Research on Measurement Method of Yak Body Size and Weight Based on Convolutional Neural Network and Binocular Vision

In order to solve the labor-intensive and time-consuming problem in the process of measuring yak body size and weight in yak breeding industry in Qinghai Province, a non-contact method for measuring yak body size and weight was proposed in this experiment, and key technologies based on semantic segmentation, binocular ranging and neural network algorithm were studied to boost the development of yak breeding industry in Qinghai Province. Main conclusions: (1) Study yak foreground image extraction, and implement yak foreground image extraction model based on U-net algorithm; select 2263 yak images for experiment, and verify that the accuracy of the model in yak image extraction is over 97%. (2) Develop an algorithm for estimating yak body size based on binocular vision, and use the extraction algorithm of yak body size related measurement points combined with depth image to estimate yak body size. The final test shows that the average estimation error of body height and body oblique length is 2.6%, and the average estimation error of chest depth is 5.94%. (3) Study the yak weight prediction model; select the body height, body oblique length and chest depth obtained by binocular vision to estimate the yak weight; use two algorithms to establish the yak weight prediction model, and verify that the average estimation error of the model for yak weight is 10.78% and 13.01% respectively.

The Wattled-Wall House of Salar People and Its Conservation and Development

Salar people are Turkic-speaking Islamic people and an ethnic group with a small population in China. Wattled-wall house of Salar people is a type of traditional house threatened by extinction. In 2008, the wattled-wall house construction skills were selected for the national intangible cultural heritage list. It is mainly distributed in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, Qinghai Province of China. So far, Salar people′s traditional wattled-wall house knowledge has been poorly documented. Therefore, a study supporting cultural preservation efforts is needed, including preserving plants used in its construction. This study mainly applied ethnobotanical methods based on data collection through observation, interviews, and documentation. Additionally, ArcGIS data analysis is also used to supplement the evaluation of the traditional wattled-wall house. This study aimed to (1) document traditional knowledge about the wattled-wall house construction, (2) and evaluate the current status of the wattled-wall house from different angles like the environmental adaptability and internal advantages and disadvantages. The result showed that the local people still apply the knowledge about the wattled-wall house from generation to generation. However, due to some practical reasons, the wattled-wall house is on the verge of extinction. There are 11 plant taxa used as construction materials in wattled-wall house. Conservation efforts for species involved in the wattled-wall house are needed, especially the ones with limited availability. Re-use of wattled-wall house is needed in order to maximize the economic benefits and to safeguard its historical and architectural values. It is recommended that the conservation of this cultural heritage needs more attention and effort from the local government or the society.

Phenotyping and Genotyping Analyses Reveal the Spread of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici Aeciospores From Susceptible Barberry to Wheat in Qinghai of China

Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici Eriks., the cause of wheat yellow or stripe rust on wheat, undergoes sexual reproduction on barberry, but it is unclear if barberry plays any role in stripe rust epidemics under natural conditions. P. striiformis f. sp. tritici was isolated from its alternate host barberry (Berberis spp.) and primary host wheat in the vicinity of barberry by inoculation of aeciospores and urediniospores on Mingxian 169 cultivar in Qinghai province of China in 2018. The P. striiformis f. sp. tritici isolates from barberry and wheat were characterized to virulence patterns by inoculation on 24 differentials bearing Yr gene under control conditions and analyzed using 12 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The occurrence frequency of P. striiformis f. sp. tritici on barberry was 1.87% by inoculation aecia, collected from barberry on Mingxian 169 of wheat. A close virulence relationship was presented between P. striiformis f. sp. tritici isolates from both barberry and wheat based on virulence simple matching coefficient and principal coordinates analysis (PCoA). Additionally, the same genetic ancestry, based on structure analysis by STRUCTURE program and genetic relationship analyses using discriminant analysis of principal components and PCoA, was shared between P. striiformis f. sp. tritici isolates from barberry and those from wheat. Together, all the results indicated that the role of barberry in providing aeciospores as an inoculum source causing wheat stripe rust epidemic in Qinghai in spring is of considerable importance.

Wedding Customs in Amdo, Eastern Tibet

A wedding in Tibetan society is the most important family celebration. The quality of the wedding shows the role that a family plays in the tribe, tshowa. The structure and rules may vary in different regions, but the main elements are more or less the same. Preparation and the ceremony itself can take a few days or more, and traditionally it is preceded by a consultation with an astrologer. Only if the parties are well matched according to their horoscopes are they allowed to marry. In my study, I will focus on the marriage customs of Amdo – nowadays most of Qinghai Province, and some parts of Gansu and Sichuan Provinces of China; in particular the structure and the songs and toasts that feature at each stage of the wedding. During the feast the role of certain relatives such as the maternal uncles is extremely important: their repertoire contains a large numberof songs. We can say that the whole wedding is a mapping of hierarchy and filial piety in a traditional Tibetan family.

A Handheld Grassland Vegetation Monitoring System Based on Multispectral Imaging

Monitoring grassland vegetation growth is of vital importance to scientific grazing and grassland management. People expect to be able to use a portable device, like a mobile phone, to monitor grassland vegetation growth at any time. In this paper, we propose a handheld grassland vegetation monitoring system to achieve the goal of monitoring grassland vegetation growth. The system includes two parts: the hardware unit is a hand-held multispectral imaging tool named ASQ-Discover based on a smartphone, which has six bands (wavelengths)—including three visible bands (450 nm, 550 nm, 650 nm), a red-edge band (750 nm), and two near-infrared bands (850 nm, 960 nm). The imagery data of each band has a size of 5120 × 3840 pixels with 8-bit depth. The software unit improves image quality through vignetting removal, radiometric calibration, and misalignment correction and estimates and analyzes spectral traits of grassland vegetation (Fresh Grass Ratio (FGR), NDVI, NDRE, BNDVI, GNDVI, OSAVI and TGI) that are indicators of vegetation growth in grassland. We introduce the hardware and software unit in detail, and we also experiment in five pastures located in Haiyan County, Qinghai Province. Our experimental results show that the handheld grassland vegetation growth monitoring system has the potential to revolutionize the grassland monitoring that operators can conduct when using a hand-held tool to achieve the tasks of grassland vegetation growth monitoring.

The Crystal Structure of Bornite Cu5FeS4: Ordered Fe and Split Cu

The crystal structure of bornite with ideal formula Cu5FeS4 from the Saishitang skarn copper deposit in Qinghai Province, along with bornite from the Yushui spouting hydrothermal copper deposit in Guangdong Province and the Bofang sandstone copper deposit in Hunan Province, has been refined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction with R1 = 0.0259–0.0483 (I > 2σ) and 0.0338–0.1067 for 2732 to 3273 unique reflections. As represented by the Saishitang sample, it is orthorhombic with a Pbca space group and unit cell parameters a = 10.97016(18) Å, b = 21.8803(4) Å, c = 10.9637(2) Å, V = 2631.61(8) Å3 and Z = 16. The structure is composed of sulfur layers parallel to the (0 1 0) lattice plane with interstices occupied by metal atoms. The Fe atoms occupy two tetrahedral sites with full occupancy, but the Cu atoms are all partially distributed over 20 paired sites, split from 10 sites with a distance ranging from 0.24 Å to 0.54 Å. The Fe-S tetrahedra are not split with Fe-S lengths from 2.2609 Å to 2.3286 Å (average 2.2997 Å). The Cu-S lengths in pyramidal triangles are from 2.218 Å to 2.397 Å (average 2.288 Å), whereas the Cu-S tetrahedra are strongly distorted, with great variations in Cu-S lengths from 2.224 Å to 2.604 Å (average 2.391 Å). The orthorhombic unit cell is stacked from 16 1a-type (5.5 Å) cubes; each cube has one tetrahedrally-coordinated Fe atom, five split from 3- to 4-coordinated Cu atoms, and two vacancies, i.e., 5CuIII–IV+FeIV+2[]+4S. The phenomenon of site-splitting of Cu atoms may provide for a more accurate structure of bornite, allowing for a better understanding of its magnetic properties and ore-formation conditions.