Stoat trap tunnel location : GIS predictive modelling to identify the best tunnel location : a thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Geographic Information Systems in Massey University

Stoats are recognised as one of the biggest threats to New Zealand's threatened species. They are difficult to control because of their biological characteristics. Currently trapping is the most common type of control technique that has a proven success rate. Research studies have shown that some traps catch more stoats than others. However the reason for this is not well documented. The effectiveness of a trap set is difficult to determine because not all trap locations are the same and not all people have the same ability to select the best location for a trap. This study uses GIS to spatially analyse stoat capture data from a control operation on Secretary Island in conjunction with commonly available vegetation, habitat, diet and home range spatial data to see if there are consistent patterns that could be used as variables in a model that would predict the best place to locate a stoat trap tunnel. The model would then be tested against a similar dataset from Resolution Island. The Department of Conservation supplied the stoat capture data from the control operations on both islands. Standard spatial analysis techniques were used to generate surfaces that combined the capture data with the vegetation, habitat, diet and home range surfaces to produce predictive surfaces. The key finding from the research was that it is possible to produce a predictive model, although one was not created because the spatial datasets were not of a high enough resolution to provide conclusive evidence that could be confidently used as a variable in a model. The spatial analysis also indicated that stoats on both islands were caught mainly in the warmer northwestern parts of the islands although the study could not determine why there was a preference for these areas. In rugged terrain like that found on both islands the location of the track network will influence where the majority of stoats will be caught

Quantizing the line element field

A metric with signature (-+++) can be constructed from a metric with signature (++++) and a double-sided vector field called the line element field. Some of the classical and quantum properties of this vector field are studied.Comment: 9 page

Reduced and declining physical function in prevalent dialysis patients – identifying the vulnerable

No abstract available

The sources and interpretation of Olympic Law

In this article, Mark James and Guy Osborn discuss how the relationships between the various members of the Olympic Movement are governed by the Olympic Charter and the legal framework within which an edition of the Olympic Games is organised. The legal status of the Charter and its interpretation by the Court of Arbitration for Sport are examined to identify who is subject to its terms and how challenges to its requirements can be made. Finally, by using the UK legislation that has been enacted to regulate advertising and trading at London 2012, the far-reaching and sometimes unexpected reach of Olympic Law is explored

Verifying Web Applications: From Business Level Specifications to Automated Model-Based Testing

One of reasons preventing a wider uptake of model-based testing in the industry is the difficulty which is encountered by developers when trying to think in terms of properties rather than linear specifications. A disparity has traditionally been perceived between the language spoken by customers who specify the system and the language required to construct models of that system. The dynamic nature of the specifications for commercial systems further aggravates this problem in that models would need to be rechecked after every specification change. In this paper, we propose an approach for converting specifications written in the commonly-used quasi-natural language Gherkin into models for use with a model-based testing tool. We have instantiated this approach using QuickCheck and demonstrate its applicability via a case study on the eHealth system, the national health portal for Maltese residents.Comment: In Proceedings MBT 2014, arXiv:1403.704

The First Differential of the Functor "Algebraic K-Theory of Spaces"

In his "Algebraic K-theory of topological spaces II" Waldhausen proved that his functor A(X) splits: There is a canonical map from the stable homotopy of X which has a retraction up to weak equivalence. We adapt Waldhausen's proof to obtain a calculation of the Differential (in the sense of Goodwillie's "Calculus I") of A(X) at any path-connected base space.Comment: The calculation of the differential in Section 7 contains a mistake and it is not clear if the statement hold

Stochastic Spot/Volatility Correlation in Stochastic Volatility Models and Barrier Option Pricing

Most models for barrier pricing are designed to let a market maker tune the model-implied covariance between moves in the asset spot price and moves in the implied volatility skew. This is often implemented with a local volatility/stochastic volatility mixture model, where the mixture parameter tunes that covariance. This paper defines an alternate model where the spot/volatility correlation is a separate mean-reverting stochastic variable which is itself correlated with spot. We also develop an efficient approximation for barrier option and one touch pricing in the model based on semi-static vega replication and compare it with Monte Carlo pricing. The approximation works well in markets where the risk neutral drift is modest.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figure