A mobile system for active otpical pollution monitoring

The remote monitoring of atmospheric pollutants can now be performed in several ways. Laser radar techniques have proven their ability to reveal the spatial distribution of different species or particles. Classical optical techniques can also be used, but yield the average concentration over a given path and hence no range resolution. One such technique is Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy, DOAS. Such schemes can be used to monitor paths that a preliminary lidar investigation has shown to be of interest. Having previously had access to a mobile lidar system, a new system has been completed. The construction builds on experience from using the other system and it is meant to be more of a mobile optical laboratory than just a lidar system. A complete system description is given along with some preliminary usage. Future uses are contemplated

Development of large fish farm numerical modeling techniques with in situ mooring tension comparisons

Author Posting. © Elsevier B.V., 2006. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Aquacultural Engineering 36 (2007): 137-148, doi:10.1016/j.aquaeng.2006.10.001.A study is conducted to validate a numerical model for calculating mooring system tensions of a large fish farm containing 20 net pens in the absence of waves. The model is forced using measured current velocity values obtained outside of the farm. Mooring line tensions calculated with the numerical model are compared with load cell field data sets. The approach considers current velocity reduction and load characteristics that occur through the net pen system for both clean and fouled net conditions. Without accounting for the reduction, the numerical model produces excessively conservative results. With reduction, a substantial improvement occurs. Understanding these differences will help to establish appropriate safety factors when designing large marine fish farms using the model. Additional validation studies should be conducted with wave and current forcing to investigate the modeling large fish farms for exposed or open ocean sites.The authors would also like to express sincere thanks the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for funding this project through the Saltonstall-Kennedy program under Grant NAO3NMF4270183

Fast Searching in Packed Strings

Given strings $P$ and $Q$ the (exact) string matching problem is to find all positions of substrings in $Q$ matching $P$. The classical Knuth-Morris-Pratt algorithm [SIAM J. Comput., 1977] solves the string matching problem in linear time which is optimal if we can only read one character at the time. However, most strings are stored in a computer in a packed representation with several characters in a single word, giving us the opportunity to read multiple characters simultaneously. In this paper we study the worst-case complexity of string matching on strings given in packed representation. Let $m \leq n$ be the lengths $P$ and $Q$, respectively, and let $\sigma$ denote the size of the alphabet. On a standard unit-cost word-RAM with logarithmic word size we present an algorithm using time O\left(\frac{n}{\log_\sigma n} + m + \occ\right). Here \occ is the number of occurrences of $P$ in $Q$. For $m = o(n)$ this improves the $O(n)$ bound of the Knuth-Morris-Pratt algorithm. Furthermore, if $m = O(n/\log_\sigma n)$ our algorithm is optimal since any algorithm must spend at least \Omega(\frac{(n+m)\log \sigma}{\log n} + \occ) = \Omega(\frac{n}{\log_\sigma n} + \occ) time to read the input and report all occurrences. The result is obtained by a novel automaton construction based on the Knuth-Morris-Pratt algorithm combined with a new compact representation of subautomata allowing an optimal tabulation-based simulation.Comment: To appear in Journal of Discrete Algorithms. Special Issue on CPM 200

Functional specialization in nucleotide sugar transporters occurred through differentiation of the gene cluster EamA (DUF6) before the radiation of Viridiplantae

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The drug/metabolite transporter superfamily comprises a diversity of protein domain families with multiple functions including transport of nucleotide sugars. Drug/metabolite transporter domains are contained in both solute carrier families 30, 35 and 39 proteins as well as in acyl-malonyl condensing enzyme proteins. In this paper, we present an evolutionary analysis of nucleotide sugar transporters in relation to the entire superfamily of drug/metabolite transporters that considers crucial intra-protein duplication events that have shaped the transporters. We use a method that combines the strengths of hidden Markov models and maximum likelihood to find relationships between drug/metabolite transporter families, and branches within families.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We present evidence that the triose-phosphate transporters, domain unknown function 914, uracil-diphosphate glucose-N-acetylglucosamine, and nucleotide sugar transporter families have evolved from a domain duplication event before the radiation of <it>Viridiplantae </it>in the EamA family (previously called domain unknown function 6). We identify previously unknown branches in the solute carrier 30, 35 and 39 protein families that emerged simultaneously as key physiological developments after the radiation of <it>Viridiplantae</it>, including the "35C/E" branch of EamA, which formed in the lineage of <it>T. adhaerens </it>(<it>Animalia</it>). We identify a second cluster of DMTs, called the domain unknown function 1632 cluster, which has non-cytosolic N- and C-termini, and thus appears to have been formed from a different domain duplication event. We identify a previously uncharacterized motif, G-X(6)-G, which is overrepresented in the fifth transmembrane helix of C-terminal domains. We present evidence that the family called fatty acid elongases are homologous to transporters, not enzymes as had previously been thought.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The nucleotide sugar transporters families were formed through differentiation of the gene cluster EamA (domain unknown function 6) before <it>Viridiplantae</it>, showing for the first time the significance of EamA.</p

Deployment of the northern fish cage and mooring, University of New Hampshire — Open Ocean Aquaculture Program summer 2000

The University of New Hampshire - Open Ocean Aquaculture (UNH-OOA) program has worked for the past few years on developing the technology to deploy and maintain fish cages in open, exposed northern waters. In June 1999, two Sea Station octagonal net cages by Ocean Spar Technologies were deployed with their UNH designed and constructed moorings. In June 2000 the Northern Cage and its mooring were retrieved, examined and repaired , and readied for redeployment. This was a complex operation, initiated by a team of UNH ocean engineers lead by Dr. Barbaros Celikkol. This year's effort was expanded with the addition of a Program Manager (Michael Chambers), the Fishing Vessel Nobska, and researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). During the week of 21 to 25 August 2000, the cage and mooring were assembled and deployed at the UNH-OOA site seven miles offshore the New Hampshire coast, south of the Isle of Shoals. This collaborative effort involved members of the UNH Mechanical Engineering Dept., UNH divers, members of the WHOI Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering Dept. and the Captain and crew of the FV Nobska. Ship support for the deployment was provided by the R/V Gulf Challenger and Galen J. (UNH) and the FV Nobska (a 100 foot fishing vessel based at Woods Hole, MA). The work was favored by light wind and sea conditions. The endeavor resulted in the successful placement of the North Cage and its complex mooring system with load cells and environmental sensors. Unexpected and unexplained tangling of the mooring system, in particular near its grid corner points, was encountered and corrected.Fudning was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration for the Open Ocean Aquaculture Project under Contract No. NA86RG0016 to the Univesity of New Hampshire and under Subcontracts 00-394 and 01-442 to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Instrumentation for open ocean aquaculture monitoring

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is assisting the University of New Hampshire by instrumenting a fish cage and mooring as part of their Open Ocean Aquaculture demonstration program in the Gulf of Maine. To understand these systems, the wave and current forcing and the response of the mooring and fish cage needs to be measured. A UNH mooring with an ADCP measured the current forcing. Tension in the mooring lines was measured by load cells deployed with the mooring during servicing in August 2000. Load cells were placed in each anchor line, and, in the NE corner, also in the two grid lines and the riser line to the fish cage. Low power recording systems were deployed on the load cell mounting bars by divers on 22 October 2000, recorded good data through January 2001, when they were turned around and redeployed. Three single load cell recorders were recovered in July 2001 and recorded though 23 June when their data storage filled. The four load cell system was recovered in March after a large winter storm, and had failed in early March. The wave forcing was measured with a wave rider buoy with a 3-axis accelerometer measuring its motion. The acceleration was integrated twice to obtain wave displacement. The system mooring contained a compliant elastic. The wave rider was deployed on 4 January 2001 and recovered on 17 March 2001 after a major Northeast storm. It recorded data throughout its deployment. The motion of the moored fish cage was measured by a motion package constructed around a 6-axis Motion-Pak and a PC-104 data system. The motion package was deployed on the fish cage from Jan into March 2001 and recorded motions thoughout without difficuly. It observed a major storm in early March where the counter weight was lost from the fish cage, and its increase in motion thereafter.Fudning was provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration for the Open Ocean Aquaculture Project under Contract No. NA86RG0016 to the University of New Hampshire and under Subcontracts 00-394 and 01-442 to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Environmental regulation induced foreign direct investment

The last decade has witnessed a renewed interest in the relationship between environmental regulations and international capital flows. However, empirical studies have so far failed to find conclusive evidence for this so-called pollution haven or race to the bottom effect where foreign direct investment (FDI) is assumed to be attracted to low regulation countries, regions or states. In this paper we present a simple theoretical framework to demonstrate that greater stringency in environmental standards can lead to a strategic increase in capital inflows which we refer to as environmental regulation induced FDI. Our result reveals a possible explanation for the mixed results in the empirical literature and provides an illustration of the conditions under which environmental regulations in the host country can affect the location decision of foreign firms

Coming down from the trees: is terrestrial activity in Bornean orangutans natural or disturbance driven?

The orangutan is the world's largest arboreal mammal, and images of the red ape moving through the tropical forest canopy symbolise its typical arboreal behaviour. Records of terrestrial behaviour are scarce and often associated with habitat disturbance. We conducted a large-scale species-level analysis of ground-based camera-trapping data to evaluate the extent to which Bornean orangutans Pongo pygmaeus come down from the trees to travel terrestrially, and whether they are indeed forced to the ground primarily by anthropogenic forest disturbances. Although the degree of forest disturbance and canopy gap size influenced terrestriality, orangutans were recorded on the ground as frequently in heavily degraded habitats as in primary forests. Furthermore, all age-sex classes were recorded on the ground (flanged males more often). This suggests that terrestrial locomotion is part of the Bornean orangutan's natural behavioural repertoire to a much greater extent than previously thought, and is only modified by habitat disturbance. The capacity of orangutans to come down from the trees may increase their ability to cope with at least smaller-scale forest fragmentation, and to cross moderately open spaces in mosaic landscapes, although the extent of this versatility remains to be investigated