New insights into the diets of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Salish Sea revealed by analysis of fatty acid signatures

Harbor seals (Phoca fvitulina) are an abundant predator along the west coast of North America, and there is considerable interest in their diet composition, especially in regard to predation on valued fish stocks. Available informationon harbor seal diets, primarily derived from scat analysis, suggests that adult salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii), and gadids predominate. Because diet assessments based on scat analysis may be biased, we investigated diet composition through quantitative analysis of fatty acid signatures. Blubber samples from 49 harbor seals captured in western North America from haul-outs within the area of the San Juan Islands and southern Strait of Georgia in the Salish Sea were analyzed for fatty acid composition, along with 269 fish and squid specimens representing 27 potential prey classes. Diet estimates varied spatially, demographically, and among individual harbor seals. Findings confirmed the prevalence of previously identified prey species in harbor seal diets, but other species also contributed significantly. In particular, Black (Sebastes melanops) and Yellowtail (S. flavidus) Rockfish were estimated to compose up to 50% of some individual seal diets. Specialization and high predation rates on Black and Yellowtail Rockfish by a subset of harbor seals may play a role in the population dynamics of these regional rockfish stocks that is greater than previously realized.

秦岭苔类植物的研究和中国剪叶苔属（Herbertus S. Gray）的分类学修订

本论文包括两部分的内容，第一部分是秦岭苔类植物的区系研究，第二部分是中国剪叶苔属Herbertus的分类学修订。 秦岭位于我国的中部，东经104º30´～112º52´，北纬32º50´～34º45´N，约76 500 km2。它主要位于陕西省的南部地区，并包括了河南、甘肃和湖北的部分县、市。秦岭的最高峰是太白山，海拔3 767米。秦岭是长江和黄河的分水岭，也是我国温带和亚热带气候的过渡地带。 本研究包含了对自19世纪开始对秦岭苔藓植物的主要采集活动的回顾，和截止2008年以来对秦岭苔类和角苔类植物报道的总结和分析，且首次给出了一份秦岭地区详细的苔类植物的名录，并包括了各个种在秦岭地区的详细分布。根据目前的研究，现已知秦岭的苔类植物有226种（包括种下单位，以下同），其中角苔纲1科3属6种，苔纲30科59属220种；提出了1个新异名：Radula constricta Steph.被处理为Radula lindenbergiana Gottsche var. atypa Massalongo的异名；并提出了1个新组合Metzgeria pubescens var. kinabaluensis (Kuwah) F.X. Li & Y. Jia；发现秦岭新分布的苔类有78种。根据种数，秦岭地区苔类的优势科为光萼苔科（34种），其次为耳叶苔科（23种），裂叶苔科（23种）和羽苔科（19种）。 通过对这些种地理成分的统计，发现秦岭苔类的地理成分以北温带成分为主，占35.05%；其次是东亚成分占到31.78%，这两种地理成分在秦岭占了很大比例，高达66.83%。热带成分相对较少，有22种，占到10.29%。对于苔类来说，中国特有成分在秦岭地区较多，已知有34种，占到15.89%。说明秦岭地区苔类地理成分以温带为主，热带成分占少量比例，且秦岭地区的特有性也比较高。 文章第二部分是对中国剪叶苔属Herbertus S. Gray的分类学修订。剪叶苔属隶属于剪叶苔科，是一个古老而自然的类群，广泛分布于热带和南北温带地区。剪叶苔属植物由于其叶横生或近于横生，侧叶2裂，腹叶2裂或部分不对称3裂，并具假肋，叶细胞具大的三角体而明显区别于苔类的其它属。虽然这个属的概念比较清楚，但在属内种间的划分上存在较大的问题，是苔类中分类较混乱的一个类群。剪叶苔属种的概念多基于叶片形态，包括裂瓣的顶端细胞和假肋的形态及叶基盘边缘附属物的形态。但这些形态特征具很大的可塑性，性状不稳定，造成该属种的概念很模糊。目前全世界剪叶苔属约100余种。中国剪叶苔属的种类尚不确定，《中国苔藓志》中报道了中国有25种l亚种，但Juslen在2006年对亚洲剪叶苔属的修订中，提到中国分布的仅有6种。二者的研究中都存在有一些疏漏和不足之处，对有些种还有争议；且他们的研究中引证的标本都很少，不能全面反映中国剪叶苔属的种类和分布情况。 本研究着手于中国的剪叶苔属，从模式标本入手，从模式标本入手，结合对前人文献中引证标本的查阅，并检视了全国各大标本馆收藏的大量该属的普通标本，对于分类归并上有争议的种，采用扫描电镜和分子生物学的手段进行实验性的研究，对中国的剪叶苔属进行一个全面系统的分类学修订。期望通过本研究，明确中国剪叶苔属的种类和分布情况，为东亚乃至世界剪叶苔属的分类修订提供一份翔实的资料。共查阅了剪叶苔属26个种的模式标本，并检视了中科院北京植物研究所、华南植物园和深圳仙湖植物园馆藏的大量该属植物标本，约600余份。 通过本研究，提出2个新异名：将H. buchii Juslén和H. longispinus var calvs Massalongo处理为H. dicranus (Taylor) Trevis.；将樱井剪叶苔H. sakuraii (Warnst.) S. Hatt.（原并入H. dicranus）和H. minimus Horik.（原并入H. dicranus）重新提出；发现1个中国新分布：H. setigerus (Steph.) H. A. Mill.；确认中国的剪叶苔属17种1亚种：剪叶苔H. aduncus (Dicks.) Gray，剪叶苔纤细亚种H. aduncus subsp. tenuis (A. Evans) H. A. Mill.et E. B. Bohrer，H. armitanus (Steph.) H. A. Mill.，南亚剪叶苔H. ceylanicus (Steph.) Abeyw.，长角剪叶苔H. dicranus (Taylor) Trevis.，高氏剪叶苔H. gaochienii Fu，广东剪叶苔H. guangdongii P.J. Lin & Piippo，卵叶剪叶苔H. herpocladioides Scott. et. Miller，红枝剪叶苔H. huerlimannii Miller，细指剪叶苔H. kurzii (Steph.) H. A. Mill.，长肋剪叶苔H. longifissus Steph.，长刺剪叶苔H. longispinus Jack et Steph.，H. minimus Horik.，长茎剪叶苔H. parisii (Steph.) H. A. Mill.，多枝剪叶苔H. ramosus (Steph.) H. A. Mill.，樱井剪叶苔H. sakuraii (Warnst.) S. Hatt.，短叶剪叶苔H. sendtneri (Nees) Lindb.和H. setigerus (Steph.) H. A. Mill.。本研究还在扫描电镜下观察了H. armitanus、长角剪叶苔H. dicranus和多枝剪叶苔H. ramosus的孢子形态。对于剪叶苔属的修订，还需要更多模式标本的借阅，随着研究深入，剪叶苔属的种类可能会有大量的减少，中国剪叶苔属的种类也将会有一定的减少。

Fish movement patterns in Virgin Islands National Park, Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument and adjacent waters

NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)-Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment’s (CCMA) Biogeography Branch, National Park Service (NPS), US Geological Survey, and the University of Hawaii used acoustic telemetry to quantify spatial patterns and habitat affinities of reef fishes around the island of St. John, US Virgin Islands. The objective of the study was to define the movements of reef fishes among habitats within and between the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (VICRNM), the Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS), and Territorial waters surrounding St. John. In order to better understand species’ habitat utilization patterns among management regimes, we deployed an array of hydroacoustic receivers and acoustically tagged reef fishes. Thirty six receivers were deployed in shallow near-shore bays and across the shelf to depths of approximately 30 m. One hundred eighty four individual fishes were tagged representing 19 species from 10 different families with VEMCO V9-2L-R64K transmitters. The array provides fish movement information at fine (e.g., day-night and 100s meters within a bay) to broad spatial and temporal scales (multiple years and 1000s meters across the shelf). The long term multi-year tracking project provides direct evidence of connectivity across habitat types in the seascape and among management units. An important finding for management was that a number of individuals moved among management units (VICRNM, VINP, Territorial waters) and several snapper moved from near-shore protected areas to offshore shelf-edge spawning aggregations. However, most individuals spent the majority of their time with VIIS and VICRNM, with only a few wide-ranging species moving outside the management units. Five species of snappers (Lutjanidae) accounted for 31% of all individuals tagged, followed by three species of grunts (Haemulidae) accounting for an additional 23% of the total. No other family had more than a single species represented in the study. Bluestripe grunt (Haemulon sciurus) comprised 22% of all individuals tagged, followed by lane snappers (Lutjanus synagris) at 21%, bar jack (Carangoides ruber) at 11%, and saucereye porgy (Calamus calamus) at 10%. The largest individual tagged was a 70 cm TL nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum), followed by a 65 cm mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis), a 47 cm bar jack, and a 41 cm dog snapper (Lutjanus jocu). The smallest individuals tagged were a 19 cm blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) and a 19.2 cm doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus). Of the 40 bluestriped grunt acoustically tagged, 73% were detected on the receiver array. The average days at large (DAL) was 249 (just over 8 months), with one individual detected for 930 days (over two and a half years). Lane snapper were the next most abundant species tagged (N = 38) with 89% detected on the array. The average days at large (DAL) was 221 with one individual detected for 351 days. Seventy-one percent of the bar jacks (N = 21) were detected on the array with the average DALs at 47 days. All of the mutton snapper (N = 12) were detected on the array with an average DAL of 273 and the longest at 784. The average maximum distance travelled (MDT) was ca. 2 km with large variations among species. Grunts, snappers, jacks, and porgies showed the greatest movements. Among all individuals across species, there was a positive and significant correlation between size of individuals and MDT and between DAL and MDT.

Spatial and temporal variation in the diet of the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) in the Gulf of California, Mexico

Between June 1995 and May 1996 seven rookeries in the Gulf of California were visited four times in order to collect scat samples for studying spatial and seasonal variability California sea lion prey. The rookeries studied were San Pedro Mártir, San Esteban, El Rasito, Los Machos, Los Cantiles, Isla Granito, and Isla Lobos. The 1273 scat samples collected yielded 4995 otoliths (95.3%) and 247 (4.7%) cephalopod beaks. Fish were found in 97.4% of scat samples collected, cephalopods in 11.2%, and crustaceans in 12.7%. We identified 92 prey taxa to the species level, 11 to genus level, and 10 to family level, of which the most important were Pacific cutlassfish (Trichiurus lepturus), Pacific sardine (Sardinops caeruleus), plainfin midshipman (Porichthys spp.), myctophid no. 1, northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus), anchoveta (Cetengraulis mysticetus), and jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus). Significant differences were found among rookeries in the occurrence of all main prey (P≤0.04), except for myctophid no. 1 (P>0.05). Temporally, significant differences were found in the occurrence of Pacific cutlassfish, Pacific sardine, plainfin midshipman, northern anchovy, and Pacific mackerel (P<0.05), but not in jack mackerel (χ 2=2.94, df=3, P=0.40), myctophid no. 1 (χ 2=1.67, df= 3, P=0.64), or lanternfishes (χ 2=2.08, df=3, P=0.56). Differences were observed in the diet and in trophic diversity among seasons and rookeries. More evident was the variation in diet in relation to availability of Pacific sardine.

Multidirectional movements of sportfish species between an estuarine no-take zone and surrounding waters of the Indian River Lagoon, Florida

We examined movement patterns of sportfish that were tagged in the northern Indian River Lagoon, Florida, between 1990 and 1999 to assess the degree of fish exchange between an estuarine no-take zone (NTZ) and surrounding waters. The tagged f ish were from seven species: red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus); black drum (Pogonias cromis); sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus); common snook (Centropomus undecimalis); spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus); bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas); and crevalle jack (Caranx hippos). A total of 403 tagged fish were recaptured during the study period, including 65 individuals that emigrated from the NTZ and 16 individuals that immigrated into the NTZ from surrounding waters of the lagoon. Migration distances between the original tagging location and the sites where emigrating fish were recaptured were from 0 to 150 km, and these migration distances appeared to be influenced by the proximity of the NTZ to spawning areas or other habitats that are important to specific life-history stages of individual species. Fish that immigrated into the NTZ moved distances ranging from approximately 10 to 75 km. Recapture rates for sportfish species that migrated across the NTZ boundary suggested that more individuals may move into the protected habitats than move out. These data demonstrated that although this estuarine no-take reserve can protect species from fishing, it may also serve to extract exploitable individuals from surrounding fisheries; therefore, if the no-take reserve does function to replenish surrounding fisheries, then increased egg production and larval export may be more important mechanisms of replenishment than the spillover of excess adults from the reserve into fishable areas.

Demersal groundfish densities in trawlable and untrawlable habitats off Washington: implications for the estimation of habitat bias in trawl surveys

Demersal groundfish densities were estimated by conducting a visual strip-transect survey via manned submersible on the continental shelf off Cape Flattery, Washington. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the statistical sampling power of the submersible survey as a tool to discriminate density differences between trawlable and untrawlable habitats. A geophysical map of the study area was prepared with side-scan sonar imagery, multibeam bathymetry data, and known locations of historical NMFS trawl survey events. Submersible transects were completed at randomly selected dive sites located in each habitat type. Significant differences in density between habitats were observed for lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus), yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus), and tiger rockfish (S. nigrocinctus) individually, and for “all rockfish” and “all flatfish” in the aggregate. Flatfish were more than ten times as abundant in the trawlable habitat samples than in the untrawlable samples, whereas rockfish as a group were over three times as abundant in the untrawlable habitat samples. Guidelines for sample sizes and implications for the estimation of the continental shelf trawl-survey habitat-bias are considered. We demonstrate an approach that can be used to establish sample size guidelines for future work by illustrating the interplay between statistical sampling power and 1) habitat specific-density differences, 2) variance of density differences, and 3) the proportion of untrawlable area in a habitat.

The use of fibre optic sensors to monitor pipeline response to tunnelling

This paper describes the use of fibre optic sensing with Brillouin Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry (BOTDR) for near-continuous (distributed) strain monitoring of a large diameter pipeline, buried in predominantly granular material, subjected to a pipe jack tunnelling operation in London Clay. The pipeline, buried at shallow depth, comprises 4.6 m long sections connected with standard bell and spigot type joints, which connect to a continuous steel pipeline. In this paper the suitability of fibre optic sensing with BOTDR for monitoring pipeline behaviour is illustrated. The ability of the fibre optic sensor to detect local strain changes at joints and the subsequent impact on the overall strain profile is shown. The BOTDR strain profile was also used to infer pipe settlement through a process of double-integration and was compared to pipe settlement measurements. The close approximation of the measured pipe settlement provides further confidence in fibre optic strain sensing with BOTDR to investigate the intricacies of pipeline behaviour, pipe-soil interaction and interaction between pipe sections when subjected to ground movement. Copyright ASCE 2006.

Selecting a multi-agent system development tool for industrial applications: A case study of self-serving aircraft assets

Industrialists have few example processes they can benchmark against in order to choose a multi-agent development kit. In this paper we present a review of commercial and academic agent tools with the aim of selecting one for developing an intelligent, self-serving asset architecture. In doing so, we map and enhance relevant assessment criteria found in literature. After a preliminary review of 20 multiagent platforms, we examine in further detail those of JADE, JACK and Cougaar. Our findings indicate that Cougaar is well suited for our requirements, showing excellent support for criteria such as scalability, persistence, mobility and lightweightness. © 2010 IEEE.

PCB-integrated optical gas sensor

A novel technological platform for multiple gas detection based on the use of PCB-integrated polymer waveguides is presented. A proof-of-principle ammonia sensor is reported integrating onto low-cost FR4 substrates all essential photonic, electronic and chemical components. The device's potential to detect multiple gases is demonstrated. © 2011 IEEE.

PCB-integrated optical waveguide sensors: An ammonia gas sensor

This paper presents a novel platform for the formation of cost-effective PCB-integrated optical waveguide sensors. The sensor design relies on the use of multimode polymer waveguides that can be formed directly on standard PCBs and commercially-available chemical dyes, enabling the integration of all essential sensor components (electronic, photonic, chemical) on low-cost substrates. Moreover, it enables the detection of multiple analytes from a single device by employing waveguide arrays functionalised with different chemical dyes. The devices can be manufactured with conventional methods of the PCB industry, such as solder-reflow processes and pick-and-place assembly techniques. As a proof of principle, a PCB-integrated ammonia gas sensor is fabricated on a FR4 substrate. The sensor operation relies on the change of the optical transmission characteristics of chemically functionalised optical waveguides in the presence of ammonia molecules. The fabrication and assembly of the sensor unit, as well as fundamental simulation and characterisation studies, are presented. The device achieves a sensitivity of approximately 30 ppm and a linear response up to 600 ppm at room temperature. Finally, the potential to detect multiple analytes from a single device is demonstrated using principal-component analysis. © 1983-2012 IEEE.

Flexible conversion ratio fast reactors: Overview

Conceptual designs of lead-cooled and liquid salt-cooled fast flexible conversion ratio reactors were developed. The performance achievable by the unity conversion ratio cores of these reactors was compared to an existing supercritical carbon dioxide-cooled (S-CO2) fast reactor design and an uprated version of an existing sodium-cooled fast reactor. All concepts have cores rated at 2400 MWt. The cores of the liquid-cooled reactors are placed in a large-pool-type vessel with dual-free level, which also contains four intermediate heat exchangers (IHXs) coupling a primary coolant to a compact and efficient supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle power conversion system. The S-CO2 reactor is directly coupled to the S-CO2 Brayton cycle power conversion system. Decay heat is removed passively using an enhanced reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system (RVACS) and a passive secondary auxiliary cooling system (PSACS). The selection of the water-cooled versus air-cooled heat sink for the PSACS as well as the analysis of the probability that the PSACS may fail to complete its mission was performed using risk-informed methodology. In addition to these features, all reactors were designed to be self-controllable. Further, the liquid-cooled reactors utilized common passive decay heat removal systems whereas the S-CO2 uses reliable battery powered blowers for post-LOCA decay heat removal to provide flow in well defined regimes and to accommodate inadvertent bypass flows. The multiple design limits and challenges which constrained the execution of the four fast reactor concepts are elaborated. These include principally neutronics and materials challenges. The neutronic challenges are the large positive coolant reactivity feedback, small fuel temperature coefficient, small effective delayed neutron fraction, large reactivity swing and the transition between different conversion ratio cores. The burnup, temperature and fluence constraints on fuels, cladding and vessel materials are elaborated for three categories of material - materials currently available, available on a relatively short time scale and available only with significant development effort. The selected fuels are the metallic U-TRU-Zr (10% Zr) for unity conversion ratio and TRU-Zr (75% Zr) for zero conversion ratio. The principal selected cladding and vessel materials are HT-9 and A533 or A508, respectively, for current availability, T-91 and 9Cr-1Mo steel for relatively short-term availability and oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel (ODS) available only with significant development. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.