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The spatial response function (SRF) of the backscatter measurements for a radar scatterometer is often used in reconstruction. It has been found that in many cases the SRF can be approximated as a binary function that is 1 inside the - 6 dB contour of the SRF and 0 outside. This improves the computation speed of reconstruction. Computing the SRF contour can still be a lengthy computation, which can be simplified by precomputing and tabulating key SRF contours. The tabular parameterization for many spinning scatterometers, i.e., QuikSCAT, is straight-forward. For RapidSCAT, this estimation is more involved than other radars due to the irregular orbit of its host platform, the International Space Station (ISS). This thesis presents a process for parameterizing the slice contours for RapidSCAT that are acceptable for reconstruction purposes. This thesis develops a new process for parameterizing slice contours. First, RapidSCAT SRFs are calculated using XfactorRS3, and -6 dB slice contours are found using matplotlib. Then, a suitable filter is found for reducing noise present in slice contours due to quantization error and interpolation inaccuracies. Afterwards, the polygon comparison algorithm is used to determine a set of approximation points. With the approximation points selected, the 3-rd order linear approximation is calculated using parameters available in the L1B data files for RapidSCAT. Finally, analysis of the parameterization is performed. Overall, I developed a process that parameterizes RapidSCAT slice contours with an average root mean square (RMS) error of roughly 1.5 km. This is acceptable for the application of the slice parameterization algorithm and significantly reduces computation compared to fully computing the SRF.

Dysfunctional rangelands lose nutrients and material faster than they capture or create them. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of contour furrows, drill seeding, and aeration treatments in capturing overland flow, concentrating resources, and establishing perennial bunch grasses to convert dysfunctional semiarid rangeland to a functional rangeland. The site, located on the Edwards Plateau in west Texas, USA, had bare, structurally crusted soils with sparse short-grasses (Scleropogon brevifolius). The site had a low infiltration rate contributing to excess overland flow and loss of nutrients, organic matter, and soil. Contour furrows were installed with varying intra-furrow distances (0.6 to 61 m) and then broadcast seeded to determine if furrow spacing would produce a vegetative response. Portions of the intra-furrow areas were aerated and drill seeded. All seed mixes contained warm season, perennial bunch grasses (Bouteloua curtipendula, Leptochloa dubia, and Setaria leucopila). Soil beneath furrows had greater soil water content (p-value < 0.05) than intra-furrow areas. Furrow plots had greater density of seeded grasses and total vegetation (19 individuals m-2 and 191 individuals m-2, respectively) than intra-furrow plots (0 individuals m-2 and 89 individuals m-2, respectively). This study supports other findings that suggest 1.5 m to 1.8 m is optimum intra-furrow spacing. Vegetative responses to drill seeding and aeration treatments were insignificant. Observations suggest that contour furrows are effective at establishment and support of perennial vegetation by capturing and retaining water that otherwise would be lost to runoff from untreated soil.

Flicker defined form (FDF) is a temporally-dependent illusion created by the counterphase flicker of randomly positioned element dots, that preferentially stimulates the magnocellular system. Previous studies have found improvement with peripheral presentation, a resistance to blur and a dependence on high temporal frequencies. (Quaid & Flanagan, 2005a; Quaid & Flanagan, 2005b). Although it is seemingly very different from most luminance defined, static stimuli, it is still unknown in what ways it differs. The current study aimed to determine how FDF varies or is similar to static, luminance defined stimuli. Current results showed that FDF could be matched to particular spatial frequencies, and improved with increasing background structure and area. Shapes could be discriminated from each other and recognized. These results suggest that although FDF is dependent on motion pathways for temporal dynamic perception, it could also benefit from the input of form perception pathways, depending on the cues present in the stimulus (e.g. background structure, area). Results also showed that FDF does not benefit from Gestalt rules of contour closure, unlike some static stimuli, although related studies have shown that FDF could still be detected in spite of blur. These studies suggest that FDF appears to rely on motion perception pathways, areas such as MT, but is easier to perceive at times due to overlap in function with shape perception pathways, areas such as IT. As such FDF shares many characteristics with other motion-defined-form stimuli, but uniquely shares aspects of form vision.

Flicker defined form (FDF) is a temporally-dependent illusion created by the counterphase flicker of randomly positioned element dots, that preferentially stimulates the magnocellular system. Previous studies have found improvement with peripheral presentation, a resistance to blur and a dependence on high temporal frequencies. (Quaid & Flanagan, 2005a; Quaid & Flanagan, 2005b). Although it is seemingly very different from most luminance defined, static stimuli, it is still unknown in what ways it differs. The current study aimed to determine how FDF varies or is similar to static, luminance defined stimuli. Current results showed that FDF could be matched to particular spatial frequencies, and improved with increasing background structure and area. Shapes could be discriminated from each other and recognized. These results suggest that although FDF is dependent on motion pathways for temporal dynamic perception, it could also benefit from the input of form perception pathways, depending on the cues present in the stimulus (e.g. background structure, area). Results also showed that FDF does not benefit from Gestalt rules of contour closure, unlike some static stimuli, although related studies have shown that FDF could still be detected in spite of blur. These studies suggest that FDF appears to rely on motion perception pathways, areas such as MT, but is easier to perceive at times due to overlap in function with shape perception pathways, areas such as IT. As such FDF shares many characteristics with other motion-defined-form stimuli, but uniquely shares aspects of form vision.

Training activities on the Fort Hood Military Installation have imposed serious impacts to its grass-dominated landscape. Six decades of tracked vehicle impacts have caused soil compaction and vegetation reduction which has lead to severe surface erosion. This investigation examined two conservation practices directed at improving and creating sustainable training conditions on Fort Hood training lands, contour ripping and the application of composted dairy manure. The application of composted dairy manure may increase vegetation, while contour ripping may decrease discharge, both of which will lead to a decrease in erosion. Three small 0.30 ha watersheds were established on Fort Hood in January 2005. Each watershed had 0.46 m berms installed on all four sides with a 0.305 m H-flume and was equipped with automated storm sampling equipment. Soil samples were collected prior to any treatments, and twice after compost applications. Discharge and precipitation was collected continuously on each watershed. Stormwater samples were collected during storm events and analyzed for water quality parameters. Water quality samples, discharge and precipitation records were collected between January 2005 and July 2007. Three composted dairy manure application rates at 0, 28 and 57 m3 ha-1 were applied on watersheds C0, C1 and C2, respectively; watersheds were evaluated for effects on NO3 and soluble reactive phosphates (SRP) concentrations and loadings in storm events and on stormwater discharge. Twenty two months after the initial compost application, the two previously composted watersheds (C1 and C2) were treated with contour ripping and C2 received a second compost application. The compost application caused the spikes in NO3 and SRP concentrations and loads immediately after application. Both NO3 and SRP concentrations decreased as the number of days from application increased. Compost application did not appear to have an effect on the discharge from watersheds. Contour ripping had a significant effect on stormwater discharge. Contour ripping decreased discharge by 74 and 80% on C1 and C2, respectively when compared to the untreated control (C0).

As the electronic products are gotten smaller and the quantity of output is to be requested, the trend of the needs for speed and accuracy is more precise. Therefore, upgrading the speed and the accuracy of contour error on tracking control has become an important point. This research is focus on the improvement of tracking error and contour error. In tracking error, we propose that the compensation of friction disturbance is by building friction model. And then adaptive robust controller is used to eliminate other disturbance. Finally, velocity feedforward controller is used to improve system dynamic response and to remove the effect of time delay. The combination of such controllers can improve tracking error directly and contour error indirectly. In contour error, we use cross-coupled controller to coordinate the motors and to reform contour error. On the association of such controllers, we propose the design method of cross-coupled controller, to replace the traditional way of try-and-error, and improving contour error again. Finally, the above improving strategies are verified by the simulation and experimental results.

Dysfunctional rangelands lose nutrients and material faster than they capture or create them. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of contour furrows, drill seeding, and aeration treatments in capturing overland flow, concentrating resources, and establishing perennial bunch grasses to convert dysfunctional semiarid rangeland to a functional rangeland. The site, located on the Edwards Plateau in west Texas, USA, had bare, structurally crusted soils with sparse short-grasses (Scleropogon brevifolius). The site had a low infiltration rate contributing to excess overland flow and loss of nutrients, organic matter, and soil. Contour furrows were installed with varying intra-furrow distances (0.6 to 61 m) and then broadcast seeded to determine if furrow spacing would produce a vegetative response. Portions of the intra-furrow areas were aerated and drill seeded. All seed mixes contained warm season, perennial bunch grasses (Bouteloua curtipendula, Leptochloa dubia, and Setaria leucopila). Soil beneath furrows had greater soil water content (p-value < 0.05) than intra-furrow areas. Furrow plots had greater density of seeded grasses and total vegetation (19 individuals m-2 and 191 individuals m-2, respectively) than intra-furrow plots (0 individuals m-2 and 89 individuals m-2, respectively). This study supports other findings that suggest 1.5 m to 1.8 m is optimum intra-furrow spacing. Vegetative responses to drill seeding and aeration treatments were insignificant. Observations suggest that contour furrows are effective at establishment and support of perennial vegetation by capturing and retaining water that otherwise would be lost to runoff from untreated soil.

Control of the contact force between a robot manipulator and a workpiece is critical for successful execution of tasks where the robot’s end effector must perform a contact operation along the contour of a workpiece. Representative tasks include polishing, grinding and deburring. Considerable research has been conducted on force control with electric robots. By contrast, little research has been conducted on force control with pneumatic robots. The later has the potential to be considerably cheaper. However, the compressible nature of air as the working fluid and relatively high friction means pneumatic robots are more difficult to control. The subject of this thesis is the design and testing of a controller that regulates the normal contact force and tangential velocity of the end effector of a pneumatic gantry robot while tracking the contour of a planar workpiece. Both experimental and simulation results are presented. A PI Force Velocity (FV) controller for contour tracking was designed and tested experimentally. Three different workpiece edge geometries were studied: straight, inclined and curved. The tracking performance with the PI FV controller was comparable to the performance reported by other researchers with a similar controller implemented with an electric robot. This result confirms the potential of pneumatically actuated robots in force control applications. A system model was developed and validated in order to investigate the parameters that affect performance. A good match between experiment and simulation was achieved when the friction of the z-axis cylinder was modeled with a Displacement Dependent Friction Model (DDFM) instead of a Velocity Dependent Friction Model (VDFM). Subsequently, a DDFM based friction compensator was designed and tested. However, it was found that performance could not be improved even with perfect friction compensation, due to the effects of system lag. Two Neural Network (NN) compensators were designed to compensate for both the lag and friction in the system. Simulation results for straight and curved edges were used to examine the effectiveness of the NN compensators. The performance of the PI FV controller was found to improve significantly when a NN compensator was added. This result confirms the value of NN’s in control compensation for tracking applications with pneumatic actuation. / Thesis (Ph.D, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-16 12:29:44.679

We present a novel framework to exert a topology control over a level set evolution. Level set methods offer several advantages over parametric active contours, in particular automated topological changes. In some applications, where some a priori knowledge of the target topology is available, topological changes may not be desirable. A method, based on the concept of simple point borrowed from digital topology, was recently proposed to achieve a strict topology preservation during a level set evolution. However, topologically constrained evolutions often generate topological barriers that lead to large geometric inconsistencies. We introduce a topologically controlled level set framework that greatly alleviates this problem. Unlike existing work, our method allows connected components to merge, split or vanish under some specific conditions that ensure that no topological defects are generated. We demonstrate the strength of our method on a wide range of numerical experiments.