椭圆齿轮行星轮系蔬菜钵苗取苗机构的参数优化与试验

为了得到一种结构简单且具有较高效率的蔬菜钵苗取苗机构,该文在分析国内外多种取苗机构的特点后,提出一种由5个全等椭圆齿轮组成行星轮系的新型取苗机构。根据取苗机构的设计要求,分析了该取苗机构的机构组成、工作原理以及运动学数学模型。进而开发该机构的计算机辅助分析与优化软件,基于该软件分析了机构参数变化对取苗轨迹和取苗臂姿态的影响,确定了取苗机构的优化参数。基于优化所得参数对取苗机构进行三维建模与仿真,研制样机并进行取苗试验,试验结果表明,该取苗机构运转顺畅,取苗成功率95%,满足机械自动取苗的工作要求,验证了取苗机构设计的正确性及可行性。该研究结果为自动移栽机核心工作部件的研发提供参考。     

基于GRNN网络模型的土壤重金属空间分布的研究

以江苏省南通市为研究区,利用采样点实测数据,借助GRNN神经网络模型并结合3S技术对农田土壤重金属的空间动态分布进行了深入研究。结果表明,GRNN神经网络模型能够智能地学习各个采样点的空间位置与该点各重金属含量之间的映射关系,并能够稳健地对各个空间插值点处的土壤重金属含量进行预测;结果显示南通市农田土壤重金属污染总体较轻,但也存在局部地区的严重污染。在运用GRNN神经网络模型进行空间插值了解重金属空间动态分布的基础上,可以根据污染的状况确定农产品的生产布局和规划。     

玉米三维重构及可视化系统的设计与实现

重构出植物的三维形态是数字植物研究的基础。介绍了玉米三维重构及可视化系统的整体结构、数学基础及实现过程。系统由器官几何造型模块、生长模型模块、可视化控制模块、数据库和人机交互界面组成。其中，玉米叶片、茎节、雄穗、雌穗和根系的三维形态是由基于器官形态结构主要特征而构建的参数化的几何模型来描述的。模型参数具有较明确的生物学意义，均可由品种特征或生长模型生成；系统运行时，根据玉米品种特征和玉米生长模型生成植株的拓扑结构参数和器官几何模型参数，通过人机交互操作来确定行株距等农艺措施参数，进而结合VC++和openGL在计算机上重构出玉米器官、个体和群体的三维形态，具有较好地真实感。系统界面友好、使用方便，易于交互，为农学研究者提供了新的手段。     

水稻根长增长和养分吸收动态及其模拟模型

采用溶液培养和田间试验研究水稻根长增长和氮磷钾吸收动态。在改进蔬菜根长和养分吸收动态模型基础上,建立了适用于一个生长周期的水稻根长增长模型、单位根表面积氮磷钾吸收速率模型及其累积吸收动态模型。6个根长增长模型和18个根表氮磷钾吸收速率模型以及36个氮磷钾吸收动态模型的模拟效果达统计显著水平。结果表明,随着种植时间的推移,水稻根长增长和氮磷钾累积吸收量在整个生育期呈现S型特征;根表养分吸收速率在生长前期随种植时间迅速提高并达到最大值,过后则按指数规律下降。溶液培养试验看出,生育期120 d水稻最大根长增长速率和最大根长分别为播种后（68.85.4）d和（108.43.9）d,品种间差异很小;最大根长增长速率和根长则为（4531.51529.4）cm/( pot?d)和 (2.8931 0.6237)105 cm/pot,品种间差异较大。田间试验看出,不同施肥处理的氮磷钾吸收速率基本同步,早晚稻插秧后约50~60 d根系养分吸收能力达到峰值,临近成熟时养分吸收量达到高峰。研究结果为水稻中后期养分管理提供了科学依据。     

Modeling ferricyanide adsorption on goethite: Basics and applications

Ferricyanide, [Fe^III(CN)₆]^3–, is an anthropogenic and potentially toxic contaminant in soil. Its adsorption on goethite has been previously studied, but not evaluated with a surface complexation model (SCM) considering the effects of pH and ionic strength. Therefore, we carried out batch experiments with ferricyanide and goethite suspensions with different ferricyanide concentrations (0.075 mM and 0.15 mM), ionic strengths (0.01 and 0.1 M), and pH (ranging from 4 to 7.4). Adsorption data were then interpreted with the 1‐pK Stern and the charge distribution model assuming monodentate inner‐sphere ferricyanide surface complexes on goethite (lg K = 10.6), which are known from infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, we applied the SCM to ferricyanide adsorption in previous studies on ferricyanide adsorption in the presence of sulfate and on the solubility of Fe‐cyanide complexes in a suspension of a loess loam. The SCM correctly reflected ferricyanide adsorption in the batch experiments as well as the effects of pH and ionic strength. The SCM also described ferricyanide adsorption in the presence of sulfate, because the ferricyanide adsorption measured and that modeled were significantly correlated (R² = 0.80). Furthermore, we applied the SCM to a study on the solubility of Fe‐cyanide complexes in soil under varying redox conditions so that ferricyanide adsorption on goethite and precipitation of Fe‐cyanide complexes were considered. The actual ferricyanide concentrations were rather reflected when applying the SCM compared to those modeled in an approach in which exclusively precipitation was taken into account. We conclude that ferricyanide adsorption on goethite should be included into geochemical modeling approaches on the mobility of Fe‐cyanide complexes in subsoils.     

Automated predictive ecological mapping in a Forest Region of B.C., Canada, 2001–2005

Procedures for automated predictive thematic mapping were developed and applied to project areas totaling more than 3 million ha of forested land in British Columbia, Canada. The effective scale of mapping was 1:20,000 using data at a grid resolution of 25 m. The methods can be described as a form of automated feature extraction or object recognition where the objects of interest consist of ecological site types. The methods implement a hybrid of automated, semi-automated and manual procedures that develop and apply heuristic, rule-based conceptual models of ecological-landform relationships. The methods rely heavily upon terrain derivatives extracted from available digital elevation models (DEMs) in addition to satellite imagery and manually digitized maps of ancillary environmental conditions. The primary input has been the BC provincial Terrain Resource Information Management (TRIM) digital elevation model (DEM) surfaced to a regular grid of 25 m. Other input layers include manually interpreted maps of parent material texture, depth and ecological exception classes, manually prepared maps of the spatial distribution of ecological zones of the BC Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification (BEC) system and, to a limited extent, LandSat7 digital satellite imagery. The procedures do not use any field sampling to develop or train classification rules. A knowledge-based approach is used to establish classification rules which are defined and implemented using a Semantic Import (SI) Model implementation of fuzzy logic. All rules are constructed by examining and deconstructing published field guides that define the required ecological output classes and that document the current expert understanding of the conditions and criteria that control the spatial distribution of these desired output classes. An iterative, trial and error, process is used to develop, apply, evaluate and revise object recognition rules that relate ranges of values of key input data layers to an expert-assigned likelihood of occurrence for each ecological class of interest. Local expert knowledge is used at each stage to evaluate each new set of output results and to guide refinement of the fuzzy SI model classification rules. Field sample observations obtained along randomly selected closed traverses were collected following a line intercept approach and used to assess the accuracy of the final predictions of ecological classification. Application of the procedures has progressed from an initial pilot project through projects to evaluate operational scale-up to full-scale commercial application to millions of hectares. Costs have been reduced from a high of $3.50/ha to less than $0.20/ha. Rates of progress increased from 150,000 ha per person year to more than 2.0 million ha per person year. Independent assessments of map accuracy produced results superior to the highest accuracies reported for all alternatives, including traditional manual mapping methods. We conclude that we have formalized and automated many of the concepts and techniques previously used to create thematic maps of ecosystems using manual interpretation of stereo air photos and ancillary data combined with field observations. We have shown that automated feature extraction is able to capture and apply the concepts of landform control referenced by typical landform-based ecological models and classification systems. We have demonstrated that it is possible to produce accurate and cost-effective ecological-landform maps by applying fuzzy and Boolean logic and automated landform analysis procedures to widely available spatial data.     

Using a global VNIR soil-spectral library for local soil characterization and landscape modeling in a 2nd-order Uganda watershed

Combining global soil-spectral libraries with local calibration samples has the potential to provide improved visible and near-infrared (VNIR, 400–2500 nm) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) soil characterization predictions than with either global or local calibrations alone. In this study, a geographically diverse “global” soil-spectral library with 4184 samples was augmented with up to 418 “local” calibration soil samples distributed across a 2nd-order Ugandan watershed to predict the amount of clay-size material (CLAY), soil organic carbon (SOC) and proportion of expansible 2:1 clays (termed “montmorillonite” or MT in the global library). Stochastic gradient boosted regression trees (BRT) were employed for model construction, with a variety of calibration and validation schemes tested. Using the global library combined with 13- and 14-fold cross-validation by local profile for CLAY and SOC, respectively, yielded dambo/upland RMSD values of 89/68 g kg^− 1 for CLAY (N = 429/410) and 4.2/2.6 g kg^− 1 for SOC (N = 272/105). These results were obtained despite the challenge of combining spectral libraries constructed using different spectroradiometers and laboratory reference measurements (total combustion vs. Walkley–Black, hydrometer vs. pipette). Using only the global library, a VNIR-derived index of MT content was significantly correlated with the square root of X-ray diffraction (XRD) MT peak intensity for local dambo soils (r² = 0.52, N = 59, p < 0.0001), an acceptable result given the semi-quantitative nature of the reference XRD method. Though VNIR predictions did not approach laboratory precision, for soil-landscape modeling VNIR characterization worked remarkably well for clay mineralogy, was adequate for mapping dambo “depth to 35% clay”, and was insufficiently accurate for SOC mapping.     

Population viability analysis and fire return intervals for an endemic Florida scrub mint

We use population viability analysis of an endangered Florida scrub mint, Dicerandra frutescens, to specify the optimal fire return intervals for its long-term persistence and for its specific habitat. We derived 83 population projection matrices from 13 years of demographic data from eight populations, 59 matrices from scrub populations and 24 from firelane or yard edges. Seed dormancy and germination transitions were inferred based on experimental data and verified by comparing modeled vs. observed population trajectories. Finite rates of increase in scrub sites were highest shortly after fire and declined steeply through 10 years postfire. The break-even value of λ = 1 was passed quickly, in about six years, suggesting that populations >6 years postfire were already facing decline. The decline is probably related to the rapid growth of competing shrubs in the habitat of D. frutescens. In long-unburned sites, finite rates of increase were nearly always <1 and declined the most in the long-unburned site with no foot trails or treefall gaps. Finite rates of increase in firelane populations also declined with years since fire or last disking. The yard edge population showed λ values both >1 and <1, with no temporal trend. Stochastic simulations in scrub sites suggested an optimal regular fire return interval of about 6-12 years. Regular fires at this interval were more favorable than stochastic fire regimes, but stochasticity reduced extinction percentages at longer fire return intervals. Stochastic fire return intervals implied a wider optimal fire return interval of 6-21 years. We suggest that prescribed fire in Florida scrub on yellow sand has occurred (and needs to occur) more frequently than previously recommended.     

Wastes to be the source of nutrients and energy to mitigate climate change and ensure future sustainability: options and strategies

Abstract

Waste production is associated with human inhabitation and its rate is increasing over time. Globally, the major proportion of waste is disposed of through landfilling and open dumping, which is environmentally unsafe due to emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Thus, in order to avoid emission of GHGs from wastes it is important to use techniques that can convert wastes to energy/nutrients on eco-friendly economical way. Furthermore, quantification of the impacts of these waste management techniques on ecosystem is also needed through the application of tools like modeling, remote sensing, geographical information system (GIS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and life cycle assessments (LCA). Thus, this review was conducted by considering focus on potential of nutrient and energy recovery techniques from various types of wastes and approaches to enhance the efficiency of the process. The outcomes depicted that the aerobic and anaerobic digestion is suitable to deal with biodegradable and organic fraction of the waste, but anaerobic digestion seem to be more sustainable waste management techniques. Additionally, the review covers the techniques to drive energy and recover nutrient from non-biodegradable proportion. Different modern analytical tools; such as remote sensing, GIS and simple/dynamic models could be useful tool to help in the decision-making processes for waste managements. These tools can help us to design integrated solid waste management processes. Finally, we suggest that LCA should be considered to determine the environmental load of material/product from its production to final disposal (from cradle to grave).