Monitoring rare or elusive species can be especially difficult in marine environments, resulting in poor data density. SCUBA-derived citizen science data has the potential to improve data density for conservation. However, citizen science data quality may be perceived to be of low quality relative to professional data due to a lack of ‘expertise’ and increased observer variability. We evaluated the quality of data collected by citizen science scuba divers for rockfish (Sebastes spp.) conservation around Southern Vancouver Island, Canada. An information-theoretic approach was taken in two separate analyses to address the overarching question: ‘what factors are important for SCUBA-derived citizen science data quality?’. The first analysis identified predictors of variability in precision between paired divers. We found that professional scientific divers did not exhibit greater data precision than recreational divers. Instead, precision variation was best explained by study site and divers’ species identification or recreational training. A second analysis identified what observer and environmental factors correlated with higher resolution identifications (i.e. identified to the species level rather than family or genus). We found divers provided higher resolution identifications on surveys when they had high species ID competency and diving experience. Favorable conditions (high visibility and earlier in the day) also increased taxonomic resolution on dive surveys. With our findings, we are closer to realizing the full potential of citizen science to increase our capacity to monitor rare and elusive species. / Graduate

The aim of this thesis was to establish a photographic database of selected species of diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) and use image analysis to characterize the number and extent of colour spots. Altogether 52 species were analyzed. They were classified into fourgroups based on their environmental characteristics provided in the Catalogue of water beetles of Czech Republic. The results confirmedthe hypothesis that the colour of adult diving beetles is correlated to their habitat preferences.

M.A. / The study presents a narrative exploration of the potential offered by SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving as a therapeutic wilderness adventure context bridging Deaf and hearing experiences. It is structured as an emerging narrative in three parts. Part I explores the philosophical and theoretical literature with a view to providing an overview of the epistemological frameworks against which the study is presented and which could result in a sense of tension between modern/post modern discourses within the reader/author. Part II reviews the current literature pertaining to: Deafness and Deaf/hearing relations, contrasting the medical-pathological perspective of Deafness with a socio-cultural model and examining perceptions regarding the development of a Deaf cultural identity, the articulation of meaning and culturally affirmative proposals with regard to the integration of Deaf and hearing experiences; adventure, wilderness programmes and practices as agents of therapeutic change with particular reference to the Deaf and other disabled communities; and the potential application of SCUBA diving and the underwater environment as metaphorically different agents of therapeutic change and particularly as they relate to Deaf/hearing relations. Part III attempts to provide a multi-levelled dialogical space for the voices of Deaf and hearing participants in the study to emerge and reflect on their lived experiences of their participation in a SCUBA diver course and its potential impact on lived experiences and personal narratives and metaphors. The study is written as a post modern text and explores Bakhtin’s (1973) theories of dialogism as a basis for presenting a polyphonic text.

Abstrakt  Social Engineering är konsten att manipulera människor, för att på så sätt vinna deras förtroende. Med hjälp av detta förtroende kan attackeraren sedan kringgå säkerhetssystem och få tillgång till organisationers information. Vi har i denna uppsats genomfört elva intervjuer på tre stora organisationer med både IT-chefer och övrig personal. Med dessa intervjuer har vi sedan försökt få en bild av hur medvetenheten ser ut samt vilka åtgärder organisationerna tar för att förhindra Social Engineering. Med denna uppsats vill vi belysa den ovisshet som råder kring Social Engineering, men även farorna och hur effektiv en attack av denna typ kan vara. Slutsaten är att medvetenheten om Social Engineering är låg på de organisationer vi intervjuvat och att de åtgärder som finns inte alltid är tillräckliga.  Nyckelord: Social Engineering, Social manipulatör, Phishing, Dumpster diving, Säkerhetspolicy

Scuba diving as a recreational activity has increased in popularity over the past few years. It is believed that repeated exposure to the hyperbaric environment may have a long term effect on the auditory system. The research literature has given a lot of attention to acute injury but is very limited relating to the long term implications of scuba diving. Previous research studies did not perform a full audiometric test battery. A comprehensive audiological assessment is critical to determine in which part of the ear a pathology may occur during recreational diving. This study endeavoured to assess and describe the hearing abilities and middle ear functioning of the recreational scuba diver and investigate the possibility that diving, on a recreational level, may have an influence on the auditory system. In order to achieve the aims of this study, a descriptive, correlation research design was selected. The results of the current study indicate that scuba diving on a recreational level does not have a significant effect on the hearing and middle ear functioning of the individual, with the exclusion of static compliance. It appears that the inevitable compression and decompression that the middle ears are exposed to during scuba diving might have a more permanent effect on the elasticity of the tympanic membrane. Finally this study aims to increase the awareness of possible risks concerning the auditory system relating to scuba diving and in so doing, attribute to the prevention, diagnosing and intervention of diving related ear injuries. / Dissertation (M (Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / M (Communication Pathology) / unrestricted

The spleen has been shown to contract in apneic situations in humans as well as in other diving mammals, expelling its stored red blood cell content into circulation. This natural blood boosting may increase the circulating hemoglobin concentration (Hb) by up to 10%, which would enhance the oxygen carrying capacity and likely increase performance. However, the triggers of this response in humans have not been fully clarified. Study I was therefore focused on the effect of hypoxia as a trigger of spleen contraction. It was found that 20 min of normobaric hypoxic breathing evoked a substantial reduction in spleen volume showing that hypoxia is an important trigger for spleen contraction. Knowing the role of hypoxia, Study II compared two different hypoxic situations – a 2 min apnea and 20 min normobaric hypoxic breathing – which resulted in the same level of arterial hemoglobin desaturation. Apnea evoked a twice as great spleen volume reduction, implying that variables other than hypoxia were likely involved in triggering spleen contraction. This may be hypercapnia which is present during apnea but not during normobaric hypoxic breathing. Study III therefore investigated the effects of breathing gas mixtures containing different proportions of CO2 prior to maximal apneas. Pre-breathing mixtures with higher percentages of CO2 resulted in greater spleen contraction, thus demonstrating hypercapnia's likely role as a trigger in addition to hypoxia. Study IV explored whether an all-or-nothing threshold stimulus for triggering spleen contraction existed, or if contraction was graded in relation to the magnitude of triggering stimuli. Exercise was therefore performed in an already hypoxic state during normobaria. Rest in hypoxia produced a moderate spleen volume reduction, with an enhanced spleen contraction resulting after hypoxic exercise, with a concomitant increase in Hb. This implies that spleen contraction is a graded response related to the magnitude of the stimuli. This could be beneficial in environments with varying oxygen content or work loads. Study V examined the possibility that spleen contraction is part of the acclimatization to altitude, during an expedition to summit Mt Everest. The long-term high altitude exposure, combined with physical work on the mountain, had no effects on resting spleen volume but resulted in a stronger spleen contraction, when provoked by apnea or exercise. This indicates that acclimatization to altitude may enhance the contractile capacity of the spleen, which may be beneficial for the climber. From these studies I concluded that hypoxia is an important trigger for spleen contraction but that hypercapnia also contributes in apneic situations. The spleen contraction likely provides a graded expulsion of erythrocytes in response to these stimuli, causing a temporary increase in gas storage capacity that may facilitate activities such as freediving and climbing. The storage of erythrocytes during rest serves to reduce blood viscosity, which would also be beneficial for the climber or diver. The human spleen contraction appears to become stronger with acclimatization, with beneficial effects at altitude. Such an upgraded response could be beneficial both in sports and diseases involving hypoxia.

This purpose of this study was to evaluate the contribution of post-dive peripheral tissue warming to the production of venous gas emboli (VGE) in divers. Inert gas elimination from the tissues is limited by both perfusion and diffusion. If changes in diffusion are matched by corresponding perfusion (vasoactive) changes, decompression should be asymptomatic (within allowable exposure limits). Under conditions when the diffusion of inert gas from the tissues is not matched by blood perfusion, VGE will ensue. Increasing tissue temperature will decrease inert gas solubility and thus diffusion into the blood. It has been demonstrated that problems may arise during rapid changes in peripheral temperature, as often occurs post-dive, when divers previously exposed to cold water actively rewarm themselves in showers or baths. The effect of moderate rewarming, however, may be to increase the rate of inert gas elimination without the formation of VGE since increased perfusion is encouraged. The effect of mild post-dive warming was investigated. Ten male subjects, between the ages of 21 and 29 years completed two dry chamber dives to 70 feet for 35 minutes (no decompression limit of the Canadian Forces Air Diving tables). Each dive was followed by a 30 minute head-out immersion in either a thermoneutral (28°C) or warm (38°C) bath. Non-invasive Doppler ultrasonic monitoring was then carried out at 30 minute intervals for the next 150 minutes to assess measurable VGE. Subjects did not display VGE formation in either the control or experimental conditions. Our findings suggest that: 1) the Canadian Forces table limits (for the profile employed) provide safe no-decompression limits not compromised by mild post-dive warming, and 2) mild peripheral warming, since not bubble generating, may be a useful adjunctive therapy in the management of decompression sickness by increasing the rate of inert gas elimination. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

Title Repeated individual comparasion of heart rate on the land and in the water. Objective Find if exist significant difference of heart rate in repeated measurements between rating heart rate on dry land and in the water. Used methods The quantitative empirical research was carried out. The research method was the measurement of resting heart rate. Measurements were carried out in the form of intraindividual comparative analysis among six probands who were repeatedly tested supine for 5 minutes on land and subsequently 5 minutes in water. The water temperature was 30 řC and the water column height was 30 cm. Heart rate was measured using sporttester. Results The same tendency of reaction of the organism during repeated measurements did not confirm in 4 cases. Results in two cases confirmed the trend of decreasing heart rate during a stay in the water. The most measured resting heart rate decreased in water compared with the resting heart rate on dry land by 21.1% and increased the most by 6.1%. Keywords swimming, water, heart rate, resting heart rate, diving

Name: : The difference of consumption of a medium being inhaled between a man and a woman at the same level of endurance in scuba diving. Goals: The primary goal of this work, is to determine if and how is the amount of the inhaled medium depending on the gender of the divers. Compare the consumption between men and women while being faced with the same amount of stress, meaning during a united profile of a dive, try to maximize the decrease of the influence of stress factors. Confirm or deny the hypothesis that men show higher values of the inhaled medium. Methods: The theoretical part of this paper, was created based on the research of the appropriate literature. To obtain all the data, there was used the method of experiments, the results were then analyzed, compared and than statistically evaluated using the Students T- test. Probandi (n=10+10) took part in a 30 minute long and 20 meters deep dive in Bořená hora, during which their consumption of the inhaled medium was recorded every 5 seconds using a special underwater computer with a probe. Results: It was found out that men, during the same dive, consume more air than women because of their higher body weight. Key words: scuba diving, air, sex, respirator, minute ventilation

Background: Northern elephant seals transition from terrestrial nursing pups to pelagic foraging juveniles in a short period of just 8-12 weeks. During the post-weaning period, pups rely solely on the energy reserves gained during nursing for their caloric demands and water supply. The prolonged absence of food after weaning is the first of many fasts for which the seals have evolved adaptations such as decreased urine production and increased blubber reserves. The stressors experienced from learning to dive for the first time are also stressors that they will experience frequently as an adult and for which they have evolved adaptations. The purpose of this study was to understand the tissue-specific molecular fasting- and diving- induced adaptive responses of pups during this critical transition. Methods: To investigate these adaptive responses to fasting and diving, we collected skeletal muscle and (inner and outer) adipose tissue from early-fasting (< 1 week post-weaning) and late-fasting (8 weeks post-weaning) pups. We analyzed the samples with mass-spectrometry-based proteomics using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Proteomics is an invaluable tool for analyzing marine mammal physiology, as it provides a large, unbiased data set of proteins that offer a comprehensive set of mechanisms involved with the cellular processes being studied. Proteomics has only been used as analytical tool for marine mammal biology in two other studies, and it can be used as a tool leading to the discovery of novel, unanticipated results. Results and Discussion: Because muscles are utilized during locomotion, we expected the proteome of skeletal muscle to highlight important physiological changes as the pups learn to dive. Inner adipose is more metabolically active than outer adipose, so we anticipated it would show important changes in metabolism throughout their fast. Outer adipose was useful to detect changes in the proteome due to thermoregulation, as it experiences the most drastic change in temperature and pressure while the pups learn to dive. In all tissues, we found significant shifts in energy metabolism proteins that show a decrease in lipid metabolism and urine production, and an increase in alternative metabolic pathways, such as the pentose phosphate pathway, which produces precursors for nucleic acid synthesis. We also found increases in cytoskeletal proteins, skeletal muscle proteins, and oxygen-binding proteins that facilitate the development of diving ability in late-fasting pups. Lastly, changes in the abundance of oxidative stress related proteins showed increased use of antioxidant proteins to control the production of reactive oxygen species in late-fasting pups. This study provides insight into cellular and physiological responses in marine mammals during ontogeny and their adaptive capacity during a key transition from a terrestrial to aquatic lifestyle.