No description available.

Three experiments investigated the ability and means by which Florida manatees determine sound source directionality. An eight-choice discrimination paradigm determined the sound localization abilities of two manatees within a 360° array of speakers. Five conditions were tested including a 3,000 and 200 ms, 95 dB, 0.2-24 kHz signal, a 3,000 ms, 80 dB, 18-24 kHz signal, a 3000 ms, 110 dB, 0.2-1.5 kHz signal and a 200 ms, 101 dB, 4 kHz tonal signal. A sixth condition attenuated the level of the 3,000 ms, 95 dB, 0.2-24 kHz signal in 3 dB increments until accuracy reached 75%. Subjects performed above the 12.5% chance level for all broadband frequencies and were able to localize over a large level range. Errors were typically located to either side of the signal source location when presented in the front 180° but were more dispersed when presented from the 135°, 180° and 225° locations. Front-to-back confusions were few and accuracy was greater when signals originated from the front 180°. Head/body related transfer functions determined how different frequencies were filtered by the manatees' head/torso to create frequency-specific interaural level differences (ILDs). Hydrophones were suspended next to each manatee ear and Fast Fourier transform (FFT) ratios compared received signals with and without the subject's presence. ILD magnitudes were derived for all frequencies, as well as specific 0.2-1.5, 0.2-5, and 18-30 kHz bands of frequencies. ILDs were found for all frequencies as a function of source location, although they were largest with frequencies above 18 kHz and when signals originated at 90° and 270°. Larger ILDs were found when the signals originated behind the subjects as compared to in front of them. Auditory evoked potential (AEP) techniques were used to map manatee sound conduction pathways in-water and in-air using 15 and 24 kHz carriers. All subjects produced AEPs at each position the transducer was placed, however specific sound conduction pathway(s) were not identified. AEP amplitudes were usually greater with the 24 kHz carrier, however patterns between carriers at identical body positions were highly variable between subjects.

The overarching research problem for this study was the need to improve upon rational models of policy analysis and delivery, to suit complex postmodern implementation environments. A theoretical model suited to implementing and evaluating major education reform initiatives was devised. Called the 'Multiple Discourse Model', it was grounded in systems theory, containing elements reminiscent of social systems, organisational and structural functionalist research, especially that of Hoy and Miskel (1982)1. However the model was also designed to incorporate a parallel naturalistic analysis reminiscent of postmodern critical pragmatic approaches, such as those explored by Cherryholmes (1994)2. Over a period of five years, this model was developed through an evaluation of the implementation of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy (AEP) in the Australian Capital Territory government secondary schools sector. The distinguishing feature of the study's methodology was its multiperspective analysis, an approach suggested by Mclaughlin (1987)3 to take account of the differing communities of discourse which exist in a reformist policy implementation environment. To operationalise the research problem, dimensions of policy effectiveness were articulated. These were addressed through a comprehensive set of research indicators, extracted from the AEP's national policy goals and the local strategic and operational plans. Data aimed at judging the effectiveness of implementation were collected from multiple sources using multiple research instruments. These data were analysed in three stages using a purpose-designed computer program which could cross-reference between the four interacting dimensions of research indicators, research instruments, data sources, and potential variables modifying policy/program outcomes. It was found that this model produced clear conclusions about the effectiveness of AEP implementation in the delimited sector, within the framework of the AEP's own policy assumptions. The model also provided insights into critical issues which are generalisable to the national context, such as the power of cultural hegemony and the socio-political predicament of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dispossession. As a methodology, the model was found to have a number of technical advantages, including its capacity for focussing on selected areas of the implementation environment, its provision of access to multiple levels of detail amongst data and its possession of mechanisms for monitoring its own internal validity. The evaluation case study, used as the vehicle for the Multiple Discourse Model's development, demonstrated that best-practice administration was in place which enhanced short and medium-term policy/program outcomes. However, the study's findings also suggested that a fundamental disjuncture existed between the AEP's policy/administration paradigm and the conflicting assumptions of the primary target communities, reinforcing the findings of Sykes (1986)4. The research results suggested that despite measurable successful inputs, the planned long-term outcomes of the AEP will not necessarily be achieved. No significant administrative structures or actions were apparent which could resolve this lack of synchrony at the interface between government delivery systems and 'grass roots' Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community values. This raised doubts about whether any systems approach, however well refined, could be socially useful not only for evaluation, but also as a basis for reform policy and public administration in a postmodern pluralist democratic setting. The evaluation was therefore used as a locus for theoretical reflection as well. A new policy paradigm is suggested, based on a power-sharing 'theory of community', more in keeping with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' aspirations for self determination and more likely to alleviate the so far unresolved destructive effects of cultural and political dispossession.

Typical depredation behavior by cetaceans involves stealing or damaging prey items already captured by recreational or commercial fishing gear. Depredation among cetaceans has been reported to be increasing in both severity and frequency globally. This behavior is of particular concern for small stocks of cetaceans since any interaction with fishing gear has the potential to injure or kill animals leading to unsustainable losses. In Florida, depredation became evident in 2006 when the number of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) strandings resulting from fishing gear ingestion or entanglement sharply increased. For the resident dolphin community in Sarasota Bay, modeling showed continued mortalities from recreational fishing gear interactions were not sustainable. The major goals of this study were to 1.) characterize depredation and recreational angler interactions involving dolphins in Sarasota Bay, 2.) reduce dolphin-angler interactions through outreach, 3.) examine a case study to investigate the link between dolphin hearing loss and angler interaction behavior, 4.) test the effectiveness of passive acoustics in monitoring dolphin depredation at a fishing pier. Findings from this study provided a better understanding of depredation and angler interactions. Results indicated that dolphin-angler interactions in Sarasota Bay are increasing in frequency and are affecting an increasing number of dolphins, specifically adult males. Some dolphins in Sarasota Bay appear to utilize depredation as a foraging method (not just an opportunistic behavior) and were significantly more likely to be within 50 m of an active fishing line. Depredation and angler interaction behavior appear to increase in times of prey depletion (such as during a red tide) and heightened angler fishing activity. Educational outreach using an informational card proved successful in a case study showing about a 30% reduction in dolphin provisioning rates. The case study of F201 offers preliminary evidence that hearing loss is linked to depredation behavior and death for wild dolphins. Also, by detecting echolocation clicks as a proxy for dolphin presence, passive acoustics showed potential as an inexpensive method for monitoring depredation in problematic areas. Conclusions from this study can be utilized by scientists and managers when assessing depredation rates for a cetacean community and implementing an action plan.

In considering methods of reducing the emission of carbon dioxide; there is a growing interest for use of wind power at domestic building in U.K. But the technology of wind turbines development in building environment is more complicated than in open areas. Small wind turbines in suburban areas have been reported as having unsatisfactory energy output, but it is not clear whether this is due to insufficient wind resource or low turbine efficiency. The aim of this research is to discover whether the wind resource in suburban areas is large enough for small wind turbines to produce a useful energy output.Historical wind data and manufacturers' turbine characteristics were used to estimate the hourly wind speed and energy output for different U.K. cities, terrain zones and turbines. It was found that for turbines at 10 m height in suburban areas and depending on city, the annual wind energy conversion efficiency ranged from about 20 to 40%, while the number of turbines required to produce the annual average electricity consumption of a UK dwelling ranged from about 6 for the smallest turbine (5.3 m² rotor area) to about 1 for the largest (35.26 m² rotor area).This analysis was based on average conditions, but the wind speed near buildings can vary considerably from one point to another. In order to predict the performance of wind turbines more accurately, the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) of suburban areas was simulated in both CFD and wind tunnel models, and models of groups of semi-detached and terraced houses were set in this ABL. It was found that at 10 m height in the area of the houses, the turbulence intensity was too high for satisfactory operation of wind turbines (19 to 35%) while the mean velocity at different points ranged from 86 to 108% of the 10m reference velocity. At 30m height the turbulence intensity was satisfactory (less than 19 %), while the mean velocity ranged from 92 to 103 % of the 30 m reference velocity. It is concluded that for wind turbines in suburban areas, at 10 m height the wind speed is too low and the turbulence is too high for satisfactory performance, while at 30 m height the wind speed is much higher and the turbulence is low enough.

Based on data from 2083 wind turbines installed in Sweden since 1988, the annual energy production (AEP) predictions considered at the project planning phases of the wind turbines in Sweden have been compared to the wind-index-corrected production data. The production data and the predicted AEP data are taken from Vindstat, a database that collects information directly from wind turbine owners in Sweden. The mean error for all analyzed wind turbines was 11.9%,which means that, overall, the predicted AEP has been overestimated. There has been improved accuracy with time and error in prediction decreasing from 12% to 6.3% for wind turbines installed in the 2000s and 2010s, respectively. However, the overall improvement in accuracy seems to have stagnated around 2005 despite the refinement of forecasting methods and better data availability. From the results analyzed for effects of terrain, the error is smaller for wind turbines in forest areas than in open terrain, indicating that the complexity of forest terrain is not the reason behind the error. Also, there is no apparent increase of error with wind farm size, which could have been expected if the wind farm blockage effect was a primary reason for the overestimations. Comparison between significant wind turbine manufacturers Vestas and Enercon in the Swedish context, the error was more prominent for Enercon.

This paper presents a study on the optimization of floating offshore wind farms. The aim of this study is mainly to create a tool that can help determine the most profitable layout option for the floating offshore wind power company Windeed. This report contains an overview of wind power theory including wind roses, wake losses, fatigue loading, and construction theory. The methodology used for modeling and optimization is the programming language Python together with additional tools such as TopFarm and PyWake. Challenges in the process of designing the layout of a floating wind farm are discussed and the two mathematical models, Bastankhah Gaussian and NOJ, are compared for their ability to recreate wake effects. In the results, the discoveries of the study and the tool created for the company are presented. It was found that allowing freely placed turbines rather than placing the turbines in a strict hexagonal pattern, with shared anchors, gave notably higher annual power production for examined wind farms. Although the levelized cost of energy of the farms with hexagonal patterns were lower for some of the investigated scenarios. Some of the key factors that need to be considered when choosing layout for an off shore wind farm, as well as the potential improvements of the tool are also highlighted in the discussion chapter. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the design and optimization of floating offshore wind farms.

No description available.

Cancer immunotherapy has recently made remarkable clinical progress. Adoptive transfer of T-cells engineered with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) against CD19 has been successful in treatment of B-cell leukemia. Patient’s T-cells are isolated, activated, transduced with a vector encoding the CAR molecule and then expanded before being transferred back to the patient. However some obstacles restrict its success in solid tumors. This thesis explores different aspects to improve CAR T-cells therapy of cancer. Ex vivo expanded T-cells are usually sensitive to the harsh tumor microenvironment after reinfusion. We developed a novel expansion method for T-cells, named AEP, by using irradiated and preactivated allo-sensitized allogeneic lymphocytes (ASALs) and allogeneic mature dendritic cells (DCs). AEP-expanded T-cells exhibited better survival and cytotoxic efficacy under oxidative and immunosuppressive stress, compared to T-cells expanded with established procedures. Integrating retro/lentivirus (RV/LV) used for CAR expressions randomly integrate in the T-cell genome and has the potential risk of causing insertional mutagenesis. We developed a non-integrating lentiviral (NILV) vector containing a scaffold matrix attachment region (S/MAR) element (NILV-S/MAR) for T-cells transduction. NILV-S/MAR-engineered CAR T-cells display similar cytotoxicity to LV-engineered CAR T-cells with undetectable level of insertional event, which makes them safer than CAR T-cells used in the clinic today. CD19-CAR T-cells have so far been successful for B-cell leukemia but less successful for B-cell lymphomas, which present semi-solid structure with an immunosuppressive microenvironment. We have developed CAR T-cells armed with H. pylorineutrophil-activating protein (HP-NAP). HP-NAP is a major virulence factor and plays important role in T-helper type 1 (Th1) polarizing. NAP-CAR T-cells showed the ability to mature DCs, attract innate immune cells and increase secretion of Th1 cytokines and chemokines, which presumably leads to better CAR T-cell therapy for B-cell lymphoma. Allogeneic-DCs (alloDCs) were used to further alter tumor microenvironment. The premise relies on initiation of an allo-reactive immune response for cytokine and chemokines secretion, as well as stimulation of T-cell response by bringing in tumor-associated antigen. We demonstrated that alloDCs promote migration and activation of immune cells and prolong the survival of tumor-bearing mice by attracting T-cells to tumors and reverse the immune suppressive tumor microenvironment.

Odontocetes use echolocation to detect, track, and discriminate their prey, as well as negotiate their environment. Their hearing abilities match the frequency of greatest sensitivity to the higher frequencies used for foraging and navigation. Hearing and echolocation together provide odontocetes with a highly developed biosonar system. This dissertation examines the hearing ability of several odontocete species to understand what signals they can perceive during echolocation. The variability in hearing ranges between species is examined in the context of phylogenetic and ecological differences among taxa. An autonomous hydrophone array is also developed that could be used in an expanded form in field deployments to study echolocation signals in a wider range of species. Methods for measuring hearing sensitivity include both psychophysical and electrophysiological procedures. Behavioral methods require a large time commitment, for both training and data collection, and can only be performed on captive dolphins. Auditory evoked potential (AEP) methods are non-invasive, rapid measurements of the brain's response to sound stimuli and allow for audiograms to be collected on stranded, high risk dolphins. By determining the hearing abilities of odontocetes either in captivity or during stranding, data can be collected about inter- and intraspecies variability, and the occurrence of hearing impairment. It can also be used as another diagnostic tool to determine the releasability of a stranded animal. A juvenile male short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) that stranded in Curacao had severe hearing impairment at all frequencies tested. Four female short-finned pilot whales tested had the best sensitivity at 40 kHz. The juveniles had greater high frequency sensitivity than the adult pilot whales. Cutoff frequencies were between 80 and 120 kHz. Hearing sensitivity was determined for the two mother/calf pairs of Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) before and after antibiotic treatment in order to measure any potential effects of antibiotic treatment. Greatest sensitivity occurred at 40 kHz and cutoff frequencies were around 120 kHz for all dolphins tested. Changes in hearing sensitivity after antibiotic dosage were 12 dB or less in all cases except one. The adult female Betty showed a threshold shift at 120 kHz of 54 dB from May to June, which partially demonstrates the presence of an ototoxic effect at one frequency. Dosages of antibiotics during drug treatment detailed in this study should be considered safe dosages of antibiotics for Risso's dolphins. AEP and behavioral methods were used to collect audiograms for three Stenella spp. dolphins. The frequency of best hearing for the Atlantic spotted dolphin and the spinner dolphin was 40 kHz, and their upper cutoff frequencies were above 120 kHz. The pantropical spotted dolphin had the greatest sensitivity at 10 kHz, and had severe high frequency hearing loss with a cutoff frequency between 14 and 20 kHz. Comparisons of high frequency hearing sensitivities among the species tested show two distinct groups. Short-finned pilot whales and Risso's dolphins have a cutoff frequency below 120 kHz, whereas Stenella spp. dolphins have cutoff frequencies above 120 kHz. Expanding the comparison to include other species, killer whales, pygmy killer whales, false killer whales, and long-finned pilot whales also have cutoff frequencies below 120 kHz. Common bottlenose dolphins, white-beaked dolphins, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, rough-toothed dolphins, and common dolphins have cutoff frequencies above 120 kHz. Genetic evidence exists for two subfamilies within Delphinidae (Vilstrup et al., 2011) and those species with cutoff frequencies below 120 kHz belong to the subfamily Globicephalinae and those species with cutoff frequencies above 120 kHz belong to the subfamily Delphininae. An autonomous, field-deployable hydrophone array was developed to measure free-swimming echolocation. The array contained 25 hydrophones, two cameras, and a synchronization unit on a PVC frame. The distinct click train was used to time-align all 25 channels, and the light was used to synchronize the video and acoustic recordings. Echolocation beam patterns were calculated and preliminary evidence shows a free-swimming dolphin utilizes head movement, beam steering and beam focusing. Among all areas of cetacean biology more research is necessary to gain a clearer picture of how odontocetes have adapted to function in their acoustic environment. The array system developed can be used to study how dolphins use echolocation in the wild, the impacts of anthropogenic sound on echolocation production, and the potential consequences of high frequency hearing loss.