Similar Regimes Research Articles

Transfer Learning for Detection of Combustion Instability Via Symbolic Time-Series Analysis

Abstract Transfer learning (TL) is a machine learning (ML) tool where the knowledge, acquired from a source domain, is “transferred” to perform a task in a target domain that has (to some extent) a similar setting. The underlying concept does not require the ML method to analyze a new problem from the beginning, and thereby both the learning time and the amount of required target-domain data are reduced for training. An example is the occurrence of thermoacoustic instability (TAI) in combustors, which may cause pressure oscillations, possibly leading to flame extinction as well as undesirable vibrations in the mechanical structures. In this situation, it is difficult to collect useful data from industrial combustion systems, due to the transient nature of TAI phenomena. A feasible solution is the usage of prototypes or emulators, like a Rijke tube, to produce largely similar phenomena. This paper proposes symbolic time-series analysis (STSA)-based TL, where the key idea is to develop a capability of discrimination between stable and unstable operations of a combustor, based on the time-series of pressure oscillations from a data source that contains sufficient information, even if it is not the target regime, and then transfer the learnt models to the target regime. The proposed STSA-based pattern classifier is trained on a previously validated numerical model of a Rijke-tube apparatus. The knowledge of this trained classifier is transferred to classify similar operational regimes in: (i) an experimental Rijke-tube apparatus and (ii) an experimental combustion system apparatus. Results of the proposed TL have been validated by comparison with those of two shallow neural networks (NNs)-based TL and another NN having an additional long short-term memory (LSTM) layer, which serve as benchmarks, in terms of classification accuracy and computational complexity.

Improvement of the properties of additively manufactured steel parts by combination of heat treatment and hard coatings

In additive manufacturing using SLM (selective laser melting), the maraging steel 1.2709 is often used to produce metallic components for various applications. The work piece properties depend on the process control in the additive process, but also on the heat treatment and the final processing. Here, the heat treatment and the used finishing processes lead to changes in the work piece and material properties (e.g. residual stresses, strength). As part of the international “Ad-Proc-Add” project, the presented work took into account individual process steps of the process chain with consideration of: additive manufacturing - pre-treatment - functionalization - final processing when using different materials. In investigations of additive manufacturing of the material 1.2709, it could be proven that the thermal treatment determines the mechanical properties of the components. A PVD coating process was used to replace the usual heat treatment. Similar temperature-time regimes during the coating resulted in mechanical properties comparable to conventionally heat-treated additively manufactured components. In addition to modifying the microstructure and the component properties, the PVD coatings improve the surface wear resistance up to more than 60%. Further investigations to improve the adhesion strength of the coatings are planned.

Hemodynamic response to sensory stimulation in mice: Comparison between functional ultrasound and optoacoustic imaging

Intense efforts are underway to develop functional imaging modalities for capturing brain activity at the whole organ scale with high spatial and temporal resolution. Functional optoacoustic (fOA) imaging is emerging as a new tool to monitor multiple hemodynamic parameters across the mouse brain, but its sound validation against other neuroimaging modalities is often lacking. Here we investigate mouse brain responses to peripheral sensory stimulation using both fOA and functional ultrasound (fUS) imaging. The two modalities operate under similar spatio-temporal resolution regime, with a potential to provide synergistic and complementary hemodynamic readouts. Specific contralateral activation was observed with sub-millimeter spatial resolution with both methods. Sensitivity to hemodynamic activity was found to be on comparable levels, with the strongest responses obtained in the oxygenated hemoglobin channel of fOA. While the techniques attained highly correlated hemodynamic responses, the differential fOA readings of oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin provided complementary information to the blood flow contrast of fUS. The multi-modal approach may thus emerge as a powerful tool providing new insights into brain function, complementing our current knowledge generated with well-established neuroimaging methods.

Hybrid networks reveal contrasting effects of agricultural intensification on antagonistic and mutualistic motifs

Abstract Anthropogenic‐driven perturbations such as agricultural intensification can affect simultaneously and distinctly several species groups and ecosystem functions. Unveiling these concurrent effects on interdependent species groups connected by different types of ecological interactions is a key challenge for ecologists. To this endeavour, hybrid ecological networks arise as a promising tool. In this study, we used bee trap nests to sample hybrid networks that combined mutualistic and antagonistic interactions to explore agricultural intensification effects on the representation of network motifs (i.e. subnetworks showing different interaction types between a small number of species). Also, we assessed the variability of network motif's frequencies on farms under similar management regimes and the dissimilarity between farms under different ones. For this, we implemented a novel approach, calculating network functional spaces based on probability density estimates of network motif's frequencies, using network motifs as traits. Results showed that environmentally friendly practices maximize the representation of mutualistic (cavity nesting bees–plants) and predation (wasps–prey and bees/wasps–antagonists) motifs. In contrast, intensive agriculture favoured generalist and intraguild predation interactions. Lastly, the frequency of motifs representing antagonistic interactions was more inconsistent and unpredictable across sites than mutualistic motifs, especially on intensified farms. Our novel approach, dissecting hybrid networks into their motifs and analysing the functional space defined by these, reported detailed and contrasting effects of agricultural intensification on network motifs that represent the mutualistic and antagonistic interactions in this system. A free plain language summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Do firms profit from patent litigation? The contingent roles of diversification and intangible assets

Prior research suggests that firms’ ability to benefit from their technologies is determined by the strength of intellectual property (IP) laws and the inimitability of their technologies. We complement this explanation by suggesting that the generation of profits from technology is also driven by how effectively firms engage in patent infringement litigation (i.e., take legal action against their rivals) to create isolating mechanisms and protect their technologies. We contend that patent infringement litigation is characterized by industry and geographic specificity that affect (disproportionately) revenue generation and costs and, therefore, its net effect on firm profitability. By identifying contingencies that influence the economic returns from patent litigation, the analysis helps us understand why firms experience different profitability outcomes even when they operate in similar IP regimes and possess similar portfolios of technologies.

When Animus Matters and Sex Offense Underreporting Does Not: The Sex Offender Registry Regime

In Romer v. Evans the Court drew a constitutional distinction between civil laws enacted for a broad public purpose that justifies “the incidental disadvantages they impose on certain persons,” and laws that have “the peculiar property of imposing a broad and undifferentiated disability on a single named group”. Laws of the second kind “raise the inevitable inference that the disadvantage imposed is born of animosity toward the class of persons affected.” The difficulty lies in deciding when the inference properly becomes a conclusion that the law violates the Equal Protection Clause. The more sweeping and unusual the burdens imposed on the targeted group, the more difficult it may be to discern a common policy explaining them other than the forbidden purpose of harming their targets. At some point the animus inference becomes strong enough to require scrutiny of the laws’ purported rationale, including whether it has any actual basis in fact. An astonishingly broad array of burdens are imposed today on anyone ever convicted of almost any sexual offense of any kind or seriousness, including but extending far beyond inclusion in publicized websites listing “sex offenders.” No similar regime has ever been imposed on any other group of law-abiding former felons who have fully served the sentence for the crime they committed years earlier. This “registry regime” raises an inference of animus at least as strong as in any of the four cases in which the Court sustained such claims, and the explanation that the laws are justified by the clearly valid purpose of reducing the incidence of sexual offending does not survive the scrutiny of scientific studies which find the registry ineffective and often counterproductive. Nor does the fact that many sexual offenses are never reported to law enforcement authorities cast doubt on the validity of those studies or on the legal or policy analyses that employ them. Much of the registry regime must therefore fall under an Anti-Animus principle.

First Focal Mechanisms of Marsquakes

AbstractSince February 2019, NASA's InSight lander is recording seismic signals on the planet Mars, which, for the first time, allows to observe ongoing tectonic processes with geophysical methods. A number of Marsquakes have been located in the Cerberus Fossae graben system in Elysium Planitia and further west, in the Orcus Patera depression. We present a first study of the focal mechanisms of three well‐recorded events (S0173a, S0183a, S0235b) to determine the processes dominating in the source region. We infer for all three events a predominantly extensional setting. Our method is adapted to the case of a single, multicomponent receiver and based on fitting waveforms of P and S waves against synthetic seismograms computed for the initial crustal velocity model derived by the InSight team. We explore the uncertainty due to the single‐station limitation and find that even data recorded by one station constrains the mechanisms (reasonably) well. For the events in the Cerberus Fossae region (S0173a, S0235b) normal faulting with a relatively steep dipping fault plane is inferred, suggesting an extensional regime mainly oriented E‐W to NE‐SW. The fault regime in the Orcus Patera region is not determined uniquely because only the P wave can be used for the source inversion. However, we find that the P and weak S waves of the S0183a event show similar polarities to the event S0173, which indicates similar fault regimes.

Occurrence of physiological browning disorders in stored ‘Braeburn’ apples as influenced by orchard and weather conditions

Physiological storage disorders continue to cause sizable economic losses in a range of commercially important pomefruit cultivars. Given similar storage regimes, the incidence and severity of browning disorders in the apple cultivar ‘Braeburn’ can vary in different years in a way that can be explained by the interaction of preharvest seasonal and orchard factors. Over a three-year period (2016–2019) at the Kompetenzzentrum Obstbau Bodensee (KOB) in Southwest Germany a range of orchard and storage treatments were conducted for: air temperature during cell division for three weeks post petalfall or during four weeks preharvest, and crop load. Following controlled atmosphere (CA) storage, the disorder incidence for internal browning and cavity formation varied markedly over the three different growing seasons. Crop load treatments strongly influenced the expression of browning disorders in all years. Differences in air temperatures (△ +/- 2 °C compared to ambient) during the cell division period showed little effect on browning incidence. Warm night temperatures (>10 °C) prior to harvest can reduce internal browning in ‘Braeburn’ apples during CA storage and shelf-life.

Fire Management Effects on Long‐Term Gopher Tortoise Population Dynamics

ABSTRACTLong‐term datasets are required to understand the response of long‐lived organisms (e.g., gopher tortoises [Gopherus polyphemus]) to management actions, such as prescribed burns. Our objective was to estimate the effects of prescribed burning on gopher tortoise population dynamics over decadal time frames at Fort Stewart Army Reserve, southeastern Georgia, USA. We captured and marked adult tortoises from 1994–2020. In addition, since the early 1990s, managers at Fort Stewart collected spatial records of prescribed burns; thus, we could compare demography of the population to prescribed burning. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model (open population Jolly‐Seber model) to estimate population parameters (emigration and survival, immigration and recruitment, and adult abundance) and their relationships with years since burn. We observed opposing responses to years since burn at 2 sites: abundance and the probability of staying (survival plus not emigrating) increased within 1 site when it had been more recently burned (F zones), but abundance and probability of staying in a second site increased when it had been longer since the site was burned (E zones). Some of these effects were weak but indicative of different responses to burning between the sites. Although the sites experienced similar burning regimes, they differed substantially in other habitat features: the F zones had almost twice the tree cover and lower soil sand composition, indicating that tortoise population responses to burning depend on habitat context. We inferred that the primary mechanism for demographic responses to years since burn was likely emigrating adults, which indicates the need for more detailed movement data. Our results demonstrate that gopher tortoise population responses to prescribed burning are complex, context dependent, and primarily influenced by tortoise movements. Therefore, prescribed burn plans may best accommodate spatially dynamic tortoise populations when they create spatial heterogeneity in burn ages within the range of typical tortoise movements. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.

Issues of Feeding Strategy for Lactating Cows in Vietnamese Smallholder Dairy Farms.

Simple SummaryMilk productivity of Vietnamese smallholder dairy cows is reported to be relatively low. Thorough analysis of lactating cow diets and feeding regimes in those smallholder dairy farms could help define the limitations of diets and feeding regimes relative to milk production. This study analysed and compared the feeding regimes and nutrient balance for lactating cows among four typical dairy regions including both highlands and lowlands located in both the north and south of Vietnam and evaluated the possibility of systematic dietary imbalance. The results show that the diets in all regions were excessive in protein, fibre and most mineral concentrations but insufficient in energy and non-fibre carbohydrates. The most used roughages including Napier grass, corn silage, fresh corn with cob, and rice straw were all relatively high in fibre concentrations. Feed efficiency of the diets across regions were sub-optimal. Thus, increasing dietary net energy concentration by increasing the use of starch and fat and decreasing the fibre concentration of the diet by decreasing the use of Napier grass or rice straw to balance the diets might help improve the milk production and thereby increase feed efficiency.A limited literature suggests relatively simple feeding regimes and diet formulation strategies for dairy cows in Vietnamese smallholder dairy farms (SDFs). This study aimed to classify and compare feeding regimes and nutrient balance for lactating cows between four typical dairy regions (south lowland, south highland, north lowland, and north highland) in Vietnam and evaluate the possibility of systematic dietary imbalance. Eight SDFs from each of the four regions were visited for two adjacent milking periods per farm. For each visit, frequency and methods of feed and water supply to the lactating cows were recorded, and individual fat corrected milk yield (ECM) of lactating cows were calculated from milk yield and fat concentration. The amount of each diet ingredient offered and refused by each lactating group was weighed and sampled for calculation of dry matter intake per cow (DMI) and analysis of nutrient composition in the component offered. PCDairy, a diet formulation computer model, was used to calculate actual and recommended dietary nutrient concentrations and predict potential milk production. Factor analysis, cluster analysis, and ANOVA were applied to determine grouping effects across as well as between regions. Feeding regimes and diets were grouped into three and nine clusters, respectively. Farmers in the same region tended to apply similar diets and feeding regimes. Across regions, only 47% of all SDFs supplied water ad libitum to the cows. The most used roughages including Napier grass, corn silage, fresh corn with cob, and rice straw were all relatively high in neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL). The diets in all regions were excessive in crude protein, NDF, ADF, ADL, and most minerals (Ca, P, Mg, K, Na, S, Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn) but insufficient in net energy and non-fibre carbohydrate. Feed efficiency (1.06 kg FCM/kg DMI) of the diets were sub-optimal. Feeding regimes and dietary nutrient balance of the south lowland SDFs were most problematic. Increasing dietary net energy concentration by increasing the use of starch and fat and decreasing dietary fibre concentration by decreasing the use of Napier grass or rice straw to balance the diets might help improve the milk production and thereby increase feed efficiency.

Does tax policy fit in the portfolio of COVID-19 responses?

Purpose Tax policymakers are currently navigating a path through a delicate dialectic of macro- and micro-level policy responses to the economic dislocation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this paper is to examine initial tax measures that are aimed at helping taxpayers needing liquidity, solvency and income support. Design/methodology/approach This study undertakes a review of key tax policy responses of six jurisdictions across the globe that have similar tax regimes and virus mitigation strategies (albeit with different outcomes). Key initiatives implemented from February to April 2020 by Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the UK are examined. Findings This study indicates that tax concessions are a crude and mostly ineffective way of assisting individuals and enterprises in difficulty. In the longer term, if the crisis prompts desirable reforms such as extending the recognition of tax losses, the income tax system will emerge fairer and more efficient. Practical implications An investigation of the short-term reforms announced relating to asset write-offs, tax deferral, tax losses and goods and services tax/value-added tax rates in light of the liquidity, income support and stimulus objectives shows that in some cases the policies may have been misguided. The findings can be used by policymakers as the basis for designing better targeted alternative non-tax responses. Originality/value Jurisdictional responses to tax policy reforms during a modern period of significant economic dislocation have yet to be documented in the literature. Specifically, this paper highlights the limitations of tax policy initiatives as a response to financial hardship.

Association of Air Pollution Levels to Atmospheric Weather Regimes over Europe

The ability to link air pollution to weather regimes may help municipalities to activate in advance plans to protect citizens from severe episodes of air pollution. The aim of this work was to associate the atmospheric circulation patterns and air pollution over Berlin using observational data from three air quality monitoring stations (Urban, Suburban and Traffic stations) during the period January 1990 to December 2002, with weather type’s classifications issued in the frame of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology project (COST733). Results obtained in this work shows similar higher ozone (O3) concentrations and weather regime type during the summer season for both the three stations and the two cluster methods used viz. Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) and cluster analysis of principal components (CAP). The highest concentration level of ozone was observed in the suburban station. High pollution that occurred from the particulate matter (PM10) was observed in the urban station during the winter season. The highest nitrogen dioxide (NO2) value was observed in the traffic station during the spring season. However, the traffic station is probably not a very good indicator of the sensitivity of air quality in meteorology, because it is too much affected by local sources.

Evolution of Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity using a modified harmonic formulation

We present numerical solutions of several spacetimes of physical interest, including binary black hole mergers, in shift-symmetric Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet (ESGB) gravity, and describe our methods for solving the full equations of motion, without approximation, for general spacetimes. While we concentrate on the specific example of shift-symmetric ESGB, our methods, which make use of a recently proposed modification to the generalized harmonic formulation, should be generally applicable to all Horndeski theories of gravity (including general relativity). We demonstrate that these methods can stably follow the formation of scalar clouds about initially vacuum nonspinning and spinning black holes for values of the Gauss-Bonnet coupling approaching the maximum value above which the hyperbolicity of the theory breaks down in spherical symmetry. We study the collision of black holes with scalar hair, finding that the theory remains hyperbolic in the spacetime region exterior to the black hole horizons in a similar regime, which includes cases where the deviations from general relativity in the gravitational radiation is appreciable. Finally, we demonstrate that these methods can be used to follow the inspiral and merger of binary black holes in full ESGB gravity. This allows for making predictions for Horndeski theories of gravity in the strong-field and nonperturbative regime, which can confronted with gravitational wave observations, and compared to approximate treatments of modifications to general relativity.

What socio-technical regimes foster solar energy champions? Analysing uneven photovoltaic diffusion at a subnational level in Switzerland

Transitioning to cleaner modes of electricity production requires a major uptake of renewable technologies, including solar photovoltaic (PV). However, the uptake has been spatially uneven within countries and requires more exploration. We analyse the spatial pattern of solar PV growth in Switzerland (76′587 PV projects) by quantifying the features of socio-technical regimes at a subnational level. We combine the multi-level perspective (MLP) framework with the literature on solar PV adoption to select 36 quantitative indicators at the level of 2′212 municipalities. Using principal component analysis and cluster analysis, each municipality’s socio-technical regime is quantitatively assessed and municipalities with similar regime features are clustered together. We find nine clusters of municipalities with different socio-technical regimes and different rates of solar PV uptake. Specifically, solar PV uptake is greater in clusters with more prevalent techno-scientific knowledge and market dimensions of the MLP, in particular agricultural activities, higher education institutions, and innovation activities. Within each cluster, we identify extreme outliers (i.e. municipalities where solar PV is growing much faster) and further analyse them through a comprehensive Internet search. Our results suggest that, given the same national policy, different local actors, such as local authorities, energy companies, and devoted citizens, can accelerate PV uptake using various strategies based on local specificities. Building on these findings, we suggest that knowledge of regime configurations may provide additional tools to create context-specific strategies and more decentralized transformative policies to foster solar PV uptake.

Role of Future Reef Growth on Morphological Response of Coral Reef Islands to Sea‐Level Rise

AbstractCoral reefs are widely recognized for providing a natural breakwater effect that modulates erosion and flooding hazards on low‐lying sedimentary reef islands. Increased water depth across reef platforms due sea‐level rise (SLR) can compromise this breakwater effect and enhance island exposure to these hazards, but reef accretion in response to SLR may positively contribute to island resilience. Morphodynamic studies suggest that reef islands can adjust to SLR by maintaining freeboard (island crest elevation above still water level) through overwash deposition and island accretion, but the impact of different future reef accretion trajectories on the morphological response of islands remains unknown. Here we show, using a process‐based morphodynamic model, that, although reef growth significantly affects wave transformation processes and island morphology, it does not lead to decreased coastal flooding and island inundation. According to the model, reef islands evolve during SLR by attuning their elevation to the maximum wave runup and islands fronted by a growing reef platform attain lower elevations than those without reef growth, but have similar overwash regimes. The mean overwash discharge Qover across the island crest plays a key role in the ability of islands to keep up with SLR and maintain freeboard, with a Qover value of O (10 l m−1 s−1) separating island construction from destruction. Islands, therefore, can grow vertically to keep up with SLR via flooding and overwash if specific forcing and sediment supply conditions are met, offering hope for uninhabited and sparely populated islands. However, this physical island response will negatively impact infrastructure and assets on developed islands.

Collusion-Conflict Abuses and Meng Wanzhou’s Extradition Case

This paper seeks to establish that a legal pluralist analysis of coexisting legal orders identifies their overlapping application and the potential for inconsistent outcomes. Such conflicts can be and are commonly managed. The potential for collusion-conflict, where standards from one order are co-opted by another order, are less commonly explored. Pluralist policing raises particular issues of legitimacy and accountability, especially where features of different interrogation paradigms are grafted between processes. Collusion-conflict risks must likewise be managed, and one mechanism is independent oversight. The CBSA does not currently have the benefit of independent oversight and should be brought under the same or similar regime to that of the RCMP. Both bodies should be subject to independent oversight for collusion-conflict risks to be managed and the potential for abuse reduced.

Development and validation of a mobile bluff-body to understand extreme wind loading

The collection of valuable wind loading data from winds generated by convective events presents a significant challenge to the wind engineering field. The spatial and temporal characteristics of these events make data acquisition challenging. A mobile bluff-body capable of recording wind-induced pressure data during extreme wind events was developed to solve this issue. The bluff-body is called mSWERF3 for mobile Smart Wind Engineering Research Facility. This paper introduces mSWERF3, discussing its design, the scaling techniques, and validation using full-scale data from the Silsoe cube and the Wind Engineering Research Field Laboratory (WERFL) building, and wind tunnel data from the Tokyo Polytechnic University (TPU) Aerodynamic Database. The validation includes a comparison of mean, standard deviation, minimum, and maximum pressure coefficients using the Silsoe and the TPU data, and a comparison of power spectra density of surface pressures on similar flow regimes using the WERFL and the TPU data. The results of these comparisons show that the aerodynamics of mSWERF3 is similar to those in larger full-scale buildings and wind tunnel models. Therefore, it is shown that mSWERF3 can provide valuable data to improve our understanding of extreme wind loading.

Microbial necromass formation, enzyme activities and community structure in two alpine elevation gradients with different bedrock types

Microbial necromass is an important part of soil organic carbon (SOC), but the changes in its contribution along elevational gradients and soil types are poorly understood. At two sites, the alkaline site Hochschwab and the acidic site Rauris, soil samples from three elevation levels and depths were analysed for amino sugars as microbial necromass indices, extracellular enzymes, and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) as microbial biomass indices. The three elevation levels at each site represented similar temperature and precipitation regimes. Microbial necromass contribution to SOC was lower (26%) at the alkaline site than at the acidic site (37%), indicating lower transformation of microbial biomass into stable SOC and support the increased accumulation of fungal necromass under N limitation at Hochschwab. Fungi generally dominate microbial necromass, with 88% at Hochschwab and 77% at Rauris. At the alkaline site Hochschwab, phenoloxidase, peroxidase and phosphatase enzymes activities were lower by 96%, 98% and 75%, respectively than at the acidic Rauris site, but not those of the hydrolytic enzymes β-glucosidase, exo-glucanase, exo-chitinase, and protease, indicating retarded decomposition of plant residues. Gram positive bacteria dominate bacterial biomass at both sites, with 70% at Hochschwab and 72% at Rauris. The higher fungal to bacterial PLFA ratio suggest increased contribution of fungi to total microbial PLFA at Hochschwab due to the better adaptability of fungi to the site-specific environmental conditions. Effects along alpine elevation gradients depend on vegetation induced changes in soil properties, which interact with bedrock properties.

Monetary policy effectiveness in the liquidity trap: a switching regimes approach

Liquidity trap economics seems to have fared particularly well on all counts of its predictions, in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis. Therefore, in this paper we evaluate formally the effectiveness of unconventional monetary policy in a liquidity trap, based on data from Japan, the USA, and the eurozone over periods of liquidity trap conditions (1994–2018 for Japan and 2009–2018 for the USA and the eurozone). Under effective unconventional policies, changes in the base money-growth regime should be associated with similar regime changes in either inflation or investment expenditure growth and the estimation of a switching regimes model allows us to test whether significant joint regime shifts occur in the data. Also, a test of liquidity trap conditions is based on a discrepancy of regime shifts between growth rates of base money and broad money, since this implies a collapse of the money multiplier. Our findings show that drastic shifts in the growth rate of the monetary base do not produce similar behavior for the inflation rate, investment expenditure growth, and broad money growth, thus pointing to liquidity trap conditions and unconventional monetary policy ineffectiveness.

Evaluation of Soil Moisture Sensing Technologies in Silt Loam and Loamy Sand Soils: Assessment of Performance, Temperature Sensitivity, and Site- and Sensor-Specific Calibration Functions

<b>Highlights</b> <list list-type=bullet><list-item> Nine soil moisture sensors were evaluated in two soil types under different installation orientations. </list-item><list-item> Sensor-specific and soil-specific calibration functions were developed and validated. </list-item><list-item> Sensor performance improved substantially (31% to 89%) after calibration. </list-item><list-item> On average, sensor performance was 67% better in loamy sand than in silt loam soil. </list-item></list> <b>Abstract</b>. Reliable soil moisture information is vital for optimal irrigation management, farm-level agronomic decision-making, hydrologic studies, and cropping systems modeling. A wide range of soil moisture sensing technologies is commercially available, but their performance must be evaluated for diverse conditions of use. In this research, we investigated nine soil moisture sensors based on time-domain reflectometry, capacitance, and electrical resistance principles in production field conditions with two installation orientations, i.e., vertical (V) and horizontal (H), in two soils (silt loam and loamy sand) and two growing seasons (2017 and 2018). Performance parameters deduced from the 2017 datasets revealed that sensor type and soil type significantly affected the soil moisture sensor performance under factory calibration (F.C.); however, sensor installation orientation did not. Thus, the sensors were only evaluated based on their performance in horizontal orientation in both soils. Precision and accuracy were considered targets to assist in appropriate sensor selection. To improve sensor accuracy, site-specific calibration (S.S.C.) functions were developed and validated using independent datasets from 2018. Considering mean bias error (MBE), all sensors overestimated volumetric soil water content (θv) in both soils, with the exception of TEROS 21 (MPS-6) in silt loam and JD probe in loamy sand. On average, sensor performance was 67% better in loamy sand than in silt loam. Overall, the sensors showed higher precision in silt loam (R2 = 0.53 to 0.93) than in loamy sand (R2 = 0.25 to 0.82). Substantial post-S.S.C. improvement (32% to 89%) was observed in all sensors‘ performance relative to F.C. in silt loam. In loamy sand, while most sensors performed reasonably well with F.C., considerable improvements (28% to 85%) were observed with S.S.C. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in sensors‘ sensitivity to soil temperature (Tsoil), which ranged from 14°C to 23°C in silt loam and from 14°C to 25°C loamy sand during the experiments. The CS655, 10HS, 5TE, and TEROS 21 (MPS-6) sensors showed significant (p < 0.05) sensitivity to Tsoil fluctuations, with Tsoil explaining a maximum of 17% of the variance observed in sensor performance. No statistically significant (p > 0.05) sensitivity was detected for any of the sensors in loamy sand. TEROS 21 (MPS-6) had the highest sensitivity to Tsoil with a slope of -4.25. In contrast, while statistically significant (p < 0.05), 5TE was the least sensitive to Tsoil variability with a slope of 1.81. The information, data, and analyses presented here can be instrumental for informed sensor selection and use in decision-making in production fields with similar soil textures and soil water regimes.