Name: developing a virtual reality video game to simulate rip currents
Uploaded: 2020-07-16T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Developing a Virtual Reality Video Game to Simulate Rip Currents at JoVE.com

This publication is a product resulting from NYSG project R/CHD-14 funded under award NA18OAR4170096 from the National Sea Grant College Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce&#8217;s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to the Research Foundation for State University of New York on behalf of New York Sea Grant. The statements, findings, conclusions, views and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of any of those organizations.

All methods used were approved by the Hofstra University Institutional Research Board (IRB). The VR video game developed was used to survey 64 individuals.
NOTE: Scripts were written in the C# language, and are available for download at: https://github.com/Jasebern/HofstraVR.
1. Creation of VR rip current video game: Virtual environment and user input/output
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	<li>Open VR development platform (e.g., Unity18). This procedure was complete...

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	<li>Rip Current Science. National Weather Service Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.weather.gov/safety/ripcurrent-science">https://www.weather.gov/safety/ripcurrent-science</a> (2020)</li><li>Moulton, M., Dusek, G., Elgar, S., Raubenheimer, B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Comparison+of+rip+current+hazard+likelihood+forecasts+with+observed+rip+current+speeds.">Comparison of rip current hazard likelihood forecasts with observed rip current speeds.</a> Weather and Forecasting. 32 (4), 1659-1666 (2017).</li><li>Weather Related Fatality and Injury Statistics. National Weather Service Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.weather.gov/hazstat">https://www.weather.gov/hazstat</a> (2020)</li><li>Gensini, V. A., Ashley, W. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=An+examination+of+rip+current+fatalities+in+the+United+States.">An examination of rip current fatalities in the United States.</a> Natural Hazards. 54 (1), 159-175 (2010).</li><li>Houser, C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Public+perceptions+of+a+rip+current+hazard+education+program:+"Break+the+Grip+of+the+Rip!".">Public perceptions of a rip current hazard education program: "Break the Grip of the Rip!".</a> Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. 17 (7), 1003 (2017).</li><li>Doelp, M. B., Puleo, J. A., Cowan, P., Arford-Granholm, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Delaware+coast+Delaware+surf+zone+injury+demographics.">Delaware coast Delaware surf zone injury demographics.</a> The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 36 (8), 1372-1379 (2018).</li><li>Castelle, B., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Surf+zone+hazards+and+injuries+on+beaches+in+SW+France.">Surf zone hazards and injuries on beaches in SW France.</a> Natural Hazards. 93 (3), 1317-1335 (2018).</li><li>Brannstrom, C., Trimble, S., Santos, A., Brown, H. L., Houser, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Perception+of+the+rip+current+hazard+on+Galveston+Island+and+North+Padre+Island,+Texas,+USA.">Perception of the rip current hazard on Galveston Island and North Padre Island, Texas, USA.</a> Natural Hazards. 72 (2), 1123-1138 (2014).</li><li>Caldwell, N., Houser, C., Meyer-Arendt, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Ability+of+beach+users+to+identify+rip+currents+at+Pensacola+Beach,+Florida.">Ability of beach users to identify rip currents at Pensacola Beach, Florida.</a> Natural Hazards. 68 (20), 1041-1056 (2013).</li><li>Fallon, K., Lai, Q., Leatherman, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Rip+current+literacy+of+beachgoers+at+Miami+Beach,+Florida.">Rip current literacy of beachgoers at Miami Beach, Florida.</a> Natural Hazards. 90 (2), 601-621 (2018).</li><li>Berg, L. P., Vance, J. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Industry+use+of+virtual+reality+in+product+design+and+manufacturing:+a+survey.">Industry use of virtual reality in product design and manufacturing: a survey.</a> Virtual Reality. 21 (1), 1-17 (2017).</li><li>Sundar, S. S., Kang, J., Oprean, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Being+there+in+the+midst+of+the+story:+how+immersive+journalism+affects+our+perceptions+and+cognitions.">Being there in the midst of the story: how immersive journalism affects our perceptions and cognitions.</a> Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. 20 (11), 672-682 (2017).</li><li>Dede, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Immersive+interfaces+for+engagement+and+learning.">Immersive interfaces for engagement and learning.</a> Science. 323 (5910), 66-69 (2009).</li><li>Klippel, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+value+of+being+there:+toward+a+science+of+immersive+virtual+field+trips.">The value of being there: toward a science of immersive virtual field trips.</a> Virtual Reality. , 1-18 (2019).</li><li>Bernhardt, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Communicating+Hurricane+Risk+with+Virtual+Reality:+A+Pilot+Project.">Communicating Hurricane Risk with Virtual Reality: A Pilot Project.</a> Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 100 (10), 1897-1902 (2019).</li><li>"Break the Grip of the Rip" brochure. National Weather Service Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.weather.gov/media/safety/rip/rip_brochure_51419b.pdf">https://www.weather.gov/media/safety/rip/rip_brochure_51419b.pdf</a> (2019)</li><li>Rip Current Survival Guide transcript. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/ripcurrentfeature/">https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/ripcurrentfeature/</a> (2016)</li><li>McCarroll, R. J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Evaluation+of+swimmer-based+rip+current+escape+strategies.">Evaluation of swimmer-based rip current escape strategies.</a> Natural Hazards. 71 (3), 1821-1846 (2014).</li><li>. Unity User Manual Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/2Dor3D.html">https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/2Dor3D.html</a> (2019)</li><li>. Unity Asset Store Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://assetstore.unity.com/">https://assetstore.unity.com/</a> (2020)</li></ol>

Preliminary analysis of the results from the follow-up survey demonstrates the VR rip current video game was generally effective in accurately portraying risk and demonstrating proper actions to take in an engaging and memorable way. Respondents to the Likert-scale questions indicated the VR simulation resulted in them feeling more prepared than not for a rip current and also that it was fairly immersive. Moreover, the results of choosing one of six brief statements clearly showed the video game was helpful given that ov...

Rip currents are &#8220;strong, narrow flows of water that extend away from the beach1.&#8221; Rip currents can commonly occur on any beach with breaking waves and can transport swimmers quickly away from shore. Hazardous rip currents can occur on seemingly &#8216;safe&#8217; beach days with wave heights of only 2 to 3 feet2, and thus can surprise swimmers as they are carried a considerable distance from shore. This puts swimmers at risk of panic, exhaustion, and even drowning. As a result, rip currents are one of the leading causes of weather fatalities in the United States. For example, in 2018, 71 deaths were attributed to rip currents, and for the 10-year period 2009-2018, an average of 58 individuals perished each year3. Rip currents are the leading hazard for beachgoers; in 2018, rip current deaths represented 65% of all &#8216;surf zone&#8217; fatalities in the United States. There seems to be some demographic control on rip current vulnerability, as one study found that men are over six times more likely than females to drown from rip currents than females4. Moreover, additional research found that infrequent beach users are more likely to make poorer beach safety choices5 and that non-locals are considerably more likely than locals to sustain injury in the surf zone6,7.
Nevertheless, despite their place among the deadliest weather hazards in the United States, rip currents are poorly understood by the public. A survey of 392 public beach users in Texas determined that only 13% could correctly identify a rip current from photographs presented to them8, while similar results were found in studies conducted in Pensacola Beach, Florida9 (15%) and Miami Beach, Florida10 (27%). More broadly, Houser et al (2017)5 performed an Internet-based survey with 1622 respondents across 49 of the 50 US states and found that 54% of the participants correctly reported an action to take when caught in a rip current. However, the self-selected nature of the survey sample dictated that only 10% of the sample was infrequent beach users, who are most vulnerable to rip currents and were shown in the survey to possess less knowledge of what to do in one.
It is clear that rip currents present a unique challenge, given that they are poorly understood by the public, can occur suddenly over small scales with minimal or no prior warning, and may result in death. Thus, new approaches are needed to address this public safety challenge. Immersive technology such as virtual reality (VR) provides an innovative approach to increase rip current literacy and encourage positive behavior upon impact. Prior research has indicated that VR and similar types of immersive media are highly effective at communicating information. VR is generally defined as an interactive experience taking place within a simulated environment that incorporates auditory and visual feedback, usually with the assistance of a headset. One recent study11 asserted that VR is a mature technology, well-suited to assist in the scientific inquiry process. Moreover, other recent research12 showed that when individuals read a New York Times story with a VR supplement, they were more likely to perceive the source as being credible, recall the information presented, share it with others, and feel an emotional connection, than those who read the article in traditional media, with just text and graphics. Additional studies13,14 concluded that immersive media promotes education by increasing engagement and real-world applicability of a topic. Most recently, researchers15 leveraged VR to simulate a Category 3 hurricane landfall and determined that survey respondents viewing the VR were significantly more likely to consider evacuation than those only viewing traditional text and graphic products. Despite its clear utility, no studies or initiatives have shown comprehensively how VR can be effectively applied to the unique challenge of training beach users to better locate and react to rip currents. The present work fills that research gap by first teaching individuals how to swim and wave in a virtual ocean environment and then evaluating how they react to the sudden and unwarned onset of a rip current. Participants were trained in both swimming and waving for help because each of those actions are regarded as valid responses when caught in a rip current16,17, with conditions particular to an individual rip often dictating which action might be most effective in facilitating escape18. We hypothesize that the realistic and memorable nature of a VR rip current simulation will allow participants to successfully take evasive action in the virtual game and then report that the experience enhanced their knowledge of rip current risk and mitigation.&#160;

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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:243px;">Dell 17.3&#34; Alienware 17 R5 Laptop</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Dell</td>
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			<td style="width:229px;">PC for virtual reality development</td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:243px;">Oculus Rift S</td>
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			<td>Virtual reality headset</td>
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developing a virtual reality video game to simulate rip currents

Beachgoers in the United States face many different hazards, but rip currents are annually the deadliest for ocean swimmers. Despite the risk presented by rip currents, it is apparent that the public has a limited understanding of their danger and the proper mitigating actions to take when caught in one. A virtual reality (VR) video game placing participants in a simulated rip current was developed to help ameliorate this issue. The VR game was used to survey beachgoers on the Atlantic Coast of Long Island, New York during July and August 2019. The actions participants took when confronted with the rip current were recorded, along with whether they escaped it or drowned. An interview with each player was also conducted after they partook in the game to determine the realism of the rip current simulation and its effectiveness in demonstrating proper actions to take when impacted by one. Analysis of those results indicates that VR has potential to communicate rip current risk and ways to minimize it in a unique and engaging manner. However, further work is needed to improve ease of use of the VR simulation and better understand how factors such as demographics influence perceived rip current risk and behavioral response.

The VR rip current video game survey was conducted in July and August 2019 on Long Island at the Town of Hempstead Beach in Point Lookout, New York (detailed results can be found in Supplementary Table 1-3). 64 individuals played the game and responded to the survey, with 60 escaping the rip current and 4 drowning (i.e., stamina reached zero). Among the 60 who escaped, 51 exited by waving for help, and 9 did so by physically swimming out of the rip. Given that most participants waved for help as a means ...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Developing a Virtual Reality Video Game to Simulate Rip Currents at JoVE.com

Developing a Virtual Reality Video Game to Simulate Rip Currents

Rip currents are among the deadliest meteorological hazards in the United States. In order to demonstrate the proper actions to take when caught in a rip current in a memorable and engaging way, a virtual reality video game is developed.

Beachgoers in the United States face many different hazards, but rip currents are annually the deadliest for ocean swimmers. Despite the risk presented by ...

This protocol is significant because rip currents are leading beach hazard. We are seeking to help better convey that risk using an innovative virtual reality video game. Because of its VR format, this technique will be more memorable and engaging for users than traditional text-based rip current literature.To create a rip current video game first open an appropriate virtual development platform. Select a new 3D project entitled rip current, in the program open the asset store tab which contain prefabs already created collections of 2 and 3D game objects and audio files developed by other users, that can be added to the project. To create the first new scene, right-click to select the user interface and canvas to add a new canvas entitled main menu with a text box, for the title VR simulation.To attach scripts written in the C sharp language to the game object, select main menu and add component add new script and enter the desired script title. Then select user interface and button to add the start, options, about, and quit buttons to the canvas. Using the appropriate function from the main menu and mouse hover scripts, when a button is selected.To create the buoy test scene, download the realistic water asset from the unity asset store and add the sea prefab to the scene. Add an audio file of ocean waves to the sea prefab on loop and download the standard assets package from the unity asset store. Add the player prefab, which includes a camera that is embedded within the player to the scene.The greatest sensation that the game participant is controlling the player and select assets, create, and animator controller to add an animation to the camera. Use the animator window to record an animation of the camera bobbing up and down and set the animation to loop continuously, to simulate a person keeping a float in the ocean. Download the VR Hands and First-Person Arms Pack from the unity asset store and add the first person character prefab as a child to the player, to allow the arms to move with the player and to bob up and down with the player camera.Download the Simple Buoy asset from unity asset store and add the buoy prefab to the scene as a child of the checkpoint. To duplicate the buoy prefab, right-click on the prefab and select duplicate. In the inspector tab for the checkpoint game object, select add component, physics and a box collider and select edit collider to draw the collider between the two buoys.Then add the checkmarks script to the checkpoint game object. The script will exit the scene once the player enters it and we'll transition to the next scene. To create the wave test scene add a simple wooden boat to the scene and download the Low Poly Animated People asset from the unity asset store.Add the kid prefab to the scene and duplicate the kid prefab to add the child to the boat prefab. Rename the game object, two boat with kids and place the kids onto each of the seats in the boat. Record an animation of the boat slowly circling around the water to emulate a rowboat slowly moving around and add an animator to the wave hand.Then record an animation of the arm and hand moving up and down to simulate a hand wave, and add the female animated script to the wave hand, to allow the game participant to control the hand wave using the oculus controllers. Based on the player motor two script, as soon as the participant sees the boat and waves the unity should transition to the rip current scene. To create the rip current scene, adjust the text in text canvas to read you are being pulled from shore and record an audio file reading that text.Add the audio file to text canvas and set the file to play at the start of the scene. As demonstrated create a new game object in the hierarchy named Rip Collider, and add a Box Collider. The player motor two script, we'll also simulate a rip current by constantly pulling the player perpendicular from shore.As demonstrated use the inspector tab to add the rip exit script and the rip collider game object. The script will record whether the player escapes the rip current. To survey individuals about the VR rip current video game, open the VR software and set up the hardware through the program.To administer the consent form and demographic questions on a separate iPad, allow the participant to proceed through the simulation. The participant should complete the main rip scene on their own. After completing the game, question the participant about their prior knowledge and experience with rip currents and the efficacy of the rip current simulation at demonstrating the proper actions to take in such a way that the participant feels comfortable answering without rushing.Then ask the participant to rate the realism and immersive nature of the game. This representative virtual reality rip current video game survey, was conducted in July and August 2019, on Long Island at the town of Hempstead beach in Point Lookout, New York. 64 individuals played the game and responded to the survey.Given that most participants waved for help as a means of escape from drowning, the amount of time taken in the simulation was skewed towards higher values. With a mean of 11.1 seconds, a median of 9.5 seconds and a standard deviation of 6.2 seconds. Conversely, the ending stamina was skewed toward lower values with a mean of 36.8, a median of 41.3, and a standard deviation of 15.3.After the game participants were provided with a set of six brief statements meant to capture their opinion of the virtual reality experience and asked with which they most agreed. Of the 58 participants who responded to the survey, 38 selected the statement that said the game helped them feel better prepared because it was realistic. 19 selected the statement that said it helped because it was scary, it made them feel worried.While only five participants selected statements that said the game did not help. Take care to make the virtual environment as relatable as possible by including realistic water, sounds, and rip currents. To better evaluate the efficacy of the virtual reality, expand the survey sample to a broader audience especially those who infrequently visit the beach.

developing-a-virtual-reality-video-game-to-simulate-rip-currents

Research

JoVE Journal

Environment

An Aquatic Microbial Metaproteomics Workflow: From Cells to Tryptic Peptides Suitable for Tandem Mass Spectrometry-based Analysis

Meta-omic technologies such as metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics can aid in the understanding of microbial community structure and metabolism. Although powerful, metagenomics alone can only elucidate functional potential. On the other hand, metaproteomics enables the description of the expressed in situ metabolism and function of a community. Here we describe a protocol for cell lysis, protein and DNA isolation, as well as peptide digestion and extraction from marine microbial cells collected on a cartridge filter unit (such as the Sterivex filter unit) and preserved in an RNA stabilization solution (like RNAlater). In mass spectrometry-based proteomics studies, the identification of peptides and proteins is performed by comparing peptide tandem mass spectra to a database of translated nucleotide sequences. Including the metagenome of a sample in the search database increases the number of peptides and proteins that can be identified from the mass spectra. Hence, in this protocol DNA is isolated from the same filter, which can be used subsequently for metagenomic analysis.

This protocol is for the extraction and concentration of protein and DNA from microbial biomass collected from seawater, followed by the generation of tryptic peptides suitable for tandem mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis.

Meta-omic technologies such as metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics can aid in the understanding of microbial community structure and ...

A Push-pull Protocol to Reduce Colonization of Bird Nest Boxes by Honey Bees

Introduction of the invasive Africanized honey bee (AHB) into the Neotropics is a serious problem for many cavity nesting birds, specifically parrots. These bees select cavities that are suitable nest sites for birds, resulting in competition. The difficulty of removing bees and their defensive behavior makes a prevention protocol necessary. Here, we describe a push-pull integrated pest management protocol to deter bees from inhabiting bird boxes by applying a bird safe insecticide, permethrin, to repel bees from nest boxes, while simultaneously attracting them to pheromone-baited swarm traps. Shown here is an example experiment using Barn Owl nest boxes. This protocol successfully reduced colonization of Barn Owl nest boxes by Africanized honey bees. This protocol is flexible, allowing adjustments to accommodate a wide range of bird species and habitats. This protocol could benefit conservation efforts where AHB are located.

Preventing colonization of bird nest boxes by invasive Africanized honey bees is important for conservation efforts of nest-site limited birds. We provide an integrated pest management approach to &#34;push&#34; bees away from nest boxes with a repellant insecticide, permethrin, and &#34;pull&#34; them toward pheromone baited swarm traps.

Introduction of the invasive Africanized honey bee (AHB) into the Neotropics is a serious problem for many cavity nesting birds, specifically parrots. ...

Video Tracking Protocol to Screen Deterrent Chemistries for Honey Bees

The European honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is an economically and agriculturally important pollinator that generates billions of dollars annually. Honey bee colony numbers have been declining in the United States and many European countries since 1947. A number of factors play a role in this decline, including the unintentional exposure of honey bees to pesticides. The development of new methods and regulations are warranted to reduce pesticide exposures to these pollinators. One approach is the use of repellent chemistries that deter honey bees from a recently pesticide-treated crop. Here, we describe a protocol to discern the deterrence of honey bees exposed to select repellent chemistries. Honey bee foragers are collected and starved overnight in an incubator 15 h prior to testing. Individual honey bees are placed into Petri dishes that have either a sugar-agarose cube (control treatment) or sugar-agarose-compound cube (repellent treatment) placed into the middle of the dish. The Petri dish serves as the arena that is placed under a camera in a light box to record the honey bee locomotor activities using video tracking software. A total of 8 control and 8 repellent treatments were analyzed for a 10 min period with each treatment was duplicated with new honey bees. Here, we demonstrate that honey bees are deterred from the sugar-agarose cubes with a compound treatment whereas honey bees are attracted to the sugar-agarose cubes without an added compound.

The loss of honey bee colonies presents a challenge to crop pollination services. Current pollinator protection practices warrant an alternative approach to minimize the contact of honey bees to harmful pesticides using repellent chemistries. Here, we provide detailed methods for a visual tracking protocol to screen deterrents for bees.

The European honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is an economically and agriculturally important pollinator that generates billions of dollars annually. Honey ...

Methodology for Developing Life Tables for Sessile Insects in the Field Using the Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, in Cotton As a Model System

Life tables provide a means of measuring the schedules of birth and death from populations over time. They also can be used to quantify the sources and rates of mortality in populations, which has a variety of applications in ecology, including agricultural ecosystems. Horizontal, or cohort-based, life tables provide for the most direct and accurate method of quantifying vital population rates because they follow a group of individuals in a population from birth to death. Here, protocols are presented for conducting and analyzing cohort-based life tables in the field that takes advantage of the sessile nature of the immature life stages of a global insect pest, Bemisia tabaci. Individual insects are located on the underside of cotton leaves and are marked by drawing a small circle around the insect with a non-toxic pen. This insect can then be observed repeatedly over time with the aid of hand lenses to measure development from one stage to the next and to identify stage-specific causes of death associated with natural and introduced mortality forces. Analyses explain how to correctly measure multiple mortality forces that act contemporaneously within each stage and how to use such data to provide meaningful population dynamic metrics. The method does not directly account for adult survival and reproduction, which limits inference to dynamics of immature stages. An example is presented that focused on measuring the impact of bottom-up (plant quality) and top-down (natural enemies) effects on the mortality dynamics of B. tabaci in the cotton system.

Methodology for Developing Life Tables for Sessile Insects in the Field Using the Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, in Cotton As a Model System

Life tables allow quantification of the sources and rates of mortality in insect populations and contribute to understanding, predicting and manipulating population dynamics in agroecosystems. Methods for conducting and analyzing cohort-based life tables in the field for an insect with sessile immature life stages are presented.

Life tables provide a means of measuring the schedules of birth and death from populations over time. They also can be used to quantify the sources and ...

Development of New Methods for Quantifying Fish Density Using Underwater Stereo-video Tools

The use of video camera systems in ecological studies of fish continues to gain traction as a viable, non-extractive method of measuring fish lengths and estimating fish abundance. We developed and implemented a rotating stereo-video camera tool that covers a full 360 degrees of sampling, which maximizes sampling effort compared to stationary camera tools. A variety of studies have detailed the ability of static, stereo-camera systems to obtain highly accurate and precise measurements of fish; the focus here was on the development of methodological approaches to quantify fish density using rotating camera systems. The first approach was to develop a modification of the metric MaxN, which typically is a conservative count of the minimum number of fish observed on a given camera survey. We redefine MaxN to be the maximum number of fish observed in any given rotation of the camera system. When precautions are taken to avoid double counting, this method for MaxN may more accurately reflect true abundance than that obtained from a fixed camera. Secondly, because stereo-video allows fish to be mapped in three-dimensional space, precise estimates of the distance-from-camera can be obtained for each fish. By using the 95% percentile of the observed distance from camera to establish species-specific areas surveyed, we account for differences in detectability among species while avoiding diluting density estimates by using the maximum distance a species was observed. Accounting for this range of detectability is critical to accurately estimate fish abundances. This methodology will facilitate the integration of rotating stereo-video tools in both applied science and management contexts.

We describe a new method for counting fishes, and estimating relative abundance (MaxN) and fish density using rotating stereo-video camera systems. We also demonstrate how to use distance from camera (Z distance) to estimate species-specific detectability.

The use of video camera systems in ecological studies of fish continues to gain traction as a viable, non-extractive method of measuring fish lengths and ...

A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns (Sterna Hirundo)

Many waterbird populations have faced declines over the last century, including the common tern (Sterna hirundo), a waterbird species with a widespread breeding distribution, that has been recently listed as endangered in some habitats of its range. Waterbird monitoring programs exist to track populations through time; however, some of the more intensive approaches require entering colonies and can be disruptive to nesting populations. This paper describes a protocol that utilizes a minimally invasive surveillance system to continuously monitor common tern nesting behavior in typical ground-nesting colonies. The video monitoring system utilizes wireless cameras focused on individual nests as well as over the colony as a whole, and allows for observation without entering the colony. The video system is powered with several 12 V car batteries that are continuously recharged using solar panels. Footage is recorded using a digital video recorder (DVR) connected to a hard drive, which can be replaced when full. The DVR may be placed outside of the colony to reduce disturbance. In this study, 3,624 h of footage recorded over 63 days in weather conditions ranging from 12.8 &#176;C to 35.0 &#176;C produced 3,006 h (83%) of usable behavioral data. The types of data retrieved from the recorded video can vary; we used it to detect external disturbances and measure nesting behavior during incubation. Although the protocol detailed here was designed for ground-nesting waterbirds, the principal system could easily be modified to accommodate alternative scenarios, such as colonial arboreal nesting species, making it widely applicable to a variety of research needs.

A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns Sterna Hirundo

This paper describes a protocol that uses a remote video monitoring surveillance system to continuously monitor breeding colonies of ground-nesting waterbirds. The system includes five cameras monitoring individual nests and one camera monitoring the colony as a whole, and is powered by car batteries that are recharged via solar panels.

Many waterbird populations have faced declines over the last century, including the common tern (Sterna hirundo), a waterbird species with a widespread ...

Protocol for Producing Three-Dimensional Infrared Video of Freezing in Plants

Freezing in plants can be monitored using infrared (IR) thermography, because when water freezes, it gives off heat. However, problems with color contrast make 2-dimensions (2D) infrared images somewhat difficult to interpret. Viewing an IR image or the video of plants freezing in 3 dimensions (3D) would allow a more accurate identification of sites for ice nucleation as well as the progression of freezing. In this paper, we demonstrate a relatively simple means to produce a 3D infrared video of a strawberry plant freezing. Strawberry is an economically important crop that is subjected to unexpected spring freeze events in many areas of the world. An accurate understanding of the freezing in strawberry will provide both breeders and growers with more economical ways to prevent any damage to plants during freezing conditions.
The technique involves a positioning of two IR cameras at slightly different angles to film the strawberry freezing. The two video streams will be precisely synchronized using a screen capture software that records both cameras simultaneously. The recordings will then be imported into the imaging software and processed using an anaglyph technique. Using red-blue glasses, the 3D video will make it easier to determine the precise site of ice nucleation on leaf surfaces.

Here, we present a protocol to image a strawberry plant freezing in 3 dimensions. Two infrared cameras positioned at slightly different angles are used to produce a red-blue anaglyph video to observe the freezing of the plant in 3 dimensions.

Freezing in plants can be monitored using infrared (IR) thermography, because when water freezes, it gives off heat. However, problems with color contrast ...

Combining Eye-tracking Data with an Analysis of Video Content from Free-viewing a Video of a Walk in an Urban Park Environment

As individuals increasingly live in cities, methods to study their everyday movements and the data that can be collected becomes important and valuable. Eye-tracking informatics are known to connect to a range of feelings, health conditions, mental states and actions. But because vision is the result of constant eye-movements, teasing out what is important from what is noise is complex and data intensive. Furthermore, a significant challenge is controlling for what people look at compared to what is presented to them.
The following presents a methodology for combining and analyzing eye-tracking on a video of a natural and complex scene with a machine learning technique for analyzing the content of the video. In the protocol we focus on analyzing data from filmed videos, how a video can be best used to record participants&#39; eye-tracking data, and importantly how the content of the video can be analyzed and combined with the eye-tracking data. We present a brief summary of the results and a discussion of the potential of the method for further studies in complex environments.

The objective of the protocol is to detail how to collect video data for use in the laboratory; how to record eye-tracking data of participants looking at the data and how to efficiently analyze the content of the videos that they were looking at using a machine learning technique.

As individuals increasingly live in cities, methods to study their everyday movements and the data that can be collected becomes important and valuable. ...

Long-term Video Tracking of Cohoused Aquatic Animals: A Case Study of the Daily Locomotor Activity of the Norway Lobster (Nephrops norvegicus)

We present a protocol related to a video-tracking technique based on the background subtraction and image thresholding that makes it possible to individually track cohoused animals. We tested the tracking routine with four cohoused Norway lobsters (Nephrops norvegicus) under light-darkness conditions for 5 days. The lobsters had been individually tagged. The experimental setup and the tracking techniques used are entirely based on the open source software. The comparison of the tracking output with a manual detection indicates that the lobsters were correctly detected 69% of the times. Among the correctly detected lobsters, their individual tags were correctly identified 89.5% of the times. Considering the frame rate used in the protocol and the movement rate of lobsters, the performance of the video tracking has a good quality, and the representative results support the validity of the protocol in producing valuable data for research needs (individual space occupancy or locomotor activity patterns). The protocol presented here can be easily customized and is, hence, transferable to other species where the individual tracking of specimens in a group can be valuable for answering research questions.

Long-term Video Tracking of Cohoused Aquatic Animals: A Case Study of the Daily Locomotor Activity of the Norway Lobster Nephrops norvegicus

Here we present a protocol to individually track animals over a long period of time. It uses computer vision methods to identify a set of manually constructed tags by using a group of lobsters as case study, simultaneously providing information on how to house, manipulate, and mark the lobsters.

We present a protocol related to a video-tracking technique based on the background subtraction and image thresholding that makes it possible to ...

Composition and Distribution Analysis of Bioaerosols Under Different Environmental Conditions

Variable microorganisms in particulate matter (PM) under different environmental conditions may have significant impacts on human health. In this study, we described a protocol for multiple analyses of the biological compositions in environmental PM. Five experiments are presented: (1) PM number monitoring by using a laser particle counter; (2) PM collection by using a cyclonic aerosol sampler; (3) PM collection by using a high-volume air sampler with filters; (4) culturable microbes collection by the Andersen six-stage sampler; and (5) detection of biological composition of environmental PM by bacterial 16SrDNA and fungal ITS region sequencing. We selected hazy days and a livestock farm as two typical examples of the application in this protocol. In this study, these two sampling methods, cyclonic aerosol sampler and filter sampler, showed different sampling efficiency. The cyclonic aerosol sampler performed much better in terms of collecting bacteria, while these two methods showed the same efficiency in collecting fungi. Filter samplers can work under low temperature conditions while cyclonic aerosol samplers have a sampling limitation for temperature. A solid impacting sampler, such as an Andersen six-stage sampler, can be used to sample bioaerosols directly into the culture medium, which increases the survival rate of culturable microorganisms. However, this method mainly relies on culture while more than 99% of microbes cannot be cultured. DNA extracted from the culturable bacteria collected by the Andersen six-stage sampler and samples collected by cyclonic aerosol sampler and filter sampler were detected by bacterial 16S rDNA and fungal ITS region sequencing.All the methods above may have wide application in many fields of study, such as environmental monitoring and airborne pathogen detection. From these results, we can conclude that these methods can be used under different conditions and may help other researchers further explore the health impacts of environmental bioaerosols.

Understanding the biological composition of environmental particulate matter is important for the study of its significant impacts on human health and disease spread. Here, we used three types of bioaerosol sampling methods and a biological analysis of airborne microbes to better explore airborne microbial communities under different environmental conditions.

Variable microorganisms in particulate matter (PM) under different environmental conditions may have significant impacts on human health. In this study, ...