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The soil thermal regime is important to the soil and plant environment, being an influential factor in determining many processes in soil. / Changes in soil bulk density, soil surface reflectance and soil temperature changes with depth and time were studied theoretically and experimental as a function of variable soil properties, soil surface state, crop cover and atmospheric conditions. / A field experiment was carried out on sandy and clayey soils with each plot being subjected to a consistent tillage and fertilizer history of either conventional ploughing, reduced energy disking or zero tillage, and fresh dairy manure or manufactured inorganic fertilizer. The measured results and the quantitative models assist hopefully in identifying how soil management affects the soil thermal regime and in making cultivation management decisions. / Soil bulk density for each fertilizer type can be predicted quantitatively from input tillage energy in a linear fashion. The reflectance of the soil surface was estimated as an integrated form of the individual reflectance and the area fractions of the soil surface components, with a soil roughness correction term. This model can cover various surface situations under different schemes of soil management. A simulation model for soil temperature was developed, which can be applied to bare soil, partially crop-covered soil and completely crop-covered soil. The models can also be used as submodels or be linked to other existing models.

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This thesis investigates the possibility of exploiting haptic force-feedback technology for interacting with virtual musical instruments. A survey of current software solutions for creating haptic virtual environments is provided, with a discussion on the need to integrate such a platform with currently accepted solutions for audio research. / A system was developed to combine a haptic programming library with a physical dynamics engine and to expose its functionality through the Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol, an increasingly accepted standard for communication within the audio software and hardware domain. Using OSC messaging, simple 3D objects can be instantiated and constraints on their movement can be specified, allowing the description of physically dynamic mechanisms. Collision events as well as properties of the objects can be transmitted to the audio system continually to be used for modulating audio synthesis parameters. Some examples of simple virtual musical instruments created with the aid of this system are provided.

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