A Decade of Unmanned Aerial Systems in Irrigated Agriculture in the Western U.S.

Several research institutes, laboratories, academic programs, and service companies around the United States have been developing programs to utilize small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) as an instrument to improve the efficiency of in-field water and agronomical management. This article describes a decade of efforts on research and development efforts focused on UAS technologies and methodologies developed for irrigation management, including the evolution of aircraft and sensors in contrast to data from satellites. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations for UAS operation in agriculture have been synthesized along with proposed modifications to enhance UAS contributions to irrigated agriculture. Although it is feasible to use sUAS technology to produce maps of actual crop coefficients, actual crop evapotranspiration, and soil water deficits, for irrigation management, the technology and regulations need to evolve further to facilitate a successful wide adoption and application. Improvements and standards are needed in terms of cameras’ spectral (bands) ranges, radiometric resolutions and associated calibrations, fuel/power technology for longer missions, better imagery processing software, and easier FAA approval of higher altitudes flight missions among other issues. Furthermore, the sUAS technology would play a larger role in irrigated agriculture when integrating multi-scale data (sUAS, groundbased or proximal, satellite) and soil water sensors is addressed, including the need for advances on processing large amounts of data from multiple and different sources, and integration into scientific irrigation scheduling (SIS) systems for convenience of decision making. Desirable technological innovations, and features of the next generation of UAS platforms, sensors, software, and methods for irrigated agriculture, are discussed

A Decade of Unmanned Aerial Systems in Irrigated Agriculture in the Western U.S.

Several research institutes, laboratories, academic programs, and service companies around the United States have been developing programs to utilize small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) as an instrument to improve the efficiency of in-field water and agronomical management. This article describes a decade of efforts on research and development efforts focused on UAS technologies and methodologies developed for irrigation management, including the evolution of aircraft and sensors in contrast to data from satellites. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations for UAS operation in agriculture have been synthesized along with proposed modifications to enhance UAS contributions to irrigated agriculture. Although it is feasible to use sUAS technology to produce maps of actual crop coefficients, actual crop evapotranspiration, and soil water deficits, for irrigation management, the technology and regulations need to evolve further to facilitate a successful wide adoption and application. Improvements and standards are needed in terms of cameras’ spectral (bands) ranges, radiometric resolutions and associated calibrations, fuel/power technology for longer missions, better imagery processing software, and easier FAA approval of higher altitudes flight missions among other issues. Furthermore, the sUAS technology would play a larger role in irrigated agriculture when integrating multi-scale data (sUAS, groundbased or proximal, satellite) and soil water sensors is addressed, including the need for advances on processing large amounts of data from multiple and different sources, and integration into scientific irrigation scheduling (SIS) systems for convenience of decision making. Desirable technological innovations, and features of the next generation of UAS platforms, sensors, software, and methods for irrigated agriculture, are discussed

SIMEIT-project: High precision inertial sensor integration on a modular 3D-interposer platform

The applications of inertial sensors have a wide variety in terms of accuracy and costs. A new technology approach is joining higher sensor accuracy and lower production costs by using a new Interposer / sensor interconnect technology applied on 300mm wafer diameter without changing the sensor element itself. The higher accuracy is mainly covered by a multiple point program: (1) stress less assembly due interface silicon Interposer to silicon MEMS; (2) better Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) by polymer redistribution layer on the interposer (due to better wiring geometry and less parasitic capacities / inductivities); (3) reduction of mechanical stress by using flexible bar springs for mechanical decoupling of sensor and Interposer substrate; (4) additional stress reduction by using a polymer layer for mechanical decoupling of metal redistribution layer (RDL) and Interposer substrate. The cost efficiency even in small scale serial production based on: (1) 300mm multi project wafer technology including warehouse ready system packaging; (2) a new MEMS contact technology, which gives technical benefit, smaller dimensions and simplifies the assembly of MEMS and ASIC (which are placed on a 2.5D-Interposer in order to enable a System In Package (SiP) as well as for higher sensor accuracy); (3) the flexible ASIC feature enables the integration of different MEMS with analogue signal output;(4) minor costs for integration of different sensors into the existing package. The heterogeneous 3D integration is a key enabler and justifies the additional process steps (mainly TSV-processing, thin wafer handling) by implementing the advantages of the polymer RDL. This integration approach results leads to improved mechanical and electrical properties. This paper will give an overview about the current achievements in the SIMEIT-project, which are predestined to improve the accuracy of different MEMS-applications with analogue signal transfer to the ASIC as well as MEMSapplications with need of stress less integration

A new diffractometer for material science and imaging at HASYLAB beamline G3

Wurde eingereich

The nuclear hormone receptor PPARγ counteracts vascular calcification by inhibiting Wnt5a signalling in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Vascular calcification is a hallmark of advanced atherosclerosis. Here we show that deletion of the nuclear receptor PPARγ in vascular smooth muscle cells of low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr)-deficient mice fed an atherogenic diet high in cholesterol, accelerates vascular calcification with chondrogenic metaplasia within the lesions. Vascular calcification in the absence of PPARγ requires expression of the transmembrane receptor LDLr-related protein-1 in vascular smooth muscle cells. LDLr-related protein-1 promotes a previously unknown Wnt5a-dependent prochondrogenic pathway. We show that PPARγ protects against vascular calcification by inducing the expression of secreted frizzled-related protein-2, which functions as a Wnt5a antagonist. Targeting this signalling pathway may have clinical implications in the context of common complications of atherosclerosis, including coronary artery calcification and valvular sclerosis

Nutrition modeling tools: a qualitative study of influence on policy decision making and determining factors

Nutrition modeling tools (NMTs) generate evidence to inform policy and program decision making; however, the literature is generally limited to modeling methods and results, rather than use cases and their impacts. We aimed to document the policy influences of 12 NMTs and identify factors influencing them. We conducted semistructured interviews with 109 informants from 30 low- and middle-income country case studies and used thematic analysis to understand the data. NMTs were mostly applied by international organizations to inform national government decision making. NMT applications contributed to enabling environments for nutrition and influenced program design and policy in most cases; however, this influence could be strengthened. Influence was shaped by processes for applying the NMTs; ownership of the analysis and data inputs, and capacity building in NMT methods, encouraged uptake. Targeting evidence generation at specific policy cycle stages promoted uptake; however, where advocacy capacity allowed, modeling was embedded ad hoc into emerging policy discussions and had broader influence. Meanwhile, external factors, such as political change and resource constraints of local partner organizations, challenged NMT implementation. Importantly, policy uptake was never the result of NMTs exclusively, indicating they should be nested persistently and strategically within the wider evidence and advocacy continuum, rather than being stand-alone activities

Entwicklung eines Informations- und Entscheidungsmodelles zur Foerderung der Steuerungspotentiale von Industriearbeitern. Bd. 1 und 2 Schlussbericht

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