ALBERT

Description: Graptoloid evolutionary dynamics show a marked contrast from the Ordovician to the Silurian. Subdued extinction and origination rates during the Ordovician give way, during the late Katian, to rates that were highly volatile and of higher mean value through the Silurian, reflecting the significantly shorter lifespan of Silurian species. These patterns are revealed in high-resolution rate curves derived from the CONOP (constrained optimization) scaled and calibrated global composite sequence of 2094 graptoloid species. The end-Ordovician mass depletion was driven primarily by an elevated extinction rate which lasted for c . 1.2 Ma with two main spikes during the Hirnantian. The early Silurian recovery, although initiated by a peak in origination rate, was maintained by a complex interplay of origination and extinction rates, with both rates rising and falling sharply. The global 13 C curve echoes the graptoloid evolutionary rates pattern; the prominent and well-known positive isotope excursions during the Late Ordovician and Silurian lie on or close to times of sharp decline in graptoloid species richness, commonly associated with extinction rate spikes. The graptoloid and isotope data point to a relatively steady marine environment in the Ordovician with mainly background extinction rates, changing during the Katian to a more volatile climatic regime that prevailed through the Silurian, with several sharp extinction episodes triggered by environmental crises. The correlation of graptoloid species diversity with isotopic ratios was positive in the Ordovician and negative in the Silurian, suggesting different causal linkages. Throughout the history of the graptoloid clade all major depletions in species richness except for one were caused by elevated extinction rate rather than decreased origination rate.

Description: The significance of two promotional elements (presentation and product) in explaining the variations in the attitudes towards timber species are examined in this paper. In measuring such attitudes, the original Fishbein model is used and the attitudes are expressed as a function of five pretested attributes (beauty, durability, smoothness of texture, coldness, and modernity). A detailed ANOVA showed that variations in attitudes were explained mainly by the type of product and to a lesser extent by the two-way interactions of product and the species used to produce the product while the type of presentation was not significant. It was found that the respondents had certain preconceived ideas about the properties of individual species and these ideas were directly related to products and (or) applications traditionally associated with each species. Finally, the multidimensional model of "utilities," UNICON was applied to the data. Two analyses were performed, one on the utilities of the different products, species, and types of presentation and one on the utilities of the different attributes tested. The findings corroborated those of the analysis of variance. Very different utility factors were attached to different combinations of products made out of different species while the type of presentation was not significant. Therefore, for promotional purposes a very detailed and segmented approach is needed and this will depend on the particular product and the species used and consequently different attributes must be emphasised and promoted.

Description: A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. The essential difference between a fuel cell and a battery is that the fuel and oxidant are continually supplied to a fuel cell whereas a battery has a finite amount of fuel stored within it which eventually becomes exhausted, after which the battery has to be recharged or replaced. We consider here a tubular cell which is run on methane. A mathematical model for the reaction and transport processes in the cell is presented. This takes into account diffusion, advection and reaction as well as the electrochemical flow of oxygen. When the device is running steadily, we perform an analysis, using the method of matched asymptotic expansions to find the flow field, the mass fractions of each chemical species and the electrical power output. These results are confirmed by a numerical technique and compared with experimental results.

Description: The paper describes correlation measurements in both broad and narrow frequency bands of the longitudinal velocity fluctuations in fully developed pipe flow at four positions for a reference probe whilst a second probe was traversed radially from deep in the sublayer to a position near the axis with both longitudinal and transverse separations zero (Δx = Δz = 0). Such measurements require that both the Covariant (Co) and Quadrature (Quad) correlations be determined for each of the 15 frequencies used to constrain the wave component λx. The new data demonstrate that low frequency, large scale turbulence fluctuations extend over the majority of the radial region and that these components are highly correlated. By using a similarity variable kxy, along with a normalized wall distance y/y REF, both correlation functions, i.e. the Co and the Quad components, are shown to collapse. The physical significance of this is discussed. The broad-band data do not collapse because of the large range of wave sizes. However, the present experiment does show that strong radial correlations exist even when one probe is at y+ = 1. This conflicts with the earlier data of Favre, but agrees with the more recent work of Comte-Bellot. There is a significant amount of turbulent energy in frequencies less than 16 Hz (ω+ = 0·008) for turbulent flows of about 105 Reynolds number. The spectral function ωΦ(ω) is also presented for a range of y+ values. Using this form for the power spectral density, along with the stochastic wave modelling and similarity arguments of this paper, it is shown how a consistent explanation for the behaviour of these spectra is obtained. In addition some preliminary results from cross-spectral analyses are presented and suggestions made as to their physical significance. © 1978, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.

Description: The completion of the SCAR Antarctic digital database (ADD) has provided a new basis for statistical calculations for Antarctica: data-sets are available at the scale of the original source material, and generalised to 1:1,000,000, 1:3,000,000, 1:10,000,000, and 1:30,000,000. The new descriptive statistics presented are based on the ADD 1:1,000,000 data-set since this is the largest scale at which source maps provided complete cover of the coastline and ice-free areas. The statistics include the total length and proportions of coastline types and the total area of Antarctica with the proportions of its constituent feature types. The areas of the Ross and Filchner-Ronne ice shelves have also been computed. Whilst the total area of Antarctica has remained static compared with previous studies, the relative proportions of coastline types and constituent feature types within the total area show significant changes. In particular the calculated area of ice-free ground is only approximately one-seventh of that often quoted from previous studies. The changes reported result from improved mapping, reinterpretation of data, and actual changes of coastline.

Description: Annual proglacial solute fluxes and chemical weathering rates at a polythermal high-Arctic glacier are presented. Bulk meltwater chemistry and discharge were monitored continuously at gauging stations located at the eastern and western margins of the glacier terminus and at “the Outlet”, 2.5 km downstream where meltwaters discharge into the fjord. Fluxes of non-snowpack HCO3−, SO42−, Ca2+ and Mg2+ increase by 30–47% between the glacier terminus and the Outlet, indicating that meltwaters are able to access and chemically weather efflorescent sulphates, carbonates and sulphides in the proglacial zone. Smaller increases in the fluxes of non-snowpack-derived Na+, K+ and Si indicate that proglacial chemical weathering of silicates is less significant. En3hanced solute fluxes in the proglacial zone are mainly due to the chemical weathering of active-layer sediments. The PCO2 of active-layer ground-waters is above atmospheric pressure. This implies that solute acquisition in the active layer involves no drawdown of CO2. The annual proglacial chemical weathering rate in 1999 is calculated to be 2600 meqΣ+ m−2. This exceeds the chemical weathering rate for the glaciated part of the catchment (790 meqΣ+ m−2) by a factor of 3.3. Hence, the proglacial zone at Finster-walderbreen is identified as an area of high geochemical reactivity and a source of CO2.

Description: SUMMARYMale-sterile, female-fertile plants were used to produce hybrid soybean seed. Manual cross-pollination using male-sterile plants to produce large quantities of hybrid seed is difficult and time-consuming because of the low success rate in cross-pollination. Insect pollinators may be suitable vectors to transfer pollen, but the most suitable vector for pollen transfer from the male parent to the female parent has not been identified for soybean. The objective of the present study was to evaluate seed-set on four male-sterile, female-fertile soybean lines by using alfalfa leafcutting bees (Megachile rotundata (F.)) and honey bees (Apis mellifera (L.)) as pollinators. Seed-set was evaluated in summers 2003 and 2005 near Ames, Iowa, USA and in summers 2003, 2004, and 2005 near Wooster, Ohio, USA. Neither the effect of pollinator species nor the interaction effect of pollinator species×location was significant for any year. Honey bees performed similarly to alfalfa leafcutting bees at both locations. The results indicated significant differences for seed-set among male-sterile lines, suggesting preferential pollination. Male-sterile lines, ms1 (Urbana) and ms2 (Ames 2), had higher cross-pollinated seed-set compared to ms6 (Ames 1), and ms6 (Corsoy 79). At the Ames location, ms1ms1 (Urbana) plants had the highest seed-set (50·16 seeds per male-sterile plant in 2005). At the Wooster location, ms1ms1 (Urbana) plants also had the highest seed-set (92·04 seeds per male-sterile plant) in 2005. Costs and local conditions need to be addressed to support the choice of either pollinator species as a pollination vector to produce hybrid soybean seed.

Description: Fourteen early Ordovician (Tremadoc-Llandeilo) graptolite sequences from around the world are precisely (infrazonally) correlated, based on the stratigraphic ranges of 130 species and species groups. The composite standard sequence (CSS) of graptolites has been determined from the six best regional sequences by a nonparametric graphic correlation. Two data sets were selected: one comprised first appearance events of 103 taxa, the other, first and last appearance events of 45 taxa. The results of the two runs accord well and reveal respectively 66 and 73 successive bioevents in early Ordovician time. Event spacing averages 0.7–0.8 Ma and enables fine subdivision, correlation and homotaxial testing for diachroneity. The strong correlation between each of the six regional sequences and the CSS indicates the high level of accordance among graptolite successions around the world.