Identifying Suitable Sites for Macroalgae Cultivation on the Swedish West Coast

Special attention has been paid to sustainable macroalgae cultivation in Europe. The question on where suitable cultivation areas lie, without conflicting with current marine socio-economic activities and respecting the environment, remains a great challenge. Considering 13 criteria critical to seaweed farming such as depth, shipping traffic, and distance to ports, this paper aimed to identify suitable and sustainable offshore areas on the West Coast of Sweden for the cultivation of the Sugar Kelp, Saccharina latissima. An integrated approach with the tools geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria analysis (MCA) was used to aggregate the criteria by means of Boolean and weighted linear combination (WLC) techniques. The Boolean method singled out 544?km² as suitable, whereas the WLC method indicated 475?km² as highly suitable. Both techniques complement each other in finding optimal sites. Furthermore, the integrated models excelled in providing an overview for effective spatial decision-making that fosters sustainable development of macroalgae cultivations within marine and coastal systems.

• Highlights

• To the authors’ knowledge no study on seaweed aquaculture site selection has been conducted using such a range of criteria with the purpose of including sustainability aspects within a comparative GIS-MCDA.

• The large areas identified on the West Coast of Sweden as suitable highlight the potential of this new industry and the complexity of associated marine spatial planning.

• Boolean and weighted linear combination methods were applied and compared, providing valuable insights in the selection of methods for spatial decision-making support. These insights should support a more sustainable development of macroalgae cultivation in the region, as well as a more resilient marine spatial planning process for blue growth strategies.

     

Port Economics,Policy and Management: Content Classification and Survey

This paper presents a taxonomy and analysis of the content of published research in port economics, policy and management (port studies). The recent increase of these publications suggests a growing interest in the study of ports. However, the research characteristics and directions of this research field are unidentified. This paper provides a systematic analysis of port studies published during the period 1997–2008. A comprehensive cross-citation and analysis of the themes, approaches and findings of all 395 relevant journal papers identifies the extent to which the research field is maturing, and the leading papers. This paper also presents an extensive analysis of the content, based on the classification of all port studies into seven research themes. For each theme, research topics, widely used research questions, concepts and research methods and the most important research findings are discussed. Finally, we identify emerging research challenges and research questions that still need to be answered.     

Identification of occupant posture using a Bayesian classification methodology to reduce the risk of injury in a collision

Recent studies have shown that smart restraint systems, which will recognize and then adapt to a specific collision and occupant combination, have a strong opportunity to significantly reduce occupant injuries during a traffic accident. As a step toward the development of these adaptive restraint systems, this study proposes a novel methodology for the classification of pre-crash occupant posture. Various occupant postures were simulated with a human model and the corresponding data was recorded using sensor models implemented in a mid-size car interior. The sensor data was then used to train two Bayesian classifiers which categorized an unknown occupant posture as one of nine predefined classes. The posture classifiers and a look-up table which contained optimized restraint laws for each class were combined to form catalog controllers for the restraint systems. The benefit of these restraint systems with catalog controllers vs. a restraint system optimized at a nominal posture was estimated by analyzing crash simulations with the occupant in 200 different postures. While the minimum error rate classifier showed the highest correct classification rate (90%), the Bayesian minimum risk classifier estimated the highest average injury reduction (21%). As expected, the highest injury reduction (up to 45%) was recorded for the posture classes closest to the windshield, whereas the lowest injury reduction was found for the classes closest to the nominal position. While the proposed restraint system with a catalog controller requires considerable “offline” computational effort, it is more versatile in terms of using complex human models and injury criteria and is much faster during the brief decision window available than recent “online” controllers proposed previously in literature.     

Parking taxes: Effectiveness,legality and implementation,some general considerations

This paper evaluates the pros and cons of implementing parking pricing to reduce auto use and traffic through parking taxes. Taxes on parkers and the providers are evaluated in terms of effectiveness in influencing auto use, operations of the tax, and the legality as well as acceptability of the options. The intent is to help local governments evaluate parking tax approaches.Abbreviation TDM Transportation Demand Management     

The significance of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for the shipping industry

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) was established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as a body to settle disputes between States Parties to the Convention regarding the interpretation or application of the Convention s provisions, including provisions concerning the exercise of the powers of States over shipping and the discharge by states of their responsibilities and obligations in relation to ships.ITLOS is competent to deal with disputes in which a State is alleged to have wrongly interfered with or otherwise restrained the operation of a vessel when it is in a port of the State or within the territorial sea or exclusive economic zone of the State.In its previous judgments, ITLOS has provided clarifications of some important areas of the law of the sea concerning the operation and regulation of shipping by flag States and other states.ITLOS plays a key role in the regime of the Law of the Sea Convention relating to the prompt release of ships and their crews that are arrested or detained in a foreign port.ITLOS also has the possibility to serve as ajudicial organ for the settlement of disputes under other maritime agreements and contracts, if the parties to the agreements or contracts agree to confer jurisdiction on it.There are many advantages to be gained by States and shipping operators from using ITLOS as the body for the settlement of disputes under agreements. These advantages include savings in time and expenses.     

EFFECT OF LOW SELENIUM ON CHONDROCYTE DIFFERENTIATION AND DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION OF COLLAGEN TYPES Ⅰ , Ⅱ AND X IN ARTICULAR CARTILAGE FROM MINI-PIGS

Objective According to the distribution of low selenium areas, low nutrition state of the residents and the affecting cartilage growth and articular cartilage of Kashin-Beck Disease(KBD),the chondrocyte differentia- tion and differential expression of collagen types Ⅰ , Ⅱ and Ⅹ in articular cartilage from Chinese mini-pigs treated with low selenium were investigated in order to gain insight into the effects of these conditions on chondrocyte differ- entiation in KBD cartilage. Mothods Eleven male juvenile mini-pigs, aged from 4 weeks to 6 weeks after birth, were divided into 3 groups. The Se content in the diet of the “low Se” group was 0. 035mg/kg diet, and 0. 175 mg/kg diet in the control. For Se-supplemented group 0. 390mg /kg diet was added. The content of Se in blood was assayed at the beginning and at the end of each experiment. Samples of articular cartilage were taken from the right femur condylus, and collagen types Ⅰ , Ⅱ and Ⅹ in articular cartilage were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Results ①All cartilage samples from juvenile mini-pigs fed with low selenium diet revealed a re- duction in type Ⅹ collagen mRNA expression in the hypertrophic chondrocytes as shown by in situ hybridization, and reduced type Ⅹ collagen deposition in the lower hypertrophic zone as shown by immunohistochemistry. ②Addition of selenium to the diet restored the type Ⅹ collagen to normal level. ③Type Ⅱ collagen was evenly distributed over the entire articular cartilage in all experimental and control groups. Type Ⅱ collagen mRNA signals were most prominent in the upper articular layer as well as in the hypertrophic zone in all groups. Type Ⅱ collagen expression was restrict- ed to the zone of endochondral ossification in all experimental groups and the control. Conclusion Low selenium has an down-regulatory role on the synthesis and deposition of collagen type Ⅹ in hypertrophic chondrocytes in articular cartilage of mini-pigs. Supplement of the low Se diet with additional Se restored the signals of collagen type Ⅹ to nor- mal levels. These findings indicate that selenium deficiency may disturb chondrocyte differentiation to hypertrophic cells in the growth plate,and worthy to be investigated further.     

An insight into the slamming behaviour of large high-speed catamarans through full-scale measurements

The slamming behaviour of a large high-speed catamaran has been investigated through the analysis of full-scale trials data. The US Navy conducted the trials in the North Sea and North Atlantic region on a 98 m wave piercer catamaran, HSV-2 Swift, designed by Revolution Design Pty Ltd and built by Incat Tasmania. For varying wave headings, vessel speeds and sea states the data records were interrogated to identify slam events. An automatic slam identification algorithm was developed, considering the measured rate of change of stress in the ship’s structure coupled with the vessel’s pitch motion. This has allowed the slam occurrence rates to be found for a range of conditions and the influence of vessel speed, wave environment and heading to be determined. The slam events have been further characterised by assessing the relative vertical velocity at impact between the vessel and the wave. Since the ship was equipped with a ride control system, its influence on the slam occurrence rates has also been assessed.     

Mapping evacuation risk on transportation networks using a spatial optimization model

The focus of this paper is on the development of a methodology to identify network and demographic characteristics on real transportation networks which may lead to significant problems in evacuation during some extreme event, like a wildfire or hazardous material spill. We present an optimization model, called the critical cluster model, that can be used to identify small areas or neighborhoods which have high ratios of population to exit capacity. Although this model in its simplest form is a nonlinear, constrained optimization problem, a special integer-linear programming equivalent can be formulated. Special contiguity constraints are needed to keep identified clusters spatially connected. We present details on how this model can be solved optimally as well as discuss computational experience for several example transportation networks. We describe how this model can be integrated within a GIS system to produce maps of evacuation risk or vulnerability. This model is now being utilized in several research projects, in Europe and the US.     

Spatial and Temporal Variability in Shipping Traffic Off San Francisco,California

Shipping traffic poses a worldwide threat to many large whale species. Spatially explicit risk assessments are increasingly being used as a tool to minimize ship-strike risk. These assessments often use static representations of shipping patterns. We used Automatic Identification System data to quantify variability in cargo shipping traffic entering and exiting San Francisco Bay, which contains some of the busiest ports in the United States, at three temporal resolutions: (1) before and after implementation of the California Air Resources Board's Ocean-Going Vessels Fuel Rule, (2) among seasons, and (3) day versus night. We used the nonparametric Mood's Median test to compare median daily distance traveled because the data were not normally distributed and the variance was not homogeneous. Our analyses show that shipping traffic off San Francisco is dynamic at both interannual and daily temporal resolutions, but that traffic was fairly consistent among the seasons considered. Our analyses emphasize the importance of economic and regulatory drivers on interannual shipping traffic patterns. Shipping traffic is expected to continue to change off the U.S. West Coast and to increase globally. These changes in shipping traffic could have implications for the risk of ships striking whales and should be included in risk assessments.     

Coastal and Ocean Science-Based Decision-Making in the Gulf of California: Lessons and Opportunities for Improvement

The Gulf of California hosts astounding biodiversity that supports numerous economic activities in the region. These activities, and emerging threats, are placing pressure on the region's ecosystems. Government and civil society are working to address threats through several conservation and management mechanisms. Nevertheless, the use and incorporation of scientific information—a key component for creating effective and durable management—is still deficient. This article presents the concept of science integration and discusses the findings of a study that assesses the regional landscape, existing institutional arrangements, and capacity for using science to inform policy and management decisions. It also explores the current use of science within fisheries policy and management and the capacity of the National Network of Information and Research of Fisheries and Aquaculture (RENIIPA) and the State Fisheries and Aquaculture Councils, two mechanisms in the region. Finally, it shares lessons learned and offers recommendations on how the region can strengthen science-based decision-making. Results indicate that while there are some actors in the Gulf of California producing relevant science, there is varying capacity of intermediary groups connecting producers with users of science, or mechanisms in place to ensure that science is being utilized in decision-making processes. Moreover, despite having a well-developed landscape of producers and intermediaries and mechanisms in place for fisheries management in the region, effective science integration is not occurring.