Machine learning techniques to characterize functional traits of plankton from image data

Plankton imaging systems supported by automated classification and analysis have improved ecologists' ability to observe aquatic ecosystems. Today, we are on the cusp of reliably tracking plankton populations with a suite of lab-based and in situ tools, collecting imaging data at unprecedentedly fine spatial and temporal scales. But these data have potential well beyond examining the abundances of different taxa; the individual images themselves contain a wealth of information on functional traits. Here, we outline traits that could be measured from image data, suggest machine learning and computer vision approaches to extract functional trait information from the images, and discuss promising avenues for novel studies. The approaches we discuss are data agnostic and are broadly applicable to imagery of other aquatic or terrestrial organisms

SOCIB EXP RADAR Sep2014

The aim of this experiment was to assess the operational HF radar surface current velocities in the Ibiza Channel in a Lagrangian framework, by comparing against surface drifter derived velocities

HF Radar Ibiza data from date 2012-06-01

Continuous hourly coastal ocean surface current maps in the Ibiza Channel measured by High-Frequency Radars (HFR). HFR is nowadays the unique land-based remote sensing technology providing continuous maps of near-real surface currents (0.9 m) over wide areas (out of about 85 km from near shore) with high-spatial (3 km) and temporal resolution (hourly). The operation principle of HFRs for measuring coastal ocean surface currents is based on the Bragg resonant backscatter phenomenon: the HFR CODAR SeaSonde combined-antenna transmits electromagnetic waves with frequency of 13.5MHz (associated to wavelength of 22.2 m) and the ocean waves of half the transmitted electromagnetic wavelength (11.1 m) scatter the pulse back to the antenna. Two or more HFR sites are needed for computing the map of total surface current vectors in the overlapping coverage area.

Surface current patterns in the Ibiza Channel with the use of High Frequency (HF) Radar system

The Ibiza Channel located between the East Coast of the Iberian Peninsula, and the West Coast of Ibiza, at the Balearic Islands, is a well-known biodiversity hot spot. This area is relevant due to the interaction of water masses coming from the Atlantic Ocean – ascending through the Iberian Peninsula coast – with the older Atlantic waters descending from the Gulf of Lion. In 2012, the installation of Coastal HF Radar in the area provides valuable information for the study of the surface transport along the channel. The Coastal HF Radar operates since June 2012, and provides hourly surface current maps with a spatial resolution of approximately 3 km and a range reaching up to 70 km offshore. The instrument forms part of a monitoring multi-platform system, which is completed with satellite-derived data, gliders, modelling and fixed and lagrangian buoys. All HF Radar data are processed with standard quality control methods. Drifter velocity obtained from lagrangian buoys for two oceanographic campaigns, satellite-derived data and currentmeter data from a fixed buoy in the Ibiza Channel are used to validate the HF Radar data. All surface current data are used to perform a spectrum analysis in order to show the physical processes, at the main temporal periods. The contribution of the different temporal scales to the total Kinetic Energy has been analysed for the first time at different seasonal intervals. This served to evaluate the energetic importance of the different components of the surface currents. The inertial currents have a lower contribution to the total KE during winter, compared with the summer period. Besides, the spatial distribution of the inertial component to the total KE varies seasonally, and according to the bathymetry of the area. The low-pass (sub-inertial) filtered HF Radar currents show a predominant northern current during the summer months in the channel, and a mean southern current during the winter period. These results are discussed and related with the external forcing, and bathymetry distribution, according to coastal or open ocean data

Prenatal and birth care of Roma women

Background The reproductive health of Roma women has been poorly studied. It is important to determine the follow-up care received by Roma women from pregnancy to the first postpartum visit, together with neonatal outcomes, to improve prenatal care and maternal-child outcomes. Objective To examine differences in prenatal care and maternal-infant outcomes between Roma and non-Roma women. Methods A retrospective longitudinal study of 122 pregnant women (28 Roma and 94 non-Roma women) was recruited in seven primary care centers in three districts of Asturias (Spain). Sociodemographic variables, prenatal control, birth characteristics, feeding, and neonatal outcomes (gestational age, weight, and APGAR) were collected from the electronic medical records. Prenatal care was assessed using three indexes: the Kessner index, the Modified Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization Spanish Index, and an ad-hoc index that considered adherence to the recommendations for pregnant women in Spain. Results Compared to non-Roma women, advanced maternal age (≥ 35 years) and primigravida was less common among Roma women. Roma women visited the dentist less often, smoked more, and underwent group B streptococcus screening less frequently. No differences were found in the number of prenatal visits between Roma and non-Roma women. Consequently, there were no differences between the Kessner and the Modified Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization Spanish Index. Using the ad-hoc index, the non-Roma women more frequently had adequate prenatal visits. There were no differences in birth characteristics, type of feeding, and neonatal outcomes. Discussion Overall, prenatal care was slightly worse in Roma women; however, this did not imply worse neonatal health outcomes. Both study groups had similar birth characteristics and immediate puerperium, including feeding