Stock Reduction Analysis of Bigeye Croaker Micropogonias megalops in the Upper Gulf of California, Mexico

A stock reduction analysis (SRA) of bigeye croaker Micropogonias megalops was performed based on commercial catch data. SRA solutions were restricted to a 2011 bigeye croaker stock biomass estimate of 14,412 t. The viable solution indicated a reduction in stock of 73.6% from 1983 to 2020 with an initial biomass of 22,186 t. In addition, a possible effect of hyperstability of the stock was evaluated by applying different versions of the Cobb–Douglas catch function. The most probable function based on a multi-model selection procedure was the one wherein the catch does not depend on biomass and is directly proportional to the applied fishing effort of small boats (~7 m) and vessels (~24 m). This situation suggests that in a free access regime, fishing can deplete the resource until it collapses, without observing a significant reduction in its catches until the event is very close.

9. Seashells in the Jordanian Desert: a Cross-Cultural Analysis

The remains of ancient communities have been found at Wadi Ramm and Humayma, Jordan in the midst of what is now the Jordanian desert. In past times these sites were located along caravan routes and were populated by Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic peoples. Despite the fact that these sites are located tens of kilometers from the seashore, seashells are frequently found in the layers associated with the different population groups. As of yet, shells from the 1996-1997 excavations at Wadi Ramm and from the 2008-2010 excavations at Humayma have not received in depth analyses allowing them to be correctly identified, quantified, and associated with significant archaeological contexts. Archaeomalacology (the study of molluscs in archaeological contexts) is a vital part of deciphering ancient human diet and activity. It is also critical in determining past environments and transportation systems. Clearly these shells came from the sea, but how did they get to these remote desert locales? Based on the preliminary descriptions provided by the field excavators, the photographs of the Wadi Ramm shells, and the actual Humayma shells which are at Queen’s, I am creating a catalogue to identify, describe, and quantify the variety of mollusc species present. This catalogue incorporates all of the significant data in one place, thus allowing me to look for patterns in the frequency, condition, and probable function of the shells. This analysis will lead to a better understanding of the diet and cultural practices of the different ancient inhabitants at Wadi Ramm and Humayma.

What was the Trojan Horse?

Few now believe the myth that Troy’s defenders succumbed to a booby-trapped wooden horse, which assumes both incredible Trojan stupidity and unlikely Greek confidence in their opponent’s witlessness. Indeed, Homer—who treated both Greeks and Trojans with dignity—barely mentions such a horse; the story of Troy’s downfall by the ruse of a great wooden horse derives from Quintus of Smyrna’s epic in fourteen books, part of the “Posthomerica.” Yet hints of the Great Horse were secreted in the Illiad and a slighted passage indicates that Homer’s listeners understood exactly what he was talking about. Subsequent misunderstanding arose when Homer’s exquisitely concise literary allusion was overlooked. Modern scholars trust that a siege machine, specifically some sort of battering ram, rumbled up to the walls of Troy. We can identify Homer’s own allusion to the horse, its probable function, its builder, and the origins of associating the horse with Poseidon.

Wittgenstein's combustion chamber

Ludwig Wittgenstein, destined to be one of the most influential philosophers of the western world, entered Manchester University in 1908 as an aeronautical engineering research student. At Manchester he devised and patented a novel aero-engine that employed propeller-blade tip-jets. As a first practical step to the realization of this device, Wittgenstein constructed a variable-volume combustion chamber, but on departing for Cambridge he abandoned all further work on the project. The plans of this chamber survived and are presented in this paper. This article includes a detailed description of the drawings and an analysis of the probable function of the system.