Reliability in Distribution Modeling—A Synthesis and Step-by-Step Guidelines for Improved Practice

Information about the distribution of a study object (e.g., species or habitat) is essential in face of increasing pressure from land or sea use, and climate change. Distribution models are instrumental for acquiring such information, but also encumbered by uncertainties caused by different sources of error, bias and inaccuracy that need to be dealt with. In this paper we identify the most common sources of uncertainties and link them to different phases in the modeling process. Our aim is to outline the implications of these uncertainties for the reliability of distribution models and to summarize the precautions needed to be taken. We performed a step-by-step assessment of errors, biases and inaccuracies related to the five main steps in a standard distribution modeling process: (1) ecological understanding, assumptions and problem formulation; (2) data collection and preparation; (3) choice of modeling method, model tuning and parameterization; (4) evaluation of models; and, finally, (5) implementation and use. Our synthesis highlights the need to consider the entire distribution modeling process when the reliability and applicability of the models are assessed. A key recommendation is to evaluate the model properly by use of a dataset that is collected independently of the training data. We support initiatives to establish international protocols and open geodatabases for distribution models.

Smart Boat Detection Based on Feature Pyramid Network and Deformable Convolution

The submarine cable guarantees the electricity and communication of the island residents. The operation of fishing boats poses a major threat to the submarine cable. Due to the complex environment, manual monitoring has defects such as strong subjective factors and easy fatigue. The paper adopts the intelligent monitoring method, using the object detection algorithm based on deep learning and the camera to monitor the boats on the sea. Use feature pyramid network to enhance the detection of smaller and farther boats. Use deformable convolution to solve the problem of few samples. Experimental results show that model can detect boats. The detection ability of the feature pyramid network is stronger, especially for the distant and smaller boat targets. Using deformable convolution can improve the accuracy of models trained on small dataset.

Isolasi dan Potensi Enzim Hidrolase Bakteri Simbion Padina sp. dari Pantai Lengkuas Belitung

Marine organism is one of the riches in the ocean of Indonesia. The benefits of sea use for new products produced are widely used and have high market demand. Enzymes that have marine interests have unique properties and have good benefits for industry. This study aims to isolate the bacteria that have symbionts with Padina sp and determine the potential of the enzyme hydrolase produced by these bacteria. Isolation is done by the spread plate method. Pure isolates obtained were then tested for the potential of the enzyme hydrolase on selective media. Clear zone measurements are performed to determine which bacterial isolates are good for enzyme production. The results obtained by 6 isolates of pure bacteria, all of which include Gram negative bacteria that form bacilli. All isolates had the ability to produce different Protease, Lipase, Amylase and Cellulase enzymes. The enzymes obtained from these symbiotic bacteria are expected to be used for industrial-scale production in Indonesia. In addition, the presence of this symbiont bacteria is able to reduce the level of exploitation of Padina sp and contribute to preserving the marine ecosystem.

Mapping Sub-Metre 3D Land-Sea Coral Reefscapes Using Superspectral WorldView-3 Satellite Stereoimagery

Shallow coral reefs ensure a wide portfolio of ecosystem services, from fish provisioning to tourism, that support more than 500 million people worldwide. The protection and sustainable management of these pivotal ecosystems require fine-scale but large-extent mapping of their 3D composition. The sub-metre spaceborne imagery can neatly produce such an expected product using multispectral stereo-imagery. We built the first 3D land-sea coral reefscape mapping using the 0.3 m superspectral WorldView-3 stereo-imagery. An array of 13 land use/land cover and sea use/sea cover habitats were classified using sea-, ground- and air-truth data. The satellite-derived topography and bathymetry reached vertical accuracies of 1.11 and 0.89 m, respectively. The value added of the eight mid-infrared (MIR) channels specific to the WorldView-3 was quantified using the classification overall accuracy (OA). With no topobathymetry, the best combination included the eight-band optical (visible + near-infrared) and the MIR8, which boosted the basic blue-green-red OA by 9.58%. The classes that most benefited from this MIR information were the land use “roof” and land cover “soil” classes. The addition of the satellite-derived topobathymetry to the optical+MIR1 produced the best full combination, increasing the basic OA by 9.73%, and reinforcing the “roof” and “soil” distinction.

Extremity Tourniquet Training at High Seas

BackgroundFuture navy officers require unique training for emergency medical response in the isolated maritime environment. The authors issued a workshop on injury classification and extremity bleeding control, using four different commercial extremity tourniquets onboard a training sail ship. The purpose was to assess participants' perceptions of this educational experience and evaluate application simplicity while navigating on high seas.MethodsA descriptive observational study was conducted as part of a workshop issued to volunteer sailors. A post-workshop survey collected participants` perceptions about the workshops' content usefulness and adequacy, tourniquet safety, application simplicity in high seas, and device preference. The studied variables were measured on a one-to-ten Likert scale, while tourniquet preference by frequency count. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for the studied variables, and application simplicity means compared using the ANOVA test (p<0,05).ResultsFifty-one Spanish training naval officers, aged from 20-21, perceived workshop content usefulness, adequacy, and safety level in high sea use at 8.6/10, 8.7/10, and 7.5/10, respectively. As for application simplicity, CAT and SAM-XT were rated equally with a mean of 8.5, followed by SWAT (7.9) and RATS (6.9). The only statistical difference found was for the RATS (p<0.01). Windlass models were preferred by 94%, and elastic tourniquets by 6%. ConclusionsThe training sail ship extremity bleeding control workshop was perceived as useful and its content adequate by the participating midshipmen. Windlass tourniquet types were regarded as easier to apply than elastics models and were the preferred model by nine out of every ten participants.

Analysis of Coupling Co-Ordination between Intensive Sea Use and the Marine Economy in the Liaoning Coastal Economic Belt of China

At present, there are few relevant studies on the intensive sea use, and few scholars have provided qualitative and quantitative research examples on the interaction and interaction coupling relationship between intensive sea use and the marine economy. This study constructs comprehensive evaluation indicator systems using the Liaoning Coastal Economic Belt as the research object. The set pair analysis method is used to obtain comprehensive results, and the coupling coordination degree model is employed to carry out an in-depth analysis of the spatiotemporal characteristics of the interaction between intensive sea use and the marine economy. The results show the following. (1) The six cities in the Liaoning Coastal Economic Belt exhibited a fluctuating upward trend in the composite index for intensive sea use, but the intensive sea use level differed among the cities. The intensive sea use level of Huludao was the lowest among the six cities. (2) All cities in the Liaoning Coastal Economic Belt witnessed an upward trend in the marine economy development index, and the gaps between the cities gradually narrowed. The marine economy development index was ranked from top to bottom as follows: Jinzhou, Panjin, Dalian, Yingkou, Dandong, and Huludao. (3)The coupling coordination degree between intensive sea use and marine economy development was relatively stable in Dalian, Jinzhou, Yingkou, and Panjin, ranging approximately from 0.76 to 0.96, which indicates that the four cities witnessed good coordination between sea area utilization and marine economy development. The coupling coordination degree of Dandong and Huludao were relatively low, and Huludao consistently witnessed a low value.