Agroforestry Opportunities for Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Rainfed Areas,

Not AvailableAgroforestry provides a unique opportunity to achieve the objectives of enhancing the productivity and improving the soil quality. Tree systems can also play an important role towards adapting to the climate variability and important carbon sinks which helps to decrease the pressure on natural forests. Realizing the importance of the agroforestry in meeting the twin objectives of mitigation and adaptation to climate change as well as making rainfed agriculture more climate resilient, the ICAR-CRIDA has taken up the challenge in pursuance of National Agroforestry Policy 2014, in preparing a book on Agroforestry Opportunities for Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Rainfed Areas at ICAR-CRIDA to sharpen the skills of all stakeholders at national, state and district level in rainfed areas to increase agricultural productivity in response to climate changeNot Availabl

Sustainable scheduling policies for radio access networks based on LTE technology

A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyIn the LTE access networks, the Radio Resource Management (RRM) is one of the most important modules which is responsible for handling the overall management of radio resources. The packet scheduler is a particular sub-module which assigns the existing radio resources to each user in order to deliver the requested services in the most efficient manner. Data packets are scheduled dynamically at every Transmission Time Interval (TTI), a time window used to take the user’s requests and to respond them accordingly. The scheduling procedure is conducted by using scheduling rules which select different users to be scheduled at each TTI based on some priority metrics. Various scheduling rules exist and they behave differently by balancing the scheduler performance in the direction imposed by one of the following objectives: increasing the system throughput, maintaining the user fairness, respecting the Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR), Head of Line (HoL) packet delay, packet loss rate and queue stability requirements. Most of the static scheduling rules follow the sequential multi-objective optimization in the sense that when the first targeted objective is satisfied, then other objectives can be prioritized. When the targeted scheduling objective(s) can be satisfied at each TTI, the LTE scheduler is considered to be optimal or feasible. So, the scheduling performance depends on the exploited rule being focused on particular objectives. This study aims to increase the percentage of feasible TTIs for a given downlink transmission by applying a mixture of scheduling rules instead of using one discipline adopted across the entire scheduling session. Two types of optimization problems are proposed in this sense: Dynamic Scheduling Rule based Sequential Multi-Objective Optimization (DSR-SMOO) when the applied scheduling rules address the same objective and Dynamic Scheduling Rule based Concurrent Multi-Objective Optimization (DSR-CMOO) if the pool of rules addresses different scheduling objectives. The best way of solving such complex optimization problems is to adapt and to refine scheduling policies which are able to call different rules at each TTI based on the best matching scheduler conditions (states). The idea is to develop a set of non-linear functions which maps the scheduler state at each TTI in optimal distribution probabilities of selecting the best scheduling rule. Due to the multi-dimensional and continuous characteristics of the scheduler state space, the scheduling functions should be approximated. Moreover, the function approximations are learned through the interaction with the RRM environment. The Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithms are used in this sense in order to evaluate and to refine the scheduling policies for the considered DSR-SMOO/CMOO optimization problems. The neural networks are used to train the non-linear mapping functions based on the interaction among the intelligent controller, the LTE packet scheduler and the RRM environment. In order to enhance the convergence in the feasible state and to reduce the scheduler state space dimension, meta-heuristic approaches are used for the channel statement aggregation. Simulation results show that the proposed aggregation scheme is able to outperform other heuristic methods. When the aggregation scheme of the channel statements is exploited, the proposed DSR-SMOO/CMOO problems focusing on different objectives which are solved by using various RL approaches are able to: increase the mean percentage of feasible TTIs, minimize the number of TTIs when the RL approaches punish the actions taken TTI-by-TTI, and minimize the variation of the performance indicators when different simulations are launched in parallel. This way, the obtained scheduling policies being focused on the multi-objective criteria are sustainable. Keywords: LTE, packet scheduling, scheduling rules, multi-objective optimization, reinforcement learning, channel, aggregation, scheduling policies, sustainable

Planet Earth 2011

The failure of the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen in December 2009 to effectively reach a global agreement on emission reduction targets, led many within the developing world to view this as a reversal of the Kyoto Protocol and an attempt by the developed nations to shirk out of their responsibility for climate change. The issue of global warming has been at the top of the political agenda for a number of years and has become even more pressing with the rapid industrialization taking place in China and India. This book looks at the effects of climate change throughout different regions of the world and discusses to what extent cleantech and environmental initiatives such as the destruction of fluorinated greenhouse gases, biofuels, and the role of plant breeding and biotechnology. The book concludes with an insight into the socio-religious impact that global warming has, citing Christianity and Islam

Conserving land, protecting water

Water resource management / Water productivity / Water conservation / Recycling / Land management / Soil conservation / Ecosystems / Ecology / Evapotranspiration / Food security / Poverty / River basins / Irrigated farming

Daily GRACE Water Storage Estimates for Improving Hydrology Models and Forecasting

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has created a more than 15 year record of time variable gravity and enabled studies of regional terrestrial water storage (TWS) changes. These and other studies have primarily been limited to analyses of long wavelength signals due to the inherent 30-day temporal resolution associated with the majority of GRACE products. This dissertation seeks to improve on this limitation by creating a daily estimate of TWS using mass concentrations (mascons) as an iteration of the Goddard Space Flight Center’s (GSFC) monthly global mascon product. The developed solution couples the 30-day high spatial resolution of that product with lower spatial resolution daily estimates. Key to this study is the development of an optimized regularization strategy for resolving daily fields that maximizes signal recovery and a characterization of bias in the solution due to this regularization. A rigorous analysis shows that the resulting daily estimated mascons have latitudinally-dependent resolution, with approximately 450 km spatial resolution in polar regions and 800-1,200 km spatial resolution at low latitudes. This analysis shows strong signal recovery relative to bias effects for basins larger than 800,000 sq. km and marginal recovery for basins 300,000-800,000 sq. km, while signal recovered in basins smaller than 250,000 sq. km are dominated by bias errors. The solution developed in this dissertation is the first daily TWS product with global land coverage estimated from individual daily GRACE Level-1B observations

Water Resource Variability and Climate Change

Climate change affects global and regional water cycling, as well as surficial and subsurface water availability. These changes have increased the vulnerabilities of ecosystems and of human society. Understanding how climate change has affected water resource variability in the past and how climate change is leading to rapid changes in contemporary systems is of critical importance for sustainable development in different parts of the world. This Special Issue focuses on “Water Resource Variability and Climate Change” and aims to present a collection of articles addressing various aspects of water resource variability as well as how such variabilities are affected by changing climates. Potential topics include the reconstruction of historic moisture fluctuations, based on various proxies (such as tree rings, sediment cores, and landform features), the empirical monitoring of water variability based on field survey and remote sensing techniques, and the projection of future water cycling using numerical model simulations

Parks, Peace, and Partnership

Today, over 3,000 protected areas around the world contribute to the protection of biodiversity, peaceful relations between neighbouring countries, and the well-being of people living in and around the protected environs. Historical and geo-political constraints are disappearing in a new spirit of collaboration to address common issues confronting ecosystems, species, and communities. Managing across boundaries is seen as the only way to ensure the long-term viability of ecological systems and sustainable communities. Current international thinking in this area is reflected in this collection of essays by park managers, biologists, scholars, scientists, and researchers. From Waterton-Glacier International Park to the European Alps, and Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia, the essays provide illustrative examples of the challenges and new solutions that are emerging around the world

COBE's search for structure in the Big Bang

The launch of Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and the definition of Earth Observing System (EOS) are two of the major events at NASA-Goddard. The three experiments contained in COBE (Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR), Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS), and Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE)) are very important in measuring the big bang. DMR measures the isotropy of the cosmic background (direction of the radiation). FIRAS looks at the spectrum over the whole sky, searching for deviations, and DIRBE operates in the infrared part of the spectrum gathering evidence of the earliest galaxy formation. By special techniques, the radiation coming from the solar system will be distinguished from that of extragalactic origin. Unique graphics will be used to represent the temperature of the emitting material. A cosmic event will be modeled of such importance that it will affect cosmological theory for generations to come. EOS will monitor changes in the Earth's geophysics during a whole solar color cycle

Numerische und physikalische Modellierung von Ufererosion in Kiesflüssen

Bank erosion is a natural geomorphological process which affects a wide range of physical, ecological and socio-economic issues in the fluvial environment. Among the others, the impacts include loss of lands, damage to structure and infrastructures and dynamics of sediments, nutrients and contaminants. Hence, it is not surprising how riverbank retreat is closely related to the risk assessment. Despite many progresses have been made in understanding and modelling bank erosion, further investigations are needed to better understand processes occurring on riverbank totally or partially composed of relatively coarse sediments. Therefore, the general aim of this study is to give a contribution in understanding and modelling processes, with particular focusing on gravel banks. The study is organized to provide a general framework of analysis at different spatial scales, using as a reference study case the Cecina River (Pisa, Italy). At the catchment scale, riverbank processes were studied with the specific aim to identify the variability of bank features (geometry and composition), the dominant mechanisms of retreat and their spatial distribution. Different methods to predict the lateral instabilities were also undertaken in order to pinpoint causes and factors which control the occurrence of different mechanisms of retreat. At the reach scale, numerical models were employed with the aim of exploring methods for a combined analysis which couples different mechanisms of retreat, with particular focus on the inclusion of near-bank shear stresses. Moreover, based on results of the previous analyses, a framework for risk analysis due to bank erosion was developed. The objective of the analyses carried out at the bank scale, was to better understand the basic processes occurring in relatively coarse bank sediments, in particular the occurrence of mass instability in the absence of fluvial erosion. In order to address the objective, a physical model of a bank composed by gravel and sand was built, and some experiments simulating the behaviour of the bank during a hydrograph were carried out. The tests allowed for the identification of different mechanisms of failure and for the analysis of the factor affecting non cohesive bank stability.Die Ufererosion stellt einen natürlichen geomorphologischen Prozess in fluvialen Fließgewässern dar, der von großer Bedeutung für verschiedene ingenieurtechnische, ökologische und sozio-ökonomische Fragestellungen ist. Sie stellt einen wichtigen Prozess im Hinblick auf die Dynamik von Sedimenten, Nährstoffen und Schadstoffen in Fließgewässern dar und kann gleichzeitig aber auch zum Verlust von Land oder zur Gefährdung von Siedlungen und der Infrastruktur führen. Deshalb ist es nicht erstaunlich, dass der mit der Ufererosion verbundene Rückgang der Ufer in engem Zusammenhang mit der Risikobewertung steht. Bis heute führten zahlreiche Untersuchungen zu einem verbesserten Verständnis der relevanten physikalischen Prozesse und somit zu einer verbesserten Modellierung der Ufererosion. Allerdings existieren, speziell im Hinblick auf die Erosion von relativ grobkörnigen Ufern, immer noch zahlreiche offene Fragestellungen. Das Ziel der Arbeit bestand deshalb darin, zum besseren Verständnis und zur verbesserten Modellierung der Erosion von Ufern aus kiesigem Material beizutragen. Hierzu wurde anhand des Referenzgewässers des Cecina-Flusses in Italien ein übergeordneter Rahmen für die Analyse der relevanten Prozesse unter der Berücksichtigung verschiedener räumlicher Skalen geschaffen. Auf der Skala des Einzugsgebiets wurden die entsprechenden Prozesse mit dem spezifischen Ziel untersucht, die Variabilität der Ufereigenschaften (Geometrie und Zusammensetzung), die dominanten Mechanismen für den Rückgang der Ufer als auch deren räumliche Verteilung zu identifizieren. Mittels verschiedener Methoden zur Vorhersage lateraler Instabilitäten wurden die relevanten Faktoren und Prozesse aufgezeigt, welche die verschiedenen Mechanismen der Ufererosion kontrollieren. Auf der Flussabschnittsskala wurden anhand numerischer Modellierungen Methoden untersucht, die zu einer adäquaten kombinierten Analyse der verschiedenen Erosionsmechanismen herangezogen werden können. Ein spezielles Augenmerk wurde hierbei auf die Schubspannungen in Ufernähe gelegt und es wurde ein Rahmen für die Risikoanalyse im Hinblick auf die Ufererosion entwickelt. Auf der Uferskala stand die Untersuchung der relevanten physikalischen Prozesse im Vordergrund, welche die Erosion von grobkörnigen Ufersedimenten und insbesondere das Auftreten von Uferrutschungen dominieren, wenn kein Sedimenttransport im Gewässer vorliegt. Zu diesem Zweck wurde ein physikalisches Modell eines aus Kies und Sand bestehenden Ufers aufgebaut. Die Modelluntersuchungen, bei denen die Stabilität des Ufers infolge des Strömungsangriffs während eines Hochwasserereignisses unter Berücksichtigung der Ganglinie untersucht wurde, führten zur Identifikation verschiedener Versagensmechanismen und wurden zur Analyse von Faktoren herangezogen, die die Stabilität von nicht kohäsiven Ufern beeinflussen

Comportement mécanique des roches et dynamique de la lithosphère: Des données de terrain aux modèles numériques

non renseignéCe mémoire dresse le bilan de mes activités de recherche depuis ma thèse de 3ème cycle. Il s’agit làd’une tentative de synthèse des travaux effectués à Rennes pendant 2 ans de post-doctorat (2007-2008), à Zürich durant 1 an (en 2008-2009), puis à Rennes depuis mon recrutement en septembre 2009en tant que maître de conférences