Enhancing AIS to Improve Whale-Ship Collision Avoidance and Maritime Security

Whale-ship strikes are of growing worldwide concern due to the steady growth of commercial shipping. Improving the current situation involves the creation of a communication capability allowing whale position information to be estimated and exchanged among vessels and other observation assets. An early example of such a system has been implemented for the shipping lane approaches to the harbor of Boston, Massachusetts where ship traffic transits areas of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary frequently used by whales. It uses the Automated Identification Systems (AIS) technology, currently required for larger vessels but becoming more common in all classes of vessels. However, we believe the default mode of AIS operation will be inadequate to meet the long-term needs of whale-ship collision avoidance, and will likewise fall short of meeting other current and future marine safety and security communication needs. This paper explores the emerging safety and security needs for vessel communications, and considers the consequences of a communication framework supporting asynchronous messaging that can be used to enhance the basic AIS capability. The options we analyze can be pursued within the AIS standardization process, or independently developed with attention to compatibility with existing AIS systems. Examples are discussed for minimizing ship interactions with Humpback Whales and endangered North Atlantic Right Whales on the east coast, and North Pacific Right Whales, Bowhead Whales, Humpback Whales, Blue Whales and Beluga Whales in west coast, Alaskan and Hawaiian waters

Nonlinear time-warping made simple: a step-by-step tutorial on underwater acoustic modal separation with a single hydrophone

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Bonnel, J., Thode, A., Wright, D., & Chapman, R. Nonlinear time-warping made simple: a step-by-step tutorial on underwater acoustic modal separation with a single hydrophone. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 147(3), (2020): 1897, doi:10.1121/10.0000937.Classical ocean acoustic experiments involve the use of synchronized arrays of sensors. However, the need to cover large areas and/or the use of small robotic platforms has evoked interest in single-hydrophone processing methods for localizing a source or characterizing the propagation environment. One such processing method is “warping,” a non-linear, physics-based signal processing tool dedicated to decomposing multipath features of low-frequency transient signals (frequency f  1 km). Since its introduction to the underwater acoustics community in 2010, warping has been adopted in the ocean acoustics literature, mostly as a pre-processing method for single receiver geoacoustic inversion. Warping also has potential applications in other specialties, including bioacoustics; however, the technique can be daunting to many potential users unfamiliar with its intricacies. Consequently, this tutorial article covers basic warping theory, presents simulation examples, and provides practical experimental strategies. Accompanying supplementary material provides matlab code and simulated and experimental datasets for easy implementation of warping on both impulsive and frequency-modulated signals from both biotic and man-made sources. This combined material should provide interested readers with user-friendly resources for implementing warping methods into their own research.This work was supported by the Office of Naval Research (Task Force Ocean, project N00014-19-1-2627) and by the North Pacific Research Board (project 1810). Original warping developments were supported by the French Delegation Generale de l'Armement

Multivariate regression analysis of atmospheric density in the region 30 to 110 km

Multivariate regression analysis of atmospheric density in region 30 to 100 k

Novel methods of disease surveillance in wildlife

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2015Both infectious and noninfectious disease agents in wildlife impact human health and accurate research, monitoring, and diagnostic methods are necessary. The objectives of the research reported here were to develop and implement novel methods for bacterial and toxicological disease agent surveillance in wildlife. This dissertation begins with a review of tularemia, an important zoonotic disease to the state of Alaska and the Northern hemisphere. In chapter two, I show the development and implementation of broad-based PCR and quantitative PCR (qPCR) surveillance methods for bacterial DNA in tissue samples; 1298 tissue samples were assayed, numerous potential bacterial pathogens were identified and qPCR detection limits were quantified for various tissue matrices. Chapter three describes an investigation into microbial infection as a source of embryo mortality in greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons) in Arctic Alaska. This chapter builds upon our previously developed PCR surveillance techniques by which I demonstrated that bacterial infection is responsible for some greater white-fronted goose embryo mortality in Arctic Alaska. Chapter four describes the development and validation of a cellulose filter paper method for quantifying total mercury in whole blood. I determined that filter paper technology is useful for monitoring total mercury in whole blood, with excellent recoveries (82 - 95% of expected values) and R2 values (0.95 - 0.97) when regressed against the concentration of total mercury in whole blood, the technique generally considered as the "gold standard" for mercury detection. These methods will aid in the accurate detection of disease agents in wildlife as demonstrated by our white-fronted goose work.1. Tularemia in Alaska, 1938-2010 -- 1.1. Introduction -- 1.2. Tularemia in wildlife in Alaska -- 1.3. History of human tularemia in Alaska -- 1.3. History of human tularemia in Alaska -- 1.4. Epidemiology of reported cases in Alaska 1946-2010 -- 1.5. Molecular subtyping of recent F. tularensis isolates -- 1.6. Conclusions -- 1.7. Competing interests -- 1.8. Authors contributions -- 1.9. Acknowledgments -- 1.10. References -- 2. Development and implementation of a broad-based polymerase chain reaction surveillance method for bacterial DNA in Alaskan wildlife tissues -- 2.1. Introduction -- 2.2. Materials and methods -- 2.2.1. Sample collection -- 2.2.2. DNA extraction -- 2.2.3. Primers -- 2.2.4. End point PCR reactions -- 2.2.5. qPCR reactions -- 2.2.6. qPCR detection limit and dilution factor determination -- 2.2.7. Sequence analysis -- 2.3. Results -- 2.4. Discussion -- 2.5. Acknowledgments -- 2.6. Sources and manufacturers -- 2.7. Declaration of conflicting interests -- 2.8. Funding -- 2.9. References -- 3. Microbial infection as a source of embryo mortality in wild geese on the Arctic Coastal of Alaska -- 3.1. Introduction -- 3.2. Materials and methods -- 3.2.1. Sample collection -- 3.2.2. Bacterial culture and identification -- 3.2.3. Microscopy -- 3.2.4. DNA extraction -- 3.2.5. PCR and sequencing -- 3.2.6. Embryonated egg infections -- 3.2.7. Histopathology -- 3.3. Results -- 3.3.1 Samples collected -- 3.3.2. Microbiology, PCR, and sequencing -- 3.3.3. Cloacal and nest swabs -- 3.3.4. Morphology -- 3.3.5. Neisseria phylogenetics -- 3.3.6. Embryonated egg infections -- 3.3.7. Sequence accession numbers -- 3.4. Discussion -- 3.5. Acknowledgments -- 3.6. References -- 4. Use of cellulose filter paper to quantify whole blood mercury in two marine mammals: validation study -- 4.1. Introduction -- 4.2. Materials and methods -- 4.2.1. Filter paper and samples -- 4.2.2. Sample preparation -- 4.2.3. Mercury analysis -- 4.2.4. Calculations and statistics -- 4.3. Results -- 4.4. Discussion -- 4.5. Conclusion -- 4.6. Acknowledgments -- 4.7. Literature cited -- General conclusions -- References

Hybrid Routing in Delay Tolerant Networks

This work addresses the integration of today\u27s infrastructure-based networks with infrastructure-less networks. The resulting Hybrid Routing System allows for communication over both network types and can help to overcome cost, communication, and overload problems. Mobility aspect resulting from infrastructure-less networks are analyzed and analytical models developed. For development and deployment of the Hybrid Routing System an overlay-based framework is presented

Hybrid routing in delay tolerant networks

This work addresses the integration of today\\u27s infrastructure-based networks with infrastructure-less networks. The resulting Hybrid Routing System allows for communication over both network types and can help to overcome cost, communication, and overload problems. Mobility aspect resulting from infrastructure-less networks are analyzed and analytical models developed. For development and deployment of the Hybrid Routing System an overlay-based framework is presented

The Loyola Reporter

“The Student Newspaper of Loyola Law School, Los Angeles”. 2 copies

LDAOR - Location and Direction Aware Opportunistic Routing in Vehicular Ad hoc Networks, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2016, nr 1

Routing in Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) has found significant attention because of its unique features such as lack of energy constraints and high-speed vehicles applications. Besides, since these networks are highly dynamic, design process of routing algorithms suitable for an urban environment is extremely challenging. Appropriate algorithms could be opportunistic routing (OR) where traffic transmission is performed using the store-carry-forward mechanism. An efficient OR mechanism, called Location and Direction Aware Opportunistic Routing (LDAOR), is proposed in this paper. It is based on the best neighbor node selection by using vehicles positions, vehicles directions, and prioritization of messages from buffers, based on contact histories and positions of neighbor nodes to destination. In LDAOR, when multiple nodes make contact with a carrier node, the closest neighbor node to destination is selected as the best forwarder. However, when only one node makes contact with the carrier node, the message is delivered to it if it moves toward the destination. Using the ONE simulator, the obtained performance evaluation results show that the LDAOR operates better than conventional OR algorithms. The LDAOR not only increases delivery rate, but also reduces network overhead, traffic loss, and number of aborted messages

Colonist, 1886-03-06

The Colonist began on 6 March 1886, changing its name to The Newfoundland Colonist after 18 July 1891. Having printed local and international news Monday to Saturday for six years, the paper came to an abrupt end when its offices were destroyed in The Great Fire of 8 July 1892.Title variations recorded in Alternative Title, as needed