Human Factors Analysis of Predator B Crash

The 2006 crash of a Predator B in Arizona has prompted a great amount of scrutiny into Unmanned Arial System (UAS) operations. The direct cause of the Predator crash can be tied to an initial failure of the displays and a failed transfer of controls between operators. However, using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), many latent errors that contributed to the accident were uncovered that were not addressed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report. The HFACS approach for this accident examined all issues leading up to the crash and uncovered several organizational influences that were significant contributors to the Predator crash. Through augmenting NTSB efforts with the HFACS method, future UAS incidents can be prevented by addressing all causes, regardless of their distance from the pilot’s seat

Changes in Lifeguards’ Hazard Detection and Eye Movements with Experience: Is One Season Enough?

Surveillance is key to the lifesaving capability of lifeguards. Experienced personnel consistently display enhanced hazard detection capabilities compared to less experienced counterparts. However, the mechanisms which underpin this effect and the time it takes to develop these skills are not understood. We hypothesized that, after one season of experience, the number of hazards detected by, and eye movements of, less experienced lifeguards (LEL) would more closely approximate experienced lifeguards (EL). The LEL watched ‘beach scene’ videos at the beginning and end of their first season. The number of hazards detected and eye-movement data were collected and compared to the EL group. The LEL perceived fewer hazards than EL and did not increase over the season. There was no difference in eye-movements between groups. Findings suggest one season is not enough for lifeguards to develop enhanced hazard detection skills and skill level differences are not underpinned by differences in gaze behavior

Changes in Lifeguards' Hazard Detection and Eye Movements with Experience: Is One Season Enough?

Surveillance is key to the lifesaving capability of lifeguards. Experienced personnel consistently display enhanced hazard detection capabilities compared to less experienced counterparts. However, the mechanisms which underpin this effect and the time it takes to develop these skills are not understood. We hypothesized that, after one season of experience, the number of hazards detected by, and eye movements of, less experienced lifeguards (LEL) would more closely approximate experienced lifeguards (EL). The LEL watched ‘beach scene’ videos at the beginning and end of their first season. The number of hazards detected and eye-movement data were collected and compared to the EL group. The LEL perceived fewer hazards than EL and did not increase over the season. There was no difference in eye-movements between groups. Findings suggest one season is not enough for lifeguards to develop enhanced hazard detection skills and skill level differences are not underpinned by differences in gaze behavior

The Pilatus unmanned aircraft system for lower atmospheric research

This paper presents details of the University of Colorado (CU) “Pilatus” unmanned research aircraft, assembled to provide measurements of aerosols, radiation and thermodynamics in the lower troposphere. This aircraft has a wingspan of 3.2 m and a maximum take-off weight of 25 kg, and it is powered by an electric motor to reduce engine exhaust and concerns about carburetor icing. It carries instrumentation to make measurements of broadband up- and downwelling shortwave and longwave radiation, aerosol particle size distribution, atmospheric temperature, relative humidity and pressure and to collect video of flights for subsequent analysis of atmospheric conditions during flight. In order to make the shortwave radiation measurements, care was taken to carefully position a high-quality compact inertial measurement unit (IMU) and characterize the attitude of the aircraft and its orientation to the upward-looking radiation sensor. Using measurements from both of these sensors, a correction is applied to the raw radiometer measurements to correct for aircraft attitude and sensor tilt relative to the sun. The data acquisition system was designed from scratch based on a set of key driving requirements to accommodate the variety of sensors deployed. Initial test flights completed in Colorado provide promising results with measurements from the radiation sensors agreeing with those from a nearby surface site. Additionally, estimates of surface albedo from onboard sensors were consistent with local surface conditions, including melting snow and bright runway surface. Aerosol size distributions collected are internally consistent and have previously been shown to agree well with larger, surface-based instrumentation. Finally the atmospheric state measurements evolve as expected, with the near-surface atmosphere warming over time as the day goes on, and the atmospheric relative humidity decreasing with increased temperature. No directional bias on measured temperature, as might be expected due to uneven heating of the sensor housing over the course of a racetrack pattern, was detected. The results from these flights indicate that the CU Pilatus platform is capable of performing research-grade lower tropospheric measurement missions

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes

The Toxoplasma monocarboxylate transporters are involved in the metabolism within the apicoplast and are linked to parasite survival

The apicoplast is a four-membrane plastid found in the apicomplexans, which harbors biosynthesis and organelle housekeeping activities in the matrix. However, the mechanism driving the flux of metabolites, in and out, remains unknown. Here we used TurboID and genome engineering to identify apicoplast transporters in Toxoplasma gondii. Among the many novel transporters, we show that one pair of apicomplexan monocarboxylate transporters (AMTs) appears to be evolved from the putative host cell that engulfed a red alga. Protein depletion showed that AMT1 and AMT2 are critical for parasite growth. Metabolite analyses supported the notion that AMT1 and AMT2 are associated with biosynthesis of isoprenoids and fatty acids. However, stronger phenotypic defects were observed for AMT2, including in the inability to establish T. gondii parasite virulence in mice. This study clarifies, significantly, the mystery of apicoplast transporter composition and reveals the importance of the pair of AMTs in maintaining the apicoplast activity in apicomplexan

Crop Updates 2009 - Farming Systems

This session covers nineteen papers from different authors: Decision support technology 1. The use of high resolution imagery in broad acre cropping, Derk Bakker and Grey Poulish, Department of Agriculture and Food 2. Spraywise decisions – online spray applicatiors planning tool, Steve Lacy, Nufarm Australia Ltd 3. Testing for redlegged earthmite resistance in Western Australia, Svetlana Micic, Peter Mangano, Tony Dore and Alan Lord, Department of Agriculture and Food 4. Screening cereal, canola and pasture cultivars for Root Lesion Nematode (Pratylenchus neglectus), Vivien Vanstone, Helen Hunter and Sean Kelly,Department of Agriculture and Food Farming Systems Research 5. Lessons from five years of cropping systems research, WK Anderson, Department of Agriculture and Food 6. Facey Group rotations for profit: Five years on and where to next? Gary Lang and David McCarthy, Facey Group, Wickepin, WA Mixed Farming 7. Saline groundwater use by Lucerne and its biomass production in relation to groundwater salinity, Ruhi Ferdowsian, Ian Roseand Andrew Van Burgel, Department of Agriculture and Food 8. Autumn cleaning yellow serradella pastures with broad spectrum herbicides – a novel weed control strategy that exploits delayed germination, Dr David Ferris, Department of Agriculture and Food 9. Decimating weed seed banks within non-crop phases for the benefit of subsequent crops, Dr David Ferris, Department of Agriculture and Food 10. Making seasonal variability easier to deal with in a mixed farming enterprise! Rob Grima,Department of Agriculture and Food 11. How widely have new annual legume pastures been adopted in the low to medium rainfall zones of Western Australia? Natalie Hogg, Department of Agriculture and Food, John Davis, Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy, Murdoch University 12. Economic evaluation of dual purpose cereal in the Central wheatbelt of Western Australia, Jarrad Martin, Pippa Michael and Robert Belford, School of Agriculture and Environment, CurtinUniversity of Technology, Muresk Campus 13. A system for improving the fit of annual pasture legumes under Western Australian farming systems, Kawsar P Salam1,2, Roy Murray-Prior1, David Bowran2and Moin U. Salam2, 1Curtin University of Technology; 2Department of Agriculture and Food 14. Perception versus reality: why we should measure our pasture, Tim Scanlon, Department of Agriculture and Food, Len Wade, Charles Sturt University, Megan Ryan, University of Western Australia Modelling 15. Potential impact of climate changes on the profitability of cropping systems in the medium and high rainfall areas of the northern wheatbelt, Megan Abrahams, Chad Reynolds, Caroline Peek, Dennis van Gool, Kari-Lee Falconer and Daniel Gardiner, Department of Agriculture and Food 16. Prediction of wheat grain yield using Yield Prophet®, Geoff Anderson and Siva Sivapalan, Department of Agriculture and Food 17. Using Yield Prophet® to determine the likely impacts of climate change on wheat production, Tim McClelland1, James Hunt1, Zvi Hochman2, Bill Long3, Dean Holzworth4, Anthony Whitbread5, Stephen van Rees1and Peter DeVoil6 1 Birchip Cropping Group, Birchip, Vic, 2Agricultural Production Systems Research Unit (APSRU), CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Flagship, Qld, 3 AgConsulting, SA 4 Agricultural Production Systems Research Unit (APSRU), CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Toowoomba Qld, 5 CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, SA, 6 Agricultural Production Systems Research Unit (APSRU), Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland 18. Simple methods to predict yield potential: Improvements to the French and Schultz formula to account for soil type and within-season rainfall, Yvette Oliver, Michael Robertson and Peter Stone, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems 19. Ability of various yield forecasting models to estimate soil water at the start of the growing season, Siva Sivapalan, Kari-Lee Falconer and Geoff Anderson, Department of Agriculture and Foo