Construction of Nominal Ionospheric Gradient Using Satellite Pair Method Based on GNSS CORS Observation in Indonesia

Ground-Based Augmentation System (GBAS) is a GNSS augmentation system that meets International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirements to support precision approach and landing. GBAS is based on the local differential GNSS technique with reference stations located around the airport to provide necessary integrity and accuracy. The performance of the GBAS system can be affected by the gradient in the ionospheric delay between the aircraft and the reference stations. A nominal ionospheric gradient, which is bounded by a conservative error bound, is represented by a parameter σvig. σvig was commonly determined using station pair to GNSS Continuous Operating Reference Station (CORS) data. The station pair method is susceptible to doubling of receiver bias error and is not suitable with the CORS conditions in Indonesia. We propose a satellite pair method that is found to be more suitable for the CORS network over Indonesia which is centered in Java and Sumatra islands. The value of σvig (4.48 mm/km) is obtained using this method along with the preliminary results of a comparison of σvig from Java and Sumatra islands.

Optimization of the “in-silico” mate-pair method improved contiguity and accuracy of genome assembly

A combination of next-generation sequencing technologies and mate-pair libraries of large insert sizes is used as a standard method to generate genome assemblies with high contiguity. The third-generation sequencing techniques also are used to improve the quality of assembled genomes. However, both mate-pair libraries and the third-generation libraries require high-molecular-weight DNA, making the use of these libraries inappropriate for samples with only degraded DNA. An in silico method that generates mate-pair libraries using a reference genome was devised for the task of assembling target genomes. Although the contiguity and completeness of assembled genomes were significantly improved by this method, a high level of errors manifested in the assembly, further to which the methods for using reference genomes were not optimized. Here, we tested different strategies for using reference genomes to generate in silico mate-pairs. The results showed that using a closely related reference genome from the same genus was more effective than using divergent references. Conservation of in silico mate-pairs by comparing two references and using those to guide genome assembly reduced the number of misassemblies (18.6% – 46.1%) and increased the contiguity of assembled genomes (9.7% – 70.7%), while maintaining gene completeness at a level that was either similar or marginally lower than that obtained via the current method. Finally, we compared the optimized method with another reference-guided assembler, RaGOO. We found that RaGOO produced longer scaffolds (17.8 Mbp vs 3.0 Mbp), but resulted in a much higher misassembly rate (85.68%) than our optimized in silico mate-pair method.

Early warning of systemic risk in global banking: eigen-pair R number for financial contagion and market price-based methods

We analyse systemic risk in the core global banking system using a new network-based spectral eigen-pair method, which treats network failure as a dynamical system stability problem. This is compared with market price-based Systemic Risk Indexes, viz. Marginal Expected Shortfall, Delta Conditional Value-at-Risk, and Conditional Capital Shortfall Measure of Systemic Risk in a cross-border setting. Unlike paradoxical market price based risk measures, which underestimate risk during periods of asset price booms, the eigen-pair method based on bilateral balance sheet data gives early-warning of instability in terms of the tipping point that is analogous to the R number in epidemic models. For this regulatory capital thresholds are used. Furthermore, network centrality measures identify systemically important and vulnerable banking systems. Market price-based SRIs are contemporaneous with the crisis and they are found to covary with risk measures like VaR and betas.

An Appliance Scheduling System for Residential Energy Management

In this work, an Appliance Scheduling-based Residential Energy Management System (AS-REMS) for reducing electricity cost and avoiding peak demand while keeping user comfort is presented. In AS-REMS, based on the effects of starting times of appliances on user comfort and the user attendance during their operations, appliances are divided into two classes in terms of controllability: MC-controllable (allowed to be scheduled by the Main Controller) and user-controllable (allowed to be scheduled only by a user). Use of all appliances are monitored in the considered home for a while for recording users’ appliance usage preferences and habits on each day of the week. Then, for each MC-controllable appliance, preferred starting times are determined and prioritized according to the recorded user preferences on similar days. When scheduling, assigned priorities of starting times of these appliances are considered for maintaining user comfort, while the tariff rate is considered for reducing electricity cost. Moreover, expected power consumptions of user-controllable appliances corresponding to the recorded user habits and power consumptions of MC-controllable appliances corresponding to the assigned starting times are considered for avoiding peak demand. The corresponding scheduling problem is solved by Brute-Force Closest Pair method. AS-REMS reduces the peak demand levels by 45% and the electricity costs by 39.6%, while provides the highest level of user comfort by 88%. Thus, users’ appliance usage preferences are sustained at a lower cost while their comfort is kept impressively.

INTERCROPPING TO IMPROVE EGG FERTILISATION RATES

In assessing the productivity of the parent flock, one of the most important indicators is the productivity of brood males. For the productive use of brood males, the interspiking method is used. Interspiking is the exchange of 25–30% of males between sections of the house of the same flock, which produces a similar response to increased mating activity as in normal stocking. The effect lasts for 6-8 weeks. The advantage of interspiking is that the males that are swapped are already trained to mate, have the same mass and maturity as the bulk of the males in the house, which significantly increases their chances of success. During the research period, two groups of birds of the parent flock of the Cobb-500 cross were formed using the analog pair method. In the first group, normal mating was used. And in the second group, the interspiking method was used at the age of 36 weeks, in which 25% of the males from the total population were exchanged between poultry houses. The conditions for keeping and feeding the parent flock were the same. Live weight indicators in the second group slightly exceed those of the first group. Thus, the live weight of females after entering the parent herd workshop in the first group was 2194 g, and males - 2793 g, in the second group - 2240 and 2997 g, respectively. At the age of 36 weeks, the live weight of chickens in the second group was higher by 1.8% (3420 g), cockerels - by 0.8%, and amounted to 4012 g. Fertility of eggs in group II is higher by 1.2% (84.9%) than in the first (83.7%), hatchability in group II slightly exceeds this indicator by 0.5% than in group I and amounted to 87, 2 and 86.7%, respectively. The hatching of day-old chickens in group I was 72.6%, in group II it increased by 1.4% and amounted to 74%. Safety in both groups was at a high level and amounted to 92.9 and 93.2%. The gross collection of eggs in group I amounted to 2087.83 thousand pieces, in group II - 2272.34 thousand pieces.

Estimation of Uncertainty in Airborne LiDAR Inventories Using Approaches Based on Bootstrapping-Pairs Methods

LiDAR inventories were carried out to estimate the mean volume and variance in Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus nitens stands. Uncertainty of the population estimates was examined using approximations based on the bootstrap method. Three methods were tested, the traditional bootstrapping-pair method (Method 1) and two additional methods in which the residual variance of the models was incorporated. Method 2 incorporated the residual variance in homoscedastic structure and Method 3 incorporated the heteroscedastic residual variance. Bootstrapping-pairs based on Method 3 generated similar estimates for the mean volume and slightly higher estimates for the variance as the traditional method (Method 1). Variance estimates obtained with the traditional bootstrapping-pairs method could be biased due to the presence of heteroscedasticity. Method 3 was found to best estimate the variance of the mean volume in LiDAR inventories, when the models that describe the relationship between stand variables and LiDAR metrics do not meet the assumption of homoscedasticity. It is shown that the uncertainty of the estimation of the average volume decreased in stands with a larger area, stabilizing the uncertainty of estimates in stands with areas larger than 50 hectares. Our results suggest that the residual variance in the heteroscedastic structure must be incorporated to avoid bias when bootstrapping-pairs are used in small area stands (less than 5 hectares).

A fine balance: specialized questioning techniques and their use in conservation

Conservationists measuring noncompliance with rules about the exploitation of natural resources often need to ask sensitive questions. However, respondents can introduce bias through distorting their answers to direct questions, due to social norms and/or the risk of legal sanctions. Specialized Questioning Techniques (SQTs) are often a more suitable approach to counteracting respondent bias, as they encourage honest answering by protecting respondent’s privacy by design. This study aims to provide a complete overview of the main SQTs, as well as about their most recent advances.We performed a scoping review of existing SQTs, starting from those covered in Nuno and St. John (2015). We included techniques that have never been explained to conservationists before, and/or that were invented after 2015, or which had advanced and improved since Nuno and St. John (2015).Our review identified 9 different broad types of SQTs, defined according to their practical implementation. We found 18 new versions of the randomized response technique, the unmatched count technique, the item sum technique, the triangular model and the crosswise model. We also discuss endorsement experiments and the ballot box method, which have not been covered in a review for the benefit of conservationists. Finally, we found four new SQTs: the parallel model, the pair method, the list method and the person count technique. Each technique is explained with real, or hypothetical, examples and discussed in its advantages and limitations.SQTs have undergone an impressive development over the last few years, and many different techniques are available to elicit sensitive behaviors with implications for conservation. This research offers a summary to conservationists and practitioners who want to understand SQTs and integrate them in their work, which should be a priority for those studying sensitive behaviors with implications for conservation.

GROWTH AND MEAT PRODUCTIVITY OF LIMOUSIN CATTLE UNDER THE CONDITION OF STABLE SYSTEM IN CENTRAL CHERNOZEMIE REGION OF RUSSIA

Проведен анализ роста и мясной продуктивности молодняка лимузинской породы в условиях стойлового содержания Центрально-Черноземной зоны РФ. Для проведения опыта были сформированы 2 группы животных методом пар-аналогов с учетом возраста и живой массы. В работе представлен анализ прижизненной оценки интенсивности роста бычков и телочек по результатам динамики изменения живой массы крупного рогатого скота в возрастном аспекте. Установлено, что за время развития (1—19 мес) бычки превосходили телочек по живой массе на 160,2 кг, или 25,9%. Выявлены особенности развития в различные физиологические периоды. Оценку мясной продуктивности, которая формируется у хорошо развитых животных с крепким костяком и отличной оформленностью мышечной ткани, проводили по результатам контрольного убоя в 19 мес по предубойной живой массе, массе парной туши, выходу туши, массе и выходу внутреннего жира, убойной массе и убойному выходу. Был получен высокий убойный выход (62,0%) за счет более мощного развития мышечной ткани в тушах, что является особенностью мясных пород крупного рогатого скота французской селекции. The analysis of growth and meat productivity of the growing stock of Limousin cattle under the condition of stable system in Central Chernozemie region of Russia has been carried out. 2 groups of animals were formed according to analogue pair method taking into account their age and live weight to conduct the experiment. The article presents the analysis of intravital assessment of growth intensity of bulls and heifers according to the results of dynamics of live weight change in cattle with regards to age aspect. It was determined that during the time of development (1—19 months) live weight of bulls exceeded that of heifers by 160.2 kg or 25.9%. Special aspects of development during various physiological periods were identified. Evaluation of meat productivity, which is formed in well-developed animals with strong skeletal frame and excellently formed muscular tissue, was carried out according to the results of control slaughter at the age of 19 month taking the following into account: pre-slaughter live weight, hot carcass weight, carcass yield, internal fat weight and yield, slaughter weight, and slaughter yield. High slaughter yield (62.0%) was connected to more pronounced development of muscular tissue in carcasses, which is an individual characteristic of beef breeds of cattle of French breeding.