EFFECT OF VETIVER ROOTS ON SOIL RESISTANCE TO PENETRATION IN A TYPIC FLUVIC NEOSSOL IN THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVERBANK

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the root of vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Robert) on the soil Resistance to penetration (RP) in the margins of the lower São Francisco River. Vetiver grass seedlings were planted on the riverbank margins in order to increase soil resistance to erosion processes, and RP assessments were made at soil depths of 0-0.20, 0.20-0.40, and 0.40-0.60 m in different situations (near the plants and within rows). RP data was obtained using an automated penetrometer. Gravimetric moisture data was also collected, as well as particle size data by densimetry, and root density data by the monolith method. The results of the RP, moisture, and root density studies were subjected to analysis of variance (p <0.05) and then the averages were compared by the Tukey test using SISVAR software. The samples next to the vetiver grass showed an average RP of 1793.94 kPa and an average moisture content of 11.78%, statistically differing from that of the sampled points within rows. RP and soil moisture did not differ statistically at the depth assessed. The vetiver grass produced an adequate ground cover, leading to higher water retention and hence a reduced resistance to penetration.

How to Make the Case for Brute Facts

Ontologically brute facts are facts with no explanation. Although such facts appear to be mysterious, some philosophers have argued that we should embrace ontologically brute facts. This raises a methodological question: what is an adequate ground for belief in ontological bruteness? This chapter explores this question. It begins by considering three failed attempts to make the case for bruteness and draws cautionary lessons from these failures. It then offers a positive proposal according to which if a naturalistic, general metaphysical theory with strong abductive support posits ontologically brute facts, then this is an adequate (but defeasible) case for ontological bruteness.

Tainted Witness in Law and Literature

Chapter five examines two examples of unsympathetic women witnesses and the transits of their testimony across an assemblage of legal and literary modes of judgment: 1) the rape case brought by Nafissatou Diallo against former head of the International Monetary Fund and former French presidential hopeful Dominique Strauss-Kahn as Diallo and her testimony travelled from criminal court, through the court of public opinion, to civil court in search of an adequate witness and 2) the autobiographical fiction of Jamaica Kincaid, who offers a literary witness in contrast to the sympathetic, pure, young victims featured in humanitarian campaigns. The chapter argues that the dynamics of witness tainting previously analyzed make it imperative that we adopt an ethical response that is not primarily grounded in identification or compassion. The chapter concludes by arguing that sympathy fails to provide an adequate ground for ethical witnessing and that we must learn to engage with the unsympathetic woman witness.

Comment on: “Managing fisheries from space: Google Earth improves estimates of distant fish catches” by Al-Abdulrazzak and Pauly

This Comment was prompted by the substantial difference in weir catch estimates in the Gulf between (i) those reported by Al-Abdulrazzak and Pauly (2014. Managing fisheries from space: Google Earth improves estimates of distant fish catches. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 71(3), 450–454), who used Google Earth to count weir numbers, and (ii) those available from official national statistics provided by two major weir fishing countries (Bahrain and Iran). Satellite imageries, including Google Earth, are powerful tools for collecting data on visible structures when verified with adequate ground validation. However, an extension of their contribution to improving overall catch estimates is rather limited without having solid information on daily catch, which will substantially differ according to time and area, and fishing season lengths. It was noted that Al-Abdulrazzak and Pauly (2013) introduced positive biases through their interpretation of Google Earth images and data treatment. They included several assumptions, such as removing the impact of poor visibility, correcting grids of low resolutions, estimating number of unseen weirs, and applying daily catch rates higher than referenced observed values. The overall extent of such potential positive bias could be more than six times that which we considered reasonable. This Comment also corrects misconceptions about “FAO catch data”, discusses other available national data, and introduces the existence of the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI), a mechanism for fisheries management in the Gulf region, and its recent activities to collect more complete catch and effort data separated by gear.

Tuning Extreme NEXRAD and CMORPH Precipitation Estimates

High-resolution satellite precipitation estimates, such as the Climate Prediction Center morphing technique (CMORPH), provide alternative sources of precipitation data for hydrological applications, especially in regions where adequate ground-based instruments are unavailable. These estimates are, however, subject to large errors, especially at times of heavy precipitation. This paper presents a method to distributionally convert a set of CMORPH estimates into ground-based Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) estimates. As our concern lies with floods and extreme precipitation events, a peaks-over-threshold extreme value approach is adopted that fits a generalized Pareto distribution to the large precipitation estimates. A quantile matching transformation is then used to convert CMORPH values into NEXRAD values. The methods are applied in the analysis of 6 yr of precipitation observations from 625 pixels centered around eastern Oklahoma.

Ruffed grouse brood habitat selection at multiple scales in Pennsylvania: implications for survival

Declines in ruffed grouse ( Bonasa umbellus (L., 1766)) populations in the central and southern Appalachians may be linked to low brood survival. Therefore, managing for high-quality brood habitat could improve grouse numbers. Understanding how brood habitat selection affects survival and the spatial scale at which this occurs is therefore fundamental to developing effective habitat management strategies. From 1999–2002, we monitored 38 broods for 5 weeks post hatch and estimated utilization distributions (n = 28), site-scale habitat use (n = 21), and daily survival rate (mean = 0.966, range = 0.920–0.997, and n = 19). Relative to available habitat, broods selected sites with greater herbaceous ground cover and higher small (<2.5 cm diameter at breast height, DBH) stem densities and landscapes containing higher proportions of road and young deciduous forest. Herbaceous ground cover provided arthropod prey and concealment from predators and was a primary factor driving habitat selection. High stem densities and early successional habitats provided increased security, but were only used if adequate ground cover was present. Broods strongly selected roads and experienced higher survival near edges. However, higher road densities were associated with lower survival at the landscape scale. This pattern reflects the differential scale at which grouse and their predators respond to edge.

Kinetostatic Design Considerations for an Articulated Leg-Wheel Locomotion Subsystem

Our long-term goal is one of designing land-based vehicles to provide enhanced uneven-terrain locomotion capabilities. In this paper, we examine and evaluate candidate articulated leg-wheel subsystem designs for use in such vehicle systems. The leg-wheel subsystem designs under consideration consist of disk wheels attached to the chassis through an articulated linkage containing multiple lower-pair joints. Our emphasis is on creating a design that permits the greatest motion flexibility between the chassis and wheel while maintaining the smallest degree-of-freedom (DOF) within the articulated chain. We focus our attention on achieving two goals: (i) obtaining adequate ground clearance by designing the desired/feasible motions of the wheel axle, relative to the chassis, using methods from kinematic synthesis; and (ii) reducing overall actuation requirements by a judicious mix of structural equilibration design and spring assist. This process is examined in detail in the context of two candidate single-degree-of-freedom designs for the articulated-leg-wheel subsystems—a coupled-serial-chain configuration and a four-bar configuration. We considered the design synthesis of planar variants of the two candidate designs surmounting a representative obstacle profile while supporting a set of end-effector loads and highlight the key benefits in the presented results.

Design Considerations for an Articulated Leg-Wheel Locomotion Subsystem

In this paper, we examine and evaluate candidate articulated leg-wheel subsystem designs for use in vehicle systems with enhanced uneven-terrain locomotion capabilities. The leg-wheel subsystem designs under consideration consist of disk wheels attached to the chassis through an articulated linkage containing multiple lower-pair joints. Our emphasis is on creating a design that permits the greatest motion flexibility between the chassis and wheel while maintaining the smallest degree-of-freedom (d.o.f.) within the articulated chain. In particular, we focus our attention on achieving two goals: (i) obtaining adequate ground clearance by designing the desired/feasible motions of the wheel axle, relative to the chassis, using methods from kinematic synthesis; and (ii) reducing overall actuation requirements by a judicious mix of structural equilibration design and spring assist. We examine this process in the context of two candidate designs — a coupled-serial-chain configuration and four-bar-configuration — for the articulated-leg-wheel subsystem. The performance of planar variants of these designs, operating in the sagittal plane, is evaluated and representative results are presented to highlight the process.

Consequentialism and the Doing-Allowing Distinction

This paper takes a closer look at the incompatibility thesis, namely the claim that consequentialism is incompatible with accepting the moral relevance of the doing-allowing distinction. I examine two attempts to reject the incompatibility thesis, the first by Samuel Scheffler and the second by Frances Kamm. I argue that both attempts fail to provide an adequate ground for rejecting the incompatibility thesis. I then put forward an account of what I take to be at stake in accepting or rejecting the incompatibility thesis, namely the underlying conception of responsibility. There are, I contend, two relevant conceptions of responsibility, the globalist and the localist. In order for the compatibilist argument to go through, the globalist conception must be adopted. I aim to provide a formulation and defence of the dependency of the compatibilist view on the globalist conception of responsibility. I will not, however, argue for one conception of responsibility over the other.

Effects of Herbicides on Bermudagrass (Cynodonspp.) Sprig Establishment

Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon(L.) Pers. ♯ CYNDA ‘Vamont’, ‘Midiron’, andCynodon dactylonXCynodon transvaalensisBurlt-Davy ♯ CYNTR ‘Tifway’] cultivars were tolerant to oxadiazon [2-tert-butyl-4(2,4-dichloro-5-isopropoxyphenyl)-Δ2-1, 3,4-oxadiazolin-5-one] applied at rates up to 4.5 kg ai/ha during sprig establishment. The rate of shoot growth from sprigs after oxadiazon treatment was excellent and provided adequate ground cover within 3 months. Oxadiazon applications adversely affected root development of the Midiron cultivar as measured by the force required to uproot the sod. Root development of Vamont and Tifway after oxadiazon application was equal to that of untreated bermudagrass. Oxadiazon plus bensulide [O,O-diisopropyl phosphorodithioateS-ester withN-(2-mercaptoethyl)benzenesulfonamide] was inhibitory to both root and shoot growth of all cultivars. Metribuzin [4-amino-6-tert-butyl-3-(methylthio)-as-triazin-5(4H)-one] applications at 3 and 5 weeks after sprigging caused severe root injury to Vamont and Midiron bermudagrass.