An Autonomous Sailing Robot for Ocean Observation

Sauze, C. and Neal, M. 'An Autonomous Sailing Robot for Ocean Observation', in proceedings of TAROS 2006, Guildford, UK, Sept 4-6th 2006, pages 190-197.

Dealing with emergent design science research projects in IS

Multiple models, methods and frameworks have been proposed to guide Design Science Research (DSR) application to address relevant classes of problems in Information Systems (IS) discipline. While much of the ambiguity around the research paradigm has been removed, only the surface has been scratched on DSR efforts where researcher takes an active role in organizational and industrial engagement to solve a specific problem and generalize the solution to a class of problems. Such DSR projects can have a significant impact on practice, link theories to real contexts and extend the scope of DSR. Considering these multiform settings, the implications to theorizing nor the crucial role of researcher in the interplay of DSR and IS projects have not been properly addressed. The emergent nature of such projects needs to be further investigated to reach such contributions for both theory and practice. This paper raises multiple theoretical, organizational and managerial considerations for a meta-level monitoring model for emergent DSR projects.

Environmental and Human Pathogenic Microorganisms

As the study of interactions between pathogenic microorganisms and their environment is part of microbial ecology, this chapter reviews the different types of human pathogens found in the environment, the different types of fecal indicators used in water quality monitoring, the biotic and abiotic factors affecting the survival and the infectivity of pathogenic microorganisms during their transportation in the environment, and the methods presently available to detect rare microorganisms in environmental samples. This chapter exclusively focuses on human pathogens.

A Note On Tidal Asymmetry In The Severn Estuary

A one-dimensional, non-linear numerical model is used to investigate the tidally averaged frictional stress and set-up of water level due to tidal asymmetry in the Severn Estuary; these quantities depend on the overtides in the region. A linearized model of the overtides is applied to calculations of the M4 currents in order to delineate the mechanisms responsible for their generation. The relative importance of individual non-linear mechanisms to the tidally averaged stress and set-up is determined; these mechanisms are interactions between tidal flow and changes in depth or breadth over a cross-section, frictional interaction between the tidal flow and Stokes drift, interaction between the tidal fluctuations in water depth and frictional retardation and non-linear advection.

Intraguild predation may explain an amphipod replacement: evidence from laboratory populations

In a laboratory experiment that permitted both observations of the behaviour of individuals and the monitoring of small populations, the role of 'intraguild predation' in the elimination of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus duebeni celticus by the introduced G. pulex was examined. Over 18 weeks, deaths in single and mixed species replicates were monitored. Rates of 'mortality' (deaths not due to cannibalism or predation) did not differ between the species. Gammarus cl. celticus, however, was more cannibalistic than G. pulex and, in both species, males were more often cannibalized than females. In mixed species replicates, the mean proportions of animals preyed upon did not differ among replicates with differing starting proportions of the two species, nor was there a difference between the sexes in numbers preyed upon. G. pulex, however, preyed more frequently on G. d celticus than vice versa, and this became more pronounced over time. In 87% of mixed species replicates, G. pulex eliminated G. d. celticus. The results support the proposition that intraguild predation may be the primary mechanism whereby G. pulex rapidly replaces G. d. celticus in freshwater. Integrating behavioural observations with population level monitoring may thus link pattern and process in behaviour and ecology.

Mid- to late-Holocene climate variability and anthropogenic impacts: multi-proxy evidence from Lake Bliden, Denmark

We conducted multi-proxy geochemical analyses (including measurements of organic carbon, nitrogen and sulphur stable isotope composition, and carbonate carbon and oxygen isotope composition) on a 13.5 m sediment core from Lake Bliden, Denmark, which provide a record of shifting hydrological conditions for the past 6,700 years. The early part of the stratigraphic record (6,700-5,740 cal year BP) was wet, based on delta O-18(carb) and lithology, and corresponds to the Holocene Thermal Maximum. Shifts in primarily delta O-18(carb) indicate dry conditions prevailed from 5,740 to 2,800 cal year BP, although this was interrupted by very wet conditions from 5,300 to 5,150, 4,300 to 4,050 and 3,700 to 3,450 cal year BP. The timing of the latter two moist intervals is consistent with other Scandinavian paleoclimatic records. Dry conditions at Lake Bliden between 3,450 and 2,800 cal year BP is consistent with other paleolimnological records from southern Sweden but contrasts with records in central Sweden, possibly suggesting a more northerly trajectory of prevailing westerlies carrying moisture from the North Atlantic at this time. Overall, fluctuating moisture conditions at Lake Bliden appear to be strongly linked to changing sea surface temperatures in the Greenland, Iceland and Norwegian seas. After 2,800 cal year BP, sedimentology, magnetic susceptibility, delta C-13(ORG), delta C-13(carb) and delta O-18(carb) indicate a major reduction on water level, which caused the depositional setting at the coring site to shift from the profundal to littoral zone. The Roman Warm Period (2,200-1,500 cal year BP) appears dry based on enriched delta O-18(carb) values. Possible effects of human disturbance in the watershed after 820 cal year BP complicate attempts to interpret the stratigraphic record although tentative interpretation of the delta O-18(carb), magnetic susceptibility, delta C-13(ORG), delta C-13(carb) and delta O-18(carb) records suggest that the Medieval Warm Period was dry and the Little Ice Age was wet.

Quantifying contributions of domestic wastewater treatment systems to nutrient fluxes in stream headwaters

Effective implementation of the Water Framework Directive requires a reappraisal of conventional approaches to water quality monitoring. Quantifying the impact of domestic wastewater treatment systems (DWWTS) in Irish catchments is further complicated by high levels of natural heterogeneity. This paper presents a numerical model that couples attenuation to flow along different hydrological pathways contributing to river discharge; this permits estimation of the impact of DWWTS to overall nutrient fluxes under a range of geological conditions. Preliminary results suggest high levels of attenuation experienced
before DWWTS effluent reaches bedrock play a significant role in reducing its ecological impact on aquatic receptors. Conversely, low levels of attenuation in systems discharging directly to surface water may affect water quality more significantly, particularly during prolonged dry periods in areas underlain by low productivity aquifers (>60% of Ireland), where dilution capacity is limited.

Phylogenetic and phylogeographic analysis of the genus Orestias (Teleostei: Cyprinodontidae) in the southern Chilean Altiplano: The relevance of ancient and recent divergence processes in speciation

This study presents phylogenetic molecular data of the Chilean species of Orestias to propose an allopatric divergence hypothesis and phylogeographic evidence that suggests the relevance of abiotic factors in promoting population divergence in this complex. The results reveal that diversification is still ongoing, e.g. in the Ascotán salt pan, where populations of Orestias ascotanensis restricted to individual freshwater springs exhibit strong genetic differentiation, reflecting putative independent evolutionary units. Diversification of Orestias in the southern Altiplano may be linked to historical vicariant events and contemporary variation in water level; these processes may have affected the populations from the Plio-Pleistocene until the present.

Lake Kumphawapi – an archive of Holocene palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic changes in northeast Thailand

The long-term climatic and environmental history of Southeast Asia, and of Thailand in particular, is still fragmentary. Here we present a new 14C-dated, multi-proxy sediment record (TOC, C/N, CNS isotopes, Si, Zr, K, Ti, Rb, Ca elemental data, biogenic silica) for Lake Kumphawapi, the second largest natural lake in northeast Thailand. The data set provides a reconstruction of changes in lake status, groundwater fluctuations, and catchment run-off during the Holocene. A comparison of multiple sediment sequences and their proxies suggests that the summer monsoon was stronger between c. 9800 and 7000 cal yr BP. Lake status and water level changes around 7000 cal yr BP signify a shift to lower effective moisture. By c. 6500 cal yr BP parts of the lake had been transformed into a peatland, while areas of shallow water still occupied the deeper part of the basin until c. 5400–5200 cal yr BP. The driest interval in Kumphawapi's history occurred between c. 5200 and 3200 cal yr BP, when peat extended over large parts of the basin. After 3200 cal yr BP, the deepest part of the lake again turned into a wetland, which existed until c. 1600 cal yr BP. The observed lake-level rise after 1600 cal yr BP could have been caused by higher moisture availability, although increased human influence in the catchment cannot be ruled out. The present study highlights the use of multiple sediment sequences and proxies to study large lakes, such as Lake Kumphawapi in order to correctly assess the time transgressive response to past changes in hydroclimate conditions. Our new data set from northeast Thailand adds important palaeoclimatic information for a region in Southeast Asia and allows discussing Holocene monsoon variability and ITCZ movement in greater detail.

Shifting Ground:Beyond National Architecture

The Irish Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2012 charts a position for Irish architecture in a global culture where the modes of production of architecture are radically altered. Ireland is one of the most globalised countries in the world, yet it has developed a national culture of architecture derived from local place as a material construct. We now have to evolve our understanding in the light of the globalised nature of economic processes and architectural production which is largely dependent on internationally networked flows of products, data, and knowledge. We have just begun to represent this situation to ourselves and others. How should a global architecture be grounded culturally and philosophically? How does it position itself outside of shared national reference points?
heneghan peng architects were selected as participants because they are working across three continents on a range of competition-winning projects. Several of these are in sensitive and/or symbolic sites that include three UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Giants Causeway Visitor Centre in Northern Ireland, and the new Rhine Bridge near Lorelei.
Our dialogue led us to discussing the universal languages of projective geometry and number are been shared by architects and related professionals. In the work of heneghan peng, the specific embodiment of these geometries is carefully calibrated by the choice of materials and the detailed design of their physical performance on site. The stone facade of the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre takes precise measure of the properties of the volcanic basalt seams from which it is hewn. The extraction of the stone is the subject of the pavilion wall drawings which record the cutting of stones to create the façade of the causeway centre.
We also identified water as an element which is shared across the different sites. Venice is a perfect place to take measure of this element which suggests links to another site – the Nile Valley which was enriched by the annual flooding of the River Nile. An ancient Egyptian rod for measuring the water level of the Nile inspired the design of the Nilometre - a responsive oscillating bench that invites visitors to balance their respective weights. This action embodies the ways of thinking that are evolving to operate in the globalised world, where the autonomous architectural object is dissolving into an expanded field of conceptual rules and systems. The bench constitutes a shifting ground located in the unstable field of Venice. It is about measurement and calibration of the weight of the body in relation to other bodies; in relation to the site of the installation; and in relation to water. The exhibit is located in the Artiglierie section of the Arsenale. Its level is calibrated against the mark of the acqua alta in the adjacent brickwork of the building which embodies a liminal moment in the fluctuating level of the lagoon.
The weights of bodies, the level of water, changes over time, are constant aspects of design across cultures and collectively they constitute a common ground for architecture - a ground shared with other design professionals. The movement of the bench required complex engineering design and active collaboration between the architects, engineers and fabricators. It is a kind of prototype – a physical object produced from digital data that explores the mathematics at play – the see-saw motion invites the observer to become a participant, to give it a test drive. It shows how a simple principle can generate complex effects that are difficult to predict and invites visitors to experiment and play with them.

Flow due to multiple jets downstream of a barrage: Experiments, 3-D CFD and depth-averaged modelling

The flow through and downstream of a row of seven open draft tubes in a barrage has been investigated through laboratory experiments in a wide flume, a three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics simulation, and a two-dimensional depth-averaged computation. Agreement between the experiments and the 3D modeling is shown to be good, including the prediction of an asymmetric Coandă effect. One aim is to determine the distance downstream at which depth-averaged modeling provides a reasonable prediction; this is shown to be approximately 20 tube diameters downstream of the barrage. Upstream of this, the depth-averaged modeling inaccurately predicts water level, bed shear, and the 3D flow field. The 3D model shows that bed shear stress can be markedly magnified near the barrage, particularly where the jets become attached.

Using microbiological tracers to assess the impact of winter land use restrictions on the quality of stream headwaters in a small catchment.

Diverse land use activities can elevate risk of microbiological contamination entering stream headwaters. Spatially distributed water quality monitoring carried out across a 17km(2) agricultural catchment aimed to characterize microbiological contamination reaching surface water and investigate whether winter agricultural land use restrictions proved effective in addressing water quality degradation. Combined flow and concentration data revealed no significant difference in fecal indicator organism (FIO) fluxes in base flow samples collected during the open and prohibited periods for spreading organic fertilizer, while relative concentrations of Escherichia coli, fecal streptococci and sulfite reducing bacteria indicated consistently fresh fecal pollution reached aquatic receptors during both periods. Microbial source tracking, employing Bacteroides 16S rRNA gene markers, demonstrated a dominance of bovine fecal waste in river water samples upstream of a wastewater treatment plant discharge during open periods. This contrasted with responses during prohibited periods where human-derived signatures dominated. Differences in microbiological signature, when viewed with hydrological data, suggested that increasing groundwater levels restricted vertical infiltration of effluent from on-site wastewater treatment systems and diverted it to drains and surface water. Study results reflect seasonality of contaminant inputs, while suggesting winter land use restrictions can be effective in limiting impacts of agricultural wastes to base flow water quality.

Caracterização molecular de cianobactérias de sistemas aquáticos portugueses

As alterações climáticas favorecem a ocorrência global de episódios de precipitação e seca extremas, colocando em risco a qualidade da água em sistemas aquáticos usados consumo humano ou recreação. O fenómeno de seca, em particular, será mais frequente e severo, alterando toda a hidrodinâmica dos sistemas aquáticos e, consequentemente, a ecologia das comunidades aquáticas. A ocorrência de blooms de cianobactérias intensificarse- á sob este novo cenário climático. Em Portugal, estudos parcelares em rios e barragens têm sido realizados com enfoque em cianobactérias tóxicas e outras bactérias patogénicas, mas não há trabalhos publicados acerca da composição da comunidade bacteriana (CCB). O presente trabalho pretende colmatar esta falha, com particular atenção para a ocorrência de blooms cianobacterianos, em vários sistemas aquáticos portugueses lóticos e lênticos. Este objectivo foi alcançado utilizando metodologias moleculares, como a técnica rDNA 16S-DGGE (Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis), independente do cultivo, e a sequenciação. Dados ambientais foram também determinados para correlacionar com as variações sazonais ou espaciais da diversidade da CCB. O impacto da seca na distribuição espacial da CCB foi também investigado. A lagoa da Vela é um caso de estudo especial, devido à vasta documentação sobre a ocorrência de blooms de cianobactérias durante os últimos anos, e várias estirpes isoladas de blooms foram estudadas em mais detalhe. Os resultados mostraram, em geral, perfis de DGGE típicos de verão vs. inverno nos sistemas aquáticos estudados. Nos sistemas lênticos, os filótipos dominantes afiliaram com Cyanobacteria (formas unicelulares, coloniais e filamentosas), eucariotas fototróficos e Actinobacteria, enquanto nos rios, Bacteroidetes e Betaproteobacteria foram dominantes. Nos sistemas lênticos, os factores mais significativos para a sazonalidade da CCB incluíram a temperatura da água, a condutividade e a clorofila a, apesar da variação extrema dos níveis de precipitação, sugerindo que a BCC poderá resistir a mudanças severas causadas pela seca. Nos rios, a sazonalidade da CCB foi principalmente definida pela temperatura e os níveis de amónia. No verão seco de 2005, as barragens do Alentejo (Sul de Portugal) mostraram similaridade na CCB, com filótipos comuns de Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria e Alphaproteobacteria. No entanto, os perfis de DGGE sugerem filótipos ubíquos em sistemas portugueses geograficamente distantes. Na Lagoa da Vela, a seca conduziu à redução drástica do nível da água e à variação na diversidade espacial da CCB (e cianobactérias dominantes) e potencial tóxico, o que pode ter impacto directo nos utilizadores da lagoa. Os resultados também mostraram a presença de estirpes tóxicas de Microcystis na lagoa e um bloom não clonal de estirpes de Aphanizomenon aphanizomenoides, com diferentes morfótipos, genótipos e ecótipos.

The effect of stress on egg quality in farmed Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua L.)

Dissertação de mestrado, Aquacultura, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2011

Águas minerais em São Miguel (Açores) : perceção pública da sua génese e ocorrência

Dissertação de Mestrado, Geologia do Ambiente e Sociedade, 15 de Fevereiro de 2016, Universidade dos Açores.