Abstract: Scientific-funding bodies are increasingly under pressure to use journal rankings to measure research quality. Hiring and promotion committees routinely hear an equivalent argument: this is important work because it is to be published in prestigious journal X. But how persuasive is such an argument? This paper examines data on citations to articles published 25 years ago. It finds that it is better to write the best article published in an issue of a medium quality journal such as the OBES than all four of the worst four articles published in an issue of an elite journal like the AER. Decision-makers need to understand this. The results . . . will be expressed as quality profiles of research in each department submitted to the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. They will determine the annual distribution of more than d8 billion for research in UK higher education institutions over a six-year period (www.rae.ac.uk). The Government's firm presumption is that after . . . 2008 the system for assessing research quality . . . will be mainly metrics-based (www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/20E/EA/bud06ch3192).

Abstract: Petroleum storage facilities in the middle of a city, neighboring residential and educational community are a serious risk. This paper presents GIS-based scenario for petroleum storage tank explosion, in a mid of a large city. The scenario investigates data requirements, modeling approach and highlights a wide range of emergency management issues. The paper stresses on the limitations that emergency managers may face using GIS for similar scenarios. It was concluded that as a result of cost/benefit analysis it might not be feasible moving large petroleum storage facilities to the outskirts of cities, given the factor of rapid urbanization. However, emergency managers must realize that mitigation policies for a potential disaster triggered by an oil terminal explosion need to focus on better safety standards and constant training of staff to ensure the quality of terminal operations.

Abstract: Why does a single fire ant Solenopsis invicta struggle in water, whereas a group can float effortlessly for days? We use time-lapse photography to investigate how fire ants S. invicta link their bodies together to build waterproof rafts. Although water repellency in nature has been previously viewed as a static material property of plant leaves and insect cuticles, we here demonstrate a self-assembled hydrophobic surface. We find that ants can considerably enhance their water repellency by linking their bodies together, a process analogous to the weaving of a waterproof fabric. We present a model for the rate of raft construction based on observations of ant trajectories atop the raft. Central to the construction process is the trapping of ants at the raft edge by their neighbors, suggesting that some “ cooperative” behaviors may rely upon coercion.