bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disparity between Boys and Girls
Authors: Islam Afsana
Published: June 2016

Gender inequality is the most eminent issue that happens to women in many ways. Perceiving gender inequality and discriminatory treatment towards women has inspired and derived to do this study. The objectives of this study were to examine the interrelation between and among gender inequality, gender stereotyping, perception - support of parents and teachers for girls' sports in the secondary level academic institutions in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods have been implied in conducting this study. Findings are such that the socio-bio- cultural constrains influence the facilities, perceptions and participation of girls in sports. Education so as Sports is powerful agents of socialization and plays influential roles in the construction of masculinity and femininity also an influential factor of empowerment.
Permanently Temporary
Authors: Chowdhury Fariah
Published: June 2016

Canada's immigration policy radically shifted under Stephen Harper's federal Conservative Party government, which ruled from 2006 to 2015. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is one key example of how migrants are increasingly entering Canada through a racially structured hierarchy of citizenship that privileges whiteness, while increasing the precarity of racialized migrants as they live, work, and contribute to the Canadian economy. This chapter offers a detailed policy analysis of Canada's TFWP, focusing on how the program marginalizes migrant workers as “un-Canadian” by placing them in racial, gender, and class hierarchies of belonging. This paper will discuss and outline recent changes and developments in Canada's TFWP, specifically those related to migrants classified as ‘lower-skilled' workers. While some labour needs in Canada can be read as truly temporary (for example, where workers were required to construct venues for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games or other short-term construction projects), the lack of accountability within the TFWP in Canada has led to some occupations being misleadingly framed as ‘temporary', thereby creating a class of migrant workers who are “permanently temporary.” I will argue that the labeling of racialized migrants as “temporary workers” offers employers a structural incentive to keep wages systematically low and maintain poor working conditions, all couched under a guise of “competitiveness.” In this light, “temporary” work becomes synonymous with low-wage exploitation, and continues to strengthen a historic racist nation-state project in Canada. Further, this paper will argue that giving temporary status to migrant workers, rather than permanent residency, serves to limit access to social rights and services, only deepening their levels of exploitation. Finally, I argue that recent increases in TFWs is a symptom of a global trend towards the neoliberalization of citizenship, which has seen the unethical individualization of rights and the privatization of services across many fields.
Theoretical and Applied Issues on the Impact of Information on Musical Creativity
Authors: Lavranos Charilaos , Kostagiolas Petros , Martzoukou Konstantina
Published: June 2016

This century is an era of information and knowledge intensification. Novel information systems and services are developing through modern online information technologies. The rapid changes in the online information environment have greatly affected the way in which individuals search for music information and engage with musical creativity, within different music domains and for different purposes which involve composition, performance and improvisation, analysis and listening. The aim of this book chapter is to investigate the theoretical and practical issues relating to the impact of music information on musical creativity from an information seeking behavior perspective. Musical creativity is perceived as an intentional process which acts as a motivator for information seeking, leading to the utilization of different information resources and to the development of specific information seeking preferences. The chapter highlights the implications for research in this area and presents a research agenda for the interrelation between music information seeking and musical creativity.
The Knowledge Instinct, Cognitive Functions of Music and Cultural Evolution
Authors: Perlovsky Leonid I. , Masataka Nobuo , Cabanac Michel
Published: June 2016

Evolution of music ability has been considered a mystery from Aristotle to Darwin and as no adaptive purpose has been identified yet, making music is still a puzzle for evolutionary biologists. This chapter considers a new theory of music origin and evolution, identifying a cognitive function of music which helps overcoming cognitive dissonance based on the unification of consciousness that is differentiated by language. According to this theory, music is fundamental for cultural evolution. The reason for music strongly affecting us is that it helps overcoming unpleasant emotions of cognitive contradictions, which are conditions of accumulating knowledge. The chapter considers experimental evidence supporting this theory and the joint evolution of music, culture, and consciousness.
Music Information Seeking Opportunities and Behavior Then and Now
Authors: Dougan Kirstin
Published: June 2016

This Chapter provides a summary of the challenges faced by music searchers and a chronological overview of how music information seeking capabilities and resulting user behavior in library settings have changed over time as bibliographic control tools have evolved from card catalogs to online discovery systems. It revisits some of the studies reviewed by King in 2005 and also evaluates studies done in the decade since, identifying trends in music information seeking behavior. Finally, it looks briefly at recommendations for music requirements in catalogs and specialized interfaces.
Greek Copyright Law Framework for Musical Databases and Academic Research Use
Authors: Karydi Dimitra , Karydis Ioannis
Published: June 2016

Music Information Research (MIR) aims at producing Information Retrieval and Data Mining methods that when applied to musical data will allow for the support of creative and consuming users' needs. Accordingly, the most basic requirement of MIR is the need to test its methods on real musical data to ensure their efficiency. Original musical works are protected under Greek Copyright Law. Databases are also offered copyright protection as well as sui generis protection (‘database right'). Accordingly, creators are given exclusive rights over their respective creations while third parties are excluded from unauthorized uses of these creations. A lawful use of a musical work/a database is achieved by either obtaining permission from the copyright owner/database right owner or by relying on exceptions/limitations prescribed by law. Greek legislation provides for certain limitations that warrant uses of a work, otherwise deemed copyright/database right infringing. It is debatable to what extent these limitations can be helpful for academic research purposes focusing on musical databases.
Engagement and Creativity in Music Education
Authors: Kokotsaki Dimitra
Published: June 2016

The wider benefits of active engagement with music throughout life have been well documented. There is evidence that playing a musical instrument and integrating music in the curriculum can have a range of positive effects on children's self-esteem, their social behavior and cognitive skills, such as creativity, spatial-temporal ability, reading, language and IQ score. Music is a vital part of children's everyday lives and schools have a major role to play in helping children develop a positive musical identity by encouraging active participation in musical activities. When children are actively involved in creative work in music, they are affectively, behaviorally and cognitively engaged with the creative task. This chapter concludes that there is a problem with lack of engagement in formal music education and that we need to do more to understand why many students are disengaged with music at school and put music to its proper place of being an integral part of students' lives.
Semantification of Large Corpora of Technical Documentation
Authors: Furth Sebastian , Baumeister Joachim
Published: June 2016

The complexity of machines has grown dramatically in the past years. Today, they are built as a complex functional network of mechanics, electronics, and hydraulics. Thus, the technical documentation became a fundamental source for service technicians in their daily work. The technicians need fast and focused access methods to handle the massive volumes of documentation. For this reason, semantic search emerged as the new system paradigm for the presentation of technical documentation. However, the existent large corpora of legacy documentation are usually not semantically prepared. This fact creates an invincible gap between new technological opportunities and the actual data quality at companies. This chapter presents a novel and comprehensive approach for the semantification of large volumes of legacy technical documents. The approach espescially tackles the veracity and variety existent in technical documentation and makes explicit use of their typical characteristics. The experiences with the implementation and the learned benefits are discussed in industrial case studies.
Democratic Preferences of the Indirectly-Elected Mayor, Open or Locked-In
Authors: Pleschberger Werner
Published: June 2016

The Directly Elected Mayor (DEM) model is a prominent manifestation of global efforts to innovate and strengthen local democracy. According to the established reformist claim, a DEM generates an array of advantages for local democracy (e.g., personalization, visibility of power, an increase in accountability, more inclusion, even direct involvement of citizens in local decision making). The DEM model seems to overcome the democratic deficits of the Indirectly Elected Mayor (IEM) model; this is the core assumption of the “difference hypothesis”. The aim of the empirical part of the study is to allow the analysis of the democratic orientation and styles of actions of the IEMs in the city of Vienna from 1973 until 2013. They all asked to the citizenry to express their opinion in consultative referenda. The longitudinal study shows the clear preference of the mayors for representative democracy and the majority principle to decide local issues. The analysis provides evidence that indirectly supports the reformist claim promoting the DEM model in local democracy.
Changes in the Local Government System and Regional Policy in Poland
Authors: Klimczuk Andrzej , Klimczuk-Kochańska Magdalena
Published: June 2016

This chapter presents the successive stages to make changes in the Polish development policy after 1989. The national administration reform of 1990 in the Third Commonwealth of Poland restored the local government after 40 years of non-existence during the time of Polish People's Republic (1944–1989) that was a satellite state of the Soviet Union after the Second World War. Another reform took place in 1998 as a part of preparations for the country's membership in the European Union (EU) from 2004. Currently developed strategic documents are suggesting the use of the “polarization and diffusion model of the development.” The authors also discuss the regional policy currently implemented in Poland, which was designed in years 2009–2014. The process of creation of new policy includes plans to reform the policy instruments and to update the strategic framework. Conclusions highlight a need for a clearer division of powers between the center and regional governments and the importance of strengthening the financial basis and institutional capacity building.
Analysis and Comparison of the Role of Local Governments with Other Policy Actors in Disaster Relief via Social Media
Authors: Yildiz Mete , Demirhan Kamil
Published: June 2016

This chapter examines the social media use by local governments, and other policy actors (government agencies, non-governmental organizations and citizens) after the 2011 Van Earthquake in Turkey. This study is different from others examining social media use of just one policy actor after a disaster; as it compares and contrasts the performance of different policy actors with that of local governments. To this end, contents of the messages posted on selected Facebook pages after the earthquake are analyzed. The findings include examples of effective social media use for disaster relief and recovery, as well as detailed information about the nature and functioning of “multiple/parallel systems of public service/information delivery”, more than one electronic channel of communication and coordination simultaneously connecting people and organizations. The findings suggest that, if institutional arrangements conducive to collaborations are present, social media platforms can be effective means of disaster relief and recovery, especially for communication among citizens after a disaster.
Agronomic characteristics of sorghum genotypes and nutritional values of silage
Authors: Costa Renê Ferreira , Pires Daniel Ananias de Assis , Moura Marielly Maria Almeida , Sales Eleuza Clarete Junqueira de , Rodrigues José Avelino Santos , Rigueira João Paulo Sampaio
Published: June 2016

The objective was to assess agronomic characteristics of sorghum genotypes and nutritional values of produced silage. A total of 15 sorghum genotypes were used. Planting was carried out through a randomized-block design with three replications per genotype, totaling forty-five (45) plots. Agronomic and nutritional characteristics, besides the quality of the silage, were assessed. There were differences between genotypes for all characteristics analyzed, with the exception of levels of acid detergent unavailable nitrogen (ADUN), acid detergent unavailable protein (ADUP) and water activity (aw). The assessment of the parameters, except for genotypes 1016013, 1016025, 1016037, 1016039, Volumax and BRS 610, which presented protein level below 7%, showed that the other genotypes can be used for silage production, since they have a good profile of fermentation and in vitro dry matter digestibility; however, genotype SF15 is the most favorable one for silage production due to its little participation in the neutral detergent fiber fraction.
Gestão da diversidade: um estudo de gênero e raça em grandes empresas brasileiras
Authors: Gonçalves Ednéia Batista do Prado , Espejo Márcia Maria Dos Santos Bortolocci , Altoé Stella Maris Lima , Voese Simone Bernardes
Published: June 2016

No Brasil, nota-se uma tratativa artificial ao tema diversidade nas organizações, sobretudo no que diz respeito ao lado humano (THOMAS, 1996). Em países desenvolvidos como os Estados Unidos, por exemplo, o estudo da diversidade tem tido maior foco e relevância. No Brasil, este fica prejudicado por esbarrar em questões de preconceitos raciais e de gênero que não permite o avanço e aaplicabilidade nas organizações. O objetivo do estudo consistiu em analisar, nas 30 maiores empresas listadas na Revista Exame, como a diversidade de gênero e raça tem sido tratada, realizando uma reflexão sobre questões de gênero e raça, no que tange ao trabalho da mulher e do negro na ocupação de cargos de chefia e maior escalão nas empresas. Metodologicamente, fez-se necessárioa análise documental do Balanço Social das 30 maiores empresas nacionais ou que atuam no Brasil, na tratativa do tema diversidade. Foram selecionados no site oficial das 30 maiores empresas, com base na Revista Exame – Maiores e Melhores, ano base 2013, o Balanço Social dos anos de 2011 a 2013, o estudo da evolução do percentual de mulheres e negros em cargos de chefia foi feito por meio de cálculos da estatística descritiva: divisão da amostra em quartis e cálculo da média. Pode-se observar uma tênue variação entre os percentuais ao longo dos anos estudados, o que não alterou significativamente as posições ocupadas por mulheres e negros em cargos de chefia nas empresas daamostra. Espera-se que este estudo contribua para a visão crítica dos temas relacionados a gênero e raça nas organizações.
A longitudinal study of a reading project in the Northern Cape, South Africa
Authors: Snyman Maritha E.
Published: June 2016

The topic of this longitudinal study was reading promotion and its perceived benefits. The aim was to determine if reading promotion can lead to reader development and if reader development can lead to self-development, as is often claimed in the literature. A reading promotion project in the Northern Cape, South Africa, was monitored over a period of five years by using a selection of qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The outcome of the study indicates that the reading promotion project was responsible for positive changes in the lives of the beneficiaries of the intervention. It especially points to the positive role access to appropriate reading material and prolonged and enthusiastic reading motivation can play in the lives of a developing community with little means.Keywords: reading; reading promotion; reader development; longitudinal
On the Conflicting Estimations of Pigment Site Energies in Photosynthetic Complexes: A Case Study of the CP47 Complex
Authors: Reinot Tonu , Chen Jinhai , Kell Adam , Jassas Mahboobe , Robben Kevin C. , Zazubovich Valter , Jankowiak Ryszard
Published: June 2016

We focus on problems with elucidation of site energies ( E n0) for photosynthetic complexes (PSCs) in order to raise some genuine concern regarding the conflicting estimations propagating in the literature. As an example, we provide a stern assessment of the site energies extracted from fits to optical spectra of the widely studied CP47 antenna complex of photosystem II from spinach, though many general comments apply to other PSCs as well. Correct values of E n0 for chlorophyll (Chl) a in CP47 are essential for understanding its excitonic structure, population dynamics, and excitation energy pathway(s). To demonstrate this, we present a case study where simultaneous fits of multiple spectra (absorption, emission, circular dichroism, and nonresonant hole-burned spectra) show that several sets of parameters can fit the spectra very well. Importantly, we show that variable emission maxima (690-695 nm) and sample-dependent bleaching in nonresonant hole-burning spectra reported in literature could be explained, assuming that many previously studied CP47 samples were a mixture of intact and destabilized proteins. It appears that the destabilized subpopulation of CP47 complexes could feature a weakened hydrogen bond between the 13 1 -keto group of Chl29 and the PsbH protein subunit, though other possibilities cannot be entirely excluded, as discussed in this work. Possible implications of our findings are briefly discussed.
Universal Pulse Oximetry Screening for Early Detection of Critical Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Kumar Praveen
Published: June 2016

Critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) is a major cause of infant death and morbidity worldwide. An early diagnosis and timely intervention can significantly reduce the likelihood of an adverse outcome. However, studies from the United States and other developed countries have shown that as many as 30%–50% of infants with CCHD are discharged after birth without being identified. This diagnostic gap is likely to be even higher in low-resource countries. Several large randomized trials have shown that the use of universal pulse-oximetry screening (POS) at the time of discharge from birth hospital can help in early diagnosis of these infants. The objective of this review is to share data to show that the use of POS for early detection of CCHD meets the criteria necessary for inclusion to the universal newborn screening panel and could be adopted worldwide.
Conveying Cappadocia. A new representation model for rock-cave architecture by contour lines and chromatic codes
Authors: Colonnese Fabio , Carpiceci Marco , Inglese Carlo
Published: June 2016

Architectural heritage preservation is based on an in-depth, multi-layered and interdisciplinary knowledge of the cultural heritage sites, especially when they are a combination between natural and artificial, such as rupestrian (cave) architecture often is. Survey and representation of rock-cut architecture is one of the most problematic issues for a number of problems concerning the geometrical complexity of the interior and exterior enveloping surfaces. Laserscanner is an appropriate tool concerning the registration of geometric and spatial properties of artificial caves in continuity with the external topography, but automatic representations are often unable to convey their hidden geometric and spatial relationships. In the context of a work methodology customized on the rupestrian habitat of Cappadocia (Turkey), the authors developed an original envisioning model in which an associate use of contour lines and chromatic codes transforms traditional orthogonal projections after the numeric model into drawings able to offer a synthesis and transmit the complex forms and relationships of rupestrian settlements.
Representation of the tropical stratospheric zonal wind in global atmospheric reanalyses
Authors: Kawatani Yoshio , Hamilton Kevin , Miyazaki Kazuyuki , Fujiwara Masatomo , Anstey James A.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. This paper reports on a project to compare the representation of the monthly-mean zonal wind in the equatorial stratosphere among major global atmospheric reanalysis data sets. The degree of disagreement among the reanalyses is characterized by the standard deviation (SD) of the monthly-mean zonal wind and this depends on latitude, longitude, height, and the phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO). At each height the SD displays a prominent equatorial maximum, indicating the particularly challenging nature of the reanalysis problem in the low-latitude stratosphere. At 50–70 hPa the geographical distributions of SD are closely related to the density of radiosonde observations. The largest SD values are over the central Pacific, where few in situ observations are available. At 10–20 hPa the spread among the reanalyses and differences with in situ observations both depend significantly on the QBO phase. Notably the easterly-to-westerly phase transitions in all the reanalyses except MERRA are delayed relative to those directly observed in Singapore. In addition, the timing of the easterly-to-westerly phase transitions displays considerable variability among the different reanalyses and this spread is much larger than for the timing of the westerly-to-easterly phase changes. The eddy component in the monthly-mean zonal wind near the Equator is dominated by zonal wavenumber 1 and 2 quasi-stationary planetary waves propagating from midlatitudes in the westerly phase of the QBO. There generally is considerable disagreement among the reanalyses in the details of the quasi-stationary waves near the Equator. At each level, there is a tendency for the agreement to be best near the longitude of Singapore, suggesting that the Singapore observations act as a strong constraint on all the reanalyses. Our measures of the quality of the reanalysis clearly show systematic improvement over the period considered (1979–2012). The SD among the reanalysis declines significantly over the record, although the geographical pattern of SD remains nearly constant.
Is there bimodality of the South Asian High?
Authors: Nützel Matthias , Dameris Martin , Garny Hella
Published: June 2016

Abstract. The South Asian High (SAH) is an important component of the summer monsoon system in Asia. In this study we investigate the location and drivers of the SAH at 100 hPa during the boreal summers of 1979 to 2014 on interannual, seasonal and synoptic time scales using six reanalyses. Special focus lies on the bimodality of the SAH, i.e. the two preferred modes of the SAH centre location: the Iranian Plateau to the west and the Tibetan Plateau to the east. We find that only the National Centers for Environmental Prediction – National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis shows a clear bimodal structure of the SAH centre distribution with respect to daily and pentad (5-day mean) data. Furthermore, the distribution of the SAH centre location is highly variable from year-to-year. As in simple model studies, which connect the SAH to heating in the tropics, we find that the mean seasonal cycle of the SAH and its centre are dominated by the expansion of convection in the South Asian region (70° E–130° E × 15° N–30° N) on the southeastern border of the SAH. A composite analysis of precipitation and OLR data with respect to the location of the SAH centre reveals that a more westward (eastward) location of the SAH is related to stronger (weaker) convection and rainfall over India and stronger (weaker) precipitation over the West Pacific.
Last Glacial Maximum and deglacial abyssal seawater oxygen isotopic ratios
Authors: Wunsch Carl
Published: June 2016

Abstract. An earlier analysis of pore-water salinity (chlorinity) in two deep-sea cores, using terminal constraint methods of control theory, concluded that although a salinity amplification in the abyss was possible during the LGM, it was not required by the data. Here the same methodology is applied to δ18Ow in the upper 100 m of four deep-sea cores. An ice volume amplification to the isotopic ratio is, again, consistent with the data but not required by it. In particular, results are very sensitive, with conventional diffusion values, to the assumed initial conditions at −100 ky and a long list of noise (uncertainty) assumptions. If the calcite values of δ18O are fully reliable, then published enriched values of the ratio in seawater are necessary to preclude sub-freezing temperatures, but the seawater δ18O in pore fluids does not independently require the conclusion.
Process-based modelling of the methane balance in periglacial landscapes with JSBACH
Authors: Kaiser S. , Beer C. , Göckede M. , Castro-Morales K. , Knoblauch C. , Ekici A. , Kleinen T. , Zubrzycki S. , Sachs T. , Wille C.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. A consistent, process-based methane module for a global land surface scheme has been developed which is general enough to be applied in permafrost regions as well as wetlands outside permafrost areas. Methane production, oxidation and transport by ebullition, diffusion and plants are represented. Oxygen has been explicitly incorporated in diffusion, transport by plants and two oxidation processes, of which one uses soil oxygen, while the other uses oxygen that is available via roots. Permafrost and wetland soils show special behaviour, such as variable soil pore space due to freezing and thawing or water table depths due to changing soil water content. This has been integrated directly into the methane-related processes. A detailed application at the polygonal tundra site Samoylov, Lena delta, Russia, is used for evaluation purposes. The application at Samoylov also shows differences in the importance of the several transport processes and in the methane dynamics under varying soil moisture, ice and temperature conditions during different seasons and on different microsites. These microsites are the elevated moist polygonal rim and the depressed wet polygonal center. The evaluation shows sufficiently good agreement with field observations despite the fact that the module has not been specifically calibrated to these data.
Parameterizing microphysical effects on variances and covariances of moisture and heat content using a multivariate PDF
Authors: Griffin Brian M. , Larson Vincent E.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Microphysical processes, such as the formation, growth, and evaporation of precipitation, interact with variability and fluxes in moisture and heat content. For instance, evaporation of rain may produce cold pools, which in turn may trigger fresh convection and precipitation. These effects are usually omitted or else crudely parameterized at subgrid scales in weather and climate models. A more formal approach is pursued here, based on predictive, horizontally averaged equations for the variances, covariances, and fluxes of moisture and heat content. These higher-order moment equations contain microphysical source terms. The microphysics terms can be integrated analytically, given a suitably simple warm-rain microphysics scheme and an approximate assumption about the multivariate distribution of cloud-related and precipitation-related variables. Performing the integrations provides exact expressions within an idealized context. A large-eddy simulation (LES) of a shallow precipitating cumulus case is performed here, and it indicates that the microphysical effects on variances and fluxes can be large. In some budgets and altitude ranges, they are dominant terms. The analytic expressions for the integrals are implemented in a single-column, higher-order closure model. Interactive single-column simulations agree qualitatively with the LES. The analytic integrations form a parameterization of microphysical effects in their own right, and they also serve as benchmark solutions that can be compared to non-analytic integration methods.
Fast GCM – ice sheet model coupling software OBLIMAP 2.0, including on-line embeddable mapping routines
Authors: Reerink Thomas , van de Wal Roderik
Published: June 2016

Abstract. This paper accompanies the second OBLIMAP open source release. The package is developed to map climate fields between a general circulation model (GCM) and an ice sheet model (ISM) in both directions by using optimal aligned oblique projections, which minimize distortions. Both grids may be irregularly spaced and the ratio of the grids is allowed to differ largely. The stand-alone version of OBLIMAP is a powerful tool to map various differently gridded datasets on one uniform ISM grid with an optimal centered projection. This is demonstrated by relevant applicatons concerning the major ice caps. As this applies also for the reverse mapping direction, it can be used as an off-line coupler. Besides, OBLIMAP 2.0 is an embeddable GCM–ISM coupler, suited for high frequent on-line coupled experiments. A new fast scan method is presented as an alternative for the former time consuming grid search strategy, realising a performance gain of several orders of magnitude and enabling the mapping of high resolution datasets with a much larger number of grid nodes. Further a highly flexible masked mapping option is added. The limitations of the fast scan method with respect to unstructured and adaptive grids are discussed together with several proposed parallel implementations in order to achieve another performance gain.
ENSO – cave dripwater hydrochemical relationship: a 7-year dataset from SE Australia
Authors: Tadros Carol V. , Treble Pauline C. , Baker Andy , Fairchild Ian , Hankin Stuart , Roach Regina , Markowska Monika , McDonald Janece
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Speleothems (cave deposits), used for paleoenvironmental reconstructions, are deposited from cave dripwaters. Differentiating climate and karst processes within a dripwater signal is fundamental for the correct identification of paleoenvironmental proxies and ultimately their interpretation within speleothem records. We investigate the potential use of trace element and stable oxygen-isotope (δ18O) variations in cave dripwaters as paleorainfall proxies in an Australian alpine karst site. This paper presents the first extensive hydrochemical and δ18O dataset from Yarrangobilly Caves, in the Snowy Mountains, south-east Australia. Using a 7-year long rainfall δ18O and dripwater Ca, Cl, Mg / Ca, Sr / Ca and δ18O dataset from three drip sites, we determined that the processes of mixing, dilution, flow path change, carbonate mineral dissolution and Prior Calcite Precipitation (PCP) accounted for the observed variations in the dripwater geochemical composition. We identify that the three monitored drip sites are fed by fracture flow from a well-mixed epikarst storage reservoir; supplied by variable concentrations of dissolved ions from soil and bedrock dissolution. We constrained the influence of multiple processes and controls on dripwater composition in a region dominated by ENSO. During the El Niño and dry periods, enhanced PCP, a flow path change and dissolution due to increased soil CO2 production occurred in response to decreased rainfall, in distinction to the La Niña phase where dilution dominated and reduced PCP was observed. We present a conceptual model, illustrating the key processes impacting the dripwater chemistry. We identified a robust relationship between ENSO and dripwater trace element concentrations and propose variations in speleothem Mg / Ca and Sr / Ca ratios may be interpreted to reflect paleorainfall conditions. These findings inform paleorainfall reconstruction from speleothems regionally and provide a basis for paleoclimate studies globally, in regions where there is intermittent recharge variability.
Reservoir storage and hydrologic responses to droughts in the Paraná River Basin, Southeast Brazil
Authors: Melo Davi C. D. , Scanlon Bridget R. , Zizhan Zizhan , Wendland Edson , Yin Lei
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Droughts are particularly critical for Brazil because of impacts on water supply and because most (~ 70 %) of its electricity is derived from hydroelectric generation. The Paraná Basin (PB), a major hydroelectric producing region with ~ 32 % of Brazil’s population, recently experienced the most severe drought since the 1960s, compromising the water supply for ~ 11 million people in São Paulo city. The objective of this study was to quantify linkages between meteorological and hydrological droughts based on remote sensing, modeling, and monitoring data using the Parana River Basin in Southeast Brazil as a case study. Two major meteorological droughts were identified in the early 2000s and 2014, with precipitation 20–50 % below the long-term mean. Total water storage estimated from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites declined by ~ 150 km3 between Apr/2011 and Apr/2015. Simulated soil moisture storage declined during the drought, resulting in decreased runoff into reservoirs. Reservoir storage decreased by ~ 30 % relative to the systems maximum capacity, with negative trends ranging from ~ 17 km3 yr-1 (May 1997–Apr 2001) to 25 km3 yr-1 (May 2011–Apr 2015). Storage in upstream reservoirs is mostly controlled by natural climate forcing whereas storage in downstream reservoirs also reflects dam operations. This study emphasizes the importance of integrating remote sensing, modelling, and monitoring data to evaluate droughts and to establish a comprehensive understanding of the linkages between meteorological and hydrological droughts for future management.
AUTOMATIC ASSESSMENT OF ACQUISITION AND TRANSMISSION LOSSES IN INDIAN REMOTE SENSING SATELLITE DATA
Authors: Roy D. , Purna Kumari B. , Manju Sarma M. , Aparna N. , Gopal Krishna B.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. The quality of Remote Sensing data is an important parameter that defines the extent of its usability in various applications. The data from Remote Sensing satellites is received as raw data frames at the ground station. This data may be corrupted with data losses due to interferences during data transmission, data acquisition and sensor anomalies. Thus it is important to assess the quality of the raw data before product generation for early anomaly detection, faster corrective actions and product rejection minimization. Manual screening of raw images is a time consuming process and not very accurate. In this paper, an automated process for identification and quantification of losses in raw data like pixel drop out, line loss and data loss due to sensor anomalies is discussed. Quality assessment of raw scenes based on these losses is also explained. This process is introduced in the data pre-processing stage and gives crucial data quality information to users at the time of browsing data for product ordering. It has also improved the product generation workflow by enabling faster and more accurate quality estimation.
TRAFFIC LIGHT DETECTION USING CONIC SECTION GEOMETRY
Authors: Hosseinyalmdary S. , Yilmaz A.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Traffic lights detection and their state recognition is a crucial task that autonomous vehicles must reliably fulfill. Despite scientific endeavors, it still is an open problem due to the variations of traffic lights and their perception in image form. Unlike previous studies, this paper investigates the use of inaccurate and publicly available GIS databases such as OpenStreetMap. In addition, we are the first to exploit conic section geometry to improve the shape cue of the traffic lights in images. Conic section also enables us to estimate the pose of the traffic lights with respect to the camera. Our approach can detect multiple traffic lights in the scene, it also is able to detect the traffic lights in the absence of prior knowledge, and detect the traffics lights as far as 70 meters. The proposed approach has been evaluated for different scenarios and the results show that the use of stereo cameras significantly improves the accuracy of the traffic lights detection and pose estimation.
SATELLITE STEREO BASED DIGITAL SURFACE MODEL GENERATION USING SEMI GLOBAL MATCHING IN OBJECT AND IMAGE SPACE
Authors: Ghuffar S.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. This paper presents methodology and evaluation of Digital Surface Models (DSM) generated from satellite stereo imagery using Semi Global Matching (SGM) applied in image space and georeferenced voxel space. SGM is a well known algorithm, used widely for DSM generation from airborne and satellite imagery. SGM is typically applied in the image space to compute disparity map corresponding to a stereo image pair. As a different approach, SGM can be applied directly to the georeferenced voxel space similar to the approach of volumetric multi-view reconstruction techniques. The matching in voxel space simplifies the DSM generation pipeline because the stereo rectification and triangulation steps are not required. For a comparison, the complete pipeline for generation of DSM from satellite pushbroom sensors is also presented. The results on the ISPRS satellite stereo benchmark using Worldview stereo imagery of 0.5m resolution shows that the SGM applied in image space produce slightly better results than its object space counterpart. Furthermore, a qualitative analysis of the results on Worldview-3 stereo and Pleiades tri-stereo images are presented.
A DETAILED STUDY ABOUT DIGITAL SURFACE MODEL GENERATION USING HIGH RESOLUTION SATELLITE STEREO IMAGERY
Authors: Gong K. , Fritsch D.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Photogrammetry is currently in a process of renaissance, caused by the development of dense stereo matching algorithms to provide very dense Digital Surface Models (DSMs). Moreover, satellite sensors have improved to provide sub-meter or even better Ground Sampling Distances (GSD) in recent years. Therefore, the generation of DSM from spaceborne stereo imagery becomes a vivid research area. This paper presents a comprehensive study about the DSM generation of high resolution satellite data and proposes several methods to implement the approach. The bias-compensated Rational Polynomial Coefficients (RPCs) Bundle Block Adjustment is applied to image orientation and the rectification of stereo scenes is realized based on the Project-Trajectory-Based Epipolarity (PTE) Model. Very dense DSMs are generated from WorldView-2 satellite stereo imagery using the dense image matching module of the C/C++ library LibTsgm. We carry out various tests to evaluate the quality of generated DSMs regarding robustness and precision. The results have verified that the presented pipeline of DSM generation from high resolution satellite imagery is applicable, reliable and very promising.
REFINED SATELLITE IMAGE ORIENTATION IN THE FREE OPEN-SOURCE PHOTOGRAMMETRIC TOOLS APERO/MICMAC
Authors: Rupnik E. , Pierrot Deseilligny M. , Delorme A. , Klinger Y.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. This publication presents the RPC-based bundle adjustment implemented in the freeware open-source photogrammetric tool Apero/MicMac. The bundle adjustment model is based on some polynomial correction functions, enriched with a physical constraint that introduces the notion of a global sensor rotation into the model. The devised algorithms are evaluated against two datasets consisting of two stereo and a triplet pair of the Pleiades images. Two sets of correction functions and a number of GCPs configurations are examined. The obtained geo-referencing accuracy falls below the size of 1GSD.
TOWARDS FAST MORPHOLOGICAL MOSAICKING OF HIGH-RESOLUTION MULTI-SPECTRAL PRODUCTS – ON IMPROVEMENTS OF SEAMLINES
Authors: Storch Tobias , Fischer Peter , Fast Sebastian , Serr Philipp , Krauß Thomas , Müller Rupert
Published: June 2016

Abstract. The complex process of fully automatically establishing seamlines for the fast production of high-quality mosaics with high-amount of high-resolution multi-spectral images is detailed and improved in this paper. The algorithm is analyzed and a quasi-linear runtime in the number of considered pixels is proven for all situations. For typical situations the storage is even essentially smaller from a complexity theoretical perspective. Improvements from algorithm practical perspective are specified, too. The influence of different methods for the determination of seamlines based on gradients is investigated in detail for three Sentinel-2 products. The studied techniques cover well-known ones normally based on a single band. But also more sophisticated techniques based on multiple bands or even taking additional external geo-information data are taken into account. Based on the results a larger area covered by Image2006 orthorectified products with data of the Resourcesat-1 mission is regarded. The feasibility of applying advanced subordinated methods for improving the mosaic such as radiometric harmonization is examined. This also illustrates the robustness of the improved seamline determination approaches.
A NEW CONTROL POINTS BASED GEOMETRIC CORRECTION ALGORITHM FOR AIRBORNE PUSH BROOM SCANNER IMAGES WITHOUT ON-BOARD DATA
Authors: Strakhov P. , Badasen E. , Shurygin B. , Kondranin T.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Push broom scanners, such as video spectrometers (also called hyperspectral sensors), are widely used in the present. Usage of scanned images requires accurate geometric correction, which becomes complicated when imaging platform is airborne. This work contains detailed description of a new algorithm developed for processing of such images. The algorithm requires only user provided control points and is able to correct distortions caused by yaw, flight speed and height changes. It was tested on two series of airborne images and yielded RMS error values on the order of 7 meters (3-6 source image pixels) as compared to 13 meters for polynomial-based correction.
A HIGH-PERFORMANCE METHOD FOR SIMULATING SURFACE RAINFALL-RUNOFF DYNAMICS USING PARTICLE SYSTEM
Authors: Zhang Fangli , Zhou Qiming , Li Qingquan , Wu Guofeng , Liu Jun
Published: June 2016

Abstract. The simulation of rainfall-runoff process is essential for disaster emergency and sustainable development. One common disadvantage of the existing conceptual hydrological models is that they are highly dependent upon specific spatial-temporal contexts. Meanwhile, due to the inter-dependence of adjacent flow paths, it is still difficult for the RS or GIS supported distributed hydrological models to achieve high-performance application in real world applications. As an attempt to improve the performance efficiencies of those models, this study presents a high-performance rainfall-runoff simulating framework based on the flow path network and a separate particle system. The vector-based flow path lines are topologically linked to constrain the movements of independent rain drop particles. A separate particle system, representing surface runoff, is involved to model the precipitation process and simulate surface flow dynamics. The trajectory of each particle is constrained by the flow path network and can be tracked by concurrent processors in a parallel cluster system. The result of speedup experiment shows that the proposed framework can significantly improve the simulating performance just by adding independent processors. By separating the catchment elements and the accumulated water, this study provides an extensible solution for improving the existing distributed hydrological models. Further, a parallel modeling and simulating platform needs to be developed and validate to be applied in monitoring real world hydrologic processes.
A NEW ONTOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE FOR INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTS: DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION CONTEXT
Authors: Gharebaghi Amin , Mostafavi Mir Abolfazl
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Social dimension of environment is an important aspect that should be reflected in research works related to studying the interactions between human and the environment. However, this dimension is usually neglected when representing the environment in geographic information systems for different applications. For instance, disability as a result of the interaction between human and environment is influenced by social and physical dimensions of environment. Although, this aspect is highlighted in most conceptual disability models by defining various taxonomies of the environment, from ontological perspective justifying and connecting social dimension to the physical dimension of the environment is not clearly determined. Integrating social dimension of the environment with its physical dimension for disability studies is a challenging task, which is the main objective of the present study. Here, we review some of the disability models and their perspective about classifying the environment. Then, from ontological perspective, their limitations are discussed and a new approach for the classification of concepts form the environment is presented. This approach facilitates and simplifies integration of social dimension in ontologies for more effective assessment of disability issue in Geographic Information System.
A CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOR THE REPRESENTATION OF LANDFORMS USING ONTOLOGY DESIGN PATTERNS
Authors: Guilbert Eric , Moulin Bernard , Cortés Murcia Andrés
Published: June 2016

Abstract. A landform is an area of a terrain with its own recognisable shape. Its definition is often qualitative and inherently vague. Hence landforms are difficult to formalise in view of their extraction from a DTM. This paper presents a two-level framework for the representation of landforms. The objective is to provide a structure where landforms can be conceptually designed according to a common model which can be implemented. It follows the principle that landforms are not defined by geometrical characteristics but by salient features perceived by people. Hence, these salient features define a skeleton around which the landform is built. The first level of our model defines general concepts forming a landform prototype while the second level provides a model for the translation of these concepts and landform extraction on a DTM. The model is still under construction and preliminary results together with current developments are also presented.