Horizontal and vertical movements of starry smooth-hound Mustelus asterias in the northeast Atlantic

Commercial landings of starry smooth-hound Mustelus asterias in northern European seas are increasing, whilst our knowledge of their ecology, behaviour and population structure remains limited. M. asterias is a widely distributed demersal shark, occupying the waters of the southern North Sea and Irish Sea in the north, to at least the southern Bay of Biscay in the south, and is seasonally abundant in UK waters. There are no species-specific management measures for the northeast Atlantic stock, and the complexity of its population structure is not yet fully understood. To address this issue, we deployed both mark-recapture and electronic tags on M. asterias to gain novel insights into its horizontal and vertical movements. Our data suggest that the habitat use of M. asterias changes on a seasonal basis, with associated changes in geographical distribution, depth utilisation and experienced temperature. We report the first direct evidence of philopatry for this species, and also provide initial evidence of sex-biased dispersal and potential metapopulation-like stock structuring either side of the UK continental shelf. Investigations of finer-scale vertical movements revealed clear diel variation in vertical activity. The illustrated patterns of seasonal space-use and behaviour will provide important information to support the stock assessment process and will help inform any future management options

Fine-scale activity, distribution and habitat utilization of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) on the Ipswich Bay spawning ground

Data storage tags (DSTs) and acoustic telemetry were applied to examine cod spawning habitat utilization in Ipswich Bay and compare seasonal activity patterns. I tagged 200 spawning cod in Ipswich Bay during April--May 2006 with DSTs recording depth and temperature. Twenty-six cod were also implanted with acoustic transmitters and relocated manually and with stationary listening stations during May and June. Twenty-five DSTs were returned, showing that most cod departed the spawning ground during May and June and dispersed throughout the western Gulf of Maine. Cod shared a low vertical activity pattern in Ipswich Bay, but adopted various site-specific vertical behaviors alter leaving. Spawning activity was concentrated in a ∼35 km2 area where cod aggregated alongside particular bathymetric features. These fine-scale movement and spawning data have implications for area closures, defining Essential Fish Habitat, and identifying cod population structure in the Gulf of Maine

Informational variables for basketball dribble control

Analyzing the influence of perceptual variables on basketball dribbling motor control can provide precise information on how this kind of control operates. To assess these variables contribution to the motor control process two groups were tested (i.e. amateurs and professionals), with distinct levels of experience under the perceptual occlusion paradigm, in a static dribble task (i.e., no overall displacement of the individual). Auditory and peripheral vision were chosen as the perceptual variables to be occluded for this study because both, often, are constrained in a competitive setup. The main goal of the thesis was identifying how joints adapted their behavior to each of these two occlusions, when presented alone or together, allowing us to establish an adaptive profile for each group. To do so, tools of non linear (i.e. such as correlation dimension, approximate entropy and Lyapunov exponent), synergistic (i.e. uncontrolled manifold) and dissimilarity analysis (i.e. Procrustes) were used in order to design behavior adaptation profiles for the upper limb main joints when exposed to occlusion phenomena. Overall auditory occlusion had no significant influence in the chosen variables. Even when used jointly with peripheral vision occlusion no cumulative effects in adaptive behavior was observed. However, peripheral vision occlusion lead to some adaptive behaviors throughout both groups that made us conclude the following: 1) wrist position stability is a performance indicator and represents a superior adaptive mechanism; 2) lateral elbow variability and horizontal shoulder variability (i.e. anterior-posterior and lateral) are performance factors allowing the system to be more flexible, thus improving its ability to adapt to constraints; 3) shoulder and elbow angles form a synergy between them in order to stabilize wrist vertical position; 4) the aforementioned synergy is not constant throughout the whole cycle; 5) peripheral vision occlusion disturbs amateurs dribbling performance almost four times more than it does to professionalsA análise das variáveis preceptivas para o controlo motor do drible pode fornecer indicadores objetivos sobre o funcionamento deste controlo. Para avaliar a contribuição de cada uma das variáveis testámos dois grupos com níveis de experiências distintos (i.e., amadores e profissionais) sob o paradigma da oclusão numa tarefa de drible estático (i.e., sem deslocamento do individuo). As variáveis percetivas escolhidas foram a visão periférica e a audição devido aos constrangimentos que os atletas encontram frequentemente em ambiente competitivo. O objetivo foi identificarmos as adaptações que a oclusão provoca, separadamente ou em conjunto, num conjunto de variáveis de natureza articular, podendo posteriormente estabelecer um perfil adaptativo para cada um dos grupos de experiência. Usámos ferramentas de análise não-linear (i.e., dimensão correlacionada, entropia aproximada e expoente de Lyapunov), análise de sinergias (i.e., uncontrolled manifold) e análise de dissemelhança (i.e. Procrustes) para traçar um perfil de comportamento das principais articulações do membro superior quando exposta a fenómenos de oclusão. A oclusão da audição não teve influências significativas nas variáveis analisadas, mesmo quando usada juntamente com a oclusão da visão periférica efeitos adaptativos cumulativos não foram observados. No entanto, através dos comportamentos adaptativos provocados pela oclusão da visão periférica várias conclusões emergiram da nossa análise: 1) a estabilidade da posição do punho é um indicador de performance que representa um melhor comportamento adaptativo; 2) a variabilidade da posição lateral do cotovelo e da posição horizontal do ombro (i.e. ântero-posterior e lateral) é um fator de performance e carateriza uma melhor flexibilidade de adaptação aos constrangimentos; 3) o ângulo do ombro e do cotovelo têm um comportamento sinérgico entre si para estabilizar a posição vertical do punho na execução do drible; 4) a sinergia entre o ângulo do ombro e o cotovelo não é constante durante todo o ciclo de execução; 5) a oclusão da visão periférica perturba a performance no drible nos amadores quase quatro vezes mais que o verificado nos profissionai

Joint modelling of multi-scale animal movement data using hierarchical hidden Markov models

1.Hidden Markov models are prevalent in animal movement modelling, where they are widely used to infer behavioural modes and their drivers from various types of telemetry data. To allow for meaningful inference, observations need to be equally spaced in time, or otherwise regularly sampled, where the corresponding temporal resolution strongly affects what kind of behaviours can be inferred from the data. 2.Recent advances in biologging technology have led to a variety of novel telemetry sensors which often collect data from the same individual simultaneously at different time scales, e.g. step lengths obtained from GPS tags every hour, dive depths obtained from time‐depth recorders once per dive, or accelerations obtained from accelerometers several times per second. However, to date, statistical machinery to address the corresponding complex multi‐stream and multi‐scale data is lacking. 3.We propose hierarchical hidden Markov models as a versatile statistical framework that naturally accounts for differing temporal resolutions across multiple variables. In these models, the observations are regarded as stemming from multiple, connected behavioural processes, each of which operates at the time scale at which the corresponding variables were observed. 4.By jointly modelling multiple data streams, collected at different temporal resolutions, corresponding models can be used to infer behavioural modes at multiple time scales, and in particular help to draw a much more comprehensive picture of an animal's movement patterns, e.g. with regard to long‐term vs. short‐term movement strategies. 5.The suggested approach is illustrated in two real‐data applications, where we jointly model i) coarse‐scale horizontal and fine‐scale vertical Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) movements throughout the English Channel, and ii) coarse‐scale horizontal movements and corresponding fine‐scale accelerations of a horn shark (Heterodontus francisci) tagged off the Californian coast

Recreational boating interferes with the behaviour of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua): a study about the effects of noise pollution from small, recreational vessels on the movement patterns and vocalizations of cod in a fjord on the Norwegian Skagerrak coast

There is a growing concern about the impact of anthropogenic noise pollution on the marine environment. The problem is fed by a lack of knowledge, in which the effect of small recreational boats is especially underestimated. However, small recreational boats are the most abundant in vulnerable and important coastal habitats. This study addresses the issue by looking at the impact of noise on a coastal population of Atlantic cod(Gadus morhua). The results of this study indicate that vocalizations and movement patterns of cod are affected by small boat noise.. An increase in noise leads to a reduction of home range size and an increase in depth. Furthermore, the vocalization length and amount of pulses decrease during periods with high amounts of noise, while vocal fatigue increases. This impact of boat noise on cod may negatively impact courtship success due to the importance of sound during courtship interactions. Additionally, the change in depth might negatively affect cod metabolism due to changes in temperature. This may have implications for the health of cod populations residing in areas with high amounts of ambient noise. Negative impacts of noise have been previously described for other species. The negative impact on cod suggests that marine noise pollution may have economic consequences. Therefore, regulations regarding noise pollution should be urgently addressed

FMX (EEPIS FACIAL EXPRESSION MECHANISM EXPERIMENT): PENGENALAN EKSPRESI WAJAH MENGGUNAKAN NEURAL NETWORK BACKPROPAGATION

In the near future, it is expected that the robot can interact with humans. Communication itself has many varieties. Not only from word to word, but body language also be the medium. One of them is using facial expressions. Facial expression in human communication is always used to show human emotions. Whether it is happy, sad, angry, shocked, disappointed, or even relaxed? This final project focused on how to make robots that only consist of head, so it could make a variety facial expression like human beings. This Face Humanoid Robot divided into several subsystems. There are image processing subsystem, hardware subsystem and subsystem of controllers. In image processing subsystem, webcam is used for image data acquisition processed by a computer. This process needs Microsoft Visual C compiler for programming that has been installed with the functions of the Open Source Computer Vision Library (OpenCV). Image processing subsystem is used for recognizing human facial expressions. With image processing, it can be seen the pattern of an object. Backpropagation Neural Network is useful to recognize the object pattern. Subsystem hardware is a Humanoid Robot Face. Subsystem controller is a single microcontroller ATMega128 and a camera that can capture images at a distance of 50 to 120 cm. The process of running the robot is as follows. Images captured by a camera webcam. From the images that have been processed with image processing by a computer, human facial expression is obtained. Data results are sent to the subsystem controller via serial communications. Microcontroller subsystem hardware then ordered to make that facial expression. Result of this final project is all of the subsystems can be integrated to make the robot that can respond the form of human expression. The method used is simple but looks quite capable of recognizing human facial expression. Keyword: OpenCV, Neural Network BackPropagation, Humanoid Robo

The influence of prey distribution on marine top predator movements

Predation is an ecological process that relies on spatial and temporal co-occurrence of predators and their prey. In marine ecosystems, killer and humpback whales are considered sentinels of ecosystem health, given their critical roles as top predators in shaping marine food webs and their responsiveness to ecosystem changes. As they are seldom influenced by natural threats, they are model species for the study of predator-prey dynamics since their movements, as observed by multidimensional biotelemetry, can reveal interactions occurring underwater and out of sight. This thesis is comprised of three papers that investigate how various prey influences the movements of killer and humpback whales within the Norwegian and Barents Seas. Paper I combined herring density data with whale satellite telemetry to explore how killer whale movements respond to patchy distributions of Norwegian spring spawning herring. This revealed that killer whales follow herring along the Norwegian coast, adjusting their movements in response to herring density. Paper II examined movement differences associated with Norwegian killer whale seal predation as compared to fish predation. Differences in travel routes, shore proximity, and directionality towards seal haul-out areas were observed, emphasizing how these predators optimize their foraging strategies for their prey. Paper III investigated how humpback whale horizontal and vertical movements were influenced by capelin density in the Barents Sea. Both lateral and vertical whale movements responded to capelin density variations, highlighting their tendency to target the densest prey aggregations on both horizontal and vertical scales. Collectively, this thesis revealed nuanced foraging movements in response to varying prey distributions, underscoring the need for more comprehensive models to account for the complexities of predator-prey dynamics, particularly in the face of the rapidly changing Arctic marine ecosystems. It also serves as a foundation for future research incorporating finer-scale biologging tags to connect prey distribution with predator movements.Predasjon er en økologisk prosess hvor et dyr spiser et annet. Hvor mye som kan spises avhenger både av tid og sted og hvor mye overlapp i tid og rom det er mellom rovdyret og byttedyrene. Spekkhoggere og knølhval er på toppen av den marine næringskjeden, såkalte toppredatorer. Disse påvirkes derfor av endringer som skjer nedover i næringskjeden i økosystemene. Derfor kan de også være gode indikatorer til helsestatusen på økosystemene. Siden toppredatorer har få naturlige fiender, er de gode modellarter for å studere dynamikken mellom rovdyr og byttedyr. Ny sporingsteknologi muliggjør nå at vi kan «spionere» på disse dyrene ved hjelp av såkalt «satelittmerker» som festes til dyret. Da kan vi følge disse kontinuerlig via signaler som sendes til satellitter inntil merket faller av. Vi kan da beskrive adferden og bevegelsene til dyrene kontinuerlig både over og under vann, uten å selv måtte observere dem. Gjennom tre studier bruker denne doktorgrads avhandlingen slik sporingsteknologi og innsamlet informasjon om byttedyrtetthet til å undersøke hvordan bevegelsene til spekkhoggere langs norskekysten og knølhvaler i Barentshavet blir påvirket av byttedyrene deres. Det første studiet sammenligner data om tetthet av norsk vårgytende sild langs norskekysten med vandringene til merkede spekkhoggere for å studere hvordan disse hvalenes bevegelser påvirkes av silda. Resultatene viste at spekkhoggere var veldig gode til å finne de høyeste tetthetene av silda når denne flytter seg langs norskekysten. Jo mer sild, jo mere spekkhoggere. Derfor kan også disse hvalene brukes som «forskningsassistenter» for å indirekte beskrive forandringer i silda sin vandring over tid. I det andre studiet undersøkte vi bevegelsesmønsteret til spekkhoggere som jaktet på sel deler av året. Her ble vandringene til disse selspisende spekkhoggerne sammenlignet med sildespisende spekkhoggere i samme tidsrom. Resultatene viste at de selene som jaktet sel gjorde dette tett opptil kysten og ofte i retning mot de kjente hvileplasser til sel. Til forskjell oppholdt de sildespisende spekkhoggerne mest i åpent farvann lengre fra kysten, noe som viser hvordan disse rovdyrene til enhver tid tilpasser sine bevegelser i forhold til byttet de jakter på. I det siste studiet undersøkte vi hvordan den horisontale bevegelsen i havet og dykkingen til knølhval ble påvirket av loddetettheten i Barentshavet. Resultatene viste at også kvølhvalen var svært god til enhver tid å finne områdene med høyest tetthet av byttedyret sitt. Dette gjorde den både horisontalt over store områder og i forhold til dybde gjennom døgnet, dvs. når lodda sto dypt om dagen og høyt i vannsøyla om natta. Samlet viser denne avhandlingen at begge hvalartene er svært gode til å finne områder med høy tetthet av byttedyr, som viser hvordan vi ved hjelp av ny teknologi og avanserte modeller bedre kan forstå hvordan forholdet mellom rovdyr og byttedyr fungerer. Ved å studere vandringene til hval får vi derfor også indirekte viktig informasjon om fordelingen av byttedyrene til hvalene, dyr som ofte er nøkkelarter i økosystemene og derfor påvirker alle ledd både ned og opp i næringskjeden, helt fra mikroskopiske plankton til store toppredatorer som hval. Dette er også viktige data til å danne et godt grunnlag for å undersøke og forutsi hvordan endringer i de nordlige marine økosystemene vil kunne forandres over tid, eksempelvis hvordan klimaendringer, fiskeri og annen menneskelige aktivitet påvirker økosystemene fra bunn til topp i næringskjeden. I tillegg hjelper slike data oss med å påvise viktige områder for toppredatorer gjennom året og dermed også sannsynliggjøre hvor menneskelig aktivitet vil kunne ha størst påvirkning på disse dyrene

Modelling reef fish connectivity: Investigating the biological mechanisms that influence connectivity patterns

Biophysical dispersal models (BDMs) — a hydrodynamic model coupled with a biological model — lend themselves to inferring potential connectivity patterns, as experimental studies using current methods are inherently difficult over extended spatial and temporal scales. This thesis explored the biological processes that affect the connectivity patterns of ichthyoplankton using four related data chapters. The first data chapter, a meta-analysis of connectivity studies using BDMs, investigated both trends and consequences of modelling choices on derived connectivity patterns. The results of this meta-analysis provide a useful framework on parameter choice for future consideration of connectivity studies. The second data chapter is an experiment measuring the ontogenetic vertical migration of reef fish off the coast of south-eastern Australia. The ichthyoplankton sampled demonstrated deeper migration with both increasing ontogenetic stage and length. The third data chapter is a theoretical modelling chapter that investigated the effect of different swimming and migration behaviours and differences in the parameterisation and implementation of vertical migration in a BDM. The fourth data chapter synthesised the results from the previous three data chapters and explored the predicted connectivity patterns of an endemic and threatened Australian reef fish, the black cod (Epinephelus daemelii) using a BDM. E. daemelii larvae showed strong connections to both the natal and proximate regions. Within the context of the current marine protected area (MPA) network of NSW, strong settlement regions had only moderate or no no-take areas. The results of this thesis increase our understanding of the influence of behaviour on the dispersal patterns of marine larvae along the east Australian coast