V-Spline: An Adaptive Smoothing Spline for Trajectory Reconstruction.

Trajectory reconstruction is the process of inferring the path of a moving object between successive observations. In this paper, we propose a smoothing spline-which we name the V-spline-that incorporates position and velocity information and a penalty term that controls acceleration. We introduce an adaptive V-spline designed to control the impact of irregularly sampled observations and noisy velocity measurements. A cross-validation scheme for estimating the V-spline parameters is proposed, and, in simulation studies, the V-spline shows superior performance to existing methods. Finally, an application of the V-spline to vehicle trajectory reconstruction in two dimensions is given, in which the penalty term is allowed to further depend on known operational characteristics of the vehicle.

Economic analysis of crop protection strategies: comparing the value of increased fungicide inputs and crop genetic improvement in managing Ascochyta blight in Australian chickpeas.

BACKGROUND: Genetic improvement of crop varieties requires significant investment. Therefore, varieties must be developed to suit a broad range of breeding targets, such as yield and suitability to rainfall zones, farm management practices and quality traits. In the case of breeding for disease resistance, breeders need to consider the value of genetic improvement relative to other disease management strategies and the dynamics of pathogen genetic and phenotypic diversity. This study uses a benefit-cost analysis framework to assess the economic value of fungicide management and crop genetic improvement in disease resistance for Australian chickpea varieties. RESULTS: When assessing the likelihood of growers switching to new crop varieties with improved genetic resistance to disease, the simulation results reveal that adopting these varieties yielded higher net benefit values compared to implementing current fungicide strategies across all rainfall zones. On average, the increase in net benefit varied between 2.6% and 3.5%. Conversely, when we examined the scenario involving modifying the current fungicide strategy, we observed that, on average, switching from the current fungicide management strategy to one which involved additional fungicides was beneficial in about 73% of the cases. CONCLUSION: Our analysis reveals the importance of factors such as commodity prices, production costs, disease-related variables and risk aversion in determining the economic benefits of adopting new crop protection strategies. Furthermore, the research reveals the need for accessible information and reliable data sources when evaluating the benefits of new agricultural technologies. This would assist growers in making informed and sustainable disease management decisions. © 2024 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Impact of different processing techniques on the key volatile profile, sensory, and consumer acceptance of black truffle (Tuber melanosporum Vittadini).

Fresh truffles which include black truffle (Tuber melanosporum Vittadini) deteriorate and lose aroma rapidly after harvest; therefore, postharvest processing via freeze-drying or encapsulation is an option to preserve truffle aroma for extended supply. However, the aroma profile that directly affects the truffle quality and consumer acceptance is influenced by processing and producers require processing options that balance processing feasibility with retention of a suitable aroma profile. This study aimed to determine the impact of freeze-drying and encapsulation on the profile of key volatiles, consumer discrimination, and overall sensory impression (aroma intensity, liking, and acceptability) of processed truffle products compared to the starting material (positive control). The study combined experimental-scale processing with GC-MS analysis and consumer sensory evaluation to compare and optimize postharvest processing options. Based on the results, some volatile changes were detected in the processed truffle products compared to the positive control which were aligned with the consumer discrimination (triangle test) and the aroma intensity score (consumer sensory test). Despite some chemical and sensory differences detected, the consumer panel did not have any preference for processed truffle products compared to the positive control. The overall finding indicates the potential value of processing truffles into a natural flavoring ingredient for food application via freeze-drying or encapsulation, which should be of great interest for the truffle and food industry. According to the correlation analysis, the consumer acceptance of a truffle product may be increased by retaining 1-octen-3-ol and methional, while reducing the amount of p-cresol in the product. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The postharvest process of turning truffles into a food flavoring ingredient may cause undesirable volatile changes that would directly impact the aroma quality and consumer acceptance of the processed truffle products. Hence, the impacts of freeze-drying and encapsulation on the chemical and sensory profile of truffles were evaluated in this study. Overall, the results of the concurrent instrument and sensory analysis demonstrated that both freeze-drying and encapsulation are potential options for processing.