Montane meadows comprise less than 5% of the landscape of the western Cascades of Oregon, but they provide habitat for diverse species of plants and pollinators. Little is known about plant-pollinator network structure at these sites. This study quantified plant-pollinator interactions over the summer of 2011, based on six observations of 10 permanent subplots in 15 meadows, stratified by size and isolation. The study examined (1) relationships between richness and abundance of flowers, pollinators, and interactions; (2) distribution of abundance and richness of flowers, pollinators, and interactions with regards to surrounding meadow habitat; (3) change in flower and pollinator abundance over the season; (4) factors associated with the presence of various guilds of pollinators; and (5) the structure of plant-pollinator networks. The study showed that (1) richness of pollinators increased 2x faster than richness of flowers with increased abundance; (2) density of flowers and interactions was positively correlated with meadow size and diversity of pollinators and interactions were both correlated with surrounding habitat at two spatial scales; (3) peak flower abundance coincided with or preceded peaks in pollinator populations; (4) abundance of three guilds of bees exhibited different patterns of association to surrounding habitat and meadow soil moisture corresponding to various dispersal potential and phenology of guild species; and (5) the number of network pairings for plants and pollinators increased with increasing species richness of potential interaction partners and all networks were found to be significantly nested. Results of this study indicate that plant-pollinator networks are complex assemblages of species, in which spatial and temporal patterns of habitat affect species composition and network structure. In particular, flower and pollinator abundance and richness are depressed in small and isolated meadows. Significant nestedness emerged as a pattern of network level organization across the study meadows. / Graduation date: 2013

A fifteen month experiment was conducted to study the pattern of utilization of Lehmann lovegrass by cows during different seasons at three stocking rates on four patch types (grazed, open; grazed, under-mesquite; mowed, artificial; and ungrazed control) at the Santa Rita Experimental Range. The purpose of the research was to determine the influence of standing biomass, proportion of green material and nutrient content of patch types on the relative time cattle grazed patch types. Cattle biting rate on patch types was also measured. Height of leaves and flowers, dry biomass (kg/ha and %), green biomass (kg/ha) and total biomass were greater on ungrazed patches. Proportion of green was greater in grazed than ungrazed patches. Protein, phosphorus, Calcium and IVDMD were higher in green and complete samples of grazed than ungrazed patches. Cattle concentrated grazing upon upland, open grazed patches and under-mesquite canopy. These selected areas were higher in proportion of green biomass and nutrient value and lower in total standing crop and total green biomass than ungrazed areas. Nutrient density, rather than biomass appeared to govern cattle grazing.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 30-November 02, 1995 / Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada / This paper examines the issues involved in replacing the current Range safety infrastructure with an autonomous range safety system based on GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) integrated navigation system solutions. Range safety is required in the first place because current launch vehicle navigation systems cannot meet a level of trust needed to determine if the mission is really under control and on course. Existing launch vehicle navigation is generally based on attitude and acceleration sensing instrumentation that are subject to drift, initialization errors and failures. Thus, a launch vehicle can easily be under the control of a seemingly operating navigation system, yet be steering the launch vehicle along an incorrect and dangerous flight path. Inertial-based navigation systems are good, but they cannot be trusted. The function of Range safety is to assure that untrustworthy navigation is backed up with a trusted system that has positive knowledge of the launch vehicle location, and the intelligence to decide when and where a launch vehicle must be destroyed. Combining inertial navigation, GPS derived position information and knowledge-based computer control has the potential to provide trusted and autonomous Range safety functions. The issues of autonomous Range safety are addressed in this paper.

A range space (P, S) consists of a set P of n elements and a collection S = {S1,...,Sm} of subsets of P , referred to as ranges. A hitting set for this range space refers to a subset H of P such that every Si in S contains at least one element of H. The hitting set problem is studied for many geometric range spaces where P is a set of n points in Rd and the ranges are defined by the intersection of geometric objects with P . The algorithmic question of finding the minimum-sized hitting set for a given range space is well studied and is NP-Complete even for geometric range spaces defined by unit disks. The dual of the hitting set problem is the equally well studied set cover problem. A set cover is a sub-collection C⊆S such that every element in P is contained in at least one range in C. A classic problem which is related to the minimum set cover problem is the maximum coverage problem. In this problem, given a range space (P, S) and an integer k, we have to find k ranges from S such that the number of elements in P that are covered by these k ranges are maximized. In this thesis, we study combinatorial questions on a similar variant of hitting set problem for specific geometric range spaces where the size of the hitting set is fixed as a small constant. We study the small hitting set problem mainly for two broad classes of range spaces. We first consider the Dense range space (P, S) where P is a set of n points in Rd and S is defined by “dense” geometric objects i.e, geometric objects that contain more than a constant fraction, say �, of points from P . We fix the size of the hitting set as a small constant k and investigate bounds on the value of � such that all ranges that contain more than �n points from P are hit. Next we consider the Induced range space (P, I) where P isa setof n points in R2 and the ranges are all geometric objects that are induced(spanned) by P i.e., the ranges are defined by geometric objects that have a distinct tuple of points from P on its boundary. For Induced range spaces, we prove bounds on the maximum number of ranges that can be hit using a single point. We also prove combinatorial bounds on the size of the hitting set for various families of induced objects. Now, we describe the problems that we study in this thesis and summarize the results obtained. 1. Strong centerpoints: Here we study the small hitting set question for dense range spaces when the size of hitting set is one. This is related to a classic result in geometry called Centerpoint Theorem. A point x ∈ Rd is said to be the centerpoint of P if x is contained in all convex objects that contain more than dn points from P . Centerpoint Theorem states d+1 that a centerpoint always exists for any point set P . A centerpoint need not be an input point. A natural question to ask is the following: Does there exist a strong centerpoint? i.e., is it true that for any given point set P there exists a point p ∈ P such that p is contained in every convex object that contains more than a constant fraction, say �, of points of P ? It can be easily seen that a strong centerpoint does not exist even for geometric range spaces defined by half spaces. We study the existence and the corresponding bounds for strong centerpoints for some range spaces. In particular, we prove the existence of strong centerpoint and show tight bounds for the following range spaces. Convex polytopes defined by a fixed set of orientations : Geometric range spaces like those induced by axis-parallel boxes, skylines and downward facing equilateral triangles belong to this family of convex polytopes. Hyperplanes in Rd Range spaces with discrete intersection 2. Small Strong Epsilon Nets: This can be considered as an extension of strong centerpoints. This question is related to a well studied area called �-nets. N ⊂ P is called a (strong) �-net of P with respect to S if N ∩ S =�∅ for all objects S ∈S that contain more than �n points of P . We study the following question. Let �S∈ [0, 1] represent the smallest real number such that, for any given point set P , there exists Q ⊂ P of size i which is an �S-net with respect to S. Thus a strong centerpoint will be an �S1 -net. We prove bounds on �Si for small values of i where S is the family of axis-parallel rectangles, halfspaces and disks. 3. Strong First Selection Lemma: Here we consider the hitting question for induced range spaces when the size of the hitting set is one. In other words, given an induced range space, we prove bounds on the maximum number of ranges that can be hit using a single input point. Such questions are referred to as First Selection Lemma and are well studied. We consider the strong version of the First Selection Lemma where the “heavily covered” point is required to be an input point. We study the strong first selection lemma for induced rectangles, induced special rectangles and induced disks. We prove an exact result for the strong variant of the first selection lemma for axis-parallel rectangles. We also prove exact results for the strong variant of the first selection lemma for some subclasses of axis-parallel rectangles like orthants and slabs. We prove strong first selection lemma with almost tight bounds for skylines, another sub-class of axis-parallel rectangles. We prove bounds for first selection lemma for disks in the plane and exact results for a special case when the discs are induced by a centrally symmetric point set. 2 Hitting all Induced Objects: Here we discuss and prove combinatorial bounds on the size of the minimum hitting set for induced range spaces. We prove tight bounds on the hitting set size when induced objects are special rectangles, disks and downward facing equilateral triangles.

Battery electric vehicles are becoming more common but still fall behind combustion engine cars in terms of driving range and charging time. The displayed driving range in electric vehicles' dashboard can be a volatile parameter suddenly dropping by 10-20\%, for instance when speed is increased. Which can result in a condition referred to as range anxiety . Hence it is interesting to observe more in detail how drivers behave and think in scenarios where range is important and the cars' available range can change drastically depending on the drivers driving style. Such scenarios are problematic to test in real traffic for practical and ethical reasons. In this article, without putting anyone at risk, we present a study using a VR driving simulator in a critical scenario with a substantial risk of running out of battery. Two separate groups (N=10) each drove on the same test track using two different range displays. One group had a typical range display showing the distance left to empty (out of battery) and the other group a novel and more transparent display. The novel display shows how speed is affecting the range. Both displays allow the driver to set a target driving range. The results indicate that the novel display allows for a more agile and adaptive driving style by changing between specific speeds rather than searching and "guessing" which speed is the most optimal as with typical range displays. Although, it can hide other affecting factors, such as acceleration and road height. Which was more prevalent amongst drivers who had to search and guess. / Batterielbilar blir allt vanligare men når inte riktigt upp till samma nivå som bilar med förbränningsmotorer när det handlar om räckvidd och laddtid. Den kvarstående körsträckan som visas i elbilars instrumentpanel kan vara en instabil variabel och plötsligt sjunka med 10-20%, när man till exempel ökar hastigheten. Vilket kan leda till ett tillstånd som kallas räckviddsångest . Därav intresset för att undersöka i detalj hur förare agerar och tänker i scenarier där räckvidd är extra viktigt och bilens kvarstående körsträcka kan ändras drastiskt beroende på körstil. Sådana scenarier är problematiska att testa ute i trafiken av både praktiska och etiska skäl. I denna artikel, utan att placera någon i en verklig riskfylld situation, presenterar vi en studie där en bilsimulator i VR används för att testa ett kritiskt scenario där risken för att strömmen tar slut är stor. Två separata grupper (N=10) körde samma sträcka fast med olika instrumentpaneler. Där den ena är mer konventionell och endast visar kvarstående körsträcka. Medan den andra är mer originell och visar hur hastighet påverkar kvarstående körsträcka. Båda instrumentpanelerna tillåter föraren att ställa in hur långt man vill köra. Resultaten indikerar på att den originella instrumentpanelen tillåter en mer agil och adaptiv körstil, genom att byta mellan specifika hastigheter istället för att leta och gissa vilken hastighet som är optimal, vilket skedde med den konventionella instrumentpanelen. Men den kan även dölja andra faktorer som påverkar körsträckan, såsom acceleration och höjdskillnader. Vilket  användare av den originella instrumentbrädan noterade i större utsträckning.

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No description available.

Dichloro-diphenyl-trichlorethane (DDT) is a chemical used in malaria control through indoor residual spraying (IRS) and has saved numerous lives in the past six decades. DDT use is restricted/banned under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Passive air sampling using polyurethane foam was conducted in South Africa to evaluate the presence and trends of DDT and its metabolites. Three sampling sites were used, namely, Barberspan Nature Reserve (rural agricultural), Vanderbijlpark (urban industrial) and Molopo Nature Reserve (isolated nature reserve). Sampling was conducted for a period of one year in 2008. Back trajectories from the three sampling sites were generated using HYSPILT to determine the sources of DDT metabolites to the sampling areas. Forward trajectories were also generated to determine the movement, distribution, and fate of DDT from the areas under Indoor residual spray of DDT for malaria control in South Africa and Swaziland. Chemical analysis was conducted by the RECETOX (Mazaryk University) in the Czech Republic. DDT metabolites (o,p’-DDE, p’p’-DDE, o.p’-DDD, p,p’-DDD, o,p’-DDT p,p’-DDT) were analysed using a GC-ECD (HP 5890). Vanderbijlpark had the highest concentrations of DDT metabolites throughout the year. Barberspan had the second highest concentration and Molopo the least. Seasonal changes in concentration were much the same at the three sites. %p,p’-DDT of ΣDDT is consistent with IRS spraying months in South Africa and Swaziland. A combinations of backward and forward trajectories, together with the temporal pattern of change of the %p,p’-DDT of ΣDDT support the deduction that DDT sampled from the three study sites (to some degree) came from IRS areas in South Africa and Swaziland. The presence of DDT in Molopo Nature Reserve and Barberspan is evidence of long-range transportation over dry semi-desert areas. Back-trajectories indicate the possible source of DDT were the IRS areas in the provinces of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal. Some air masses to the sampling sites came from the sprayed areas. The forward trajectories also revealed that the DDT sprayed during IRS could undergo LRT. The DDT metabolites were able to travel to neighbouring countries such as Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. / MSc (Environmental Sciences), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Dichloro-diphenyl-trichlorethane (DDT) is a chemical used in malaria control through indoor residual spraying (IRS) and has saved numerous lives in the past six decades. DDT use is restricted/banned under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Passive air sampling using polyurethane foam was conducted in South Africa to evaluate the presence and trends of DDT and its metabolites. Three sampling sites were used, namely, Barberspan Nature Reserve (rural agricultural), Vanderbijlpark (urban industrial) and Molopo Nature Reserve (isolated nature reserve). Sampling was conducted for a period of one year in 2008. Back trajectories from the three sampling sites were generated using HYSPILT to determine the sources of DDT metabolites to the sampling areas. Forward trajectories were also generated to determine the movement, distribution, and fate of DDT from the areas under Indoor residual spray of DDT for malaria control in South Africa and Swaziland. Chemical analysis was conducted by the RECETOX (Mazaryk University) in the Czech Republic. DDT metabolites (o,p’-DDE, p’p’-DDE, o.p’-DDD, p,p’-DDD, o,p’-DDT p,p’-DDT) were analysed using a GC-ECD (HP 5890). Vanderbijlpark had the highest concentrations of DDT metabolites throughout the year. Barberspan had the second highest concentration and Molopo the least. Seasonal changes in concentration were much the same at the three sites. %p,p’-DDT of ΣDDT is consistent with IRS spraying months in South Africa and Swaziland. A combinations of backward and forward trajectories, together with the temporal pattern of change of the %p,p’-DDT of ΣDDT support the deduction that DDT sampled from the three study sites (to some degree) came from IRS areas in South Africa and Swaziland. The presence of DDT in Molopo Nature Reserve and Barberspan is evidence of long-range transportation over dry semi-desert areas. Back-trajectories indicate the possible source of DDT were the IRS areas in the provinces of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal. Some air masses to the sampling sites came from the sprayed areas. The forward trajectories also revealed that the DDT sprayed during IRS could undergo LRT. The DDT metabolites were able to travel to neighbouring countries such as Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. / MSc (Environmental Sciences), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 18-21, 2004 / Town & Country Resort, San Diego, California / The Foundation Initiative 2010 (FI 2010) project, sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program (CTEIP), has developed and is continuing to refine a common architecture and requisite software used to integrate testing, training, and simulation systems distributed across many DoD test and training range facilities. The Test and Training Enabling Architecture (TENA), has been successfully implemented on DoD and commercial range instrumentation systems, used as a reusable enabler of distributed, live United States Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) and Joint National Training Capability (JNTC) exercises.