Results of the 1995 Illinois Groundhog (Woodchuck) Hunter Survey

ID: 875; Administrative Report, PR Project W-112-RReport issued on: June 27, 199

Near real-time stereo vision system

The apparatus for a near real-time stereo vision system for use with a robotic vehicle is described. The system is comprised of two cameras mounted on three-axis rotation platforms, image-processing boards, a CPU, and specialized stereo vision algorithms. Bandpass-filtered image pyramids are computed, stereo matching is performed by least-squares correlation, and confidence ranges are estimated by means of Bayes' theorem. In particular, Laplacian image pyramids are built and disparity maps are produced from the 60 x 64 level of the pyramids at rates of up to 2 seconds per image pair. The first autonomous cross-country robotic traverses (of up to 100 meters) have been achieved using the stereo vision system of the present invention with all computing done onboard the vehicle. The overall approach disclosed herein provides a unifying paradigm for practical domain-independent stereo ranging

The Problem of France and its Effect on the Potsdam Agreements

France, in the Potsdam Agreements, was accorded equal power in the occupation and control of defeated Germany with the Big Three. Yet, the French were not bound, in any way, to the Potsdam Agreements by which the occupation and control of defeated Germany was to proceed. The purpose of this study has been to discover how and why this omission occurred and its effect upon the Pots dam design. Pursuance of this study led to an investigation of Big Three wartime summit meetings and of Big Three relations with France during the various phases of the war. From June of 1940 to October of 1944 the Big Three were faced with the problem of finding and recognizing a French Government representative of the French people. Following the recognition of the Provisional Government of France on October 23, 1944, the three great powers were faced with de Gaulle\u27s chauvinistic and ambitious plans for himself as well as his nation. Full responsibility for the obstruction, however, cannot be delegated to France alone, for the responsibility must be shared by all four nations. By their attitude, the Soviets implied a continual belief in French inferiority, and Russia became a new symbol of danger to French security. Great Britain and the United States, although the main supporters of French rights, failed to support France adequately when she needed it most. The result was the frustration of the Potsdam design for the occupation and control of defeated Germany. The planned coordinated approach was replaced by a national zonal approach. The long-range effect can be discerned in the Berlin wall and the lack of unity between the Western powers; both of which are, in part, a result of the French obstruction following Germany\u27s surrender

Climate change and the Delta, San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science

Anthropogenic climate change amounts to a rapidly approaching, “new” stressor in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta system. In response to California’s extreme natural hydroclimatic variability, complex water-management systems have been developed, even as the Delta’s natural ecosystems have been largely devastated. Climate change is projected to challenge these management and ecological systems in different ways that are characterized by different levels of uncertainty. For example, there is high certainty that climate will warm by about 2°C more (than late-20th-century averages) by mid-century and about 4°C by end of century, if greenhouse-gas emissions continue their current rates of acceleration. Future precipitation changes are much less certain, with as many climate models projecting wetter conditions as drier. However, the same projections agree that precipitation will be more intense when storms do arrive, even as more dry days will separate storms. Warmer temperatures will likely enhance evaporative demands and raise water temperatures. Consequently, climate change is projected to yield both more extreme flood risks and greater drought risks. Sea level rise (SLR) during the 20th century was about 22cm, and is projected to increase by at least 3-fold this century. SLR together with land subsidence threatens the Delta with greater vulnerabilities to inundation and salinity intrusion. Effects on the Delta ecosystem that are traceable to warming include SLR, reduced snowpack, earlier snowmelt and larger storm-driven streamflows, warmer and longer summers, warmer summer water temperatures, and water-quality changes. These changes and their uncertainties will challenge the operations of water projects and uses throughout the Delta’s watershed and delivery areas. Although the effects of climate change on Delta ecosystems may be profound, the end results are difficult to predict, except that native species will fare worse than invaders. Successful preparation for the coming changes will require greater integration of monitoring, modeling, and decision making across time, variables, and space than has been historically normal

Economics of Establishing a Beef Cattle Feedlot Using By-Products of Ethanol Production in North Dakota

Production Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Agribusiness,

Perceptions of Past Competitors: Presentation of the Data

In the past five years several well established forensic programs in our region have been discontinued. The reasons given to justify these decisions often centered on a lack of resources available to sustain the programs. Certainly the presence of scarce resources in an academic setting is understandable, but what many current coaches and competitors found especially concerning was the perceived lack of resistance by faculty at those institutions who were themselves once forensic competitors and coaches. In fact, in some cases former competitors were active and vocal supporters of the decision to end their institution‟s forensic program. The idea for this project developed as we discussed what might cause someone who once gained enormous benefits from the activity to willingly encourage the disbandment of a program. Our initial reactions were angry and defensive. As active participants in forensics who commit much of our professional and personal energies to the activity, we felt betrayed by our former colleagues. How could one time kindred spirits shift loyalties? Once our emotions had time to cool and we were able to gain perspective, we realized that our best reaction would be to stop speculating on the motives of others and actually conduct some research that might provide insight into how former competitors in forensics currently perceive the activity. Perhaps by understanding their perspectives, we as active forensic educators could nurture collaborative, rather than adversarial relationships

Herbicide damage to sensitive crops

"Over the past several decades in Missouri and other states, the greatest and most widespread uses of herbicides have been in the production of row-crops and forages and in the clearing of brush for pasture improvement."--First page.John Lower and Larry Lockshin (Department of Horticulture) and L.E. Anderson (Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture)New 5/84/10