Investigating the practicality of using radio tracking to determine home range and movements of Picathartidae

Radiotelemetry is an important tool used to aid the understanding and conservation of cryptic and rare birds. The two bird species of the family Picathartidae are little-known, secretive, forest-dwelling birds endemic to western and central Africa. In 2005, we conducted a radio-tracking trial of Grey-necked Picathartes Picathartes oreas in the Mbam Minkom Mountain Forest, southern Cameroon, using neck collar (two birds) and tail-mounted (four birds) transmitters to investigate the practicality of radio-tracking Picathartidae. Three birds with tail-mounted transmitters were successfully tracked with the fourth, though not relocated for radio tracking, resighted the following breeding season. Two of these were breeding birds that continued to provision young during radio tracking. One neck-collared bird was found dead three days after transmitter attachment and the other neither relocated nor resighted. As mortality in one bird was potentially caused by the neck collar transmitter we recommend tail-mounted transmitters in future radio-tracking studies of Picathartidae. Home ranges, shown using minimum convex polygon and kernel estimation methods, were generally small (<0.5 km(2)) and centred around breeding sites. A minimum of 60 fixes were found to be sufficient for home range estimation.

Radio frequency energy harvesting in wireless sensor networks

As a vital factor affecting system cost and lifetime, energy consumption in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has been paid much attention to. This article presents a new approach to making use of electromagnetic energy from useless radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted in WSNs, with a quantitative analysis showing its feasibility. A mechanism to harvest the energy either passively or actively is proposed.

Meteorology and climate inspire secondary school students

As part of its National Science and Engineering Week activities in 2009 and 2010, the University of Reading organised two open days for 60 local key stage 4 pupils. The theme of both open days was ‘How do we predict weather and climate?’ Making use of the students’ familiarity with weather and climate, several concepts of relevance to secondary science were investigated. The open days also provided an opportunity for more than 30 research staff from the university to interact with the students. Feedback from students and teachers was extremely positive. This article shows how meteorological science can be used to illustrate elements of the secondary science and mathematics curricula.

Distributed acceleration of mobile radio network optimisation algorithms

The past decade has witnessed explosive growth of mobile subscribers and services. With the purpose of providing better-swifter-cheaper services, radio network optimisation plays a crucial role but faces enormous challenges. The concept of Dynamic Network Optimisation (DNO), therefore, has been introduced to optimally and continuously adjust network configurations, in response to changes in network conditions and traffic. However, the realization of DNO has been seriously hindered by the bottleneck of optimisation speed performance. An advanced distributed parallel solution is presented in this paper, as to bridge the gap by accelerating the sophisticated proprietary network optimisation algorithm, while maintaining the optimisation quality and numerical consistency. The ariesoACP product from Arieso Ltd serves as the main platform for acceleration. This solution has been prototyped, implemented and tested. Real-project based results exhibit a high scalability and substantial acceleration at an average speed-up of 2.5, 4.9 and 6.1 on a distributed 5-core, 9-core and 16-core system, respectively. This significantly outperforms other parallel solutions such as multi-threading. Furthermore, augmented optimisation outcome, alongside high correctness and self-consistency, have also been fulfilled. Overall, this is a breakthrough towards the realization of DNO.

Acceleration of radio network optimisation algorithms

The increasing demand for cheaper-faster-better services anytime and anywhere has made radio network optimisation much more complex than ever before. In order to dynamically optimise the serving network, Dynamic Network Optimisation (DNO), is proposed as the ultimate solution and future trend. The realization of DNO, however, has been hindered by a significant bottleneck of the optimisation speed as the network complexity grows. This paper presents a multi-threaded parallel solution to accelerate complicated proprietary network optimisation algorithms, under a rigid condition of numerical consistency. ariesoACP product from Arieso Ltd serves as the platform for parallelisation. This parallel solution has been benchmarked and results exhibit a high scalability and a run-time reduction by 11% to 42% based on the technology, subscriber density and blocking rate of a given network in comparison with the original version. Further, it is highly essential that the parallel version produces equivalent optimisation quality in terms of identical optimisation outputs.

Large-scale and synoptic meteorology in the south-east Pacific during the observations campaign VOCALS-REx in austral Spring 2008

We present a descriptive overview of the meteorology in the south eastern subtropical Pacific (SEP) during the VOCALS-REx intensive observations campaign which was carried out between October and November 2008. Mainly based on data from operational analyses, forecasts, reanalysis, and satellite observations, we focus on spatio-temporal scales from synoptic to planetary. A climatological context is given within which the specific conditions observed during the campaign are placed, with particular reference to the relationships between the large-scale and the regional circulations. The mean circulations associated with the diurnal breeze systems are also discussed. We then provide a summary of the day-to-day synoptic-scale circulation, air-parcel trajectories, and cloud cover in the SEP during VOCALS-REx. Three meteorologically distinct periods of time are identified and the large-scale causes for their different character are discussed. The first period was characterised by significant variability associated with synoptic-scale systems interesting the SEP; while the two subsequent phases were affected by planetary-scale disturbances with a slower evolution. The changes between initial and later periods can be partly explained from the regular march of the annual cycle, but contributions from subseasonal variability and its teleconnections were important. Across the whole of the two months under consideration we find a significant correlation between the depth of the inversion-capped marine boundary layer (MBL) and the amount of low cloud in the area of study. We discuss this correlation and argue that at least as a crude approximation a typical scaling may be applied relating MBL and cloud properties with the large-scale parameters of SSTs and tropospheric temperatures. These results are consistent with previously found empirical relationships involving lower-tropospheric stability.

The determinants of competitive success in the interwar British radio industry

This article discusses the sources of competitive advantage in the interwar British radio industry. Specifically, it examines why sections of the industry that reaped substantial monopoly rents from the downstream value chain failed to dominate the industry. During the 1920s Marconi (which controlled the fundamental UK patents) had a key cost advantage, as had other members of the ‘Big Six’ electrical engineering firms which formed the BBC and were granted preferential royalties. Meanwhile the valve manufacturers' cartel was also able to extract high rents from set manufacturers. The vertical integration literature suggests that input monopolists have incentives to control downstream production. Yet—in contrast to the gramophone industry, which became concentrated into two huge companies following market saturation in the 1930s—radio retained a much more competitive structure. The Big Six failed to capitalize fully on their initial cost advantages owing to logistical weaknesses in supplying markets subject to rapid technical and design obsolescence. Subsequently, during the 1930s, marketing innovations are shown to have played a key role in allowing several independents to establish successful brands. This gave them sufficient scale to provide strong bargaining positions with input suppliers, negating most of their initial cost disadvantage.

Problem-based learning approaches in meteorology

Problem-Based Learning, despite recent controversies about its effectiveness, is used extensively as a teaching method throughout higher education. In meteorology, there has been little attempt to incorporate Problem-Based Learning techniques into the curriculum. Motivated by a desire to enhance the reflective engagement of students within a current field course module, this project describes the implementation of two test Problem-Based Learning activities and testing and improvement using several different and complementary means of evaluation. By the end of a 2-year program of design, implementation, testing, and reflection and re-evaluation, two robust, engaging activities have been developed that provide an enhanced and diverse learning environment in the field course. The results suggest that Problem-Based Learning techniques would be a useful addition to the meteorology curriculum and suggestions for courses and activities that may benefit from this approach are included in the conclusions.

Meteorology, air quality, and health in London: the ClearfLo project

The ClearfLo project provides integrated measurements of the meteorology, composition and particulate loading of London's urban atmosphere to improve predictive capability for air quality. Air quality and heat are strong health drivers and their accurate assessment and forecast are important in densely populated urban areas. However, the sources and processes leading to high concentrations of main pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and fine and coarse particulate matter in complex urban areas are not fully understood, limiting our ability to forecast air quality accurately. This paper introduces the ClearfLo project's interdisciplinary approach to investigate the processes leading to poor air quality and elevated temperatures. Within ClearfLo (www.clearflo.ac.uk), a large multi-institutional project funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), integrated measurements of meteorology, gaseous and particulate composition/loading within London's atmosphere were undertaken to understand the processes underlying poor air quality. Long-term measurement infrastructure installed at multiple levels (street and elevated), and at urban background, kerbside and rural locations were complemented with high-resolution numerical atmospheric simulations . Combining these (measurement/modeling) enhances understanding of seasonal variations in meteorology and composition together with the controlling processes. Two intensive observation periods (winter 2012 and summer Olympics 2012) focus upon the vertical structure and evolution of the urban boundary layer, chemical controls on nitrogen dioxide and ozone production, in particular the role of volatile organic compounds, and processes controlling the evolution, size, distribution and composition of particulate matter. The paper shows that mixing heights are deeper over London than in the rural surroundings and the seasonality of the urban boundary layer evolution controls when concentrations peak. The composition also reflects the seasonality of sources such as domestic burning and biogenic emissions.

Simple M-factor algorithm for improved estimation of the basic maximum usable frequency of radio waves reflected from the ionospheric F-region

The equations of Milsom are evaluated, giving the ground range and group delay of radio waves propagated via the horizontally stratified model ionosphere proposed by Bradley and Dudeney. Expressions for the ground range which allow for the effects of the underlying E- and F1-regions are used to evaluate the basic maximum usable frequency or M-factors for single F-layer hops. An algorithm for the rapid calculation of the M-factor at a given range is developed, and shown to be accurate to within 5%. The results reveal that the M(3000)F2-factor scaled from vertical-incidence ionograms using the standard URSI procedure can be up to 7.5% in error. A simple addition to the algorithm effects a correction to ionogram values to make these accurate to 0.5%.