Dynamical coupling of wind and ocean waves through wave-induced air flow

Understanding the physical mechanisms behind the generation of ocean waves by wind has been a longstanding challenge. Previous studies have assumed that ocean waves induce fluctuations in velocity and pressure of the overlying air that are synchronized with the waves, and numerical models have supported this assumption. In a complex feedback, these fluctuations provide the energy for wave generation. The spatial and temporal structure of the wave-induced airflow therefore holds the key to the physics of wind-wave coupling, but detailed observations have proved difficult. Here we present an analysis of wind velocities and ocean surface elevations observed over the open ocean. We use a linear filter to identify the wave-induced air flow from the measurements and find that its structure is in agreement with 'critical-layer' theory. Considering that the wave-induced momentum flux is then controlled by the wave spectrum and that it varies considerably in vertical direction, a simple parameterization of the total air-sea momentum flux is unlikely to exist.     

Natural methyl bromide and methyl chloride emissions from coastal salt marshes

Atmospheric methyl bromide (CH3Br) and methyl chloride (CH3Cl), compounds that are involved in stratospheric ozone depletion, originate from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Current estimates of CH3Br and CH3Cl emissions from oceanic sources, terrestrial plants and fungi, biomass burning and anthropogenic inputs do not balance their losses owing to oxidation by hydroxyl radicals, oceanic degradation, and consumption in soils, suggesting that additional natural terrestrial sources may be important. Here we show that CH3Br and CH3Cl are released to the atmosphere from all vegetation zones of two coastal salt marshes. We see very large fluxes of CH3Br and CH3Cl per unit area: up to 42 and 570 micromol m(-2) d(-1), respectively. The fluxes show large diurnal, seasonal and spatial variabilities, but there is a strong correlation between the fluxes of CH3Br and those of CH3Cl, with an average molar flux ratio of roughly 1:20. If our measurements are typical of salt marshes globally, they suggest that such ecosystems, even though they constitute less than 0.1% of the global surface area, may produce roughly 10% of the total fluxes of atmospheric CH3Br and CH3Cl.     

Temperature-related behavior of some migrant birds in the desert

Behavior of migrant birds in relation to temperature was studied and compared to that of resident species in the northern Mojave Desert. Migrants reduced foraging intensity above 30 C, but resident species showed no striking decrease in intensity of foraging at temperatures up to 35 C. Migrant species shifted activities to shaded microhabitats at temperatures between 20 and 30 C; the resident Verdin showed a similar shift at 35 C. Most migrants decreased the amount of time spent foraging at temperatures above 30; Verdins showed a similar but stronger response to temperatures about 30 C. Significant reductions in the use of hovering and hawking maneuvers were found among migrants at temperatures above 30 C. Migrants showed similar types of behavioral adjustments to temperatures as did resident desert species, but they responded earlier in the daily temperature cycle. Desert birds appear to correlate their daily activity strongly with temperature, but nondesert species may respond either to temperature or time of day.     

Book Reviews: Behavior Change in the Human Services: An Introduction to Principles and Applications by Martin Sundel and Sandra S. Sundel. Exploring Personality: An Intellectual Odyssey by Russell L. Ackoff. The Ecologist: The Cosmic Covenant.

Systemic Practice and Action Research -     

Direct evidence that reverse cholesterol transport is mediated by high-density lipoprotein in rabbit

Mammalian cells obtain cholesterol for membrane synthesis mostly via the receptor-mediated endocytosis of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Macrophages and vascular endothelium additionally have receptors that recognize certain modified forms of LDL (for example, acetyl-LDL). The process by which cholesterol returns from peripheral cells to hepatocytes (reverse cholesterol transport) has not been established; although tissue culture studies have favoured high-density lipoprotein (HDL) as the principal vehicle, the in vivo evidence for this is meagre. When cholesterol-loaded macrophages are incubated in medium containing plasma, cholesterol moves from the cells to HDL and is then esterified by lecithin/cholesterol acyltransferase. The accumulation of cholesteryl esters in the particles increases their size and decreases their density; enrichment with apoprotein E (apo E) also occurs, producing a decrease in electrophoretic mobility. We now report that similar changes occur in the circulating HDL of rabbits, when their peripheral tissues are loaded with cholesterol by intravenous (i.v.) injection of acetylated or native human LDL. This result suggests that HDL is involved in reverse cholesterol transport in vivo.     

美国学校数学课程演化的历史观(1900-2006)

通过对100多年来美国学校数学课程演化的分析与思考,旨在提供一种认识美国数学课程的历史观,并从中窥探美国数学课程演化的艰巨性、曲折性和发展性,以启示如何更有效地进行数学课程改革.     

Interpreting animal wall-following behavior

Summary Using computer simulations and behavioral experiments with the American cockroach, we found that active vs passive (barrier-directed) wall-following can be readily distinguished and quantified by incorporating a range of convex curves into test arenas. Although previously considered strongly thigmotactic, more than 50% of running American cockroaches depart convex curves with diameters, less than 1 m. A new framework for evaluating wall-following behaviors is presented.     

A radiation hybrid map of the rat genome containing 5,255 markers.

A whole-genome radiation hybrid (RH) panel was used to construct a high-resolution map of the rat genome based on microsatellite and gene markers. These include 3,019 new microsatellite markers described here for the first time and 1,714 microsatellite markers with known genetic locations, allowing comparison and integration of maps from different sources. A robust RH framework map containing 1,030 positions ordered with odds of at least 1,000:1 has been defined as a tool for mapping these markers, and for future RH mapping in the rat. More than 500 genes which have been mapped in mouse and/or human were localized with respect to the rat RH framework, allowing the construction of detailed rat-mouse and rat-human comparative maps and illustrating the power of the RH approach for comparative mapping.