Proposal for Research and Development of Research Tools: “The Role of Theory in Understanding and Resolving the Reliability Crisis”

This is a copy of a successful German Science Foundation application proposing to conduct research on the reliability of science, and to develop applications that can help address this reliability. It focuses on the role of theory and causal inference from a meta-perspective.

Testing approaches to simulate drainage from the canopy in interception models

<p>Drainage from the canopy is one of the sub-processes described in conceptual interception models. In theory, this refers to rainfall water that is temporally stored on the canopy and starts to drip down, when the canopy is saturated. In most Rutter-type models, storage in the canopy is described as a single linear storage (in multilayer models as a storage cascade) from which the drainage occurs after a saturation value is reached. For a precise simulation of the timing and amount of canopy drainage, this approach appears to be insufficient. E.g., with large time-steps and highly filled storage, drainage rates can become larger than the precipitation intensity, leading to a negative storage.</p><p>In our study, we present a review of different approaches to simulate drainage according to literature. We test those approaches using the interception model <em>CanWat</em>, which allows temporally and spatially resolved simulations of the relevant processes. <em>CanWat</em> relies on a vegetation model derived from terrestrial laser scans for a detailed description of the stand. <em>CanWat</em> is written in R language allowing to process multi-annual time series for a study area up to 1 km² with a spatial resolution of 1 m<sup>3</sup> on a PC. For validation purposes, we use rain events that are available from long-term continuous measurements of interception in a spruce stand (mainly <em>Picea abies</em>; a continuous flux site since started within EUROFLUX in 1996) within the Tharandter Wald Southwest of Dresden.</p><p>We outline benefits and limitations of each approach and evaluate which one best fits the needs for a precise simulation of the timing and amount of canopy drainage. The implementation and refinement of the most suitable drainage simulation approach into CanWat is part of the overall attempt to improve the model description of the interception process being the focus of a German Science Foundation (DFG BE-1721/23-1) interception project.</p>

Preface

The 19th International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry (ISPC-19) was held at Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany, from 26 to 31 July 2009 under the sponsorship of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the International Plasma Chemistry Society (IPCS), and under the patronage of the Ministry of Innovation, Science, Research and Technology of North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany. Bochum also served as the host venue for ISPC-10 in 1991, and this return occasion of ISPC-19 was co-sponsored by the German Science Foundation, the Ruhr-University Bochum, and the town of Bochum.ISPC is a bi-annual international conference with topics encompassing the complete areas of plasma chemistry and plasma processing science. Almost 650 participants from over 40 countries presented 682 papers. Six plenary speakers and 22 topical invited speakers covered a broad range of topics. These keynote lectures were complemented by 105 oral contributions and about 530 poster presentations in 16 categorized scientific topics. The large number of papers reflects that the current field of plasma chemistry is lively and evolving, and crosses the borders between many disciplines ranging from natural to engineering sciences.This issue of Pure and Applied Chemistry contains 13 papers based on plenary lectures and topical invited talks presented at ISPC-19. This compilation illustrates very well that the traditional distinction between low-pressure and thermal high-pressure plasmas almost disappears; the current research topics on microplasmas and microplasma jets exhibit many similarities if compared to research on conventional arcs used for thermal spraying. We sincerely hope that this issue provides readers an overview of current and future scientific developments.Achim von KeudellConference ChairJörg WinterConference Co-Chair

SFB/TR 14 AVACS – Automatic Verification and Analysis of Complex Systems (Der Sonderforschungsbereich/Transregio 14 AVACS – Automatische Verifikation und Analyse komplexer Systeme)

The Transregional Collaborative Research Center AVACS integrates the three sites Freiburg, Oldenburg, and Saarbrücken, and addresses the challenge of pushing the borderline for automatic verification and analysis of complex systems. A particular focus of the project is on models of complex transportation systems and their safety requirements. AVACS is organized in ten subprojects, each teaming researchers from all sites, and is funded by the German Science Foundation since January 1, 2004. This article surveys scope, organization, and research directions of AVACS, including pointers to key publications.

Transregional Collaborative Research Center SFB/TR 8 Spatial Cognition: Reasoning, Action, Interaction (Sonderforschungsbereich/Transregio SFB/TR 8 Raumkognition: Schließen, Handeln, Interagieren)

SummuryThe Transregional Collaborative Research Center SFB/TR 8 Spatial Cognition was established by the German Science Foundation (DFG) at the Universities of Bremen and Freiburg in January 2003. 13 Research projects pursue interdisciplinary research on intelligent spatial information processing. This article introduces the research field of spatial cognition and reports on aspects from cognitive psychology, cognitive robotics, linguistics, and artificial intelligence.