Benefits of kin association: related and familiar zebrafish larvae (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Danio rerio</Emphasis>) show improved growth

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae prefer the olfactory cues of kin to non-kin. We examined the potential benefits of kin preference by comparing growth rate, shoaling, and aggressive behavior in juvenile zebrafish housed in groups of either familiar kin or unfamiliar non-kin. Over an observation period of 5 days, the animals grew 33% more in kin groups; however, neither shoaling nor the frequency of aggressive interactions was different in groups of related versus unrelated individuals. Shoaling behavior increased with increasing observation time and increasing age, while aggressive behavior remained the same. We conclude that associating with kin probably creates a less stressful environment that allows for higher growth rates, which can lead to higher direct fitness based on increased survival and earlier reproduction. Kin recognition leading to kin-structured groups may therefore be under positive selection.     

Volatile Organic Compounds in the Area of Madrid: A Chemometrical Approach

Multivariate techniques have been applied to the set of dataobtained after one year sampling of volatile organic compounds(VOCs), including volatile aldehydes in the area of Madrid inorder to evaluate the possible correspondence among groups ofanalysed compounds, as far as modelling of different emissionsources in relation to location and season. The measurements were carried out at four sites in Madrid, characteristic for urban and suburban areas. Additionally, as reference, a rural area 100 km far from the city was considered. Results of correlation analysis, factor and cluster analysis are presented.Higher correlations were found between variables related withtraffic emissions. Factor analysis results showed two mainsignificant variables related to anthropogenic and biogenicemissions respectively. In relation to cluster analysis, samples were grouped according to sampling site and seasonal variations.     

Two independent mechanisms of egg recognition in worker <Emphasis Type="Italic">Formica fusca</Emphasis> ants

Informational constraints can be an important limitation on the accuracy of recognition. One potential constraint is the use of recognition information from the same sources in multiple discriminatory contexts. Worker wood ants, Formica fusca, discriminate eggs based on their maternal sources of origin in two main contexts: recognition of eggs laid by nestmate versus non-nestmate queens and recognition of worker-laid versus queen-laid eggs. We manipulated the experience of F. fusca workers in laboratory colonies to both worker-laid and queen-laid eggs by transferring eggs between colonies in order to investigate whether these two contexts of egg discrimination are independent. Experience of non-nestmate queen-laid eggs significantly increased worker acceptance of both familiar (18% accepted) and unfamiliar (10%) queen-laid eggs compared to control workers without experience of eggs other than those laid by their own colony’s queen (2%). In contrast, worker acceptance of worker-laid eggs was not affected by variation in the egg experience of workers (14% in workers from control colonies exposed only to eggs from their own colony’s queen versus 19% and 17% in workers from colonies which had received eggs laid by either a non-nestmate queen or nestmate workers, respectively). Our results suggest that these two recognition contexts do not strongly constrain each other and are different in their ontogeny. In particular, worker-laid eggs are universally discriminated against by workers from colonies with a queen whatever the egg experience of the workers, while non-nestmate queen-laid eggs are strongly discriminated against only by workers without experience of eggs laid by more than one queen.     

基于熵权-属性识别模型的地表水质量评价

利用熵权法并结合属性识别理论,建立了熵权-属性识别模型。采用地表水环境质量标准（GB3838—2002）作为依据,选用7个影响因子作为评价指标,利用熵权法确定各评价指标的权重以计算综合属性测度区间,应用置信度准则和评分准则对地表水质量进行属性识别。实例研究表明,该模型能有效地解决地表水质量评价的问题,评价模型采用熵权法确定权重,避免了权重确定中的主观性和随意性,保证了评价工作的客观性和准确性。     

属性识别理论在综合评价城市污泥堆肥腐熟度中的应用

基于属性识别理论,以含水率、挥发固体、粪大肠菌值、发芽指数作为腐熟程度的判别指标体系,并根据信息熵客观计算权重,建立属性识别模型,并用此模型综合评价城市污泥堆肥的腐熟度.实例应用表明,属性识别理论应用于污泥堆肥腐熟度的评价是可行的,而且评价结果比较合理.     

Applying deep learning to right whale photo identification

Photo identification is an important tool for estimating abundance and monitoring population trends over time. However, manually matching photographs to known individuals is time-consuming. Motivated by recent developments in image recognition, we hosted a data science challenge on the crowdsourcing platform Kaggle to automate the identification of endangered North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). The winning solution automatically identified individual whales with 87% accuracy with a series of convolutional neural networks to identify the region of interest on an image, rotate, crop, and create standardized photographs of uniform size and orientation and then identify the correct individual whale from these passport-like photographs. Recent advances in deep learning coupled with this fully automated workflow have yielded impressive results and have the potential to revolutionize traditional methods for the collection of data on the abundance and distribution of wild populations. Presenting these results to a broad audience should further bridge the gap between the data science and conservation science communities.     

基于模糊模式识别的瓦斯含量指标异常预警技术

提出利用模糊模式识别技术对瓦斯涌出异常进行动态预警的新思路;通过对已知巷道的瓦斯含量监测数据和素描图进行分析,提取引起瓦斯涌出异常的前兆特征作为模式识别的特征向量,来对实时监测的巷道的工况进行判断,确定其是否存在瓦斯涌出异常的可能性。该方法将传统煤矿安全监控系统事后报警转变成事前预警,提高了系统的可用性。     

基于AlphaPose与REBA的手工搬运作业姿势风险评估方法

为有效预防职业性肌肉骨骼疾患(WMSDs),提出基于计算机视觉技术与快速全身评估(REBA)结合的作业姿势评估方法,以手工搬运作业为例,通过人体姿态识别AlphaPose模型检测作业姿势,利用提取的各关节点空间位置信息计算身体各部位关节角度;利用SG滤波法处理身体遮挡、光线等对数据的影响,有效保留数据变化信息的同时消除数据突变;根据身体关节角度范围与危害程度对应关系自动评判作业姿势的风险大小。研究结果表明：作业姿势评估方法可通过采集的视频数据自动评估搬运作业的姿势危险性,降低WMSDs风险,通过分析不同下蹲取物姿势风险,可论证作业姿势评估方法的可行性,为及时改善搬运作业中的不安全动作提供参考。     

Chemically mediated burrow recognition in the Mexican tarantula <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachypelma vagans</Emphasis> female

Chemically mediated communication is common in spiders but has been poorly studied in burrowing tarantulas. This study aimed to determine whether chemical cues influence the behaviour of females of Brachypelma vagans, a Mexican species of tarantula, during encounters with previously inhabited burrows or with extracts from the silk of conspecific females. In laboratory choice tests, female tarantulas entered a burrow that had previously been inhabited by a conspecific female significantly more frequently than a burrow that had never been inhabited. The identity of the previous inhabitant also affected the number of spiders that chose to enter a burrow. Spiders were quicker to choose and enter a burrow previously inhabited by themselves than a burrow previously inhabited by a conspecific or a burrow that had not been previously inhabited. Hexane, methanol and dichloromethane extracts of conspecific silk elicited different responses from female tarantulas when extracts were placed on filter paper disks at one end of an experimental arena with a control filter paper disk, on to which the corresponding solvent alone had been pipetted, placed on the other end of the arena. Spiders showed the strongest responses to hexane extracts of silk, with a significant preference to move towards the hexane extract and a significantly greater period of time spent in proximity to the hexane extract compared to the control disk. Overall and in contrast to expectations, tarantulas were most strongly attracted to the cues left by other conspecific females. As encounters between B. vagans females usually lead to aggression and mortality of one of the participants, we conclude that chemical cues are not signals that are deliberately released by burrow-inhabiting females but may inadvertently escape and cannot be easily suppressed.     

Analysis of floc morphology in a continuous-flow flocculation and sedimentation reactor

The floc morphology was investigated in a continuous-flow reactor, in order to understand the evolution of flocs in practical flocculation and sedimentation processes in water utilities. Kaolin-humic acid suspension was used as the test water, and polyaluminum chloride was chosen as the coagulant. An in-situ recognition system was applied to analyze the floc size, boundary fractal dimension, and eccentricity ratios. Particle numbers and turbidity were also determined in the sedimentation stage. At a coagulant dose of 1 mg/L as Al, the average floc size increased from 62 to 78 μm and the boundary fractal dimension was around 1.14, suggesting that flocs were compact and continuously grew during the entire flocculation process. However, with the dose increased to 5 mg/L, the average floc size decreased and stabilized at around 65 μm, with the fractal dimension of 1.20. It can be concluded that the excess coagulant doses resulted in the formation of chain-shaped, lower density, and more branched structure flocs, thereby restricting flocs' further growth in the subsequent flocculation. Floc morphology analysis suggested that charge neutralization dominated in the initial flocculation stage, then the bridge and sweep mechanisms were dominant in the subsequent flocculation. In addition, compared with the traditional inclined plate settler, a novel V-shaped plate settler introduced in this study had an advantage in small size floc(less than 5 μm) removal. The V-shaped region could promote aggregate restructuring and re-flocculation; therefore, the V-shaped plate settler provides an alternative method for sedimentation.