“WaterMan”: an on-farm water management game with heuristic capabilities

A modern computer-based simulation tool (WaterMan) in the form of a game for on-farm water management was developed for application in training events for farmers, students, and irrigators. The WaterMan game utilizes an interactive framework, thereby allowing the user to develop scenarios and test alternatives in a convenient, risk-free environment. It includes a comprehensive soil water and salt balance calculation algorithm. It also employs heuristic capabilities for modeling all of the important aspects of on-farm water management, and to provide quantitative performance evaluations and practical water management advice to the trainees. Random events (both favorable and unfavorable) and different strategic decisions are included in the game for more realism and to provide an appropriate level of challenge according to player performance. Thus, the ability to anticipate the player skill level, and to reply with random events appropriate to the anticipated level, is provided by the heuristic capabilities used in the software. These heuristic features were developed based on a combination of two artificial intelligence approaches: (1) a pattern recognition approach and (2) reinforcement learning based on a Markov decision processes approach, specifically the Q-learning method. These two approaches were combined in a new way to account for the difference in the effect of actions taken by the player and action taken by the system in the game world. The reward function for the Q-learning method was modified to reflect the suggested classification of the WaterMan game as what is referred to as a partially competitive and partially cooperative game.     

土壤采样器采样过程动力学仿真分析

为研究土壤采样器在采样过程中的工作特性,建立了土壤模型;运用ANSYS的LS-DYNA对土壤采样器与土体的采样过程进行动力学仿真分析,并用瞬时动力学方法分析了采样筒贯入土体的动态过程。同时,通过LS-PREPOST后处理软件得出了土体中应力场的分布图,分析了土体中的应力分布,分析了贯入时对土样的扰动情况:采样过程中,土体的轴向压缩量在采样筒头部与土壤接触处最大,而土样中心部位较小。     

玉米品种DNA指纹数据库构建的标准化规范

为了保证玉米品种DNA指纹库构建的标准化,从建库标记、检测平台、试剂、样品、评估程序、数据整合、模式库、扩展库、随机盲测等九个方面进行了全面的规范:(1)通过对不同分子标记的比较,确定SSR标记作为建库标记;(2)通过对不同DNA指纹检测方法的比较,确定毛细管电泳结合多色荧光检测方法作为DNA指纹片段分析方法;(3)规范了DNA、引物、Taq酶等试剂质量,以保证数据的稳定性和可重复性;(4)规范了样品来源、样品类型及分析样品数量;(5)确定评估品种的数量及引物的取舍标准;(6)为解决不同来源DNA指纹数据的有效整合问题,提出了固定一套核心引物、提供标准品种、提供标准DNA、确定引物等位基因BIN、规定对异常带型数据处理方式、规定数据的编码方式等6个解决策略;(7)规范了构建模式库的材料名单、来源及构建方式;(8)规范了构建扩展库的材料来源及构建方式;(9)进行数据库数据随机盲测,以评估入库数据质量.以上规范将为不同单位合作开展大规模的DNA指纹库构建研究奠定基础.     

MS Excel在畜牧兽医统计中的应用(三)——直线回归和直线相关分析

回归分析（regression analysis）是研究呈因果关系的相关变量间的数量关系,建立它们之间的回归方程,并利用所建立的回归方程,由自变量（原因）来预测、控制依变量（结果）。回归分析包括一元回归分析和多元回归分析。一元回归分析是研究一个自变量与一个依变量的回归关系,即“一因一果”;多元回归分析是研究多个自变量与一个依变量的回归关系,即“多因一果”。一元回归分析又分为直线回归分析和曲线回归分析两种,多元回归分析又分为多元线性回归分析和多元非线性回归分析两种。     

MS Excel在畜牧兽医统计中的应用(五)——多元线性回归分析

直线回归研究的是一个依变量与一个自变量之间的数量关系,但在畜禽生产、兽医临床和水产科学领域的许多实际问题中,影响依变量的自变量往往不止一个,而是多个,例如种蛋的孵化率这一变量同时受到孵化温度、湿度、通风等多个因素的影响;肉鸭的瘦肉率这一变量同时受到屠体重、胸肌重、腿肌重和皮脂重等多个变量的影响,因此需要进行一个依变量与多个自变量间的回归分析,即多元回归分析(multiple regression analysis),而其中最为简单、常用的是多元线性回归(multiple linear regression),许多非线性回归和多项式回归都可以化为多元线性回归来解决.因此,掌握利用Excel进行畜牧兽医统计的多元线性回归分析显得十分重要.     

PCB removal,soil enzyme activities,and microbial community structures during the phytoremediation by alfalfa in field soils

Purpose  

An in situ phytoremediation trial was developed in order to investigate the function of alfalfa during a 2-year bioremediation of an agricultural soil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The study was conducted with the aim to better understand the application potential of PCB phytoremediation at field scale.     

Development of a Sequential Decision-Making Model for Controlling Multiple Air Pollutants Under Stochastic Uncertainty

Most of previous programming methods for air-quality management merely considered single pollutant from point sources. However, air pollution control is characterized by multiple pollutants from various sources. Meanwhile, uncertain information in the decision-making process cannot be neglected in the real-world cases. Thus, an inexact multistage stochastic programming model with joint chance constraints based on the air quality index (air-quality management model with joint chance constraints (AQM-JCC)) is developed for controlling multiple pollutants deriving from point and mobile sources and applied to a regional air-quality management system. In the model, integrated air quality associated with the joint probability existing in terms of environmental constraints is evaluated; uncertainties expressed as probability distributions and interval values are addressed; risks of violating the overall air-quality target under joint chance constraints are examined; and dynamics of system uncertainties and decision processes under a complete set of scenarios within a multistage context are reflected. The results indicate that useful solutions for air quality management practices in sequential stochastic decision environments have been generated, which can help decision makers to identify cost-effective control strategies for overall air quality improvement under uncertainties.     

Atmospheric Mercury Fluxes in a Southern Boreal Forest and Wetland

Total gaseous mercury (TGM) fluxes from the forest floor and a boreal wetland were measured by a flux chamber technique coupled with an automatic mercury vapour analyser. The fluxes were measured at three sampling sites in southern Finland, 61°14′ N, 25°04′ E in summer 2007, with additionally in situ TGM concentrations in the air at one of the sites and mercury bulk deposition at another. Most of the flux data were collected during the daytime. At one of the sites, diurnal flux behaviour was studied, and a clear cycle with an afternoon maximum and a night minimum was observed. The highest emissions (up to 3.5 ng m⁻² h⁻¹) were observed at the forest floor site having a moss and grass cover. At the wetland and litter-rich forest floor sites, the emissions were below 1 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ and sometimes negative (down to −1.0 ng m⁻² h⁻¹), indicating mercury uptake. The measured average fluxes in August were 0.9 ± 1.1 and 0.2 ± 0.3 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ for the forest floor sites and wetland sites, respectively. The flux data were compared with the mercury bulk deposition, which proved to be of the same magnitude, but opposite in sign. At the mossy forest floor site, the extrapolated TGM emissions were 130% of the Hg deposition in August 2007. Comparison with other studies showed that the fluxes in background areas are relatively uniform, regardless of measurement site location and method used. Airborne TGM remained at the background level during the study, with an average value of 1.3 ± 0.2 ng m⁻³; it frequently showed a diurnal cycle pattern.     

Interactive effects of Cd and PAHs on contaminants removal from co-contaminated soil planted with hyperaccumulator plant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sedum alfredii</Emphasis>

Purpose  

Soil contamination by multiple organic and inorganic contaminants is common but its remediation by hyperaccumulator plants is rarely reported. The growth of a cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii and removal of contaminants from Cd and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) co-contaminated soil were reported in this study.     

Performance and Kinetic Study on Bioremediation of Diazo Dye (Reactive Black 5) in Wastewater Using Spent GAC–Biofilm Sequencing Batch Reactor

Combinations of sequential anaerobic and aerobic process enhance the treatment of textile wastewater. The aim of this study was to investigate the treatment of diazo dye Reactive Black 5 (RB5)-containing wastewater using granular activated carbon (GAC)–biofilm sequencing batch reactor (SBR) as an integration of aerobic and anaerobic process in a single reactor. The GAC–biofilm SBR system demonstrated higher removal of COD, RB5 and aromatic amines. It was observed that the RB5 removal efficiency improved as the concentration of co-substrate in the influent increased. The alternative aeration introduced into the bioreactor enhanced mineralization of aromatic amines. Degradation of RB5 and co-substrate followed second-order kinetic and the constant (k ₂) values for COD and RB5 decreased from 0.002 to 0.001 and 0.004 to 0.001 l/mg h, respectively, as the RB5 concentration increased from 100 to 200 mg/l in the GAC–biofilm SBR system.