Evaluation of an animal-activated scarecrow and a monofilament fence for reducing deer use of soybean fields

We measured the efficacy of an animal-activated scarecrow (AAS) and a 5-strand monofilament fence (MF) at reducing white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) use of 0.4-ha soybean plots in Missouri, USA. Our study design consisted of 9 soybean plots; 3 served as controls, 3 were surrounded by an MF, and 3 were surrounded by an AAS. Data collected for each protected plot included soybean height and weight taken from within and immediately adjacent to 10 unprotected, equally spaced 1 -m2 exclosures. A measure of deer use for each plot was collected with video cameras. A mixed-effects analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that heights of protected and unprotected soybean plants were significantly different for MF plots (F2 =93.6, P=0.01) and controls (F2 =47.6, P= 0.02) but not different for AAS plots (F2=2.16, P=0.272). Soybean plants in AAS plots were heavier than those from MF or control plots (F2 =10.2, P=0.01). Plant weight differences in protected and unprotected areas for AAS plots were less than those from MF plots (t6=2.55, P=0.04) or control plots (t6=4.46, P=0.004). Plant weight differences between MF and control plots were marginally significant (t6= 1.192, P=0.10). Deer spent less time in AAS plots than MF (t6=2.55, P=0.041 or control plots (t6=2.55, P= 0.01). Scarecrow activations increased over time in all 3 AAS plots (all 95% confidence intervals \u3e0), suggesting that deer were habituating to the devices. We suggest that AAS may be useful for short-term deterrence of deer from small areas

The Higgs System in and Beyond the Standard Model

After the discovery of the Higgs boson particle on the 4th of July of 2012 at the Large Hadron Collider, sited at the european CERN laboratory, we are entering in a fascinating period for Particle Physics where both theorists and experimentalists are devoted to fully understand the features of this new particle and the possible consequences for High Energy Physics of the Higgs system both within and beyond the Standard Model of fundamental particle interactions. This paper is a summary of the lectures given at the third IDPASC school (Santiago de Compostela, Feb. 2013, Spain) addressed to PhD students, and contains a short introduction to the main basic aspects of the Higgs boson particle in and beyond the Standard Model.Comment: 62 pages, 31 figures, Lectures of the IDPASC School at Santiago de Compostela, Spain, February 201

Memory usage verification using Hip/Sleek.

Embedded systems often come with constrained memory footprints. It is therefore essential to ensure that software running on such platforms fulfils memory usage specifications at compile-time, to prevent memory-related software failure after deployment. Previous proposals on memory usage verification are not satisfactory as they usually can only handle restricted subsets of programs, especially when shared mutable data structures are involved. In this paper, we propose a simple but novel solution. We instrument programs with explicit memory operations so that memory usage verification can be done along with the verification of other properties, using an automated verification system Hip/Sleek developed recently by Chin et al.[10,19]. The instrumentation can be done automatically and is proven sound with respect to an underlying semantics. One immediate benefit is that we do not need to develop from scratch a specific system for memory usage verification. Another benefit is that we can verify more programs, especially those involving shared mutable data structures, which previous systems failed to handle, as evidenced by our experimental results

OzFlux data: Network integration from collection to curation

© Author(s) 2017. Measurement of the exchange of energy and mass between the surface and the atmospheric boundary-layer by the eddy covariance technique has undergone great change in the last 2 decades. Early studies of these exchanges were confined to brief field campaigns in carefully controlled conditions followed by months of data analysis. Current practice is to run tower-based eddy covariance systems continuously over several years due to the need for continuous monitoring as part of a global effort to develop local-, regional-, continental-and global-scale budgets of carbon, water and energy. Efficient methods of processing the increased quantities of data are needed to maximise the time available for analysis and interpretation. Standardised methods are needed to remove differences in data processing as possible contributors to observed spatial variability. Furthermore, public availability of these data sets assists with undertaking global research efforts. The OzFlux data path has been developed (i) to provide a standard set of quality control and post-processing tools across the network, thereby facilitating inter-site integration and spatial comparisons; (ii) to increase the time available to researchers for analysis and interpretation by reducing the time spent collecting and processing data; (iii) to propagate both data and metadata to the final product; and (iv) to facilitate the use of the OzFlux data by adopting a standard file format and making the data available from web-based portals. Discovery of the OzFlux data set is facilitated through incorporation in FLUXNET data syntheses and the publication of collection metadata via the RIF-CS format. This paper serves two purposes. The first is to describe the data sets, along with their quality control and post-processing, for the other papers of this Special Issue. The second is to provide an example of one solution to the data collection and curation challenges that are encountered by similar flux tower networks worldwide

An optimality-based model of the dynamic feedbacks between natural vegetation and the water balance

The hypothesis that vegetation adapts optimally to its environment gives rise to a novel framework for modeling the interactions between vegetation dynamics and the catchment water balance that does not rely on prior knowledge about the vegetation at a particular site. We present a new model based on this framework that includes a multilayered physically based catchment water balance model and an ecophysiological gas exchange and photosynthesis model. The model uses optimization algorithms to find those static and dynamic vegetation properties that would maximize the net carbon profit under given environmental conditions. The model was tested at a savanna site near Howard Springs (Northern Territory, Australia) by comparing the modeled fluxes and vegetation properties with long-term observations at the site. The results suggest that optimality may be a useful way of approaching the prediction and estimation of vegetation cover, rooting depth, and fluxes such as transpiration and CO2 assimilation in ungauged basins without model calibration

An optimality-based model of the coupled soil moisture and root dynamics

The main processes determining soil moisture dynamics are infiltration, percolation, evaporation and root water uptake. Modelling soil moisture dynamics therefore requires an interdisciplinary approach that links hydrological, atmospheric and biological processes. Previous approaches treat either root water uptake rates or root distributions and transpiration rates as given, and calculate the soil moisture dynamics based on the theory of flow in unsaturated media. The present study introduces a different approach to linking soil water and vegetation dynamics, based on vegetation optimality. Assuming that plants have evolved mechanisms that minimise costs related to the maintenance of the root system while meeting their demand for water, we develop a model that dynamically adjusts the vertical root distribution in the soil profile to meet this objective. The model was used to compute the soil moisture dynamics, root water uptake and fine root respiration in a tropical savanna over 12 months, and the results were compared with observations at the site and with a model based on a fixed root distribution. The optimality-based model reproduced the main features of the observations such as a shift of roots from the shallow soil in the wet season to the deeper soil in the dry season and substantial root water uptake during the dry season. At the same time, simulated fine root respiration rates never exceeded the upper envelope determined by the observed soil respiration. The model based on a fixed root distribution, in contrast, failed to explain the magnitude of water use during parts of the dry season and largely over-estimated root respiration rates. The observed surface soil moisture dynamics were also better reproduced by the optimality-based model than the model based on a prescribed root distribution. The optimality-based approach has the potential to reduce the number of unknowns in a model (e.g. the vertical root distribution), which makes it a valuable alternative to more empirically-based approaches, especially for simulating possible responses to environmental change

Teaming Models with Intelligent Systems at the Workplace

Die Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI) hat sich einen festen Platz in den deutschsprachigen Hochschulen gesichert. Mit wachsendem Fachkräftemangel dürften ihre Beiträge zur Ausbildung von Fachleuten für automatische Systeme und zur diesbezüglichen Forschung noch wichtiger werden. In der Öffentlichkeit und z. T. auch in den Fachmedien entspricht ihr Bekanntheitsgrad nicht ihrer gesellschaftlichen Bedeutung. Beispielsweise werden von relativen Laien, z. B. in der Politik, traditionelle Gegenstände des Faches als Neuentwicklung dargestellt. Wir plädieren dafür, dass sich die WI mehr als bisher nicht nur als interdisziplinäres Fach zwischen BWL und Informatik begreift, sondern verstärkt auch auf Grenzgebieten wie Öffentlicher Verwaltung, Politik und Recht arbeitet. Wege dazu sind u. a. Übertragung von IT-Lösungen aus der Privatwirtschaft in die Öffentliche Verwaltung, Warnungen vor Übertreibung und Moden oder differenzierte Identifikation von Vor- und Nachteilen neuer Methoden im Vergleich zu bekannten. Im akademischen Umfeld ist zu hinterfragen, ob die aktuellen Anreizsysteme für Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler förderlich sind