Assessing the disturbance potential of small unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS) on gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) at breeding colonies in Nova Scotia, Canada

The use of small unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS) for ecological studies and wildlife population assessments is increasing. These methods can provide significant benefits in terms of costs and reductions in human risk, but little is known if UAS-based approaches cause disturbance of animals during operations. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a series of UAS flights at gray seal breeding colonies on Hay and Saddle Islands in Nova Scotia, Canada. Using a small fixed-wing UAS, we assessed both immediate and short-term effects of surveys using sequential image analysis and between-flight seal counts in ten, 50 m2 random quadrats at each colony. Counts of adult gray seals and young-of-the-year animals between first and second flights revealed no changes in abundance in quadrats (matched pair t-test p > 0.69) and slopes approaching 1 for linear regression comparisons (r2 > 0.80). Sequential image analysis revealed no changes in orientation or posture of imaged animals. We also assessed the acoustic properties of the small UAS in relation to low ambient noise conditions using sound equivalent level (Leq) measurements with a calibrated U-MIK 1 and a 1/3 octave band soundscape approach. The results of Leq measurements indicate that small fixed-wing UAS are quiet, with most energy above 160 Hz, and that levels across 1/3 octave bands do not greatly exceed ambient acoustic measurements in a quiet field during operations at standard survey altitudes. As such, this platform is unlikely to acoustically disturb gray seals at breeding colonies during population surveys. The results of the present study indicate that the effects of small fixed-wing UAS on gray seals at breeding colonies are negligible, and that fixed-wing UAS-based approaches should be considered amongst best practices for assessing gray seal colonies.

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Time-frequency time-space long short-term memory networks for image classification of histopathological tissue

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-93160-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tuan D. Pham

Keyword(s):

Image Analysis ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Disease Diagnosis ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Time Frequency ◽

Time Space ◽

Histopathological Images ◽

Long Short Term Memory

AbstractImage analysis in histopathology provides insights into the microscopic examination of tissue for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and biomarker discovery. Particularly for cancer research, precise classification of histopathological images is the ultimate objective of the image analysis. Here, the time-frequency time-space long short-term memory network (TF-TS LSTM) developed for classification of time series is applied for classifying histopathological images. The deep learning is empowered by the use of sequential time-frequency and time-space features extracted from the images. Furthermore, unlike conventional classification practice, a strategy for class modeling is designed to leverage the learning power of the TF-TS LSTM. Tests on several datasets of histopathological images of haematoxylin-and-eosin and immunohistochemistry stains demonstrate the strong capability of the artificial intelligence (AI)-based approach for producing very accurate classification results. The proposed approach has the potential to be an AI tool for robust classification of histopathological images.

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Dissociating sensory and cognitive theories of harmony perception through computational modeling

10.31234/osf.io/wgjyv ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Peter Harrison ◽

Marcus Thomas Pearce

Keyword(s):

Statistical Learning ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Syntactic Structure ◽

Explanatory Power ◽

Memory Models ◽

Acoustic Properties ◽

Probabilistic Prediction ◽

Short Term ◽

Cognitive Approach ◽

Term Memory

Two approaches exist for explaining harmonic expectation. The sensory approach claims that harmonic expectation is a low-level process driven by sensory responses to acoustic properties of musical sounds. Conversely, the cognitive approach describes harmonic expectation as a high-level cognitive process driven by the recognition of syntactic structure learned through experience. Many previous studies have sought to distinguish these two hypotheses, largely yielding support for the cognitive hypothesis. However, subsequent re-analysis has shown that most of these results can parsimoniously be explained by a computational model from the sensory tradition, namely Leman’s (2000) model of auditory short- term memory (Bigand, Delbé, Poulin-Charronnat, Leman, & Tillmann, 2014). In this research we re-examine the explanatory power of auditory short-term memory models, and compare them to a new model in the Information Dynamics Of Music (IDyOM) tradition, which simulates a cognitive theory of harmony perception based on statistical learning and probabilistic prediction. We test the ability of these models to predict the surprisingness of chords within chord sequences (N = 300), as reported by a sample group of university undergraduates (N = 50). In contrast to previous studies, which typically use artificial stimuli composed in a classical idiom, we use naturalistic chord sequences sampled from a large dataset of popular music. Our results show that the auditory short-term memory models have remarkably low explanatory power in this context. In contrast, the new statistical learning model predicts surprisingness ratings relatively effectively. We conclude that auditory short-term memory is insufficient to explain harmonic expectation, and that cognitive processes of statistical learning and probabilistic prediction provide a viable alternative.

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First Record of Age 0+ Atlantic Whitefish, Coregonus huntsmani, from the Wild

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v119i2.118 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 119 (2) ◽

pp. 294 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dan J. Hasselman ◽

Phillip Longue ◽

Rod G. Bradford

Keyword(s):

Nova Scotia ◽

Littoral Zone ◽

First Record ◽

Early Summer ◽

Smallmouth Bass ◽

Single Individual ◽

Small School ◽

Beach Seine ◽

Young Of The Year

A small school of juvenile Atlantic Whitefish (~20-30 individuals) were observed in the littoral zone of Hebb Lake (Petite Rivière watershed), Nova Scotia in June 2000. Of these, a single individual was captured with a beach seine, and confirmed to be a young-of-the-year specimen. This is the first documented report of the occurrence of wild Atlantic Whitefish juveniles. Occupation of the littoral zone into early summer by young-of-the-year Atlantic Whitefish may have implications for predation by invasive Smallmouth Bass.

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Quantitative Assessment of Soybean Plant Shape during Growth based on Sequential Image Analysis

Biological Shape Analysis ◽

10.1142/9789814355247_0004 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

RYO OHSAWA ◽

SUSUMU MINAGAWA

Keyword(s):

Image Analysis ◽

Quantitative Assessment ◽

Soybean Plant ◽

Sequential Image

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Seasonal variability and individual consistency in gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) isotopic niches

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2019-0032 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (11) ◽

pp. 1071-1077

Author(s):

K.M. Hernandez ◽

A.L. Bogomolni ◽

J.H. Moxley ◽

G.T. Waring ◽

R.A. DiGiovanni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Seasonal Variability ◽

Foraging Ecology ◽

Population Level ◽

The United States ◽

Halichoerus Grypus ◽

Dietary Specialization ◽

Gray Seal ◽

Individual Consistency ◽

Gray Seals

Although it is often assumed that individuals in generalist populations are equivalent, recent research indicates that individual dietary specialization can be common in marine predators. Gray seals (Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791)) were considered locally extinct in United States waters by 1958 but have since recolonized the region. Although considered generalists, less is known about gray seal foraging ecology in the United States. To address this, we used carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses to investigate the foraging niches of adult gray seals in Massachusetts, USA. We examined skin, fur, and blood components to investigate seasonal variability and individual consistency in foraging niches, and serially sampled vibrissae to quantify the degree of individual foraging specialization in this population. Our results suggest that seals shift from coastal foraging habitats before molt to offshore habitats after molt, with a coincident shift from higher to lower trophic-level prey. Adult gray seals also exhibited individual consistency in foraging niches independent of population-level shifts and reflect a generalist population composed of individual foraging specialists. These findings serve as a baseline for subsequent research on gray seals in United States waters that could help to determine the mechanisms which promote individual specialization in this population.

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Short-term Self-correction Effects Based on Analyses of Acoustic Properties: With Focus on the English Voiced Alveopalatal Fricative

Language and Linguistics ◽

10.20865/20208806 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 88 ◽

pp. 135-156

Author(s):

Yungdo Yun

Keyword(s):

Acoustic Properties ◽

Short Term

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The behavior of adult gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) in the early stages of the breeding season

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z69-049 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 229-233 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Austin W. Cameron

Keyword(s):

Nova Scotia ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Mass Movement ◽

Territorial Behavior ◽

Halichoerus Grypus ◽

Breeding Area ◽

Early Stages ◽

Gray Seals

A 4-week period, December 18, 1967, to January 16, 1968, was spent studying a colony of gray seals on the Basque Islands, Nova Scotia. Before hauling out on the breeding islands, the seals congregate on exposed reefs nearby, where they remain for several weeks. Once invasion of the breeding area begins there is a mass movement and the entire herd beaches within the space of a week. The first seal observed to haul out was a cow which whelped within 24 hours. The bulls take up stations almost immediately whereas the cows wander aimlessly over the breeding area until they have whelped. The spot at which the pup is born seems to determine the cow's station. For several days after the pup is born, the cow remains with it constantly; thereafter she goes to sea at regular intervals. For the first week to 10 days after beaching, the bulls exhibit no territorial behavior and it is possible the boundaries are not established until later. The resident bulls appeared to ignore each other and no fighting was observed.

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INVESTIGATION OF CRACKS IN LINING CONCRETE BY USING SEQUENTIAL IMAGE ANALYSIS

Doboku Gakkai Ronbunshuu F ◽

10.2208/jscejf.62.558 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 558-566 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nobuo SANO ◽

Tetsuo ITO ◽

Koji BABA ◽

Kazuo NISHIMURA ◽

Isamu YOSHITAKE ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Image Analysis ◽

Sequential Image

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Biochemical Implications of Seasonal Trends in the Iodine Values and Free Fatty Acid Levels of Commercially Produced Atlantic Coast Herring Oils

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada ◽

10.1139/f70-189 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 27 (10) ◽

pp. 1669-1683 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

R. G. Ackman ◽

C. A. Eaton

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Fatty Acid ◽

Nova Scotia ◽

Atlantic Coast ◽

Relative Proportion ◽

Short Term ◽

Iodine Values ◽

Seasonal Decline ◽

Fatty Acid Compositions

Annual surveys of commercial herring oils produced in summer and fall off southwestern Nova Scotia and in winter and spring off southwestern Newfoundland showed iodine values (IV) mostly within the range 135 to 105 in both locations for the years 1965–70. Two systematic trends in IV with season were detected. The first extended uniformly over the whole of each fishery season and was limited to no more than ± 5 IV units. It is believed to represent the influence of long-term average environmental conditions that may vary from year to year and that establish the basic fatty acid compositions of the fish entering the fishery. The second was observed as a seasonal decline, over 2–3 months, of 20 IV units in the Nova Scotia fishery, and of 10 IV units in the Newfoundland fishery. It is proposed that this short-term effect follows from an increase in the relative proportion of the low-density, long-chain, monoethylenic fatty acids characteristic of clupeid oils that could decrease residual fat density at a time of general fat depletion and corresponding density increase for the fish as a whole.Free fatty acids (FFA) in freshly produced oils were also examined. In both fisheries % FFA seldom exceeded 1 and under optimum conditions the % FFA were consistently about 0.2–0.3. Annual seasonal % FFA effects were apparently restricted to an increase in April in the Newfoundland fishery associated with high IV oils of a pink colour denoting heavy spring feeding.

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