Ocena możliwości zastosowania wybranych funkcji pedotransfer do wyznaczania retencji gleb leśnych w Polsce

Assessment of the possibility of applying selected pedotransfer functions for indicating the retention of forest soils in Poland. Landscape retention influences the water balance of a catchment and the course of flooding events. The degree of retention capabilities of forest soils are much less known than the retention of land used for agriculture. Soil retention capacity influences the formation of a given forest habitat type, floristic species composition, as well as the type and quality of the stand of trees. The analysis was carried out for a regression model dedicated to selected forest soils within the area of Poland, as well as van Genuchten’s and Wösten’s, and Varallyay’s and Mironienko’s models. In order to assess the fit of the models, an independent series of forest soils were used. The models prepared for soils used for agricultural purposes do not result in statistically acceptable fit when it comes to the analyzed forest soils. The analysis of measured and calculated values of total available water indicate good fit of the regression model developed for the analyzed group of podzolic and brown forest soils.Ocena możliwości zastosowania wybranych funkcji pedotransfer do wyznaczania retencji gleb leśnych w Polsce. Retencja gleb leśnych w znacznym stopniu decyduje o bilansie wodnym zlewni i przebiegu zjawisk hydrologicznych, wpływa na kształtowanie się określonego typu siedliska lasu, skład florystyczny i jakość drzewostanu. Zdolności retencyjne gleb leśnych są znacznie mniej rozpoznane niż retencja gleb użytkowanych rolniczo. Retencja może być wyznaczona zarówno metodą bezpośrednią, jak i pośrednio za pomocą tzw. funkcji pedotransfer opisującej jej związek z określonymi właściwościami fizycznymi gleby. Analizę prowadzono dla modelu regresyjnego opracowanego dla wybranych gleb leśnych z obszaru Polski oraz dla modeli van Genuchtena i Wöstena oraz Varallyaya i Mironienki. Do oceny dopasowania modeli zastosowano niezależną serię gleb leśnych. Analiza pomierzonych i obliczonych wartości potencjalnej retencji użytecznej wskazuje na dobre dopasowanie modelu regresyjnego opracowanego dla badanej grupy gleb leśnych bielicowych i brunatnych. Modele opracowane dla gleb użytkowanych rolniczo nie dają akceptowalnego statystycznie dopasowania dla analizowanych gleb leśnych. Przeprowadzone badania potwierdzają lokalny charakter funkcji pedotransfer

iRebot: An Interactive Rehabilitation Robot with Gesture Control

Physical therapy efficacy relies on patient compliance and motivation. However, the monotony, intensity, and expense of most therapy routines do not promote engagement. Technology-based rehabilitation has the potential to provide engaging and cost-effective treatment, leading to better compliance and mobility outcomes. We present an interactive rehabilitation robot (iRebot) as an affordable, gesture-controlled vehicle that can provide a form of entertainment while conducting physical therapy. Healthy participants (n=11) executed a test maze with the iRebot for six repeated trials, three with each hand. Survey scores and quantitative metrics were evaluated to assess system usability and baseline motor performance, respectively. Wrist mobility across participants was evaluated, with an active range of motion of 39.7± 13° and 72.8± 18° for pitch and roll, respectively. In the course of conducting a single trial (time duration=87.2±67 sec), the participants performed on average 30 full wris t motion repetitions (e.g., flexion/extension). Participants rated the system\u27s usability as excellent (survey score: 85 ± 13), and all participants indicated they would prefer iRebot over standard therapy. The iRebot demonstrated potential as an evidence-based rehabilitation tool based on excellent user ratings and the ability to monitor at- home compliance and motor performance

Design and Test of an Autonomous Drone SWARM for Chemical Agent Detection

This technical report presents the details behind designing and testing a swarm of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) that are capable of detecting and mapping a chemical plume. The sensor used onboard the UAS is a government-owned detector, although the technical approach used in this work is generalizable to other detectors of contaminants or chemical agents. The swarm of drones operates autonomously, with minimal user input but with operator oversight. Autonomous behaviors were built to search for and map a chemical plume over a given area. For UAS in search mode, a Lissajous pattern was chosen as the primary motion trajectory, owing to its surveying efficiency of minimizing time for distance traveled. If any of the agents within the swarm interact with a chemical plume (physical or simulated), the autonomy will cause the swarm behavior to adapt from the searching to mapping. In the mapping phase, each drone in the swarm performs circles around the chemical plume to map the perimeter of the plume. These circles are an important feature of the behavior because they allow the detectors to de-saturate from the chemicals. Finally, the team also developed and incorporated a visualization tool for real-time monitoring of chemical presence, to provide a Common Operating Picture for the user. Utilizing simulations, emulators, and real hardware, the team completed test flights of the swarm behavior to prove its functionality