An auto-focusing method for imaging ellipsometry system

An auto-focusing method based on the image brightness gradient sharpness function is presented for imaging ellipsometry system, in which the image plane of the thin-film specimen is not perpendicular to the optical axis. The clear image of a specimen with large area is obtained by moving the imaging sensor in optical axis direction and around its sensitive surface centre successively. The experimental results demonstrate its feasibility.

An automatic imaging spectroscopic ellipsometer for characterization of nano-film pattern on solid substrate

In order to characterize the physical and spatial properties of nano-film pattern on solid substrates, an automatic imaging spectroscopic ellipsometer (ISE) based on a polarizer - compensator - specimen - analyzer configuration in the visible region is presented. It can provide the spectroscopic ellipsometric parameters psi (x, y, lambda) and Delta (x, y, lambda) of a large area specimen with a lateral resolution in the order of some microns. A SiO2 stepped layers pattern is used to demonstrate the function of the ISE which shows potential application in thin film devices' such as high-throughput bio-chips.

Semi-automatic generation of learning domain modules for technology supported learning systems

In a time when Technology Supported Learning Systems are being widely used, there is a lack of tools that allows their development in an automatic or semi-automatic way. Technology Supported Learning Systems require an appropriate Domain Module, ie. the pedagogical representation of the domain to be mastered, in order to be effective. However, content authoring is a time and effort consuming task, therefore, efforts in automatising the Domain Module acquisition are necessary.Traditionally, textbooks have been used as the main mechanism to maintain and transmit the knowledge of a certain subject or domain. Textbooks have been authored by domain experts who have organised the contents in a means that facilitate understanding and learning, considering pedagogical issues.Given that textbooks are appropriate sources of information, they can be used to facilitate the development of the Domain Module allowing the identification of the topics to be mastered and the pedagogical relationships among them, as well as the extraction of Learning Objects, ie. meaningful fragments of the textbook with educational purpose.Consequently, in this work DOM-Sortze, a framework for the semi-automatic construction of Domain Modules from electronic textbooks, has been developed. DOM-Sortze uses NLP techniques, heuristic reasoning and ontologies to fulfill its work. DOM-Sortze has been designed and developed with the aim of automatising the development of the Domain Module, regardless of the subject, promoting the knowledge reuse and facilitating the collaboration of the users during the process.

Charles M. Breder, Jr.: Hypothetical considerations, 1931-1937

Charles M. Breder Jr. “hypothesis” diary is a deviation from the field diaries that form part of the Breder collection housed at the Arthur Vining Davis Library, Mote Marine Laboratory. There are no notes or observations from specific scientific expeditions in the document. Instead, the contents provide an insight into the early meticulous scientific thoughts of this biologist, and how he examines and develops these ideas. It is apparent that among Dr. Breder’s passions was his continual search for knowledge about questions that still besieged many scientists. Topics discussed include symmetry, origin of the atmosphere, origin of life, mechanical analogies of organisms, aquaria as an organism, astrobiology, entropy, evolution of species, and other topics. The diary was transcribed as part of the Coastal Estuarine Data/Document Rescue and Archeology effort for South Florida. (PDF contains 33 pages)

Science-based restoration monitoring of coastal habitats, Volume One: A framework for monitoring plans under the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000 (Public Law 160-457)

Executive Summary: The Estuary Restoration Act of 2000 (ERA), Title I of the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000, was created to promote the restoration of habitats along the coast of the United States (including the US protectorates and the Great Lakes). The NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science was charged with the development of a guidance manual for monitoring plans under this Act. This guidance manual, titled Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats, is written in two volumes. It provides technical assistance, outlines necessary steps, and provides useful tools for the development and implementation of sound scientific monitoring of coastal restoration efforts. In addition, this manual offers a means to detect early warnings that the restoration is on track or not, to gauge how well a restoration site is functioning, to coordinate projects and efforts for consistent and successful restoration, and to evaluate the ecological health of specific coastal habitats both before and after project completion (Galatowitsch et al. 1998). The following habitats have been selected for discussion in this manual: water column, rock bottom, coral reefs, oyster reefs, soft bottom, kelp and other macroalgae, rocky shoreline, soft shoreline, submerged aquatic vegetation, marshes, mangrove swamps, deepwater swamps, and riverine forests. The classification of habitats used in this document is generally based on that of Cowardin et al. (1979) in their Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States, as called for in the ERA Estuary Habitat Restoration Strategy. This manual is not intended to be a restoration monitoring “cookbook” that provides templates of monitoring plans for specific habitats. The interdependence of a large number of site-specific factors causes habitat types to vary in physical and biological structure within and between regions and geographic locations (Kusler and Kentula 1990). Monitoring approaches used should be tailored to these differences. However, even with the diversity of habitats that may need to be restored and the extreme geographic range across which these habitats occur, there are consistent principles and approaches that form a common basis for effective monitoring. Volume One, titled A Framework for Monitoring Plans under the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000, begins with definitions and background information. Topics such as restoration, restoration monitoring, estuaries, and the role of socioeconomics in restoration are discussed. In addition, the habitats selected for discussion in this manual are briefly described. (PDF contains 116 pages)

A scientific forum on the Gulf of Mexico: The Islands in the Stream Concept. Proceedings of the Forum: 23 January 2008, Keating Education Center, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida

The Scientific Forum on the Gulf of Mexico: The Islands in the Stream Concept took place in January 2008 in Sarasota, Florida. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together scientists and managers from around the Gulf of Mexico to discuss a range of topics on our knowledge of the Gulf of Mexico, from its geology to larger-scale connectivity to the Caribbean region, and their applications to the concept of a more integrated approach to area-based management. The forum included six panels of invited experts who spoke on the oceanographic and biological features in the Gulf of Mexico, including connections with Mexico and the Mesoamerican barrier reef system, and the legal and regulatory structure currently in place. The charge to the group was to share information, identify gaps in our knowledge, identify additional potential areas for protection, and discuss available science about connectivity and the potential value of establishing a marine protected area network in the Gulf of Mexico. (PDF has 108 pages.)

Directions for Research Data Management in UK Universities

This report addresses five key topics: »» Policy development and implementation »» Skills and capability »» Infrastructure and interoperability »» Incentives for researchers and support stakeholders »» Business case and sustainability

Workshop on marine mammal research & monitoring in the National Marine Sanctuaries, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, 28 November 1999

The Second National Workshop on Marine Mammal Research and Monitoring in the National Marine Sanctuaries was held on 28 November 1999 in Maui, Hawaii. The workshop preceded the Thirteenth Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, and provided an opportunity to review and promote marine mammal research and monitoring in the National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS). The purpose of the workshop was to bring together researchers and sanctuary staff and to improve marine mammal research and monitoring throughout the sanctuaries. Discussion topics included: potential multi-sanctuary projects, sources of funding for multi-sanctuary projects, services and equipment for researchers through the sanctuaries, consolidating small levels of funding, help in funding and support for writing up data, publishing documents in Technical Memoranda, and letters of support. Representatives from the NMS national office and nine sanctuaries provided participants with overviews of marine mammal research within the sanctuaries. Presentations were also given by representatives from the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Permits and Health and Stranding programs. During the breakout working groups, there were several comments and suggestions consistent among each of the groups to improve marine mammal research. Each group emphasized the need to improve communication among researchers and to better share data. These suggestions included web-based information networks, advisory panels, and workshops. Regionally based research projects were also emphasized. In order to best study marine mammal populations, collaborative studies must take place throughout multiple sanctuaries. In order to achieve these large scale studies, funding and staffing must be directed towards these studies and distributed among each of the sanctuaries so that they may all be able to have the staffing, equipment, and vessels necessary to achieve a collaborative, ecosystem-based, regional marine mammal monitoring program. It will take several years to achieve all of the suggestions from the workshop, but thanks to the workshop participants, the National Marine Sanctuary Program has begun to direct marine mammal research and monitoring in order to achieve the goals of the workshop. This document provides a summary of the workshop with a focus on key points/main issues. We have included contact information intended to encourage continued collaboration among the individuals and organizations represented at the 1999 Marine Mammal Research and Monitoring in the National Marine Sanctuaries Workshop. (PDF contains 71 pages.)

Emerging technologies for reef fisheries research and management [held during the 56th annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute meeting in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, November 2003]

This publication of the NOAA Professional Paper NMFS Series is the product of a special symposium on “Emerging Technologies for Reef Fisheries Research and Management” held during the 56th annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute meeting in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, November 2003. The purpose of this collection is to highlight the diversity of questions and issues in reef fisheries management that are benefiting from applications of technology. Topics cover a wide variety of questions and issues from the study of individual behavior, distribution and abundance of groups and populations, and associations between habitats and fish and shellfish species.(PDF files contains 124 pages.)

Rarefied gas dynamics: fundamentals, simulations and micro flows

Adiabatic shear localization: occurrence, theories, and applications

Emerging technologies for reef fisheries research and management

This publication of the NOAA Professional Paper NMFS Series is the product of a special symposium on “Emerging Technologies for Reef Fisheries Research and Management” held during the 56th annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute meeting in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, November 2003. The purpose of this collection is to highlight the diversity of questions and issues in reef fisheries management that are benefiting from applications of technology. Topics cover a wide variety of questions and issues from the study of individual behavior, distribution and abundance of groups and populations, and associations between habitats and fish and shellfish species.

Coastal & Marine Issues Survey

Florida Sea Grant management and extension specialists developed a questionnaire to solicit information regarding the recipient’s county of residence, occupation, and primary coastal activities. Survey recipients were also asked to select from a list the top five marine-related topics that defined prior strategic plan themes (i.e., marine bio-technology, fisheries, aquaculture, seafood safety, coastal communities, ecosystem health, coastal hazards, and marine education). In addition, questionnaire recipients were asked to evaluate (on a scale of one to five) the importance of a series of listed outcomes that characterize priority planning themes. Last, survey recipients identified up to three priority themes and outcomes that they felt were particularly important and in need of resolution. (PDF contains 36 pages.)

The position of a social economy in the Czech Republic at present

The Social Economy is a new phenomenon in the Czech Republic. It means the economy with its social effects that is being supported within public politics. Some analyses have been done at J.E:purkynI University in Ústí nad Labem during the last years. The topics of this research were the transformation of public administration, non-profit sector(respectively the civil mix sector), co-operatives, and social enterprises, and it is still ongoing.

Synopsis of biological data on the cobia Rachycentron canadum (Pisces: Rachycentridae)

Information on the biology and fisheries of cobia, Rachycentron canadum, is compiled and reviewed in the FAD species synopsis style. Topics include taxonomy, morphology, distribution, reproduction, pre-adult and adult stages, food, growth, migration, population characteristics, and various aspects of exploitation. Data and information were obtained from unpublished as well as published sources. Cobia, the only species in the family Rachycentridae, is a migratory pelagic fish that occurs in tropical and subtropical seas of the world, except in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. In the western Atlantic Ocean, spawning occurs during the warm months. Eggs and larvae are planktonic. Females grow faster than males: at 1 year, females are 36 cm FL and 0.4 kg; at 4 years, 99 cm and 11 kg; and at 8 years, 137 cm and 31 kg. Comparable data for males are: at 1 year, 31 cm and 0.3 kg; 4 years, 82 cm and 6 kg; and 8 years, 108 cm and 15 kg. Sexual maturity is attained by males at about 52 cm FL in their second year and by females at about 70 cm in their third year. Fecundity for females 100-125 cm FL varies from 1.9 to 5.4 million eggs. Cobia favor crustaceans for food, but will feed on other invertebrates and fishes as well. They attain a maximum size of over 60 kg. Cobia are fished both commercially and recreationally. Commercially, they are usually caught incidentally in both hook-and-Iine and net fISheries. In the United States, which ranks behind Pakistan, Mexico, and the Philippines in commercial production of cobia, recreational landings exceed commercial landings by more than ten-fold. (PDF file contains 32 pages.)