Site-restricted web searches for data collection in regional dialectology

This article presents a new method for data collection in regional dialectology based on site-restricted web searches. The method measures the usage and determines the distribution of lexical variants across a region of interest using common web search engines, such as Google or Bing. The method involves estimating the proportions of the variants of a lexical alternation variable over a series of cities by counting the number of webpages that contain the variants on newspaper websites originating from these cities through site-restricted web searches. The method is evaluated by mapping the 26 variants of 10 lexical variables with known distributions in American English. In almost all cases, the maps based on site-restricted web searches align closely with traditional dialect maps based on data gathered through questionnaires, demonstrating the accuracy of this method for the observation of regional linguistic variation. However, unlike collecting dialect data using traditional methods, which is a relatively slow process, the use of site-restricted web searches allows for dialect data to be collected from across a region as large as the United States in a matter of days.

DFIG machine design for maximizing power output based on surrogate optimization algorithm

This paper presents a surrogate-model-based optimization of a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) machine winding design for maximizing power yield. Based on site-specific wind profile data and the machine's previous operational performance, the DFIG's stator and rotor windings are optimized to match the maximum efficiency with operating conditions for rewinding purposes. The particle swarm optimization-based surrogate optimization techniques are used in conjunction with the finite element method to optimize the machine design utilizing the limited available information for the site-specific wind profile and generator operating conditions. A response surface method in the surrogate model is developed to formulate the design objectives and constraints. Besides, the machine tests and efficiency calculations follow IEEE standard 112-B. Numerical and experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed technologies.

An interactive environmental site assessment audit for Wagner Creek river basin clean up project

The primary purpose of this thesis was to design and create an Interactive Audit to conduct Environmental Site Assessments according to American Society of Testing Material's (ASTM) Phase I Standards at the Wagner Creek study area. ArcPad and ArcIMS are the major software that were used to create the model and ArcGIS Desktop was used for data analysis and to export shapefile symbology to ArcPad. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an effective tool to deploy these purposes. This technology was utilized to carry out data collection, data analysis and to display data interactively on the Internet. Electronic forms, customized for mobile devices were used to survey sites. This is an easy and fast way to collect and modify field data. New data such as land use, recognized environmental conditions, and underground storage tanks can be added into existing datasets. An updated map is then generated and uploaded to the Internet using ArcIMS technology. The field investigator has the option to generate and view the Inspection Form at the end of his survey on site, or print a hardcopy at base. The mobile device also automatically generates preliminary editable Executive Reports for any inspected site.

Diagnóstico da comercialização de produtos da medicina popular em feiras livres do semiárido do Rio Grande do Norte: avaliações socioeconômicas e sanitárias, com proposta de legislação específica

Historically, man has empirically acquired knowledge about the therapeutic applications of extracted elements of the natural environment in which belonged. Such knowledge over time culminated in the formation of traditional health systems. Among its features, the use of bioactive plant species - medicinal plants - stands out for its efficiency and high popular acceptance. Despite its importance for public health, the population still has in the open-air fairs the main source for the acquisition of the species used. In these spaces, the trade generally occurs informally, under unfavorable conditions to the quality of the products and to the financial sustainability of the business. In this context, this study aimed to characterize the socioeconomic, cultural and sanitary aspects related to the trade of medicinal plants in municipalities of a semiarid region of Rio Grande do Norte, and additionally, proposing a specific legislation to the activity. Socioeconomic data were collected through on-site interviews, guided by structured form. The observations about the hygienic and sanitary adequacy of physical facilities and practices employed at the point of sale /environment were conducted and recorded with the use of assessment tool developed for use in open markets. The adequacy of medicinal plants to consumption was determined by microbiological analysis. The activity was carried out by individuals who are aged between 21 and 81 years of age, low educational level and low-income, predominantly males. The data showed a tendency to extinction of the activity in all the districts studied. It was observed in all the fairs studied hygiene and sanitation inadequacies that characterized very high health risk, representing in this way, the high probability of Food Transmitted Diseases outbreaks Such conditions were reflected in the high percentage of inadequacy to the consumption of the analyzed medicinal plants samples, illustrating the potential health risk to consumers. To contribute to the correction of hygiene and sanitation inadequacies observed in the studied open-air fairs, educational interventions were made to the training of traders in Good Practices. As a complement, was drafted a specific legislation for the marketing of folk medicine's products in open-air fairs. Such actions, products and its developments will contribute significantly to improving the quality of products available to the population and the preservation of activity, potentially reducing the risks to public health.

Tullich Aberdeenshire : a reappraisal of an early ecclesiastical site and its carved stones in the light of recent excavations

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank Bruce Mann of Aberdeenshire Council Archaeology Service for his support throughout and for funding Area F and Historic Scotland for granting SMC for the excavation of Area A. Thanks are due to the tenant farmer Allan Adams and to Helen Rickwood, Jan Dunbar, Colin Mitchell, Sheila Young, Emma Gibson, Veronica Ross, Irvine Ross, Brian Dewar and Sheila Duthie for their work on site. We are grateful to Ian Cameron for help in gathering oral history of some of the crosses found in the 1950s/60s. John Borland, Katherine Forsyth, Simon Taylor and Ross Trench-Jellicoe have provided valuable comments on the sculpture. We would like to thank Invercauld Estate for access to their archive and permission to photograph and reproduce the Scroll Plan, and their honorary archivist, Sheila Sedgwick for her help and patience. We are grateful to Nigel Trewin for identification of the geology of the crosses. The drawings of Tullich 16 and 17 are by Jan Dunbar.

Integrated geoarchaeological methods for the determination of site activity areas : A study of a Viking Age house in Reykjavik, Iceland

Acknowledgements The excavation was funded by the City of Reykjavík, and the geoarchaeological research was funded by a SSHRCC Doctoral Fellowship from the government of Canada, an Overseas Research Studentship, the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, Pelham Roberts and Muriel Onslow Research Studentships from Newnham College, Cambridge, and Canadian Centennial Scholarships from the Canadian High Commission in London. Garðar Guðmundsson took the micromorphology samples, and supervised sampling on site. The bones were counted by Clayton Tinsley, the thin sections were made by Julie Boreham, and Steve Boreham and his team in the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, provided technical support for all of the bulk geochemical analyses that were conducted by K. Milek, except for ICP–AES, which was conducted by ALS Chemex. Our gratitude is extended to Charles French, Catherine Hills, Peter Jordan and two anonymous reviewers for their support and helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper, and to Óskar Gísli Sveinbjarnarson for his assistance with the figures.

Integrated geoarchaeological methods for the determination of site activity areas : A study of a Viking Age house in Reykjavik, Iceland

Acknowledgements The excavation was funded by the City of Reykjavík, and the geoarchaeological research was funded by a SSHRCC Doctoral Fellowship from the government of Canada, an Overseas Research Studentship, the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, Pelham Roberts and Muriel Onslow Research Studentships from Newnham College, Cambridge, and Canadian Centennial Scholarships from the Canadian High Commission in London. Garðar Guðmundsson took the micromorphology samples, and supervised sampling on site. The bones were counted by Clayton Tinsley, the thin sections were made by Julie Boreham, and Steve Boreham and his team in the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, provided technical support for all of the bulk geochemical analyses that were conducted by K. Milek, except for ICP–AES, which was conducted by ALS Chemex. Our gratitude is extended to Charles French, Catherine Hills, Peter Jordan and two anonymous reviewers for their support and helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper, and to Óskar Gísli Sveinbjarnarson for his assistance with the figures.

Role of Hydrological Process Representation on Erosion, Deposition, and Sediment Yield Estimate

Soil erosion by water is a major driven force causing land degradation. Laboratory experiments, on-site field study, and suspended sediments measurements were major fundamental approaches to study the mechanisms of soil water erosion and to quantify the erosive losses during rain events. The experimental research faces the challenge to extent the result to a wider spatial scale. Soil water erosion modeling provides possible solutions for scaling problems in erosion research, and is of principal importance to better understanding the governing processes of water erosion. However, soil water erosion models were considered to have limited value in practice. Uncertainties in hydrological simulations are among the reasons that hindering the development of water erosion model. Hydrological models gained substantial improvement recently and several water erosion models took advantages of the improvement of hydrological models. It is crucial to know the impact of changes in hydrological processes modeling on soil erosion simulation.

This dissertation work first created an erosion modeling tool (GEOtopSed) that takes advantage of the comprehensive hydrological model (GEOtop). The newly created tool was then tested and evaluated at an experimental watershed. The GEOtopSed model showed its ability to estimate multi-year soil erosion rate with varied hydrological conditions. To investigate the impact of different hydrological representations on soil erosion simulation, a 11-year simulation experiment was conducted for six models with varied configurations. The results were compared at varied temporal and spatial scales to highlight the roles of hydrological feedbacks on erosion. Models with simplified hydrological representations showed agreement with GEOtopSed model on long temporal scale (longer than annual). This result led to an investigation for erosion simulation at different rainfall regimes to check whether models with different hydrological representations have agreement on the soil water erosion responses to the changing climate. Multi-year ensemble simulations with different extreme precipitation scenarios were conducted at seven climate regions. The differences in erosion simulation results showed the influences of hydrological feedbacks which cannot be seen by purely rainfall erosivity method.

Raw and normalized X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scannings of IODP Expedition 321, Site U1338

We used X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning on Site U1338 sediments from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 321 to measure sediment geochemical compositions at 2.5 cm resolution for the 450 m of the Site U1338 spliced sediment column. This spatial resolution is equivalent to ~2 k.y. age sampling in the 0-5 Ma section and ~1 k.y. resolution from 5 to 17 Ma. Here we report the data and describe data acquisition conditions to measure Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Mn, and Ba in the solid phase. We also describe a method to convert the data from volume-based raw XRF scan data to a normalized mass measurement ready for calibration by other geochemical methods. Both the raw and normalized data are reported along the Site U1338 splice.

The effect of hook size on the catch rate and size of the Nile perch Lates niloticus (Linne) fishery in the Napoleon Gulf, Lake Victoria, Uganda

This study was undertaken in Napoleon gulf, Lake Victoria Uganda from July – December 2009. It was conducted in four landing sites; Bukaya (0.41103N, 33.19133E), Bugungu (0.40216N, 33.2028E), Busana (0.39062N, 33.25228E) and Kikondo (0.3995N, 33.21848E) all from Buikwe district (Formerly part of Mukono district). The main aim was to determine the effect of both hook size and bait type on the catch rate (mean weight) and size composition of Nile perch (Lates niloticus) (LINNE) fishery in the Napoleon Gulf, Lake Victoria. The main hook sizes investigated during the experiment were 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 that were dominantly used in harvesting Nile perch in Napoleon Gulf, Lake Victoria. In this study length, weight and bait type data were collected on site from each boat at that particular fishing spot; since most fishermen in the Napoleon Gulf could sell their fish immediately the catch is caught there and then. The results indicated a total of 873 Nile perch fish samples collected during the study. Statistical tests, descriptive statistics, regression and correlation were all carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) in addition to Microsoft excel. The bait types in the Gulf ranged from 5-10 cm Total length (TL) haplochromine, 24.5-27 cm TL Mormyrus kannume and 9-24 cm TL Clarias species. The bait types had a significant effect on the catch rate and also on the size composition the fish harvested measured as Total length (ANCOVA F=8.231; P<0.05) despite the fact that bait type had no influence on mean weight of fish captured (ANCOVA F=2.898; P>0.05). Hook sizes used by the fishers had a significant effect on the both the size (TL) composition (ANCOVA F=3.847; P<0.05) and the mean weight (ANCOVA F=4.599; P<0.005) of the Nile perch captured. Investigations indicated hook sizes seven (7) and eight (8) were the ones that harvested the Nile perch above the slot size of 50 cm total length. In general hook sizes indicated to be the main drive in the harvesting of the Nile perch though bait type also contributed toward that. Generally there is need for management to put a law in place on the minimum hook size to be used on the harvesting of the Nile perch and also monitored by the Fisheries Management as a regulatory measure. In addition to that aquaculture should be encouraged to farm the fish for bait at a higher scale in the region in order to avoid depleting the wild stocks already in danger of extinction. Through this kind of venture, both biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability will be observed in the Lake Victoria basin.

Isotope and fatty acid trends along continental shelf depth gradients: Inshore versus offshore hydrological influences on benthic trophic functioning

Anthropogenic activities and land-based inputs into the sea may influence the trophic structure and functioning of coastal and continental shelf ecosystems, despite the numerous opportunities and services the latter offer to humans and wildlife. In addition, hydrological structures and physical dynamics potentially influence the sources of organic matter (e.g., terrestrial versus marine, or fresh material versus detrital material) entering marine food webs. Understanding the significance of the processes that influence marine food webs and ecosystems (e.g., terrestrial inputs, physical dynamics) is crucially important because trophic dynamics are a vital part of ecosystem integrity. This can be achieved by identifying organic matter sources that enter food webs along inshore–offshore transects. We hypothesised that regional hydrological structures over wide continental shelves directly control the benthic trophic functioning across the shelf. We investigated this issue along two transects in the northern ecosystem of the Bay of Biscay (north-eastern Atlantic). Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis (SIA) and fatty acid analysis (FAA) were conducted on different complementary ecosystem compartments that include suspended particulate organic matter (POM), sedimentary organic matter (SOM), and benthic consumers such as bivalves, large crustaceans and demersal fish. Samples were collected from inshore shallow waters (at ∼1 m in depth) to more than 200 m in depth on the offshore shelf break. Results indicated strong discrepancies in stable isotope (SI) and fatty acid (FA) compositions in the sampled compartments between inshore and offshore areas, although nitrogen SI (δ15N) and FA trends were similar along both transects. Offshore the influence of a permanently stratified area (described previously as a “cold pool”) was evident in both transects. The influence of this hydrological structure on benthic trophic functioning (i.e., on the food sources available for consumers) was especially apparent across the northern transect, due to unusual carbon isotope compositions (δ13C) in the compartments. At stations under the cold pool, SI and FA organism compositions indicated benthic trophic functioning based on a microbial food web, including a significant contribution of heterotrophic planktonic organisms and/or of SOM, notably in stations under the cold pool. On the contrary, inshore and shelf break areas were characterised by a microalgae-based food web (at least in part for the shelf break area, due to slope current and upwelling that can favour fresh primary production sinking on site). SIA and FAA were relevant and complementary tools, and consumers better medium- to long-term system integrators than POM samples, for depicting the trophic functioning and dynamics along inshore–offshore transects over continental shelves.

Quantifying the impacts of urban wind sheltering on the building energy consumption

Common building energy modeling approaches do not account for the influence of surrounding neighborhood on the energy consumption patterns. This thesis develops a framework to quantify the neighborhood impact on a building energy consumption based on the local wind flow. The airflow in the neighborhood is predicted using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in eight principal wind directions. The developed framework in this study benefits from wind multipliers to adjust the wind velocity encountering the target building. The input weather data transfers the adjusted wind velocities to the building energy model. In a case study, the CFD method is validated by comparing with on-site temperature measurements, and the building energy model is calibrated using utilities data. A comparison between using the adjusted and original weather data shows that the building energy consumption and air system heat gain decreased by 5% and 37%, respectively, while the cooling gain increased by 4% annually.

Rejets urbains. Volet Manche - Atlantique - Site de Morlaix - Etudes sédimentologique et Bathymétrique de l' estuaire de Morlaix

In order to increase our knowledge about sediment transport in the bay and maritime part of the River of Morlaix (Finistère), measurernènts have been perforrned on site. This report gives the granulometrical and physical parameters of the sediments as weIl as the hydrodynamics, used for a model of particulate transport in the area. The rnodel and its application will be published later

MORPHOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF MANGO GERMPLASM FROM THE UPPER ATHI RIVER REGION OF EASTERN KENYA: AN ANALYSIS BASED ON NON- FRUIT DESCRIPTORS

Phenotypic variation in plants can be evaluated by morphological characterization using visual attributes. Fruits have been the major descriptors for identification of different varieties of fruit crops. However, even in their absence, farmers, breeders and interested stakeholders require to distinguish between different mango varieties. This study aimed at determining diversity in mango germplasm from the Upper Athi River (UAR) and providing useful alternative descriptors for the identification of different mango varieties in the absence of fruits. A total of 20 International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) descriptors for mango were selected for use in the visual assessment of 98 mango accessions from 15 sites of the UAR region of eastern Kenya. Purposive sampling was used to identify farmers growing diverse varieties of mangoes. Evaluation of the descriptors was performed on-site and the data collected were then subjected to multivariate analysis including Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster analysis, one- way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi square tests. Results classified the accessions into two major groups corresponding to indigenous and exotic varieties. The PCA showed the first six principal components accounting for 75.12% of the total variance. A strong and highly significant correlation was observed between the color of fully grown leaves, leaf blade width, leaf blade length and petiole length and also between the leaf attitude, color of young leaf, stem circumference, tree height, leaf margin, growth habit and fragrance. Useful descriptors for morphological evaluation were 14 out of the selected 20; however, ANOVA and Chi square test revealed that diversity in the accessions was majorly as a result of variations in color of young leaves, leaf attitude, leaf texture, growth habit, leaf blade length, leaf blade width and petiole length traits. These results reveal that mango germplasm in the UAR has significant diversity and that other morphological traits apart from fruits can be useful in morphological characterization of mango.

Are the preference and selection patterns of hermit crabs for gastropod shells species- or site-specific?

Experimental analyses of hermit crabs and their preferences for shells are essential to understand the intrinsic relationship of the crabs' dependence on shells, and may be useful to explain their shell use pattern in nature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of crab species and site on the pattern of shell use, selection, and preference in the south-western Atlantic hermit crabs Pagurus brevidactylus and Pagurus criniticornis, comparing sympatric and allopatric populations. Differently from the traditional approach to evaluate shell preference by simply determining the shell selection pattern (i.e., the number of shells of each type selected), preference was defined (according to [Liszka, D., Underwood, AJ., 1990. An experimental design to determine preferences for gastropod shells by a hermit-crab. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol., 137(1), 47-62]) by the comparison of the number of crabs changing for a particular shell type when three options were given (Cerithium atratum, Morula nodulosa, and Tegula viridula) with the number of crabs changing for this same type when only this type was offered. The effect of crab species was tested at Cabelo Gordo Beach, where P. brevidacrylus was found occupying shells of C. atratum, M. nodulosa, and T viridula in similar frequencies, whereas P. criniticornis occupied predominantly shells of C atratum. In laboratory experiments the selection patterns of the two hermit-crab species for these three gastropods were different, with P criniticornis selecting mainly shells of C atratum, and R brevidactylus selecting more shells of M. nodulosa. The shell preference was also dependent on crab species, with P. criniticornis showing a clear preference for shells of C atratum, whereas P. brevidactylus did not show a preference for any of the tested shells. The effect of site was tested for the two species comparing data from Cabelo Gordo to Preta (P brevidactylus) and Araca beaches (P. criniticornis). The pattern of shell use, selection, and preference was demonstrated to be dependent on site only for P. brevidactylus. The results also showed that the shell use pattern of P criniticornis can be explained by its preference at both sites, whereas for P. brevidactylus it occurred only at Cabelo Gordo, where the absence of preference was correlated with the similar use of the three gastropod species studied. Finally, the results showed that the shell selection pattern cannot be considered as a measure of shell preference, since it overestimates crab selectivity. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.