Hands-On Precision Agriculture Data Management Workshops for Producers and Industry Professionals: Development and Assessment

Three Precision Agriculture Data Management workshops regarding yield monitor data were conducted in 2014, reaching 62 participants. Post-workshop surveys (n=58) indicated 73% of respondents experienced a moderate to significant increase in knowledge related to yield monitor data usage. Another 72% reported that they planned to utilize best management practices presented or would expand their current practices based on knowledge gained. One-year post-workshop survey (n=14) results indicated that far less (36%) were able to implement some of the techniques presented. However, comments indicated that accessible follow-up material would be beneficial in successfully integrating learning topics into data management systems

The Impact of Multichannel Game Audio on the Quality of Player Experience and In-game Performance

Multichannel audio is a term used in reference to a collection of techniques designed to present sound to a listener from all directions. This can be done either over a collection of loudspeakers surrounding the listener, or over a pair of headphones by virtualising sound sources at specific positions. The most popular commercial example is surround-sound, a technique whereby sounds that make up an auditory scene are divided among a defined group of audio channels and played back over an array of loudspeakers. Interactive video games are well suited to this kind of audio presentation, due to the way in which in-game sounds react dynamically to player actions. Employing multichannel game audio gives the potential of immersive and enveloping soundscapes whilst also adding possible tactical advantages. However, it is unclear as to whether these factors actually impact a player’s overall experience. There is a general consensus in the wider gaming community that surround-sound audio is beneficial for gameplay but there is very little academic work to back this up. It is therefore important to investigate empirically how players react to multichannel game audio, and hence the main motivation for this thesis. The aim was to find if a surround-sound system can outperform other systems with fewer audio channels (like mono and stereo). This was done by performing listening tests that assessed the perceived spatial sound quality and preferences towards some commonly used multichannel systems for game audio playback over both loudspeakers and headphones. There was also a focus on how multichannel audio might influence the success of a player in a game, based on their in-game score and their navigation within a virtual world. Results suggest that surround-sound game audio is preferable over more regularly used two-channel stereo systems, because it is perceived to have higher spatial sound quality and there is an improvement in player performance. This illustrates the potential for multichannel game audio as a tool to positively influence player experiences, a core goal many game designers strive to achieve

Interactive Lightning Session: Game-based Learning in Higher Education

Games are known for leveraging enthusiasm, engagement, energy, knowledge, and passion on gamers; areas that are fundamentally important in higher education. Our panelists will share their perspectives on how Higher Education can take advantage of the potential of game based learning to create a more engaging student learning experie

Incidence, Prevalence, and Health Care Outcomes in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension

Objective: To characterise trends in incidence, prevalence, and healthcare outcomes in the idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) population in Wales using routinely collected healthcare data.Methods: We used and validated primary and secondary care IIH diagnosis codes within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage databank, to ascertain IIH cases and controls, in a retrospective cohort study between 2003 and 2017. We recorded body mass index (BMI), deprivation quintile, CSF diversion surgery and unscheduled hospital admissions in case and control cohorts.Results: We analysed 35 million patient years of data. There were 1765 cases of IIH in 2017 (85% female). The prevalence and incidence of IIH in 2017 was 76/100,000 and 7.8/100,000/year, a significant increase from 2003 (corresponding figures=12/100,000 and 2.3/100,000/year) (p<0.001). IIH prevalence is associated with increasing BMI and increasing deprivation. The odds ratio for developing IIH in the least deprived quintile compared to the most deprived quintile, adjusted for gender and BMI, was 0.65 (95% CI 0.55 to 0.76). 9% of IIH cases had CSF shunts with less than 0.2% having bariatric surgery. Unscheduled hospital admissions were higher in the IIH cohort compared to controls (rate ratio=5.28, p<0.001) and in individuals with IIH and CSF shunts compared to those without shunts (rate ratio=2.02, p<0.01).Conclusions: IIH incidence and prevalence is increasing considerably, corresponding to population increases in BMI, and is associated with increased deprivation. This has important implications for healthcare professionals and policy makers given the comorbidities, complications and increased healthcare utilization associated with II

Transforming Protein: Land-Use Implications of a Transition to Plant-Based Meat

The burgeoning plant-based meat industry has demonstrated the potential for plant-based meat to provide a comparable consumer experience to animal meat with a significantly reduced environmental impact. This study explores the land-use implications of plant-based meat production under various adoption scenarios and ingredient mixtures. A system-level model quantifies land that is both offset from beef and pork production and land that is potentially additive from ingredients grown in regions outside traditional animal agriculture supply chains. Coconut oil is explored as a potential high-risk ingredient due to it contributing additive land-use and being grown in sensitive biomes. GIS software was used to contextualize land-use requirements for the oil by comparing projections to existing suitable agricultural land in top producing countries and current production land area. Finally, a qualitative case study of potential risks and opportunities associated with relying on the oil was conducted to inform sourcing and ingredient panel strategies. There are several key takeaways from the analyses conducted: 1. Due to its much larger land-use footprint, plant-based displacement of beef products drive proportionally higher land-use benefits than that of pork. 2. Over 20 years, roughly 25% rate of animal-based meat displacement in the US will stabilize land-use associated with overall meat production in the country. 3. Under high market adoption, plant-based meat will require almost two million square hectares of land for coconut oil production in 20 years, or 55% of land currently used for coconut cultivation in the Philippines. These findings signal that plant-based meat has significant land-use implications which can be realized under reasonably high adoption and over the long run. The industry would benefit from diversifying ingredients which represent additive land-use and potential supply chain risks. The research presented serves as a “living” model and foundation for future investigation into other ingredients used in plant-based meat products.Master of ScienceSchool for Environment and SustainabilityUniversity of Michiganhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154861/1/358_TransformingProtein_FinalDoc.pd

In situ X-ray imaging of hot cracking and porosity during LPBF of Al-2139 with TiB2 additions and varied process parameters

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing of 2XXX series Al alloys could be used for low volume specialist aerospace components, however, such alloys exhibit hot cracking susceptibility that can lead to component failure. In this study, we show two approaches to suppress the formation of hot cracks by controlling solidification behaviour using: (1) TiB2 additions; and (2) optimisation of LPBF process parameters. Using high-speed synchrotron X-ray radiography, we monitored LPBF of Al-2139 in situ, with and without TiB2 under a range of process conditions. In situ X-ray radiography results captured the crack growth over 1.0 ms at a rate of ca. 110 mm s−1, as well as pore evolution, wetting behaviour and build height. High-resolution synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (sCT) was used to measure the volume fraction of defects, e.g. hydrogen pores and microcracks, in the as-built LPBF samples. Our results show adding TiB2 in Al-2139 reduces the volume of cracks by up to 79 % under a volume energy density of 1000 to 5000 J mm−3, as well as reducing the average length, breadth, and surface area of cracks

The minimal computational substrate of fluid intelligence

The quantification of cognitive powers rests on identifying a behavioural task that depends on them. Such dependence cannot be assured, for the powers a task invokes cannot be experimentally controlled or constrained a priori, resulting in unknown vulnerability to failure of specificity and generalisability. Evaluating a compact version of Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM), a widely used clinical test of fluid intelligence, we show that LaMa, a self-supervised artificial neural network trained solely on the completion of partially masked images of natural environmental scenes, achieves human-level test scores a prima vista, without any task-specific inductive bias or training. Compared with cohorts of healthy and focally lesioned participants, LaMa exhibits human-like variation with item difficulty, and produces errors characteristic of right frontal lobe damage under degradation of its ability to integrate global spatial patterns. LaMa's narrow training and limited capacity -- comparable to the nervous system of the fruit fly -- suggest RAPM may be open to computationally simple solutions that need not necessarily invoke abstract reasoning.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figure

Campus Vol IV N 3

Hawk, Bob. Adventures of a Private Eye . Prose. 3. Gillies, Jean. The Fine Arts . Prose. 4. Hauser, Bill. After Hours Almanac . Prose. 5. Chase, Dick. Admirals of the Inland Lake . Prose. 6. Runkle, Pete. They Float Through the Air With the Greatest . Prose. 8. Barton, Rusty. Threads For the Female . Prose. 10. Crocker, Larry. Innocents Abroad . Prose. 11. Wilson, Bob. The Drums of Port Au Prince . Prose. 12. Johnston, Ed. Threads For the Male . Prose. 14. Kreuger, Ben. Column For Contributors . 15. Rounds, Dave. Untitled. Cartoon. 21. Taggart, Marilou. Nightmare . Poem. 22. Thompson, Rolan. Cover. Picture. 0. Cover, Frank and John Trimble. Campus Congratulates Emotion . Picture. 2. Rees, Tom. Our March Pin-Up Girl . Picture. 7. Rees, Tom. They Fly Through the Air With the Greatest . Picture. 8. McGlone, Joe and Tom Rees. Threads for Females . Picture. 10

Campus Vol IV N 2

Hodgson, Don. Big Red On The Radio . Prose. 2. Hauser, Bill. After Hours Almanac . Prose. 4. Ide, Don and Bob Porter. I Remember D-Day . Picture. 6. Hawk, Bob. The Shysters: Drama in The Counselor\u27s Office a la Hemingway . Prose. 7. McGlone, Joe and Tom Rees. Terpischore Takes Over . Picture. 8. Parker, Chris. Nuns Fret Not . Prose. 9. Johnston, Ed. Fashions For Men . Prose. 10. Barton, Rusty. Fashions For Women . Prose. 11. Matthews, Jack and Joe McGlone. Campus Congratulates . Picture. 12. Rossi, Bob. Doane * 9:55 . Picture. 14. Bedell, Barrie and John Hodges. Ballroom to Boudoir . 15. Anonymous. Calender Girls For \u2750 . Picture. 16. Wittich, Hugh. Prelude . Prose. 20. Chase, Dick. The Intramural Saga . Prose. 21. Kruger, Ben. Column For Contributors . Prose. 22. Taggart, Marilou. Leaves, Oh Man! . Poem. 22. Taggart, Marilou. Christmas Fugue . Poem. 22. Froth. Untitled. Prose. 24. Anonymous. Untitled. Cartoon. 24. Optekar, Pat. Polyphemis\u27 Wrath . Prose. 5