Reducing irrigation water supply to accomplish the goal of designing sustainable cropping systems in the North China plain

An International Research Training Group (IRTG) of the University of Hohenheim and the China Agricultural University, entitled ?Modeling Material Flows and Production Systems for Sustainable Resource Use in the North China Plain? was launched in 2004. The major hypothesis was ?that adjustments in cropping systems and management practices provided potential for sustainable resource protection on a high yield level?. The research program was conducted in one of the most important economic and agricultural regions in China, the North China Plain (NCP). The NCP is one of the major maize (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growing areas. A literature review indicated that over the last two decades yields for wheat and maize increased by more than 20%, which had mainly been achieved by augmenting the amount of irrigation water and fertilizer. Besides the positive effects on yield an increasing amount of these input factors leads to many environmental problems. Field experiments were carried out to compare different cropping systems. Currently, the double cropping of winter wheat and summer maize is the common cultivation system in the NCP. It consists of growing two crops mostly winter wheat and summer maize in one year. The winter wheat production depends on a supplemental irrigation, because rainfall is concentrated in the summer months during the maize growing season. An alternative to the intensive double cropping system could be the single cultivation of spring maize. Relative less irrigation water is required for spring maize production, because the rainy season coincides with the main part of the maize growing season. Due to the longer growing season spring maize normally realises higher yields in comparison to summer maize. However, the total yield of a double copping system of wheat and maize is higher. The evaluated system three harvests in two years (winter wheat and summer maize in the first year followed by spring maize in the second year) forms a balance between the double cropping system and the single cropping of spring maize. Due to the fact that three crops are grown in two years total yield is higher in comparison to single cropping of spring maize (two harvests in two years) but lower in comparison to the traditional double cropping system (four harvests in two years). However the lower cropping index in contrast to the double cropping of wheat and maize results in a lower demand of the input factors irrigation water and N-fertilizer whereas in comparison to the single cropping of spring maize a higher amount of input factor is required. Besides the conduction of field experiments for the collection of empirical datasets, the CERES-Maize and CERES-Wheat models were used to quantify the effects of different irrigation management practices on crop growth, productivity and sustainability of agricultural production. Results indicated that there is a considerable potential for reducing the irrigation amount for winter wheat. However, the results also showed that a supplemental irrigation at critical growth stages seems to be essential to maintain high yields and to ensure an adequate gross margin. In a more complex approach the CERES-Maize model was used to simulate the yield of summer maize and spring maize across the NCP. The spatial and temporal climate variability was taken into account by using up to 30 years of weather data from 14 meteorological stations. The simulated results were linked to a Geographic Information System (GIS). Results indicated that the yield distinction between summer maize and spring maize was partially very low as a result of water shortage at flowering stage. A delay in sowing and the use of adapted cultivars with a later flowering date could help to increase spring maize yields. Summarizing, the results of this study indicate that water is one of the most limiting factors for crop production in the NCP. Further, the reduction of total water consumption will become more and more important with water becoming increasingly scarce and thus costly. Consequently agriculture has to undergo and is already undergoing dramatic changes. The results of this study indicated that there are several possibilities optimize cropping systems in the NCP, focussing on a more sustainable use of water while maintaining high yields. In this context, crop models are valuable tools for e.g. irrigation planning or evaluating different cropping designs in the NCP.Die vorliegende Dissertation wurde im Rahmen der International Research Training Group ?Modeling Material Flows and Production Systems for Sustainable Resource Use in the North China Plain? erstellt. Die Untersuchungen wurden in der NCP, einer der wichtigsten Wirtschafts- und Agrarregionen Chinas, durchgeführt. Winterweizen und Sommermais sind die am häufigsten angebauten Kulturen. Beide werden in einer einjährigen Rotation, einem so genannten Double Cropping System angebaut. Während der letzten beiden Jahrzehnte stiegen die Erträge für Weizen und Mais um über 20 % an, was vor allem durch eine Ausdehnung der Bewässerung, sowie der Düngung ermöglicht wurde. Neben einem Ertragsanstieg führte der gesteigert Produktionsmitteleinsatz jedoch auch zu vielen Umweltproblemen. Feldversuche wurden angelegt um verschiedene Anbausysteme zu vergleichen. Gegenwärtig ist das Double Cropping von Winterweizen und Sommermais das am häufigsten praktizierte Anbausystem in der NCP, wobei beide Kulturen im gleichen Jahr angebaut werden. Die Winterweizenaussaat erfolgt Mitte Oktober, die Ernte Mitte Juni. Anschließend erfolgt direkt die Aussaat von Sommermais, der Anfang Oktober geerntet wird. Aufgrund der Niederschlagskonzentration in den Sommermonaten, während der Maisvegetation, ist eine ergänzende Bewässerung zu Winterweizen erforderlich. Eine Alternative zu dem intensiven Double Cropping System könnte der alleinige Anbau von Frühjahrsmais sein. Die Frühjahrsmaisaussaat erfolgt Mitte April, die Ernte Ende September. Die restliche Zeit des Jahrs liegt das Feld brach. Der überwiegende Teil der Maisvegetationsperiode fällt mit der Regenzeit zusammen. Daher ist relativ wenig Bewässerungswasser für den Anbau von Frühjahrsmais erforderlich. Aufgrund der längeren Vegetationsperiode erzielt Frühjahrsmais im Vergleich zu Sommermais meist höhere Erträge. Dennoch ist der Gesamtertrag beim Double Cropping von Weizen und Mais höher. Einen Kompromiss zwischen dem Double Cropping System und dem alleinigen Anbau von Frühjahrsmais bildet das System drei Ernten in zwei Jahren. Im ersten Jahr wird das Double Cropping System praktiziert wobei Winterweizen von Oktober bis Juni, gefolgt von Sommermais von Juni bis September angebaut wird. Anschließend folgt eine Brache. Frühjahrsmais wird im zweiten Jahr im Zeitraum April bis September angebaut, bevor die Rotation wieder mit Winterweizen startet. Da drei Kulturen in zwei Jahren angebaut werden, ist der Gesamtertrag im Vergleich zum alleinigen Anbau von Frühjahrsmais (zwei Ernten in zwei Jahren) höher, im Vergleich zum traditionellen Double Cropping System (vier Ernten in zwei Jahren) jedoch geringer. Der niedrigere Anbauindex, im Vergleich zum Double Cropping von Weizen und Mais, führt jedoch auch zu einem geringern Bedarf an Bewässerungswasser und N Dünger. Im Vergleich zum alleinigen Anbau von Frühjahrsmais ist dennoch ein höherer Produktionsmitteleinsatz erforderlich. Neben den Feldversuchen wurden die Modelle CERES-Maize und CERES-Wheat zur Bewertung verschiedener Bewässerungsmanagementpraktiken und deren Auswirkung auf das Pflanzenwachstum, sowie die Produktivität und Nachhaltigkeit der landwirtschaftlichen Produktion verwendet. Die Ergebnisse zeigten ein beträchtliches Einsparungspotenzial an Bewässerungswasser. Daneben zeigten die Ergebnisse jedoch auch, dass für den Erhalt hoher Erträge sowie die Erzielung ausreichender Deckungsbeiträge eine ergänzende Bewässerung zu kritischen Wachstumsstadien erforderlich ist. In einem umfassenderen Ansatz wurde das Model CERES-Maize zur Simulation des Ertragspotenzials von Sommer- und Frühjahrsmais über die gesamte NCP genutzt. Die räumliche und zeitliche Variabilität des Klimas wurde durch die Verwendung von bis zu 30 Jahren an Wetterdaten von 14 Wetterstationen berücksichtigt. Die Ergebnisse wurden in einem GIS verknüpft. Aufgrund von Wassermangel während der Blüte waren die Ertragsunterschiede zwischen Sommer- und Frühjahrsmais lokal sehr gering. Eine Erhöhung der Frühjahrsmaiserträge konnte durch eine spätere Aussaat sowie durch die Verwendung spät blühender Sorten erreicht werden. Zusammenfassend zeigen die Ergebnisse dieser Studie, dass Wasser eines der am stärksten limitierenden Faktoren für die Pflanzenproduktion in der NCP ist. Mit einer zunehmenden Verknappung sowie steigenden Wertschätzung des Wassers wird eine Reduzierung des Verbrauchs immer wichtiger. Daher sind und werden noch weitere tief greifende Änderungen in der Landwirtschaft erfolgen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie zeigten jedoch auch, dass verschiedenste Möglichkeiten vorhanden sind, bei gleich bleibend hohen Erträgen die Anbausysteme in der NCP hinsichtlich ihres Wassereinsatzes nachhaltiger zu gestalten. Pflanzenwachstumsmodelle stellen diesbezüglich ein nützliches Instrument dar z.B. für die Planung der Bewässerung oder die Bewertung verschiedener Anbausysteme

Microvacuum Arc Thruster Design for a Cubesat Class Satellite

This paper describes the University of Illinois 2-cube CubeSat (10 x 10 x 20 cm) designed for April 2003 launch. The Illinois Observing NanoSatellite (ION) includes a scientific mission to view the airglow layer of the atmosphere and a CMOS camera for space and Earth photography. ION will also be used as a test bed to demonstrate a number of technologies including an active 3-axis attitude control system, with a new propulsion system used for both attitude control as well as orbital maneuvers. The new vacuum arc thruster (VAT) propulsion system produces ion velocities of up to 30,000 m/s, driven mostly by local pressure gradients. A 12 V inductive energy storage circuit is used to provide the initial breakdown and to sustain the plasma. Four thruster heads can be controlled individually to produce arc pulses with adjustable pulse width and repetition rate. Size and mass have been driven by the CubeSat requirements and amount to 4 x 4 x 4 cm and 150 g, respectively. Thrust to power ratios are expected to be ≈10μN/W. The individual impulse will be close to 1μN-s/pulse. Challenges to the design and integration of the VAT into a CubeSat size satellite are presented. On board diagnostics and methods used to verify operation of the VAT are discussed

A diagnostic procedure for applying the social-ecological systems framework in diverse cases

The framework for analyzing sustainability of social-ecological systems (SES) framework of Elinor Ostrom is a multitier collection of concepts and variables that have proven to be relevant for understanding outcomes in diverse SES. The first tier of this framework includes the concepts resource system (RS) and resource units (RU), which are then further characterized through lower tier variables such as clarity of system boundaries and mobility. The long-term goal of framework development is to derive conclusions about which combinations of variables explain outcomes across diverse types of SES. This will only be possible if the concepts and variables of the framework can be made operational unambiguously for the different types of SES, which, however, remains a challenge. Reasons for this are that case studies examine other types of RS than those for which the framework has been developed or consider RS for which different actors obtain different kinds of RU. We explore these difficulties and relate them to antecedent work on common-pool resources and public goods. We propose a diagnostic procedure which resolves some of these difficulties by establishing a sequence of questions that facilitate the step-wise and unambiguous application of the SES framework to a given case. The questions relate to the actors benefiting from the SES, the collective goods involved in the generation of those benefits, and the action situations in which the collective goods are provided and appropriated. We illustrate the diagnostic procedure for four case studies in the context of irrigated agriculture in New Mexico, common property meadows in the Swiss Alps, recreational fishery in Germany, and energy regions in Austria. We conclude that the current SES framework has limitations when applied to complex, multiuse SES, because it does not sufficiently capture the actor interdependencies introduced through RS and RU characteristics and dynamics

Gene expression profile of bladder tissue of patients with ulcerative interstitial cystitis

BACKGROUND: Interstitial cystitis (IC), a chronic bladder disease with an increasing incidence, is diagnosed using subjective symptoms in combination with cystoscopic and histological evidence. By cystoscopic examination, IC can be classified into an ulcerative and a non-ulcerative subtype. To better understand this debilitating disease on a molecular level, a comparative gene expression profile of bladder biopsies from patients with ulcerative IC and control patients has been performed. RESULTS: Gene expression profiles from bladder biopsies of five patients with ulcerative IC and six control patients were generated using Affymetrix GeneChip expression arrays (Affymetrix--GeneChip Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0). More than 31,000 of > 54,000 tested probe sets were present (detection p-value < 0.05). The difference between the two groups was significant for over 3,500 signals (t-test p-value < 0.01), and approximately 2,000 of the signals (corresponding to approximately 1,000 genes) showed an IC-to-healthy expression ratio greater than two. The IC pattern had similarities to patterns from immune system, lymphatic, and autoimmune diseases. The dominant biological processes were the immune and inflammatory responses. Many of the up-regulated genes were expressed in leukocytes, suggesting that leukocyte invasion into the bladder wall is a dominant feature of ulcerative IC. Histopathological data supported these findings. CONCLUSION: GeneChip expression arrays present a global picture of ulcerative IC and provide us with a series of marker genes characteristic for this subtype of the disease. Evaluation of biopsies from other bladder patients with similar symptoms (e.g. patients with non-ulcerative IC) will further indicate whether the data presented here will be valuable for the diagnosis of IC

Оптимизация комплекса интернет-продвижения галереи «Орнамент»

Предмет ВКР – технологии Интернет-продвижения галереи "Орнамент". Цель данной дипломной работы – оптимизация технологий Интернет-продвижения галереи "Орнамент" для повышения известности компании. Методы: были использованы теоретический анализ литературы, мониторинг и анализ Интернет-ресурсов, общенаучные методы анализа, сравнения и дедукции, SWOT-анализ. Новизна и практическая значимость дипломной работы: заключается в том, что результаты исследования могут быть использованы для оптимизации Интернет-продвижения не только галереей "Орнамент", но и другими компаниями на рынке.Subject of research - Technology of Internet promotion of the gallery "Ornament". Aim of research - Optimization of technologies for Internet promotion of the Ornament gallery to enhance the company's reputation. Research methods: Theoretical analysis of literature, monitoring and analysis of Internet resources, general scientific methods of analysis, comparison and deduction, SWOT-analysis. Practical relevance: The results of the research can be used to optimize the Internet promotion not only by Ornament Gallery, but also by other companies on the market

Standardized metadata collection to reinforce collaboration in Collaborative Research Centers

We present our approach for research (meta)data exchange and interconnection of scientists in medium-scale academic projects such as medical collaborative research centers (CRCs). Our webbased tool, fredato, connects established services, which we configure to a custom-tailored software bundle to match the needs of researchers. To improve collaboration, we implemented a metadata acquisition component and search function to complement the existing data management and sharing. More specifically, we enhance three points: 1. Relevant projects need to be findable to re-use data or results, avoid redundant work and improve communication among crc members. 2. The scientists also process sensitive human data for which a privacy-protected, secure exchange is critical. 3. A self-explanatory user interface is required for increased user acceptance. The main feature we present is the handling of metadata in our web application without overwhelming users through extensive and generic forms. We use flexible JSON schemas to precisely target scientists' needs of documentation and enrich them with only ontology components relevant to their use cases. The schemas are stored distributedly as datasets themselves, and automatically converted to modern web forms. Besides custom, domain-specific forms we use this editor for the addition of common metadata schemas (e.g. DataCite). We use the continuous integration capabilities of a connected Gitlab to run data-driven scripts. This includes indexing of all metadata, which makes them searchable in a structured way. Users are provided with contact information for matches and can ask to share data and results. Because project owners decide with whom to share and because datasets and metadata are bundled together, the complete dataset is always accessible (e.g. for publication at a third party repository) and full control retained by data owners. By adding this component to our tool, we provide simple, secure and searchable means for improving collaboration in the context of CRCs

The electroweak phase transition at mH≃80m_H \simeq 80 GeV from Lt=2L_t=2 lattices

We study the finite-temperature electroweak phase transition by numerical simulations of the four-dimensional SU(2)-Higgs model on anisotropic lattices with temporal extension $L_t=2$. The physically interesting parameter region of Higgs masses near 80 GeV is reached, and recent results on some thermodynamic quantities are presented.Comment: Poster presented by J. Heitger at LATTICE97, 3 pages, latex2e, 4 Postscript figures, uses packages epsfig and espcrc