scholarly journals Using Multi-Spectral UAV Imagery to Extract Tree Crop Structural Properties and Assess Pruning Effects

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasper Johansen ◽  
Tri Raharjo ◽  
Matthew F. McCabe
Keyword(s):  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Tree Structure ◽  
Flying Height ◽  
Tree Crown ◽  
Average Decrease ◽  
Crown Width ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Insight Into

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) provide an unprecedented capacity to monitor the development and dynamics of tree growth and structure through time. It is generally thought that the pruning of tree crops encourages new growth, has a positive effect on fruiting, makes fruit-picking easier, and may increase yield, as it increases light interception and tree crown surface area. To establish the response of pruning in an orchard of lychee trees, an assessment of changes in tree structure, i.e. tree crown perimeter, width, height, area and Plant Projective Cover (PPC), was undertaken using multi-spectral UAV imagery collected before and after a pruning event. While tree crown perimeter, width and area could be derived directly from the delineated tree crowns, height was estimated from a produced canopy height model and PPC was most accurately predicted based on the NIR band. Pre- and post-pruning results showed significant differences in all measured tree structural parameters, including an average decrease in tree crown perimeter of 1.94 m, tree crown width of 0.57 m, tree crown height of 0.62 m, tree crown area of 3.5 m2, and PPC of 14.8%. In order to provide guidance on data collection protocols for orchard management, the impact of flying height variations was also examined, offering some insight into the influence of scale and the scalability of this UAV based approach for larger orchards. The different flying heights (i.e. 30, 50 and 70 m) produced similar measurements of tree crown width and PPC, while tree crown perimeter, area and height measurements decreased with increasing flying height. Overall, these results illustrate that routine collection of multi-spectral UAV imagery can provide a means of assessing pruning effects on changes in tree structure in commercial orchards, and highlight the importance of collecting imagery with consistent flight configurations, as varying flying heights may cause changes to tree structural measurements.

scholarly journals MULTI-TEMPORAL ASSESSMENT OF LYCHEE TREE CROP STRUCTURE USING MULTI-SPECTRAL RPAS IMAGERY

2017 ◽  
Vol XLII-2/W6 ◽  
pp. 165-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Johansen ◽  
T. Raharjo
Keyword(s):  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Tree Structure ◽  
Flying Height ◽  
Fleshy Fruit ◽  
Tree Crown ◽  
Average Decrease ◽  
Crown Width ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Consistent Manner ◽  
Aircraft System

The lychee tree is native to China and produce small fleshy fruit up to 5 cm in diameter. Lychee production in Australia is worth > $20 million annually. Pruning of trees encourages new growth, has a positive effect on fruiting of lychee, makes fruit-picking easier, and may increase yield, as it increases light interception and tree crown surface area. The objective of this research was to assess changes in tree structure, i.e. tree crown circumference, width, height and Plant Projective Cover (PPC) using multi-spectral Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) imagery collected before and after pruning of a lychee plantation. A secondary objective was to assess any variations in the results as a function of various flying heights (30, 50 and 70 m). Pre- and post-pruning results showed significant differences in all measured tree structural parameters, including an average decrease in: tree crown circumference of 1.94 m; tree crown width of 0.57 m; tree crown height of 0.62 m; and PPC of 14.8 %. The different flying heights produced similar measurements of tree crown width and PPC, whereas tree crown circumference and height measurements decreased with increasing flying height. These results show that multi-spectral RPAS imagery can provide a suitable means of assessing pruning efforts undertaken by contractors based on changes in tree structure of lychee plantations and that it is important to collect imagery in a consistent manner, as varying flying heights may cause changes to tree structural measurements.

scholarly journals The Demerger Impact upon Sustainable Development of Economic Entities: Evidence from Romania

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8316
Author(s):  
Camelia Mirela Baba ◽  
Constantin Duguleană ◽  
Marius Sorin Dincă ◽  
Liliana Duguleană ◽  
Gheorghița Dincă
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Profitability Ratios ◽  
Positive Effect

The Covid-19 induced economic crisis has significantly affected almost all businesses from nearly every sector, causing severe financial problems, lack of cash assets, and decrease of revenues. In this context, the economic entities were forced to look for adjustment and rescue solutions of their activities. One possible solution for the recovery and reorganization of economic entities’ activities is demerger. This paper evaluates the impact of demerger upon the sustainable development of economic entities in terms of economic efficiency and financial performances. To achieve this goal, a statistical analysis of profitability ratios before and after the demerger, as well as a structural analysis of 268 demerger projects for the April 2012–April 2021 period, were performed. The results attest there are no significant differences between the ex-ante and ex-post financial performances. However, demerger seems to have a positive effect upon analyzed companies helping them to overcome economic hardships, rethink their business strategies, and continue their activity in the medium and long-term time horizon.

scholarly journals Effect of Pedestrian Penalty on Pedestrian Behavior in Qatar

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Khaled Ghonim ◽  
Deepti Muley ◽  
Mohamed Kharbeche ◽  
Yousef Mohamed ◽  
Ahmed Madkoor
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Changes ◽  
Actual Behavior ◽  
Crash Data ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Twitter Account ◽  
The Law ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Before And After Study ◽  
Insight Into

Crashes involving pedestrians are a major concern for authorities in many developed and developing countries. To refrain pedestrians from illegal or unsafe road behavior, authorities introduced three pedestrian penalties in the State of Qatar from August 2019. This paper assesses the awareness, perception, and adaptive intentions of the new amendment to the pedestrians’ law. A questionnaire survey, designed in three languages, was distributed online using Qatar University contacts and Twitter account of the General Directorate of Traffic at the Ministry of Interior, State of Qatar. A sample of 521 complete responses was obtained and used for statistical analysis. The results indicated that only 32 % of the respondents were aware of the law amendment before taking this survey. Further, the higher score for perception, adaptive intentions and awareness showed that the respondents were aware of the risks and the law amendment will have a positive effect on their behavior on road as pedestrians. The outcomes of the analysis show the efficacy of the law amendment. However, the actual behavior changes need to be studied by analyzing the pedestrian crash data and conducting a before and after study. Moreover, the study of the effects on pedestrians’ behavior, through empirical observations, is proposed to get insight into actual behaviors after law amendment as a part of future work on the topic.

scholarly journals PENGARUH REVIU RKA-K/L OLEH APIP TERHADAP EFISIENSI ALOKASI ANGGARAN KEMENTERIAN AGAMA

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Edy Effendi ◽  
Muhammad Imron
Keyword(s):  
Linear Regression ◽  
Simple Linear Regression ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Positive Effect

Research on the role of the APIP review of the Ministry/agency Work Plan and Budget document to determine the impact on the efficiency of ministry/agency spending (case study at the Ministry of Religion). The method used in this study uses simple linear regression with dummy. The use of linear regression is used to examine the relationship between independent variables (certain types of expenditure) and dependent variables (total expenditure). Whereas, dummy is used to find out before and after the APIP review is done. Throughout the author's search, this research has never been done. Based on the results of linear regression obtained, the APIP review significantly had a positive effect on official travel expenditure and honorarium but did not significantly affect building spending and equipment. Abstrak   Penelitian atas peran reviu APIP atas dokumen Rencana Kerja dan Anggaran Kementerian Negara/Lembaga untuk mengetahui dampaknya terhadap efisiensi belanja kementerian/lembaga (studi kasus pada Kementerian Agama). Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini menggunakan regresi linier sederhana dengan dummy. Penggunaan regresi liner digunakan untuk meneliti hubungan antara variable independen (jenis belanja tertentu) dan variable dependen (total belanja). Sedangkan, dummy digunakan untuk mengetahui sebelum dan setelah reviu APIP dilakukan. Sepanjang penelusuran penulis, penelitian ini belum pernah dilakukan. Berdasarkan hasil regresi linier diperoleh, reviu APIP signifikan berpengaruh positif terhadap  belanja perjalanan dinas dan honorarium tetapi tidak signifikan berbengaruh terhadap belanja gedung dan alat.

Drivers of intention to use Murabaha financing: religiosity as moderator

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naqeeb Ullah Atal ◽  
Mohammad Iranmanesh ◽  
Fathyah Hashim ◽  
Behzad Foroughi
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Reasoned Action ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Religious Obligation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of Muslims’ attitude and intention towards Murabaha financing by considering religiosity as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected through a survey of 373 Muslims in Afghanistan and were analysed using the partial least squares technique. Findings The results showed that social influence and religious obligation have a positive effect on attitude towards Murabaha financing. Furthermore, social influence and attitude have a positive effect on the intention to use Murabaha financing. Religiosity moderates negatively the impact of social influence on attitude towards Murabaha financing. Practical implications Managers and marketers of Islamic banks may benefit from the findings of this study, which provide insight into the factors that should be considered to promote Murabaha financing. Originality/value The findings contribute to the literature on Islamic financing products by demonstrating the drivers of attitude towards and intention to use Murabaha financing. The study also extends the literature by testing the moderating role of religiosity. Furthermore, the study extends the theory of reasoned action in the context of Islamic financing by introducing religious obligation as a potential driver of attitude and religiosity as a moderator.

QR codes as a tool for receiving feedback about guests’ satisfaction at destinations

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikola Vuksanović ◽  
Dunja Demirović Bajrami ◽  
Marko D. Petrović ◽  
Elena M. Grigorieva
Keyword(s):  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Qr Code ◽  
Qr Codes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Marketing Tool ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the use of Quick Response (QR) code application among the tourists on their satisfaction at a destination regarding information about restaurants’ offer. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative method was implemented in this study. The field study was conducted in 2019 in the two most visited urban destinations in Serbia. The proposed model was examined using partial least squares, and the model fits, composite reliability and convergent validity were assessed. The direction and significance of the relationships were determined by testing all of the hypotheses. Findings The results showed that there was a positive effect of using QR codes. However, the study showed that a QR code cannot completely affect the overall satisfaction at a destination. The analysis of the control variables (age and economic status) showed that individual, demographic and economic factors must be taken into consideration to predict individuals’ behaviour. Research limitations/implications To enable the generalization of the results, it is advised to conduct research on cross-cultural levels. Future studies related to the topic could be conveyed in other forms of tourism, as well as in other industries, which would provide a better insight into the application of this technology in the future. Originality/value The study enables managers of tourism businesses, especially in hospitality, to better understand the importance of the use of a QR code at a destination as an important marketing tool for getting information, and thus to satisfy guests’ expectations.

scholarly journals Optimization of a Self-Excited Pulsed Air-Water Jet Nozzle Based on the Response Surface Methodology

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 75-87
Author(s):  
Yong Wang ◽  
Xiaolin Wang ◽  
Zilong Zhang ◽  
Yu Li ◽  
Houlin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Surface Methodology ◽  
Response Surface ◽  
Impact Force ◽  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Coupling Factor ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Water Jet ◽  
Force Amplitude ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

A self-excited pulsed air-water jet (SEPAWJ) offers many advantages over other jets and has a large number of practical and industrial applications. In order to take better advantage of the SEPAWJ, response surface methodology (RSM) models were established with the experimental impact force characteristics as the dependent variable and three key nozzle parameters as the independent variable. Single and coupling factor effects of these three parameters (oscillation chamber length, oscillation chamber height, and diameter of the downstream nozzle) on performance of nozzle are analysed, and the structural parameters of optimum performance are calculated using RSM models. The external flow field, impact force and cleaning performance of SEPAWJ before and after optimization are analysed and compared experimentally. It is found that the significance levels of established average impact force and impact force amplitude RSM models are lower than 0.05, and their error ratios between calculation and experiment under the optimum construction are both less than 5 %, which confirms their considerable reliability. Meanwhile, the final large water mass of optimized SEPAWJ is formed much earlier, and is more intensive and more concentrated. Compared with the original SEPAWJ nozzle, the impact force and impact force amplitude of optimized SEPAWJ nozzle are increased by 52.00 % and 38.26 %, respectively. In addition, the cleaned area ratio of nozzle before and after optimization is 76 % and 100 % at 50 seconds, respectively, with an increase of 22.4 %.

scholarly journals The effect of air conditioners on occupants’ thermal adaptive behaviours and wellbeing: advances and challenges

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 03003
Author(s):  
Yuxin Wu ◽  
Mengwei Yuan ◽  
Zixuan Wang ◽  
Xinyi Li
Keyword(s):  
Sick Building Syndrome ◽  
Air Conditioners ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Sick Building ◽  
Adaptive Behaviours ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

To study the impact of air conditioners (AC) on occupants’ behaviours and comfort, two comparison surveys were conducted during hot summer weather before and after air conditioners were installed in student dormitories at Chongqing University in 2008 and 2016, respectively. The results showed that after the ACs were installed, occupants’ environmental satisfaction vote was notably higher irrespective of whether the equipment was used. The proportion of ACs used (PAU) in 2016 and the proportion of fans used (PFU) in 2008 were logistically fit with the outside temperatures, and these data displayed very similar trends. However, less variety in adaptive behaviours was evident after the ACs were installed. When ACs were used, lower proportions of windows were opened (13%) and higher proportions of occupants felt stuffy (54%), experienced draughts (38%), and reported sick building syndrome (SBS). This study provides scientific insight into the advances and problems caused by the popularization of ACs.

Pre-TKR isokinetic quadriceps strengthening has a positive effect which may diminish following the intervention despite pain and functional improvements: A case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-428
Author(s):  
Vivien Reynaud ◽  
Lech Dobija ◽  
Pierre-Louis Fournier ◽  
Charlotte Lanhers ◽  
Emmanuel Coudeyre
Keyword(s):  
Quadriceps Strength ◽  
Functional Evaluation ◽  
Maximal Strength ◽  
Koos Score ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Total Knee ◽  
6 Minute Walk Test ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

We report a longitudinal survey of a 53-year-old man suffering from right knee osteoarthritis who has undergone total knee replacement (TKR). We aimed at evaluating the effect of a short preoperative isokinetic strengthening program on the functional status, pain, and quadriceps and hamstrings strength before and after TKR. The patient performed a 4-week (6 sessions) preoperative isokinetic strengthening program of the quadriceps and hamstrings. The findings for the concentric strength at 60∘/s, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) were recorded. At baseline the patient presented with an overall KOOS score of 44%, a 6MWT of 444 m, a 63% and 21% strength deficits of the quadriceps and hamstrings, respectively. Following the strengthening program, the quadriceps strength of the operated limb improved (+121 Nm; +83%), but the function as reflected by the KOOS score remained unchanged. Following the TKR, the concentric isokinetic strength of the quadriceps reappeared altered (63% of deficit) despite pain and functional improvements. This case report underlines the importance of functional evaluation rather than the maximal strength to assess the effectiveness of TKR. However, further studies are necessary to conceptualize the meaning of maximal strength measurement and the impact of associated deficits, if any.

scholarly journals The evolution characteristics of organic sulfur structure in various Chinese high organic sulfur coals

2020 ◽  
pp. 014459872097514
Author(s):  
Yuegang Tang ◽  
Cong Chen ◽  
Xiaolong Li ◽  
Qiang Wei ◽  
Xin Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Organic Geochemistry ◽  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Organic Sulfur ◽  
Coal Rank ◽  
Evolution Characteristics ◽  
Coal Petrology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sulfur In Coal ◽  
Insight Into

Understanding the organic sulfur structure and its evolution characteristics is crucial to the desulfurization of coal, as they are the dominant factors determining the removal of organic sulfur from coal. To learn the organic sulfur structure characteristics, a series of high-organic-sulfur coals from China with different ranks were studied by coal petrology, structural chemistry, and organic geochemistry theory in this paper. Coal petrological analysis shows some of the high-organic-sulfur coals with high TPI values and low GI values indicating that they have experienced unusual conditions when the coal was forming. Through the FTIR analysis, the organic sulfur structural parameters shows the relative abundance of aliphatic sulfur (thiol, thioether and sulfone) in these coals decreased with the increasing coal rank and the relative abundance of aromatic sulfur in coal generally showed an increasing trend with increasing coalification, divided into three different evolutionary stages (0.37%–1.40%, 1.40%–1.99% and 1.99%–3.93% of Rm). Comprehensive analysis shows that EID and TPI had a significant correlation with the organic sulfur structural parameters, which means regardless of the coal rank the impact of the environment on the structure of organic sulfur is independent. These results give a new insight into organic sulfur characteristics in coal and its evolution characteristics with coal rank, which are potentially useful for the efficient remove the organic sulfur from coal.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document