Improving The Utility of Precision Agriculture Through Machine Learning and Climate-Smart Practices

Climate Smart Practices are management strategies that focus on increasing soil and crop productivity, utilize site-specific strategies to increase resiliency against the effects of climate change, and mitigate these negative effects by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Decision Support Systems (DSSs) using machine learning (ML) can adjust models based on new information and help farmers make climate smart decisions within their operation. The 4R nutrient management model of right source, rate, location, and time also demonstrates a framework that may be considered climate smart by improving soil and crop productivity. However, when initially conceptualized, the 4R model did not consider GHG emissions. Additionally, the long-term adoption of DSSs has been low in agriculture, reducing the ability of farmers to collect and analyze farm data to the fullest. Therefore, the objective of the first chapter is to examine applications of, and barriers to, DSSs in precision agriculture (PA). The objective of the second chapter evaluates the 4R model to determine the impact of GHG emissions when utilizing near continuous chambers over a two-year period. The GHG emissions were measured by analyzing nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions from a 50/50 split application of 157 kg N/ha that was applied to corn (Zea mays) at pre-emergence and V6 compared to a single application at pre-emergence 157 kg N/ha in a two-year replicated study. Results from the first chapter identify the barriers preventing farmers from using DSSs as well as suggesting solutions to these challenges. Results from the second chapter indicate that the split application can reduce carbon dioxide and carbon equivalent emissions and therefore, may be a useful framework for DSSs to follow in achieving Climate Smart Practices

Circuit Breakers on the London Stock Exchange: Do they improve subsequent market quality?

This paper uses proprietary data to evaluate the efficacy of single-stock circuit breakers on the London Stock Exchange during July and August 2011. We exploit exogenous variation in the length of the uncrossing periods that follow a trading suspension to estimate the effect of auction length on market quality, measured by volume of trades, frequency of trading and the change in realised variance of returns. We also estimate the effect of a trading suspension in one FTSE-100 stock on the volume of trades, trading frequency and the change in realised variance of returns for other FTSE-100 stocks. We find that auction length has a significant detrimental effect on market quality for the suspended security when returns are negative but no discernible effect when returns are positive. We also find that trading suspensions help to ameliorate the spread of market microstructure noise and price inefficiency across securities during falling markets but the reverse is true during rising markets. Although trading suspensions may not improve the trading process within a particular security, they do play an important role preventing the spread of poor market quality across securities in falling markets and therefore can be effective tools for promoting market-wide stability

Interannual variability of the Pacific water boundary current in the Beaufort Sea

Thesis: S.M., Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2013.Includes bibliographical references (pages 133-141).Between 2002 and 2011 a single mooring was maintained in the core of the Pacific Water boundary current in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea near 152° W. Using velocity and hydrographic data from six year-long deployments during this time period, we examine the interannual variability of the current. It is found that the volume, heat, and freshwater transport have all decreased drastically over the decade, by more than 80%. The most striking changes have occurred during the summer months. Using a combination of weather station data, atmospheric reanalysis fields, and concurrent shipboard and mooring data from the Chukchi Sea, we investigate the physical drivers responsible for these changes. It is demonstrated that an increase in summertime easterly winds along the Beaufort slope is the primary reason for the drop in transport. The intensification of the local winds has in turn been driven by a strengthening of the summer Beaufort High in conjunction with a deepening of the summer Aleutian Low. Since the fluxes of mass, heat, and freshwater through Bering Strait have increased over the same time period, this raises the question as to the fate of the Pacific water during recent years and its impacts. We present evidence that more heat has been fluxed directly into the interior basin from Barrow Canyon rather than entering the Beaufort shelfbreak jet, and this is responsible for a significant portion of the increased ice melt in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean.by Eric T. Brugler.S.M

The Efficacy of Using Blood Flow Restriction Training on Proximal Muscle and Joint Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review

Background: Blood flow restriction training (BFRT) when used with low-load exercise can improve muscular strength and recovery time in individuals attending rehab for distal extremity pathology. Current research suggests that BFRT when used proximally may elicit similar results. Purpose: The aim of this systematic review was to analyze evidence regarding the efficacy for physical therapists to utilize BFRT for individuals attending therapy for proximal joint or trunk related injuries. Method(s): A literature review was conducted by five reviewers using CINAHL, Medline, EBSCO, and Academic Search Ultimate. Articles were examined using the search terms (BFR or Blood flow restriction or Blood flow restriction training) and (trunk or hip or shoulder or proximal). Exclusion criteria consisted of the following: PEDRO Score \u3c 3, publication date prior to 2010, systematic reviews or meta-analysis, and if the articles were not peer reviewed. Results: Of the 253 results produced in the search, 11were selected and considered to be eligible. Articles were examined using the PEDro Scale and Hierarchy of Evidence Scale from the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. The 11 articles were then grouped into one of the following categories: BFR and the proximal UE, BFR and the proximal LE, BFR and the Trunk, or BFR and systemic effects of the UE, Trunk, or LE. Upon further evaluation we determined that BFRT when used proximally produced the following improvements: increased CSA/strength, tendon thickness, Hb transport, increased perfusion, functional capabilities, balance, endurance, and decreased pain, and positive responses to metabolic stress. Conclusions: When used in healthy and already active populations, BFRT is a safe and effective compliment when used with exercise. Further research is required in order to determine the efficacy of using BFRT in individuals who are potential candidates for physical therapy rehabilitation. We recommend research be conducted while implementing a standardized BFR protocol in order to more consistently produce results that might further determine the efficacy of using BFRT on the proximal UE/LE and trunk for the purpose of joint/muscle rehabilitation.https://digitalcommons.misericordia.edu/research_posters2021/1066/thumbnail.jp

Widest geographic distribution of a shallow and mesophotic antipatharian coral (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia): Antipathes grandis VERRILL, 1928 – confirmed by morphometric and molecular analyses

We provide the first record of the shallow and mesophotic ( 200 m depth) benthic taxa have such wide geographic distributions

Ideating IDNA: Lessons and Limitations From Leeches in Legacy Collections

Indirect methods for conducting faunal inventories present great promise, and genomic inventories derived from environmental sources (eDNA) are improving. Invertebrate ingested DNA (iDNA) from terrestrial leeches in the family Haemadipsidae has shown potential for surveying vertebrates and biodiversity monitoring in protected areas. Here we present an initial, and critical, evaluation of the limitations and biases of current iDNA protocols for biodiversity monitoring using both standard and NGS barcoding approaches. Key findings include the need for taxon relevant multi-locus markers and reference databases. In particular, the limitations of available reference databases have profound potential to mislead and bias eDNA and iDNA results if not critically interpreted. Nevertheless, there is great potential for recovery of amplifiable DNA from gut contents of invertebrate museum specimens which may reveal both temporal patterns and cryptic diversity in protected areas with increased efficiency. Our analyses of ingested DNA (iDNA) from both freshly stored and previously collected (legacy) samples of terrestrial leeches successfully identified vertebrates from Myanmar, Australia and Madagascar and indicate the potential to characterize microbial communities, pathogen diversity and interactions at low cost

Improving Decision Support Systems with Machine Learning: Identifying Barriers to Adoption

Precision agriculture (PA) has been defined as a “management strategy that gathers, processes and analyzes temporal, spatial and individual data and combines it with other information to support management decisions according to estimated variability for improved resource use efficiency, productivity, quality, profitability and sustainability of agricultural production.” This definition suggests that because PA should simultaneously increase food production and reduce the environmental footprint, the barriers to adoption of PA should be explored. These barriers include: 1) the financial constraints associated with adopting DSS, 2) the hesitancy of farmers to change from their trusted advisor to a computer program often behaves as a black box, 3) questions about data ownership and privacy, and 4) the lack of a trained workforce to provide the necessary training to implement DSSs on individual farms. This paper also discusses the lessons learned from successful and unsuccessful efforts to implement DSSs, the importance of communication with end-users during DSS development, and potential career opportunities that DSSs are creating in PA

A RNA-seq approach to identify putative toxins from acrorhagi in aggressive and non-aggressive Anthopleura elegantissima polyps

Background The use of venom in intraspecific aggression is uncommon and venom-transmitting structures specifically used for intraspecific competition are found in few lineages of venomous taxa. Next-generation transcriptome sequencing allows robust characterization of venom diversity and exploration of functionally unique tissues. Using a tissue-specific RNA-seq approach, we investigate the venom composition and gene ontology diversity of acrorhagi, specialized structures used in intraspecific competition, in aggressive and non-aggressive polyps of the aggregating sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Actiniaria: Actiniidae). Results Collectively, we generated approximately 450,000 transcripts from acrorhagi of aggressive and non-aggressive polyps. For both transcriptomes we identified 65 candidate sea anemone toxin genes, representing phospholipase A2s, cytolysins, neurotoxins, and acrorhagins. When compared to previously characterized sea anemone toxin assemblages, each transcriptome revealed greater within-species sequence divergence across all toxin types. The transcriptome of the aggressive polyp had a higher abundance of type II voltage gated potassium channel toxins/Kunitz-type protease inhibitors and type II acrorhagins. Using toxin-like proteins from other venomous taxa, we also identified 612 candidate toxin-like transcripts with signaling regions, potentially unidentified secretory toxin-like proteins. Among these, metallopeptidases and cysteine rich (CRISP) candidate transcripts were in high abundance. Furthermore, our gene ontology analyses identified a high prevalence of genes associated with “blood coagulation” and “positive regulation of apoptosis”, as well as “nucleoside: sodium symporter activity” and “ion channel binding”. The resulting assemblage of expressed genes may represent synergistic proteins associated with toxins or proteins related to the morphology and behavior exhibited by the aggressive polyp. Conclusion We implement a multifaceted approach to investigate the assemblage of expressed genes specifically within acrorhagi, specialized structures used only for intraspecific competition. By combining differential expression, phylogenetic, and gene ontology analyses, we identify several candidate toxins and other potentially important proteins in acrorhagi of A. elegantissima. Although not all of the toxins identified are used in intraspecific competition, our analysis highlights some candidates that may play a vital role in intraspecific competition. Our findings provide a framework for further investigation into components of venom used exclusively for intraspecific competition in acrorhagi-bearing sea anemones and potentially other venomous animals. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1417-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users