Från koja till plan

This thesis concerns questions regarding how children’s perspectives on the outdoor environment can be approached in a planning context. Attention is drawn to the general understanding of childhood and the definition of outdoor environment as variables in different planning contexts. Together these variables define in which way children become visible in the planning context. Children’s participation is emphasized in contemporary planning. This thesis argues that understanding and insights concerning children’s experiences and understanding of their own places can create complementary lines of communication. The first article provides the empirical and methodological point of departure. Through walkabouts with children, questions are developed concerning children’s use and experiences of outdoor environments. These questions are compared and related to problems, insights and experiences that planners have concerning environments for children. Parts of two perspectives are described in order to elucidate some of the problems that can arise due to differences between a child’s perspective and a planner’s perspective. In the second article children’s own places is the pivot. Through in depth studies of children’s dens it is shown that finding a suitable place, collecting, sorting and manipulating with environment and accessible materials are crucial parts of starting a den making process and appropriating a place as one’s own. Specific examples are put forward which show the close relationship between children’s experience and understanding of the outdoor environment and their construction and design of dens. Children’s dens are used to exemplify and clarify the difference between children’s perspectives and planner’s perspectives. The last article is concerned with the theoretical and practical analysis of these questions. Through interviews, studies of planning documents and reflections on my own planning experience an analysis is made of the importance of maps and plans as tools in the planning process. It is argued that the bias of these tools emphasizes and reinforces the visual point of departure to the physical environment and outdoor places, while children’s multi-sensuous and acting oriented point of departure is difficult to handle and process in maps and plans. A practical contribution is suggested on how to improve insights and understanding of children’s perspectives in planning contexts

Modeling ammonia emissions from dairy production systems in the United States

Dairy production systems are hot spots of ammonia (NH3) emission. However, there remains large uncertainty in quantifying and mitigating NH3 emissions from dairy farms due to the lack of both long-term field measurements and reliable methods for extrapolating these measurements. In this study, a process-based biogeochemical model, Manure-DNDC, was tested against measurements of NH3 fluxes from five barns and one lagoon in four dairy farms over a range of environmental conditions and management practices in the United States. Results from the validation tests indicate that the magnitudes and seasonal patterns of NH3 fluxes simulated by Manure-DNDC were in agreement with the observations across the sites. The model was then applied to assess impacts of alternative management practices on NH3 emissions at the farm scale. The alternatives included reduction of crude protein content in feed, replacement of scraping with flushing for removal of manure from barn, lagoon coverage, increase in frequency for removal of slurry from lagoon, and replacement of surface spreading with incorporation for manure land application. The simulations demonstrate that: (a) all the tested alternative management practices decreased the NH3 emissions although the efficiency of mitigation varied; (b) a change of management in an upstream facility affected the NH3 emissions from all downstream facilities; and (c) an optimized strategy by combining the alternative practices on feed, manure removal, manure storage, and land application could reduce the farm-scale NH3 emission by up to 50%. The results from this study may provide useful information for mitigating NH3 emissions from dairy production systems and emphasize the necessity of whole-farm perspectives on the assessment of potential technical options for NH3 mitigation. This study also demonstrates the potential of utilizing process-based models, such as Manure-DNDC, to quantify and mitigate NH3 emissions from dairy farms

Movement ecology and sex are linked to barn owl microbial community composition.

The behavioural ecology of host species is likely to affect their microbial communities, because host sex, diet, physiology, and movement behaviour could all potentially influence their microbiota. We studied a wild population of barn owls (Tyto alba) and collected data on their microbiota, movement, diet, size, coloration, and reproduction. The composition of bacterial species differed by the sex of the host and female owls had more diverse bacterial communities than their male counterparts. The abundance of two families of bacteria, Actinomycetaceae and Lactobacillaceae, also varied between the sexes, potentially as a result of sex differences in hormones and immunological function, as has previously been found with Lactobacillaceae in the microbiota of mice. Male and female owls did not differ in the prey they brought to the nest, which suggests that dietary differences are unlikely to underlie the differences in their microbiota. The movement behaviour of the owls was associated with the host microbiota in both males and females because owls that moved further from their nest each day had more diverse bacterial communities than owls that stayed closer to their nests. This novel result suggests that the movement ecology of hosts can impact their microbiota, potentially on the basis of their differential encounters with new bacterial species as the hosts move and forage across the landscape. Overall, we found that many aspects of the microbial community are correlated with the behavioural ecology of the host and that data on the microbiota can aid in generating new hypotheses about host behaviour

Real Knowledge Undermining Luck

Based on the discussion of a novel version of the Barn County scenario, the paper argues for a new explication of knowledge undermining luck. In passing, an as yet undetected form of benign luck is identified

Environmental conditions during early life accelerate the rate of senescence in a short-lived passerine bird

Environmental conditions experienced in early life may shape subsequent phenotypic traits including life history. We investigated how predation risk caused by domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) and local breeding density affected patterns of reproductive and survival senescence in Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) breeding semicolonially in Denmark. We recorded the abundance of cats and the number of breeding pairs at 39 breeding sites during 24 years and related these to age-specific survival rate and reproductive senescence to test predictions of the life history theory of senescence. We found evidence for actuarial senescence for the first time in this species. Survival rate increased until reaching a plateau in midlife and then decreased later. We also found that survival rate was higher for males than females. Local breeding density or predation risk did not affect survival as predicted by theory. Barn Swallows with short lives did not invest more in reproduction in early life, inconsistent with expectations for trade-offs between reproduction and survival as theory suggests. However, we found that the rate of reproductive decline during senescence was steeper for individuals exposed to intense competition, and predation pressure accelerated the rate of reproductive senescence, but only in sites with many breeding pairs. These latter results are in accordance with one of the predictions suggested by the life history theory of aging. These results emphasize the importance of considering intraspecific competition and interspecific interactions such as predation when analyzing reproductive and actuarial senescence

Dairy wintering systems in southern New Zealand : quantification and modelling of nutrient transfers and losses from contrasting wintering systems : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Traditional dairy wintering practice in the lower South Island of New Zealand has been to graze brassica crops in situ. This practice has been under increasing scrutiny from local Regional Councils due to the relatively high nitrogen (N) leaching losses from this component of the whole farm system. Alternative wintering options to reduce N leaching losses that are currently available to farmers (such as barns and permanent wintering pads) are high cost and involve a large capital investment. In this work a new wintering system (termed a ‘portable pad’) was developed for use on support blocks (which can be located many kilometres from the milking platform) as an interim measure for reducing N leaching losses that is low cost and low input. This system is designed as a mitigation strategy that is available for use immediately while research investigates more permanent solutions. This system is a hybrid of the traditional crop grazing system and an off-paddock system, where effluent is captured. It makes use of the advantages of each of the original systems utilising the low cost feed source of the brassica crops, grazed in situ, while also utilising the benefits of duration controlled grazing with its associated effluent capture and irrigation at low rates. The aim of the research was to generate whole system N leaching loss values for each of the three farm systems investigated (crop wintering, deep-litter wintering barn, and portable pad). Field and laboratory research was conducted to fill identified knowledge gaps such that system N loss values could be estimated. OVERSEER Nutrient Budget software tool was used in conjunction with measured and modelled (APSIM) data to simulate whole farm N leaching loss values for the three farm systems investigated. Nitrogen leaching losses from the portable pad and barn systems were between 5 and 26 % and between 13 and 26 % lower, respectively, than the crop wintering system

Development of Ambient PM 2.5 Management Strategies

INE/AUTC 11.2

Functional planning and occupational safety of milk production in cold loose housing barns

The study charted the most serious occupational hazards of cold loose housing barns. Furthermore, the study gave a good general picture of cold loose housing barns (CLHB) in dairy production. The study was a thesis for the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Household Technology in the University of Helsinki

Experiential Learning in Industrial/Organizational Psychology: A Case Study

Experiential learning is considered a powerful tool for learning in college. Community-based research is one type of experiential learning that has been used to learn research skills in a variety of social science disciplines. The current case study was conducted as an experiential learning research project. A team of six students and a professor from a small Midwestern college conducted community-based research with a large agribusiness company headquartered near the college. The goal of the project was to create an effective employee-selection process for this firm and to provide an effective learning experience for students. This included development of a situational judgment test, cognitive ability testing, and personality assessment. The article focuses on steps taken to organize a community- based research project, the steps required to develop an effective selection process, and an evaluation of the experience from students, the community partners, and faculty