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At least 361 records · Page 20Linked to original sources
USGS2023

Automated soft pressure sensor array-based sea lamprey detection using machine learning

Sea lamprey, a destructive invasive species in the Great Lakes in North America, is among very few fishes that rely on oral suction during migration and spawning. Recently, soft pressure sensors have been proposed to detect the attachment of sea lamprey as part of the monitoring and control effort. However, human decision is still required for the recognition of patterns in the measured signals. In this article, a novel automated soft pressure sensor array-based sea lamprey detection framework is proposed using object detection convolutional neural networks. First, the resistance measurements of the pressure sensor array are converted to mappings of relative change in resistance. These mappings typically show two different types of patterns under lamprey attachment: a high-pressure circular pattern corresponding to the mouth rim compressed against the sensor (“compression” pattern), and a low-pressure blob corresponding to the partial vacuum region of the sucking mouth (“suction” pattern). Three types of object detection algorithms, single-shot detector (SSD), RetinaNet, and YOLOv5s, are applied to the dataset of measurements collected in the presence of sea lamprey attachment, and the comparison of their performance shows that YOLOv5s model achieves the highest mean average precision (mAP) and the fastest inference speed. Furthermore, to improve the accuracy of the prediction model and reduce the false positive (FP) rate due to the sensor’s memory effect, a filter branch with different detection thresholds for the compression and suction patterns, respectively, is added to the original machine-learning algorithm. The trained model is validated and used to automatically detect sea lamprey attachments and locate the suction area on the sensor in real time.

IEEE Sensors Journal↗
USGS2024

A ‘how-to’ guide for estimating animal diel activity using hierarchical models

Animal diel activity patterns can aid understanding of (a) how species behaviourally adapt to anthropogenic and natural disturbances, (b) mechanisms of species co-existence through temporal partitioning, and (c) community or ecosystem effects of diel activity shifts. Activity patterns often vary spatially, a feature ignored by the kernel density estimators (KDEs) currently used for estimating diel activity. Ignoring this source of heterogeneity may lead to biased estimates of uncertainty and misleading conclusions regarding the drivers of diel activity. Thus, there is a need for more flexible statistical approaches for estimating activity patterns and testing hypotheses regarding their biotic and abiotic drivers. We illustrate how trigonometric terms and cyclic cubic splines combined with hierarchical models can provide a valuable alternative to KDEs. Like KDEs, these models accommodate circular data, but they can also account for site-to-site and other sources of variability, correlation amongst repeated measures, and variable sampling effort. They can also more readily quantify and test hypotheses related to the effects of covariates on activity patterns. Through empirical case studies, we illustrate how hierarchical models can quantify changes in activity levels due to seasonality and in response to biotic and abiotic factors (e.g. anthropogenic stressors and co-occurrence). We also describe frequentist and Bayesian approaches for quantifying site-specific (conditional) and population-averaged (marginal) activity patterns. We provide guidelines and tutorials with detailed step-by-step instructions for fitting and interpreting hierarchical models applied to time-stamped data, such as those recorded by camera traps and audio recorders. We conclude that this approach offers a viable, flexible, and effective alternative to KDEs when modelling animal activity patterns.

Journal of Animal Ecology↗
USGS2017

The effects of swimming exercise and dissolved oxygen on growth performance, fin condition and precocious maturation of early-rearing Atlantic salmon Salmo salar

Swimming exercise, typically measured in body-lengths per second (BL/s), and dissolved oxygen (DO), are important environmental variables in fish culture. While there is an obvious physiological association between these two parameters, their interaction has not been adequately studied in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar . Because exercise and DO are variables that can be easily manipulated in modern aquaculture systems, we sought to assess the impact of these parameters, alone and in combination, on the performance, health and welfare of juvenile Atlantic salmon. In our study, Atlantic salmon fry were stocked into 12 circular 0.5 m 3 tanks in a flow-through system and exposed to either high (1.5–2 BL/s) or low (<0.5 BL/s) swimming speeding and high (100% saturation) or low (70% saturation) DO while being raised from 10 g to approximately 350 g in weight. Throughout the study period, we assessed the impacts of exercise and DO concentration on growth, feed conversion, survival and fin condition. By study's end, both increased swimming speed and higher DO were independently associated with a statistically significant increase in growth performance ( p < .05); however, no significant differences were noted in survival and feed conversion. Caudal fin damage was associated with low DO, while right pectoral fin damage was associated with higher swimming speed. Finally, precocious male sexual maturation was associated with low swimming speed. These results suggest that providing exercise and dissolved oxygen at saturation during Atlantic salmon early rearing can result in improved growth performance and a lower incidence of precocious parr.

Aquaculture Research↗
USGS2020

The effects of swimming exercise and dissolved oxygen on growth performance, fin condition and survival of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

Swimming exercise and dissolved oxygen (DO) are important parameters to consider when operating intensive salmonid aquaculture facilities. While previous research has focused on each of these two variables in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss , studies examining both variables in combination, and their potential interaction, are absent from the scientific literature. Both swimming exercise (usually measured in body lengths per second, or BL/s) and DO can be readily controlled in modern aquaculture systems; therefore, we sought to evaluate the effects of these variables, separately and combined, on several outcomes in rainbow trout including growth performance, fin health and survival. Rainbow trout fry (18 g) were stocked into 12 circular 0.5 m 3 tanks, provided with either high (1.5–2 BL/s) or low (approximately 0.5 BL/s) swimming exercise and high (100% saturation) or low (70% saturation) DO, and grown to approximately 1 kg. By the conclusion of the study, higher DO was independently associated with significantly ( p < .05) increased growth performance. Significant differences were not noted in other outcomes, namely feed conversion, condition factor and mortality, although caudal and right pectoral fin damage was associated with low oxygen and low swimming exercise treatments respectively. Cardiosomatic index was significantly higher among exercised fish. These results suggest that swimming exercise and DO at saturation during the culture of rainbow trout can be beneficial to producers through improved growth performance and cardiac health.

Aquaculture Research↗
USGS2009

The influence of microtopography on soil nutrients in created mitigation wetlands

This study explores the relationship between microtopography and soil nutrients (and trace elements), comparing results for created and reference wetlands in Virginia, and examining the effects of disking during wetland creation. Replicate multiscale tangentially conjoined circular transects were used to quantify microtopography both in terms of elevation and by two microtopographic indices. Corresponding soil samples were analyzed for moisture content, total C and N, KCl-extractable NH4-N and NO3-N, and Mehlich-3 extractable P, Ca, Mg, K, Al, Fe, and Mn. Means and variances of soil nutrient/element concentrations were compared between created and natural wetlands and between disked and nondisked created wetlands. Natural sites had higher and more variable soil moisture, higher extractable P and Fe, lower Mn than created wetlands, and comparatively high variability in nutrient concentrations. Disked sites had higher soil moisture, NH4-N, Fe, and Mn than did nondisked sites. Consistently low variances (Levene test for inequality) suggested that nondisked sites had minimal nutrient heterogeneity. Across sites, low P availability was inferred by the molar ratio (Mehlich-3 [P/(Al + Fe)] < 0.06); strong intercorrelations among total C, total N, and extractable Fe, Al, and P suggested that humic-metal-P complexes may be important for P retention and availability. Correlations between nutrient/element concentrations and microtopographic indices suggested increased Mn and decreased K and Al availability with increased surface roughness. Disking appears to enhance water and nutrient retention, as well as nutrient heterogeneity otherwise absent from created wetlands, thus potentially promoting ecosystem development. ?? 2008 Society for Ecological Restoration International.

Restoration Ecology↗
USGS2012

Factors influencing geographic patterns in diversity of forest bird communities of eastern Connecticut, USA

At regional scales, the most important variables associated with diversity are latitudinally-based temperature and net primary productivity, although diversity is also influenced by habitat. We examined bird species richness, community density and community evenness in forests of eastern Connecticut to determine whether: 1) spatial and seasonal patterns exist in diversity, 2) energy explains the greatest proportion of variation in diversity parameters, 3) variation in habitat explains remaining diversity variance, and 4) seasonal shifts in diversity provide clues about how environmental variables shape communities. We sought to discover if our data supported predictions of the species–energy hypothesis. We used the variable circular plot technique to estimate bird populations and quantified the location, elevation, forest type, vegetation type, canopy cover, moisture regime, understory density and primary production for the study sites. We found that 1) summer richness and population densities are roughly equal in northeastern and southeastern Connecticut, whereas in winter both concentrate toward the coast, 2) variables linked with temperature explained much of the patterns in winter diversity, but energy-related variables showed little relationship to summer diversity, 3) the effect of habitat variables on diversity parameters predominated in summer, although their effect was weak, 4) contrary to theory, evenness increased from summer to winter, and 5) support for predictions of species–energy theory was primarily restricted to winter data. Although energy and habitat played a role in explaining community patterns, they left much of the variance in regional diversity unexplained, suggesting that a large stochastic component to diversity also may exist.

Connecticut↗
USGS2005

Relating nitrogen sources and aquifer susceptibility to nitrate in shallow ground waters of the United States

Characteristics of nitrogen loading and aquifer susceptibility to contamination were evaluated to determine their influence on contamination of shallow ground water by nitrate. A set of 13 explanatory variables was derived from these characteristics, and variables that have a significant influence were identified using logistic regression (LR). Multivariate LR models based on more than 900 sampled wells predicted the probability of exceeding 4 mg/L of nitrate in ground water. The final LR model consists of the following variables: (1) nitrogen fertilizer loading (p-value = 0.012); (2) percent cropland-pasture (p < 0.001); (3) natural log of population density (p < 0.001); (4) percent well-drained soils (p = 0.002); (5) depth to the seasonally high water table (p = 0.001); and (6) presence or absence of a fracture zone within an aquifer (p = 0.002). Variables 1–3 were compiled within circular, 500 m radius areas surrounding sampled wells, and variables 4–6 were compiled within larger areas representing targeted land use and aquifers of interest. Fitting criteria indicate that the full logistic-regression model is highly significant (p < 0.001), compared with an intercept-only model that contains none of the explanatory variables. A goodness-of-fit test indicates that the model fits the data well, and observed and predicted probabilities of exceeding 4 mg/L nitrate in ground water are strongly correlated (r 2 = 0.971). Based on the multivariate LR model, vulnerability of ground water to contamination by nitrate depends not on any single factor but on the combined, simultaneous influence of factors representing nitrogen loading sources and aquifer susceptibility characteristics.

Ground Water↗
USGS2013

Neutron absorption constraints on the composition of 4 Vesta

Global maps of the macroscopic thermal neutron absorption cross section of Vesta's regolith by the Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND) on board the NASA Dawn spacecraft provide constraints on the abundance and distribution of Fe, Ca, Al, Mg, and other rock-forming elements. From a circular, polar low-altitude mapping orbit, GRaND sampled the regolith to decimeter depths with a spatial resolution of about 300 km. At this spatial scale, the variation in neutron absorption is about seven times lower than that of the Moon. The observed variation is consistent with the range of absorption for howardite whole-rock compositions, which further supports the connection between Vesta and the howardite, eucrite, and diogenite meteorites. We find a strong correlation between neutron absorption and the percentage of eucritic materials in howardites and polymict breccias, which enables petrologic mapping of Vesta's surface. The distribution of basaltic eucrite and diogenite determined from neutron absorption measurements is qualitatively similar to that indicated by visible and near infrared spectroscopy. The Rheasilvia basin and ejecta blanket has relatively low absorption, consistent with Mg-rich orthopyroxene. Based on a combination of Fe and neutron absorption measurements, olivine-rich lithologies are not detected on the spatial scales sampled by GRaND. The sensitivity of GRaND to the presence of mantle material is described and implications for the absence of an olivine signature are discussed. High absorption values found in Vesta's “dark” hemisphere, where exogenic hydrogen has accumulated, indicate that this region is richer in basaltic eucrite, representative of Vesta's ancient upper crust.

Meteoritics and Planetary Science↗
USGS2004

Surficial deposits at Gusev crater along Spirit Rover traverses

The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has traversed a fairly flat, rock-strewn terrain whose surface is shaped primarily by impact events, although some of the landscape has been altered by eolian processes. Impacts ejected basaltic rocks that probably were part of locally formed lava flows from at least 10 meters depth. Some rocks have been textured and/or partially buried by windblown sediments less than 2 millimeters in diameter that concentrate within shallow, partially filled, circular impact depressions referred to as hollows. The terrain traversed during the 90-sol (martian solar day) nominal mission shows no evidence for an ancient lake in Gusev crater.

Science↗
USGS2004

Pancam multispectral imaging results from the Spirit Rover at Gusev crater

Panoramic Camera images at Gusev crater reveal a rock-strewn surface interspersed with high- to moderate-albedo fine-grained deposits occurring in part as drifts or in small circular swales or hollows. Optically thick coatings of fine-grained ferric iron-rich dust dominate most bright soil and rock surfaces. Spectra of some darker rock surfaces and rock regions exposed by brushing or grinding show near-infrared spectral signatures consistent with the presence of mafic silicates such as pyroxene or olivine. Atmospheric observations show a steady decline in dust opacity during the mission, and astronomical observations captured solar transits by the martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, as well as a view of Earth from the martian surface.

Science↗
USGS1979

Venus: Preliminary topographic and surface imaging results from the Pioneer Orbiter

Three large Venus surface features, identified previously in images obtained from Earth-based radar observations, are shown by the Pioneer Venus radar mapper to be elevated 5 to 10 kilometers above the surrounding terrain. Two of these features, one bright and the other dark, lie adjacent to each other astride the 65°N parallel between longitudes 310°E and 10°E. The combined region forms a huge tectonically uplifted plateau, surmounted by radar-bright ridges that may have either a volcanic or tectonic origin. The third feature, located at 30°N, 283°E, is radar-bright and may consist of volcanic material extruded along a fault zone. A first radar-scattering image, compiled from data obtained by the mapper in its imaging mode, shows a region north of the equator; several circular depressions seen in this area may result from meteoritic impact.

Science↗
USGS1996

Galileo's first images of Jupiter and the Galilean satellites

The first images of Jupiter, Io, Europa, and Ganymede from the Galileo spacecraft reveal new information about Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) and the surfaces of the Galilean satellites. Features similar to clusters of thunderstorms were found in the GRS. Nearby wave structures suggest that the GRS may be a shallow atmospheric feature. Changes in surface color and plume distribution indicate differences in resurfacing processes near hot spots on lo. Patchy emissions were seen while Io was in eclipse by Jupiter. The outer margins of prominent linear markings (triple bands) on Europa are diffuse, suggesting that material has been vented from fractures. Numerous small circular craters indicate localized areas of relatively old surface. Pervasive brittle deformation of an ice layer appears to have formed grooves on Ganymede. Dark terrain unexpectedly shows distinctive albedo variations to the limit of resolution.

Science↗
USGS1995

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observing campaign on comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

The Hubble Space Telescope made systematic observations of the split comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) (P designates a periodic comet) starting in July 1993 and continuing through mid-July 1994 when the fragments plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere. Deconvolutions of Wide Field Planetary Camera images indicate that the diameters of some fragments may have been as large as ∼2 to 4 kilometers, assuming a geometric albedo of 4 percent, but significantly smaller values (that is, < 1 kilometer) cannot be ruled out. Most of the fragments (or nuclei) were embedded in circularly symmetric inner comae from July 1993 until late June 1994, implying that there was continuous, but weak, cometary activity. At least a few nuclei fragmented into separate, condensed objects well after the breakup of the SL9 parent body, which argues against the hypothesis that the SL9 fragments were swarms of debris with no dominant, central bodies. Spectroscopic observations taken on 14 July 1994 showed an outburst in magnesium ion emission that was followed closely by a threefold increase in continuum emission, which may have been caused by the electrostatic charging and subsequent explosion of dust as the comet passed from interplanetary space into the jovian magnetosphere. No OH emission was detected, but the derived upper limit on the H 2 O production rate of ∼10 27 molecules per second does not necessarily imply that the object was water-poor.

Science↗
USGS2015

Characterization of a novel hepadnavirus in the white sucker ( Catostomus commersonii ) from the Great Lakes Region of the USA

The white sucker Catostomus commersonii is a freshwater teleost often utilized as a resident sentinel. Here, we sequenced the full genome of a hepatitis B-like virus that infects white suckers from the Great Lakes Region of the USA. Dideoxysequencing confirmed the white sucker hepatitis B virus (WSHBV) has a circular genome (3542 bp) with the prototypical codon organization of hepadnaviruses. Electron microscopy demonstrated that complete virions of approximately 40 nm were present in the plasma of infected fish. Compared to avi- and orthohepadnaviruses, sequence conservation of the core, polymerase and surface proteins was low and ranged from 16-27% at the amino acid level. An X protein homologue common to the orthohepadnaviruses was not present. The WSHBV genome included an atypical, presumptively non-coding region absent in previously described hepadnaviruses. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed WSHBV as distinct from previously documented hepadnaviruses. The level of divergence in protein sequences between WSHBV other hepadnaviruses, and the identification of an HBV-like sequence in an African cichlid provide evidence that a novel genus of the family Hepadnaviridae may need to be established that includes these hepatitis B-like viruses in fishes. Viral transcription was observed in 9.5% (16 of 169) of white suckers evaluated. The prevalence of hepatic tumors in these fish was 4.9%, of which only 2.4% were positive for both virus and hepatic tumors. These results are not sufficient to draw inferences regarding the association of WSHBV and carcinogenesis in white sucker.

Great Lakes Region↗
USGS1999

Seismic expression of the Chesapeake Bay impact crater: Structural and morphologic refinements based on new seismic data

This work refines previous interpretations of the structure and morphology of the Chesapeake Bay impact crater on the basis of more than 1,200 km of multichannel and single-channel seismic reflection profiles collected in the bay and on the adjacent continental shelf. The outer rim, formed in sedimentary rocks, is irregularly circular, with an average diameter of ~85 km. A 20–25-km-wide annular trough separates the outer rim from an ovate, crystalline peak ring of ~200 m of maximum relief. The inner basin is 35–40 km in diameter, and at least 1.26 km deep. A crystalline(?) central peak, approximately 1 km high, is faintly imaged on three profiles, and also is indicated by a small positive Bouguer gravity anomaly. These features classify the crater as a complex peak-ring/central peak crater. Chesapeake Bay Crater is most comparable to the Ries and Popigai Craters on Earth; to protobasins on Mars, Mercury, and the Moon; and to type D craters on Venus.

Chesapeake Bay Crater↗
USGS1948

Application of Brianchon's theorem to construction of geologic profiles

Brianchon's theorem states that the three diagonals joining opposite vertices of a hexagon circumscribed about a conic are concurrent. A corollary of this theorem applies to a pentagon so that the points of tangency of an inscribed conic may be located. Any five non-concurrent straight lines in a plane, no three of which are parallel, will ordinarily form some kind of a pentagon; and if considered as tangents to a conic, they will define its shape and position. If these five lines are also normals to the traces of parallel stratigraphic surfaces having a constant strike, the derived conic may be regarded as an evolute, from which a set of involutes can be drawn that will constitute a structural profile. A method is thus afforded for constructing a profile normal to the strike of the rocks, and for measuring stratigraphic thickness, by the utilization of five observations of dip along a suitable linear traverse. Graphical methods are also given for constructing a parabolic evolute from four observations and a circular evolute from three observations. Additional points on the conic evolutes are obtained by the application of Pascal's theorem. A mathematical analysis is presented of the relationship between a conic and five of its tangents; and the conic evolute, rather than its involutes, is recommended as a satisfactory record of the structure of a parallel fold. To obtain the equation of this evolute, the equations of the five tangents are first derived, using trilinear coordinates. Thereafter the tangential and trilinear equations of the general conic are deduced. Criteria are given for classifying the conic as a hyperbola, ellipse, parabola, or circle. These graphical and analytical methods are adaptations of the general method of evolute and involutes. They are offered, not as substitutes for the general method, but as quicker, though somewhat less accurate, means of obtaining similar results, where structural conditions justify their use. © 1948, The Geological Society of America, Inc.

Geological Society of America Bulletin↗