating, and possibly improving, the interface between scientific research and policy-making institutions. The method considers the adequacy of both institutional structures for incorporating research, and research for addressing institutional needs. It involves both interviews (with policy makers and scientists) and formal analyses of the links between the research and the decisions described in the interviews. A case study applies the method in analyzing the usefulness of climate change research for managing salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest. It shows these policy makers to be receptive to the research, which is, in principle, relevant to them. However, they are unable to use it because the research is not currently formulated in ways compatible with current decision-making models. For their part, these models are not comprehensive enough to capture the full range of potentially relevant environmental forcers, including climate change.     

Thallium: A potential guide to mineral deposits

Several recent studies have suggested that rocks associated with mineral deposits of hydrothermal origin are generally enriched in Rb. TI is similar in its geochemical characteristics to Rb, but its use as a potential guide to ore deposits has not been suggested. Although TI has the same size and valency as Rb, it is concentrated more in residual melts than Rb and K because the TI-O bond is more covalent and weaker than either the Rb-O or K-O bonds.A new method which is rapid and precise has been developed by one of the authors for the determination of TI in geological materials at the ppb level. About 350 rocks from 4 mineralized areas in northeastern Washington and central Montana were analyzed for TI by this method. Most of these rocks were also analyzed for SiO₂, A1₂O₃,Fe₂O₃, MgO, CaO, Na₂O, K₂O, TiO₂, P₂O₅, MnO, Ag, As, Au, Ba, Co, Cu, F, Li, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sr, Sb, Sn, Sr, Te, U, W, and Zn. The ore deposits of the areas studied include the gold-silver deposits of the Republic district, the uranium deposit of the Midnite mine, the coppermolybdenum deposit of Mount Tolman, and the gold deposits of the North Moccasin mining district.In all the mineralized areas there is significantly more TI in hydrothermally altered rocks than in unaltered rocks. The very high abundance of TI in the altered rocks of the North Moccasin gold district, and the significant positive correlations of TI and K and TI and Rb in the mineralized rocks of the other three areas suggest that TI was concentrated in hydrothermal fluids. In altered rocks the average K/Rb and K/TI ratios are lower, and the Rb/Sr and TI/Sr ratios are higher.Often the abundance of TI and the K/TI and TI/Sr ratios are more useful in delineating mineralized areas than the abundance of Rb and the K/Rb and Rb/Sr ratios. The ternary relationships between TI and several other elements, especially Rb, K, Ba, and Sr, show mineralized rocks to fall near the TI apices or near the TI-Rb or TI-K boundaries.     

Mid-Holocene Hydrologic Model of the Shingobee Watershed, Minnesota

A hydrologic model of the Shingobee Watershed in north-central Minnesota was developed to reconstruct mid-Holocene paleo-lake levels for Williams Lake, a surface-water body located in the southern portion of the watershed. Hydrologic parameters for the model were first estimated in a calibration exercise using a 9-yr historical record (1990–1998) of climatic and hydrologic stresses. The model reproduced observed temporal and spatial trends in surface/groundwater levels across the watershed. Mid-Holocene aquifer and lake levels were then reconstructed using two paleoclimatic data sets: CCM1 atmospheric general circulation model output and pollen-transfer functions using sediment core data from Williams Lake.Calculated paleo-lake levels based on pollen-derived paleoclimatic reconstructions indicated a 3.5-m drop in simulated lake levels and were in good agreement with the position of mid-Holocene beach sands observed in a Williams Lake sediment core transect. However, calculated paleolake levels based on CCM1 climate forcing produced only a 0.05-m drop in lake levels. We found that decreases in winter precipitation rather than temperature increases had the largest effect on simulated mid-Holocene lake levels. The study illustrates how watershed models can be used to critically evaluate paleoclimatic reconstructions by integrating geologic, climatic, limnologic, and hydrogeologic data sets.     

Effect of Various Materials in Multilevel Samplers on Monitoring Commonly Occurring Agrichemicals in Ground Water

Studies have shown that materials, such us polytetra-fluoroethylene (PTFE), rigid polyvinyl chloride (rigid PVC). flexible polyvinyl chloride (flexible PVC), stainless steel (SS). low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), have the potential to influence certain analyte concentrations in ground water samples. The effects of HDPE, LDPE, PTFE, rigid PVC, and SS on aqueous concentrations of nitrate-N, atrazine, deethylatrazine (DEA), and deisopropylatrazine (DIA) were evaluated in a field study A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate sorption of atrazine DEA, DIA, cyanazine, alachlor, metolachlor, and butachlor to PTFE, HDPE, and SS materials. Butachlor is rarely use in the United States, but was included because of its expected high sorptivity. No significant differences between HDPE, LDPE, PTFE, rigid PVC, and SS were determined for any of the analytes tested in the field study. In the laboratory study, sorption of DIA to PTFE and SS was significant at 2.6 × 10⁻⁵ and 4.1 × 10⁻⁵μg/m² respectively. Sorption of DIAA to HDPE was not significantly > 0 sorption of all other compounds to HDPE, PTFE, and SS were also not significantly >0. Results of the two studies indicate that for these analytes (relatively polar or ionized compounds), representative ground water samples are not dependent on the materials used for multilevel sampler construction. When considering these compounds, it appears that the least expensive materials (HDPE, rigid PVC, and LDPE) are good choices for the construction of ground water monitoring wells.     

Relating the reproductive toxicity of five ingested metals in calanoid copepods with sulfur affinity

The sublethal toxicity of dietary Ag, Cd, Hg, Mn, and Zn to marine copepods, measured as depressed egg production, was evaluated as a function of ambient metal concentrations and metal concentrations in copepod tissues. All metals were toxic following 4-h feedings on metal-contaminated phytoplankton food, but there was a four order of magnitude difference between the inhibitory concentration in copepod tissues of the most toxic (2.4 nmol g(-1) dry wt. for Hg) and least toxic (13.4 micromol g(-1) dry wt. for Mn) metals. Metal concentrations in copepods that elicited a toxic response were about 3 times higher than background concentrations for Ag and 9 times higher for Hg, about 2 times higher for Cd, two orders of magnitude higher for Mn, and only 5% higher for Zn. Copepods exposed to lower concentrations of Zn for longer periods (1 week), resulting in tissue Zn concentrations similar to those in the short-term exposures, were not affected, suggesting that copepods were capable of adjusting to slowly increasing Zn by sequestration of this metal. Toxic metal concentrations in copepod tissues were directly proportional (r2 = 0.85) to the affinity of the metals for sulfur, as indicated by the solubility products of the metal sulfides. This relationship, together with protein analysis of eggs, published recently, suggests that metals affect egg production by binding to enzymes involved with vitellogenesis.     

多元PCR在黑鲍(Haliotis rubra)微卫星遗传研究中的应用

根据D03等11个微卫星引物单位点PCR扩增时优化的扩增条件(退火温度、MgCl2等)和11个微卫星引物所带有的荧光颜色、等位基因大小变异范围及反应的灵敏度，可将11个微卫星引物分成A组(D03、G04、B04和H08)、B组(A09、H11、A08和G01)和C组(CmrHrl．24、CmrHr2．30和CmrHr2．23)进行多元PCR扩增，结果显示各组内位点之间的分离清晰，这表明多元PCR可以大大提高微卫星检测仪器的使用效率和提高实验效果，在微卫星研究中是一种快速便捷的方法。     

Authors' reply

Published geochemical data for a large number of minettes of variable degrees of silica saturation indicate that mafic minettes, regardless of association, are direct mantle products. Felsic minettes may also be direct mantle products or may form by crystal fractionation and/or contamination of mafic minette magma, but it appears impossible to form either mafic or felsic minettes by crustal contamination of basaltic magma.     

African environmental and climatic changes and the general atmospheric circulation in late pleistocene and holocene

The paper describes the environmental and climatic changes which took place in Africa from the late Pleistocene through the Holocene and the general atmospheric circulation patterns which likely correspond to them. Three major periods are considered: (1) a period of aridity and dune building c. 20,000-12,000 B.P. in which the Sahara advanced considerably southward; (2) a moist, lacustrine period c. 10,000-8,000 B.P.; and (3) a second moist, lacustrine period toward c. 6,500-4,500 B.P. in which the entire Sahara desert contracted considerably. The prevailing atmospheric circulation patterns are theorized on the basis of corresponding changes of surface boundary conditions-primarily changing thermal character—and known dynamic behavior of the atmosphere.