Round robin experiment to detect, size, and characterize flaws in the welds of existing hydraulic steel structures using phased array ultrasonic testing.

Limited information exists on the ability of nondestructive testing techniques to detect, size, and characterize flaws in existing hydraulic steel structures (HSS). Round robin experiments were conducted using phased array ultrasonics to inspect welded steel specimens representing joints in existing HSS. Technicians detected 83% of the flaws scanned, but detection rates varied widely by flaw and technician.

A probabilistic model for designing and assessing the performance of eDNA sampling protocols.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling, the detection of species-specific genetic material in water samples, is an emerging tool for monitoring aquatic invasive species. Optimizing eDNA sampling protocols can be challenging because there is imperfect understanding of how each step of the protocol influences its sensitivity. This paper develops a probabilistic model that characterizes each step of an eDNA sampling protocol to evaluate the protocol's overall detection sensitivity for one sample.

Inference of genetic marker concentrations from field surveys to detect environmental DNA using Bayesian updating.

Field studies to detect environmental DNA (eDNA) can be undertaken to infer the presence of a rare or cryptic species in a water body. These studies are implemented by collecting water samples from the water body, processing those samples to isolate genetic material contained in the water sample, and using a laboratory assay to find a species-specific genetic marker within a sample of the genetic material. To date, conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been one of the most widely used assays in field studies to detect eDNA.

Early detection monitoring for aquatic non-indigenous species: Optimizing surveillance, incorporating advanced technologies, and identifying research needs.

Following decades of ecologic and economic impacts from a growing list of nonindigenous and invasive species, government and management entities are committing to systematic early- detection monitoring (EDM). This has reinvigorated investment in the science underpinning such monitoring, as well as the need to convey that science in practical terms to those tasked with EDM implementation. Using the context of nonindigenous species in the North American Great Lakes, this article summarizes the current scientific tools and knowledge - including limitations, research needs, and likely future developments - relevant to various aspects of planning and conducting comprehensive EDM.

Modeling the Sensitivity of Field Surveys for Detection of Environmental DNA (eDNA).

The environmental DNA (eDNA) method is the practice of collecting environmental samples and analyzing them for the presence of a genetic marker specific to a target species. Little is known about the sensitivity of the eDNA method. Sensitivity is the probability that the target marker will be detected if it is present in the water body.