Video Surveys Research Articles

Behavior and Psychological Analysis of Electric Bike Rider Turning Left to Cross the Street at Signal Intersections

As a more convenient and environmentally friendly green way of travel, electric bicycle has shown a rapid development trend in many cities in China in recent years [1-3], the impact on urban traffic is also increasing, especially in the signal intersection with traffic flow, electric vehicles is an important factor affecting the capacity of signal intersection, and the illegal behavior of electric vehicles is widespread, which has become one of the main causes of traffic accidents. This paper uses the combination of video survey method and questionnaire survey method to analyze the behavior and psychology of the motorcyclists with the left turn of the signal intersection. First, the field video survey is used to collect the behavior data of the riders, and then the questionnaire survey is used to analyze the psychological activities of the riders, and to compare the actual behavior results with the psychological analysis results, so as to establish the connection between behavior and psychology. To optimize the traffic and improve traffic safety and strengthen the standard management.

MULTI-YEAR SUCCESSION OF BIOFOULING COMMUNITIES ON UNDERWATER ARTIFICIAL STRUCTURES IN THE APHOTIC ZONE OF THE SEA OF OKHOTSK

А 10-year succession of the fouling community inhabiting underwater manmade structures at a depth of 80–90 m was described using the materials from regular video surveys of the technical installations on the southwestern shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk. A general scheme of macrofouling community developmental stages in steps of 1–2 years has been compiled both for the intact community and for sites subjected to the single or multiple hydrodynamic cleaning. For each stage we visually estimated the projective cover of macrofouling and identified the characteristic dominant species down to the smallest possible taxon. The first two years of the intact community are characterized by low projective cover (up to 50%), in the third year and further there is a sharp increase in the abundance and diversity of macrofouling organisms. Barnacles Chirona evermanni, sponges Phakellia sp., bryozoans Securiflustra securifrons, and ascidians Boltenia ovifera were noted among the dominant species in the community older than two years. The early stages of restorative succession differ from the intact succession in terms of dominant species and developmental rates.

First record of the critically endangered great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) in its natural habitat in the coast of Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil

The Great Hammerhead Shark, Sphyrna mokarran, is critically endangered around the world. The overwhelming majority of their records are of animals killed, quartered or captured by fishermen, which limit our understanding on its biology and conservation. For the first time, we report on the S. mokarran occurrence in the State of Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil, in its natural habitat. On 21 March 2021 a 2-m sub-adult male was captured by two Baited Remote Underwater Video Surveys (BRUVS) at 55-59 m depth, 30 km off João Pessoa, within the Queimado Shipwreck Marine Protected Area (MPA). Our findings suggest that S. mokarran is rare in the region and might be threatened by unmonitored and unregulated fishing activities. There is an urgent need for effective management and conservation actions for the species in the State of Paraíba. This record has the potential to serve as baseline data for future implementation of non-take zones within the Queimado Shipwreck MPA.

Commentary: Video surveys of sea snakes in the mesophotic shed light on trends in populations

Commentary: Video surveys of sea snakes in the mesophotic shed light on trends in populations

Assessing discard consumption dynamic in shallow coastal environment using underwater video

Food webs are typically studied with respect to predator-prey interactions while often neglecting to address the role or importance of scavenging (i.e. carrion consumption) on their structure and functioning. In some environmental contexts, scavenging can play a key role in supporting populations and communities as exemplified by seabirds feeding on fisheries discards. Yet, a substantial part of fisheries discards sinks in the ocean where the range of consumers is most likely underestimated, owing to a lack of comprehensive understanding of the scavenging ability of marine fauna and local-scale empirical studies. Here, we deployed baited remote underwater video surveys (BRUVs) using discarded fish as baits to study the taxonomic richness of consumers, their interactions and consumption dynamic of discards in shallow coastal fishing grounds subject to discarding (Bay of Bourgneuf, North East Atlantic, France). We show that discards attract and are consumed by a wide taxonomic and trophic diversity of species. Interestingly, only one species observed is considered an obligate scavenger, while scavenging is little known or considered anecdotal in most other identified taxa. Analysis of consumption dynamic and interactions around discards revealed intra and interspecific competition among discard consumers as well as successions between consumers involved in predator-prey interactions. Data also suggests that decapods may facilitate discard consumption by non-piscivorous fish by generating scraps during consumption. We argue that underwater video surveys provide a valuable tool to better assess the occurrence and extent of facultative scavenging behaviors within marine communities and understand its role in food web dynamic.

Remotely operated vehicle reveals fish orientate to the substrate underneath marina floating pontoons

The modern day seascape is a mix of natural habitats (saltmarsh, mangroves, seagrass, unvegetated beaches), but increasingly is being replaced with hard engineering structures (e.g. floating pontoons) that have resulted in novel habitats available for flora and fauna. While these engineered structures provide new marine habitat resources, from the viewpoint of biodiversity, they effectively support a sub-set of species found in natural habitats. Unlike previous studies that have used divers for fish visual census, we used a remotely operated vessel with an underwater camera to examine the fish community using floating pontoons in a marina facility in tropical central Queensland, Australia. The camera filmed continuously the edge and underside of pontoons (both surveys covered similar pontoon linear distances – July (winter) 430m; November (summer) 485m; 2021). Fifteen fish species representing 14 families were recorded, with more species observed during summer compared to the winter survey. Remarkably, across both surveys of the 243 fishes individuals that were recorded, 166 (68%) appeared upside-down in videos (i.e., oriented to the underside of the pontoon). Engaging a behaviour of swimming upside-down has been acknowledged in natural habitats elsewhere; some coral reef species living in caves or reef ledges orientate themselves to the cave ceiling or overhanging ledge to increase prey capture rate. However, this is the first study to record fishes exhibiting the same behaviour. We conclude that our less invasive video survey approach provided the opportunity to observe fishes in a state of natural behaviour, orientating themselves towards the pontoon substrate, which is probably simply a response of adhering to basic characteristic modes, i.e., it is the orientation relative to the substrate that is important, rather than their orientation in space per se. Indeed marina pontoons provide an additional feature in already habitat complex estuaries; these data add to why we need to consider the ecosystem services offered by marine infrastructure, and the plasticity of fish to adapt to new environments in an expanding blue economy.

Benthic macrohabitat classification and Madracis spp. coral patch distribution in a deep-sea marine protected area of Colombia

Corales de Profundidad National Natural Park (CPNNP), at the central Colombian Caribbean margin, has an extension of 142.195 ha with depths ranging from 34 to 1,234 m. The CPNNP’s essential ecological value isMadracisspp. as potential structure-forming deep-water coral; this work represents the first footages of these unique habitats for the Colombian Caribbean. In 11 sectors, remote video surveys are conducted, based on a detailed digital elevation model. From these sectors, four cover mesophotic zones (46–169m depth), and seven cover aphotic zones (up to 354m depth). After still images’ description and interpretation, a guide was generated with nine types of macrohabitats surrounding the coral formations of the CPNNP: soft substrate (mud/sand), soft substrate/rubble/rock with solitary corals, coral and shell rubble, rock/ledges with attached fauna, rugged stones with attached fauna, hard substrate with attached fauna, sandstone with attached fauna, soft substrate with burrows, and pockmark with attached fauna. Video transect analysis confirms the occurrence ofMadracisspp., with coral patches as the main framework builder of the CPNNP. These patches comprise many clumped 50 to 80 cm high coral colonies that developed over slow slopes, with seafloor elevations between 107 and 233 m and textured soils of soft and not very compact ridges, associated with the macrohabitat sandstone with attached fauna. This information is being used for the management and monitoring of this unique protected area.

Islands in the mud: The South Texas banks provide crucial mesophotic habitat for coral communities

On the continental shelf off the coast of South Texas lie a series of natural hard-bottom structures (rocky outcrops and relic coral-algal reefs) known as the South Texas Banks (STB), which provide critical habitat for benthic organisms and pelagic fish. The depth of the banks, a persistent nepheloid layer, and strong currents have resulted in few studies that provide quantitative biodiversity data on the STB. Using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), video surveys were conducted to quantitatively describe the mesophotic coral communities and assess habitat suitability of five STB: North Hospital, Hospital, Southern, Big Adam, and Mysterious Banks. Each of these STB have significantly different benthic communites, with coral communities composed primarily of antipatharians and octocorals. Big Adam Bank had the lowest biodiversity and the least coral cover. Mysterious Bank had abundant antipatharians, specifically Stichopathes spp., but low biodiversity overall. Hospital Bank had low coral diversity that was offset by high diversity in sponges and other invertebrate species. North Hospital and Southern Banks had abundant and diverse populations of coral species, including scleractinians, and other benthic invertebrates. These data indicate that the STB are crucial islands of biodiversity in an area with few suitable areas for coral reef species. In addition, predictive modelling of habitat suitability provided valuable estimates on the potential distribution of key benthic community members, such as scleractinians and antipatharians, throughout the entire areas of the five banks assessed.

Psychometric properties of a novel instrument for evaluating indoor air pollution health literacy in adults.

This study aimed to develop and validate the psychometric properties of a novel instrument that measures Indoor Air Pollution Health Literacy (IAPHL). The qualitative phase was conducted to design questions based on the conceptual model of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire. We developed a 38-item instrument covering 12 constructs, that is, four information competencies within three health domains to assess IAPHL. A cross-sectional online video survey of 647 adults aged 20 years and above in Taiwan was conducted. Various measures of validity and reliability coefficients were assessed to indicate the psychometric properties of the IAPHL instrument. The content validity indices for relevance, importance, and clarity of the 38 questions were 0.97, 0.96, and 0.89, respectively. The model fit indices obtained from the confirmatory factor analysis supported the acceptable structures of the theoretically hypothetical 12-factor model (standardized root mean square residual=0.055; root mean square error of approximation=0.065). Internal consistency for the instrument showed a Cronbach's alpha of 0.96. The IAPHL instrument developed in this study showed satisfactory validity and reliability and can be used in future fieldwork.

Comparing Different Deep Learning Architectures as Vision-Based Multi-Label Classifiers for Identification of Multiple Distresses on Asphalt Pavement

Distress measurement is essential in pavement management. Image-based distress identification is increasingly becoming an integral part of traffic speed network-level road condition surveys. This allows an aggregated summary of road conditions over the whole network, so it does not require an exact distress location within the lane. In this context, multi-label classification (MLC), based on convolutional neural networks (CNN), is proposed as a potential solution for distress identification from a network-level right-of-way (ROW) video survey. MLC has the advantage of low computing resource consumption, as it is implemented from lightweight classification networks. In this work, the developed MLC models used three different CNN architectures (VGG16, ResNet-34, and ResNet-50) to detect potholes, cracks, patches, and bleeding. The best model obtained 97% average accuracy with an F1-score of 93% in distress identification despite the variability in imaging hardware. This makes it possible to generalize the classification algorithm, allowing versatile applications and incorporating it into network-level pavement management systems. This model has good potential for fast and accurate distress identification from a video survey, avoiding the need for various types of expensive sensors like laser scanners.

Video surveys of sea snakes in the mesophotic zone shed light on trends in populations

Declines in abundance of sea snakes have been observed on reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific, although the reasons are unknown. To date, surveys have occurred on shallow reefs, despite sea snakes occurring over a large depth range. It is not known if populations of sea snakes in deep habitats have undergone similar declines. To address this, we analysed deep-water video data from a historical hotspot of sea snake diversity, Ashmore Reef, in 2004, 2016, and 2021. We collected 288 hours of video using baited remote underwater videos and a remotely operated vehicle at depths between 13 and 112 m. We observed 80 individuals of seven species with Aipysurus laevis (n = 30), Hydrophis peronii (n = 8), and H. ocellatus (n = 6) being the most abundant. Five of the species (A. duboisii, A. apraefrontalis, H. ocellatus, H. kingii, and Emydocephalus orarius) had not been reported in shallow waters for a decade prior to our study. We found no evidence of a decline in sea snakes across years in deep-water surveys, although abundances were lower than those in early shallow-water surveys. A comparison of BRUVS data from 2004 and 2016 was consistent with the hypothesis that predation by sharks may have contributed to the loss of sea snakes in shallow habitats. Our study highlights the use of underwater video to collect information on sea snakes in the mesophotic zone and also suggests that future monitoring should include these depths in order to capture a more complete representation of habitats occupied.

Observation of juvenile Eastern Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) on remnant oyster reefs in New South Wales, Australia.

Observation of juvenile Eastern Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) on remnant oyster reefs in New South Wales, Australia.

Benchmarking eleven biodiversity indicators based on environmental DNA surveys: More diverse functional traits and evolutionary lineages inside marine reserves

Abstract To mitigate the ongoing threats to coastal ecosystems, and the biodiversity erosion they are causing, marine‐protected areas (MPAs) have emerged as powerful and widespread conservation tools. Strictly no‐take MPAs, also called marine reserves, undeniably promote fish biomass and density, but it remains unclear how biodiversity responds to protection. Identifying which facets of biodiversity respond to protection is critical for the management of MPAs and the development of relevant conservation strategies towards the achievement of biodiversity targets. We collected 99 environmental DNA (eDNA) samples inside and outside nine marine reserves in the Mediterranean Sea to assess the effect of protection on 11 biodiversity indicators based on fish traits, phylogeny and vulnerability to fishing. We controlled for the effect of environmental heterogeneity (habitat, bathymetry, productivity, temperature and accessibility) using a principal component analysis, and for spatial autocorrelation due to potential unmeasured factors. We found a positive and significant effect of protection on only 3 out of 11 indicators: functional and phylogenic diversity but also the ratio between demerso‐pelagic and benthic species richness. Rather, total fish richness responded significantly and negatively to protection. We did not detect any significant effect of protection on threatened and elasmobranch species richness, probably due to their large home range compared to the size of Mediterranean marine reserves. Synthesis and applications: Our findings highlight the importance of looking beyond the mere number of species to fully depict and understand the effect of marine reserves on biodiversity and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation measures. Rather, we propose a dashboard of three eDNA‐based indicators that can provide an early signal of ecosystem deterioration or recovery. eDNA metabarcoding offers a powerful tool to supply site‐specific and standardized taxonomic‐, phylogenetic‐ and trait‐based biodiversity assessments, in complement to other classical techniques, such as visual censuses or video surveys, able to estimate species abundance but also individual life‐stage and size.

Effects of Round Goby on the Benthic Invertebrate Community and on Diets and Growth of Yellow Perch and White Perch in Oneida Lake, New York

AbstractFood web changes from the introduction of nonnative species can be complex, with sometimes unexpected effects or little effect due to food web interactions. Invasive Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus became common in samples in Oneida Lake, New York, by 2014. Data from a long‐term monitoring program allowed us to document the Round Goby expansion through time. Using shoreline seine, fyke net, bottom trawl, and video surveys, we estimated that Round Goby density reached over 25,000 fish/ha 6 years after detection and subsequently varied between 4,110 and 26,565 fish/ha. Concurrent benthic invertebrate sampling and long‐term fish diet sampling allowed us to assess the impacts of Round Goby on densities of several benthic invertebrate taxa and on invertebrate consumption by fish. Significant decreases in density after Round Goby arrival were found for amphipods (Amphipoda), caddisflies (Trichoptera), snails (Gastropoda), and dreissenid mussels Dreissena spp. Invertebrate densities after Round Goby arrival ranged from 19% to 48% of densities in the pre‐Round Goby period. For amphipods, snails, and, in some cases, caddisflies and chironomids (Chironomidae), frequency of occurrence in the diets of Yellow Perch Perca flavescens and White Perch Morone americana was lower after Round Goby became established. The decreased consumption of these invertebrates did not lead to decreases in fish growth; growth increased for some age‐classes of Yellow Perch and all age‐classes of White Perch. Despite potential Round Goby predation, densities of burrowing mayflies Hexagenia spp. expanded during this time and likely helped to offset reductions in consumption of other invertebrates by Yellow Perch and White Perch, as did consumption of Round Goby. Long‐term monitoring shows that Round Goby decreased the density of several benthic invertebrate species and decreased the consumption of these invertebrates by fish, but the effect on growth of Yellow Perch and White Perch was offset by consumption of Round Goby and burrowing mayflies.

Identification of visible lesions during surveillance endoscopy for Barrett’s esophagus: a video-based survey study

Visible lesion (VL) detection is essential in patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE). We sought to assess the rate of VL detection by academic and community endoscopists using high-definition white-light endoscopy (HD-WLE) and narrow-band imaging (NBI) during surveillance endoscopy. Fifty endoscopists were invited to participate in a prospective video survey study. Participants viewed 25 standardized clips of patients referred for endoscopic therapy. Participants noted identification of anatomic landmarks and VLs using HD-WLE and NBI and reported practice-level data. The criterion standard of VL identification was established by consensus of 5 BE experts. Our primary outcome was the rate of VL identification using HD-WLE and NBI. Forty-four of 50 participants completed the study (22 academic and 22 community). Compared with the criterion standard, participants did not identify 28% (HD-WLE) and 31% (NBI) of VLs. Community endoscopists had more experience (>5 years in practice: community 85% vs academic 54.5%, P= .041; >5 surveillance endoscopies a month: community 85% vs academic 31.8%, P= .046). Across all participants, VL detection using NBI improved significantly with a minimum of 5 surveillance endoscopies per month (area under the curve= .72; 95% confidence interval, .56-.85; P= .006). Despite improved endoscope resolution and availability of virtual chromoendoscopy, the overall rate of VL detection remains low. Identification of VLs using NBI may be volume dependent. Further education and training efforts focused on VL detection during BE surveillance endoscopy are needed.

Influence of near bottom fish distribution on the efficacy of a combined hydroacoustic video survey

Abstract Combining hydroacoustics and underwater video is an effective tool for generating fish population estimates. However, hydroacoustics cannot be used to differentiate fish from the seafloor within an area known as the acoustic dead zone. A common way to address this is to exclude data near the bottom. The effect of this exclusion zone on population estimates of nearshore semi-pelagic rockfish is unknown. This study explores the effect of a near bottom (0–1 m) exclusion zone by comparing ROV video data to data from a combined hydroacoustic and video method. Higher densities of semi-pelagic species (Black and Blue/Deacon Rockfish) were observed in the combined acoustic and video method, suggesting that most of the population resides above the exclusion zone. Demersal rockfish observed by the ROV did not contaminate acoustic data of semi-pelagic species, since they remained within the exclusion zone. Results demonstrate that extrapolation of school data into the exclusion zone provided a realistic correction to the acoustic data for Black Rockfish. Our work demonstrates that excluding the data within 1 m of the bottom does not negatively affect the ability of the combined video hydroacoustic method to sample semi-pelagic rockfish.

Geomorphological drivers of deeper reef habitats around Seychelles

Mesophotic (30–150 m) and rariphotic (150–300 m) deeper reef habitats are important from an ecological and conservation perspective, yet remain understudied. Key knowledge gaps exist on the environmental patterns and processes that drive and shape their geographical distributions. Understanding these is particularly important for regions as the Western Indian Ocean, where deeper reefs are poorly known but support food security and host economically important species. Spatial predictive models of assemblage occurrences, using terrain variables as predictors, offer a solution to address knowledge gaps around deeper reef distributions. We identified relationships between seafloor geomorphology, quantified at multiple scales, and sessile benthic assemblages in four atoll seascapes in Seychelles using terrain models derived from high-resolution multibeam sonar and underwater video surveys. Using random forests and boosted regression trees, we demonstrated that terrain derivatives extracted over multiple scales perform as reliable predictors of deeper reef assemblages. The most influential environmental predictors were depth, distance to shore, topographic complexity, slope and curvature and substrate characteristics. The relative importance of predictors was explained by assemblage functional characteristics. Assemblage–environment relationships were used to produce probability distribution maps that showed similar distributional patterns for identified assemblages across locations, with high occurrence probabilities linked to complex geomorphological structures. Our results help contribute to a consistent baseline understanding of the relationship between seascape structure and mesophotic reef ecosystems in this area. Complex geomorphological structures, including terraces and paleoshorelines, supported high densities of mesophotic assemblages and could be considered priority habitats for management.

Remnant oyster reefs as fish habitat within the estuarine seascape

Interest in oyster reef conservation and restoration is growing globally, but particularly in Australia, it is unclear the extent to which oyster reefs complement (versus replicate) habitat provisioning by other structured habitats in the seascape. Remote underwater video surveys of two east Australian estuaries revealed that at high tide, oyster reefs not only supported distinct fish communities to bare sediments but also to adjacent seagrass beds and mangrove forests. Fish observations in oyster reefs were close to double that of mangroves and seagrass, with species richness, abundance, feeding and wandering behaviours similar. Several species of blenny and goby were unique to oyster reefs and oyster-containing mangroves, whilst recreationally fished species such as bream and mullet were more abundant on oyster reefs than in other habitats. Resolving the association between oyster reefs and fish species within the broader seascape will assist in developing restoration and management strategies that maximise fisheries benefit.

Unoccupied aerial video (UAV) surveys as alternatives to BRUV surveys for monitoring elasmobranch species in coastal waters

Abstract Effective conservation strategies are founded by baseline information on abundance and diversity estimates. Method choice can influence the success of baseline surveys as method performance is variable and needs to be selected based on habitat and taxa. Here, we assess the suitability of unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys, specifically multi-rotor “drones”, and baited remote underwater video (BRUV) surveys in shallow-water habitats to quantify elasmobranch abundance and diversity in the Saudi Arabian central Red Sea. Our results show that the number of elasmobranchs h−1 observed using UAV surveys exceeded that of BRUV surveys by two orders of magnitude, indicating that the increased spatial coverage of UAV surveys is beneficial for long-term monitoring projects. BRUV surveys detected a greater number of species within reef habitats, whereas UAV surveys detected a greater number of species within sandflat habitats, indicating the value of multi-method approaches for regional biodiversity studies. Here, we provide the first insight into elasmobranchs associated with sandflat habitats in Saudi Arabia, emphasising the importance of these habitats to stingrays and the need for further information on elasmobranch habitat use to better inform management and conservation efforts in the face of rapid coastal developments across the Red Sea.

A Comparison of Three Assessment Types on Student Engagement and Content Knowledge in Online Instruction

The research described in this article focuses on determining the effectiveness of Bongo in promoting student retention of concepts in online learning. This study used both quantitative and qualitative measures to examine the effectiveness of student video presentation assignments on student retention of learning and perceptions of the assignment’s contributions to learning. The quantitative methods compared the effects of three treatment conditions (independent reading, Bongo video presentation, and Bongo video presentation with Auto Analysis) on retention of concepts (quizzes administered two weeks after the presentation recordings). Qualitative analysis of student perceptions of the perceived value of Bongo in general, and specifically the Auto Analysis tool, were accomplished through video surveys, transcription, and analysis. Analysis of the data provided strong support for the use of Bongo to increase student retention of concepts, and also revealed that students held favorable perceptions of the value and utility of the tool.