Quantifying seascape structure: extending terrestrial spatial pattern metrics to the marine realm

Spatial pattern metrics have routinely been applied to characterize and quantify structural features of terrestrial landscapes and have demonstrated great utility in landscape ecology and conservation planning. The important role of spatial structure in ecology and management is now commonly recognized, and recent advances in marine remote sensing technology have facilitated the application of spatial pattern metrics to the marine environment. However, it is not yet clear whether concepts, metrics, and statistical techniques developed for terrestrial ecosystems are relevant for marine species and seascapes. To address this gap in our knowledge, we reviewed, synthesized, and evaluated the utility and application of spatial pattern metrics in the marine science literature over the past 30 yr (1980 to 2010). In total, 23 studies characterized seascape structure, of which 17 quantified spatial patterns using a 2-dimensional patch-mosaic model and 5 used a continuously varying 3-dimensional surface model. Most seascape studies followed terrestrial-based studies in their search for ecological patterns and applied or modified existing metrics. Only 1 truly unique metric was found (hydrodynamic aperture applied to Pacific atolls). While there are still relatively few studies using spatial pattern metrics in the marine environment, they have suffered from similar misuse as reported for terrestrial studies, such as the lack of a priori considerations or the problem of collinearity between metrics. Spatial pattern metrics offer great potential for ecological research and environmental management in marine systems, and future studies should focus on (1) the dynamic boundary between the land and sea; (2) quantifying 3-dimensional spatial patterns; and (3) assessing and monitoring seascape change.

Diel movements of fishes linked to benthic seascape structure in a Caribbean coral reef ecosystem

Many common fishes associated with Caribbean coral reef ecosystems use resources from more than 1 patch type during routine daily foraging activities. Few studies have provided direct evidence of connectivity across seascapes, and the importance of benthic seascape structure on movement behavior is poorly known. To address this knowledge gap, we coupled hydro-acoustic technology to track fish with seafloor mapping and pattern analysis techniques from landscape ecology to quantify seascape structure. Bluestriped grunts Haemulon sciurus and schoolmaster snapper Lutjanus apodus were tracked over 24 h periods using boat-based acoustic telemetry. Movement pathways, and day and night activity spaces were mapped using geographical information system (GIS) tools, and seafloor structure within activity spaces was mapped from high-resolution aerial photography and quantified using spatial pattern metrics. For both fish species, night activity spaces were significantly larger than day activity spaces. Fish exhibited a daytime preference for seascapes with aggregate coral reef and colonized bedrock, then shifted to night activity spaces with lower complexity soft sediment including sand, seagrass, and scattered coral/rock. Movement path complexity was negatively correlated with seascape complexity. This demonstrates direct connectivity across multiple patch types and represents the first study to apply quantitative landscape ecology techniques to examine the movement ecology of marine fish. The spatially explicit approach facilitates understanding to the linkages between biological processes and the heterogeneity of the landscape. Such studies are essential for identifying ecologically relevant spatial scales, delineating essential fish habitat and designing marine protected areas.

Introduction

Nearly 100 participants attended the eleventh annual PACLIM workshop at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, California, on April 19-22, 1994. A one-day theme session of ten 45-minute talks was followed by sessions of 20-minute presentations. In addition, 19 presenters gave 1- to 2-minute introductions to their posters, which were displayed throughout the meeting.

Introduction

The Twelfth Annual PACLIM Workshop was held at the Asilomar Conference Center on May 2-5, 1995. The workshop included 32 talks and 26 poster presentations. The talks consisted of a 1-day theme session of nine 45-minute talks and two featured evening talks. Throughout the remainder of the meeting were over 20 shorter 20-minute presentations. Poster presenters gave a 1-2 minute introduction to their posters, which were displayed during the entire meeting. About 100 participants were registered at the workshop.

Introduction

The Thirteenth Annual PACLIM Workshop was held at the Asilomar Conference Center on April 14-17, 1996. Attended by about 100 registered participants, the workshop included 27 talks and 26 poster presentations. The talks consisted of a one-day theme session of seven 45-minute talks and two featured evening talks. Throughout the remainder of the meeting were nearly 20 shorter, 20-minute presentations. Poster presenters gave a short 1-2 minute introduction to their posters, which were displayed during the entire meeting. All presenters were invited to expand their abstracts into a manuscript for inclusion in the Proceedings volume, and nearly all presentations are included in manuscript or abstract form. In this Proceedings volume, manuscripts are presented first, and abstracts of talks and then posters follow.

CLADP - THE CAMBRIDGE LINEAR ANALYSIS AND DESIGN PROGRAMS USER REFERENCE MANUAL (4TH ISSUE: APRIL 1983).

CLADP is an engineering software program developed at Cambridge University for the interactive computer aided design of feedback control systems. CLADP contains a wide range of tools for the analysis of complex systems, and the assessment of their performance when feedback control is applied, thus enabling control systems to be designed to meet difficult performance objectives. The range of tools within CLADP include the latest techniques in the field whose central theme is the extension of classical frequency domain concepts (well known and well proven for single loop systems) to multivariable or multiloop systems, and by making extensive use of graphical presentation information is provided in a readily understood form.

Report on the 1993 IFAC World Congress standards and guidelines session

This brief note reviews five papers which were presented at the 1993 IFAC World Congress, on the theme 'standards and guidelines for computer-aided control engineering (CACE)'. This session was organized as part of the CACE Software Standardization Initiative, a combined effort of the IFAC and IEEE Control System Society committees on standards. The motivation of this report is to note the substantial progress that was made in this initiative, and to provide the basis for further discussion and work. The papers under review were concerned with integrated design environments, the use of the EXPRESS language for defining standard data structures, database management, user interfaces, and the modeling and simulation of hybrid systems.

Water budgeting studies on the hatchery and nursery rearing practices for the common carp, Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1758)

Aquaculture systems are an integral element of rural development and therefore should be environment friendly as well as socially and economically designed. From the economic standpoint, one of the major constraints for the development of sustainable aquaculture includes externalities generated by competition in access to a limited resource. This study was conducted as an investigation into the water requirement for the hatchery and nursery production phases of common carp, Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1758) at the Maharashtra State Fish Seed Farm at Khopoli in Raigad Dist. of Maharashtra during the winter months from November to February. The water budgeting study involves the quantification of water used in every stage of production in hatchery and nursery systems and aimed at becoming a foundation for the minimization of water during production without affecting the yield; thereby conserving water and upholding the theme of sustainable aquaculture. The total water used in a single operation cycle was estimated to be 11,25,040 L [sic]. Out of the total water consumed, 4.74% water was used in the pre-operational management steps, 4.48% was consumed during breeding, 62.72% was consumed in the hatching phase, 21.50% was used for hatchery rearing and 6.56% was consumed during conditioning. In the nursery ponds, the water gain was primarily the regulated inflow coming through the irrigation channel. The total quantum of water used in the nursery rearing was 31,60,800 L [sic]. The initial filling and regulated inflow formed 42.60% and 57.40% respectively of water gain, while evaporation, seepage and discharge contributed 20.71%, 36.46% and 42.82% respectively to the water loss. The total water expended for the entire operation was 1,21,61,120 L [sic]. Water expense occurred to produce a single spawn in the hatchery system was calculated and found to be 0.56 L while the water expended to produce one fry was calculated as 4.86 L. The study fulfills the hydrological equation described by Winter (1981) and Boyd (1985). It also validates the water budget simulation model that can be used for forecasting water requirements for aquaculture ponds (Nath and Bolte, 1998).

Futures of inland aquatic agricultural systems and implications for fish agri-food systems in southern Africa

The CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) is collaborating with partners to develop and implement a foresight-based engagement with diverse stakeholders linked to aquatic agricultural systems. The program’s aim is to understand the implications of current drivers of change for fish agri-food systems, and consequently food and nutrition security, in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Partners include the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU-NEPAD). A key part of the program was a participatory scenario-building workshop held in July 2015 under the theme of "futures of aquatic agricultural systems and implications for fish agri-food systems in southern Africa." The objectives for the workshop were (i) to engage local stakeholders in exploring plausible futures of aquatic agricultural systems, and (ii) to broker and catalyze collaborative plans of action based on the foresight analysis. This report presents technical findings from the workshop. The CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) is collaborating with partners to develop and implement a foresight-based engagement with diverse stakeholders linked to aquatic agricultural systems. The program’s aim is to understand the implications of current drivers of change for fish agri-food systems, and consequently food and nutrition security, in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Partners include the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU-NEPAD). A key part of the program was a participatory scenario-building workshop held in July 2015 under the theme of "futures of aquatic agricultural systems and implications for fish agri-food systems in southern Africa." The objectives for the workshop were (i) to engage local stakeholders in exploring plausible futures of aquatic agricultural systems, and (ii) to broker and catalyze collaborative plans of action based on the foresight analysis. This report presents technical findings from the workshop.

A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes

Eco-innovations, eco-efficiency and corporate social responsibility practices define much of the current industrial sustainability agenda. While important, they are insufficient in themselves to deliver the holistic changes necessary to achieve long-term social and environmental sustainability. How can we encourage corporate innovation that significantly changes the way companies operate to ensure greater sustainability? Sustainable business models (SBM) incorporate a triple bottom line approach and consider a wide range of stakeholder interests, including environment and society. They are important in driving and implementing corporate innovation for sustainability, can help embed sustainability into business purpose and processes, and serve as a key driver of competitive advantage. Many innovative approaches may contribute to delivering sustainability through business models, but have not been collated under a unifying theme of business model innovation. The literature and business practice review has identified a wide range of examples of mechanisms and solutions that can contribute to business model innovation for sustainability. The examples were collated and analysed to identify defining patterns and attributes that might facilitate categorisation. Sustainable business model archetypes are introduced to describe groupings of mechanisms and solutions that may contribute to building up the business model for sustainability. The aim of these archetypes is to develop a common language that can be used to accelerate the development of sustainable business models in research and practice. The archetypes are: Maximise material and energy efficiency; Create value from 'waste'; Substitute with renewables and natural processes; Deliver functionality rather than ownership; Adopt a stewardship role; Encourage sufficiency; Re-purpose the business for society/environment; and Develop scale-up solutions. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

围绕主题的同步交互学习支持方法的研究及工具开发

现代信息技术的发展促使世界各国进行教育信息化的改革。用IT技术辅助教学，特别是网络教学成为信息化教育的主要应用之一，它在提高教学效率的同时，缓解了知识爆炸对教育所带来的冲击，可是目前的IT技术只是用于加固传统落后的教学模式，不能从根本上改变现代教育不适应知识经济发展的社会需求，需要思考能建立适应信息社会人才需要的教育模式。 多尔的后现代课程观批判了现代主义课程观的弊端，例如封闭性、简单性和累积性，重视课程系统的开发性，课程内容的丰富性，注重学习环境的关联性。而网络教学突破教学时空的局限，提供丰富的教育资源，优化自主学习，强化教学互动。因此将后现代课程观理念融入网络教学的教学模式，用网络教学来支持后现代课程教学理念的实现，能为解决现代教学存在的问题开辟新的道路。 本文抓住后现代课程观的核心概念之一交互，通过分析目前网络教学中交互支持工具的现状，提出了围绕主题的同步交互学习支持的方法和工具实现，将后现代课程观中的交互理念与围绕主题学习的思想相结合，利用即时通信和个性化知识的再组织辅助学习中的交互过程，使得整个交互过程与学习内容紧密结合，提高了学习的效率和质量，体现了后现代课程观对课程教学的指导意义。

围绕主题的同步交互学习支持工具的设计与实现

提出了一种围绕主题的同步交互学习支持工具,该工具将后现代课程观中的交互理念与围绕主题学习的思想相结合,利用即时通信和个性化知识的再组织辅助学习中的交互过程,使得整个交互过程与学习内容紧密结合,有利于学习活动的深入开展,提高了学习的效率和质量,体现了后现代课程观对课程教学的指导意义。

围绕主题的同步交互学习支持方法的研究及工具实现

现代信息技术的发展促使世界各国进行教育信息化的改革。用IT技术辅助教学，特别是网络教学成为信息化教育的主要应用之一，它在提高教学效率的同时，缓解了知识爆炸对教育所带来的冲击，可是目前的IT技术只是用于加固传统落后的教学模式，不能从根本上改变现代教育不适应知识经济发展的社会需求，需要思考能建立适应信息社会人才需要的教育模式。 多尔的后现代课程观批判了现代主义课程观的弊端，例如封闭性、简单性和累积性，重视课程系统的开发性，课程内容的丰富性，注重学习环境的关联性。而网络教学突破教学时空的局限，提供丰富的教育资源，优化自主学习，强化教学互动。因此将后现代课程观理念融入网络教学的教学模式，用网络教学来支持后现代课程教学理念的实现，能为解决现代教学存在的问题开辟新的道路。 本文抓住后现代课程观的核心概念之一交互，通过分析目前网络教学中交互支持工具的现状，提出了围绕主题的同步交互学习支持的方法和工具实现，将后现代课程观中的交互理念与围绕主题学习的思想相结合，利用即时通信和个性化知识的再组织辅助学习中的交互过程，使得整个交互过程与学习内容紧密结合，提高了学习的效率和质量，体现了后现代课程观对课程教学的指导意义。

内蒙古草地植被群落生物量的梯度特征研究

Relationship between biology and environment is always the theme of ecology. Transect is becoming one of the important methods in studies on relationship between global change and terrestrial ecosystems, especially for analysis of its driving factors. Inner Mongolia Grassland is the most important in China Grassland Transect brought forward by Yu GR. In this study, changes in grassland community biomass along gradients of weather conditions in Inner Mongolia was researched by the method of transect. Methods of regression about biomass were also compared. The transect was set from Eerguna county to Alashan county (38° 07' 35" ~50° 12' 20" N, 101° 55' 25" -120° 20' 46" E) in Inner Mongolia, China. The sample sites were mainly chosen along the gradient of grassland type, meadow steppe-* typical steppe-*desert steppe-*steppification desert-^desert. The study was carried out when grassland community biomass got the peak in August or September, 2003 and 2004. And data of 49 sample sites was gotten, which included biomass, mean annual temperature, annual precipitation, accumulated temperature above zero, annual hours of sunshine and other statistical and descriptive data. The aboveground biomass was harvested, and the belowground biomass was obtained by coring (30 cm deep). Then all the biomass samples were dried within (80 + 5) °C in oven and weighted. The conclusion is as follows: 1) From the northeast to the southwest in Inner Mongolia, along the gradient of grassland type, meadow steppe-*typical steppe-*desert steppe-*steppification desert-* desert, the cover degree of vegetation community reduces. 2) By unitary regression analysis, biomass is negatively correlated with mean annual temperature, s^CTC accumulated temperature, ^10°C accumulated temperature and annual hours of sunshine, among which mean annual temperature is crucial, and positively with mean annual precipitation and mean annual relative humidity, and the correlation coefficient between biomass and mean annual relative humidity is higher. Altitude doesn't act on it evidently. Result of multiple regression analysis indicates that as the primary restrictive factor, precipitation affects biomass through complicated way on large scale, and its impaction is certainly important. Along the gradient of grassland type, total biomass reduces. The proportion of aboveground biomass to total biomass reduces and then increases after desert steppe. The trend of below ground biomass's proportion to total biomass is adverse to that of aboveground biomass. 3) Precipitation is not always the only driving factor along the transect for below-/aboveground biomass ratio of different vegetation type composed by different species, and distribution of temperature and precipitation is more important, which is much different among climatic regions, so that the trend of below-/aboveground biomass ratio along the grassland transect may change much through the circumscription of semiarid region and arid region. 4) Among reproductive allocation of aboveground biomass, only the proportion of stem in total biomass notably correlates to the given parameters. Stem/leaf biomass ratio decreases when longitude and latitude increase, caloric variables decrease, and variables about water increase from desert to meadow steppe. The change trends are good modeled by logarithm or binomial equations. 5) 0'-10 cm belowground biomass highly correlates to environmental parameters, whose proportion to total biomass changes most distinctly and increases along the gradient from the west to the east. The deeper belowground biomass responses to the environmental change on the adverse trend but not so sensitively as the surface layer. Because the change value of 0~10 cm belowground biomass is always more than that of below 10 cm along the gradient, the deference between them is balanced by aboveground biomass's change by the resource allocation equilibrium hypothesis.

工程地质三维可视化技术及其工程应用研究

Study of 3D visualization technology of engineering geology and its application to engineering is a cross subject which includes geosciences, computer, software and information technology. Being an important part of the secondary theme of National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) whose name is Study of Multi-Scale Structure and Occurrence Environment of Complicated Geological Engineering Mass(No.2002CB412701), the dissertation involves the studies of key problems of 3D geological modeling, integrated applications of multi-format geological data, effective modeling methods of complex approximately layered geological mass as well as applications of 3D virtual reality information management technology.The main research findings are listed below:Integrated application method of multi-format geological data is proposed,which has solved the integrated application of drill holes, engineering geology plandrawings, sectional drawings and cutting drawings as well as exploratory trenchsketch. Its application can provide as more as possible fundamental data for 3Dgeological modeling.A 3D surface construction method combined Laplace interpolation points withoriginal points is proposed, so the deformation of 3D model and the crossing error ofupper and lower surface of model resulted from lack of data when constructing alaminated stratum can be eliminated.3D modeling method of approximately layered geological mass is proposed,which has solved the problems of general modeling method based on the sections or points and faces when constructing terrain and concordant strata.The 3D geological model of VII dam site of Xiangjiaba hydropower stationhas been constructed. The applications of 3D geological model to the auto-plotting ofsectional drawing and the converting of numerical analysis model are also discussed.3D virtual reality information integrated platform is developed, whose mostimportant character is that it is a software platform having the functions of 3D virtualreality flying and multi-format data management simultaneously. Therefore, theplatform can load different 3D model so as to satisfy the different engineeringdemands.The relics of Aigong Cave of Longyou Stone Caves are recovered. Thereinforcement plans of 1# and 2# cave in phoenix hill also be expressed. The intuitiveexpression provided decision makers and designers a very good environment.The basic framework and specific functions of 3D geological informationsystem are proposed.The main research findings in the dissertation have been successfully applied to some important engineering such as Xiangjiaba hydropower station, a military airport and Longyou Stone Caves etc.