Nuclear Protective Action Advisories: A Policy Analysis and Evaluation

Widespread spontaneous evacuation, the tendency for people to evacuate even when not advised to do so, has been highlighted as one of the likely behavioral responses to a nuclear power plant emergency. Utility company representatives contend that protective action advisories can be structured so as to stifle the magnitude and geographic extent of spontaneous evacuation. Data from a utility-company-sponsored telephone survey of households on Long Island, New York, where the Shoreham Nuclear Power Station is located, are used in this paper to test this proposition. Analyses of responses given to three sets of increasingly serious reactor accident scenarios, with and without information instructing people what protective actions to take, raise serious questions about the ability of emergency notification messages to affect human behavior in a radiological emergency. The results suggest firstly, that even if people me specifically advised not to evacuate, most would be inclined to do so; and secondly, that attempts to stifle the propensity to evacuate among those who are not at risk are likely to increase the propensity to stay behind among those who are at risk and should evacuate.     

Predicting the vertical profiles of anchovy (Engraulis mordax) and sardine (Sardinops sagax) eggs in the California Current System

Several published models exist for simulating vertical profiles of pelagic fish eggs, but no one has rigorously assessed their capacity to explain observed variability. In this study, we applied a steady‐state model, with four different formulations for vertical diffusivity, to northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) and Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) eggs in the California Current region. Vertical mixing profiles, based on wind speed and hydrography, were combined with estimated terminal ascent velocities of the eggs based on measurements of egg buoyancy and size, to simulate the vertical profiles of the eggs. We evaluated model performance with two data sets: (1) vertically stratified tows for both species and (2) paired samples for sardine eggs from 3‐m depth and in vertically integrated tows. We used two criteria: whether the model predicted individual observed vertical profiles (1) as well as the observed mean and (2) better than the observed mean. Model predictions made with the formulation producing the most gradual profile of vertical diffusivity provided the best match to observations from both data sets and for both species. Addition of a random error term to the terminal ascent velocity further improved prediction for anchovy eggs, but not sardine. For the paired data, model prediction of integrated abundance from abundance at 3‐m depth had significantly lower mean square error than prediction based on a linear regression of 3 m on integrated abundance. Our results support the feasibility of using data from the Continuous Underway Fish Egg Sampler quantitatively as well as qualitatively in stock assessments.     

Incidental catch and discard of red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, in a large mesh Paralichthyidae gillnet fishery: experimental evaluation of a fisher's experience at limiting bycatch

Abstract  The ability of a commercial fisher to limit red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus (Linnaeus), bycatch was evaluated by comparing the catch of directed sets (net site chosen by the commercial fisher) vs randomly placed gillnets during 70 days of gillnetting ( n  = 691 sets). Catch rate did not differ between directed sets and nets set randomly. Thus, fisher experience did not lead to reduced bycatch; however, this may have been influenced by overall low red drum bycatch (0.41 fish net⁻¹ for 12 h sets and 0.59 fish net⁻¹ for 24 h sets). Catch rates of southern flounder were much higher at 3.97 and 3.37 fish net⁻¹ for 12 h and 24 h sets, respectively. Fishing 10 nets per day, the catch of red drum exceeded the daily bag limit of seven red drum on 23% of the days. Of the 326 red drum retrieved from gillnets, 32.5% were dead at the time of retrieval; but only 15 of the 106 dead red drum had to be discarded due to size limits, and six were discarded dead based on bag limits. Current fisheries management regulations (bag limit and window limit of 457–686 mm) are supported by these findings given the conditions (e.g. red drum densities) at which the study was performed.     

Aetiology of an ulcerative disease in goldfish, Carassius auratus (L.): characterization of the causative agent

Abstract. A bacterium resembling Aeromonas salmonicida and determined to be the aetiologic agent of a cutaneous ulcerative disease in goldfish Carassius auratus (L.) was further characterized in this study.
Forty-five isolates of the bacterium (43 from the United States and one each position (moles % guanine plus cytosine) and DNA homology. The bacteriological atypical A. salmonicida previously described. Several important biochemical characteristics distinguished the goldfish isolates from typical A. salmanicida , but the DNA binding experiments indicated a high degree of relatedness between the goldfish isolates and typical A. salmonicida strains.     

Natural durability of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) heartwood grown in southern Germany

Abstract

The natural durability of timber is an important property in order to assess its performance in service. For numerous species grown in primary forests, this property has already been determined. As plantation-grown timber becomes more and more important, detailed information on its properties is needed, because increasing amounts of this material are coming to the market. The majority of planted Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) in Germany is around 40 years old. In the present study, representative material of totally ten trees from two different sites in the south of Germany was investigated with regard to natural durability. In laboratory tests based on European standard DIN EN 350-1, inner and outer heartwood zones were exposed to basidiomycetes. Density measurements were additionally used for further characterisation of this material. Results showed a lower durability of the plantation-grown Douglas fir wood as compared with wood from natural sites. Significant differences for both durability and density were found between inner and outer heartwood, even though no correlation between the parameters was recognised. Data illustrate that for a better understanding of durability variations, chemical, topochemical and electron microscopic studies are needed.     

Larval lobster (Homarus americanus) distribution and drift in the vicinity of the Gulf of Maine offshore banks and their probable origins

Surveys for lobster larvae in offshore waters of the north‐eastern Gulf of Maine in 1983, 1987 and 1989 confirm that local hatching occurs mainly at depths <100 m over the banks, including Georges and Browns Banks. Detailed studies in the vicinity of Georges Bank in late July of both 1987 and 1989 indicate that the first and second moult stages were located primarily over the bank whereas stages III and IV lobster were collected both over and off the bank. At times stage IV lobster were more abundant off the bank than over it. The condition of stage III and IV lobster, as measured by a lipid index, was better off than over Georges Bank in 1988 and 1989 indicating a possible physiological advantage to being off the bank. In addition, the higher surface temperatures off Georges Bank would shorten larval development time to settlement. To determine the probable hatch sites of stage IV lobster collected off of Browns Bank in 1983 and off of Georges in 1987 and 1989, a 3‐D circulation model of the Gulf of Maine was used to simulate larval lobster drift backwards in time. In all cases, areas off Cape Cod, MA, and off Penobscot Bay, ME were suggested as the source of the larvae, although most of the larval trajectories never reached these near‐shore waters that are well‐known, larval hatching areas. The model‐projected larval release times match most closely the observed inshore hatch off Massachusetts but model uncertainties mean that coastal Maine cannot be ruled out as a source. Georges Bank is also a potential source because the present model does not take into account short‐term wind events, off‐bank eddy transport or the possibility of directed off‐bank larval swimming. Examination of weather records prior to and during our 1988 and 1989 sampling periods indicates that winds were not of sufficient intensity and duration to induce larval transport off Georges Bank. The shedding of eddies from the northern flank of Georges Bank into the Gulf of Maine are a relatively common phenomenon during summer but not enough is known about them to evaluate their contribution to possible cross‐bank transport of lobster larvae. Directed larval swimming is another possible source for the stage IV lobster found near Georges Bank. Plankton distributions across the northern frontal zone of Georges Bank in 1988 were used as proxies for the scarce larval lobsters. The more surface distribution of the microplankton, in particular, supports the possibility that wind and eddy events may be important in the transport of stage III and IV lobsters off of Georges Bank. Further studies are needed to evaluate these possible additional sources of advanced stage lobster larvae found off of the offshore banks.     

Rib osteomyelitis in three foals

Three foals aged between 21 and 44 days were presented for evaluation of pyrexia and lameness. Each had subcutaneous abscessation associated with osteomyelitis of a rib at the costochondral junction and pathological fracture of the affected rib; one foal had more than one rib affected. Other localised sites of infection included other sites of osteomyelitis, omphalophlebitis, uveitis, enterocolitis, and calcaneal bursitis. The subcutaneous abscessation and rib osteomyelitis was treated surgically in two foals. Salmonella typhimurium was isolated from the subcutaneous abscess in one foal and from the faeces of another. Two of the three foals were euthanased. Ultrasonography was a more useful modality than radiography for establishing the diagnosis of costal osteomyelitis.     

A potential role for xylem-phloem interactions in the hydraulic architecture of trees: effects of phloem girdling on xylem hydraulic conductance

We investigated phloem-xylem interactions in Acer rubrum L. and Acer saccharum Marsh. Our experimental method allowed us to determine xylem conductance of an intact branch by measuring the flow rate of water supplied at two delivery pressures to the cut end of a small side branch. We found that removal of bark tissue (phloem girdling) upstream of the point at which deionized water was delivered to the branch resulted in a decrease (24% for A. rubrum and 15% for A. saccharum) in branch xylem hydraulic conductance. Declines in hydraulic conductance with girdling were accompanied by a decrease in the osmotic concentration of xylem sap. The decrease in xylem sap concentration following phloem girdling suggests that ion redistribution from the phloem was responsible for the observed decline in hydraulic conductance. When the same measurements were made on branches perfused with KCl solution (approximately 140 mOsm kg(-1)), phloem girdling had no effect on xylem hydraulic conductance. These results suggest a functional link between phloem and xylem hydraulic systems that is mediated by changes in the ionic content of the cell sap.