Outbreak of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS) in lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) in Iceland caused by VHS virus genotype IV

A novel viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) of genotype IV was isolated from wild lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus), brought to a land‐based farm in Iceland, to serve as broodfish. Two groups of lumpfish juveniles, kept in tanks in the same facility, got infected. The virus isolated was identified as VHSV by ELISA and real‐time RT‐PCR. Phylogenetic analysis, based on the glycoprotein (G) gene sequences, may indicate a novel subgroup of VHSV genotype IV. In controlled laboratory exposure studies with this new isolate, there was 3% survival in the I.P. injection challenged group while there was 90% survival in the immersion group. VHSV was not re‐isolated from fish challenged by immersion. In a cohabitation trial, lumpfish infected I.P. (shedders) were placed in tanks with naïve lumpfish as well as naïve Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). 10% of the lumpfish shedders and 43%–50% of the cohabiting lumpfish survived after 4 weeks. 80%–92% of the Atlantic salmon survived, but no viral RNA was detected by real‐time RT‐PCR nor VHSV was isolated from Atlantic salmon. This is the first isolation of a notifiable virus in Iceland and the first report of VHSV of genotype IV in European waters.     

Geographical information system (GIS) environmental models for aquaculture development in Sinaloa State,Mexico

This paper describes the use of a geographical information system (GIS) to construct environmental models for land-based aquaculture development in the State of Sinaloa, Mexico. Based on the source data, submodels were created focusing on three different themes: general environmental issues, water resources and water quality. Models enabled multicriteria and multiobjective decision making concerning site selection and location. In assessing site considerations these general models identified wider resource management options and solved conflicts of land allocation and land use between aquaculture and agriculture. Smaller-scale, more specific models enabled more detailed studies on environmental issues.     

Color vision, spectral sensitivity, accommodation, and visual acuity in juvenile masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou masou

ABSTRACT:   Color vision, spectral sensitivity, accommodation, and visual acuity were examined in juvenile masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou masou to obtain fundamental information about the visual system. Two types of S-potentials were recorded from 415 horizontal cells in isolated retinas from 34 cultured freshwater masu salmon (114–219 mm standard length, SL). Although horizontal cells recording S-potentials were not identified, the horizontal cells were confirmed because their responses were maintained while the stimulus remained. The variety of chromaticity (C)-type S-potentials indicated well-developed color vision. The analysis of the luminosity (L)-type S-potentials indicated that the peak spectral sensitivity was at 522 nm. S-potentials were also recorded in response to ultraviolet light. The direction and extent of lens movement induced by electrical stimulation was measured in 12 cultured masu salmon (99.0–142.5 mm SL). The results indicated that the visual axis was upward and forward, and that the range of accommodation was from 0.79 × SL in front of the eye to infinity. In histological analysis of the retinas of five wild smolts (100–118 mm SL), the maximum cone densities (276–345 cones/0.01 mm²) were detected in the ventral to temporal regions. The visual acuities assessed by histological methods were 0.069–0.075.     

A dynamic mass-balance model for marine protected areas

A modified Ecosim model was used to investigate the impact of establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) in ecosystems defined by existing Ecopath models. The impact of MPAs of various sizes was simulated, and changes in biomass and catch over a range of years observed. The response of biomass and catch to MPA size depended on the time period examined. For some ecosystem groups, the initial response was negative, but for all groups there were increases after 10 years. The greater the biomass exchange rate across the MPA boundary, the larger the MPA required to increase biomass levels. Within the range of exchange rates simulated, the maximum increases in catch and overall biomass levels were reached when 20% of the system was protected.     

Spatio‐temporal trends of sailfish,Istiophorus platypterus catch rates in relation to spawning ground and environmental factors in the equatorial and southwestern Atlantic Ocean

Spatial and temporal trends of sailfish catch rates in the southwestern and equatorial Atlantic Ocean in relation to environmental variables were investigated using generalized additive models and fishery‐dependent data. Two generalized additive models were fit: (i) ‘spatio‐temporal’, including only latitude, longitude, month, and year; and (ii) ‘oceanographic’, including sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll‐a concentration, wind velocity, bottom depth, and depth of mixed layer and year. The spatio‐temporal model explained more (average ~40%) of the variability in catch rates than the oceanographic model (average ~30%). Modeled catch rate predictions showed that sailfish tend to aggregate off the southeast coast of Brazil during the peak of the spawning season (November to February). Sailfish also seem to aggregate for feeding in two different areas, one located in the mid‐west Atlantic to the south of ~15°S and another area off the north coast of Brazil. The oceanographic model revealed that wind velocity and chlorophyll‐a concentration were the most important variables describing catch rate variability. The results presented herein may help to understand sailfish movements in the Atlantic Ocean and the relationship of these movements with environmental effects.     

双目立体视觉在果树采摘机器人中的应用

果树采摘机器人是未来智能农业机械化的发展方向,具有广阔的应用前景。为此,针对果树采摘机器人作业环境的复杂性与定位目标的特殊性,从双目定位的几何模型出发,归纳了双目定位的基本过程,总结了立体视觉的摄像机标定问题,提出变焦距双目视觉定位果实的研究方向,并对双目图像的匹配问题进行了分析。     

苹果可溶性固形物含量的检测方法——基于可见光近红外光谱技术

为了快速检测苹果的可溶性固形物(SSC)含量,采用可见光近红外光谱技术,结合主成分分析(PCA)和BP神经网络技术,来建立苹果SSC的预测模型.获取苹果样本在345～1039 nm波段的漫反射光谱,采用DPS数据处理系统对其进行主成分分析,并提取出累计可信度大于95 %的5个新主成分.建立一个3层的BP神经网络模型,并将这5个新的主成分作为BP神经网络模型的输入量,其结果是98 %以上预测样本的预测相对误差在5 %以下.该研究表明,采用近红外光谱技术来建立苹果可溶性固形物的预测模型是可行的.     

Predicting the age of fish using general and generalized linear models of biometric data: A case study of two estuarine finfish from New South Wales, Australia

Direct ageing of fish can be a laborious and expensive task when age estimates from a large population are required, and often involves a degree of subjectivity. This study examined the application of general and generalized linear models that predict the age of fish from a range of efficiently and objectively measured covariates. The data sampled were from yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis (Sparidae) (Owen, 1853)) and sand whiting (Sillago ciliata (Sillaginidae) Cuvier, 1829) populations from New South Wales, Australia. The covariates evaluated in the models were fish length, otolith weight, sex and location (the estuary from which the fish were sampled). Akaike Information Criteria were used for model selection and residual plots of the final models revealed a satisfactory fit to the observations. The best fitting model for each species included all covariates. An additional investigation considered whether general and generalized linear models that predict age from two different categories of biometric information outperform age-length keys with respect to subsequent estimates of total mortality from catch-curve analysis. The two categories of biometric information differed in the ease and cost with which the information could be collected. The first category only included fish length and location as covariates, whilst the second category also included otolith weight and sex. It was found that traditional age-length keys outperformed the predictive models that estimated age from only fish length and location, because the results from the models were prone to significant bias. However, when otolith weight and sex were added as covariates to the predictive models, some of them, including a generalized linear model with a Poisson-distributed response variable, performed similarly to the age-length key. Given that otolith weight and the sex of fish are cheaper to quantify than age from a sectioned otolith in many situations, general or generalized linear models may represent a cheaper and faster method of estimating mortality compared to age-length keys. Such models can also easily incorporate the influence of spatial, temporal and demographic variation.     

基于分数阶微分视频融合的森林烟火检测算法

森林火灾检测是国内外林业应用研究的重要课题之一。及时准确地检测到森林火灾,对于森林健康及环境安全意义重大。现有的利用视频技术检测森林火灾的方法大多针对单一波段,如可见光波段或红外波段的视频信息进行分析,然而在实际应用过程中,由于森林环境复杂,基于单一波段视频信息检测火灾的结果欠佳。现阶段,基于多个波段的森林火灾检测方法非常少。本文综合利用红外及可见光视频特征,提出了一种基于分数阶微分视频融合的森林烟火检测算法,将分数阶微分理论引入红外视频和可见光视频融合中,利用分数阶微分算子对两个波段视频进行融合,然后利用背景去除法检测融合视频中的异常帧,且对异常帧图像及其与背景帧的差分图像分别进行图像分割,最终得到检测出的森林烟火区域。采用空间频率、平均梯度、森林火灾检测准确率和森林火灾检测时间误差度4个测度对本文算法和基于区域能量融合算法、基于窗口方差融合算法、基于HSI变换融合算法进行定量分析和比较。结果表明,本文算法的融合视频的融合效果最佳,并且森林火灾检测准确率和森林火灾检测时间误差均明显优于其他3种算法,说明本文提出的算法具有较好的有效性和准确性,为森林火灾检测提供了有利的新途径。