Biogeographical affinities of marine algae in the Saronikos Gulf,Athens, Greece

Hard substrate photophilius marine algae species of the Saronikos Gulf amount to 197. Of them, 42 were Atlantic subtropical, 36 Atlantic tropical, and just 19 Atlantic boreal and 11 Boreal. The R/P ratio was 3.22. This shows the Atlantic subtropical character of the marine flora.     

Efficient estimation of high-dimensional multivariate normal copula models with discrete spatial responses

The distributional transform (DT) is amongst the computational methods used for estimation of high-dimensional multivariate normal copula models with discrete responses. Its advantage is that the likelihood can be derived conveniently under the theory for copula models with continuous margins, but there has not been a clear analysis of the adequacy of this method. We investigate the small-sample and asymptotic efficiency of the method for estimating high-dimensional multivariate normal copula models with univariate Bernoulli, Poisson, and negative binomial margins, and show that the DT approximation leads to biased estimates when there is more discretization. For a high-dimensional discrete response, we implement a maximum simulated likelihood method, which is based on evaluating the multidimensional integrals of the likelihood with randomized quasi Monte Carlo methods. Efficiency calculations show that our method is nearly as efficient as maximum likelihood for fully specified high-dimensional multivariate normal copula models. Both methods are illustrated with spatially aggregated count data sets, and it is shown that there is a substantial gain on efficiency via the maximum simulated likelihood method.     

Evaluating trophic status and restoration procedures of a polluted lake,Lake Kastoria,Greece

Lake Kastoria is a shallow lake with many anthropogenic activities concentrated in its catchment area. Surficial runoff rich in agricultural waste and underground seepage from urban and rural areas enrich the lake with nutrients intensifying the eutrophication problem of the water.Restoration techniques, with different approach, each one are proposed to restore the lake water. Treatment with alum is very effective but needs special care during the application. Reeds harvesting is an inexpensive and effective way and in combination with the city sewage redirection will improve the water quality and the trophic status of the lake sufficiently.     

Interaction Between Macrophytobenthic Groups on the Sublittoral Belt of a Greek Island

Abstract. The interrelationships between the main phytobenthic groups of Chlorophyceae, Phaeophyceae, and Rhodophyceae around Milos Island, Central Aegean Sea, were studied using standard ecological and mathematical methods. The analysis was based on seasonal sampling of 114 different macrophytobenthic species.
The employed ecological indices revealed that the sampling areas located on the north, south, and east side of Milos Island show similar annual fluctuations in abundance and species diversity. The resemblance was particularly high between all stations in October-February, between south and east stations during May, and between north and east stations during July.
Additionally, an annual cycle of group interaction with regard to species diversity and abundance exists between the Chlorophyceae, Rhodophyceae, and Phaeophyceae. The Rhodophyceae are the most abundant and dominant group throughout the year, showing percentages in the samples higher than 70% in all sampling areas.     

Inclusion of P–Δ effect in displacement‐based seismic design of steel moment resisting frames

A procedure for treating the P– Δ effect in the direct displacement‐based seismic design of regular steel moment resisting frames with ideal elastoplastic material behaviour is proposed. A simple formula for the yield displacement amplification factor as a function of ductility and the stability coefficient is derived on the basis of the seismic response of an inelastic single degree‐of‐freedom system taking into account the P– Δ effect. Extensive parametric seismic inelastic analyses of plane moment resisting steel frames result in a simple formula for the dynamic stability coefficient as a function of the number of stories of a frame and the column to beam stiffness ratio. Thus, the P– Δ effect can be easily taken into account in a direct displacement‐based seismic design through the stability coefficient and the yield displacement amplification factor. A simple design example serves to illustrate the application of the proposed method and demonstrate its merits. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.