bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environmental Safety of Waste Detergent Solutions
Authors: Bukatenko Nataliia , Zinchenko Mariya
Published: August 2020

Toxicological assessment of waste detergent solutions were carried out to determine the hazardous degree of these solutions. The results of this assessment showed that even a significant dilution of the waste detergent solutions does not guarantee their environmental safety.
Formation of Fire Retardant Properties in Elastic Silica Coatings for Textile Materials
Authors: Skorodumova Olga , Tarakhno Olena , Chebotaryova Olena , Hapon Yuliana , Emen Fatih Mehmet
Published: August 2020

The influence of the degree of homogeneity of the SiO2 sol on the duration of the induction period and the quality of fire-resistant coatings on textile materials was studied. The prospects of using IR spectroscopy as an express method for studying the phase composition of a gel coating, the degree of completion of the hydrolysis of an organosilicon component, and adjusting the parameters for obtaining a high-quality fire-resistant binary coating of a sol SiO2 - flame retardant system are shown.
Assessment of Electrochemical Compatibility of Structural Materials of some Dental Products
Authors: Shyogoleva Mariy , Sevidova Olena , Vasilchenko Alexey , Stepanova Iryna
Published: August 2020

Orthopedic treatment of tooth anomalies in children and adolescents is provided the long-term use of various metal constructions and devices in the oral cavity – braces, retreaders, locks or rings with struts, wire arches, and so on. They are usually made of corrosion-resistant metals and alloys, most often they are made of stainless chromium-nickel austenitic steels of Х18Н9Т type (import analogue – steel 304), martensitic 08Х17 (import analogue – steel 430), nickel-titanium or nickel-molybdenum alloys. The main disadvantage of all metal products is their manifestation of electrochemical properties and participation in electrochemical processes which can flow into the oral cavity and provoke galvanoses, especially for their joint use. In the "in vitro" conditions, according to a specially developed method, investigations of electrode potentials of directly 4 types of very small (2–3 mm) orthodontic products, in recommended for such products environment were carried out: 3 % solution of sodium chloride (pH=6,8), 2 % solution of citric acid (pH=0.5) and 2 % solution of baking soda (pH=8.65). It is found that the considered elements of orthodynamic systems have similar values of electrode potentials in neutral and weakly-alkaline environments and, accordingly, in the absence of other metal inclusions in the oral cavity, can be used jointly without the risk of galvanosis. The most heterogeneous construction is an individual ring with a strut, in which the difference in the values of the potentials between the individual parts in the acidic medium is more than 120 mV, which is a prerequisite for increasing the likelihood of galvanosis. For simultaneous use of other elements, in particular standard doping brackets, the value of EMF can increase up to 160 mV.
Study of Methods for Producing Flexible Solar Cells for Energy Supply of Emergency Source Control
Authors: Minska Natalya
Published: August 2020

The methods of obtaining the base layers of cadmium telluride to create effective solar cells are considered. At present, two groups of methods are distinguished for the preparation of base layers of cadmium telluride for high-efficiency PECs: low-temperature and high-temperature. If a polyimide film with a temperature stability of 450 °C is used as a substrate, then deposition should be carried out at a temperature of about 430 °C. Therefore, to create base layers of cadmium telluride on a flexible polyimide substrate, it is necessary to use low-temperature methods for producing base layers. It has been established that the formation of base layers of solar cells based on cadmium telluride on flexible polyimide substrates must be carried out by direct current magnetron sputtering.
Development and Evaluation of the Possibility of Using Epoxyurethane Mastic in Railway Transport
Authors: Skripinets Anna , Saienko Natalia Vyacheslavovna , Hryhorenko Oleksandr , Berezovskiy Andriy
Published: August 2020

In scientific work is presented the solution of scientific and practical task – the development and evaluation of the possibility of using difficult combustible epoxyurethane (EU) mastic with increased vibration-damping properties and the necessary physical and mechanical properties for cladding the internal metal surfaces of railway rolling stock bodies. The compositions of the developed mastic based on the mixture of oligester cyclo-cab (OCC) and epoxidian (ED) oligomers with the addition of flame retardant – ammonium polyphosphate (APh), as well as hydrophobic filler methylaerosil AM-1-300 to give the composition thixotropic properties. As a result of dynamic-mechanical and viscoelastic researches, it was found that the mastic composition ED: OCC with the content of fire-retardant additive and thixotropic filler has high damping properties (tgδ = 0.45-0.47) in highly elastic field, and therefore, from practical point of view, this the material can work both at low (from -60°C) and moderate temperatures (to +60°C). A comprehensive fire hazard assessment showed that the developed mastic belongs to the group of difficult combustible and difficult flammable materials with slow flame spread and moderate smoke generating ability, as well as moderately hazardous in terms of toxicity. The achieved level of characteristics of the difficult combustible vibration damping mastic testifies about the prospects of its further use for facing the internal metal surfaces of bodies of railway rolling stock in order to ensure their fire safety and acoustic comfort.
Research of Fireproof Capability of Coating for Metal Constructions Using Calculation-Experimental Method
Authors: Kovalov Andrii , Slovinskyi Vitalii , Udianskyi Mykola , Ponomarenko Ivan , Anszczak Marcin
Published: August 2020

Determination of characteristic of fireproof capability of examined fire-retardant coating by experiment-calculated method solving the inverse heat conduction problems based on the firing tests data. With the aim of determining the fire-resistance time of metal sheets with fire-retardant coating there are used experimental research methods of patterns behavior during heating according to the requirements of National Standards of Ukraine B.V. 1.1.-4-98 are used; mathematical and computer modelling of processes of unsteady heat transfer in the system “metal sheet – fire-retardant coating”; determination of thermal characteristics and characteristic of coating fireproof capability. Firing tests of metal sheets covered by the flame retardant “Amotherm Steel Wb” are carried out. Based on the obtained data (temperature from the unheated sheet surface) there are determined the thermal characteristics of formed coating depending on temperature and the characteristic of fireproof capability of examined coating for 30 minutes fire-resistance time. The effectiveness of intumescent coating “Amotherm Steel Wb” is proved and the dependence between its heat conduction coefficient and temperature during heating in experimental stove of metal sheet with this coating in standard temperature conditions is specified. The co-relation between the thickness of intumescent coating “Amotherm Steel Wb” and fire-retarding quality of metal constructions is identified. Besides the necessary minimum thicknesses of such coating from the thickness of metal sheet for importance of 30 minutes fire-resistance time are calculated.
Research of Mechanism of Fire Protection with Wood Lacquer
Authors: Tsapko Yuriy , Lomaha Vasyl , Bondarenko Olga P. , Sukhanevych Maryna
Published: August 2020

The effect of the composition on the weight loss of wood protected by a coating based on inorganic and organic substances in the process of thermal exposure, which is a feature of the study of the flame retardant effectiveness of the composition, is investigated. The solution of this problem is carried out by specially developed methods. The influence of fire protection under the influence of high-temperature heat flux on the change in the process of loss of mass of fire-protected wood is determined and the mechanism of kinetics of action of the composition is characterized, which is characterized by a decrease in the speed of flame propagation and mass loss. The results of thermogravimetric studies determined the weight loss of the coatings as a function of temperature, the results of which investigated the activation energy at the temperature decomposition of the coatings and found that for wood it was 36.56 kJ / mol, and in the case of fire protection it increased 2.3 times. which makes it possible to conclude that it is advisable to use lacquer varnish to improve the fire retardant efficiency of wood. Thus, for the specimen of fire-retardant lacquer wood, there is a gradual decrease in temperature, ie, the work of the coating is fixed, and, accordingly, the activation energy is increased during the decomposition of the wood. In order to establish the flame retardant efficiency in the application of high-temperature blowing lacquer, studies were conducted to determine the combustibility index of wood by mass loss, flame spread and temperature increase of flue gases and found that when processing wood goes to the group of combustible materials with a burning index.
Mathematical Modeling of Fire-Proof Efficiency of Coatings Based on Silicate Composition
Authors: Chernukha Anton , Teslenko Alexey , Kovalov Pavlo , Bezuglov Oleg
Published: August 2020

The paper analyzes the scientific work on fire protection, fire resistance, mathematical modeling of fire-proof properties, mathematical planning of experiments. The factors determining the efficiency of fire-proof coating have been determined. The experimental technique for determining fire-proof efficiency as an output parameter was selected. A factor space was constructed, and an experimental plan was drawn up. Experimental studies of the fire-proof effect of the coating based on the xerogel of the gel-forming system at all points of the factor space were carried out. A regression equation was obtained that describes the effect of the qualitative and quantitative composition of the coating on its fire-proof efficiency.
Influence of the Fire Temperature Regime on the Fire-Retardant Ability of Reinforced-Concrete Floors Coating
Authors: Kovalov Andrii , Otrosh Yurii , Semkiv Oleg , Konoval Volodymyr , Chernenko Oleksandr
Published: August 2020

In the paper, the tests have been analysed for fire-resistant quality of the hollow-core reinforced-concrete floors with fire-retardant plaster covering under standard temperature regime of the fire. Using the methodology for determining the characteristics of fire-retardant coatings ability for reinforced-concrete floors, the dependences have been obtained of the fire-retardant coating thickness from the concrete protective layer of a hollow-core reinforced-concrete floor for a fire resistance limit of 180 minutes with a temperature regime of hydrocarbon fire and a tunnel curve according to the Netherlands standards (RWS). It has been concluded about the minimum required thickness of the studied fire-retardant coating to provide the required fire resistance limit of a hollow-core reinforced-concrete floor under the indicated fire regimes.
Methodology of Estimation of Fire Separation Distances between Construction Facilities by Calculation
Authors: Nizhnyk Vadym , Feshchuk Yurii , Borovykov Volodymyr
Published: August 2020

Based on analysis of appropriate literary sources we established that estimation of fire separation distances was based of two criteria: heat flux and temperature. We proposed to use “ignition temperature of materials” as principal criterion when determining fire separation distances between adjacent construction facilities. Based on the results derived while performing complete factorial we created mathematical model to describe trend of changing fire separation distances depending on caloric power of fire load (Q), openings factor of the external enclosing structures (k) and duration of irradiation (t); moreover, its adequacy was confirmed. Based on linear regression equations we substantiated calculation and tabular method for the determination of fire separation distances for a facility being irradiated which contains combustible or otherwise non-combustible façade and a facility where liquid oil products turn. We developed and proposed general methodology for estimation of fire separation distances between construction facilities by calculation.
Complement Receptor 3 Contributes to the Sexual Dimorphism in Neutrophil Killing of Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Pokhrel Srijana , Triplett Kathleen D. , Daly Seth M. , Joyner Jason A. , Sharma Geetanjali , Hathaway Helen J. , Prossnitz Eric R. , Hall Pamela R.
Published: August 2020

We previously reported sex differences in innate susceptibility to Staphylococcus aureus skin infection and that bone marrow neutrophils (BMN) from female mice have an enhanced ability to kill S. aureus ex vivo compared with those of male mice. However, the mechanism(s) driving this sex bias in neutrophil killing have not been reported. Given the role of opsonins such as complement, as well as their receptors, in S. aureus recognition and clearance, we investigated their contribution to the enhanced bactericidal capacity of female BMN. We found that levels of C3 in the serum and CR3 (CD11b/CD18) on the surface of BMN were higher in female compared with male mice. Consistent with increased CR3 expression following TNF-α priming, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), an important bactericidal effector, was also increased in female versus male BMN in response to serum-opsonized S. aureus. Furthermore, blocking CD11b reduced both ROS levels and S. aureus killing by murine BMN from both sexes. However, at the same concentration of CD11b blocking Ab, S. aureus killing by female BMN was greatly reduced compared with those from male mice, suggesting CR3-dependent differences in bacterial killing between sexes. Overall, this work highlights the contributions of CR3, C3, and ROS to innate sex bias in the neutrophil response to S. aureus. Given that neutrophils are crucial for S. aureus clearance, understanding the mechanism(s) driving the innate sex bias in neutrophil bactericidal capacity could identify novel host factors important for host defense against S. aureus.
Radiation Exposure during Varicocele Embolization: Does Access Site and Treated Side Matter?
Authors: Alqubaisi Abdulaziz , Alsaadi Ali S , Bashir Omar , Arabi Mohammad
Published: August 2020

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate radiation exposure during varicocele embolization and correlate it with access site, embolized side, and complexity of varicoceles. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 39 adults who underwent varicocele embolization with a combination of coils and sclerosing agents between January 2015 and December 2018. Left-sided embolization was done in 26 patients and bilateral embolization in 13 patients. Jugular access was used in ten patients, whereas upper limb access was done in 29 patients. Dose area product (DAP) and total fluoroscopy time were collected and correlated to the treated side, access site, and complexity of varicoceles. Results: The mean fluoroscopy time for left varicocele embolization was 26.76 min, which was not statistically different (P = 0.16) compared to bilateral embolization (33.2 min). There was no statistical difference (P = 0.37) between the mean DAP for left embolization of 106,239 mGy.cm2 compared to bilateral DAP of 107,153 mGy.cm2. There was no difference in the mean DAP or fluoroscopy time between jugular vein access (DAP = 87,569 mGy.cm2, time = 34 min) and upper limb venous access (DAP = 113,086.8534 mGy.cm2, time = 28 min) with P = 0.64 and P = 0.14, respectively. There was no statistically significant correlation between the left varicocele Bähren classification and the fluoroscopy time (P = 0.52) or DAP (P = 0.76). Conclusion: This study finds no significant difference in DAP or fluoroscopy time between jugular and upper limb venous access or between left and bilateral embolization.
Pendidikan Karakter untuk Anak Usia Dini
Authors: Devianti Rika , Sari Suci Lia , Bangsawan Indra
Published: August 2020

Early childhood (0-6 years old) at the golden age is easy to immitate and very receptive. Character education should thus be applied by educators and or parents as main educators in their life. Library research is used in this research by analyzing journals, books, printed and online documents, and relevant data. There are 4 methods and 12 strategy needed by educators and or parents in applying character education for early childhood. Sustainable education will develop character of children to adult, because it is influenced by not only genes but also environment like education.
Stimulasi Kreativitas Gerak Anak Melalui Senam Si Buyung
Authors: Eriani Eva , Dimyati Dimyati
Published: August 2020

In general, gymnastics is only imitation of movement from beginning to end but in this study gymnastics is combined with stories that are imagined by children, which are then realized into motion with the aim of stimulating the creativity of early childhood movements. In this research si buyung’s gymnastic modified to be warming up, creative movements, and cooling down. The research was quantitative quasi-experimental method with one group time-series design on 52 children aged 4-5 years in Yogyakarta. Data collection used interviews and observations, then analyzed with Kruskal Wallis. The results showed that implemented si buyung’s gymnastic effectively to increase the movement creativity of children aged 4-5 years is evidenced by the acquisition of asymp.sig p-value. 0,000 <0.05 which means there is a significant difference in the average ranking of children's creativity in each treatment.
Participation Is Associated With Well-Being Among Community-Based Veterans: An Investigation of Coping Ability, Meaningful Activity, and Social Support as Mediating Mechanisms
Authors: Kinney Adam R. , Graham James E. , Eakman Aaron M.
Published: August 2020

Importance: Occupational therapy practitioners can use therapeutic activity to promote veterans’ well-being, but the mechanisms through which participation promotes well-being are poorly understood.

Objective: To examine whether coping ability, meaningful activity, and social support mediate the relationship between participation and two indicators of veterans’ overall well-being: life meaning (psychological well-being) and life satisfaction (subjective well-being).

Design: Explanatory cross-sectional design. We used two multiple mediation models to test whether coping ability, meaningful activity, and social support explained the relationship between participation and both life meaning and life satisfaction. Models were adjusted for demographic characteristics and service-related health conditions (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder).

Setting: Community.

Participants: Three hundred eighty-nine community-based veterans attending college.

Intervention: None.

Outcomes and Measures: Measures of participation, coping ability, meaningful activity, social support, life meaning, life satisfaction, and service-related health conditions.

Results: Meaningfulness of activity partially explained the relationship between participation and both psychological well-being (B = 0.16, standard error [SE] = 0.04, 99% confidence interval [CI] [0.07, 0.27]) and subjective well-being (B = 0.14, SE = 0.03, 99% CI [0.07, 0.24]). Social support partially explained the relationship between participation and subjective well-being (B = 0.05, SE = 0.02, 99% CI [0.01, 0.11]). These findings persisted when symptoms of service-related health conditions were accounted for.

Conclusions and Relevance: Veterans’ participation is associated with a greater sense of meaningful activity and social support, which in turn promotes psychological and subjective well-being. Occupational therapy practitioners may promote veterans’ well-being by supporting engagement in activities that elicit meaning and enable social interaction, although further study is needed.

What This Article Adds: This is among the first studies to test mechanisms underlying the relationship between veterans’ engagement in activities and their overall well-being. Results may inform treatment theories for activity-based interventions in the veteran population. For example, results indicate that occupational therapy interventions that facilitate engagement in meaningful and shared activities could be developed to promote veterans’ well-being.
Optical properties of Central Asian aerosol relevant for spaceborne lidar applications and aerosol typing at 355 and 532 nm
Authors: Hofer Julian , Ansmann Albert , Althausen Dietrich , Engelmann Ronny , Baars Holger , Fomba Khanneh Wadinga , Wandinger Ulla , Abdullaev Sabur F. , Makhmudov Abduvosit N.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. For the first time, a dense data set of particle extinction-to-backscatter ratios (lidar ratios), linear depolarization ratios, and backscatter- and extinction-related Ångström exponents for a Central Asian site are presented. The observations were performed with a continuously running multiwavelength polarization Raman lidar at Dushanbe, Tajikistan, during an 18-month campaign (March 2015 to August 2016). The presented seasonally resolved observations fill an important gap in the database of aerosol optical properties used in aerosol typing efforts with spaceborne lidars and ground-based lidar networks. Lidar ratios and depolarization ratios are also basic input parameters in spaceborne lidar data analyses and in efforts to harmonize long-term observations with different space lidar systems operated at either 355 or 532 nm. As a general result, the found optical properties reflect the large range of occurring aerosol mixtures consisting of long-range-transported dust (from the Middle East and the Sahara), regional desert, soil, and salt dust, and anthropogenic pollution. The full range from highly polluted to pure dust situations could be observed. Typical dust depolarization ratios of 0.23–0.29 (355 nm) and 0.30–0.35 (532 nm) were observed. In contrast, comparably low lidar ratios were found. Dust lidar ratios at 532 nm accumulated around 35–40 sr and were even lower for regional background dust conditions (20–30 sr).
Detailed correlation studies (e.g., lidar ratio vs. depolarization ratios, Ångström exponent vs. lidar ratio and vs. depolarization ratio) are presented to illuminate the complex relationships between the observed optical properties and to identify the contributions of anthropogenic haze, dust, and background aerosol to the overall aerosol mixtures found within the 18-month campaign.
The observation of 532 nm lidar ratios (<25 sr) and depolarization ratios (around 15 %–20 %) in layers with very low particle extinction coefficient (<30 sr) suggests that direct emission and emission of resuspended salt dust (initially originated from numerous desiccating lakes and the Aralkum desert) have a sensitive impact on the aerosol background optical properties over Dushanbe.
Combined effects of ozone and drought stress on the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds from Quercus robur L.
Authors: Peron Arianna , Kaser Lisa , Fitzky Anne Charlott , Graus Martin , Halbwirth Heidi , Greiner Jürgen , Wohlfahrt Georg , Rewald Boris , Sandén Hans , Karl Thomas
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Drought events are expected to become more frequent with climate change. To predict the effect of plant emissions on air-quality and potential feedback effects on climate, the study of biogenic volatile organic compound emissions under stress is of great importance. Trees can often be subject to a combination of abiotic stresses, for example due to drought or ozone. Even though there is a large body of knowledge on individual stress factors, the effects of combined stressors are not much explored. This study aimed to investigate changes of biogenic volatile organic compound emissions and physiological parameters in Quercus robur L. during moderate to severe drought in combination with ozone stress. Results show that isoprene emissions decreased while monoterpene and sesquiterpene emissions increased during the progression of drought. Exposing plants additionally to ozone, resulted in faster stomatal closure partially mitigating drought stress effects. Evidence of this was found in enhanced green leaf volatiles in trees without ozone fumigation indicating cellular damage. In addition we observed an enhancement in Methyl Salicylate emissions in trees with ozone treatment. Individual plant stress factors are not necessarily additive and atmospheric models should implement stress feedback loops to study regional scale effects.
A restructured and updated global soil respiration database (SRDB-V5)
Authors: Jian Jinshi , Vargas Rodrigo , Anderson-Teixeira Kristina , Stell Emma , Herrmann Valentine , Horn Mercedes , Kholod Nazar , Manzon Jason , Marchesi Rebecca , Paredes Darlin , Bond-Lamberty Ben
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Field-measured soil respiration (RS, the soil-to-atmosphere CO2 flux) observations were compiled into a global soil respiration database (SRDB) a decade ago, a resource that has been widely used by the biogeochemistry community to advance our understanding of RS dynamics. Novel carbon cycle sciences questions require updated and augmented global information with better interoperability among datasets. Here, we restructured and updated the global RS database to version SRDB-V5. The updated version has all previous fields revised for consistency and simplicity, and it has several new fields to include ancillary information (e.g., RS measurement time, collar insertion depth, collar area). The new SRDB-V5 includes published papers through 2017 (800 independent studies) where total observations increased from 6633 in SRDB-V4 to 10366 in SRDB-V5. The SRDB-V5 features more RS data published in Russian and Chinese scientific literature, has an improved global spatio-temporal coverage, and improved global climate-space representation. We also restructured the database so that it has stronger interoperability with other datasets related to carbon-cycle science. For instance, linking SRDB-V5 with an hourly timescale global soil respiration database (HGRsD) and an open community database for continuous soil respiration and other chamber flux data (COSORE) enables researchers to explore new questions. The updated SRDB-V5 aims to be a data framework for the scientific community to share seasonal to annual field RS measurements, and it provides opportunities for the biogeochemistry community to better understand the spatial and temporal variability of RS, its components, and the overall carbon cycle. The database can be downloaded at https://github.com/bpbond/srdb and ORNL DAAC [Submitted]. All data and code to reproduce the results in this study can be found at: Jian, Jinshi, Bond-Lamberty, Ben. (2020). jinshijian/ESSD: SRDB-V5 first release (Version v1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3876443.
Dataset of cropland cover from 1690 to 2015 in Scandinavia
Authors: Wei Xueqiong , Widgren Mats , Li Beibei , Ye Yu , Fang Xiuqi , Zhang Chengpeng , Chen Tiexi
Published: August 2020

Abstract. High-resolution historical land cover datasets are essential not only for simulations of climate and environmental dynamics, but also for projections of future land use, food security, climate and biodiversity. However, widely used global datasets are developed for continental-to-global scale analysis and simulations and the accuracy of global datasets depends on the verification of more regional reconstruction results. In this study, based on the collected statistics of cropland area of each administrative unit (Parish/ Municipality/ County/ Province) in Scandinavia from 1690 to 2015, the cropland area at the administrative unit level was allocated into 30-arc second grid cells. The results indicated that the cropland area increased from 1.81 million ha in 1690 to 7.10 million ha in 1950, then decreased to 6.02 million ha in 2015. Before 1810, cropland cover expanded in southern Scandinavia and remained stable in northern. From 1810 to 1910, northern Scandinavia experienced slight expansion and the cropland area increased rapidly in the southern part of the study area. Then, cropland area changed gently. After 1950, cropland area began to decrease in most regions, especially in the east of Scandinavia. When comparing HYDE3.2 with this study, differences in cropland distribution over the past 300 years are mainly observed in regions which were highly cultivated. Our dataset can be used by future environment and climate models in Scandinavia. The dataset can be downloaded from https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.919929 (Wei et al., 2020).
REPEAT PASS INTERFEROMETRY USING ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 DATA (STUDY CASE IN BRAZIL)
Authors: Rosa R. A. S. , Oliveira C. G. , Rodrigues T. G. , Moreira E. P. , Oliveira V. M.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. We performed a process called SAR Interferometry (InSAR) to generate Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) from data pairs of the PALSAR-2 Synthetic Aperture Radar, from the ALOS-2 satellite. The pair of images used is a permutation between all acquired acquisitions of SAR data from ALOS-2, more precisely, we used data from two satellite passages (temporally spaced) in which the sensor was imaging the same area on the ground. There were PALSAR-2 L-Band Ultrafine images with an interval of 14 days between acquisitions (which is precisely the revisit time of the satellite) from two forest regions in the Paran´a state, Brazil. After the generation of the DEM, we observed a systematic error that generated a kind of very sharp ramp in the azimuthal direction. In this paper we present the followed steps and the investigation carried out to discover the causes of the error. We could observe that the satellite paths on the two dates suffer a relative displacement between them. In other words, this error occurs due to a non-constant baseline. This work was part of the R&D project of FAPESP (São Paulo State Research Support Foundation) entitled “Geração de inventários florestais a partir de um portfólio de soluções de sensoriamento remoto brasileiras de papel e celulose” (Generation of forest inventories from a portfolio of Brazilian remote sensing solutions for paper and cellulose) number “2017 / 25639- 5 - NRC - PIPE – Fase 2 Direta”.
INCORPORATING INTERFEROMETRIC COHERENCE INTO LULC CLASSIFICATION OF AIRBORNE POLSAR-IMAGES USING FULLY CONVOLUTIONAL NETWORKS
Authors: Schmitz S. , Weinmann M. , Thiele A.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Inspired by the application of state-of-the-art Fully Convolutional Networks (FCNs) for the semantic segmentation of high-resolution optical imagery, recent works transfer this methodology successfully to pixel-wise land use and land cover (LULC) classification of PolSAR data. So far, mainly single PolSAR images are included in the FCN-based classification processes. To further increase classification accuracy, this paper presents an approach for integrating interferometric coherence derived from co-registered image pairs into a FCN-based classification framework. A network based on an encoder-decoder structure with two separated encoder branches is presented for this task. It extracts features from polarimetric backscattering intensities on the one hand and interferometric coherence on the other hand. Based on a joint representation of the complementary features pixel-wise classification is performed. To overcome the scarcity of labelled SAR data for training and testing, annotations are generated automatically by fusing available LULC products. Experimental evaluation is performed on high-resolution airborne SAR data, captured over the German Wadden Sea. The results demonstrate that the proposed model produces smooth and accurate classification maps. A comparison with a single-branch FCN model indicates that the appropriate integration of interferometric coherence enables the improvement of classification performance.
CALIBRATION AND VALIDATION OF THE ADVANCED LAND OBSERVING SATELLITE-3 “ALOS-3”
Authors: Tadono T. , Mizukami Y. , Watarai H. , Takaku J. , Ohgushi F. , Kai H.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. The “Advanced Land Observing Satellite-3” (ALOS-3, nicknamed “DAICHI-3”) is the next high-resolution optical mission as a successor of the optical mission by the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS, “DAICHI”) in Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and will be launched in Japanese Fiscal Year 2020. ALOS-3 is now under developing the flight model. The major missions of ALOS-3 are (1) to contribute safe and secure social including provision for natural disasters, and (2) to create and update geospatial information in land and coastal areas. To achieve the missions, the “WIde-Swath and High-resolution optical imager” (WISH, as a tentative name) is mounted on ALOS-3, which consists of the high-resolution panchromatic- and multispectral-bands.This paper introduces the overview of ALOS-3’s mission and the calibration and validation plan at JAXA. The standard product is the system corrected data using the sensor models, which will be provided from the sensor development team. Therefore, the sensor calibration is directly affected to the accuracies of the standard product. In addition, the sensor model based the Rational Polynomial Coefficient will be contained with level 1B2 standard product that can be used to process an ortho rectification and three-dimensional measurement from ALOS-3 images. As the target accuracy of WISH’s standard products, the geometric accuracies are less than 5 m in horizontal without ground control point (GCP), and 1.25 m in horizontal and 2.5 m in vertical with GCPs (1 sigma), and the radiometric accuracy is ± 10 % as absolutely and ± 5 % as relatively for multispectral band.
DESIGNING AND BUILDING A COST-EFFICIENT SURVEY DRONE
Authors: Kauhanen H. , Rönnholm P. , Vaaja M. , Hyyppä H.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. In this paper, we present a workflow how to design and implement a low-cost survey drone that meets the quality requirements of a much higher cost drone system. The technical specifications of available components and our design boundaries were applied in eCalc RC – xcopterCalc calculator in which the optimal setup was found by simulation. The main boundaries of design were derived from safety, operation time and payload capacity. Pixhawk 2 FCU, which is based on ArduPilot open source platform, was selected to handle autopilot and control functionalities. In addition, the system included a camera and a gimbal. The camera was controlled by FCU, which allows to geotag images using the on-board GPS data. The assembled survey drone was tested in a real survey mission. We successfully managed to complete a 13 minutes survey mission in mild wind conditions. According to simulation, the expected flight time range was between 9 and 15 minutes. In addition, simulation provided useful information on how the drone works under certain conditions such as working in extreme temperatures or high elevation locations as well as under heavy payloads. Even though our example was a survey drone, it is possible to use the same principles to design and implement a drone suitable for other tasks.
MAPPING ROADWAY DRAINAGE DITCHES USING MOBILE LIDAR
Authors: Lin Y.-C. , Bullock D. , Habib A.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Roadside ditches serve an important role for draining storm water. Over time vegetation growth, natural sediment deposits, and other debris can change grade of ditches. Effectively monitoring and identifying these changes to prioritize ditch maintenance is important from both a pavement preservation perspective and prevention of localized flooding. This study evaluates the performance of two mobile LiDAR systems for mapping the cross-section of roadside ditches in the presence of vegetation. The geometric quality of data collected by two different wheel-based LiDAR systems were investigated. The mapped ditches were reported and visualized in 2D images as well as 3D point clouds. The cross-sections of man-made drainage ditches were extracted and the quality of mapped ditches was assessed against Real-Time Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite Systems (RTK-GNSS) survey. The overall point cloud accuracy was 4 cm for the medium-grade system, and 1 cm for the high-grade system. The mapping accuracy is 2 cm (medium-grade system) and 1 cm (high-grade system) for solid surface. For rough mowed areas and areas with significant vegetation, the vertical accuracy was found to be 7 cm and 11 cm, respectively, for both wheel-based systems.
A LOW-DELAY AND ROBUST SOLUTION FOR RAPID MOVEMENT DETECTION USING UWB
Authors: Liu Z. Y. , Chen R. Z. , Ye F. , Guo G. Y. , Huang L. X.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. The increasing applications for location-based services (LBS) and real-time location system (RTLS) promote the development of indoor positioning and navigation technology. However, the positioning methods based on traditional Radio Frequency (RF) signals are difficult to improve the accuracy and sensitivity for rapid movement detection with a low latency parameter. In order to solve those problems, this paper adopted ultra-wideband (UWB) chips as the wireless communication technology and designed a method of rapid movement detection with low delay. The method consists of a topology of combined two way ranging (C-TWR), a schedule of time division multiple access (TDMA), an non-light-of-sight (NLOS) handling mechanism and an adaptive extended Kalman filter (A-EKF). To examine the low delay performance, accuracy and robustness of the system, a specific electro-displacement actuator with programmable speed is applied to provide precise ground truth for real speed and distance, and a system test platform consisting of four anchors and four tags provides information of specific situation. The results show that the system can locate the rapid moving pedestrian with a maximal speed of approximately 5 m s−1 in real-time with a positioning accuracy of less than 0.5 m. There are profound implications for further studies in the range of human wearable tags.
AIRBORNE AND MOBILE LIDAR, WHICH SENSORS FOR WHICH APPLICATION?
Authors: Vallet J. , Gressin A. , Clausen P. , Skaloud J.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. The UAV mapping industry expanded tremendously during the last five years. Thanks to miniaturization, automation and advertising, this technology may give a wrong impression that mapping of certain quality is as simple as clicking few buttons on a PC. Moreover, with a large and continuously increasing offer of hardware and software, the identification of the right tools is not easy, especially when aiming at certain standard. In this respect, the mapping with LiDAR is more delicate than with a camera due to a lower level of redundancy within the process of orientation/georeferencing and somewhat higher threshold on the size/weight per performance ratio within these sensors. This fact motivated us to present a practical benchmark evaluating a popular small LiDAR sensor in realistic conditions for intrinsic parameters such as noise or capacity to penetrate canopy, as well as the “low-weight” inertial technology in terms of geometrical influences on the resulting point cloud. The practical limitations are indeed considerably lower than those specified by the manufacturers or tested in laboratory conditions. These should be considered together with other “mapping-productivity” factors that are summarized in the last part of this study.
IMPROVING VERTICAL ACCURACY OF UAV DIGITAL SURFACE MODELS BY INTRODUCING TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANS ON A POINT-CLOUD LEVEL
Authors: Ivelja T. , Bechor B. , Hasan O. , Miko S. , Sivan D. , Brook A.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Digital Surface Models (DSM) generated by image-based scene reconstruction from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS)point clouds are highly distinguished in terms of resolution and accuracy. This leads to a situation where users have to choose the most beneficial product to fulfill their needs. In the current study, these techniques no longer compete but complement each other. Experiments were implemented to verify the improvement of vertical accuracy by introducing different amounts and configurations of Terrestrial Laser scans in the photogrammetric Structure from Motion (SfM) workflow for high-resolution 3D-scene reconstruction. Results show that it is possible to significantly improve (∼ 49% ) the vertical accuracy of DSMs by introducing a TLS point clouds. However, accuracy improvement is highly associated with the number of introduced Ground Control Points (GCP) in the SfM workflow procedure.
UAV MISSION PLANNING FOR AUTOMATIC EXPLORATION AND SEMANTIC MAPPING
Authors: Dehbi Y. , Klingbeil L. , Plümer L.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are used for the inspection of areas which are otherwise difficult to access. Autonomous monitoring and navigation requires a background knowledge on the surroundings of the vehicle. Most mission planing systems assume collision-free pre-defined paths and do not tolerate a GPS signal outage. Our approach makes weaker assumptions. This paper introduces a mission planing platform allowing for the integration of environmental prior knowledge such as 3D building and terrain models. This prior knowledge is integrated to pre-compute an octomap for collision detection. The semantically rich building models are used to specify semantic user queries such as roof or facade inspection. A reasoning process paves the way for semantic mission planing of hidden and a-priori unknown objects. Subsequent scene interpretation is performed by an incremental parsing process.
SEGMENT-BASED LIDAR ODOMETRY FOR LESS STRUCTURED OUTDOOR SCENE
Authors: Wu W. , Chen C. , Li J. , Cong Y. , Yang B.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Accurate registration of sparse sequential point clouds data frames acquired by a 3D light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor like VLP-16 is a prerequisite for the back-end optimization of general LiDAR SLAM algorithms to achieve a globally consistent map. This process is also called LiDAR odometry. Aiming to achieve lower drift and robust LiDAR odometry in less structured outdoor scene using a low-cost wheeled robot-borne laser scanning system, a segment-based sampling strategy for LiDAR odometry is proposed in this paper. Proposed method was tested in two typical less structured outdoor scenes and compared with other two state of the art methods. The results reveal that the proposed method achieves lower drift and significantly outperform the state of the art.
GEOMAGNETIC FIELD-BASED INDOOR POSITIONING USING BACK-PROPAGATION NEURAL NETWORKS
Authors: Qiu K. Y. , Huang H. , El-Rabbany A.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. High-precision indoor positioning in complex environments has always been a hot research topic within the positioning and robotic communities. As one of the indoor positioning technologies, geomagnetic positioning is receiving widespread attention due to its global coverage. Additionally, geomagnetic positioning does not require special infrastructure configuration, its hardware cost is low, and its positioning errors do not accumulate over time. However, geomagnetic positioning is prone to mismatching, which causes serious problems at the positioning points. To tackle this challenge, this paper proposes an indoor localization method based on spectral clustering and weighted back-propagation neural network. The main research contribution is that in the offline phase, the spatial specificity of geomagnetism is used to define the similarity between fingerprints. In addition, a clustering-based reference point algorithm is proposed to divide the sub-fingerprint database, and a positioning prediction model based on back-propagation neural network is trained. Subsequently, in the online stage, the weights of different positioning prediction models are calculated according to the defined fingerprint similarity, weighted average prediction coordinates are obtained, and thereby the positioning accuracy is improved. Experimental results show that, in comparison with other neural network-based positioning methods, the positioning error of our proposed algorithm is reduced by approximately 26.6% and the positioning time is reduced by 24.7%. Experimental results show that the average positioning error of the algorithm is 1.81m.
THE EFFECTS OF COHERENCE CALCULATION ON FOREST HEIGHT ESTIMATION USING SINC MODEL
Authors: Wen Z. , Zhao L. , Zhang W. , Chen E. , Xu K.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. In this paper, the effects of coherence on forest height estimation by SINC model based on Tandem-X InSAR data were explored. First, different coherence calculation methods and different window sizes were used to obtain interferometric coherence images. Then, the forest heights were obtained based on SINC model. Finally, the estimated forest heights were validated against reference data from airborne LIDAR CHM (Canopy height model, CHM). The results showed that the coherence calculation algorithm affect the forest height inversion results with SINC model. The algorithm using only phase information for coherence calculation show better performance than the other one using both magnitude and phase information. Meanwhile, window size selecting for coherence calculation also affect the forest height estimation results. In this study, window size with 9 × 9 shows best agreement with the forest height extracted from LiDAR CHM. The R2 and RMSE are 0.656 and 3.54 m, respectively.
The importance of model resolution on simulated precipitation in Europe – from global to regional model
Authors: Strandberg Gustav , Lind Petter
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Precipitation, and especially extreme precipitation, is a key climate variable as it effects large parts of society. It is difficult to simulate in a climate model because of its large variability in time and space. This study investigates the importance of model resolution on the simulated precipitation in Europe for a wide range of climate model ensembles: from global climate models (GCM) at horizontal resolution of around 300 km to regional climate models (RCM) at horizontal resolution of 12.5 km. The aim is to investigate the differences between models and model ensembles, but also to evaluate their performance compared to gridded observations from E-OBS. Model resolution has a clear effect on precipitation. Generally, extreme precipitation is more intense and more frequent in high-resolution models compared to low-resolution models. Models of low resolution tend to underestimate intense precipitation. This is improved in high-resolution simulations, but there is a risk that high resolution models overestimate precipitation. This effect is seen in all ensembles, and GCMs and RCMs of similar resolution give similar results. The number of precipitation days, which is more governed by large-scale atmospheric flow, is not dependent on model resolution, while the number of days with heavy precipitation is. The difference between different models is often larger than between the low- and high-resolution versions of the same model, which makes it difficult to quantify the improvement. In this sense the quality of an ensemble is depending more on the models it consists of rather than the average resolution of the ensemble. Furthermore, the difference in simulated precipitation between an RCM and the driving GCM depend more on the choice of RCM and less on the down-scaling itself; as different RCMs driven by the same GCM may give different results. The results presented here are in line with previous similar studies but this is the first time an analysis like this is done across such relatively large model ensembles of different resolutions, and with a method studying all parts of the precipitation distribution.