A Portable Low-cost Non-destructive Ripeness Inspection for Oil Palm FFB

AbstractColor considered as a main character to determine quality of agricultural products, especially fruit ripeness. Human eyes are excellent in differentiating color, however, human perception to color are often inconsistent, influence by their physical and psychological state. In this study, the ripeness of oil palm fresh fruits bunch (FFB) assessed using a portable and low-cost device, comprised of digital camera, laptop and a small and lightweight chamber equipped with independent LED lights. First, the FFB sample was observed by three experts to evaluate its ripeness. Then the sample placed inside the chamber and recorded by camera. In order to record the whole bunch, camera was positioned perpendicularly 1 meter above the ground, facing down toward the FFB. The recorded FFB image subsequently segmented and analyzed using the image processing software in the computer. The software calculated and specified the color of the FFB image in RGB color space. The results then compared with the observations by the panelists. In this study, FFB color observations by the camera vision, produced better consistency compare to the observation results of from the experts

What Makes Things Banal

In this paper, I investigate the origins of banality and the reasons why some phenomena appear banal to us. I discuss the issue by analysing three interrelated areas of aesthetic investigation: artworks, everyday objects, and banal things. By identifying the source of banality, my goal is to understand what makes banal things different from other kinds of things. I consider the following questions: 1) when, why, and how does an object become banal?; 2) what happens when something becomes banal?; 3) are banal things aesthetically appealing? Drawing on Wolfgang Welsch’s notion of anesthetization and Walter Benjamin’s account of aura, I argue that banality consists in the absence of both an ontological and an axiological character in objects, which makes them appear trivial or insignificant to us. I conclude by showing that although art, everydayness, and banality represent different aesthetic dimensions, objects constantly move from one of these dimensions to the other

Song in the Anti-Apartheid and Reconciliation Movements in South Africa

As Apartheid developed in South Africa, political, cultural, and religious resistance emerged. This essay will explore the history of songs used in the anti-Apartheid movements in South Africa. Studying music’s role in the South African liberation movement reveals various issues concerning the social dynamics and cultural history of the nation. Exploring the soundscapes of South African independence opens space for a new perspective and better understanding of the way diverse communities formed a unified movement to resist Apartheid. Music helped people of diverse tribal and racial identities transcend differences that remained salient in other contexts. This paper draws on a wide variety of scholarly sources in disciplines such as history and musical ethnography. Interviews with Gabi Mkhize, a current member of the African National Congress (ANC), Ohio State University Graduate Student, and isiZulu instructor, offer evidence to support the centrality of music in anti-Apartheid movements. Music spanned ethnic differences, united generations, and aided in the organization of South Africans against their oppressive white government. The findings of this project will expand upon prior research and provide specific historical data to substantiate the claims that music indeed has a strong impact on the revolution in South Africa. Song is embedded in South African culture and it is not surprising that this medium would serve as a principal vehicle in defeating the Apartheid government. Songs were used to hide protest slogans, banned materials, secret information, etc. Further research concerning the historic role music played in unifying and liberating oppressed communities might consider other timeframes in black South African history or explore the role of music and politics in the context of white South African communities. Other historic occurrences might also be approached through the study of music, then compared and contrasted to South Africa’s experience. The portability and flexibility of music allowed it to play a crucial role in the liberation movements against Apartheid

Aesthetic, Somatic and Somaesthetic Experience of the City

The paper will deal with the notion of the experience (as a crucial term of aesthetic theory) of the city, especially the aesthetic, somatic, and somaesthetic experience. The understanding of experience will be based on John Dewey (1980), Richard Shusterman (1999), Maria Bukdahl (2012), Virgil C. Aldrich (1963), and Walter Benjamin (1935 [1969]). In dialogue with Richard Shusterman, we will illustrate two levels of experience: a) the somatic (almost biological) level of experience and b) a second level of experience that requires some intellectual evaluation: interpretation

Multi-modal Bio-metrics Evaluation for Non-destructive Age States Determination of Tomato Plants (Solanum lycopersicum)

Every plant has unique morphological features, and can be used for its characteristics identity, such as age. When the plants grow, their morphological features may change, observable visually or by optical equipment. These various morphology transformations were categorized as multi-modal Bio-metrics. In this study, tomatoes from local cultivar were grown in a net house, in west Sumatra. The growth medium comprised of soil, husk, and manures with the composition of 1: 1: 1 respectively. For best growth, plants were watered regularly, and protect from pests and weeds. The observations were performed on 21st, 42nd, and 63rd day after sowing (DAS). The samples were the leaflets of the primary compound leaves of the plants. The leaflets were cut and digitized using a high-resolution colour scanner. The imaging performed at 300 dpi resolution, and the recorded image subsequently processed by the image processing software. Image segmentation performed to remove background from the object. Furthermore, the greenish of leaf object in the image were measured in RGB colour space. The leaf dimensions and area were quantified by the software, as well as the length of the leaflet main vein at central axis.  Two secondary leaflet’s blades were selected manually, and the angle formed between the blades and the main vein was measured. A Statistical engineering program was used to identify the principal morphology characteristics of the leaf, by means of Principal component analysis (PCA). Mathematical models were developed based on the principal component values and leaflets position to determine the plants age and state. Results showed all model have coefficient of correlation higher than 0.99 indicating acceptable accuracy

Towards Sustainable Green Production: Exploring Automated Grading for Oil Palm Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) Using Machine Vision and Spectral Analysis

Over the last decade, Indonesian palm oil industry has become a leading producer of the world, and been able to generatenotable foreign export reserves. In spite of this, problems still persist in this industry, including low productivity due to mishandling of raw material in post-harvest operations. One of the prime causes of this is manual grading/sorting of fresh fruit bunches, which is prone to error and misjudgement, as well as subjectivity. High demand of oil palm establishes its high price in world market, which drives the industry to expand its plantation area to increase production. Ultimately, it compromise forests and agricultural land, resulting stagnation or decline in several food products. Alternatively, before expanding plantation extent, oil extraction productivity of existing plantation can be improved by carefully selecting appropriate FFBs for post-harvest processing through introduction of automation. The use of machine vision and spectral analysis has shown to assist productivity of agricultural processing industry. This study employs automation technology for FFB grading in oil palm mills, resulting in improved raw material quality, thereby increasing the oil extraction productivity, and simultaneously contributing to partly release the pressure of deforestation by maintaining green agricultural areas

Natural and Synthetic Corticosteroids Inhibit Uptake\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e-Mediated Transport in CNS Neurons

In addition to exerting actions via mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors, corticosteroids also act by inhibiting uptake2, a high-capacity monoamine transport system originally described in peripheral tissues. Recent studies have demonstrated that uptake2 transporters are expressed in the brain and play roles in monoamine clearance, suggesting that they mediate some corticosteroid effects on physiological and behavioral processes. However, the sensitivity of brain uptake2 to many natural and synthetic corticosteroids has not been characterized. Cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) were previously shown to exhibit corticosterone-sensitive accumulation of the uptake2 substrate1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+). We examined the expression of uptake1 and uptake2 transporters in CGNs, and tested the effects of a variety of natural and synthetic corticosteroids on accumulation of [3H]-MPP+ by these cells. Cultured rat CGNs expressed mRNA for three uptake2-like transporters: organic cation transporters 1 and 3, and the plasma membrane monoamine transporter. They did not express mRNA for the dopamine or norepinephrine transporters, and expressed very little mRNA for the serotonin reuptake transporter. Accumulation of [3H]-MPP+ by CGNs was dose-dependently inhibited by corticosterone and decynium-22, known inhibitors of uptake2. Accumulation of MPP+ was also dose-dependently inhibited, with varying efficacies, by aldosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, cortisol, and cortisone, and by the synthetic glucocorticoids betamethasone, dexamethasone and prednisolone, and the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU38486. These studies demonstrate that uptake2 in the CNS is inhibited by a variety of natural and synthetic corticosteroids, and suggest that inhibition of uptake2-mediated monoamine clearance may underlie some behavioral and physiological effects of these hormones