Naval applications of a TAE-derived executive

Global Imaging introduced an interactive image processing system in 1985, featuring the Global Applications Executive (GAE) which is a modified Transportable Applications Executive (TAE) environment. The executive plus a large variety of image processing functions, known commercially as the System 9000, are designed to operate on the Hewlett-Packard as its standard desktop computer (NSDTC), the System 9000 has found easy acceptance for Naval image processing applications. The Department of Oceanography at the Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, has installed an NSDTC with an image processing upgrade. This interactive digital image processing workstation is used by the midshipmen and staff for training and research in remote sensing oceanography. The turn-key system provides the capability to process imagery from commonly used Earth observation spacecraft, in conjunction with in situ data sets. The Acoustic Group at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. has acquired its first System 9000 to interactively process ocean acoustic data gathered by shipboard sensors. Finally, the Naval Oceanographic Facility in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi has acquired a System 9000 to provide a second generation Tactical Environmental Support System (TESS 2) prototype with image processing capabilities. This will permit merging of conventional data with polar orbiting spacecraft imagery. A brief description of these applications and the TAE-derived system is presented

A Multimedia Approach to Game-Based Training: Exploring the Effects of the Modality and Temporal Contiguity Principles on Learning in a Virtual Environment

There is an increasing interest in using video games as a means to deliver training to individuals learning new skills or tasks. However, current research lacks a clear method of developing effective instructional material when these games are used as training tools and explaining how gameplay may affect learning. The literature contains multiple approaches to training and GBT but generally lacks a foundational-level and theoretically relevant approach to how people learn specifically from video games and how to design instructional guidance within these gaming environments. This study investigated instructional delivery within GBT. Video games are a form of multimedia, consisting of both imagery and sounds. The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML; Mayer 2005) explicitly describes how people learn from multimedia information, consisting of a combination of narration (words) and animation (pictures). This study empirically examined the effects of the modality and temporal contiguity principles on learning in a game-based virtual environment. Based on these principles, it was hypothesized that receiving either voice or embedded training would result in better performance on learning measures. Additionally, receiving a combination of voice and embedded training would lead to better performance on learning measures than all other instructional conditions. A total of 128 participants received training on the role and procedures related to the combat lifesaver - a non-medical soldier who receives additional training on combat-relevant lifesaving medical procedures. Training sessions involved an instructional presentation manipulated along the modality (voice or text) and temporal contiguity (embedded in the game or presented before gameplay) principles. Instructional delivery was manipulated in a 2x2 between-subjects design with four instructional conditions: Upfront-Voice, Upfront-Text, Embedded-Voice, and Embedded-Text. Results indicated that: (1) upfront instruction led to significantly better retention performance than embedded instructional regardless of delivery modality; (2) receiving voice-based instruction led to better transfer performance than text-based instruction regardless of presentation timing; (3) no differences in performance were observed on the simple application test between any instructional conditions; and (4) a significant interaction of modality-by-temporal contiguity was obtained. Simple effects analysis indicated differing effects along modality within the embedded instruction group, with voice recipients performing better than text (p = .012). Individual group comparisons revealed that the upfront-voice group performed better on retention than both embedded groups (p = .006), the embedded-voice group performed better on transfer than the upfront text group (p = .002), and the embedded-voice group performed better on the complex application test than the embedded-text group (p =.012). Findings indicated partial support for the application of the modality and temporal contiguity principles of CTML in interactive GBT. Combining gameplay (i.e., practice) with instructional presentation both helps and hinders working memory\u27s ability to process information. Findings also explain how expanding CTML into game-based training may fundamentally change how a person processes information as a function of the specific type of knowledge being taught. Results will drive future systematic research to test and determine the most effective means of designing instruction for interactive GBT. Further theoretical and practical implications will be discussed

Concomitant diagnosis of immune deficiency and Pseudomonas sepsis in a 19 month old with ecthyma gangrenosum by host whole-genome sequencing.

X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA, OMIM#300300) is a rare monogenic primary immunodeficiency caused by mutations in the Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) gene. XLA is characterized by insufficient immunoglobulin levels and susceptibility to life-threatening bacterial infections. We report on a patient that presented with ecthyma gangrenosum and septicemia. Rapid trio whole-genome sequencing (rWGS) revealed an apparently de novo hemizygous pathogenic variant (c.726dupT; p.Ile243TyrfsTer15) in the BTK gene. Metagenomic analysis of rWGS sequences that did not align to the human genome revealed 770 aligned to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 genome. The patient was diagnosed with XLA and pseudomonal sepsis

Information Resources for Animal Control and Wildlife Damage Management

A bumper sticker reads, “If you think education is expensive, you oughta try ignorance.” That statement could not be truer in regard to wildlife damage management. Being willing to learn is a critical attitude for everyone involved in wildlife damage management. Since wildlife damage management intersects so many other disciplines, no single person can be an expert in all of them. In addition, the arrival of an invasive species, changes in building practices (e.g., egress windows, ridge vents), or the implementation of new regulations can confound traditional practices and require new control methods. Thus, it is important to provide a resource that provides detailed, updated and accurate information. Since the publication of the 1994 Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage handbook, there has been a remarkable increase in the volume and quality of information related to wildlife damage management. The rise of the digital age has empowered people to transmit their knowledge and ideas in writing, pictures, and video. A few decades ago, local, state, and federal government wildlife biologists were the primary practitioners of animal control and damage management. Private pest management firms involved in vertebrate animal problems were primarily limited to the control of urban birds and commensal rodents. This situation has changed substantially since the 1990s. The nuisance wildlife control industry has matured. The increased involvement of the private sector in wildlife control unleashed the creative forces of entrepreneurs in the development of new techniques and products. Until the mid-1980’s, most scientific information about wildlife damage management was scattered in articles in academic jounrals (e.g., Journal of Wildlife Management), “grey literature” (i.e., unpublished reports and conference proceedings), and government documents (i.e., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Forest Service publications). Since then, wildlife damage management research has achieved greater prominence as demonstrated by the addition of new outlets and changes in publication policies. The emergence and rapid growth of the nuisance wildlife control industry has supported development of several trade magazines, association newsletters, listservs, bulletin boards, and numerous websites. A few decades ago, relevant research papers only numbered a few hundred a year, now computer search engines return thousands of hits, putting a premium on effective search strategies to obtain information. Digital copies of papers of are often available at no or nominal cost. The volume of information related to wildlife damage management is now enormous. In this publication, we have highlighted important works to supplement the sources found in the various publications of the Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series. In addition, we have focused on information resources that are easily obtained, used primarily for the North American audience, and published since 1994. Materials from journals and other publications with restricted access are mentioned only when we believe the utility of the information justifies the effort involved to obtain them. The numerous websites referenced were checked for current access during October 2019

Information Resources for Animal Control and Wildlife Damage Management

A bumper sticker reads, “If you think education is expensive, you oughta try ignorance.” That statement could not be truer in regard to wildlife damage management. Being willing to learn is a critical attitude for everyone involved in wildlife damage management. Since wildlife damage management intersects so many other disciplines, no single person can be an expert in all of them. In addition, the arrival of an invasive species, changes in building practices (e.g., egress windows, ridge vents), or the implementation of new regulations can confound traditional practices and require new control methods. Thus, it is important to provide a resource that provides detailed, updated and accurate information. Since the publication of the 1994 Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage handbook, there has been a remarkable increase in the volume and quality of information related to wildlife damage management. The rise of the digital age has empowered people to transmit their knowledge and ideas in writing, pictures, and video. A few decades ago, local, state, and federal government wildlife biologists were the primary practitioners of animal control and damage management. Private pest management firms involved in vertebrate animal problems were primarily limited to the control of urban birds and commensal rodents. This situation has changed substantially since the 1990s. The nuisance wildlife control industry has matured. The increased involvement of the private sector in wildlife control unleashed the creative forces of entrepreneurs in the development of new techniques and products. Until the mid-1980’s, most scientific information about wildlife damage management was scattered in articles in academic jounrals (e.g., Journal of Wildlife Management), “grey literature” (i.e., unpublished reports and conference proceedings), and government documents (i.e., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Forest Service publications). Since then, wildlife damage management research has achieved greater prominence as demonstrated by the addition of new outlets and changes in publication policies. The emergence and rapid growth of the nuisance wildlife control industry has supported development of several trade magazines, association newsletters, listservs, bulletin boards, and numerous websites. A few decades ago, relevant research papers only numbered a few hundred a year, now computer search engines return thousands of hits, putting a premium on effective search strategies to obtain information. Digital copies of papers of are often available at no or nominal cost. The volume of information related to wildlife damage management is now enormous. In this publication, we have highlighted important works to supplement the sources found in the various publications of the Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series. In addition, we have focused on information resources that are easily obtained, used primarily for the North American audience, and published since 1994. Materials from journals and other publications with restricted access are mentioned only when we believe the utility of the information justifies the effort involved to obtain them. The numerous websites referenced were checked for current access during October 2019

Open and Closed Seascapes: Where Does Habitat Patchiness Create Populations with High Fractions of Self-Recruitment?

Which populations are replenished primarily by immigrants (open) and which by local production (closed) remains an important question for management with implications for response to exploitation, protection, and disturbance. However, we lack methods for predicting population openness. Here, we develop a model for openness and show that considering habitat isolation explains the existence of surprisingly closed populations in high-dispersal species, including many marine organisms. Relatively closed populations are expected when patch spacing is more than twice the standard deviation of a species\u27 dispersal kernel. In addition, natural scales of habitat patchiness on coral reefs are sufficient to create both largely open and largely closed populations. Contrary to some previous interpretations, largely closed marine populations do not require mean dispersal distances that are unusually short, even for species with relatively long pelagic larval durations. We predict that habitat patchiness has strong control over population openness for many marine and terrestrial species with a highly dispersive life stage and relatively sedentary adults. This information can be used to make initial predictions about where populations will be more or less resilient to local exploitation and disturbance

Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) as a positive and versatile approach to teaching adapted games.

This paper presents a small scale research project that focused on pre-service physical education (PE) teachers’ and sports coaches’ considerations of using Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) to teach games. A research design akin to action research was adopted whereby pre-service PE teachers and sports coaches (n = 72) completed a one-off 90 minute introduction to wheelchair rugby league utilising a TGfU approach. Data were generated through end of session whole-class reflections, semi-structured individual interviews undertaken (n = 3), and post session first-author/primary practitioner reflections. Data analysis was conducted via inductive coding procedures and revealed three themes: 1) TGfU as a positive pedagogy; 2) TGfU as a versatile approach, and 3) significance of content within a PE Teacher Education programme

Rats and the city: Implications of urbanization on zoonotic disease risk in Southeast Asia

Urbanization is rapidly transforming much of Southeast Asia, altering the structure and function of the landscape, as well as the frequency and intensity of the interactions between people, animals, and the environment. In this study, we explored the impact of urbanization on zoonotic disease risk by simultaneously characterizing changes in the ecology of animal reservoirs (rodents), ectoparasite vectors (ticks), and pathogens across a gradient of urbanization in Kuching, a city in Malaysian Borneo. We sampled 863 rodents across rural, developing, and urban locations and found that rodent species diversity decreased with increasing urbanization—from 10 species in the rural location to 4 in the rural location. Notably, two species appeared to thrive in urban areas, as follows: the invasive urban exploiter Rattus rattus (n = 375) and the native urban adapter Sundamys muelleri (n = 331). R. rattus was strongly associated with built infrastructure across the gradient and carried a high diversity of pathogens, including multihost zoonoses capable of environmental transmission (e.g., Leptospira spp.). In contrast, S. muelleri was restricted to green patches where it was found at high densities and was strongly associated with the presence of ticks, including the medically important genera Amblyomma, Haemaphysalis, and Ixodes. Our analyses reveal that zoonotic disease risk is elevated and heterogeneously distributed in urban environments and highlight the potential for targeted risk reduction through pest management and public health messaging

The splitting of double-component active asteroid P/2016 J1 (PANSTARRS)

We present deep imaging observations, orbital dynamics, and dust tail model analyses of the double-component asteroid P/2016 J1 (J1-A and J1-B). The observations were acquired at the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) from mid March to late July, 2016. A statistical analysis of backward-in-time integrations of the orbits of a large sample of clone objects of P/2016 J1-A and J1-B shows that the minimum separation between them occurred most likely $\sim$2300 days prior to the current perihelion passage, i.e., during the previous orbit near perihelion. This closest approach was probably linked to a fragmentation event of their parent body. Monte Carlo dust tail models show that those two components became active simultaneously $\sim$250 days before the current perihelion, with comparable maximum loss rates of $\sim$0.7 kg s$^{-1}$ and $\sim$0.5 kg s$^{-1}$, and total ejected masses of 8$\times$10$^{6}$ kg and 6$\times$10$^{6}$ kg for fragments J1-A and J1-B, respectively. In consequence, the fragmentation event and the present dust activity are unrelated. The simultaneous activation times of the two components and the fact that the activity lasted 6 to 9 months or longer, strongly indicate ice sublimation as the most likely mechanism involved in the dust emission process.Comment: Accepted by ApJ Letters, Feb. 17, 201