Examination of the Potential of Structure-from-Motion Photogrammetry and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Rapid Nondestructive Field Measurement of Grass Biomass

Above ground biomass (AGB) is a parameter commonly used for assessment of grassland systems. While destructive sampling of AGB is highly accurate, it is time consuming and often precludes repeat temporal sampling or sampling in sensitive ecosystems. Consequently, a number of nondestructive techniques that relate grass structural properties to AGB have been developed. This study investigated the application of two recent technologies, Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and Structurefrom- Motion (SfM), in the development of rapid nondestructive AGB estimation of grassland plots. TLS and SfM volume metrics generated using a rasterized surface differencing method were linearly related to destructively measured total AGB and grass AGB excluding all litter, and results were compared to the conventional disc pasture meter. The linear models were assessed using a leave-one-out cross validation scheme. The disc pasture meter was found to be the least reliable method in assessing total AGB (r2 = 0.32, RMSELOOCV = 269 g/m2). SfM (r2 = 0.74, RMSELOOCV = 169 g/m2) outperformed TLS (r2 = 0.56, RMSELOOCV = 219 g/m2), though a much larger slope in SfM regressions suggests an increased sensitivity to error. Litter removal decreased the effectiveness of AGB estimation for both TLS (r2 = 0.49) and SfM (r2 = 0.51) but increased the fit of disc pasture meter estimations (r2 = 0.42), highlighting the complex relationship between litter accumulation and AGB. TLS and SfM derived volumes were shown to be insensitive to cell dimensions when calculating volume provided cell dimensions were large enough to ensure no empty cells occurred. Using observed ground surfaces in volumetric calculations rather than an estimated ground plane increased r2 to 0.63 for TLS and 0.77 for SfM. Though the disc pasture meter was found to be the most rapid of the three methods, TLS and SfM both out performed it and have clearly demonstrated their potential utility for AGB estimation of grass systems. Their ability to systematically collect measurements over larger spatial extents than those investigated here could greatly outpace the disc pasture meter’s predictive capabilities and speed

Corporate Social Responsibility: A Study Of Progression To The Next Level

Corporate Social Responsibility was an initiative constructed many years before its popularity or implementation. The 2001 economic state, local, and world affairs brought this inspiration to the front of actionable items. The terrorist attacks of September 11, the collapse and scandals of Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco left thousands without their retirement. The bankruptcy of many ancillary businesses and similar corporations are excellent examples of imbalanced management. Other examples of poor silo-style management have proliferated through many organizations serving as the root cause for the adoption of socially responsible initiatives. Corporations over the past fifty years have made attempts at serving greater causes. However, these initiatives were simply a random string of projects, which were short in duration. Further they were sporadic in nature, small, and did not compliment other projects benefiting the community. Projects were based on volunteerism and little else. Some influence by a peer might inspire a reluctant person to participate once but rarely a second time. Albeit, corporations encouraged their employees to be active with these projects; corporate money was seldom used as it would inspire these causes to request additional funds. At that time, corporate sponsored social responsibility within society was the exception and not the rule. Today’s companies are measured by their initiatives of corporate social responsibility. Public companies are including environmental and social accountability in their Securities and Exchange Commission documents. Massive air time is being devoted to market social responsibility and a company’s compliance with a demanding public. Corporate social responsibility can now be measured as the extra mile

Parliament should have had a meaningful vote on the EU trade deal. But it did not.

Luke Cooper and Sam Fowles write that contrary to received wisdom, Parliament does not have the power to overturn the UK-EU agreement. This means Parliament cannot bring about a ‘no deal’ by voting against the implementation bill

Efficacy of a blended learning mastery progression cycle on student achievement and attitude in high school science

This study was conducted to examine the effect of a Blended Learning Mastery Progression Cycle (BLMPC) on student achievement and attitude in a High School Physics context, specifically through the use of the Minds on Physics (MOP) (Minds on Physics, 2022) application for the formative assessment and corrective activity components of the Mastery Learning cycle. The sample (N = 199) consisted of mixed gender classes from Year 10 cohorts in a single Queensland high school. Classes were randomly assigned to the treatment or control condition. An experimental pretest–posttest approach was used to measure any changes in students’ understanding of the Newtonian Force concept, measured using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) (Hestenes et al.,1995), and Attitudes toward Science, measured using the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) (Fraser, 1982). All students were exposed to the same initial learning activities; the control group then continued through the course content in a linear manner followed by working through non-personalized revision material, whilst the treatment group completed the relevant MOP module at the end of each subtopic. Data were analyzed in terms of FCI and TOSRA mean pre- and post-unit scores, the distribution and standard deviation of scores, a t-test comparison of the pre- and post-unit scores, and the FCI normalized change and effect size. When comparing the control and treatment group FCI scores, the latter demonstrated significantly more improvement in the raw score, normalized gain and effect size, demonstrated a larger improvement in all dimensions of the Newtonian Force Concept, and showed greater stability in correct responses from the pre- to post-unit test. An analysis of TOSRA results showed there was no significant difference between the control and treatment groups. It was concluded that the use of the MOP platform in a BLMPC led to improvements in understanding of the Newtonian force. These findings indicate that the use of Blended Learning activities as correctives is an effective way of improving students’ understanding of the Newtonian Force Concept. REFERENCES Fraser, B. J. (1982). TOSRA Test of Science Related Attitudes handbook. Australian Council for Educational Research. Hestenes, D., Wells, M., Swackhamer, G., Halloun, I., Hake, R. R., & Mosca, E. (1995). Revised force concept inventory. The Physics Teacher. Retrieved from http://modeling.asu.edu/R&E/Research.html Minds On Physics (2021). Retrieved from https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Minds-on-Physics

A Simple High Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for Determination of Rebamipide in Rat Urine

Rebamipide is a mucoprotective agent commonly used to prevent nonsteriodal anti-inflammatory drug-induced gastrointenstinal side effects [1]. Human plasma and urine analysis of rebamipide utilizing high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been reported [2]. Recently, we reported on the plasma levels of rebamipide in presense or absence of celecoxib or diclofenac in rats [3] using a modified HPLC method of detection developed by Jeoung et al. [4]. To tailor the method towards use in urinary rebamipide extraction and analysis, the following modifications were made:To compensate for high concentrations of rebamipide found in urine, a new rebamipide stock solution was prepared with a final concentration of 50,000 ng/mL.Rat urine calibration standards were obtained within the range of 50-1000 ng/mL and 1000-50,000 ng/mL.Plasma samples were replaced with urine samples

Defendant\u27s Exhibit 100: Sam Reese Sheppard Book Prospectus

Prospectus of the book Private Lives, Public Actions: The Sheppard Casehttps://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/defendant_exhibits_2000/1007/thumbnail.jp

Dual Credit: An Initial Study Exploring the Transition from High School to Higher Education

Dual credit courses are used to recruit high school students by offering college level credit in classes they take during their high school experience. For this study, the subjects consisted of freshmen students attending a mid-sized regional Tennessee university. This research explores the transition of students’ successes in terms of their continued education once they begin their college level classes at an institution of higher learning. More specifically, this research examines the academic level of achievement of dual credit students’ first semester out of high school as compared to their academic level of achievement upon entering with dual credit coursework

Fuel Standards Summary

This document aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the standards relating to fuel use in the UK. It can be used to gain an initial insight into which regulations must be considered when developing bio-based alternatives and the potential composition limits to meet current fuel quality specifications

Defendant\u27s Exhibit 100: Sam Reese Sheppard Book Prospectus

Prospectus of the book Private Lives, Public Actions: The Sheppard Casehttps://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/defendant_exhibits_2000/1007/thumbnail.jp