University of Bedfordshire

About: University of Bedfordshire is a education organization based out in Luton, Bedford, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 3860 authors who have published 6079 publications receiving 143448 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Luton.

The influence of hydration on the tensile and compressive properties of avian keratinous tissues

Abstract: Despite recent research exploring the elastic properties of avian keratins, data on failure properties are less common in the literature. In this paper we present data on the failure properties and moduli of both avian feather and claw keratin in tension and the modulus of claw keratin in compression. Increased water content acts to decrease stiffness and strength but to increase strain at failure. The modulus of claw did not differ significantly when tested under tension and compression.

Real-Time Tracking of Plant Rows Using a Hough Transform

Abstract: This paper investigates the problem of deriving vehicle guidance information from images of crops grown in rows. Advantage is taken of the approximately known crop geometry and camera calibration to derive a Hough transform which will detect parallel crop rows. Because the transform integrates information over a number of rows as well as within rows it can operate in a robust fashion with relatively few image features (plant blobs). The algorithm is implemented on one transputer along with some dedicated hardware. The method has been used on six sequences of 30 images and operates at a rate sufficient to give 10 values of vehicle offset and heading angle per second. Typical errors are 12.5 mm of offset and 1.0° of heading angle.

Heart rate as a psychophysiological measure for in-flight workload assessment

Abstract: The need to assess pilot workload during flight has become of increasing importance over the past decade--both in combat aircraft where workload can be excessive, and in civil transport aircraft where underload may occur. Subjective reporting in some form has been the long and well established method for assessing workload in the 'real world'. but because subjective opinions are vulnerable to bias and to preconceived notions, an additional measure can be of considerable value on occasions. Of the available psychophysiological variables, recording pilots' heart rates appears to be the most useful. This paper discusses the choice of this measure and presents examples from several studies in which workload was assessed in flight.