Fishes in the Superorder Ostariophysi have specialized epidermal club cells that contain an alarm substance. Damage to these cells causes the release of the alarm substance which can serve as a useful indicator of predation risk for nearby conspecifics. The majority of research involving alarm substances has investigated the roles that cues play in anti-predator contexts including learned predator avoidance. In this study I tested the effects of non-predatory stressors including pathogens, pathogen conditioned water, social dynamics, and skin-burrowing parasites on epidermal variables including alarm cell investment. In experiment 1, fathead minnows, <i>Pimephales promelas</i>, were exposed to different levels of the pathogenic water-mold, Saprolgenia ferax to determine the effect it would have on the epidermis. Minnows exposed to Saprolgenia had significantly more alarm cells than those exposed to the control solutions. The treatments had no effect on body condition, alarm cell size, mucous cell density, mucous cell size, or epidermal thickness. In experiment 2, social dynamics were manipulated by pairing minnows with either a familiar partner or an unfamiliar individual and exposing them to Saprolgenia ferax. The treatments had no effect on body condition, alarm cell density, alarm cell size, mucous cell density, mucous cell size, or epidermal thickness. In experiment 3, minnows were exposed to either Saprolgenia or Saprolgenia conditioned water to determine whether the physical presence of zoospores was required to induce a change in epidermal properties. The treatments had no effect on body condition, alarm cell density, alarm cell size, mucous cell density, mucous cell size, or epidermal thickness; suggesting that water conditioned by Saprolgenia may be sufficient to induce a change in alarm cell investment. In experiment 4, minnows were exposed to three different infection rates of skin burrowing parasites (trematode cercariae) to determine its effect on the epidermis. Minnows exposed to high levels of tramatode cercariae had significantly more alarm cells than those exposed to either low levels or those in the control treatment. The treatments had no effect on body condition, alarm cell size, mucous cell density, mucous cell size, or epidermal thickness. In experiment 5 and 6, cultures of Saprolegnia ferax were exposed to skin extracts from various fishes. S. ferax cultures exposed to fathead minnow skin extracts, which contain alarm cells showed the least amount of growth, while cultures exposed to swordtail skin extracts, which lack alarm cells, showed an intermediate amount of growth. Cultures exposed to fathead minnow skin extracts showed the least amount of growth compared to cultures exposed to either the synthetic alarm cue or the control. The results of these experiments suggest that disease does appear to influence alarm cell investment and there appears to be some property found in fathead minnow skin that inhibits S. ferax growth.

Fishes in the Superorder Ostariophysi have specialized epidermal club cells that contain an alarm substance. Damage to these cells causes the release of the alarm substance which can serve as a useful indicator of predation risk for nearby conspecifics. The majority of research involving alarm substances has investigated the roles that cues play in anti-predator contexts including learned predator avoidance. In this study I tested the effects of non-predatory stressors including pathogens, pathogen conditioned water, social dynamics, and skin-burrowing parasites on epidermal variables including alarm cell investment. In experiment 1, fathead minnows, <i>Pimephales promelas</i>, were exposed to different levels of the pathogenic water-mold, Saprolgenia ferax to determine the effect it would have on the epidermis. Minnows exposed to Saprolgenia had significantly more alarm cells than those exposed to the control solutions. The treatments had no effect on body condition, alarm cell size, mucous cell density, mucous cell size, or epidermal thickness. In experiment 2, social dynamics were manipulated by pairing minnows with either a familiar partner or an unfamiliar individual and exposing them to Saprolgenia ferax. The treatments had no effect on body condition, alarm cell density, alarm cell size, mucous cell density, mucous cell size, or epidermal thickness. In experiment 3, minnows were exposed to either Saprolgenia or Saprolgenia conditioned water to determine whether the physical presence of zoospores was required to induce a change in epidermal properties. The treatments had no effect on body condition, alarm cell density, alarm cell size, mucous cell density, mucous cell size, or epidermal thickness; suggesting that water conditioned by Saprolgenia may be sufficient to induce a change in alarm cell investment. In experiment 4, minnows were exposed to three different infection rates of skin burrowing parasites (trematode cercariae) to determine its effect on the epidermis. Minnows exposed to high levels of tramatode cercariae had significantly more alarm cells than those exposed to either low levels or those in the control treatment. The treatments had no effect on body condition, alarm cell size, mucous cell density, mucous cell size, or epidermal thickness. In experiment 5 and 6, cultures of Saprolegnia ferax were exposed to skin extracts from various fishes. S. ferax cultures exposed to fathead minnow skin extracts, which contain alarm cells showed the least amount of growth, while cultures exposed to swordtail skin extracts, which lack alarm cells, showed an intermediate amount of growth. Cultures exposed to fathead minnow skin extracts showed the least amount of growth compared to cultures exposed to either the synthetic alarm cue or the control. The results of these experiments suggest that disease does appear to influence alarm cell investment and there appears to be some property found in fathead minnow skin that inhibits S. ferax growth.

Receiving false and nuisance alarms is a well known problem in industrial alarm systems. The main cause of this problem is poor alarm design which is the result of huge number of configured alarms and lack of automatic and analytical design methods. This study targets deriving analytical methods for designing alarm parameters such as alarm limits, alarm deadbands and delay timers. The relation between false and missed alarm rates along with chattering is investigated with alarm limits and deadbands. There are two equations presented to estimate the optimal alarm limit with respect to deadbands and statistical characteristics of the process data. Since reduction of alarm chattering is a primary goal in redesigning the alarm parameters, the analytical relation between chattering with alarm parameters and process data is also investigated. The alarm chattering index is derived as a mathematical function of alarm limits, deadbands, time delays and statistical characteristics of the process data. / Control Systems

No description available.

The dispersal behaviour of apterous pea aphids, Acyrthosipon pi sum (Harris) was studied in the laboratory and field. In the laboratory, aphids exhibited two types of behaviour while on the ground, after dropping from plants in response to predators. Most aphids showed a high frequency of turning and tended to return to the plant they left, while a smaller proportion walked in straight lines and did not return to the plant they left. Adults and older nymphs had the highest proportion of individuals which showed the second type of behaviour and adults showed the greatest tendency to disperse to plants more distant than the nearest available plants. Young instar aphids were less successful at locating a host than older nymphs and adults. Aphids were placed on the central bean seedlings within plots, inside large field cages. Adult coccinellids were released into two of the cages while the other cage remained predator-free. Aphids in the cages with predators frequently moved between plants, while aphids in the predator-free cage did not. Adult aphids colonized more plants and had a lower mortality while on the ground than all other instars. Aphids did not show a preferred dispersal direction and the distance dispersed by aphid nymphs was proportional to the density of aphids on the plant they left. The importance of emigrating apterae in the exploitation of new resources and the regulation of aphid populations is discussed. Bean plants infected with an aphid transmitted virus were transplanted into the central position of bean plots in the field cages. Aphids were placed on the central infected plants and adult coccinellids were released into two of the three cages for three days. Aphids frequently moved to other plants from the centre infected plant in the two cages with predators but not in the predator-free cage. When plants were examined two weeks later, significantly more plants were infected with virus in the cages with predators than in the predator-free cage. New virus infections were correlated with plants that were visited or colonized by aphids from the central infected plant. The influence of predators in the spread of aphid transmitted diseases is discussed. In laboratory experiments, pea aphids from Vancouver were presented with alarm pheromone from irritated conspecifics. Adult and fourth instar aphids responded to the pheromone by either dropping, running or backing up. Instars one, two and three responded to the pheromone only when a vibratory stimulus accompanied it. A high proportion of all instars responded to the double stimulus by dropping. When adult aphids from Vancouver and Kamloops were presented with alarm pheromone, the Kamloops adults exhibited a more conservative reaction to alarm pheromone. Kamloops adults also were more conservative about leaving their plant when confronted by a coccinellid predator. A hypothesis is presented, which accounts for the differences in escape reactions between instars and biotypes. The hypothesis takes into consideration predation risk, escape behaviour repertoire and survival on the ground. Pea aphid adults resisted heat paralysis longer than first instars when subjected to high temperature treatments. All aphids succumbed to paralysis sooner at 42°C than at 37.5°C, but there appeared to be no difference in aphid survival in dry compared to moist conditions at high temperatures. Kamloops aphids were not more resistant to high temperatures. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

No description available.

Thesis (M.S. in Computer Science)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): James Bret Michael, John McEachen. Also available online.

The modern process plant is characterised by the use of computers for process control. Increasing reliability and diminishing capital investment costs have encouraged the use of process computers as the principal control mechanism. Greater reliability has also led to an increase and change in the tasks assigned to the computer. The relatively rapid advances in process control have understandably resulted in a carry-over of traditional practices which are often inadequate in the present day environment. A notable example of such a practice is the alarm system which is neglected in the literature and is frequently the least satisfactory aspect of a control system.

No description available.

No description available.