Green Island Research Articles

Book explores a stormy relationship between nature and culture

Book explores a stormy relationship between nature and culture Robert Zeller Chrystopher J. Spicer . Cyclone Country: The Language of Place and Disaster in Australian Literature. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2020. 202 pp. $49.95. ISBN: 9781476681566 (print), 9781476640501 (ebook) In early February 2011, I read that North Queensland was being hit by Cyclone Yasi, a Category 5 storm. When I got online, the first story I encountered was a report of the devastation suffered by Mission Beach, a town I had visited several times when researching E. J. Banfield's Dunk Island books. I was reminded of those visits and that storm in Chrystopher Spicer's book. Although the subtitle speaks of Australian literature generally, it is mostly a book about North Queensland writing. In the book's early chapters, Spicer sets up his theoretical framework, discussing the relationship between people and place where violent storms can shape both individual psyches and communal experience—tearing communities apart with their passing and bringing them together during the process [End Page 151] of rebuilding. Of course, disastrous storms are not a purely Australian phenomenon, and in the first chapter, Spicer puts his subject in larger historical and geographical contexts. He introduces the concept of terroir as it relates not just to wine: "Literature too can be permeated and characterized by terroir in that the very land on which and in which the literature is created and developed nourishes it and imparts unique qualities to that literature, imbuing it with a sense of place" (27–28). In the second chapter, Spicer discusses the naming of storms, a practice pioneered in Queensland by the meteorologist Clement Wragge in the late nineteenth century. Why, he asks, do we need to assign names to violent weather events? His answer is that "we attempt to seize back some control and to make some sense of it all by establishing a personal relationship to the event, and so we name the storm" (44). Theoretical background established, Spicer moves on to discuss cyclones as they figure in the works of five authors: Vance Palmer, Thea Astley, Patrick White, Susan Hawthorne, and Alexis Wright. Each writer uses the cyclone in somewhat different ways, though a common thread is that the storm provides some kind of revelation to the characters or to the author. Spicer analyzes multiple works by Palmer and Astley, single novels by White and Wright, and a collection of poetry by Hawthorne. He presents detailed, if sometimes repetitive, readings of the works. To me, the most satisfying readings are those of the works by Vance Palmer and Alexis Wright. In the former, Spicer uses the myth criticism of Northrop Frye to analyze how Palmer drew on his own experience of living on Green Island and on the 1934 cyclone that struck North Queensland, in short stories and his novel Cyclone, published in 1947. According to Spicer, Palmer reshaped these events into an apocalyptic narrative: "He wrote not only of tragedy but also of resilience and continuity of community during hard times. He wrote of a search to restore balance in time of disruption, of a search for meaning" (83). And Spicer discusses Wright's Carpentaria in terms of traditions of Indigenous storytelling. He claims that the novel, which begins and ends with cyclones, "embodies cyclic patterns of narrative and meaning" (136). The cyclones, he says, "have purpose, like all the natural elements of this country, and this purpose is to not only punish and destroy but also to transform. The cyclones destroy the old, but they reveal the new" (154). Spicer's discussion of Patrick White's The Eye of the Storm, however, seems less focused and more rambling. While I would not take issue with his thesis about Elizabeth Hunter's epiphany in the novel, he seems to go far afield in his effort to explain that epiphany. As a result, the cyclone itself fades into the background. It provides the still eye in which Hunter found herself on Brumby Island, but that is about the extent of its importance. As I noted earlier, parts of the book seem repetitive, with repeated citations of the same passages. There are also some disconcerting errors, none of them interfering with...

A new species of Sessilogoga Grygier, 1990 parasitic in an antipatharian from Green Island, Taiwan, with notes on its nauplius larvae and the synapomorphies and apparent gonochorism of the genus (Crustacea: Thecostraca: Ascothoracida)

More than 40 specimens of a new endoparasitic ascothoracidan species, described herein as Sessilogoga captiva Kolbasov & Grygier sp. nov. in the family Synagogidae Gruvel, 1905, were found at 35 m depth near Green Island off southeastern Taiwan infecting a colony of the antipatharian Antipathes sp. aff. A. atlantica Gray, 1857. Its sole known congener is S. elongata Grygier, 1990a, an endoparasite of an unidentified antipatharian from Guam. We photographed some specimens in life and used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy to extensively document the fine-scale external morphology of both sexes, including carapace ornamentation (with special attention to lattice organs), the frontal filament complex, the antennular armature, and details of the mouthparts. We also examined the first two naupliar larval stages by SEM. Among the three most plesiomorphic genera of ascothoracidans, the two species of Sessilogoga Grygier, 1990a exhibit several synapomorphies, probably connected with their endoparasitic way of life, that distinguish them from the vagile, possibly micro-predatory species of Synagoga Norman, 1888 and the ectoparasitic, possibly vagile species of Waginella Grygier, 1983a: (i) a reduced frontal filament complex, (ii) absence of epaulets on the sixth thoracomere, (iii) reduction of the setation of the proximal antennular segments, and (iv) more seminal receptacles in any given pair of thoracopods. The new species appears to be gonochoric with females generally larger than males; our find of a juvenile female smaller than any adult male tends to refute the likelihood of protandry.

New species of Pycnogonum (Pycnogonida: Pycnogonidae) from Green Island, Taiwan, with an additional note on the holotype of P. spatium.

We report the discovery of a new species of the genus Pycnogonum Brünnich, 1764 found in the shallow waters of Green Island, Taiwan. Pycnogonum (Nulloviger) granulatum sp. nov. is characterized by the presence of the granular integument, a dorsal tubercle on the proboscis, the transverse ridges on the dorsal surface of the trunk, and the spines on the ventral surface of the tibia, tarsus, and propodus having cleft tips. Because the male gonopores are present and ovigers are absent, the present species belongs to the subgenus Nulloviger. The present species has been compared with P. (N.) moolenbeeki Stock, 1992, P. (N.) lobipes Stock, 1991, P. (N.) tuberculatum Clark, 1963, P. nodulosum Döhrn, 1881, and P. spatium Takahashi, Dick Mawatari, 2007. Among the congeners, P. spatium is geographically the closest congener, of which type locality is Amami Island, Japan. The holotype of P. spatium was loaned from Hokkaido University Museum (ICHUM) and re-examined. To determine the exact gender of the holotype of P. spatium, additional investigations of the coxal pellicula and gonopores are required.

Temporal Variation and Spatial Structure of the Kuroshio-Induced Submesoscale Island Vortices Observed from GCOM-C and Himawari-8 Data

Dynamics of ocean current-induced island wake has been an important issue in global oceanography. Green Island, a small island located off southeast of Taiwan on the Kuroshio path was selected as the study area to more understand the spatial structure and temporal variation of well-organized vortices formed by the interaction between the Kuroshio and the island. Sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration data derived from the Himawari-8 satellite and the second generation global imager (SGLI) of global change observation mission (GCOM-C) were used in this study. The spatial SST and Chl-a variations in designed observation lines and the cooling zone transitions on the left and right sides of the vortices were investigated using 250 m spatial resolution GCOM-C data. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITgcm) simulation confirmed that the positive and negative vortices were sequentially detached from each other in a few hours. In addition, totals of 101 vortexes from July 2015 to December 2019 were calculated from the 1-h temporal resolution Himawari-8 imagery. The average vortex propagation speed was 0.95 m/s. Totals of 38 cases of two continuous vortices suggested that the average vortex shedding period is 14.8 h with 1.15 m/s of the average incoming surface current speed of Green Island, and the results agreed to the ideal Strouhal-Reynolds number fitting curve relation. Combined with the satellite observation and numerical model simulation, this study demonstrates the structure of the wake area could change quickly, and the water may mix in different vorticity states for each observation station.

Development of a Grid Connected Solar-Wind Hybrid System With Reduction in Levelized Tariff for a Remote Island in India

Abstract Sagar Island which is located in the world's largest delta, the Sunderban, in the eastern coast of India faces severe power crunch. Due to its isolated location, the power infrastructure is underdeveloped. This has led to very unreliable power supply and frequent power cuts. The island being economically weak, power is inaccessible to most of its residents. Thus, the per unit energy consumption of the area is low and it has led to the lowering of the human development index of the area. However, Sagar Island, owing to its location, has huge solar and wind power potential. This paper discusses the prospect of developing a solar-wind hybrid power plant to supply power to the area. The developed hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) power plant will provide uninterrupted power to the island. Results show that the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from the proposed power plant is 0.03707 $/kWh, which is lower than the LCOE from the available grid. Lowering the cost of electricity will make electricity accessible to most of the inhabitants of the island. This will, in turn, increase the per unit energy consumption and hence the human development index. The proposed power plant will also help the environment by reducing CO2 emissions by 1894.08 tonnes annually. It will also save 587.39 tonnes of coal in its lifetime. Hence, the HRES power plant will make power accessible and also help Sagar Island to become a renewable fed “Green Island.”

Book explores a stormy relationship between nature and culture

Book explores a stormy relationship between nature and culture Robert Zeller Chrystopher J. Spicer . Cyclone Country: The Language of Place and Disaster in Australian Literature. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2020. 202 pp. $49.95. ISBN: 9781476681566 (print), 9781476640501 (ebook) In early February 2011, I read that North Queensland was being hit by Cyclone Yasi, a Category 5 storm. When I got online, the first story I encountered was a report of the devastation suffered by Mission Beach, a town I had visited several times when researching E. J. Banfield's Dunk Island books. I was reminded of those visits and that storm in Chrystopher Spicer's book. Although the subtitle speaks of Australian literature generally, it is mostly a book about North Queensland writing. In the book's early chapters, Spicer sets up his theoretical framework, discussing the relationship between people and place where violent storms can shape both individual psyches and communal experience—tearing communities apart with their passing and bringing them together during the process [End Page 151] of rebuilding. Of course, disastrous storms are not a purely Australian phenomenon, and in the first chapter, Spicer puts his subject in larger historical and geographical contexts. He introduces the concept of terroir as it relates not just to wine: "Literature too can be permeated and characterized by terroir in that the very land on which and in which the literature is created and developed nourishes it and imparts unique qualities to that literature, imbuing it with a sense of place" (27–28). In the second chapter, Spicer discusses the naming of storms, a practice pioneered in Queensland by the meteorologist Clement Wragge in the late nineteenth century. Why, he asks, do we need to assign names to violent weather events? His answer is that "we attempt to seize back some control and to make some sense of it all by establishing a personal relationship to the event, and so we name the storm" (44). Theoretical background established, Spicer moves on to discuss cyclones as they figure in the works of five authors: Vance Palmer, Thea Astley, Patrick White, Susan Hawthorne, and Alexis Wright. Each writer uses the cyclone in somewhat different ways, though a common thread is that the storm provides some kind of revelation to the characters or to the author. Spicer analyzes multiple works by Palmer and Astley, single novels by White and Wright, and a collection of poetry by Hawthorne. He presents detailed, if sometimes repetitive, readings of the works. To me, the most satisfying readings are those of the works by Vance Palmer and Alexis Wright. In the former, Spicer uses the myth criticism of Northrop Frye to analyze how Palmer drew on his own experience of living on Green Island and on the 1934 cyclone that struck North Queensland, in short stories and his novel Cyclone, published in 1947. According to Spicer, Palmer reshaped these events into an apocalyptic narrative: "He wrote not only of tragedy but also of resilience and continuity of community during hard times. He wrote of a search to restore balance in time of disruption, of a search for meaning" (83). And Spicer discusses Wright's Carpentaria in terms of traditions of Indigenous storytelling. He claims that the novel, which begins and ends with cyclones, "embodies cyclic patterns of narrative and meaning" (136). The cyclones, he says, "have purpose, like all the natural elements of this country, and this purpose is to not only punish and destroy but also to transform. The cyclones destroy the old, but they reveal the new" (154). Spicer's discussion of Patrick White's The Eye of the Storm, however, seems less focused and more rambling. While I would not take issue with his thesis about Elizabeth Hunter's epiphany in the novel, he seems to go far afield in his effort to explain that epiphany. As a result, the cyclone itself fades into the background. It provides the still eye in which Hunter found herself on Brumby Island, but that is about the extent of its importance. As I noted earlier, parts of the book seem repetitive, with repeated citations of the same passages. There are also some disconcerting errors, none of them interfering with...

The Management of Forest and Deforestation, Mitigation, and Adaptation of Climate Change in Madagascar

Madagascar is on the first conservation priority for high rates of deforestation and endemism. Deforestation has been extensive, but the impacts of forest loss on biodiversity have not been well quantified. Deforestation is a phenomenon contributor to species, biodiversity’s extinction, and the disappearing of tropical forest accelerates the rate of destruction and accelerates climate change degradation. Madagascar’s forests and its biodiversity are considered as one of the most biologically rich and unique in the world, but due to this deforestation, the endemic species and biodiversity of Madagascar are endangered and indeed, this phenomenon has changed Madagascar the green Island into the red Island. The aim of this paper is to highlight what Madagascar needs, what the country has and what are the barriers to mitigate deforestation and how is the impact of climate change. The findings of this study show that Madagascar has a total land area of 59,199,127 ha; in 2010, the country has 4,628,241 ha of primary forest with 16,450,024 of tree cover. However, this statistic continues to decrease gradually in 2018 represented by 4,060,522 ha of primary forest, and has lost 567,719 ha of its forest; only 13,772,127 ha of tree cover has been registered. It is as well stated that apart from the lack of funding, timber logging and fuel wood, the ancestral practices are locally known as “Tavy” which is the most destructor of primary forest in Madagascar. This phenomenal calamity led to extinct thousands of Madagascar species and its biodiversity, and contributes to increasing the heat of this planet and one of the responsible for the acceleration of climate change. This paper illustrates how Madagascar adapts to the impacts of climate change and how the country contributes to its commitment to the Paris Agreement.

Black Rats eradicated from Big Green Island in Bass Strait, Tasmania

Big Green Island is a 129-ha Nature Reserve and part of the Furneaux Group of islands in Bass Strait, southeastern Australia. Beginning in April 2016, Black Rats Rattus rattus were targeted for eradication using poisoning with 50 ppm brodifacoum wax blocks via a 25 x 25 m grid of bait stations (16 stations per ha) checked daily for a four-week period followed by three one-week visits over an eight-week period. After six weeks, rodent chew-cards were deployed exposing pockets of rat activity on the island. Island-wide monitoring led to the capture of six rats, the last known rat being killed in November 2016. Monitoring for signs of rats proceeded for a further two years and the island was declared rat-free in November 2018. The project encompassed partnerships between government agencies, industry and non-government organisations, and involved a significant volunteer contribution.

Do barriers to innovation impact changes in innovation activities of firms during business cycle? The effect of the Polish green island

Research background: There is no doubt that innovation is an important source of economic growth. In the assessment of the innovative activity of Polish industrial processing enterprises, two opposing views can be found. The first indicates the exogenous shock resulting from the global financial crisis and the associated innovation crisis and the subsequent period of innovative pessimism. The second shows the Polish economy as the European Green Island due to strong and uninterrupted economic growth over the past 27 years, controlled inflation, and reduction of unemployment as well as increase of the citizens? well-being. In these conditions, an interesting research gap appeared, which is worth filling, at the centre of which there are factors determining the innovative activity of enterprises, and in particular the role and importance of innovation barriers in various phases of the business cycle.
 Purpose of the article: The aim of the research is to determine the impact of innovation barriers and degrees of their importance on the innovation activity of Polish industrial processing enterprises during the business cycle. The time frame of the analysis covers three phases of the cycle: the prosperity period of 2004?2006, the global financial crisis of 2008?2010 and the recovery from 2012?2014.
 Methods: Pearson?s ?2 independence test and correspondence analysis were used for data analysis. The research results are presented in a graphical form of biplots that describe the coexistence of three types of variables: (1) types of enterprises and ownership sectors, (2) effects or objectives of innovative activity, and (3) innovation barriers and reasons for the lack of innovation. The basis of calculations were three databases covering the mentioned periods.
 Findings & Value added: High resistance of innovative activity of Polish industrial processing enterprises to economic fluctuations has been demonstrated. Innovation barriers and degrees of their importance had little impact on the operations of enterprises in the first of the analysed periods, when prosperity was booming. The impact of the global financial crisis on innovation activities proved to be counterintuitive, as enterprises have continuously achieved their goals and the importance of innovation barriers has diminished even more. In the third period, innovation barriers no longer had any significance for the innovation activities of enterprises. The phenomenon of a gradual decline in the importance of innovation barriers, regardless of the phases of the business cycle, was called the Polish Green Island Effect. The relationship found is a peculiarity which is probably unprecedented in recent world economic history.

Dynamics of Numbers and Occurrence of Colonial Species of Birds in the Area of Ukrainian Antarctic Station Akademik Vernadsky

Abstract The research covers water area, island archipelagos and coastal line of the Antarctic Peninsula from 65°31ʹ S, 64°25ʹ W in the South to 65°03ʹ S, 63°53ʹ W in the North. There was time gap of 7 years between the researches (2011 and 2018), which allows to define tendencies in development of individual colonies and to make conclusion about success of existence of a given species. The work itself was carried out during the first half of January, that is in the time when the stage of brooding ends and the period of hatching starts. As of 2011, 12 nesting points of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) with total number of 8,342 pairs were found in the region under investigation. Till 2018, quantity of the colony grew to 14, with total number of 14,105 pairs. For seven years, quantity of nesting points of aelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) almost did not change (4 colonies). Instead, total number of the species decreased somewhat: from 3559 pairsin 2011 to 3295 onesin 2018. Number of chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) in united stable locality for nesting also decreased from 26 pairsin 2011 to19 onesin 2018. Booth Island (65°04ʹ S, 64°02ʹ W) for chinstrap penguins and Green Island (65°19ʹ S, 64°09ʹ W) for gentoo penguins are the southern most points of nesting range of the species. Also, 7 colonies of antarctic shag (Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis) were revealed in the region under investigation. For seven years from 2011 to 2018 total number of the species in the region under investigation grew from 190 pairs to 299, and in most cases the antarctics shag forms settlements jointly with penguins.

Multi-objective optimization operation of the green energy island based on Hammersley sequence sampling

The Green Energy Island (GEI) is a system that supplies heating, cooling and electricity energy. This system includes various supply-side technologies, which introduces a large amount of degrees of freedom in the design and operation phases. Therefore, the optimal operation parameters should be determined to ensure continuous and stable heating, cooling and power supply of the GEI system. In this paper, the ε-constraints method based on Hammersley sequence sampling (HSS) method is proposed. Comparison with the traditional ε-constraints method shows that the ε-constraints method based on HSS method can save a lot of time in solving the multi-objective optimization problem. Moreover, an innovative multi-objective optimization framework that integrates the ε-constraints method, HSS method and TOPSIS approach is established in economic, energy and environmental benefit. Through the optimization calculation for three typical days, the approximate Pareto frontiers with possible operation parameters were presented, which provided a reference for decision makers. Finally, by using TOPSIS approach, the optimal energy dispatch was obtained for three typical days. The results show that the energy and environmental benefit of the GEI system is significant with the approximate 5–35% of the fuel energy saving ratio and the approximate 10–65% of carbon dioxide emission reduction ratio.

Observations of Island Wakes at High Rossby Numbers: Evolution of Submesoscale Vortices and Free Shear Layers

AbstractOceanic vortex evolution on the lee side of Taiwan’s Green Island (~7 km in diameter), where the Kuroshio flows at a speed of 1–1.5 m s−1, is observationally examined and compared to theories and the preceding results of laboratory experiments. In the near wake, recirculation occurs with a relative vorticity of ζ ~ 20f (where f is the planetary vorticity) and subsequently sheds at a combination of periods resulting from the tidal oscillations and the intrinsic time scale of eddy evolution. The tidal oscillations are the predominant processes. Our analysis suggests that an island positioned in the Kuroshio with periodic and cross-stream tidal excursions is analogous to a cross-stream oscillating cylinder. Consequently, the shedding period of the vortex is synchronized to a tidal period occurring close to the intrinsic period. The free shear layer, which is characterized by an ~30f relative vorticity band (2 km wide) and a wavy thermal front, develops between the Kuroshio and recirculation. The frontal wave occurring over a time period of 0.5–2 h resembles Kelvin–Helmholtz instability corresponding to high Re values. For the far wake, repeated cross-wake surveys suggest that cyclonic and anticyclonic vortices are alternatively present at a period close to the period of M2 tides in agreement with near-wake measurements. Repeated along-wake surveys reveal a cyclonic eddy shedding downstream at a speed of 0.35 m s−1, 1/3 of the upstream current speed, from the near wake. In comparing our observations with the results of previous water tank experiments, an Re value of O(103) for the submesoscale wake regime is expected.

Deciphering bacterial and fungal endophyte communities in leaves of two maple trees with green islands

Green islands (the re-greening of senescent leaf tissues) are particularly evident on leaves infected with fungal pathogens. To date, there is only a limited number of studies investigating foliar endophytic microorganisms in phytopathogen-infected leaves. Here, we analysed bacterial and fungal endophyte communities in leaves without green islands (control leaves; CL), within green island areas (GLA) and the surrounding yellow leaf areas (YLA) of leaves with green islands of Acer campestre and A. platanoides. GLA samples of A. campestre and A. platanoides were dominated by Sawadaea polyfida and S. bicornis, respectively, suggesting that these fungi might be responsible for the green islands. We detected a higher fungal richness and diversity in CL compared to GLA samples of A. campestre. Leaf status (CL, GLA, YLA) significantly altered the composition of fungal communities of A. campestre. This was related to differences in fungal community composition between YLA and GLA samples. Site was the main driver of bacterial communities, suggesting that bacterial and fungal endophytes are shaped by different factors. Overall, we observed Acer species-specific responses of endophyte communities towards the presence of green islands and/or leaf type, which might be attributed to several fungi and bacteria specifically associated with one Acer species.

A new species of Synagoga (Crustacea, Thecostraca, Ascothoracida) parasitic in an antipatharian from Green Island, Taiwan, with notes on its morphology.

A new ascothoracidan species has been discovered off Taiwan in the north part of the west Pacific at SCUBA depths. Twelve specimens including both sexes of the new species, described herein as Synagoga arabesquesp. nov., were collected from colonies of the antipatharian Myriopathes cf. japonica Brook, 1889. Three previously described species of Synagoga, morphologically the least specialized ascothoracidan genus, have been found as ectoparasites of antipatharians and an alcyonarian, whereas all other records of this genus have been based on specimens collected from the marine plankton. This is the second study of a new form of Synagoga to be based on more than a few mature specimens of a single sex or on a single juvenile. Furthermore, it is the second in which SEM has been used to document the fine-scale external morphology. The position of terminal pores in the anterior pairs of the lattice organs is different in Synagoga arabesquesp. nov. than those in S. grygieri Kolbasov & Newman, 2018 and S. millipalus Grygier & Ohtsuka, 1995. Species of Synagoga are small, host-specific predators or ectoparasites of antipatharians. This genus exhibits a major Tethyan reliction pattern.

Exploring species diversity and host plant associations of leaf-mining micromoths (Lepidoptera:Gracillariidae) in the Russian Far East using DNA barcoding.

The Russian Far East (RFE) is an important hotspot of biodiversity whose insect fauna remains understudied, particularly its Microlepidoptera. Here we explore the diversity of leaf-mining micromoths of the family Gracillariidae, their distribution and host plant associations in RFE using a combination of field observations and sampling, DNA barcoding, morphological analysis and literature review. We collected 91 gracillariid specimens (45 larvae, 9 pupae and 37 adults) in 12 localities across RFE and identified 34 species using a combination of DNA barcoding and morphology. We provide a genetic library of 57 DNA barcodes belonging to 37 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs), including four BINs that could potentially represent species new to science. Leaf mines and leaf shelters are described and illustrated for 32 studied species, male or female genitalia as well as forewing patterns of adults are shown, especially for those species identified based on morphology. Three species, Micrurapteryx caraganella (Hering), Callisto insperatella (Nickerl), and Phyllonorycter junoniella (Zeller) are newly recorded from RFE. Five species previously known from some regions of RFE, were found for the first time in Amurskaya Oblast: Phyllonorycter populifoliella (Treitschke), Primorskii Krai: Ph. sorbicola Kumata and Sahkalin Island: Caloptilia heringi Kumata, Ph. ermani (Kumata) and Ph. ulmifoliella (Hübner). Eight gracillariid-plant associations are novel to science: Caloptilia gloriosa Kumata on Acer pseudosieboldianum, Cameraria niphonica Kumata on A. caudatum subsp. ukurundense, Parornix ermolaevi Kuznetzov on Corylus sieboldiana, Phyllonorycter ermani (Kumata) on Betula platyphylla, Ph. nipponicella (Issiki) on Quercus mongolica, Ph. orientalis (Kumata) and Ph. pseudojezoniella Noreika on Acer saccharum, Ph. sorbicola on Prunus maakii. For the first time we documented the "green island" phenotype on Phyllonorycter cavella (Zeller) mines on Betula platyphylla. Two pestiferous species have been recorded during our surveys: Micrurapteryx caraganella on ornamental Caragana arborescens in urban plantations in Amurskaya Oblast, and the lime leafminer Phyllonorycter issikii (Kumata), a species known to be native to RFE and invasive elsewhere in Russia and in European countries. A revised checklist of RFE gracillariids has been compiled. It accounts for 135 species among which 17 species (13%) are only known to occur in RFE. The gracillariid fauna of RFE is more similar to the Japanese fauna (49%), than to the fauna of the rest of Russia (i.e European part and Siberia) (32%).

A new internal structure of nauplius larvae: A "ghostly" support sling for cypris y left within the exuviae of nauplius y after metamorphosis (Crustacea: Thecostraca: Facetotecta).

Facetotecta, or crustacean "y-larvae," occur in all the world's oceans although the adult forms remain completely unknown. At the metamorphic molt from the last naupliar instar to the terminal cypris larval stage a free carapace, six pairs of natatory thoracopods, and a segmented thorax and abdomen all develop anew. Unlike in earlier molts, the cephalic shield and the so-called "faciotruncal integument" usually remain together at this last naupliar molt, and the posterior "trunk" portion of the exuviae, while hollow, is not empty. In mounted preparations examined by phase contrast or differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, a ghost-like image of part of the cypris thorax, particularly the thoracopods and even their setae, is commonly visible inside the naupliar exuviae, and may be universally present in the Facetotecta. To investigate this "ghost," we used DIC and digital photographic stacking, and also scanning electron microscopy, on slide or stub-mounted final naupliar exuviae of an assortment of undescribed species of Facetotecta that had been reared from planktonic lecithotropic nauplii to the cypris stage at Sesoko Island, Okinawa, Japan, and at Keelung and Green Island, Taiwan. These techniques showed that the "ghost" is a delicate, three-dimensional, fibrous structure, essentially a sling-like mold or matrix with struts attached to the outer cuticle and pairs of deep pockets that previously held the thoracopods of the developing cypris y. Whether it is endoskeletal in nature, the (partial) exuvia of an additional instar, remnants of apoptosis, or something else is currently unknown. Nothing similar has been reported in other thecostracans, or in other crustaceans that undergo a similarly abrupt metamorphosis at the last naupliar molt.

Poland’s Economic Performance in Global and Long-term Perspective: Surprises so far and Risks in the Years Ahead

Abstract The paper is focused on economic and institutional developments in Poland during the last 30 years of transition from its centrally planned socialist economy to a market-based capitalist economy. The main purposes of the paper are three. One is to identify and explain the developments that were either surprising or specifically Polish. The second purpose is to note and explain the differences between the rate of growth of the Polish economy and that of the other emerging economies, in particular to explain ‘the green island’ phenomenon during the global financial crisis 2008-2009. The third purpose is to note and discuss the new risks that may prevent Poland to reduce further the development gap to technologically most advanced economies.

Optimization analysis of waste heat recovery district cooling system on a remote island: Case study Green Island

The power supply of a remote island is mainly from the diesel generator due to nature and environmental constraints for developing renewable electrical power generation. Recovering waste heat from diesel generators can reduce cost and satisfy the concurrent need for electricity, district heating or cooling on a remote island. This study investigates the optimization design of a district cooling system (DCS) on a remote island by the dynamic programming method. In a case study on Green Island, the waste heat from the diesel power plant can be recovered to drive an absorption chiller that satisfies the peak cooling load of 756 kW. The objective function of the optimization design includes the capital cost and the running cost during the period of the life cycle. The dynamic programming method is adopted to minimize the objective function, and the constraint involves the conservation of energy between the chiller and the chilled water storage tank. The results showed that a 510 kW absorption chiller and a storage tank capacity of 1978 kW-h achieved the optimization of the DCS. The averaged energy conservation rate was about 75.7%. Moreover, the electricity consumption and CO2 emission were reduced by 955.8 MWh and 675 tons per year, respectively. Based on the difference in the electricity prices of electric utility companies, the investment in the DCS is expected to have a four-year payback period. These optimization results are based on an evaluation of energetic, economic and environmental effects, which are also suitable for any kind of regions without direct access to interconnected electrical networks.

Economic Valuation of Green Island, Taiwan: A Choice Experiment Method

The evaluation of ecological security and ecosystem services is now a core issue in the field of natural and environmental resources. Quantifying the economic value of island ecosystem services can inform policy decisions that affect the island and help justify expenditures on ecosystem service improvements. This study investigates the preferences of residents and tourists regarding Green Island and estimates willingness-to-pay (WTP) values for island ecosystem services using a choice experiment. The results indicate significant differences between the preferences of residents and tourists regarding island environmental resources. Therefore, based on the multiple attributes and ecosystem services, this study formulated three assessment schemes: “environmental protection”, “recreational development”, and “integrated operation and management”. Based on our analysis of the problems reflected in the aforementioned valuation models, we recommend that policy makers refer to environmental attribute preferences to create statements or advertisements targeting relevant audiences when planning island development. This paper contributes to the literature by demonstrating how the economic valuation of island ecosystem services can help design and target island conservation policies in order to maximize welfare.

Are Kelp Gulls Larus dominicanus replacing Pacific Gulls L. pacificus in Tasmania?

The nominate subspecies of the Pacific Gull Larus pacificus, widespread along the coast of southern Australia, may be under threat from the slightly smaller, but opportunistically competitive, self-introduced Kelp Gull L. dominicanus. To assess this threat to the Pacific Gull in Tasmania, we documented colony size of large gulls across many Tasmanian islands over a period of 24 breeding seasons (1985–2009). The most northerly Kelp Gull nests on the Tasmanian mainland were located at Paddys Island, St Helens. There were no reports of Kelp Gulls along any part of the northern coast of Tasmania abutting Bass Strait, although there were sporadic sightings on islands of the Furneaux Group. The stronghold of the Kelp Gull in Tasmania is the Estuary of the Derwent River and its surrounding bays and channels, where this species is present in much larger numbers than the Pacific Gull, but nevertheless co-exists with that species. We found no evidence for dramatic changes in numbers since 1985. All Pacific Gull nests were on small islands, and there were none at Orielton Lagoon, which became the third biggest Kelp Gull colony studied in the south-east of Tasmania. At the largest Kelp Gull colony (Green Island), the number of Pacific Gull nests declined while numbers of Kelp Gull nests increased, but no such inverse correlation was observed elsewhere, including Curlew and Hog Islands, where numbers of Kelp Gull nests increased. We conclude that numbers of Pacific Gulls have remained reasonably stable, despite increases in Kelp Gull nests at certain sites.