David E. Brown

Corporations and Social Classification [and Comments and Reply]

Maine argued that perpetuity is the essential characteristic of corporateness. Thus corporations may be defined as presumptively perpetual social units. Presumptive perpetuity is achieved by regular procedures of recruitment. Since corporations figure prominently in social structural studies from Aristotles time until now, the classification of corporations is an important theoretical task. A recent classification by M. G. Smith is critically reviewed. Although corporations are statuses, they are less difficult to analyze than many noncorporate statuses. Although corporations are institutions, they are much less boundless in form than the totality of institutions. Corporations are classifiable in terms of eight characteristics. Since further classification rests on precise definitions of principles of incorporation, the method of isolating such principles is examined. Finally it is argued that corporate analysis readily promotes the generation and testing of hypotheses.

Evolutionary History of the Antelope Jackrabbit, Lepus alleni

Abstract The antelope jackrabbit, Lepus alleni occurs from south-central Arizona, southward to northern Nayarit, Mexico. In Arizona and the northern part of Sonora the species is sympatric with Lepus californicus. Lepus alleni belongs to the white-sided jackrabbit group of the genus, which separated from a common ancestor to Lepus californicus ∼1.2 MYBP. Genetic evidence indicates that this white-sided jackrabbit group separated into at least three species during the Pleistocene, while L. californicus expanded its range. We contend that L. alleni is a tropic-subtropic species restricted to remnant savannas and those more mesic portions of the Sonoran Desert where summer precipitation and humidity are adequate, and to areas of maritime dew lacking L. californicus. Not only is L. californicus better adapted to aridity, this species is also able to tolerate relatively cold temperatures. L. alleni is confined to habitats having mean annual temperatures between 20°C and 60°C, and goes into hypothermia when body temperatures drop to 28°C. The adaptive advantages of the antelope jackrabbit are its larger size (553–670 mm) allowing for greater heat retention, mobility, feeding on taller vegetation, and ability to peer over taller cover. These morphological and physiological adaptations of L. alleni to climatic conditions and environmental changes are closely related to its evolutionary history. This has restricted this species to habitats with moderate environmental characteristics.

Status of the Porcupine (Erithizon dorsatuh) in Arizona, 2000–2007

ABSTRACT Concern over an apparent paucity of recent porcupine (Erithizon dorsatum) observations in Arizona, prompted us to replicate Walter P. Taylors (1935) letter requesting information from U. S. Forest Service and other government agency field personnel on the animals status. On the basis of 162 reports of >314 porcupine observations we concluded that porcupines are thinly and unevenly distributed throughout the state with animals reliably sighted in select habitats near prairie dog towns, in certain suburban settings, and on the North Kaibab Plateau. We attribute this general scarcity to predation by mountain lions (Puma concolor) and possibly black bears (Ursus americanus), and agree with Taylor that predator control efforts resulting is a depressed lion population is the most likely explanation for the high number of porcupines reported during the 1924–1934 period. Although the porcupine does not appear to be endangered, there is no evidence to suggest that lion numbers are decreasing and that porcupine numbers may again increase. Prédation, and perhaps increased mortality from night-time road kills, has made porcupines an unusual animal in most of Arizona.

Charles Taylor Vorhies (1879–1949): Arizona's Premier Nongame Biologist

Abstract Few people today appreciate the contributions of Dr. Charles T. Vorhies, who at one time was Arizonas foremost naturalist and nongame wildlife expert. A man of varied interests and extraordinary talents, Dr. Vorhies not only excelled as a research biologist and ecologist, he published his work in numerous scientific and popular articles. Equally at home in the field or on the campus, Vorhies, notwithstanding his early training in entomology, was the foremost authority on Southwest mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. He was also an ardent conservationist, sharing his knowledge with fellow scientists, bird watchers, and sportsmen so that all might benefit from a more knowledgeable outdoor community. A co-founder with Dr. Walter P. Taylor of the Tucson Natural History Association and Arizona Game Protective Association (AGPA) the forerunner of the Arizona Wildlife Federation, Vorhies was in the words of a colleague, “the Arizona Wildlife Federation in person.”

Field Notes Of Herbert Brown: Part 2. Arizona'S Pioneer Ornithologist

ABSTRACT Herbert Brown came to Arizona in 1873 from the eastern U. S. at age 25 to seek his fortune. He would remain here until his death in 1913. During this period, southern Arizona was widely known for its newly discovered, exceptional bird life, many species occurring nowhere else in the U.S. This attracted leading ornithologists, such as Charles Bendire and Elliott Coues, who came to Tucson, the lower Colorado River Valley, and elsewhere in southern Arizona to conduct their studies. By the 1880s Brown was corresponding with these visiting ornithologists and collecting birds, nests, and eggs, advancing the science of ornithology in this new territory. These out-of-state ornithologists conducted their studies, taking their records and specimens back to their own institutions. By contrast, Browns unequaled collections were deposited at the University of Arizona where he was the first Curator of Ornithology. Part 2 of his following field notes document, in Browns own words, the previously untold story of a life-long passion for ornithology by Arizonas first resident ornithologist.

Abstract: Bringing Task and Data Parallelism to Analysis of Climate Model Output

Climate models are both outputting larger and larger amounts of data and are doing it on more sophisticated numerical grids. The tools climate scientists have used to analyze climate output, an essential component of climate modeling, are single threaded and assume rectangular structured grids in their analysis algorithms. We are bringing both task- and data-parallelism to the analysis of climate model output. We have created a new data-parallel library, the Parallel Gridded Analysis Library (ParGAL) which can read in data using parallel I/O, store the data on a compete representation of the structured or unstructured mesh and perform sophisticated analysis on the data in parallel. ParGAL has been used to create a parallel version of a script-based analysis and visualization package. Finally, we have also taken current workflows and employed task-based parallelism to decrease the total execution time.