Evolution and control of the phase competition morphology in a manganite film

The competition among different phases in perovskite manganites is pronounced since their energies are very close under the interplay of charge, spin, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom. To reveal the roles of underlying interactions, many efforts have been devoted towards directly imaging phase transitions at microscopic scales. Here we show images of the charge-ordered insulator (COI) phase transition from a pure ferromagnetic metal with reducing field or increasing temperature in a strained phase-separated manganite film, using a home-built magnetic force microscope. Compared with the COI melting transition, this reverse transition is sharp, cooperative and martensitic-like with astonishingly unique yet diverse morphologies. The COI domains show variable-dimensional growth at different temperatures and their distribution can illustrate the delicate balance of the underlying interactions in manganites. Our findings also display how phase domain engineering is possible and how the phase competition can be tuned in a controllable manner.Comment: Published versio

Multispectral imaging systems for airborne remote sensing to support agricultural production management

This study investigated three different types of multispectral imaging systems for airborne remote sensing to support management in agricultural application and production. The three systems have been used in agricultural studies. They range from low-cost to relatively high-cost, manually operated to automated, multispectral composite imaging with a single camera and integrated imaging with custom-mounting of separate cameras. Practical issues regarding use of the imaging systems were described and discussed. The low-cost system, due to band saturation, slow imaging speed and poor image quality, is more preferable to slower moving platforms that can fly close to the ground, such as unmanned autonomous helicopters, but not recommended for low or high altitude aerial remote sensing on fixed-wing aircraft. With the restriction on payload unmanned autonomous helicopters are not recommended for high-cost systems because they are typically heavy and difficult to mount. The system with intermediate cost works well for low altitude aerial remote sensing on fixed-wing aircraft with field shapefile-based global positioning triggering. This system also works well for high altitude aerial remote sensing on fixed-wing aircraft with global positioning triggering or manually operated. The custom-built system is recommended for high altitude aerial remote sensing on fixed-wing aircraft with waypoint global positioning triggering or manually operated. Keywords: airborne remote sensing, multispectral imaging, agricultural production managemen

A Supramolecular Strategy to Assemble Multifunctional Viral Nanoparticles

Using a one-pot approach driven by the supramolecular interaction between β-cyclodextrin and adamantyl moieties, multifunctional viral nanoparticles can be facilely formulated for biomedical applications

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Ezetimibe Analogs as Possible Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors

In order to investigate the SAR of Ezetimibe analogs for cholesterol absorption inhibitions, amide group and electron-deficient pyridine ring were introduced to the C-(3) carbon chain of Ezetimibe. Eight new derivatives of the 2-azetidinone cholesterol absorption inhibitors have been synthesized, and all of them were enantiomerically pure. All the new compounds were evaluated for their activity to inhibit cholesterol absorption in hamsters, and most of them showed comparable effects in lowering the levels of total cholesterol in the serum

Current status and future directions of precision aerial application for site-specific crop management in the USA

The first variable-rate aerial application system was developed about a decade ago in the USA and since then, aerial application has benefitted from these technologies. Many areas of the United States rely on readily available agricultural airplanes or helicopters for pest management, and variable-rate aerial application provides a solution for applying field inputs such as cotton growth regulators, defoliants, and insecticides. In the context of aerial application, variable-rate control can simply mean terminating spray over field areas that do not require inputs, terminating spray near pre-defined buffer areas determined by Global Positioning, or applying multiple rates to meet the variable needs of the crop. Prescription maps for aerial application are developed using remote sensing, Global Positioning, and Geographic Information System technologies. Precision agriculture technology has the potential to benefit the agricultural aviation industry by saving operators and farmers time and money

Development and prospect of unmanned aerial vehicle technologies for agricultural production management

Unmanned aerial vehicles have been developed and applied to support agricultural production management. Compared with piloted aircraft, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) can focus on small crop fields at lower flight altitudes than regular aircraft to perform site-specific farm management with higher precision. They can also “fill in the gap” in locations where fixed winged or rotary winged aircraft are not readily available. In agriculture, UAVs have primarily been developed and used for remote sensing and application of crop production and protection materials. Application of fertilizers and chemicals is frequently needed at specific times and locations for site-specific management. Routine monitoring of crop plant health is often required at very high resolution for accurate site-specific management as well. This paper presents an overview of research involving the development of UAV technology for agricultural production management. Technologies, systems and methods are examined and studied. The limitations of current UAVs for agricultural production management are discussed, as well as future needs and suggestions for development and application of the UAV technologies in agricultural production management

Development of soft computing and applications in agricultural and biological engineering

Soft computing is a set of “inexact” computing techniques, which are able to model and analyze very complex problems. For these complex problems, more conventional methods have not been able to produce cost-effective, analytical, or complete solutions. Soft computing has been extensively studied and applied in the last three decades for scientific research and engineering computing. In agricultural and biological engineering, researchers and engineers have developed methods of fuzzy logic, artificial neural networks, genetic algorithms, decision trees, and support vector machines to study soil and water regimes related to crop growth, analyze the operation of food processing, and support decision-making in precision farming. This paper reviews the development of soft computing techniques. With the concepts and methods, applications of soft computing in the field of agricultural and biological engineering are presented, especially in the soil and water context for crop management and decision support in precision agriculture. The future of development and application of soft computing in agricultural and biological engineering is discussed