Application of wavelet support vector regression on SAR data de-noising

A new filtering method for SAR data de-noising using wavelet support vector regression （WSVR） is developed. On the basis of the grey scale distribution character of SAR imagery, the logarithmic SAR image as a noise polluted signal is taken and the noise model assumption in logarithmic domain with Gaussian noise and impact noise is proposed. Based on the better per- formance of support vector regression （SVR） for complex signal approximation and the wavelet for signal detail expression, the wavelet kernel function is chosen as support vector kernel func- tion. Then the logarithmic SAR image is regressed with WSVR. Furthermore the regression distance is used as a judgment index of the noise type. According to the judgment of noise type every pixel can be adaptively de-noised with different filters. Through an approximation experiment for a one-dimensional complex signal, the feasibility of SAR data regression based on WSVR is con- firmed. Afterward the SAR image is treated as a two-dimensional continuous signal and filtered by an SVR with wavelet kernel function. The results show that the method proposed here reduces the radar speckle noise effectively while maintaining edge features and details well.

Geometric active contour based approach for segmentation of high-resolution spaceborne SAR images

Segmentation is the key step in auto-interpretation of high-resolution spaceborne synthetic aperture radar（SAR） images. A novel method is proposed based on integrating the geometric active contour（GAC） and the support vector machine（SVM）models. First, the images are segmented by using SVM and textural statistics. A likelihood measurement for every pixel is derived by using the initial segmentation. The Chan-Vese model then is modified by adding two items： the likelihood and the distance between the initial segmentation and the evolving contour. Experimental results using real SAR images demonstrate the good performance of the proposed method compared to several classic GAC models.

Droplet deposition and efficiency of fungicides sprayed with small UAV against wheat powdery mildew

Small unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV),a timely and effective pesticide sprayer,can be used to spray pesticide in a high efficiency without harming the crop,and is especially suitable for spraying for small farms and hills in Asian countries.In recent years,it has been chosen as a key and new technique for pesticide application.This paper studied the impact of UAV(UAV N-3)spraying parameters(different working height and different spraying concentrations)on the deposition of droplets on the wheat canopy and the prevention of powdery mildew.Water sensitive paper was used as the sampler to collect the pesticide droplets and image processing software Deposit Scan was used to compute the coverage rate of droplets on the wheat top layer to acquire the proportional distribution of droplets on the wheat lower layer.The experimental results showed the impact of spraying height on the distribution of droplets on the wheat upper layer was quite significant,when the spraying height was 5.0 m and the spraying speed was 4 m/s,the coverage rate of droplets on the wheat lower layer was the largest,as it was 45.6%of that on the upper layer,the droplets distribution was the most uniform,and the coefficient of variation was 33.13%.450 g/hm^(2)(dosage registered)of triadimefon SC(44%)was sprayed by the UAV,the control efficiency reached 55.1%after applying which was better than 20%and 40%of dosage decreased for each hectare,and the applying effect(35.6%)of 20%dosage decreased for each hectare had no significant difference from the applying effect(34.6%)applied by a knapsack-type electric sprayer.At 10 d after applying,the prevention effect realized by UAV was lower than that realized by a knapsack-type electric sprayer,and it may be correlated to the meteorological condition and water amount in the pesticide sprayed.Thus,when UAV spraying was chosen to prevent wheat powdery mildew under a serious disease situation,an auxiliary agent for spraying could be added to prolong the retention of pesticide on the plant surface to extend the pesticide effect.This study can provide a reference for the optimized design,performance upgrade and reasonable application of small UAV sprayers.

Tensile and Fracture Properties of 15 vol% SiC_p/2009Al Composites Fabricated by Hot Isostatic Pressing and Hot Extrusion Processes

15 vol% silicon carbide particle （SiCp）-reinforced 2009A1 matrix （15 vol% SiCp/2009A1） composites were fabricated by hot isostatic pressing （HIP） and hot extrusion processes. The tensile and fracture properties of 15 vol% SiCp/ 2009Al were studied. The results showed that hot extrusion increased the ultimate tensile strength （UTS）, yield strength （YS）, elongation （EL）, reduction in area （RA）, and fracture toughness of the composites. The heat treatment resulted in the increase in UTS, YS, and fracture toughness, but a decrease in EL and RA. Both hot extrusion and heat treatment had negligible effects on elastic modulus （E）. With the increase of SiCp size, the UTS, YS, and E decreased, but the EL and RA increased. The fracture toughness increased first and then decreased with increasing SiCp size, and when the SiCp size was about 7 μm, the composites obtained the maximum fracture toughness value of 31.74 MPa m^1/2.