Data-intensive technologies such as precision agriculture require new approaches for acquisition of soil data on landscapes. We compared the ability of near infrared (NIR; 400–2500 nm) and mid infrared (MIR; 2,500– 25,000 nm) spectroscopy for field-scale acquisition of soil fertility parameters. Samples were obtained in a grid pattern (25 m spacing) from the surface (0–10 cm) and sub-surface (1...

We consider team optimal control of decentralized systems with linear dynamics, quadratic costs, and arbitrary disturbance that consist of multiple sub-populations with exchangeable agents (i.e., exchanging two agents within the same sub-population does not affect the dynamics or the cost). Such a system is equivalent to one where the dynamics and costs are coupled across agents through the mea...

We investigated the mechanisms of Hg sorption onto biochars produced from Brazilian pepper (BP; Schinus terebinthifolius) at 300, 450, and 600 °C using different analytical techniques. The Hg sorption capacity of BP300, BP450, and BP600 was 24.2, 18.8, and 15.1 mg g(-1) based on Langmuir isotherm. FTIR data suggested the participation of phenolic hydroxyl and carboxylic groups in Hg sorption by...

We prove that the expectation of the binomial distribution of order k with success probability p is monotonically increasing with respect to p for all n and k. The result is extended to the problems on exchangeable random sequences and expectations of distributions of mixtures of binomial distributions of order k are studied. If the mixing measure is stochastically increasing with respect to it...

Road salt deicers, especially NaCl and CaCl2, are increasingly applied to paved areas throughout the world. The goal of this study is to investigate the influence of high concentrations of these salts on wetland biogeochemistry. Sediment cores were collected in fall and spring from a freshwater wetland fringing an urban kettle lake (Asylum Lake, Kalamazoo, MI, USA), and incubated for 100 days i...

potassium (k) is an essential element for plant growth and development and its importance in agriculture is well known. it plays an important role in improving the quality of agricultural products. besides, micaceous minerals are abundant in iranian soils. the role of plant species in potassium uptake from minerals is significant; but not well investigated. therefore, the objective of this rese...

A sequence of random variables is exchangeable if its joint distribution is invariant under variable permutations. We introduce exchangeable variable models (EVMs) as a novel class of probabilistic models whose basic building blocks are partially exchangeable sequences, a generalization of exchangeable sequences. We prove that a family of tractable EVMs is optimal under zeroone loss for a large...

Acid deposition and repeated biomass harvest have decreased soil calcium (Ca) availability in many temperate forests worldwide, yet existing methods for assessing available soil Ca do not fully characterize soil Ca forms. To account for discrepancies in ecosystem Ca budgets, it has been hypothesized that the highly insoluble biomineral Ca oxalate might represent an additional soil Ca pool that ...

Results are presented from 1 year batch experiments where K-rich hyperalkaline pH 13.5 young cement water (YCW) was reacted with sediments to investigate the effect of high pH, mineral alteration, and secondary mineral precipitation on (90)Sr sorption. After reaction with YCW, Sr sorption was found to be greater than 75% in all samples up to 365 days and 98% in a sample reacted for 365 days at ...

The disposal of industri al eftluents is a problem of increasing importance throughout the world. In Indi a, a huge amount of waste water generated from distillery and paper industri es is discharged on land or into the running water. Di stillery waste water is characterized by low pH, hi gh BOD and COD values and contains a high percentage of organic and inorganic material s. This waste water ...