Relationships between crop yield and landscape features

Background: Sound agronomic recommendations are crucial for today's agronomists as they strive for improved yields, profits, and sustainability. Determining the spatial relationships between yield and landscape variation including soil properties, soil texture, and terrain attributes may improve management decisions, particularly with regards to proper nitrogen application for minimizing both costs to farmers and environmental impacts. Methods: Here we investigate relationships between landscape features and corn yield as part of a preliminary study to model corn yield with variations in landscape attributes, soil properties, and weather. We used yield monitor data collected from 2010- 2015 at a 12 ha field at the Davis Purdue University Agricultural Research Center in Randolph County, IN, USA We obtained 15 digital elevation-based models of terrain attributes that describe morphometric and hydrologic characteristics of the field. For each year we used the random forest method to select terrain attributes that were most important for predicting corn yield across the field. We performed cluster analysis with these variables to select the terrain attributes for our spatial regression models. Models, either the spatial error or the spatial lag model, were selected based on the lowest Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) score for the model. Results: The most important terrain attributes for predicting corn yield were topographic wetness index, topographic position index, relative slope position, catchment slope, and catchment area. Discussions: These results demonstrate that models for predicting corn yield in Indiana need to include landscape features for increased model performance. Conclusion: This analysis met one objective of a larger investigation that will incorporate soil properties, soil texture, and weather patterns into models of corn yield across Indiana landscapes

Coordinating the Use and Location of Weigh-In-Motion Technology for Kentucky

Several agencies in the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet make use of data collected by weigh-in-motion (WIM) scales throughout the state. These scales are used to collect traffic counts, weigh vehicles, weigh individual axles, determine vehicle length, classify vehicles, and determine speed. The data is primarily used for planning, law enforcement related to commercial vehicles, and pavement design. This study details the applications of WIM data, and reviews existing literature on how WIM data is used and shared. The study provides survey feedback from other states, specifically about how they use WIM data. It details competing WIM technologies currently on the market, and provides measures of performance along with cost estimates. Details on current WIM locations throughout the state are provided, and plans for future WIM locations are also explained. Recommendations about how Kentucky can better utilize WIM technology and data are provided in the final chapter

Kentucky Vehicle License Plate Study

This study assesses Kentucky’s options for potentially re-plating all motor vehicles registered in the Commonwealth. The report begins with a background and discussion of Kentucky’s plate production processes, the difference between flat and embossed plates, and the structure of license plate labor at the Kentucky State Reformatory in La Grange. It details current plate production costs and processes, along with fees and production numbers. It evaluates three scenarios for future plate production: flat plate production, a hybrid system with embossed general issue plates and flat specialty plates, and an embossed plate system with in-house printed sheeting. Also included is an analysis of the effects of license plate characteristics on automated license plate reader accuracy, which has implications for automated screening and tolling. From there, the policies and approaches of other states are discussed. The report ends with a discussion of implementation costs, challenges, and strategies for state officials

Required conditions for and coincident 1/1-mode activity associated with the nonlocal electron heat transport effect on TFTR

A database of 71 distinct and randomly collected cold pulse cases from TFTR is analyzed. Observations show a striking parameter regime cutoff for the presence of nonlocal transient transport and coincident MHD (1/1-mode) activity as well as for changes in the radial speed of the nonlocal transport effect and changes in the sawtooth period. A nontrivial link is demonstrated between electron heat transport and MHD properties through observation of a common cutoff in the parameter n{sub e}(0)/T{sub e}(0){sup 1/2} and a common threshold in injection size for radial speed and sawtooth period changes. Auxiliary heating (via energetic neutral beams) destroys whatever process is responsible for the nonlocal transport effect, unless the discharge contains significant amounts of injected tritium. These observations are preliminary, but they represent important circumstantial evidence for mysterious propagation of changes in some MHD-related phenomenon as being responsible for a large fraction of electron heat transport. This propagation is then probably a function of n{sub e}(0)/T{sub e}(0){sup 1/2}, ion mass, and possibly beam power. An analysis of Ohmic cases shows that the cutoff in n{sub e}(0)/T{sub e}{sup 1/2} indicates the nonlocal transport effects may occur when the electrons are collisionally thermally decoupled from the ions

Tranquillity mapping in New Zealand national parks - a pilot study

YesThe tranquillity in national parks worldwide is currently under threat from intrusion of anthropogenic noise of a growing tourism industry and activity related to park management. This was addressed by creating informative tranquillity maps, where perceived tranquillity can be considered a key indicator of soundscape quality in natural areas. Tranquillity of an area can be assessed using TRAPT (Tranquillity Rating Prediction Tool), that has been developed and refined for assessing urban green spaces, national parks and wilderness areas in the United Kingdom. The subjective response to helicopter noise levels of a sample group of 35 people representing the general New Zealand population was obtained, based on visual and audio stimuli that were collected in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. These results were used to produce a revised TRAPT equation. It was discovered that levels under 32 dBA correspond to an excellent level of tranquillity. This thresholdwas used to produce a noise level exposure calculation for two national parks using noise prediction model AEDT (Aviation Environmental Development Tool). Contours representing tranquillity duration were then calculated and plotted, to serve as a planning tool for use by the Department of Conservation. A similar approach could be used for other national parks worldwid

Reliability, Validity, and Comparison of Barbell Velocity Measurement Devices during the Jump Shrug and Hang High Pull

This study examined the reliability, potential bias, and practical differences between the GymAware Powertool (GA), Tendo Power Analyzer (TENDO), and Push Band 2.0 (PUSH) during the jump shrug (JS) and hang high pull (HHP) performed across a spectrum of loads. Fifteen resistance-trained men performed JS and HHP repetitions with 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% of their 1RM hang power clean, and mean (MBV) and peak barbell velocity (PBV) were determined by each velocity measurement device. Least-products regression and Bland–Altman plots were used to examine instances of proportional, fixed, and systematic bias between the TENDO and PUSH compared to the GA. Hedge’s g effect sizes were also calculated to determine any meaningful differences between devices. The GA and TENDO displayed excellent reliability and acceptable variability during the JS and HHP while the PUSH showed instances of poor–moderate reliability and unacceptable variability at various loads. While the TENDO and PUSH showed instances of various bias, the TENDO device demonstrated greater validity when compared to the GA. Trivial–small differences were shown between the GA and TENDO during the JS and HHP exercises while trivial–moderate differences existed between GA and PUSH during the JS. However, despite trivial–small effects between the GA and PUSH devices at 20 and 40% 1RM during the HHP, practically meaningful differences existed at 60, 80, and 100%, indicating that the PUSH velocity outputs were not accurate. The TENDO appears to be more reliable and valid than the PUSH when measuring MBV and PBV during the JS and HHP

Characterizing Rock Abundance At ExoMars Landing Site Candidates

We present preliminary work to characterize surface rock abundance at ExoMars Rover landing site candidates. A challenge in quantifying the abundance of surface rocks is using the population of large (≳1 m) rocks that are resolved in orbital images to infer the size of the smaller, unresolved rock population. This is particularly relevant for the ExoMars Rover mission, where the Landing Module’s clearance of 35 cm makes it necessary to know the probability of encountering rocks where 0.35 < D < 1 m. ‘Float rocks’ are individual fragments of rock not associated with a continuous outcrop or body of rock —e.g. transported rocks or impact debris. These can be identified in Mars Reconnaissence Orbiter HiRISE images, where the mid-afternoon local solar time, dictated by MROs’ orbit, causes float rocks to appear as bright sunlit features adjacent to strong shadows. However, the smallest features resolvable in HiRISE images occupy around 3-4 pixels, corresponding to ~1-m sized rocks. This inherently limits the ability to directly identify from orbit the small, but potentially hazardous rock population. ‘Outcrop’ is defined as continuous expanses of bedrock or surficial deposits exposed at the surface. Both float rocks and outcrop can contribute to slopes that may constitute a hazard for landed missions. We present rock counts at ExoMars Rover landing site candidates and assess approaches to constrain the morphological characteristics of Mars’ surface that are relevant to rover and lander safety

The Concussion Recognition Tool 5th Edition (CRT5): Background and rationale

The Concussion Recognition Tool 5 (CRT5) is the most recent revision of the Pocket Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2 that was initially introduced by the Concussion in Sport Group in 2005. The CRT5 is designed to assist non-medically trained individuals to recognise the signs and symptoms of possible sport-related concussion and provides guidance for removing an athlete from play/sport and to seek medical attention. This paper presents the development of the CRT5 and highlights the differences between the CRT5 and prior versions of the instrument

Non-local heat transport, rotation reversals and up/down impurity density asymmetries in Alcator C-Mod ohmic L-mode plasmas

Several seemingly unrelated effects in Alcator C-Mod ohmic L-mode plasmas are shown to be closely connected: non-local heat transport, core toroidal rotation reversals, energy confinement saturation and up/down impurity density asymmetries. These phenomena all abruptly transform at a critical value of the collisionality. At low densities in the linear ohmic confinement regime, with collisionality ν[subscript *] ≤ 0.35 (evaluated inside of the q = 3/2 surface), heat transport exhibits non-local behaviour, core toroidal rotation is directed co-current, edge impurity density profiles are up/down symmetric and a turbulent feature in core density fluctuations with k[subscript θ] up to 15 cm[superscript −1] (k[subscript θ]ρ[subscript s] ~ 1) is present. At high density/collisionality with saturated ohmic confinement, electron thermal transport is diffusive, core rotation is in the counter-current direction, edge impurity density profiles are up/down asymmetric and the high k[subscript θ] turbulent feature is absent. The rotation reversal stagnation point (just inside of the q = 3/2 surface) coincides with the non-local electron temperature profile inversion radius. All of these observations suggest a possible unification in a model with trapped electron mode prevalence at low collisionality and ion temperature gradient mode domination at high collisionality.United States. Dept. of Energy (Contract DE-FC02-99ER54512)United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (Postdoctoral Research Program