The methodology used to construct tree structured rules is the focus of this monograph. Unlike many other statistical procedures, which moved from pencil and paper to calculators, this text's use of trees was unthinkable before computers. Both the practical and theoretical sides have been developed in the authors' study of tree methods. Classification and Regression Trees reflects these two sides, covering the use of trees as a data analysis method, and in a more mathematical framework, proving some of their fundamental properties.

Classification and regression trees

A doubling in global food demand projected for the next 50 years poses huge challenges for the sustainability both of food production and of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the services they provide to society. Agriculturalists are the principal managers of global useable lands and will shape, perhaps irreversibly, the surface of the Earth in the coming decades. New incentives and policies for ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and ecosystem services will be crucial if we are to meet the demands of improving yields without compromising environmental integrity or public health.

/pdf/agricultural-sustainability-and-intensive-production-1h98l920tu.pdf

Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices

http://abe.ufl.edu/Faculty/jjones/ABE_5646/Xtra%20files/The%20DSSAT%20Cropping%20System%20Model.pdf

The DSSAT cropping system model

ASREML user guide release 3.0

Global climate change impacts can already be tracked in many physical and biological systems; in particular, terrestrial ecosystems provide a consistent picture of observed changes. One of the preferred indicators is phenology, the science of natural recurring events, as their recorded dates provide a high-temporal resolution of ongoing changes. Thus, numerous analyses have demonstrated an earlier onset of spring events for mid and higher latitudes and a lengthening of the growing season. However, published single-site or single-species studies are particularly open to suspicion of being biased towards predominantly reporting climate change-induced impacts. No comprehensive study or meta-analysis has so far examined the possible lack of evidence for changes or shifts at sites where no temperature change is observed. We used an enormous systematic phenological network data set of more than 125 000 observational series of 542 plant and 19 animal species in 21 European countries (1971–2000). Our results showed that 78% of all leafing, flowering and fruiting records advanced (30% significantly) and only 3% were significantly delayed, whereas the signal of leaf colouring/fall is ambiguous. We conclude that previously published results of phenological changes were not biased by reporting or publication predisposition: the average advance of spring/summer was 2.5 days decade � 1 in Europe. Our analysis of 254 mean national time series undoubtedly demonstrates that species’ phenology is responsive to temperature of the preceding

/pdf/european-phenological-response-to-climate-change-matches-the-3dr30qvjfp.pdf

European phenological response to climate change matches the warming pattern

Methods are described for the efficient representation of designed experiments within information systems. Details to be stored include the physical properties of the units, the underlying structure of the design, the treatments studied in the experiment and their relation to the underlying structure. This relationship can succinctly be described by storing the generator used to construct the design. Possibilities include design keys, alpha arrays and initial blocks of cyclic designs. The same methods that are used to store the generators can be used to form databases containing repertoires of potential designs. Thus they also enable systems to be written to support the experimental process. A particularly convenient framework for such systems is provided by the visual statistical environment generated by the EU STABLE project.

A data warehouse for designed experiments

STABLE is a European Union funded project that provides a completely new approach to statistical programming, analysis and visualisation. The system combines the statistical algorithms from the Genstat statistical system with the sophisticated visualisation and flexible visual programming environment of the IRIS Explorer system to provide a unique environment for exploring statistical data. The system will provide a stimulating environment for programming and investigating new multivariate techniques, and then powerful techniques for making them available in encapsulated IRIS Explorer modules with suitably customized interfaces.

R. W. Payne

Papers

A data warehouse for designed experiments

STABLE: a visual environment for the study of multivariate data