Geographic Dimensions of Relocation Activity: A Comparative Analysis of Intrametropolitan and Out-of-State Relocation Activity

Over the years, research on relocation activity has provided insights about the characteristics of firms and regions that drive relocation. The spatial dimensions of these relocation decisions, however, particularly within states or metropolitan areas, remain an understudied aspect of the relocation literature. There is also little work comparing the destinations of relocations originating from within metropolitan areas compared to relocation activity from other states. Given the theoretical and practical importance of higher resolution, comparative research on relocation activity within metropolitan areas, this article uses both areal and point-based spatial statistics to test hypotheses about similarities and differences in the relocation behavior of locally oriented and out-of-state businesses within the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area. Analytical results highlight distinct differences in the destinations of relocation activity originating from within the metropolitan area compared to out-of-state relocation activity. Intrametropolitan relocations tend to locate in less expensive and racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods, whereas out-of-state relocations locate in wealthier, well-known locations of the metropolitan area. Out-of-state relocations are also less likely to locate in the downtown core. This suggests that expensive smokestack-chasing efforts directed at attracting businesses from out of state are unlikely to help revitalize the downtown core.     

Assessment of Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) as a Source of Dissolved Radium and Nutrients to Moorea (French Polynesia) Coastal Waters

Previous work has documented large fluxes of freshwater and nutrients from submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) into the coastal waters of a few volcanic oceanic islands. However, on the majority of such islands, including Moorea (French Polynesia), SGD has not been studied. In this study, we used radium (Ra) isotopes and salinity to investigate SGD and associated nutrient inputs at five coastal sites and Paopao Bay on the north shore of Moorea. Ra activities were highest in coastal groundwater, intermediate in coastal ocean surface water, and lowest in offshore surface water, indicating that high-Ra groundwater was discharging into the coastal ocean. On average, groundwater nitrate and nitrite (N + N), phosphate, ammonium, and silica concentrations were 12, 21, 29, and 33 times greater, respectively, than those in coastal ocean surface water, suggesting that groundwater discharge could be an important source of nutrients to the coastal ocean. Ra and salinity mass balances indicated that most or all SGD at these sites was saline and likely originated from a deeper, unsampled layer of Ra-enriched recirculated seawater. This high-salinity SGD may be less affected by terrestrial nutrient sources, such as fertilizer, sewage, and animal waste, compared to meteoric groundwater; however, nutrient-salinity trends indicate it may still have much higher concentrations of nitrate and phosphate than coastal receiving waters. Coastal ocean nutrient concentrations were virtually identical to those measured offshore, suggesting that nutrient subsidies from SGD are efficiently utilized.     

Offshore marine conservation policies in the North East Atlantic: Emerging tensions and opportunities

An inherent tension exists between legal approaches to nature conservation and fisheries management in the European Union, as the former remains the remit of Member States while the latter is under the exclusive legislative jurisdiction of the European Community (EC). This tension is of particular importance when addressing the conservation of habitats or species that are under threat from fishing activities. This article examines recent developments in offshore marine conservation in the North-East Atlantic in light of the legislative developments and political frameworks that are currently evolving. By analysing the emergency closure of the Darwin Mounds area of cold-water corals and the UK pair-trawl ban, it becomes evident that the precautionary principle is a key factor in the tension between fisheries management and marine nature conservation, and is not always taken into account.     

Abundance,distribution, and feeding patterns of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in the Juan de Fuca Eddy

The Juan de Fuca Eddy is a seasonal, counter-clockwise gyre off the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Washington, USA and British Columbia, Canada that may provide favorable feeding habitat for juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) during their early marine existence. In late September 2002, physical and biological sampling was conducted along two transects of the eddy region. Surface rope trawling was conducted to capture juvenile salmon and other nekton, along with bongo and neuston net tows to examine potential mesozooplanktonic salmon prey. Presence of the Juan de Fuca Eddy was confirmed with vertical water profiles. In addition, nutrient and chlorophyll a concentrations collected from 3-m depth were within the range observed in previous studies within the eddy region. In the mesozooplankton community, euphausiids, chaetognaths, and decapod megalopae were common. In the diet of juvenile coho salmon, euphausiids and decapod megalopae were dominant by percent number, and larval and juvenile fish were dominant by percent weight. Feeding intensity (percent body weight) based on stomach contents was variable, but not significantly different among stations. To compare the Juan de Fuca Eddy region with an upwelling area, we sampled along a transect off La Push (LP), Washington, USA which is south of the eddy. The eddy region was found to be less productive than the LP transect. Nutrients were lower, chlorophyll a concentrations were higher, and zooplankton abundance was generally higher along the LP transect than in the eddy region. In addition, more juvenile coho salmon were captured from the LP transect than the eddy region. Prey items in stomachs of salmon from the LP transect were heterogeneous compared to those from the eddy region. Feeding intensity along the LP transect was slightly lower and more variable than in the eddy region, and differences in feeding intensity among LP stations were significant. In addition, feeding intensities among stations nested within regions were significantly different.     

Factors to consider in evaluating the management and conservation effectiveness of a whale sanctuary to protect and conserve the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)

This paper examines key factors used in protecting the migratory North Atlantic right whale within the context of a marine protected area (MPA) system, using the Grand Manan Whale Conservation Area, in New Brunswick Canada, as a case study example. Designated as a conservation area in 1993, before the Oceans Act came into effect, the Grand Manan conservation area currently does not form part of the Canadian network of MPAs. Given the possibility that MPA designation may occur, the paper examines factors that should be considered in meeting International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) MPA design criteria and IUCN evaluation model requirements. An MPA evaluation framework based on an IUCN evaluation model (Hockings et al., 2000 [1]) is designed to assess the effectiveness of an MPA in protecting a migratory right whale. Case study results indicate that current management and research activities for the Grand Manan conservation area address most governance, biophysical and socio-economic issues under an IUCN evaluation framework. On a site basis, it is recommended that the Grand Manan conservation area be designated as a component of the Canadian network of MPAs and that regulations be developed and implemented under the Species at Risk Act to clearly define activities considered damaging or destructive to right whale critical habitat. Recommendations also suggest the preparation of a combined site management-action plan for the Grand Manan conservation area indicating how activities specified in North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery Strategy will be implemented locally. On a regional and international basis, recommendations call for an internationally coordinated and integrated approach to right whale protection within the context of a network of designated critical habitat areas. Recommended activities include: continued Canadian participation in cross-border research and actions to mitigate threats to the right whales over their migratory range; development of a regional right whale management and monitoring strategy; and designation of additional critical habitats in national/international waters. It is further recommended that the evaluation framework developed by this paper be used as a model in assessing the conservation and management effectiveness of MPAs protecting other migratory marine species.     

The critical behaviour of a power law between preseismic electric signals and earthquakes of different mechanism in Greece and Japan

The consistency of the critical exponent in the power law relation between the stress drop of the earthquake and the lead time of the precursory seismic electric signal is checked using new data from the recent M _w 4.9 earthquake of strike-slip mechanism that occurred on 12 November 2013 in northern Evia island, Greece and the megathrust M _w 9.0 Tohoku earthquake on 11 March 2011, in Japan. For the first case, the derived exponent is in excellent agreement with previous ones obtained from all non thrust events analysed by the author and matches the value of critical exponent for fracture. On the other hand, the megathrust Tohoku earthquake follows the behaviour of all thrust events studied by the author, and thus, the calculated exponent significantly deviates from this critical value. The different behaviour between non thrust and thrust-type events could be attributed to the fact that thrust mechanism earthquakes usually occur in collision or subduction zones which are characterised by high accumulation of strain. However, a larger number of thrust events are required in order to obtain reliable results and shed light in the above experimental findings.     

Mercuric Chloride Induced Inhibition of Acid and Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in the Kidney of Mudskipper,Boleophthalmus dentatus

The present paper deals with the inhibition of the specific activity of the acid and alkaline phosphatases in the kidney tissue of mudskipper Boleophthalmus dentatus, exposed to different sublethal concentrations of mercuric chloride. There was a more or less linear inhibition of the specific activity of both the enzymes with increasing concentration of mercuric chloride as well as exposure time. The inhibition of acid phosphatase could be due to the rupture of lysosomal membrane in the presence of mercury compound, which acts as a labilizing agent. The inhibition of alkaline phosphatase probably caused a breakdown of the membrane transport system.     

Near-infrared properties of i-drop galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field

We analyse near-infrared Hubble Space Telescope ( HST )/Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer F 110 W ( J ) and F 160 W ( H ) band photometry of a sample of 27 i '-drop candidate   z ≃ 6  galaxies in the central region of the HST /Advanced Camera for Surveys Ultra Deep Field . The infrared colours of the 20 objects not affected by near neighbours are consistent with a high-redshift interpretation. This suggests that the low-redshift contamination of this i '-drop sample is smaller than that observed at brighter magnitudes, where values of 10–40 per cent have been reported. The J – H colours are consistent with a slope flat in   f_ν ( f_λ ∝λ⁻²)  , as would be expected for an unreddened starburst. However, there is evidence for a marginally bluer spectral slope  ( f_λ ∝λ^−2.2)  , which is perhaps indicative of an extremely young starburst (∼10 Myr old) or a top heavy initial mass function and little dust. The low levels of contamination, median photometric redshift of   z ∼ 6.0  and blue spectral slope, inferred using the near-infrared data, support the validity of the assumptions in our earlier work in estimating the star formation rates, and that the majority of the i -drop candidates galaxies lie at   z ∼ 6  .     

Solar gravitational redshift

Wavelengths of solar spectrum lines should be shifted toward the red by the Sun's gravitational field as predicted by metric theories of gravity according to the principle of equivalence. Photographic wavelengths of 738 solar Fe i lines and their corresponding laboratory wavelengths have been studied. The measured solar wavelength minus the laboratory wavelength (_observed) averaged for the strong lines agrees well with the theoretically predicted shift (_theoretical). Studies show that the departures depend on line strength. No dependence of the departures on wavelength was found within the existing data.By studying strong lines over a wide spectral range, velocity shifts caused by the complex motions in the solar atmosphere seem to affect the results in a minimal fashion.     

The opacity of some local Martian dust storms observed by the Viking IRTM

In this paper we analyze some Viking infrared thermal mapping (IRTM) measurements of local Martian dust storms observed in the southern tropical region of the planet between L_s=225 and 262°. The derived opacities of these storms show that in the most opaque regions of the cloud, the optical thickness may be ≈6. Away from the individual clouds, the opacity is ≈2, which is still about four times the background level of dustiness in the Martian atmosphere. We find considerable structure in the derived opacity which will create corresponding variations in the atmospheric heating, which in turn may have an important feedback upon the local winds.