Nesting success is an important vital rate affecting the reproductive fitness of birds, and predation typically is the single most important factor affecting nesting success. Presumably, birds should nest in locations that maximize nest survival. If specific nest characteristics increase the probability that a nest will hatch, natural (phenotypic) selection could favour use of sites with these features, producing nonrandom patterns of nest site use. Alternatively, birds that are highly selective in nest site choices might be at a disadvantage if predators learn to forage preferentially in these locations and improve their efficiency in depredating nests; in this case, random nesting patterns could be favoured. Finally, it has been hypothesized that predation pressure can influence nest site selection patterns of entire bird communities. If predators develop a search image to hunt for bird nests, then nests that are most similar to each other, irrespective of species, should sustain higher mortality. To evaluate these hypotheses, I quantified nest site selection patterns of multiple species of ground-nesting dabbling ducks in areas where predation pressure was normally high, and compared these patterns to those on areas where predation was relaxed. Predation pressure was experimentally reduced by removing common predators of duck nests and females (mainly red foxes, coyotes, skunks and raccoons) on some study areas and not on others (controls). Predator removal and natural causes produced a 10-fold difference in duck nesting across study sites, allowing for investigation of effects of predation pressure on nest site selection of ducks. Coarse scale habitat selection patterns were similar to results reported in previous studies; blue-winged teal and northern shoveler were found more often in native grassland than in other habitat types, while gadwall and mallard nests occurred more frequently in shrub patches when compared with other habitat patches. A difference in nest site characteristics was observed between hatched and depredated nests for gadwall and northern shoveler but not for blue-winged teal and mallard. However, in all species, the nest site selection patterns were non-random. Thus, the process of nest predation did not shape patterns of nest site choice. Contrary to predictions, inter-specific overlap in nest site features was not related to predation pressure: nests that overlapped most with features of other species did not suffer higher predation, nor did inter-specific overlap in nest characteristics decrease during the nesting season. These findings were inconsistent with the hypothesis that community-level patterns of nest site use are differentiated as a result of predation pressure. Long-term work on nest site use by individually marked females of numerous ground-nesting bird species would be informative, as would experimental studies of other hypotheses about factors affecting nest site choices in birds.

Nesting success is an important vital rate affecting the reproductive fitness of birds, and predation typically is the single most important factor affecting nesting success. Presumably, birds should nest in locations that maximize nest survival. If specific nest characteristics increase the probability that a nest will hatch, natural (phenotypic) selection could favour use of sites with these features, producing nonrandom patterns of nest site use. Alternatively, birds that are highly selective in nest site choices might be at a disadvantage if predators learn to forage preferentially in these locations and improve their efficiency in depredating nests; in this case, random nesting patterns could be favoured. Finally, it has been hypothesized that predation pressure can influence nest site selection patterns of entire bird communities. If predators develop a search image to hunt for bird nests, then nests that are most similar to each other, irrespective of species, should sustain higher mortality. To evaluate these hypotheses, I quantified nest site selection patterns of multiple species of ground-nesting dabbling ducks in areas where predation pressure was normally high, and compared these patterns to those on areas where predation was relaxed. Predation pressure was experimentally reduced by removing common predators of duck nests and females (mainly red foxes, coyotes, skunks and raccoons) on some study areas and not on others (controls). Predator removal and natural causes produced a 10-fold difference in duck nesting across study sites, allowing for investigation of effects of predation pressure on nest site selection of ducks. Coarse scale habitat selection patterns were similar to results reported in previous studies; blue-winged teal and northern shoveler were found more often in native grassland than in other habitat types, while gadwall and mallard nests occurred more frequently in shrub patches when compared with other habitat patches. A difference in nest site characteristics was observed between hatched and depredated nests for gadwall and northern shoveler but not for blue-winged teal and mallard. However, in all species, the nest site selection patterns were non-random. Thus, the process of nest predation did not shape patterns of nest site choice. Contrary to predictions, inter-specific overlap in nest site features was not related to predation pressure: nests that overlapped most with features of other species did not suffer higher predation, nor did inter-specific overlap in nest characteristics decrease during the nesting season. These findings were inconsistent with the hypothesis that community-level patterns of nest site use are differentiated as a result of predation pressure. Long-term work on nest site use by individually marked females of numerous ground-nesting bird species would be informative, as would experimental studies of other hypotheses about factors affecting nest site choices in birds.

The CISPR of IEC in European and the ANSI in American use the model of site attenuation to evaluate and quantify the quality of OATS. The ANSI also uses the concept of Normalized Site Attenuation (NSA) to eliminate the effects brought about by different antennas, which may cause the inaccuracy of site attenuation. To stringently require the quality of OATS, the measured values of NSA have to be compared with the theoretical ones. If their differences are within (+/-)4 dB at all frequencies, the test environment of the OATS can be accepted. At present, the theoretical values of NSA are used as a standard for verifying the OATS in the world. However, many non-ideal factors derived from certain assumptions and simplifications of the NSA may cause the measured NSA to deviate from the theoretical values. To understand the manner and extent of the effects, in this thesis we find out the non-ideal factors by studying the NSA by numerically simulating the effects of each factor on NSA measurement by the method of moment (MoM), and the results are analyzed and discussed. We find that there is a difference of 6 dB on the NSA when the impedance of the receive antenna is mismatched. Meanwhile, we also study the relationship between the conductivity of non-perfect electrical conductor and the ideal value of NSA. We conclude that a ground plane made by metal can be regarded as a PEC one. However, the values of NSA will increase if the conductivity of ground plane is below 1000 S/m. Besides, considering the humid Taiwan climate in particular, we investigate the condition of a thin layer of water covering the ground plane after rain and the results show that the effect of the water plane will decrease the values of NSA. As for the measurement at a distance of 3 m, a deviation of 2 dB at low frequencies arises from the effect of near field for the case of horizontal polarization. Finally as for the non-conducting table in OATS, our results show that the larger values of relative permittivity and conductivity of table result in the larger change of NSA value. The difference can be 3 dB for the case with a wooden table. With results of our research, the effects of non-ideal factors on NSA measurement can be comprehended clearly. The comparison of the differences also can be used as a reference for the modification of the NSA measurement in the future.

Univ., Diplomarbeit u.d.T.: Klossek, Martin: Optimierung der Personalisierung im Internet durch kollaboratives Filtern--Frankfurt (Main), 2003.

The characteristics of earthquake shaking are affected by the local site conditions. The effects of the local soil conditions are often quantified via an amplification factor (AF), which is defined as the ratio of the ground motion at the soil surface to the ground motion at a rock site at the same location. Amplification factors can be defined for any ground motion parameter, but most commonly are assessed for acceleration response spectral values at different oscillator periods. Site amplification can be evaluated for a site by conducting seismic site response analysis, which models the wave propagation from the base rock through the site-specific soil layers to the ground surface. An alternative to site-specific seismic response analysis is site amplification models. Site amplification models are empirical equations that predict the site amplification based on general characteristics of the site. Most of the site amplification models that already used in ground motion prediction equations characterize a site with two parameters: the average shear wave velocity in the top 30 m (VS30) and the depth to bedrock. However, additional site parameters influence site amplification and should be included in site amplification models. To identify the site parameters that help explain the variation in site amplification, ninety nine manually generated velocity profiles are analyzed using seismic site response analysis. The generated profiles have the same VS30 and depth to bedrock but a different velocity structure in the top 30 m. Different site parameters are investigated to explain the variability in the computed amplification. The parameter Vratio, which is the ratio of the average shear wave velocity between 20 m and 30 m to the average shear wave velocity in the top 10 m, is identified as the site parameter that most affects the computed amplification for sites with the same VS30 and depth to bedrock. To generalize the findings from the analyses in which only the top 30 m of the velocity profile are varied, a suite of fully randomized velocity profiles are generated and site response analysis is used to compute the amplification for each site for a range of input motion intensities. The results of the site response analyses conducted on these four hundred fully randomized velocity profiles confirm the influence of Vratio on site amplification. The computed amplification factors are used to develop an empirical site amplification model that incorporates the effect of Vratio, as well as VS30 and the depth to bedrock. The empirical site amplification model includes the effects of soil nonlinearity, such that the predicted amplification is a function of the intensity of shaking. The developed model can be incorporated into the development of future ground motion prediction equations. / text

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