Advanced Video-Based Processing for Low-Cost Damage Assessment of Buildings under Seismic Loading in Shaking Table Tests

This paper explores the potential of a low-cost, advanced video-based technique for the assessment of structural damage to buildings caused by seismic loading. A low-cost, high-speed video camera was utilized for the motion magnification processing of footage of a two-story reinforcedconcrete frame building subjected to shaking table tests. The damage after seismic loading was estimated by analyzing the dynamic behavior (i.e., modal parameters) and the structural deformations of the building in magnified videos. The results using the motion magnification procedure were compared for validation of the method of the damage assessment obtained through analyses of conventional accelerometric sensors and high-precision optical markers tracked using a passive 3D motion capture system. In addition, 3D laser scanning to obtain an accurate survey of the building geometry before and after the seismic tests was carried out. In particular, accelerometric recordings were also processed and analyzed using several stationary and nonstationary signal processing techniques with the aim of analyzing the linear behavior of the undamaged structure and the nonlinear structural behavior during damaging shaking table tests. The proposed procedure based on the analysis of magnified videos provided an accurate estimate of the main modal frequency and the damage location through the analysis of the modal shapes, which were confirmed using advanced analyses of the accelerometric data. Consequently, the main novelty of the study was the highlighting of a simple procedure with high potential for the extraction and analysis of modal parameters, with a special focus on the analysis of the modal shape’s curvature, which provides accurate information on the location of the damage in a structure, while using a noncontact and low-cost method

Getting the most out of citizen science for endangered species such as whale shark

Citizen science by which the general public is enlisted to participate in data collection programmes, can shed light on the biology and ecology of enigmatic species. The whale shark Rhincodon typus, the world’s largest fish, is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to continued population declines, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. The species is highly mobile, capable of crossing international boundaries, yet the species’ movements in Southeast Asia remain poorly understood. Citizen science has been used broadly in the region and beyond, to understand the species’ biology and ecology. Here, we report the first international movement of a whale shark between the Philippines and Malaysia as determined through photo-ID and citizen science. A juvenile female whale shark, P-1159, was first identified in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines in December 2017 by ongoing research at the site, and resighted in Pulau Sipadan, Sabah, Malaysia, in October 2019 by a citizen scientist. Pulau Sipadan is one of Southeast Asia’s most popular diving destinations, yet whale shark sightings are uncommon. Citizen scientists ready to collect and share data with ongoing research plays a key role in monitoring enigmatic species. Protocols should be developed to systematically collect unique sightings and behaviours accessible to divers as citizen scientists that would otherwise be lost to science

Feeding the world\u27s largest fish: highly variable whale shark residency patterns at a provisioning site in the Philippines

Provisioning wildlife for tourism is a controversial yet widespread practice. We analysed the residency patterns of juvenile whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) in Oslob, Philippines, where provisioning has facilitated a large shark-watching operation since 2011. We identified 208 individual sharks over three years, with an average of 18.6 (s.d. = 7.8, range = 6–43) individuals sighted per week. Weekly shark abundance varied seasonally and peak-season abundance (approx. May–November) increased across years. Whale sharks displayed diverse individual site visitation patterns ranging from a single visit to sporadic visits, seasonal residency and year-round residency. Nine individuals became year-round residents, which represents a clear response to provisioning. The timing of the seasonal peak at Oslob did not align with known non-provisioned seasonal aggregations elsewhere in the Philippines, which could suggest that seasonal residents at Oslob exploit this food source when prey availability at alternative sites is low. Since prolonged residency equates to less time foraging naturally, provisioning could influence foraging success, alter distributions and lead to dependency in later life stages. Such impacts must be carefully weighed against the benefits of provisioning (i.e. tourism revenue in a remote community) to facilitate informed management decisions

Citizen science sheds light on the cryptic ornate eagle ray Aetomylaeus vespertilio

1. The ornate eagle ray Aetomylaeus vespertilio (Bleeker, 1852) is a rare and Endangered species of eagle ray, with a patchy distribution across the Indo‐West Pacific region, for which data are scarce. 2. Citizen science‐sourced data from online social media platforms were used to shed light on the distribution and ecology of the ornate eagle ray. 3. A total of 53 reports of A. vespertilio were found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, including four reports of dead specimens. All live reports occurred in shallow reef or lagoon ecosystems. Two individual A. vespertilio specimens were re‐sighted in the same general area following initial identification within 9 and 13 months at Ningaloo Reef and at Lady Elliot Island, Australia, respectively, as confirmed through their dorsal spot patterns. One report was at Richard's Bay in South Africa, the southernmost known location for this species in the Indian Ocean (28°S). Live reports were also reported from the Maldives, the Seychelles, Egypt (Red Sea), Philippines, Palau, and elsewhere on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. 4. Results indicate that citizen‐collected data can shed light on the occurrence and distribution of cryptic species, as well as complement monitoring programmes

Questioni di santità: prospettive semiotiche su Dante

Il numero raccoglie interventi di letteratura e di semiotica dantesca con lo scopo di scambiare idee, presentando lo stato dell’arte delle diverse discipline e facendo dialogare diversi studiosi. Una seconda intenzione è riproporre la riflessione su Dante alla semiotica di oggi, profondamente cambiata rispetto agli anni Settanta, Ottanta e Novanta del Novecento, quando i massimi esponenti della disciplina si sono occupati della Commedia. Allo stesso tempo, i semiotici intendono offrire nuovi stimoli all’interpretazione dantesca corrente.In 2021, the 700th anniversary of Dante's death is celebrated in Italy and around the world. This issue of Ocula pays homage to the Poet by renovating the rich tradition of semiotic studies devoted to his work and stimulating new reflections and directions of research. Indeed, the focus of this issue is the theme of holiness in Dante and its contemporary reception. We intend to promote and continue the dialogue between semiotics and literary and historical studies, following the example of the works by Maria Corti, Cesare Segre and D’Arco Silvio Avalle, which remain milestones in terms of the transdisciplinary approach and methodological cross-fertilization. We also recall the fundamental works by Umberto Eco on Abulafia which opened a perspective on the themes related to Jewish mysticism in Dante's work (Debenedetti Stow). Holiness represents an important part in the universe of the Comedy: not only do the saints populate Paradise, but we find a large number of miracles, hagiographies and self-hagiographies, references to intercession, and prayers also in Inferno and Purgatorio. Here the research topics we propose: - symbols of holiness, especially in Paradise; - the biography of the saint as a model for different forms of life (Fontanille); - representations of holiness (e.g. Benedictine, Franciscan, Dominican); - the language and rhetoric of holiness; - the importance of the Comedy in defining the Christian image of holiness; - the Comedy in the magisterium of the contemporary Church (for example the recent Apostolic Letter Candor Lucis Aeternae by Pope Francis); The idea for this issue of Ocula was born within the ERC project NeMoSanctI (New Models of Sanctity in Italy (1960s-2000s) - A Semiotic Analysis of Norms, Causes of Saints, Hagiography, and Narratives. University of Turin - principal investigator Prof. Jenny Ponzo

Life History, Growth, and Reproductive Biology of Four Mobulid Species in the Bohol Sea, Philippines

In light of the global decline of mobulid populations and the necessity for sustainable fisheries management, baseline data for population dynamics were collected from a targeted fishery in the Bohol Sea, Philippines. This study focused on life-history parameters and reproductive cycles of four mobulid rays (Mobula thurstoni, Mobula japanica, Mobula tarapacana, and Manta birostris), and re-estimated their intrinsic population growth rates. Size and reproductive data were collected from 1,509 specimens (30% of catch) landed in two fishing seasons in 2015 and 2016. Size-at-birth was reviewed, and analysis of the embryos and follicles did not show any clear seasonality in the reproductive cycle, but supported an interbreeding interval. Females of all species matured at a larger size than males, and exhibited a larger size-at-pregnancy than -at-maturity. This delay in reproduction resulted in population growth rates lower than the actual rmax when based on size-at-pregnancy (rmat = rmax = 0.016–0.055 year−1 and rpreg = 0.008–0.044 year−1), and a population doubling time of 15.8–86.6 years. This study suggests that population growth rates previously reported were overestimated. In light of the Convention on International Trades of Endangered Species (CITES) and Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) assessments, while fisheries management should reflect the delayed maturation of these species and the slower population growth potential, at the current status of these population, the sustainability of any exploitation level seems unrealistic and strongly discouraged

Transcranial magnetic stimulation of the precuneus enhances memory and neural activity in prodromal Alzheimer's disease

Memory loss is one of the first symptoms of typical Alzheimer's disease (AD), for which there are no effective therapies available. The precuneus (PC) has been recently emphasized as a key area for the memory impairment observed in early AD, likely due to disconnection mechanisms within large-scale networks such as the default mode network (DMN). Using a multimodal approach we investigated in a two-week, randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded trial the effects of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the PC on cognition, as measured by the Alzheimer Disease Cooperative Study Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite in 14 patients with early AD (7 females). TMS combined with electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) was used to detect changes in brain connectivity. We found that rTMS of the PC induced a selective improvement in episodic memory, but not in other cognitive domains. Analysis of TMS-EEG signal revealed an increase of neural activity in patients' PC, an enhancement of brain oscillations in the beta band and a modification of functional connections between the PC and medial frontal areas within the DMN. Our findings show that high-frequency rTMS of the PC is a promising, non-invasive treatment for memory dysfunction in patients at early stages of AD. This clinical improvement is accompanied by modulation of brain connectivity, consistently with the pathophysiological model of brain disconnection in AD

Satellite tracking of juvenile whale sharks in the Sulu and Bohol Seas, Philippines

The whale shark Rhincodon typus was uplisted to ‘Endangered’ in the 2016 IUCN Red List due to >50% population decline, largely caused by continued exploitation in the Indo-Pacific. Though the Philippines protected the whale shark in 1998, concerns remain due to continued take in regional waters. In light of this, understanding the movements of whale sharks in the Philippines, one of the most important hotspots for the species, is vital. We tagged 17 juvenile whale sharks with towed SPOT5 tags from three general areas in the Sulu and Bohol Seas: Panaon Island in Southern Leyte, northern Mindanao, and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP). The sharks all remained in Philippine waters for the duration of tracking (6–126 days, mean 64). Individuals travelled 86–2,580 km (mean 887 km) at a mean horizontal speed of 15.5 ± 13.0 SD km day−1. Whale sharks tagged in Panaon Island and Mindanao remained close to shore but still spent significant time off the shelf (>200 m). Sharks tagged at TRNP spent most of their time offshore in the Sulu Sea. Three of twelve whale sharks tagged in the Bohol Sea moved through to the Sulu Sea, whilst two others moved east through the Surigao Strait to the eastern coast of Leyte. One individual tagged at TRNP moved to northern Palawan, and subsequently to the eastern coast of Mindanao in the Pacific Ocean. Based on inferred relationships with temperature histograms, whale sharks performed most deep dives (>200 m) during the night, in contrast to results from whale sharks elsewhere. While all sharks stayed in national waters, our results highlight the high mobility of juvenile whale sharks and demonstrate their connectivity across the Sulu and Bohol Seas, highlighting the importance of the area for this endangered species

Comparative population genomics of manta rays has global implications for management

Understanding population connectivity and genetic diversity is of fundamental importance to conservation. However, in globally threatened marine megafauna, challenges remain due to their elusive nature and wide-ranging distributions. As overexploitation continues to threaten biodiversity across the globe, such knowledge gaps compromise both the suitability and effectiveness of management actions. Here, we use a comparative framework to investigate genetic differentiation and diversity of manta rays, one of the most iconic yet vulnerable groups of elasmobranchs on the planet. Despite their recent divergence, we show how oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris) display significantly higher heterozygosity than reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) and that M. birostris populations display higher connectivity worldwide. Through inferring modes of colonisation, we reveal how both contemporary and historical forces have likely influenced these patterns, with important implications for population management. Our findings highlight the potential for fisheries to disrupt population dynamics at both local and global scales and therefore have direct relevance for international conservation of marine species

iDNA at sea: recovery of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) mitochondrial DNA sequences from the whale shark copepod (Pandarus rhincodonicus) confirms global population structure

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is an iconic and endangered species with a broad distribution spanning warm-temperate and tropical oceans. Effective conservation management of the species requires an understanding of the degree of genetic connectivity among populations, which is hampered by the need for sampling that involves invasive techniques. Here, the feasibility of minimally-invasive sampling was explored by isolating and sequencing whale shark DNA from a commensal or possibly parasitic copepod, Pandarus rhincodonicus that occurs on the skin of the host. We successfully recovered mitochondrial control region DNA sequences (~1,000 bp) of the host via DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction from whole copepod specimens. DNA sequences obtained from multiple copepods collected from the same shark exhibited 100% sequence similarity, suggesting a persistent association of copepods with individual hosts. Newly-generated mitochondrial haplotypes of whale shark hosts derived from the copepods were included in an analysis of the genetic structure of the global population of whale sharks (644 sequences; 136 haplotypes). Our results supported those of previous studies and suggested limited genetic structuring across most of the species range, but the presence of a genetically unique and potentially isolated population in the Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, we recovered the mitogenome and nuclear ribosomal genes of a whale shark using a shotgun sequencing approach on copepod tissue. The recovered mitogenome is the third mitogenome reported for the species and the first from the Mozambique population. Our invertebrate DNA (iDNA) approach could be used to better un derstand the population structure of whale sharks, particularly in the Atlantic Ocean, and also for genetic analyses of other elasmobranchs parasitized by pandarid copepods