Near-infrared spectroscopy in process control and quality management of fruits and wine

Recently, rapid quality assessment of food is an increasingly important topic. The rising demand of consumers for high quality products generates a need to establish fast and suitable analytical methods. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has turned out to be a time-saving, cheap, easy-to-use and environmentally friendly technique, which can be applied for the determination of manifold quality attributes in various kinds of food matrices. This article gives overview of the basic principles of near-infrared measurements and describes the immense field of applications, with the main focus on fruits, grapes and wine and the evaluation of wine aroma

See No, Smell No, Taste No Evil: How Sage-Grouse Detect Toxic Sagebrush

There is increasing evidence that sage-grouse selectively consume individual and species of sagebrush that have the lowest concentrations of chemical defenses, or toxins. We propose that this selection requires the ability to see, smell or taste specific chemicals or groups of chemicals that vary quantitatively and qualitatively in sagebrush available throughout the winter range of sage-grouse. We are developing methods to determine if and how selected and avoided sagebrush may differ in color, smell and taste. We used ultraviolet and near infrared detectors to determine the variation in the color of phenolics in sagebrush. We used gas chromatography to determine the variation in the smell of monoterpenes in sagebrush. We are developing microscopy techniques to determine if sage-grouse possess receptors in the beak and tongue that could taste chemicals in sagebrush. Our goal is to develop detectors that can act as sage-grouse eyes, nose and mouth and allow managers to identify and conserve the least toxic sagebrush for foraging sage-grouse

To Eat or Not to Eat? Developing Biomarkers for Diet Selection by Herbivores

A major goal in conservation biology is to explain habitat use by animals. Remote sensing has been used for landscape-scale analysis of habitat features. However, studies that directly link specific parameters of habitat quality to selection by wildlife are needed at the microsite-scale before landscape-scale mapping can be validated. We used the sagebrush-pygmy rabbit system to develop spectral biomarkers that can predict how the quality of food influences habitat use

Temporal and Spatial Variation of Nitrogen in Wyoming Big Sagebrush

Sagebrush steppe systems represent one of North America’s greatest conservation challenges. Shrinking habitat and declining animal populations have prompted researchers to fill gaps in our understanding of the ecology of this system, particularly at a scale relevant to individual animals. What animals eat and why are fundamental questions linked to habitat quality and use. We investigated the temporal and spatial heterogeneity of the dietary quality of food to better understand habitat use by a sagebrush specialist, the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis). Within a foraging patch, pygmy rabbits selectively browse on individual Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis) that are high in nitrogen. Therefore, we hypothesized that variation in nitrogen would influence habitat use by pygmy rabbits at the patch scale. As a first step to test this hypothesis, we investigated the temporal and spatial variation in nitrogen content of patches of sagebrush within a study site in southcentral Idaho. Nitrogen concentration was determined using the Kjeldahl method. We used multivariate analysis of variance to test for differences in nitrogen content among three months within the winter season (November, January, and March) and between patches of sagebrush on mounds with deeper soils where pygmy rabbits burrow (on-mound) versus patches of sagebrush in shallower soils adjacent to mounds (off-mound). We found that nitrogen content of sagebrush was temporally and spatially dynamic. For both on- and off-mound plants, nitrogen content was significantly higher in March than November. Regardless of season, nitrogen content was significantly higher in plants on mounds compared to off-mound plants. Understanding the phenology and spatial heterogeneity of nitrogen content will help ecologists better assess diet quality and habitat quality within and among landscapes and seasons. Moreover, effective management and restoration efforts of sagebrush depend upon understanding patterns in nutrient availability to pygmy rabbits and other sagebrush specialists

Antioxidant Capacity of Wyoming Big Sagebrush (\u3cem\u3eArtemisia tridentata\u3c/em\u3e SSP. \u3cem\u3eWyomingensis\u3c/em\u3e) Varies Spatially and is Not Related to the Presence of a Sagebrush Dietary Specialist

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) in North America is an abundant native plant species that is ecologically and evolutionarily adapted to have a diverse array of biologically active chemicals. Several of these chemicals, specifically polyphenols, have antioxidant activity that may act as biomarkers of biotic or abiotic stress. This study investigated the spatial variation of antioxidant capacity, as well as the relationship between a mammalian herbivore and antioxidant capacity in Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis). We quantified and compared total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity of leaf extracts from sagebrush plants from different spatial scales and at different levels of browsing by a specialist mammalian herbivore, the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis). We found that antioxidant capacity of sagebrush extracts was positively correlated with total polyphenol content. Antioxidant capacity varied spatially within and among plants. Antioxidant capacity in sagebrush was not related to either browsing intensity or duration of association with rabbits. We propose that the patterns of antioxidant capacity observed in sagebrush may be a result of spatial variation in abiotic stress experienced by sagebrush. Antioxidants could therefore provide a biomarker of environmental stress for sagebrush that could aid in management and conservation of this plant in the threatened sagebrush steppe

Computational aspects of model acquisition and join geometry for the virtual reconstruction of the atrahasis cuneiform tablet

The epic of Atrahasis is one of the most famous pieces of ancient Mesopotamian literature. The account has survived millennia on sets of clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform script; a sophisticated early writing system comprising signs formed from wedge-shaped impressions. The third tablet belonging to one of the most complete copies of the Atrahasis epic is broken. For over fifty years, one fragment, held in Geneva, was believed to join with another held in London. However, due to their 1000 km separation, the join had never been physically tested. This paper contributes a technological account of the successful virtual joining of the fragments [1]; the first ever longdistance virtual join of its type

Automated Low-Cost Photogrammetric Acquisition of 3D Models from Small Form-Factor Artefacts

The photogrammetric acquisition of 3D object models can be achieved by Structure from Motion (SfM) computation of photographs taken from multiple viewpoints. All-around 3D models of small artefacts with complex geometry can be difficult to acquire photogrammetrically and the precision of the acquired models can be diminished by the generic application of automated photogrammetric workflows. In this paper, we present two versions of a complete rotary photogrammetric system and an automated workflow for all-around, precise, reliable and low-cost acquisitions of large numbers of small artefacts, together with consideration of the visual quality of the model textures. The acquisition systems comprise a turntable and (i) a computer and digital camera or (ii) a smartphone designed to be ultra-low cost (less than $150). Experimental results are presented which demonstrate an acquisition precision of less than 40 μm using a 12.2 Megapixel digital camera and less than 80 μm using an 8 Megapixel smartphone. The novel contribution of this work centres on the design of an automated solution that achieves high-precision, photographically textured 3D acquisitions at a fraction of the cost of currently available systems. This could significantly benefit the digitisation efforts of collectors, curators and archaeologists as well as the wider population

Interactive 3D Viewer Interfaces for Virtual Museum Artefacts

This paper accompanies an Interactions Gallery exhibit of interfaces to 3D artefacts at the 2022 BCS Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Conference. The exhibit introduces cuneiform, humankind's earliest writing, showing visitors how the cuneiform script evolved over millennia and how web-based 3D viewer interfaces for cuneiform artefacts have evolved much more recently from a progenitor originally demonstrated five years ago at the 2017 BCS HCI Conference Interactions Gallery. Visitors to the exhibit will also see how the 3D viewer interface has been adapted for different purposes and how it continues to evolve in functionality

Searching the past in the future: joining cuneiform tablet fragments in virtual collections

Joining cuneiform tablet fragments are separated within and between collections worldwide. In previous work of the Virtual Cuneiform Tablet Reconstruction Project [VCTR, 2018], automated joins were achieved for virtual 3D Ur and Uruk fragments held within the same collections. By virtue of this fact, these physical fragments were in close proximity to each other and, therefore, manual verification of each join could be readily achieved. Now, for the first time, a long-distance join is reported between cuneiform tablet fragments separated by 1000 km