Pattern Recognition

A wealth of advanced pattern recognition algorithms are emerging from the interdiscipline between technologies of effective visual features and the human-brain cognition process. Effective visual features are made possible through the rapid developments in appropriate sensor equipments, novel filter designs, and viable information processing architectures. While the understanding of human-brain cognition process broadens the way in which the computer can perform pattern recognition tasks. The present book is intended to collect representative researches around the globe focusing on low-level vision, filter design, features and image descriptors, data mining and analysis, and biologically inspired algorithms. The 27 chapters coved in this book disclose recent advances and new ideas in promoting the techniques, technology and applications of pattern recognition

Wildlife Protection and Habitat Management

The management of wildlife populations and their habitats are interdisciplinary fields that encompass many scientific disciplines that also impact the lives of people. Therefore, these are truly applied sciences where human dimensions play an important role.This book highlights the importance of conducting rigorous studies to design and implement the effective management and restoration of wild populations and their habitats. A new paradigm in conservation is developing that goes beyond the boundaries of protected areas to achieve the goal of sustainable development. The 16 papers in this book, including reviews and a project report, cover a broad range of topics, exploring a diversity of subjects that are representative of current practices and novel applications.We would like to thank both the MDPI publishers and editorial staff for their support and help during the process of editing this book, in addition to the authors for their contributions

Agricultural land-use change modelling for land-use planning in Thailand

This study compared the ability of different models to simulate possible land use changes at a crop specific level in two study areas within northern and north-eastern, Thailand: Mae Chan and Lam Mun Sub-watersheds. Five models were examined: Dyna-CLUE, CA-Markov, Land Change Modeller (LCM), Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) and Agent-based model (ABM). Modelling results were validated using observed data and three of the models were selected to produce simulations for 2025. These simulations were evaluated against further observed data and the expectations of local land use experts. The results indicated variations in performance by models, between study areas and for different crops. The most promising models (CA-Markov, LCM and ABM) were selected for simulation. The CA-Markov performed well in validation but less so for simulation (changes occurred in restricted areas and were overly clustered). The validation was noticeably better in the second study area, which had different crops. Overall, the two models which performed best in simulations (i.e. trends matched observed data) were the LCM and the ABM, with the latter requiring appreciably greater effort to implement. The research found that it is possible to model agricultural land use change at the crop specific level using a range of different models, but certain land uses were more challenging to model. For instance, rice was better modelled than crops involved in rotations (sugarcane) or influenced by market or policy factors (pineapple and rubber). While the insights here could be applied to land use modelling in other agricultural areas, it is difficult to specify a single ‘best’ model, as different modelling approaches may be suitable depending on the particular character of the study area and the objectives of the land planner. ABM shows great potential in areas where crop diversity is high and there is a desire to understand the motivations of farmers

How to Manage Migratory Pests and Potential Food Crises

Locusts are a threat to agriculture and livelihoods in many countries globally. The economic, social, and environmental consequences of these highly migratory pests are so substantial that they are treated as a national priority by many countries; several international commissions have been established to unite efforts. This Special Issue aims to shed light on some overarching questions: what have we learned from historical outbreaks; how serious is the threat; what research is ongoing and is needed to better manage these insects; how should the world respond to plagues today, especially in the context of climate change; are recommended preventive strategies really effective and what are the constraints to their application; and is there a possibility to make better use of biological alternatives to chemical pesticides

Nineteenth Annual Conference on Manual Control

No abstract availabl

Using MapReduce Streaming for Distributed Life Simulation on the Cloud

Distributed software simulations are indispensable in the study of large-scale life models but often require the use of technically complex lower-level distributed computing frameworks, such as MPI. We propose to overcome the complexity challenge by applying the emerging MapReduce (MR) model to distributed life simulations and by running such simulations on the cloud. Technically, we design optimized MR streaming algorithms for discrete and continuous versions of Conway’s life according to a general MR streaming pattern. We chose life because it is simple enough as a testbed for MR’s applicability to a-life simulations and general enough to make our results applicable to various lattice-based a-life models. We implement and empirically evaluate our algorithms’ performance on Amazon’s Elastic MR cloud. Our experiments demonstrate that a single MR optimization technique called strip partitioning can reduce the execution time of continuous life simulations by 64%. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to propose and evaluate MR streaming algorithms for lattice-based simulations. Our algorithms can serve as prototypes in the development of novel MR simulation algorithms for large-scale lattice-based a-life models.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/scs_books/1014/thumbnail.jp

Advances in Plant Breeding Strategies : Nut and Beverage Crops

Peer reviewe

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ROMANIA

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main opportunities and limitations of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The survey was defined with the aim to involve the highest possible number of relevant CSR topics and give the issue a more wholesome perspective. It provides a basis for further comprehension and deeper analyses of specific CSR areas. The conditions determining the success of CSR in Romania have been defined in the paper on the basis of the previously cumulative knowledge as well as the results of various researches. This paper provides knowledge which may be useful in the programs promoting CSR.Corporate social responsibility, Supportive policies, Romania