Method and apparatus for predicting the direction of movement in machine vision

A computer-simulated cortical network is presented. The network is capable of computing the visibility of shifts in the direction of movement. Additionally, the network can compute the following: (1) the magnitude of the position difference between the test and background patterns; (2) localized contrast differences at different spatial scales analyzed by computing temporal gradients of the difference and sum of the outputs of paired even- and odd-symmetric bandpass filters convolved with the input pattern; and (3) the direction of a test pattern moved relative to a textured background. The direction of movement of an object in the field of view of a robotic vision system is detected in accordance with nonlinear Gabor function algorithms. The movement of objects relative to their background is used to infer the 3-dimensional structure and motion of object surfaces

The Noisiness of Low-Frequency One-Third Octave Bands of Noise

This study examined the relative noisiness of low frequency one-third octave bands of noise bounded by the bands centered at 25 Hz and 200 Hz, with intensities ranging from 50 db sound pressure level (SPL) to 95 db SPL. The thirty-two subjects used a method-of-adjustment technique, producing comparison-band intensities as noisy as standard bands centered at 100 Hz and 200 Hz with intensities of 60 db SPL and 72 db SPL. Four contours of equal noisiness were developed for one-third octave bands, extending down to 25 Hz and ranging in intensity from approximately 58 db SPL to 86 db SPL. These curves were compared with the contours of equal noisiness of Kryter and Pearsons. In the region of overlap (between 50 Hz and 200 Hz) the agreement was good

Uncovering pathogens in the soil microbiome using the Galleria mellonella virulence model

Environmental reservoirs of disease can harbour opportunistic pathogens that are harmful to human health. Anthropogenic effects such as climate change and antimicrobial resistance are likely to cause increase exposure to, and harm from, these pathogens. It is thus vital to study these environmental reservoirs in order to be prepared appropriately and prevent these diseases from emerging or re-emerging. Studies into the prevalence and diversity of opportunistic pathogens in the environment are largely focused on water sources. Microbial communities in soil are known to harbour a diverse range of species, yet are relatively poorly understood. Studies typically screen for specific ‘indicator pathogens’, or test the virulence of individual pathogens. These methods overlook a great deal of pathogenic species that can be present. Recent advances in the Galleria mellonella model system have shown that it can be used to screen for pathogens in microbial communities taken from environmental samples. We used the G. mellonella model to screen for potentially harmful pathogens in soil microbial communities. We frequently detected high levels of virulence, suggesting that soil often harbours pathogenic species. We were subsequently able to isolate pathogens from these soils and characterise their virulence, finding most of them to be highly virulent. 16s sequencing determined that the majority of pathogens found were either Serratia liquefaciens or Providencia alcalifaciens, both of which are known human pathogens. A highly virulent Aeromonas hydrophila was also identified. AMR profiling of these isolates found lower levels of antibiotic resistance than has typically been reported from clinical isolates. This study emphasises the importance of soil as a reservoir for pathogens, and provides a glimpse at the range of potentially harmful species that it contains

Irrigation Restriction and Biomass Market Interactions: The Case of the Alluvial Aquifer

The U.S. Geological Survey has determined that irrigation in Arkansas’ Delta is unsustainable. This study examines how irrigation restrictions would affect county net returns to crop production. It also considers the effect of planting less water-intensive bioenergy crops—switchgrass and forage sorghum—in the event biofuel markets become a reality. Results suggest that sustainable irrigation restrictions without bioenergy crops would decrease producer returns by 28% in the region. Introducing these alternative crops would both reduce groundwater use and may restore state producer returns, albeit with significant spatial income redistribution to crop production throughout the state.biomass crops, ground water irrigation, spatial income redistribution, sustainability, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, Financial Economics, Land Economics/Use, Political Economy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Risk and Uncertainty, Q24, Q25, Q32, Q42, O13,

Going, Going, Almost Gone: How the Depletion of the Alluvial Aquifer Will Affect Cropping Decisions in the Arkansas Delta

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has determined that agricultural irrigation in Arkansas’ Delta is unsustainable with significant negative economic repercussions on producers net returns affected by the Alluvial aquifer. This study examines how irrigation restrictions in that region would affect county net returns to crop production. It also considers the effect of planting less water-intensive bioenergy crops in the event biofuel markets become a reality. A constrained optimization model determines acreage allocations and net returns under three irrigation scenarios: i) no irrigation restrictions, ii) irrigation restrictions that lead to a sustainable Alluvial aquifer, and iii) irrigation restrictions that would lengthen the life of the Alluvial aquifer. Hypothetical switchgrass and forage sorghum crops were then added to model the effect of a biofuel market. If crop production were conducting using irrigation levels that are sustainable, as defined by the USGS, producer net returns would decrease by 28% in the Alluvial region. Estimates show that the introduction of dedicated bioenergy crops could alleviate this downturn. If the price of switchgrass reached $46.40 per dry ton at the farmgate, it is possible to restore net returns to crop production across the state to pre-irrigation restriction levels, while Alluvial region producers now would suffer only a 9.5% reduction. Significant income redistribution to crop production thus exists with depleting ground water irrigation resources even with the introduction of an alternative markets.ground water irrigation, sustainability, biomass crops, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Subjective assessment of simulated helicopter blade-slap noise

The effects of several characteristics of helicopter blade slap upon human annoyance are examined. Blade slap noise was simulated by using continuous and impulsive noises characterized by five parameters: The number of sine waves in a single impulse; the frequency of the sine waves; the impulse repetition frequency; the sound pressure level (SPL) of the continuous noise; and the idealized crest factor of the impulses. Ten second samples of noise were synthesized with each of the five parameters at representative levels. The annoyance of each noise was judged by 40 human subjects. Analysis of the subjective data indicated that each of the five parameters had a statistically significant effect upon the annoyance judgments. The impulse crest factor and SPL of the continuous noise had very strong positive relationships with annoyance. The other parameters had smaller, but still significant, effects upon the annoyance judgments