Computer Vision Based Object Detection and Tracking in Micro Aerial Vehicles

­­­­The ultimate goal of Computer Vision is to instruct a computer to understand and interpret visual signals and images in real time and to instruct a computer to react to the environment around them. In this work, we describe a system that allows a micro aerial vehicle (MAV), equipped with an onboard camera, to detect and track a moving target object. In an alternative implementation, the MAV instead searches the environment for the target object and flies to it. Due to the limited capability of the drone’s integrated processor, image processing is performed by a ground-based computer that also determines the necessary flight corrections and communicates them to the vehicle. The complete system, comprised of the MAV, off-board computer, and software, operates autonomously, a necessary condition for many of the applications for which such systems may be useful

The Use of Long-Term Modelling in Analysing N\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eO Abatement Strategies in Dairy Pastures

Concerns about the environmental impact of nitrogen (N) losses in Australia, in particular, nitrous oxide emissions are related to the rapid increase in N application on dairy pastures. Computer modelling is the most suitable method available to assess the potential of best management practices (BMP) to reduce field losses, as direct field measurements are frequently limited by the short term nature of many field trials

Inter-Annual Variability in Pasture Herbage Accumulation in Temperate Dairy Regions: Causes, Consequences, and Management Tools

Inter-annual variation in pasture herbage accumulation rate (HAR) is common in temperate dairy regions, posing challenges for farmers in the management of dairy cow feeding and of pasture state. This paper reviews the biophysical factors that cause inter-annual variation, considers some of its consequences for the efficient harvest of pasture, and discusses the basis for decision rules and support tools that are available to assist New Zealand and Australian farmers to help manage the consequences of an imbalance between feed supply and demand. These tools are well-grounded in scientific research and farmer experience, but are not widely used in the Australasian dairy industries. Some of the reasons for this are discussed. Inter-annual variability in HAR cannot be removed, even with inputs such as irrigation, but reliable forecasts of pasture HAR for a month or more could greatly improve the effectiveness of operational and tactical decision-making. Various approaches to pasture forecasting, based on pasture growth simulation models, are presented and discussed. Some of these appear to have reasonable predictive ability. However, considerably more development work is needed to: (1) prove their effectiveness; and (2) build the systems required to capture real-time, on farm data for critical systems variables such as pasture herbage mass and soil water content to combine with daily weather data. This technology presents an opportunity for farmers to gain greater control over variability in pasture-based dairy systems and improve the efficiency of resource use for profit and environmental outcomes

Elucidating the genetic basis of antioxidant status in lettuce (Lactuca sativa).

A diet rich in phytonutrients from fruit and vegetables has been acknowledged to afford protection against a range of human diseases, but many of the most popular vegetables are low in phytonutrients. Wild relatives of crops may contain allelic variation for genes determining the concentrations of these beneficial phytonutrients, and therefore understanding the genetic basis of this variation is important for breeding efforts to enhance nutritional quality. In this study, lettuce recombinant inbred lines, generated from a cross between wild and cultivated lettuce (Lactuca serriola and Lactuca sativa, respectively), were analysed for antioxidant (AO) potential and important phytonutrients including carotenoids, chlorophyll and phenolic compounds. When grown in two environments, 96 quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified for these nutritional traits: 4 for AO potential, 2 for carotenoid content, 3 for total chlorophyll content and 87 for individual phenolic compounds (two per compound on average). Most often, the L. serriola alleles conferred an increase in total AOs and metabolites. Candidate genes underlying these QTL were identified by BLASTn searches; in several cases, these had functions suggesting involvement in phytonutrient biosynthetic pathways. Analysis of a QTL on linkage group 3, which accounted for >30% of the variation in AO potential, revealed several candidate genes encoding multiple MYB transcription factors which regulate flavonoid biosynthesis and flavanone 3-hydroxylase, an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol, which are known to have powerful AO activity. Follow-up quantitative RT-PCR of these candidates revealed that 5 out of 10 genes investigated were significantly differentially expressed between the wild and cultivated parents, providing further evidence of their potential involvement in determining the contrasting phenotypes. These results offer exciting opportunities to improve the nutritional content and health benefits of lettuce through marker-assisted breeding

Nitrogen Balances in High Rainfall, Temperate Dairy Pastures of South Eastern Australia

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer use on dairy pastures in south eastern Australia has increased exponentially over the past 15 years, causing increasing environmental concerns. Volatilisation, denitrification and leaching of N were measured for one year (1998-1999) in pastures receiving no N fertilizer (grass/clover), or 200 kg N/ha applied as urea (46%N) or ammonium nitrate (34.5%N). Nitrogen balances were calculated for each treatment. Significantly more N was lost through volatilisation and denitrification when N was applied as urea compared to ammonium nitrate. Nitrate leaching losses were significantly greater with the application of N fertilizer, although the maximum loss was only 4.1 kg N/ha due to low rainfall between May and September. Nitrogen balances were -15, +87 and +82 kg N/ha per year for the grass/clover, 200 kg N/ha urea and 200 kg N/ha ammonium nitrate treatments, respectively. Given the large range in N losses and balances, there is opportunity for improving the N efficiency in dairy pastures, through lower stocking rates and more tactical use of grain and N fertilizer

Detection of a CMB decrement towards a cluster of mJy radiosources

We present the results of radio, optical and near-infrared observations of the field of TOC J0233.3+3021, a cluster of milliJansky radiosources from the TexOx Cluster survey. In an observation of this field with the Ryle Telescope (RT) at 15 GHz, we measure a decrement in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) of $-675 \pm 95 \mu$Jy on the RT's $\approx$ 0.65 k$\lambda$ baseline. Using optical and infrared imaging with the McDonald 2.7-m Smith Reflector, Calar Alto 3.5-m telescope and UKIRT, we identify the host galaxies of five of the radiosources and measure magnitudes of $R \approx 24$, $J \approx 20$, $K \approx 18$. The CMB decrement is consistent with the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect of a massive cluster of galaxies, which if modelled as a spherical King profile of core radius $\theta_C = 20^{\prime\prime}$ has a central temperature decrement of $900 \mu$K. The magnitudes and colours of the galaxies are consistent with those of old ellipticals at $z \sim 1$. We therefore conclude that TOC J0233.3+3021 is a massive, high redshift cluster. These observations add to the growing evidence for a significant population of massive clusters at high redshift, and demonstrate the effectiveness of combining searches for AGN `signposts' to clusters with the redshift-independence of the SZ effect.Comment: Six pages; accepted for publication in MNRAS. Version with full-resolution UV plot available from http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/~garret/MB185.p

THE SPIRAL WAVE INSTABILITY INDUCED BY A GIANT PLANET. I. PARTICLE STIRRING IN THE INNER REGIONS OF PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

We have recently shown that spiral density waves propagating in accretion disks can undergo a parametric instability by resonantly coupling with and transferring energy into pairs of inertial waves (or inertial-gravity waves when buoyancy is important). In this paper, we perform inviscid three-dimensional global hydrodynamic simulations to examine the growth and consequence of this instability operating on the spiral waves driven by a Jupiter-mass planet in a protoplanetary disk. We find that the spiral waves are destabilized via the spiral wave instability (SWI), generating hydrodynamic turbulence and sustained radially-alternating vertical flows that appear to be associated with long wavelength inertial modes. In the interval $0.3~R_p \leq R \leq 0.7~R_p$, where $R_p$ denotes the semi-major axis of the planetary orbit (assumed to be 5~au), the estimated vertical diffusion rate associated with the turbulence is characterized by $\alpha_{\rm diff} \sim (0.2-1.2) \times 10^{-2}$. For the disk model considered here, the diffusion rate is such that particles with sizes up to several centimeters are vertically mixed within the first pressure scale height. This suggests that the instability of spiral waves launched by a giant planet can significantly disperse solid particles and trace chemical species from the midplane. In planet formation models where the continuous local production of chondrules/pebbles occurs over Myr time scales to provide a feedstock for pebble accretion onto these bodies, this stirring of solid particles may add a time constraint: planetary embryos and large asteroids have to form before a gas giant forms in the outer disk, otherwise the SWI will significantly decrease the chondrule/pebble accretion efficiency.Comment: Accepted for publication in the The Astrophysical Journal, 19 pages, 12 figures, 1 tabl

Re-structuring hedges: rejuvenation management can improve the long term quality of hedgerow habitats for wildlife in the UK

Hedgerows provide key wildlife habitat in intensive agricultural landscapes, but are declining in length and structural condition due to a lack of rejuvenation management, neglect and over-frequent trimming with mechanised flails. Here, we test cheaper, alternative methods to traditional hedge laying methods using a multi-site manipulative field experiment. In the first quantitative test of new approaches to hedge rejuvenation management, hedge regrowth, structure, berry provision for over-wintering wildlife and cost of rejuvenation were assessed in response to five methods, for three years following rejuvenation. Three ‘laying’ methods and coppicing were effective at improving hedgerow condition by stimulating basal regrowth, thus increasing the density of woody material at the base and reducing gap size. The pros and cons of coppicing are discussed in relation to its impact on different wildlife groups, and it is recommended in limited circumstances. Differences between the three ‘laying’ methods reduced over time, so a cheaper conservation hedging method is recommended as an alternative to traditional hedge laying. This new approach to hedge management offers the potential to restore twice the length of hedgerow currently rejuvenated under agri-environment schemes

Global Equation of State of two-dimensional hard sphere systems

Hard sphere systems in two dimensions are examined for arbitrary density. Simulation results are compared to the theoretical predictions for both the low and the high density limit, where the system is either disordered or ordered, respectively. The pressure in the system increases with the density, except for an intermediate range of volume fractions $0.65 \le \nu \le 0.75$, where a disorder-order phase transition occurs. The proposed {\em global equation of state} (which describes the pressure {\em for all densities}) is applied to the situation of an extremely dense hard sphere gas in a gravitational field and shows reasonable agreement with both experimental and numerical data.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Coherent diffraction of single Rice Dwarf virus particles using hard X-rays at the Linac Coherent Light Source

Single particle diffractive imaging data from Rice Dwarf Virus (RDV) were recorded using the Coherent X-ray Imaging (CXI) instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). RDV was chosen as it is a wellcharacterized model system, useful for proof-of-principle experiments, system optimization and algorithm development. RDV, an icosahedral virus of about 70 nm in diameter, was aerosolized and injected into the approximately 0.1 mu m diameter focused hard X-ray beam at the CXI instrument of LCLS. Diffraction patterns from RDV with signal to 5.9 angstrom ngstrom were recorded. The diffraction data are available through the Coherent X-ray Imaging Data Bank (CXIDB) as a resource for algorithm development, the contents of which are described here.11Ysciescopu