Modeling high-frequency position data of large herbivores with a phase-state model

Understanding the rules and factors that drive the foraging behavior of large herbivores is important to describe their interaction with the landscape at various spatial scales. Some unresolved questions refer to landscape-behavioral interactions that result in oriented or random search in seasonally changing landscapes. Remotely sensed position data indicate that herbivores select local patches of heterogeneous landscapes depending on a complex host of dynamically varying animal and environmental conditions. Since foraging paths consist in successions of relatively short steps, increasing the frequency at which position information is acquired would contribute to entangle the mechanisms resulting in herbivores’ foraging paths. We addressed the question whether herbivores would obtain information at a patch scale that would modify their distribution at a landscape scale based on directed movement or navigation ability. We considered a set of 100,000 high-frequency (1 min intervals) position data of several free-ranging sheep (Ovis aries) at a seasonal-varying range (Patagonian Monte, Argentina) and observed their movements at landscape and at single vegetation patch scales. At a landscape scale, we inspected the spatial co-variation of seasonally varying forage offer and ewes’ movement speeds. At a patch scale, we developed a phase-state (P-S) model of movement cycles based on the occurrence of behavioral phases along foraging paths, and fitted it to the observed daily time series of ewes’ movement speeds. Ewes were preferentially distributed in areas with high forage offer during periods of low forage availability and the reverse occurred during the season of high forage availability. Parameters of the model of activity cycles amenable to control by ewes (duration of speed phases, time elapsed between speed cycles) did not covariate with forage offer, but varied significantly among ewes. The shape (kurtosis) parameter of the model of movement cycles, one which is unlikely under ewes’ control, co-varied significantly with spatial forage offer but did not differ among ewes. We conclude that ewes allocated foraging time along a series of similar movement efforts irrespective of forage availability at small patches. Average forage scarcity at multi-patch level increases the ratio of searching to feeding time. This results in apparent selective time allocation to richer forage areas but does not imply evidence for oriented movement at a landscape scale. We advance a behavioral-based definition of forage patches and discuss its implications in developing foraging theory and models. The P-S model applied to high-frequency position data of large herbivores substantially improves the interpretation of the factors controlling their time allocation in space with respect to previous models of herbivore spatial behavior by discriminating among behavioral-based and environmentally induced components of their movements.     

Why does the United States lack a global warming policy? The corporate inner circle versus public interest sector elites

Why has the United States not adopted global warming policies? Because the inner circle of the corporate elite has opposed these policies despite some corporate support for cap-and-trade and other policies. Pro- and anti-positions taken by think tanks that have led the policy debate in the post-Kyoto period are analyzed in order to demonstrate this. The corporate and upper class social ties of the directors of these pro- and anti-think tanks are examined, revealing a corporate elite split between the inner circle opposing these policies, and a ‘public interest sector’ of corporate law and media corporations along with top executives from higher education and other nonprofits that is supportive of policies addressing global warming. To enable adoption of major global warming policies, the corporate inner circle will need to become supportive and forge a class-wide corporate consensus on the need to address global warming.     

基于机器视觉的鱼类行为特征提取与分析

近年来,水污染问题备受关注。生物式水质监测成为目前国家环境保护工作的重要任务之一。为准确监测水质污染情况,本文以青鳉鱼(Oryzias latipes)为研究对象,采用非接触式的机器视觉监测技术,提取青鳉鱼的生理特征(呼吸频率)和运动特征(胸鳍和尾鳍的摆动频率),并分析这些特征与水质之间的关系。本文采用支持向量机(Support Vector Machine,SVM)准确提取鱼鳃,并根据鱼鳃呼吸面积大小变化计算出鱼的呼吸频率。基于形态学细化算法提取青鳉鱼骨架,求出胸鳍和尾鳍的摆动频率。结果显示:不同浓度铜离子暴露实验测得的青鳉鱼生理特征和运动特征与实际情况一致;通过对不同铜离子浓度下的毒性实验数据对比,发现了青鳉鱼的生理特征和运动特征会随不同的铜离子浓度发生相应变化,可以作为水质监测的评价标准。     

内抽外压式集尘器实验、数值模拟与分析

根据内抽外压式集烟尘器专利研制了一个内抽外压式集尘器,并在井下进行实验。经过3种方法测试均收到预期的的效果,司机工作区达到了国家卫生要求,由于采用外筒压风,防止了瓦斯积聚避免瓦斯爆炸。应用离散颗粒模型模拟了内抽外压式集尘器内气相流场和粉尘颗粒的运动,该集尘器不仅把矿井巷道中细微可呼吸粉尘吸收到除尘器中,又能防止了瓦斯积聚。数值模拟与实验结果的一致性表明:把内抽外压式集尘器放置在掘进机前方,由于粉尘在气流的携带下运动使掘进机司机在矿井巷道中的工作环境得到改善,减少矿工患尘肺病的概率,开发了井下集尘的新工艺、新设备。     

新构造运动对安徽土壤分布的影响

安徽地跨亚热带与温带,过渡性特征明显,境内有山地,丘陵和平原,自然地理景观复杂多样,各区域由于所处大地构造单元不同,其新构造运动的表现形式也不同,它制约着区域地貌的发育,成土母质类型和地面气候状况,从而影响了该区域土壤的分布特征。     

A study on the orbit of air temperature movement

In this paper, we describe an air temperature movement by mapping its time series to the polar coordinates: the value of the time series is plotted on the radial coordinate and the time on the angular coordinate. In this way, both the yearly and daily air temperature movements from five different locations of China are used to demonstrate that, in an intuitionistic view, air temperature movement is neither random nor chaotic, but has its own orbit. We then propose an elliptic orbit model for the air temperature movement. Our proposed model provides quite good results when it is applied to the evaluation of yearly air temperature movements in eight locations in various parts of the world, and the evaluation of daily air temperature movements in five locations in Hunan Province of China on December 17, 2005. Results show that our approach provides a concise and helpful model for air temperature analysis.     

基于综采面产尘分布与扩散分析的粉尘防治研究

在对W3709综采工作面产尘特点分析的基础上,将工作面产尘源分为落煤扬尘、落煤冲击产尘及割煤产尘3类。对采煤机顺风割煤与逆风割煤时粉尘运动规律进行了详细的分析,根据工作面产尘特点与粉尘运动规律,提出了包括煤层注水、采煤机割煤产尘治理与控制以及支架处粉尘治理一套完整的综合防尘系统。通过现场应用,工作面粉尘在原有设施降尘基础上降低86%以上,降尘效果良好,有效地解决了该工作面粉尘污染严重的难题。     

甲氰菊酯在土壤中的降解与移动性

采用模拟试验和田间试验相结合的方法,研究了甲氰菊酯在南方菜地土壤中的降解和移动.得出了一些基本数据,为甲氰菊酯在菜地(旱地)生态中的安全使用,提出了合理的评价.     

Another avenue of action: an examination of climate change countermovement industries’ use of PAC donations and their relationship to Congressional voting over time

The political mobilization of American business elites in the 1970s and 1980s has been well studied by political scientists. Environmental sociologists have explored how industries in this elite countermovement have organized to prevent environmental legislation. The literature often focuses on the efforts of this movement to shape public opinion on climate change. However, political scientists argue business elites are running several parallel strategies simultaneously in order to protect their interests. FEC data are utilized in multilevel logit models to examine how donations from industrial Political Action Committees (PACs) relate to Congressional representative’s environmental voting behavior over a 20-year period. Industries associated with the environmental countermovement have increasingly used PAC donations over time, and every additional $10,000 a representative received from countermovement industries significantly decreased odds of their taking the pro-environmental stance even when controlling for representatives’ demographics, districts, Congressional polarization and time-period.     

Mobilising social energy against environmental challenge: understanding the groundwater recharge movement in western India

This paper explores a large-scale and growing popular movement to augment groundwater recharge in the Saurashtra region of western India, an area that has been facing acute water scarcity and other associated problems. As a social phenomenon, the movement is at an early stage of its development. However, it is interesting to study it for many reasons. First, even a decade after it began, it is still growing in scale and following. Second, it is entirely spontaneous and internally driven, necessitating no public resources or support. Third, early indications are that its social and ecological impacts are beneficial and highly significant. Fourth, the movement was catalysed and spearheaded by spiritual and religious institutions, which made ingenious use of non-economic messages and motivators in forging a new natural resource ethic based on a broad, collective rationality among movement members. It appears, however, that beyond a threshold, the movement acquired a logic and energy of its own which might fuel its future sustainability and growth. Finally, the movement has important lessons to offer because mobilising social energy on such a scale and intensity can perhaps be one of most effective responses to many of the environmental challenges the world faces today.