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Recent levels of technetium-99 in seawater at the west coast of Svalbard.

Seawater from the western coast of Svalbard was sampled in the spring and summer of 2000 to determine levels of technetium-99 (99Tc), a conservative-behaving, manmade radionuclide originating from European nuclear reprocessing plants. This paper deals with the recent levels of this radionuclide in seawater and with the link between an Arctic fjord, Kongsfjorden, and the Western Spitsbergen Current (WSC), investigated using 99Tc results. By means of the WSC, the 99Tc radionuclides ultimately reach the eastern Fram Strait west of Spitsbergen (the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago). Results from oceanographic modelling and sea ice observations indicate a direct coupling between Kongsfjorden and the area west of it. The findings in connection with new radionuclide results presented in this paper concur with these assumptions. Furthermore they indicate that the inner part of Kongsfjorden is also well linked to the WSC. Surface seawater from the central part of the WSC, sampled during a cruise with RV Polarstern in the summer of 2000, shows a higher level of 99Tc than those measured in Kongsfjorden in spring 2000. However, all levels measured in surface water are of the same order of magnitude. Data from sampling of deeper water in the WSC area provide information pertaining to the lateral distribution of 99Tc. The results, along with additional data from spring 2001, indicate that Kongsfjorden is suitable for monitoring the levels of 99Tc arriving in the European Arctic and that the sheltered setting of this fjord does not necessarily provide protection against pollution from the open sea.

Environmental Monitoring↗

Fluctuations in network dynamics.

Most complex networks serve as conduits for various dynamical processes, ranging from mass transfer by chemical reactions in the cell to packet transfer on the Internet. We collected data on the time dependent activity of five natural and technological networks, finding that for each the coupling of the flux fluctuations with the total flux on individual nodes obeys a unique scaling law. We show that the observed scaling can explain the competition between the system's internal collective dynamics and changes in the external environment, allowing us to predict the relevant scaling exponents.

Internet↗

Compression of map images by multilayer context tree modeling.

We propose a method for compressing color map images by context tree modeling and arithmetic coding. We consider multicomponent map images with semantic layer separation and images that are divided into binary layers by color separation. The key issue in the compression method is the utilization of interlayer correlations, and to solve the optimal ordering of the layers. The interlayer dependencies are acquired by optimizing the context tree for every pair of image layers. The resulting cost matrix of the interlayer dependencies is considered as a directed spanning tree problem and solved by an algorithm based on the Edmond's algorithm for optimum branching and by the optimal selection and removal of the background color. The proposed method gives results 50% better than JBIG and 25% better than a single-layer context tree modeling.

Algorithms↗

Qualitative map learning based on covisibility of objects.

Autonomous map construction is one of the most fundamental and significant issues in intelligent mobile robot research. While a variety of map construction methods have been proposed, most require some quantitative measurements of the environment and a mechanism of precise self-localization. This paper proposes a novel map construction method using only qualitative information about "how often two objects are observed simultaneously." This method is based on heuristics--"closely located objects are likely to be seen simultaneously more often than distant objects" and a well-known multivariate data analysis technique-multidimensional scaling. A significant feature of this method is that it requires neither quantitative sensor measurements nor information about the robot's own position. Simulation and experimental results demonstrated that this method is sufficiently practical for capturing a qualitative spatial relationship among identifiable landmark objects rapidly.

Algorithms↗

Model evaluation and spatial interpolation by Bayesian combination of observations with outputs from numerical models.

Constructing maps of dry deposition pollution levels is vital for air quality management, and presents statistical problems typical of many environmental and spatial applications. Ideally, such maps would be based on a dense network of monitoring stations, but this does not exist. Instead, there are two main sources of information for dry deposition levels in the United States: one is pollution measurements at a sparse set of about 50 monitoring stations called CASTNet, and the other is the output of the regional scale air quality models, called Models-3. A related problem is the evaluation of these numerical models for air quality applications, which is crucial for control strategy selection. We develop formal methods for combining sources of information with different spatial resolutions and for the evaluation of numerical models. We specify a simple model for both the Models-3 output and the CASTNet observations in terms of the unobserved ground truth, and we estimate the model in a Bayesian way. This provides improved spatial prediction via the posterior distribution of the ground truth, allows us to validate Models-3 via the posterior predictive distribution of the CASTNet observations, and enables us to remove the bias in the Models-3 output. We apply our methods to data on SO2 concentrations, and we obtain high-resolution SO2 distributions by combining observed data with model output. We also conclude that the numerical models perform worse in areas closer to power plants, where the SO2 values are overestimated by the models.

Air Pollution↗

Deep depression: mapping, weather forecasting and The Beagle.

This paper traces the voyage of HMS Beagle under the command of Robert FitzRoy, in which Charles Darwin travelled as naturalist. It examines FitzRoy's subsequent career and the coincidence that he, and two other hydrographers connected with the vessel, fell prey to depression.

Depression↗

On geodetic distance computations in spatial modeling.

Statisticians analyzing spatial data often need to detect and model associations based upon distances on the Earth's surface. Accurate computation of distances are sought for exploratory and interpretation purposes, as well as for developing numerically stable estimation algorithms. When the data come from locations on the spherical Earth, application of Euclidean or planar metrics for computing distances is not straightforward. Yet, planar metrics are desirable because of their easier interpretability, easy availability in software packages, and well-established theoretical properties. While distance computations are indispensable in spatial modeling, their importance and impact upon statistical estimation and prediction have gone largely unaddressed. This article explores the different options in using planar metrics and investigates their impact upon spatial modeling.

Algorithms↗

Inherited disorders: the comparative picture.

When confronted with a novel familial disorder, veterinarians should consult McKusick's catalogue of inherited disorders in humans, called Mendelian Inheritance in Man (MIM), or its online version (OMIM), to see whether a similar disorder has been reported in humans. They should also consult the other readily available sources of comparative information on mice and domesticated species. Increasingly, such consultations can be conducted on the Internet via the World Wide Web. If it is thought that an animal disorder is homologous with a human disorder, publications describing the animal disorder should include the MIM number(s) for that disorder. Future research can then test the hypothesis of homology, until a consensus is reached.

Animals↗

Determination of deforestation rates of the world's humid tropical forests.

A recently completed research program (TREES) employing the global imaging capabilities of Earth-observing satellites provides updated information on the status of the world's humid tropical forest cover. Between 1990 and 1997, 5.8 +/- 1.4 million hectares of humid tropical forest were lost each year, with a further 2.3 +/- 0.7 million hectares of forest visibly degraded. These figures indicate that the global net rate of change in forest cover for the humid tropics is 23% lower than the generally accepted rate. This result affects the calculation of carbon fluxes in the global budget and means that the terrestrial sink is smaller than previously inferred.

Africa↗

Core knowledge of geometry in an Amazonian indigene group.

Does geometry constitute a core set of intuitions present in all humans, regardless of their language or schooling? We used two nonverbal tests to probe the conceptual primitives of geometry in the Mundurukú, an isolated Amazonian indigene group. Mundurukú children and adults spontaneously made use of basic geometric concepts such as points, lines, parallelism, or right angles to detect intruders in simple pictures, and they used distance, angle, and sense relationships in geometrical maps to locate hidden objects. Our results provide evidence for geometrical intuitions in the absence of schooling, experience with graphic symbols or maps, or a rich language of geometrical terms.

Adolescent↗