A spatial capture-recapture model for territorial species

Advances in field techniques have lead to an increase in spatially-referenced capture-recapture data to estimate a species' population size as well as other demographic parameters and patterns of space usage. Statistical models for these data have assumed that the number of individuals in the population and their spatial locations follow a homogeneous Poisson point process model, which implies that the individuals are uniformly and independently distributed over the spatial domain of interest. In many applications there is reason to question independence, for example when species display territorial behavior. In this paper, we propose a new statistical model which allows for dependence between locations to account for avoidance or territorial behavior. We show via a simulation study that accounting for this can improve population size estimates. The method is illustrated using a case study of small mammal trapping data to estimate avoidance and population density of adult female field voles (Microtus agrestis) in northern England

Dynamic Resource Allocation in Conservation Planning

Consider the problem of protecting endangered species by selecting patches of land to be used for conservation purposes. Typically, the availability of patches changes over time, and recommendations must be made dynamically. This is a challenging prototypical example of a sequential optimization problem under uncertainty in computational sustainability. Existing techniques do not scale to problems of realistic size. In this paper, we develop an efficient algorithm for adaptively making recommendations for dynamic conservation planning, and prove that it obtains near-optimal performance. We further evaluate our approach on a detailed reserve design case study of conservation planning for three rare species in the Pacific Northwest of the United States

A Story-Centered Approach to the Newspaper Coverage of High-Profile SMOs

Purpose – To theorize and research the conditions under which a high-profile social movement organization (SMO) receives newspaper coverage advantageous to it. Design/methodology approach – To explain coverage quality, including “standing” – being quoted – and “demands” – prescribing lines of action – we advance a story-centered perspective. This combines ideas about the type of article in which SMOs are embedded and political mediation ideas. We model the joint influence of article type, political contexts and “assertive” SMO action on coverage. We analyze the Townsend Plan\u27s coverage across five major national newspapers, focusing on front-page coverage from 1934 through 1952, using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analyses (fsQCA). Findings – We find that only about a third of the Townsend Plan\u27s front-page coverage was initiated by its activity and very little of it was disruptive. The fsQCA results provide support for our arguments on coverage quality. Disruptive, non-institutional action had no specific influence on standing, but its absence was a necessary condition for the SMO expressing a demand; by contrast, assertive action in combination with movement-initiated coverage or a favorable political context prompted the publication of articles with both standing and demands. Research limitations/implications – The results suggest greater attention to a wider array of SMO coverage and to the interaction between article type, SMO action, and political context in explaining the quality of coverage. However, the results are likely to apply best to high-profile SMOs. Originality/value – The paper provides a new theory of the quality of newspaper coverage and finds support for it with fsQCA modeling on newly collected data

Making landscape Decisions to Meet Net Zero Carbon: Pathways that consider ethics, socio-ecological diversity, and landscape functions.

Landscapes are an integral part of the net-zero challenge; not only are they carbon stores but they constitute the environments upon which humans develop their livelihoods, interact and shape their cultures. This report focuses on three key landscape types (agricultural, peatlands and forests), and the associated practices and impacts with particular relevance to the net zero carbon agenda. We have brought together perspectives from natural and social science, humanities, and the arts to understand and evaluate how modern landscapes can absorb the impact of potential zero-carbon policies

Estimating detection and density of the Andean cat in the high Andes

The Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) is one of the most endangered, yet least known, felids. Although the Andean cat is considered at risk of extinction, rigorous quantitative population studies are lacking. Because physical observations of the Andean cat are difficult to make in the wild, we used a camera-trapping array to photo-capture individuals. The survey was conducted in northwestern Argentina at an elevation of approximately 4,200 m during October-December 2006 and April-June 2007. In each year we deployed 22 pairs of camera traps, which were strategically placed. To estimate detection probability and density we applied models for spatial capture-recapture using a Bayesian framework. Estimated densities were 0.07 and 0.12 individual/km 2 for 2006 and 2007, respectively. Mean baseline detection probability was estimated at 0.07. By comparison, densities of the Pampas cat (Leopardus colocolo), another poorly known felid that shares its habitat with the Andean cat, were estimated at 0.74-0.79 individual/km2 in the same study area for 2006 and 2007, and its detection probability was estimated at 0.02. Despite having greater detectability, the Andean cat is rarer in the study region than the Pampas cat. Properly accounting for the detection probability is important in making reliable estimates of density, a key parameter in conservation and management decisions for any species. © 2011 American Society of Mammalogists.Fil: Reppucci, Juan Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Gardner, Beth. United States Geological Survey; Estados UnidosFil: Lucherini, Mauro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentin

The Formation of a Realistic Disk Galaxy in Lambda Dominated Cosmologies

We simulate the formation of a realistic disk galaxy within the hierarchical scenario of structure formation and study its internal properties to the present epoch. We compare results from a LambdaCDM simulation with a LambdaWDM (2keV) simulation that forms significantly less small scale structure. We show how high mass and force resolution in both the gas and dark matter components play an important role in solving the angular momentum catastrophe claimed from previous simulations of galaxy formation within the hierarchical framework. The stellar material in the disk component has a final specific angular momentum equal to 40% and 90% of that of the dark halo in the LambdaCDM and LambdaWDM models respectively. The LambdaWDM galaxy has a drastically reduced satellite population and a negligible stellar spheroidal component. Encounters with satellites play only a minor role in disturbing the disk. Satellites possess a variety of star formation histories linked to mergers and pericentric passages along their orbit around the primary galaxy. In both cosmologies, the galactic halo retains most of the baryons accreted and builds up a hot gas phase with a substantial X-ray emission. Therefore, while we have been successful in creating a realistic stellar disk in a massive galaxy within the LambdaCDM scenario, energy injection emerges as necessary ingredient to reduce the baryon fraction in galactic halos, independent of the cosmology adopted. (abridged)Comment: ApJ in press. Images and movies at http://hpcc.astro.washington.edu/faculty/fabio/galform.html Significantly expanded revised version. (9 pages vs the original 4

The Iowa Homemaker vol.2, no.8

Table of Contents Make Thanksgiving a Real Homecoming With a Dinner in Your Church by N. Beth Bailey, page 1 Marie Reviews Fifth Avenue by Mildred Boyt, page 2 Art, As Frank Alvah Parsons Sees It by Viola Jammer, page 2 Costuming and Its Relation to the Individual by Marion B. Gardner, page 3 Painting the Fall and Winter Landscapes by Juanita Beard, page 4 “A Timely Thought Saves Nerves Distraught” by Maida Heiner, page 4 In the Light of Experience by Marcia E. Turner, page 5 Naming Canned Fruits by Katherine Goeppinger, page 5 Who’s There and Where by Jeanette Beyer, page 6 A Tea Room That is Different by Opal F. Milligan, page 7 Sour Milk and Its Uses by Elizabeth Storm, page 7 An Indian Romance by Millie Lerdall, page 10 The Song of Thanksgiving Pie by Eleanor Murray, page 13 Scarlet November by Eleanor Murray, page 1

Making Landscape Decisions to Meet Net Zero Carbon: Pathways that consider ethics, socio-ecological diversity, and landscape functions.

Landscapes are an integral part of the net-zero challenge; not only are they carbonstores but they constitute the environments upon which humans develop their livelihoods,interact and shape their cultures.This report focuses on three key landscape types (agricultural, peatlands and forests), andthe associated practices and impacts with particular relevance to the net zero carbonagenda.We have brought together perspectives from natural and social science, humanities, and thearts to understand and evaluate how modern landscapes can absorb the impact of potentialzero-carbon policies