bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Situational Awareness of Large Infrastructures Using Remote Sensing: The Rome–Fiumicino Airport during the COVID-19 Lockdown
Authors: Pulella Andrea , Sica Francescopaolo
Published: January 2021

Situational awareness refers to the process of aggregating spatio-temporal variables and measurements from different sources, aiming to improve the semantic outcome. Remote Sensing satellites for Earth Observation acquire key variables that, when properly aggregated, can provide precious insights about the observed area. This article introduces a novel automatic system to monitor the activity levels and the operability of large infrastructures from satellite data. We integrate multiple data sources acquired by different spaceborne sensors, such as Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) time series, Sentinel-2 multispectral data, and Pleiades Very-High-Resolution (VHR) optical data. The proposed methodology exploits the synergy between these sensors for extracting, at the same time, quantitative and qualitative results. We focus on generating semantic results, providing situational awareness, and decision-ready insights. We developed this methodology for the COVID-19 Custom Script Contest, a remote hackathon funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission (EC), whose aim was to promote remote sensing techniques to monitor environmental factors consecutive to the spread of the Coronavirus disease. This work focuses on the Rome–Fiumicino International Airport case study, an environment significantly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The resulting product is a unique description of the airport’s area utilization before and after the air traffic restrictions imposed between March and May 2020, during Italy’s first lockdown. Experimental results confirm that the proposed algorithm provides remarkable insights for supporting an effective decision-making process. We provide results about the airport’s operability by retrieving temporal changes at high spatial and temporal resolutions, together with the airplane count and localization for the same period in 2019 and 2020. On the one hand, we detected an evident change of the activity levels on those airport areas typically designated for passenger transportation, e.g., the one close to the gates. On the other hand, we observed an intensification of the activity levels over areas usually assigned to landside operations, e.g., the one close to the hangar. Analogously, the airplane count and localization have shown a redistribution of the airplanes over the whole airport. New parking slots have been identified as well as the areas that have been dismissed. Eventually, by combining the results from different sensors, we could affirm that different airport surface areas have changed their functionality and give a non-expert interpretation about areas’ usage.
Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Freeze-Thawing Erosion in the Source Regions of the Chin-Sha, Ya-Lung and Lantsang Rivers on the Basis of GIS
Authors: Lu Yuefeng , Liu Cong , Ge Yong , Hu Yulong , Wen Qiao , Fu Zhongliang , Wang Shaobo , Liu Yong
Published: January 2021

Freeze-thawing erosion is mainly distributed in the tundra, which is one of the main factors affecting soil erosion and soil conservation and affects the economic development of relevant countries and regions. The study area was selected to the north of Tanggula Mountain and the south of Bayankera Mountain, to the east of The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, as the headwaters of the Yangtze River and lancang River. The topography and climate were particularly prone to soil freeze-thawing erosion, and the ecological damage would seriously affect the production and life of people in the whole downstream area. Therefore, based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), this paper selects seven evaluation factors to analyze the temporal and spatial characteristics of freeze-thaw erosion in the study area and establishes a comprehensive weight evaluation model for freeze-thaw erosion. The results show that: (1) the evaluation model is effective, and the soil freeze-thawing erosion is strong in the whole research area; (2) the total area of the research area and the freeze-thawing erosion area are 418,843 km2 and 375,514 km2 respectively, the freeze-thawing erosion area accounting for 89.7% of the total research area, and the freeze-thawing erosion intensity ranged from 0.165 to 0.737; (3) the spatial distribution differs significantly, the freeze-thawing erosion intensity is mainly concentrated in high altitude areas, especially in the Tanggula Mountains; (4) slope, poor annual temperature, illumination, altitude and content of sand in soil accelerate soil freeze-thawing erosion, whereas vegetation index does not; wetness index enhanced the influence of vegetation coverage and sand content. (5) this research will provide scientific evidence for protection and restoration of ecological environment in the area.
Spatiotemporal Variation of the Burned Area and Its Relationship with Climatic Factors in Central Kazakhstan
Authors: Xu Yongfang , Lin Zhaohui , Wu Chenglai
Published: January 2021

Central Asia is prone to wildfires, but the relationship between wildfires and climatic factors in this area is still not clear. In this study, the spatiotemporal variation in wildfire activities across Central Asia during 1997–2016 in terms of the burned area (BA) was investigated with Global Fire Emission Database version 4s (GFED4s). The relationship between BA and climatic factors in the region was also analyzed. The results reveal that more than 90% of the BA across Central Asia is located in Kazakhstan. The peak BA occurs from June to September, and remarkable interannual variation in wildfire activities occurs in western central Kazakhstan (WCKZ). At the interannual scale, the BA is negatively correlated with precipitation (correlation coefficient r = −0.66), soil moisture (r = −0.68), and relative humidity (r = −0.65), while it is positively correlated with the frequency of hot days (r = 0.37) during the burning season (from June to September). Composite analysis suggests that the years in which the BA is higher are generally associated with positive geopotential height anomalies at 500 hPa over the WCKZ region, which lead to the strengthening of the downdraft at 500 hPa and the weakening of westerlies at 850 hPa over the region. The weakened westerlies suppress the transport of water vapor from the Atlantic Ocean to the WCKZ region, resulting in decreased precipitation, soil moisture, and relative humidity in the lower atmosphere over the WCKZ region; these conditions promote an increase in BA throughout the region. Moreover, the westerly circulation index is positively correlated (r = 0.53) with precipitation anomalies and negatively correlated (r = −0.37) with BA anomalies in the WCKZ region during the burning season, which further underscores that wildfires associated with atmospheric circulation systems are becoming an increasingly important component of the relationship between climate and wildfire.
Landslide Hazard Assessment Map as an Element Supporting Spatial Planning: The Flysch Carpathians Region Study
Authors: Skrzypczak Izabela , Kokoszka Wanda , Zientek Dawid , Tang Yongjing , Kogut Janusz
Published: January 2021

Landslides and rock falls are among the many phenomena that have an impact on sustainable construction and infrastructure safety. The main causes of landslides are natural meteorological and hydrological phenomena. In building design and construction, environmental monitoring by identifying geotechnical hazards must be taken into account, as appropriate hazard assessment contributes to ensuring future construction safety. The Carpathian region in southern Poland is particularly predisposed to landslide formation. This may be favored by the nature of the shapes associated with the high and steep slopes of the region’s valleys. Another reason for concern is the flysch geological structure, which is characterized by alternating layers of water-permeable sandstones and poorly permeable shales, clays, and marls. Furthermore, the presence of a quaternary weathering cover makes the geological structure more susceptible to landslide processes and tectonic formations. The paper presents the results of a study whose aim was to elaborate a detailed landslide hazard map for a selected area in the Polish Carpathians, using statistical methods. The approach is based on the Hellwig method, which seems particularly useful in the assessment of susceptibility and landslide hazards on a local scale for a relatively small area. A two-stage study was conducted. The first stage of the research involved the creation of a database associated with environmental parameters and triggering factors, whereas the second stage consisted of the adoption of weights for seven thematic sections and their special features on the basis of expert knowledge. The hazard map developed as a result was compared to the mapping made using the weight-of-evidence method. The proposed data normalization method allows the use and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data collected from various sources. The advantage of this method is the simple calculation procedure. A large-scale (1:2000) map might be used to assess the landslide hazard for specific cadastral units. Such a map becomes the basis for municipal spatial planning and may be able to influence investment decisions. Detailed landslide hazard maps are crucial for more precise risk evaluation for specific cadastral units. This, in turn, allows one to reduce serious economic and social losses, which might be the future results of landslides.
Hazardous Noxious Substance Detection Based on Ground Experiment and Hyperspectral Remote Sensing
Authors: Park Jae-Jin , Park Kyung-Ae , Foucher Pierre-Yves , Deliot Philippe , Floch Stephane Le , Kim Tae-Sung , Oh Sangwoo , Lee Moonjin
Published: January 2021

With an increase in the overseas maritime transport of hazardous and noxious substances (HNSs), HNS-related spill accidents are on the rise. Thus, there is a need to completely understand the physical and chemical properties of HNSs. This can be achieved through establishing a library of spectral characteristics with respect to wavelengths from visible and near-infrared (VNIR) bands to shortwave infrared (SWIR) wavelengths. In this study, a ground HNS measurement experiment was conducted for artificially spilled HNS by using two hyperspectral cameras at VNIR and SWIR wavelengths. Representative HNSs such as styrene and toluene were spilled into an outdoor pool and their spectral characteristics were obtained. The relative ratio of HNS to seawater decreased and increased at 550 nm and showed different constant ratios at the SWIR wavelength. Noise removal and dimensional compression procedures were conducted by applying principal component analysis on HNS hyperspectral images. Pure HNS and seawater endmember spectra were extracted using four spectral mixture techniques—N-FINDR, pixel purity index (PPI), independent component analysis (ICA), and vertex component analysis (VCA). The accuracy of detection values of styrene and toluene through the comparison of the abundance fraction were 99.42% and 99.56%, respectively. The results of this study are useful for spectrum-based HNS detection in marine HNS accidents.
Using Sentinel-2 Images to Estimate Topography, Tidal-Stage Lags and Exposure Periods over Large Intertidal Areas
Authors: Granadeiro José P. , Belo João , Henriques Mohamed , Catalão João , Catry Teresa
Published: January 2021

Intertidal areas provide key ecosystem services but are declining worldwide. Digital elevation models (DEMs) are important tools to monitor the evolution of such areas. In this study, we aim at (i) estimating the intertidal topography based on an established pixel-wise algorithm, from Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument scenes, (ii) implementing a set of procedures to improve the quality of such estimation, and (iii) estimating the exposure period of the intertidal area of the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau. We first propose a four-parameter logistic regression to estimate intertidal topography. Afterwards, we develop a novel method to estimate tide-stage lags in the area covered by a Sentinel-2 scene to correct for geographical bias in topographic estimation resulting from differences in water height within each image. Our method searches for the minimum differences in height estimates obtained from rising and ebbing tides separately, enabling the estimation of cotidal lines. Tidal-stage differences estimated closely matched those published by official authorities. We re-estimated pixel heights from which we produced a model of intertidal exposure period. We obtained a high correlation between predicted and in-situ measurements of exposure period. We highlight the importance of remote sensing to deliver large-scale intertidal DEM and tide-stage data, with relevance for coastal safety, ecology and biodiversity conservation.
Comparison of Digital Image Correlation Methods and the Impact of Noise in Geoscience Applications
Authors: Dematteis Niccolò , Giordan Daniele
Published: January 2021

Digital image correlation (DIC) is a commonly-adopted technique in geoscience and natural hazard studies to measure the surface deformation of various geophysical phenomena. In the last decades, several different correlation functions have been developed. Additionally, some authors have proposed applying DIC to other image representations, such as image gradients or orientation. Many works have shown the reliability of specific methods, but they have been rarely compared. In particular, a formal analysis of the impact of different sources of noise is missing. Using synthetic images, we analysed 15 different combinations of correlation functions and image representations and we investigated their performances with respect to the presence of 13 noise sources. Besides, we evaluated the influence of the size of the correlation template. We conducted the analysis also on terrestrial photographs of the Planpincieux Glacier (Italy) and Sentinel 2B images of the Bodélé Depression (Chad). We observed that frequency-based methods are in general less robust against noise, in particular against blurring and speckling, and they tend to underestimate the displacement value. Zero-mean normalised cross-correlation applied to image intensity showed high-quality results. However, it suffers variations of the shadow pattern. Finally, we developed an original similarity function (DOT) that proved to be quite resistant to every noise source.
High-Resolution SAR Image Classification Using Multi-Scale Deep Feature Fusion and Covariance Pooling Manifold Network
Authors: Liang Wenkai , Wu Yan , Li Ming , Cao Yice , Hu Xin
Published: January 2021

The classification of high-resolution (HR) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images is of great importance for SAR scene interpretation and application. However, the presence of intricate spatial structural patterns and complex statistical nature makes SAR image classification a challenging task, especially in the case of limited labeled SAR data. This paper proposes a novel HR SAR image classification method, using a multi-scale deep feature fusion network and covariance pooling manifold network (MFFN-CPMN). MFFN-CPMN combines the advantages of local spatial features and global statistical properties and considers the multi-feature information fusion of SAR images in representation learning. First, we propose a Gabor-filtering-based multi-scale feature fusion network (MFFN) to capture the spatial pattern and get the discriminative features of SAR images. The MFFN belongs to a deep convolutional neural network (CNN). To make full use of a large amount of unlabeled data, the weights of each layer of MFFN are optimized by unsupervised denoising dual-sparse encoder. Moreover, the feature fusion strategy in MFFN can effectively exploit the complementary information between different levels and different scales. Second, we utilize a covariance pooling manifold network to extract further the global second-order statistics of SAR images over the fusional feature maps. Finally, the obtained covariance descriptor is more distinct for various land covers. Experimental results on four HR SAR images demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and achieve promising results over other related algorithms.
A New Algorithm for the Retrieval of Sun Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence of Water Bodies Exploiting the Detailed Spectral Shape of Water-Leaving Radiance
Authors: Tenjo Carolina , Ruiz-Verdú Antonio , Van Wittenberghe Shari , Delegido Jesús , Moreno José
Published: January 2021

Sun induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SICF) emitted by phytoplankton provides considerable insights into the vital role of the carbon productivity of the earth’s aquatic ecosystems. However, the SICF signal leaving a water body is highly affected by the high spectral variability of its optically active constituents. To disentangle the SICF emission from the water-leaving radiance, a new high spectral resolution retrieval algorithm is presented, which significantly improves the fluorescence line height (FLH) method commonly used so far. The proposed algorithm retrieves the reflectance without SICF contribution by the extrapolation of the reflectance from the adjacent regions. Then, the SICF emission curve is obtained as the difference of the reflectance with SICF, the one actually obtained by any remote sensor (apparent reflectance), and the reflectance without SICF, the one estimated by the algorithm (true reflectance). The algorithm first normalizes the reflectance spectrum at 780 nm, following the similarity index approximation, to minimize the variability due to other optically active constituents different from chlorophyll. Then, the true reflectance is estimated empirically from the normalized reflectance at three wavelengths using a machine learning regression algorithm (MLRA) and a cubic spline fitting adjustment. Two large reflectance databases, representing a wide range of coastal and ocean water components and scattering conditions, were independently simulated with the radiative transfer model HydroLight and used for training and validation of the MLRA fitting strategy. The best results for the high spectral resolution SICF retrieval were obtained using support vector regression, with relative errors lower than 2% for the SICF peak value in 81% of the samples. This represents a significant improvement with respect to the classic FLH algorithm, applied for OLCI bands, for which the relative errors were higher than 40% in 59% of the samples.
MorphEst: An Automated Toolbox for Measuring Estuarine Planform Geometry from Remotely Sensed Imagery and Its Application to the South Korean Coast
Authors: Jung Nathalie W. , Lee Guan-hong , Jung Yoonho , Figueroa Steven M. , Lagamayo Kenneth D. , Jo Tae-Chang , Chang Jongwi
Published: January 2021

The rapid advance of remote sensing technology during the last few decades provides a new opportunity for measuring detectable estuarine spatial change. Although estuarine surface area and convergence are important hydraulic parameters often used to predict long-term estuarine evolution, the majority of automated analyses of channel plan view dynamics have been specifically written for riverine systems and have limited applicability to most of the estuaries in the world. This study presents MorphEst, a MATLAB-based collection of analysis tools that automatically measure estuarine planform geometry. MorphEst uses channel masks to extract estuarine length, convergence length, estuarine shape, and areal gain and loss of estuarine surface area due to natural or human factors. Comparisons indicated that MorphEst estimates closely matched with independent measurements of estuarine surface area (r = 0.99) and channel width (r = 0.92) of 39 estuaries along the South Korean coast. Overall, this toolbox will help to improve the ability to solve research questions commonly associated with estuarine evolution as it introduces a tool to automatically measure planform geometric features from remotely sensed imagery.
Using Satellite Data to Analyse Raw Material Consumption in Hanoi, Vietnam
Authors: Novellino Alessandro , Brown Teresa J. , Bide Tom , Thục Anh Nguyễn Thị , Petavratzi Evi , Kresse Carolin
Published: January 2021

In this work, we provide an innovative route for analysing urban expansion and population growth and their link to the consumption of construction materials by combining satellite data with material consumption analysis within the Hanoi Province (Vietnam). Urban expansion is investigated with the use of landcover maps for the period 1975–2020 derived from satellite. During this period, artificial surfaces and agricultural areas have increased by 11.6% and 15.5%, respectively, while forests have decreased by 26.7%. We have used publicly available datasets to calculate and forecast the construction materials consumption and measure its statistical correlation with urban expansion between 2007 and 2018. Our results show that official figures for sand consumption are currently underestimated, and that by 2030, steel and sand and gravel consumption will increase even further by three and two times, respectively. Our analysis uses a new method to assess urban development and associated impacts by combining socio-economic and Earth Observation datasets. The analysis can provide evidence, underpin decision-making by authorities, policymakers, urban planners and sustainability experts, as well as support the development of informed strategies for resource consumption. It can also provide important information for identifying areas of land conservation and ecological greenways during urban planning.
Assessing the Potential of Geostationary Himawari-8 for Mapping Surface Total Suspended Solids and Its Diurnal Changes
Authors: Hafeez Sidrah , Wong Man Sing , Abbas Sawaid , Jiang Guangjia
Published: January 2021

Ocean color sensors, typically installed on polar-orbiting satellites, have been used to monitor oceanic processes for last three decades. However, their temporal resolution is not considered to be adequate for monitoring highly dynamic oceanic processes, especially when considering data gaps due to cloud contamination. The Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) onboard the Himawari-8, a geostationary satellite operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), acquires imagery every 10 min at 500 m to 2000 m spatial resolution. The AHI sensor with three visible, one near-infrared (NIR), and two shortwave-infrared (SWIR) bands displays good potential in monitoring oceanic processes at high temporal resolution. This study investigated and identified an appropriate atmospheric correction method for AHI data; developed a model for Total Suspended Solids (TSS) concentrations estimation using hyperspectral data and in-situ measurements of TSS; validated the model; and assessed its potential to capture diurnal changes using AHI imagery. Two image-based atmospheric correction methods, the NIR-SWIR method and the SWIR method were tested for correcting the AHI data. Then, the new model was applied to the atmospherically corrected AHI data to map TSS and its diurnal changes in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and neighboring coastal areas. The results indicated that the SWIR method outperformed the NIR-SWIR method, when compared to in-situ water-leaving reflectance data. The results showed a good agreement between the AHI-derived TSS and in-situ measured data with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.85, mean absolute error (MAE) of 3.1 mg/L, a root mean square error (RMSE) of 3.9 mg/L, and average percentage difference (APD) of 30% (TSS range 1–40 mg/L). Moreover, the diurnal variation in the turbidity front, using the Normalized Suspended Material Index (NSMI), showed the capability of AHI data to track diurnal variation in turbidity fronts, due to high TSS concentrations at high temporal frequency. The present study indicates that AHI data with high image capturing frequency can be used to map surface TSS concentrations. These TSS measurements at high frequency are not only important for monitoring the sensitive coastal areas but also for scientific understanding of the spatial and temporal variation of TSS.
Improvement of Reliability Determination Performance of Real Time Kinematic Solutions Using Height Trajectory
Authors: Takanose Aoki , Atsumi Yoshiki , Takikawa Kanamu , Meguro Junichi
Published: January 2021

Autonomous driving support systems and self-driving cars require the determination of reliable vehicle positions with high accuracy. The real time kinematic (RTK) algorithm with global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is generally employed to obtain highly accurate position information. Because RTK can estimate the fix solution, which is a centimeter-level positioning solution, it is also used as an indicator of the position reliability. However, in urban areas, the degradation of the GNSS signal environment poses a challenge. Multipath noise caused by surrounding tall buildings degrades the positioning accuracy. This leads to large errors in the fix solution, which is used as a measure of reliability. We propose a novel position reliability estimation method by considering two factors; one is that GNSS errors are more likely to occur in the height than in the plane direction; the other is that the height variation of the actual vehicle travel path is small compared to the amount of movement in the horizontal directions. Based on these considerations, we proposed a method to detect a reliable fix solution by estimating the height variation during driving. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, an evaluation test was conducted in an urban area of Tokyo. According to the evaluation test, a reliability judgment rate of 99% was achieved in an urban environment, and a plane accuracy of less than 0.3 m in RMS was achieved. The results indicate that the accuracy of the proposed method is higher than that of the conventional fix solution, demonstratingits effectiveness.
NPK, calcário e gesso na produção de mudas de Ochroma pyramidale
Authors: De Paulo Evaristo André , Carmo Cemilla Cristina Alves do , Santana Flaviane Aparecida , Arêdes Letícia Cordeiro , Dias Jairo Rafael Machado
Published: January 2021

O pau de balsa ( Ochroma pyramidale (Cav. Ex Lam.) Urb.) É uma espécie amazônica, pioneira, de rápido crescimento e com diversas potencialidades de uso. Objetivou-se avaliar mudas desta espécie submetidas a solid de nitrogênio, fósforo e potássio (NPK), calcário e gesso agrícola. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente ao acaso com oito tratamentos, cinco repetições e quatro mudas por repetição, num total de 160 plantas, tratados testados foram: Testemunha; NPK; NPK + Calcário; NPK + Calcário + Gesso Agrícola; N; N + calcário; N + Gesso Agrícola e N + Calcário + Gesso agrícola. As mudas foram conduzidas em casa de vegetação, em sacolas plásticas com capacidade de 2,38 dm -3e, aos 70 dias após transplante avaliou-se: altura da planta (h), comprimento da raiz (CR), diâmetro do coleto (Dc), número (NF) e área de folhas (AF), Índice de Clorofila Falker (ICF) ), matéria seca da raiz (MSR), da parte aérea (MSPA) e total (MST), relação altura da planta com diâmetro do coleto (RAD), relação da matéria seca da parte aérea com matéria seca das raízes (RPAR) , relação altura e massa seca da parte aérea (H / MSPA) e Índice de Qualidade de Dickson. A adubação com NPK, independente da presença do calcário e gesso agrícola, proporcionou maior crescimento vegetativo e qualidade das mudas de pau de balsa.
Consumption of Citrullus colocynthis Fruit Extract Causes Histological and Immunological Alterations in Mice
Authors: Bahloul Ruba S. , Aljahdali Mohammed O.
Published: January 2021

Traditionally, the usage of Citrullus colocynthis (CCT) causes severe side effects. The side effects of CCT fruit extract administered orally at different doses related to gastric tissues and circulating cytokines profiles were reported. Thirty-five adult male albino mice were
divided into 4 groups, a control group (G1) and three experimental groups. They orally received aqueous fruit extract over 20 days at different doses; 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg of body weight/day. Total body weight, stomach tissue, peripheral blood, anti-inflammatory, and pro-inflammatory cytokines
were evaluated. Body weight significantly decreased in groups 2 and 3 over four weeks. Neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and basophils were significantly (p<0.05) elevated in group 4; while hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were significantly decreased (p<0.05).
Interleukin-8 (IL-8) level was significantly elevated in groups 3 and 4 versus the control group (p<0.05). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels showed a significant (p<0.05) increase in group 4 only. Anti-inflammatory cytokines showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease in all treated groups.
The stomach tissues revealed that the extract induced a superficial focal loss of the surface mucous protective epithelium, the atrophy of peptic cells, and a thickening of mucosal connective tissue. The submucosa showed vascular congestion and inflammatory cell infiltration. Severe histological
changes were reported in group 4. Using the extract for 20 days led to the elevation of the differential white blood cell (WBC) count as well as the destruction of the gastric mucosal lining at high doses. This could be due to an increase in pro-inflammatory and declining anti-inflammatory
cytokines. It is not recommended to use CCT in high doses or for long periods.
Fighting global viruses under spatial grasp technology
Authors:   Institute of Mathematical Machines and Systems Problems of the Ukraine National Academy of Science, Sapaty P.S. , Finkelstein R. ,   Systems Engineering University of Maryland Global Campus
Published: January 2021

This has been inspired by the current world fight with COVID-19, in an attempt to participate in it with patented and developed networking technology, also based on spreading powerful viruses in large physi-cal and virtual spaces. The Spatial Grasp Technology (SGT) with basic Spatial Grasp Language (SGL) is using parallel self-spreading, self-replicating, and self-matching semantic level code creating powerful distributed infrastructures for solving complex problems. The paper shows how to find virus sources in distributed networks, first, by tracing them via infected predecessors if such were fixed, and then, more complexly, by moving through nodes with lower or close infection time, also taking into account possi-ble failures in real networks. If to outline a number of infected nodes staying far away from each other and on different sides of the infected network, the probable source may also be on intersection of short-est path trees starting in them, as shown in SGL. But analyzing complexity, dynamics, and unpredicta-bility of spread of Covid-19, we understood the insufficiency of discrete networks for simulating its world coverage. By using the SGT capability to directly operate in continuous physical spaces too, we showed how to describe the global malicious virus in a massive way, with the infection spreading via many and so far unclear channels. The paper also shows how to model the planned distribution of the antivirus vaccine and its global impact on the virus, symbolically presented as spatial fight of benign (vaccine) with malicious (Covid) viruses. The latest version of SGT can be implemented and integrated with any existing networked systems in a global manner, with installment of communicating SGL in-terpreters in millions to billions copies and converting the world into a global simulation and control engine.
Necessary optimality conditions of control of stochastic compound dynamic system in case of full in-formation about state vector.
Authors:   National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Alekseeva I.V. , Lysenko O.I. ,   National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Tachinina O.M. ,   National Aviation University
Published: January 2021

Stochastic Compound Dynamic Systems (CDS) are complex technical systems that are created through the use of precision mechanics in combination with modern telecommunications and computer technologies. Incertitude in these CDS shows up under the influence of external and internal stochastic perturbations. The constituent elements of CDS are combined into a single system because these elements perform a single complex mission. The information exchange is wireless, there is no mechanical connection between the elements of the CDS. The paper considers groups of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are equipped with sensors or multisensors that are able to perform a mobile sensor network. The trajectories of individual elements of the mobile sensor network are trajectories formed under the influence of stochastic perturbations. This fact means that the nature of the mobile sensor network can be classified as a stochastic compound dynamic system and for the mathematical description and optimization of the movement of this system is adequate to use models and methods for optimizing stochastic CDS. The model of CDS motion is considered to be a branching trajectory or, as they say, a branched trajectory. A stochastic mathematical model of the motion of a mobile sensor network, which performs the combined mission of surveying an emergency zone, can be classified as a model of the motion of a stochastic compound dynamic system. This approach is an adequate for mathematical model creation to the mobile sensor network physical condition, for its operation in the zone of natural disaster by natural or anthropogenic origin. This paper is devoted to solving a theoretical problem related to the formulation and proof of the necessary conditions for stochastic CDS moving optimal control along a branched trajectory with an arbitrary branching scheme.
Methodological foundations for the construction of secure reliable information systems for distance learning in higher educational institutions.
Authors:   Institute of Mathematical Machines and Systems Problems of the Ukraine National Academy of Science, Hulak G.M.
Published: January 2021

The principles and methods of building secure reliable information systems (SRIS) for distance learning in higher educational institutions are investigated. The analysis of the current state of scientific re-search, practical development and application of SRIS in the processes of distance learning in universi-ties, the methodological foundations of building SRIS for distance learning at a university, formulated the main tasks of SRIS to ensure full compatibility of distance learning with full-time and part-time forms of student training, the ontology of entities is proposed for the first time educational process, based on the requirements of the legislation on higher education, the central element of which is a vir-tual learning environment. Based on the application of the constructed ontology, the priority objects of protection in SRIS are determined. In terms of building a threat model for SRIS, the components of its dependability have been analyzed, a characteristic of their possible defeat in the event of the implemen-tation of various threats is given, the factors that flow into the academic virtue of the participants in the educational process have been identified, and SRIS mechanisms have been proposed to counteract such negative factors. By the method of analogy, a model of the learning procedure for a separate academic discipline was built, a methodology for the formation of the content of test control tasks of SRIS was developed, for which an assessment of the rational number of questions in a test task was obtained, an assessment of the probability of a correct answer to one test question and random coincidence of an-swers for applicants different levels of competence (high, sufficient, medium), and the border of random coincidence of test results was calculated, the excess of which may indicate a violation of the norms of academic virtue. Application of the proposed methodology in SRIS can help to increase the level of aca-demic virtue.
V.M. Glushkov and automated theorem proving in Ukraine: evidence algorithm evidence algorithm and SAD systems
Authors:   National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Lyaletski O.V.
Published: January 2021

Fifty years ago, in 1970, Academician V.M. Glushkov published a paper, in which he, along with a discussion of some problems of artificial intelligence, formulated a research program called Evidence Algorithm (EA) describing his vision of the problem of a computer support of human activity in looking for a proof of a particular theorem. V.M. Glushkov proposed to focus attention on the construction of an automated theorem-proving system performing simultaneous investigations in: creating formal natural languages for writing mathematical texts in a form accustomed to a human, constructing a procedure for a proof search based on the evolutionary developing of the machine notion of an evidence of a computer-made proof step, using the knowledge gained by the system during its operation and providing a user with the opportunity to assist to the system in its proof search process. Since the inception of EA, two serious attempts have been made to implement this program. The first led to the emergence in 1978 of a Russian-language automated theorem proving and the second led to the appearance in 2002 of its English-language modification named System for Automated Deduction (SAD). And if the development and trial operation of the first system were discontinued in 1992 after the output from service of the ES-line computers, on which it was realized, the SAD system, being placed on the website “nevidal.org”, is now still available in online mode. That is, at the current time, it is possible to carry out different experiments with the SAD system and to solve various problems that require rigorous mathematical reasoning. This work is devoted to a chronological description of studies on the implementation of the EA program for the entire period of its existence and to the highlighting of peculiarities of both the systems, as well as of their common features and distinguishes. Some possible ways of the further development of the SAD system are given.
Development features and the role of glossaries in the creation of military IT-projects
Authors:   Institute of Mathematical Machines and Systems Problems of the Ukraine National Academy of Science, Hrechaninov V.F. , Yeremenko T.K. ,   Institute of Mathematical Machines and Systems Problems of the Ukraine National Academy of Science, Pylypenko Yu.G. ,   Institute of Mathematical Machines and Systems Problems of the Ukraine National Academy of Science
Published: January 2021

The paper examines the role and features of the development of glossaries in the creation of information and control systems in the field of military affairs. The interest in this topic is due to the growing vol-ume of information that must be taken into account when creating such systems. A huge number of standards in this area offer a lot of definitions of terms that can contradict each other. On the other hand, the role of glossaries in projects related to the development of information systems in general is becoming more significant. Terminology management is necessary in the interaction of various groups of developers, for interaction between developers and users, and is also the basis for conceptual infor-mation modeling of automated control systems. The peculiarities of developing IT-projects require a deep study of the subject area, which is related to the study of the appropriate terminology, both from foreign and national sources. Ukraine's course to join European military structures and NATO requires the study of relevant standards and other available documentation, including Multilateral Interoperabil-ity Program (MIP) documents. A large number of terms are related to the application of world standards of the development of IT systems. Management in the military field is hierarchical, as in any state sys-tem. Such a corporate system has the ability to create a methodological center that includes unified knowledge bases on information technology and subject area standards, terminology programs. Creation of a glossary for the implementation of IT-project that would satisfy the requirements of both users and developers is a laborious task that requires processing of a large amount of information. The paper dis-cusses ways of developing thematic glossaries based on standardization and terminology.
Automated control of rolling modes on plate mills
Authors:   Institute of Mathematical Machines and Systems Problems of the Ukraine National Academy of Science, Ievlev M.G.
Published: January 2021

Indicators of rolling quality and rolling process are presented, which determine the efficiency of plate mill operation. The purposes of the automated control of rolling which consist in achievement of an optimum ratio of the mentioned indicators, and division of control channels (when it’s possible) achiev-ing the best values of each indicator named above. Control of rolling modes (compression on passes, speeds, cooling) provides the main effect in indicators quality formation of hire and rolling process. The statement of the problem of automated rolling control is given. The choice of the optimized indicator in the problem of automatic rolling control is determined by its economic significance, the nature of the interrelation with the technological parameters and controls. One of the most economically significant for plate mills is the coefficient of metal consumption of the workpiece per ton of rolled product, or the yield, which depends on the accuracy of the implementation of the specified geometric dimensions of the rolling strip. The formulation of the problem of ensuring the minimum value of deviations in the thickness (width) of the strip from the specified value is given. The problem of optimization on one of three indicators of the rolling process is also formulated: the equivalent torque of the main drive, the electricity consumption for rolling and the time consumption of the rolling cycle, which are determined by the entire course of the rolling cycle, i.e. applied management strategy. The principles of solving the problem of automatic control of rolling modes are described. The rolling control strategies used in the ACS TP of plate mills are considered. Methods of constructing mathematical models for ACS TP of plate mills, as well as their adaptation, are described.
VARIACIÓN ESTACIONAL DE HONGOS MICORRÍZICOS ARBUSCULARES ASOCIADOS CON Agave angustifolia Haw. EN LA SIERRA SONORENSE, MÉXICO
Authors: Ochoa-Meza Andrés , Esqueda Martín , Fernández-Valle Rigel , Herrera-Peraza Ricardo
Published: January 2021

Agave angustifolia Haw. se distribuye en la vertiente occidental de la Sierra Madre en Sonora, México, donde se utiliza para la elaboración del destilado denominado 'Bacanora'. Se muestreó rizosfera y raicillas de esta especie durante las cuatro estaciones del año, para evaluar su relación con hongos micorrízicos arbusculares (HMA) en tres poblaciones silvestres. La cantidad de esporas de HMA varió de 9200 a 43 500 esporas dm-3, que pertenecen a 32 morfotipos de Acaulospora (10), Archaeospora (2), Diversispora (1), Glomus (17) y Pacispora (2). La colonización micorrízica fluctuó de 4.8 a 24.9 %, la densidad visual de 0.43 a 0.51 %, el micelio intrarradical de 3.8 a 8.9 mg dm-3, y el micelio extrarradical de 31.1 a 93.4 mg dm-3. El análisis de correspondencia mostró que sodio, potasio y magnesio son los factores abióticos más importantes, y que los factores bióticos relevantes fueron las relaciones micelio extrarradical:micelio intrarradical y micelio extrarradical:peso seco de raicillas. Sin embargo, el análisis de correspondencia canónica mostró que la relación A. angustifolia-HMA es más compleja y no puede explicarse solamente con estos factores.
ANATOMÍA CAULINAR DE TRES ESPECIES DEL GÉNERO Hylocereus (Berger) Britton & Rose (CACTACEAE) EN MÉXICO
Authors: García-Aguilar Ma. de los Ángeles , Terrazas Teresa , Arias Salvador
Published: January 2021

Se estudió la anatomía caulinar de tres especies del género Hylocereus (H. ocamponis, H. purpusii, H. undatus) con distribución en México, para evaluar la variación anatómica entre ellas y la relación de la madera con algunas variables de distribución geográfica (latitud, longitud, altitud) y climáticas (temperatura y precipitación). Se analizaron los sistemas dérmico, fundamental y vascular de 50 muestras de 10 poblaciones. Los tejidos primarios se evaluaron mediante la microtecnia convencional de inclusión en parafina, y para los tejidos secundarios se hicieron cortes con micrótomo de deslizamiento sin inclusión. A las variables cuantitativas se les aplicó un análisis de varianza y un análisis de comparación de medias (Tukey, 0.05). También se practicó un análisis de componentes principales donde se incluyeron tres variables geográficas y tres climáticas. Los resultados mostraron que las tres especies presentan elementos de vaso con placas de perforación simple y punteaduras alternas, fibras libriformes, parénquima paratraqueal escaso y radios heterogéneos; su madera es mesomórfica, característica de la subfamilia Cactoideae. Se detectaron diferencias (P ≤ 0.05) entre especies en longitud del elemento de vaso, longitud de la fibra, altura y ancho de los radios. El análisis de componentes principales mostró que los caracteres de la madera asociados con la eficiencia en la conducción de agua, permitieron explicar el mayor porcentaje de la variación encontrada. Las tres especies presentaron mayor especialización en la eficiencia del transporte de agua que en el soporte mecánico.
Testiküler Doku Kriyoprezervasyonu
Authors: KAYA Cumali , AKAR Melih , AKAL Eser , ÇEVİK Mesut
Published: January 2021

ÖZET Biyolojik dokuların vücut dışında canlılıklarını kaybetmeden yıllar boyunca saklanabilmesi kriyoprezervasyon aracılığıyla gerçekleştirilebilmektedir. Kriyoprezervasyon yoluyla dondurulacak hücreler, spermatogenezisi devam eden sağlıklı ve fertil hayvanlardan uygun metotlarla toplanarak elde edilebilmektedir. Günümüzde, erkek hayvanlardan suni vajen, elektroejakülatör, el ile yapılan manipülasyonlar ve epididimal işlemler sonucu elde edilen spermanın kriyoprezervasyonu ile üreme alanda başarılı sonuçlar elde edilmiştir. Ancak çeşitli nedenlerden dolayı infertilite problemi olan hayvanlarda, vahşi hayvan türlerinde ve henüz pubertaya ulaşamamış hayvanlarda sperma direkt olarak elde edilemediğinden, genetik materyalin korunması ve saklanabilmesi için farklı tekniklerin arayışı içerisine girilmiştir. Testiküler dokunun kriyoprezervasyonu, farklı hayvan türlerinde üreme kapasitesinin korunmasını ve nesli tükenmekte olan türler ile henüz pubertaya ulaşmamış hayvanlarda gametlerin uzun yıllar saklanabilmesine olanak sağlayan bir yöntemdir. Bu yöntemle testiküler dokulardan elde edilen spermatozoonlar veya spermatogonial kök hücreler in vitro koşullarda gelişimini tamamlayabilir ve suni tohumlama ya da in vitro fertilizasyon gibi yardımcı üreme uygulamalarında kullanılabilir. Son 30 yılda, çeşitli türlerde başarılı sonuçların alındığı testiküler doku kriyoprezervasyonu henüz optimum materyallerin ve dondurma protokollerinin geliştirilememesinden dolayı detaylı araştırmalara açık ve reprodüktif alanda başarılı ilerlemelere sebep olabilecek bir konu olma özelliği taşımaktadır.
Taxation, Writs, and Populations—Roger Schofield Measures History
Authors: Guth DeLloyd
Published: January 2021

This paper is a personal reflection on Roger Schofield's life and work, especially his work on taxation under the Tudors.