Download or read book A GPSS Cost benefit Simulation of Forage Handling written by Kenneth William Lievers and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The optimum forage handling system for a farm firm is not necessarily the one minimizing machinery costs. Consideration must be given to the interdependence of all systems on the farm in order to select a forage harvesting and handling system that permits the farm operator to maximize his net returns. The objectives of this thesis were to compile existing data pertaining to forage handling, to computer simulate some of the present alternative systems applicable to forage harvesting and handling, to test the suitability of the General Purpose Simulation System/360 (GPSS) in generating and costing such systems, and to propose other mathematical methods of evaluating alternative systems. It was premised that legume-forage crops in the Edmonton area are primarily grown and harvested for their protein value. The objective function of this cost-benefit analysis was therefore defined as minimum cost per ton of digestible protein fed. The method used to generate and cost alternative systems involved both network analysis and simulated sampling techniques. The GPSS programs randomly selected alternative routes through the network, simulating several years of harvesting weather for each, and calculating fixed, variable and penalty costs incurred as the forage moved from field to exit from storage. Penalty costs associated with harvesting delays and weather damage were assessed using weather probability functions, a simulated sampling of harvest weather, and a cost calculation of lost feed value. Some program parameters were given a uniform probability distribution of values. Annual fixed, variable and penalty costs were calculated for each stage of the system before another pass was made through the network. The analysis of these simulated systems showed that, for many systems, penalty costs per harvested acre comprised a significant proportion of total annual costs. Thus, a knowledge of how nutritional values and drying rates of mechanically treated forage relate to weather parameters is important. The lack of this information constitutes a serious data gap. After the simulated systems were ranked in accord with the predetermined objective function, the cost sensitivity of the systems became apparent. In the section of the network successfully programmed, one of four different end products was selected for each route - high moisture silage, wilted silage, haylage and dehydrated forage - the general advisability of each ranked in the same order. Within the reliability of data and sample sizes used, no one system was always preferable to the one next in rank. Cost distributions for systems overlapped to a considerable extent. The suitability of the GPSS approach is questionable. The trade-off existing between computer time and storage requirements will influence the selection of an alternate method. Any comparative evaluation of forage harvesting and handling systems requires simulated sampling at some point in the analysis, unless stochastic variables are approximated with constant values. Three other possible mathematical methods that could be used are (1) simulated sampling and separable programming, (2) Shortest Path Network Analysis (SPNA) and Monte Carlo techniques, and (3) dynamic programming and simulated sampling. This latter possibility eliminates the necessity of evaluating every possibility in the network.

Download or read book International Symposium on Systems Engineering and Analysis Oct 23 27 1972 written by and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Research Branch Report written by Canada. Department of Agriculture. Research Branch and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 790 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Cost benefit Analysis of Forage Equipment written by Atlantic Livestock Feed Initiative Program (Canada) and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Canadian Theses written by and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Transactions of the ASAE written by American Society of Agricultural Engineers and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page 584 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Research Branch Report written by Canada. Agriculture Canada. Research Centre (London, Ont.) and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 1234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Research Branch Report written by and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 792 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Proximal Soil Sensing written by Raphael A. Viscarra Rossel and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-07-25 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book reports on developments in Proximal Soil Sensing (PSS) and high resolution digital soil mapping. PSS has become a multidisciplinary area of study that aims to develop field-based techniques for collecting information on the soil from close by, or within, the soil. Amongst others, PSS involves the use of optical, geophysical, electrochemical, mathematical and statistical methods. This volume, suitable for undergraduate course material and postgraduate research, brings together ideas and examples from those developing and using proximal sensors and high resolution digital soil maps for applications such as precision agriculture, soil contamination, archaeology, peri-urban design and high land-value applications, where there is a particular need for high spatial resolution information. The book in particular covers soil sensor sampling, proximal soil sensor development and use, sensor calibrations, prediction methods for large data sets, applications of proximal soil sensing, and high-resolution digital soil mapping. Key themes: soil sensor sampling – soil sensor calibrations – spatial prediction methods – reflectance spectroscopy – electromagnetic induction and electrical resistivity – radar and gamma radiometrics – multi-sensor platforms – high resolution digital soil mapping - applications Raphael A. Viscarra Rossel is a scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) of Australia. Alex McBratney is Pro-Dean and Professor of Soil Science in the Faculty of Agriculture Food & Natural Resources at the University of Sydney in Australia. Budiman Minasny is a Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Agriculture Food & Natural Resources at the University of Sydney in Australia.

Download or read book Nitrogen in Agricultural Systems written by James Stuart Schepers and published by ASA-CSSA-SSSA. This book was released on 2008 with total page 994 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Review of the principles and management implications related to nitrogen in the soil-plant-water system.

Download or read book To Life written by Linda Weintraub and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2012-09-01 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title documents the burgeoning eco art movement from A to Z, presenting a panorama of artistic responses to environmental concerns, from Ant Farms anti-consumer antics in the 1970s to Marina Zurkows 2007 animation that anticipates the havoc wreaked upon the planet by global warming.

Download or read book Sustainability Science written by Hiroshi Komiyama and published by UN. This book was released on 2011 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hideaki Shiroyama is Professor at the Graduate Schools for Law and Politics, The University of Tokyo, Japan. --

Download or read book Tourism and Trails written by Dallen J. Timothy and published by Channel View Publications. This book was released on 2015 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a comprehensive overview of trails and routes from a tourism and recreation perspective. This cutting-edge volume addresses conceptual and management issues systematically, examining supply, demand, development and impacts associated with trails and routes.

Download or read book Unmanned Aircraft Systems written by Reg Austin and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-09-20 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unmanned Aircraft Systems delivers a much needed introduction to UAV System technology, taking an integrated approach that avoids compartmentalising the subject. Arranged in four sections, parts 1-3 examine the way in which various engineering disciplines affect the design, development and deployment of UAS. The fourth section assesses the future challenges and opportunities of UAS. Technological innovation and increasingly diverse applications are two key drivers of the rapid expansion of UAS technology. The global defence budget for UAS procurement is expanding, and in the future the market for civilian UAVs is expected to outmatch that of the military. Agriculture, meteorology, conservation and border control are just a few of the diverse areas in which UAVs are making a significant impact; the author addresses all of these applications, looking at the roles and technology behind both fixed wing and rotorcraft UAVs. Leading aeronautical consultant Reg Austin co-founded the Bristol International Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) conferences in 1979, which are now the longest-established UAS conferences worldwide. In addition, Austin has over 40 years' experience in the design and development of UAS. One of Austin's programmes, the "Sprite UAV System" has been deployed around the world and operated by day and night, in all weathers.

Download or read book Snakes written by Stephen J. Mullin and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2011-08-15 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Destruction of habitat due to urban sprawl, pollution, and deforestation has caused population declines or even extinction of many of the world's approximately 2,600 snake species. Furthermore, misconceptions about snakes have made them among the most persecuted of all animals, despite the fact that less than a quarter of all species are venomous and most species are beneficial because they control rodent pests. It has become increasingly urgent, therefore, to develop viable conservation strategies for snakes and to investigate their importance as monitors of ecosystem health and indicators of habitat sustainability. In the first book on snakes written with a focus on conservation, editors Stephen J. Mullin and Richard A. Seigel bring together leading herpetologists to review and synthesize the ecology, conservation, and management of snakes worldwide. These experts report on advances in current research and summarize the primary literature, presenting the most important concepts and techniques in snake ecology and conservation. The common thread of conservation unites the twelve chapters, each of which addresses a major subdiscipline within snake ecology. Applied topics such as methods and modeling and strategies such as captive rearing and translocation are also covered. Each chapter provides an essential framework and indicates specific directions for future research, making this a critical reference for anyone interested in vertebrate conservation generally or for anyone implementing conservation and management policies concerning snake populations. Contributors: Omar Attum, Indiana University Southeast; Steven J. Beaupre, University of Arkansas; Xavier Bonnet, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Frank T. Burbrink, College of Staten Island-The City University of New York; Gordon M. Burghardt, University of Tennessee; Todd A. Castoe, University of Colorado; David Chiszar, University of Colorado; Michael E. Dorcas, Davidson College; Lara E. Douglas, University of Arkansas; Christopher L. Jenkins, Project Orianne, Ltd.; Glenn Johnson, State University of New York at Potsdam; Michael Hutchins, The Wildlife Society; Richard B. King, Northern Illinois University; Bruce A. Kingsbury, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne; Thomas Madsen, University of Wollongong; Stephen J. Mullin, Eastern Illinois University; James B. Murphy, National Zoological Park; Charles R. Peterson, Idaho State University; Kent A. Prior, Parks Canada; Richard A. Seigel, Towson University; Richard Shine, University of Sydney; Kevin T. Shoemaker, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York; Patrick J. Weatherhead, University of Illinois; John D. Willson, University of Georgia

Download or read book Animal Movement written by Mevin B. Hooten and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2017-03-16 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of animal movement has always been a key element in ecological science, because it is inherently linked to critical processes that scale from individuals to populations and communities to ecosystems. Rapid improvements in biotelemetry data collection and processing technology have given rise to a variety of statistical methods for characterizing animal movement. The book serves as a comprehensive reference for the types of statistical models used to study individual-based animal movement. Animal Movement is an essential reference for wildlife biologists, quantitative ecologists, and statisticians who seek a deeper understanding of modern animal movement models. A wide variety of modeling approaches are reconciled in the book using a consistent notation. Models are organized into groups based on how they treat the underlying spatio-temporal process of movement. Connections among approaches are highlighted to allow the reader to form a broader view of animal movement analysis and its associations with traditional spatial and temporal statistical modeling. After an initial overview examining the role that animal movement plays in ecology, a primer on spatial and temporal statistics provides a solid foundation for the remainder of the book. Each subsequent chapter outlines a fundamental type of statistical model utilized in the contemporary analysis of telemetry data for animal movement inference. Descriptions begin with basic traditional forms and sequentially build up to general classes of models in each category. Important background and technical details for each class of model are provided, including spatial point process models, discrete-time dynamic models, and continuous-time stochastic process models. The book also covers the essential elements for how to accommodate multiple sources of uncertainty, such as location error and latent behavior states. In addition to thorough descriptions of animal movement models, differences and connections are also emphasized to provide a broader perspective of approaches.

Download or read book Reptile Biodiversity written by Roy W. McDiarmid and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2012-01-10 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Authoritative and comprehensive—provides an up-to-date description of the tool box of methods for inventorying and monitoring the diverse spectrum of reptiles. All biodiversity scientists will want to have it during project planning and as study progresses. A must for field biologists, conservation planners, and biodiversity managers.”—Jay M. Savage, San Diego State University “Kudos to the editors and contributors to this book. From the perspective of a non-ecologist such as myself, who only occasionally needs to intensively sample a particular site or habitat, the quality and clarity of this book has been well worth the wait.”—Jack W. Sites, Jr.