Past and present distribution, densities and movements of blue whales Balaenoptera musculus in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean

1. Blue whale locations in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean were obtained from catches (303 239), sightings (4383 records of ≥ 8058 whales), strandings (103), Discovery marks (2191) and recoveries (95), and acoustic recordings. 2. Sighting surveys included 7 480 450 km of effort plus 14 676 days with unmeasured effort. Groups usually consisted of solitary whales (65.2%) or pairs (24.6%); larger feeding aggregations of unassociated individuals were only rarely observed. Sighting rates (groups per 1000 km from many platform types) varied by four orders of magnitude and were lowest in the waters of Brazil, South Africa, the eastern tropical Pacific, Antarctica and South Georgia; higher in the Subantarctic and Peru; and highest around Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Chile, southern Australia and south of Madagascar. 3. Blue whales avoid the oligotrophic central gyres of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, but are more common where phytoplankton densities are high, and where there are dynamic oceanographic processes like upwelling and frontal meandering. 4. Compared with historical catches, the Antarctic (‘true’) subspecies is exceedingly rare and usually concentrated closer to the summer pack ice. In summer they are found throughout the Antarctic; in winter they migrate to southern Africa (although recent sightings there are rare) and to other northerly locations (based on acoustics), although some overwinter in the Antarctic. 5. Pygmy blue whales are found around the Indian Ocean and from southern Australia to New Zealand. At least four groupings are evident: northern Indian Ocean, from Madagascar to the Subantarctic, Indonesia to western and southern Australia, and from New Zealand northwards to the equator. Sighting rates are typically much higher than for Antarctic blue whales.

The whaling issue: Conservation, confusion, and casuistry

Morishita’s “multiple analysis”of the whaling issue [Morishita J. Multiple analysis of the whaling issue: Understanding the dispute by a matrix. Marine Policy 2006;30:802–8] is essentially a restatement of the Government of Japan’s whaling policy, which confuses the issue through selective use of data, unsubstantiated facts, and the vilification of opposing perspectives. Here, we deconstruct the major problems with Morishita’s article and provide an alternative view of the whaling dispute. For many people in this debate, the issue is not that some whales are not abundant, but that the whaling industry cannot be trusted to regulate itself or to honestly assess the status of potentially exploitable populations. This suspicion has its origin in Japan’s poor use of science, its often implausible stock assessments, its insistence that culling is an appropriate way to manage marine mammal populations, and its relatively recent falsification of whaling and fisheries catch data combined with a refusal to accept true transparency in catch and market monitoring. Japanese policy on whaling cannot be viewed in isolation, but is part of a larger framework involving a perceived right to secure unlimited access to global marine resources. Whaling is inextricably tied to the international fisheries agreements on which Japan is strongly dependent; thus, concessions made at the IWC would have potentially serious ramifications in other fora.

The Phylogenetic Relationships and Biogeography of True Porpoises (Mammalia: Phocoenidae) Based On Morphological Data

Prior studies of phylogenetic relationships among phocoenids based on morphology and molecular sequence data conflict and yield unresolved relationships among species. This study evaluates a comprehensive set of cranial, postcranial, and soft anatomical characters to infer interrelationships among extant species and several well-known fossil phocoenids, using two different methods to analyze polymorphic data: polymorphic coding and frequency step matrix. Our phylogenetic results confirmed phocoenid monophyly. The division of Phocoenidae into two subfamilies previously proposed was rejected, as well as the alliance of the two extinct genera Salumiphocaena and Piscolithax with Phocoena dioptrica and Phocoenoides dalli. Extinct phocoenids are basal to all extant species. We also examined the origin and distribution of porpoises within the context of this phylogenetic framework. Phocoenid phylogeny together with available geologic evidence suggests that the early history of phocoenids was centered in the North Pacific during the middle Miocene, with subsequent dispersal into the southern hemisphere in the middle Pliocene. A cooling period in the Pleistocene allowed dispersal of the southern ancestor of Phocoena sinusinto the North Pacific (Gulf of California).

Diets of Baird’s Beaked Whales, Berardius bairdii, in the Southern Sea Of Okhotsk and Off the Pacific Coast Of Honshu, Japan

Stomach contents were analyzed from 127 Baird’s beaked whales, Berardizls bairdii, taken in coastal waters of Japan. During late July-August of 1985- 1987, 1989, and 1991, 107 samples were collected from off the Pacific coast of Honshu. An additional 20 samples were collected from whales taken in the southern Sea of Okhotsk during late August-September of 1988 and 1989. Prey identification using fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks revealed the whales fed primarily on deep-water gadiform fishes and cephalopods in both regions. Prey species diversity and the percentage of cephalopods and fish differed between the two regions. Off the Pacific coast of Honshu the whales fed primarily on benthopelagic fishes (81.8%) and only 18.0% on cephalopods. Eight species of fish representing two families, the codlings (Moridae) and the grenadiers (Macrouridde), collectively made up 81.3% of the total. Thirty species of cephalopods representing 14 families made up 12.7%. In the southern Sea of Okhotsk, cephalopods accounted for 87.1% of stomach contents. The families Gonatidae and Cranchiidae were the predominant cephalopod prey, accounting for 86.7% of the diet. Gadiform fish accounted for only 12.9% of the diet. Longfin codling, Laernonma longipes, was the dominant fish prey in both regions. Depth distribution of the two commonly consumed fish off the Pacific coast of Honshu indicate the whales in this region fed primarily at depths ranging from 800 to 1,200 m.

Book Review of Cetacean Societies: Field Studies Of Whales And Dolphins Edited by I. Mann, R. C. Connor, P. L. Tyack & H. Whitehead

Studying the sociobiology and behavioral ecology of cetaceans is particularly challenging due in large part to the aquatic environment in which they live. Nevertheless, many of the obstacles traditionally associated with data gathering on tree-ranging whales, dolphins and porpoises are rapidly being overcome, and are now far less formidable. During the past several decades, marine mammal scientists equipped with innovative research methods and new technologies have taken field-based behavioral studies to a new level of sophistication. In some cases, as is true for bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, sperm whales and humpback whales, modern research paradigms in the marine environment are comparable to present-day studies of terrestrial mammal social systems. Cetacean Society stands testament to the relatively recent advances in marine mammal science, and to those scientists, past and present, whose diligence has been instrumental in shaping the discipline.

Routing and Wavelength Assignment (RWA) with Power Considerations In All- Optical Wavelength-Routed Networks

Routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) is an important problem that arises in wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical networks. Previous studies have solved many variations of this problem under the assumption of perfect conditions regarding the power of a signal. In this paper, we investigate this problem while allowing for degradation of routed signals by components such as taps, multiplexers, and fiber links. We assume that optical amplifiers are preplaced. We investigate the problem of routing the maximum number of connections while maintaining proper power levels. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear program and two-phase hybrid solution approaches employing two different heuristics are developed

LSMAC and LSNAIT: Two Approaches for Cluster-based Scalable Web Servers

Server responsiveness and scalability are more important than ever in today’s client/server dominated network environments. Recently, researchers have begun to consider cluster-based computers using commodity hardware as an alternative to expensive specialized hardware for building scalable Web servers. In this paper, we present performance results comparing two cluster-based Web servers based on different server infrastructures: MAC-based dispatching (LSMAC) and IP-based dispatching (LSNAT). Both cluster-based server systems were implemented as application-space programs running on commodity hardware. We point out the advantages and disadvantages of both systems. We also identify when servers should be clustered and when clustering will not improve performance.

Agent Based Intrusion Detection and Response System for Wireless LANs

Wireless LAN technology, despite the numerous advantages it has over competing technologies, has not seen widespread deployment. A primary reason for markets not adopting this technology is its failure to provide adequate security. Data that is sent over wireless links can be compromised with utmost ease. In this project, we propose a distributed agent based intrusion detection and response system for wireless LANs that can detect unauthorized wireless elements like access points, wireless clients that are in promiscuous mode etc. The system reacts to intrusions by either notifying the concerned personnel, in case of rogue access points and promiscuous nodes, or by blocking unauthorized users from accessing the network resources.

Router and Firewall Redundancy with OpenBSD and CARP

As more reliance is placed on computing and networking systems, the need for redundancy increases. The Common Address Redundancy Protocol (CARP) protocol and OpenBSD’s pfsync utility provide a means by which to implement redundant routers and firewalls. This paper details how CARP and pfsync work together to provide this redundancy and explores the performance one can expect from the open source solutions. Two experiments were run: one showing the relationship between firewall state creation and state synchronization traffic and the other showing how TCP sessions are transparently maintained in the event of a router failure. Discussion of these simulations along with background information gives an overview of how OpenBSD, CARP, and pfsync can provide redundant routers and firewalls for today’s Internet.

Joint Computing and Network Resource Scheduling in a Lambda Grid Network

Data-intensive Grid applications require huge data transfers between grid computing nodes. These computing nodes, where computing jobs are executed, are usually geographically separated. A grid network that employs optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology and optical switches to interconnect computing resources with dynamically provisioned multi-gigabit rate bandwidth lightpath is called a Lambda Grid network. A computing task may be executed on any one of several computing nodes which possesses the necessary resources. In order to reflect the reality in job scheduling, allocation of network resources for data transfer should be taken into consideration. However, few scheduling methods consider the communication contention on Lambda Grids. In this paper, we investigate the joint scheduling problem while considering both optical network and computing resources in a Lambda Grid network. The objective of our work is to maximize the total number of jobs that can be scheduled in a Lambda Grid network. An adaptive routing algorithm is proposed and implemented for accomplishing the communication tasks for every job submitted in the network. Four heuristics (FIFO, ESTF, LJF, RS) are implemented for job scheduling of the computational tasks. Simulation results prove the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed solution.

Distributed Hybrid Agent Based Intrusion Detection and Real Time Response System

Wireless LANs are growing rapidly and security has always been a concern. We have implemented a hybrid system, which will not only detect active attacks like identity theft causing denial of service attacks, but will also detect the usage of access point discovery tools. The system responds in real time by sending out an alert to the network administrator.

Joint Computing and Network Resource Scheduling in a Lambda Grid Network

Data-intensive Grid applications require huge data transfers between grid computing nodes. These computing nodes, where computing jobs are executed, are usually geographically separated. A grid network that employs optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology and optical switches to interconnect computing resources with dynamically provisioned multi-gigabit rate bandwidth lightpath is called a Lambda Grid network. A computing task may be executed on any one of several computing nodes which possesses the necessary resources. In order to reflect the reality in job scheduling, allocation of network resources for data transfer should be taken into consideration. However, few scheduling methods consider the communication contention on Lambda Grids. In this paper, we investigate the joint scheduling problem while considering both optical network and computing resources in a Lambda Grid network. The objective of our work is to maximize the total number of jobs that can be scheduled in a Lambda Grid network. An adaptive routing algorithm is proposed and implemented for accomplishing the communication tasks for every job submitted in the network. Four heuristics (FIFO, ESTF, LJF, RS) are implemented for job scheduling of the computational tasks. Simulation results prove the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed solution.

Integrated Intermediate Waveband and Wavelength Switching for Optical WDM Mesh Networks

As wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) evolves towards practical applications in optical transport networks, waveband switching (WBS) has been introduced to cut down the operational costs and to reduce the complexities and sizes of network components, e.g., optical cross-connects (OXCs). This paper considers the routing, wavelength assignment and waveband assignment (RWWBA) problem in a WDM network supporting mixed waveband and wavelength switching. First, the techniques supporting waveband switching are studied, where a node architecture enabling mixed waveband and wavelength switching is proposed. Second, to solve the RWWBA problem with reduced switching costs and improved network throughput, the cost savings and call blocking probabilities along intermediate waveband-routes are analyzed. Our analysis reveals some important insights about the cost savings and call blocking probability in relation to the fiber capacity, the candidate path, and the traffic load. Third, based on our analysis, an online integrated intermediate WBS algorithm (IIWBS) is proposed. IIWBS determines the waveband switching route for a call along its candidate path according to the node connectivity, the link utilization, and the path length information. In addition, the IIWBS algorithm is adaptive to real network applications under dynamic traffic requests. Finally, our simulation results show that IIWBS outperforms a previous intermediate WBS algorithm and RWA algorithms in terms of network throughput and cost efficiency.

A Survey of Medical College Libraries in Andhra Pradesh, India

Data was collected from 22 selected medical college libraries and 526 undergraduate and postgraduate medical students, using a survey. The article presents a list of findings and recommendations based on them to improve the services of medical college libraries in Andhra Pradesh.

Maximizing Resource Sharing in WDM Mesh Networks With Path-Based Protection and Sparse OEO Regeneration

We propose a resource-sharing scheme that supports three kinds of sharing scenarios in a WDM mesh network with path-based protection and sparse OEO regeneration. Several approaches are used to maximize the sharing of wavelength-links and OEO regenerators.