The Autosegmental-Metrical Theory of Intonational Phonology

The chapter outlines the basic principles of the autosegmental-metrical (AM) theory of intonational phonology. AM posits that at the phonological level intonation consists of a string of L(ow) and H(igh) tones (i.e. a string of tonal autosegments) that associate with metrical heads and phrasal boundaries. Phonetically, tones are realized as tonal targets, specific f0 points defined by their scaling and alignment; scaling refers to the pitch height of the tonal target, and alignment to the synchronization of the target with the segmental material that reflects its phonological association (typically stressed syllables and boundary-adjacent syllables). The chapter explains these essential tenets of AM in some detail and discusses how they differ from those of other models of intonation and what consequences these differences have for modelling and predicting the realization of pitch contours. The chapter presents the basics of phonological representation and phonetic modelling in AM, and briefly touches on intonational meaning and AM applications.

ANIMAL MANURE AS FERTILIZER: CHANGES IN SOIL ATTRIBUTES, PRODUCTIVITY AND FOOD COMPOSITION

Animal manure (AM), such as swine, cattle, sheep, horse, as well as other organic waste materials from recycling agri-food or other processes may be used as nutrient source for horticultural annual and perennial crops, increasing nutrient cycling and reducing costs related to acquisition of industrial fertilizers. Additionally, over the years it is expected to modify chemical, physical, and biological soil attributes such as increasing the nutrient content in the soil, which can affect crop productivity, change the food composition, fruit and vegetable storage aptitudes, and impact on the environment. The present review addresses the effect of AM applications on the soil-plant interface, emphasizing the following aspects: (a) changes in chemical, physical and biological attributes in soils with a history of AM applications, (b) effect of application of AM on annual plant productivity and (c) AM as fertilizer: productivity and food composition of horticultural crops. Successive applications of AM in soils tend to increase the chemical and physical attributes, and, increased production of grain crops. Effect of AM fertilizations on quality and nutritional value of fruits is still uncertain; it depends on several factors, including: 1) characteristics of organic matter, 2) pedoclimatic conditions, 3) time of application and 4) plant species.

Additive Manufacturing for Crack Repair Applications in Metals

Additive manufacturing (AM) builds intricate parts from 3D CAD model data in successive layers. AM offers several advantages and has become a preferred freeform fabrication, processing, manufacturing, maintenance, and repair technique for metals, thermoplastics, ceramics, and composites. When using laser, it bears several names, which include laser additive manufacturing, laser additive technology, laser metal deposition, laser engineered net shape, direct metal deposition, and laser solid forming. These technologies use a laser beam to locally melt the powder or wire and the substrate that fuse upon solidification. AM is mainly applied in the aerospace and biomedical industries. Titanium (Ti) alloys offer very attractive properties much needed in these industries. This chapter explores AM applications for crack repairs in Ti alloys. Metal cracking industrial challenges, crack detection and repair methods, challenges, and milestones for AM repair of cracks in Ti alloys are also discussed.

Design and Control of a Fully-Actuated Hexrotor for Aerial Manipulation Applications

This paper addresses the issue of controller complexity for multirotor aerial manipulator (AM) implementation by utilizing a special class of fully actuated hexrotor within the framework of a firmware, which allows standard multirotor actuation modes. Using this platform, manipulator and vehicle dynamics are decoupled, making the airframe inherently more robust than standard multirotor for trajectory tracking in AM applications. Furthermore, its unique design allows for the implementation of modular control strategies. The proposed rotor orientation model makes it possible to decouple the dynamics, allowing full analytical development of the optimal solution. A methodology for analysis, control allocation, and design of this special class of hexrotor is presented, and the implementation of a custom flight stack is demonstrated using a hexrotor prototype in closed-loop flight testing. The flight stack developed is compliant with the open-source ArduPilot Mega (APM) firmware, allowing it to take advantage of all generic multirotor control algorithms. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate feasibility of the system.