bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bread wheat performance, fusarium head blight incidence and weed infestation response to low-input conservation tillage systems in eastern Canada
Authors: Munger H. , Vanasse A. , Rioux S. , Légère A.
Published: October 2013

Munger, H., Vanasse, A., Rioux, S. and Légère, A. 2014. Bread wheat performance, fusarium head blight incidence and weed infestation response to low-input conservation tillage systems in eastern Canada. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 193–201. Bread wheat performance, the incidence of diseases like fusarium head blight (FHB) and weed infestations may be affected by low-input systems and conservation tillage practices. This 2-yr study assessed the effects of three 24-yr-old tillage treatments (MP: moldboard plow; CP: chisel plow; NT: no-till) and two cropping systems (high-input: herbicide and mineral fertilizer; low-input: mechanical weed control and organic fertilizer) on wheat productivity, deoxynivalenol (DON) content, Fusarium graminearum inoculum production, and weed infestation in hard red spring wheat. In 2009, low-input CP and NT yields were 13 and 31% lower, respectively, than low-input MP yield, which was comparable with all of the high-input treatment yields. In 2010, yields were 23% lower in CP and NT compared with MP, and 32% lower in low-input than in high-input systems. Optimum wheat yield in low-input systems appeared conditional to adequate weed control, which was achieved with MP and CP tillage. Protein content, test weight, and 1000-kernel weight were higher in the high-input system than in the low-input system, except for test weight in 2009. DON content was not affected by tillage in either year, and was lower in low-input system than in high-input system in 2009. Fusarium graminearum inoculum measured in 2009 was similar across tillage treatments in the high-input system, whereas in the low-input system, the inoculum was lower in NT than in MP. In 2010, DON content was not affected by any treatment. Hot and dry conditions were not conducive to pathogen development, and may explain the low level of DON and the lack of treatment effect.
Determination of the Cost of Training of Undergraduate Medical (MBBS) Student at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Authors: Satpathy Sidhartha , Kant Sunil , Deka RC , Chumber Sunil , Verma Rakesh , Gupta Shakti Kumar
Published: October 2013

How to cite this article

Verma R, Gupta SK, Satpathy S, Kant S, Chumber S, Deka RC. Determination of the Cost of Training of Undergraduate Medical (MBBS) Student at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Int J Res Foundation Hosp Healthc Adm 2013;1(1):1-7.
Do Participatory Governance Institutions Matter?: Municipal Councils and Social Housing Programs in Brazil
Authors: Donaghy Maureen M.
Published: October 2013

Scholars often recommend the implementation of participatory governance institutions to promote pro-poor policy outcomes. Incorporating civil society organizations into decision making should lead to increasing government responsiveness and accountability in addressing key social problems.
Few scholars, however, have systematically tested this proposition across contexts. An assessment of the impact of municipal housing councils on the adoption of social housing programs in Brazil indicates that housing councils are associated with an increase in social housing program adoption
across municipalities, regardless of whether a strong civil society is in place. This suggests that the act of incorporation into decision making is more important than the strength of civil society for producing pro-poor policy outcomes.
When Public Goods Go Bad: The Implications of the End of the Washington Consensus for the Study of Economic Reform
Authors: Morrison Kevin M.
Published: October 2013

A principal approach to theorizing about economic reform in developing countries has been to assume that market-oriented policies have the properties of public goods, in that their benefits are widespread and their costs concentrated. This article reviews several books, one of them
from the World Bank, that suggest that skepticism about these policies has entered the mainstream, calling into question this benchmark approach to reform. In the context of ongoing debate over which policies are best for developing countries, the review offers a framework for future study
of reform, arguing that while past work has yielded important insights into how societal divisions and institutional characteristics affect reform, these insights now need to be combined with scholarship on how governments learn and form preferences about policies.
Gestalt Switch in Russian Federalism: The Decline in Regional Power under Putin
Authors: Sharafutdinova Gulnaz
Published: October 2013

Why did Russian governors unexpectedly acquiesce to centralizing reforms undertaken by Vladimir Putin? Interviews with regional and central politicians and an analysis of speeches during 1990–2009 reveal that interests alone cannot account for the presence or absence of governors'
political action. Understanding governors' (in)action requires uncovering the grounds for its justification and legitimation. The enabling role of the discourse, fusing the ideas of democracy and federalism, propelled autonomous behavior on the part of regional elites. The shift in the dominant
discursive frame that occurred in Russia under the leadership of Putin brought to prominence the idea of strengthening state power, thus making defiant and autonomy-seeking behavior by regional elites untenable.
The importance of vertical velocity variability for estimates of the indirect aerosol effects
Authors: West R. E. L. , Stier P. , Jones A. , Johnson C. E. , Mann G. W. , Bellouin N. , Kipling Z.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. The activation of aerosols to form cloud droplets is dependent upon vertical velocities whose local variability is not typically resolved at the GCM grid scale. Consequently, it is necessary to represent the sub-grid-scale variability of vertical velocity in the calculation of cloud droplet number concentration. This study uses the UK Chemistry and Aerosols community model (UKCA) within the Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model (HadGEM3), coupled for the first time to an explicit aerosol activation parameterisation, and hence known as UKCA-Activate. We explore the range of uncertainty in estimates of the indirect aerosol effects attributable to the choice of parameterisation of the sub-grid-scale variability of vertical velocity in HadGEM-UKCA. Results of simulations demonstrate that the use of a characteristic vertical velocity cannot replicate results derived with a distribution of vertical velocities, and is to be discouraged in GCMs. This study focuses on the effect of the variance (σw2) of a Gaussian pdf of vertical velocity. Fixed values of σw2 (spanning the range measured in situ by nine flight campaigns found in the literature) and a configuration in which σw2 depends on turbulent kinetic energy are tested. Results from the mid-range fixed σw2 and TKE-based configurations both compare well with observed vertical velocity distributions and cloud droplet number concentrations. The radiative flux perturbation due to the total effects of anthropogenic aerosol is estimated at −1.4 W m−2 with σw2 = 0.1 m s−1, −1.7 W m−2 with σw2 derived from TKE, −1.9 W m−2 with σw = 0.4 m s−1 and −2.0 W m−2 with σw = 0.7 m s−1. The breadth of this range (0.6 W m−2) corresponds to almost a third of the total estimate of −1.9 W m−2, obtained with the mid-range value of σw = 0.4 m s−1, and is comparable to the total diversity of current aerosol forcing estimates. Reducing the uncertainty in the parameterisation of σw would therefore be an important step towards reducing the uncertainty in estimates of the indirect aerosol effects. Detailed examination of regional radiative flux perturbations reveals that aerosol microphysics can be responsible for some climate-relevant radiative effects, highlighting the importance of including microphysical aerosol processes in GCMs.
Spatio-temporal heterogeneity of riparian soil morphology in a restored floodplain
Authors: Fournier B. , Guenat C. , Bullinger-Weber G. , Mitchell E. A. D.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Floodplains have been intensively altered in industrialized countries, but are now increasingly being restored. It is therefore important to assess the effect of these restoration projects on the aquatic and terrestrial components of ecosystems. However, despite being functionally crucial components of terrestrial ecosystems, soils are generally overlooked in floodplain restoration assessments. We studied the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of soil morphology in a restored (riverbed widening) river reach along the River Thur (Switzerland) using three criteria (soil diversity, dynamism and typicality) and their associated indicators. We hypothesized that these criteria would correctly discriminate the post-restoration changes in soil morphology, and that these changes correspond to patterns of vascular plant diversity. Soil diversity and dynamism increased 5 yr after the restoration, but some typical soils of braided rivers were still missing. Soil typicality and dynamism were correlated to vegetation changes. These results suggest a limited success of the project, in agreement with evaluations carried out at the same site using other, more resource-demanding, methods (e.g., soil fauna, fish diversity, ecosystem functioning). Soil morphology provides structural and functional information on floodplain ecosystems. The spatio-temporal heterogeneity of soil morphology represents a cost-efficient ecological indicator that could easily be integrated into rapid assessment protocols of floodplain and river restoration projects. The follow-up assessment after several major floods (≥ HQ20) should take place to allow for testing the longer-term validity of our conclusion for the River Thur site. More generally, it would be useful to apply the soil morphology indicator approach in different settings to test its broader applicability.
Modelling overbank flood recharge at a continental scale
Authors: Doble R. , Crosbie R. , Peeters L. , Joehnk K. , Ticehurst C.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Accounting for groundwater recharge from overbank flooding is required to reduce uncertainty and error in river loss terms and groundwater sustainable yield calculations. However, continental and global scale models of surface water–groundwater interactions rarely include an explicit process to account for overbank flood recharge (OFR). This paper upscales previously derived analytical equations to a continental scale using national soil atlas data and satellite imagery of flood inundation, resulting in recharge maps for seven hydrologically distinct Australian catchments. Recharge for three of the catchments was validated against independent recharge estimates from bore hydrograph responses and one catchment was additionally validated against point scale recharge modelling and catchment scale change in groundwater storage. Flood recharge was predicted for four of the seven catchments modelled, but there was also unexplained recharge present from the satellite flood inundation mapping data. At a catchment scale, recharge from overbank flooding was somewhat under predicted using the analytical equations, but there was good confidence in the spatial patterns of flood recharge produced. Due to the scale of the input data, there were no significant relationships found when compared at a point scale. Satellite derived flood inundation data and uncertainty in soil maps were the key limitations to the accuracy of the modelled recharge. Use of this method to model OFR was found to be appropriate at a catchment to continental scale, given appropriate data sources. The proportion of OFR was found to be at least 4% of total change in groundwater storage in one of the catchments for the period modelled, and at least 15% of the riparian recharge. Accounting for OFR is an important, and often overlooked, requirement for closing water balances in both the surface water and groundwater domains.
Generation and weighting of 3D point correspondences for improved registration of RGB-D data
Authors: Khoshelham K. , Dos Santos D. R. , Vosselman G.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Registration of RGB-D data using visual features is often influenced by errors in the transformation of visual features to 3D space as well as the random error of individual 3D points. In a long sequence, these errors accumulate and lead to inaccurate and deformed point clouds, particularly in situations where loop closing is not feasible. We present an epipolar search method for accurate transformation of the keypoints from 2D to 3D space, and define weights for the 3D points based on the theoretical random error of depth measurements. Our results show that the epipolar search method results in more accurate 3D correspondences. We also demonstrate that weighting the 3D points improves the accuracy of sensor pose estimates along the trajectory.
RANSAC approach for automated registration of terrestrial laser scans using linear features
Authors: Al-Durgham K. , Habib A. , Kwak E.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. The registration process of terrestrial laser scans (TLS) targets the problem of how to combine several laser scans in order to attain better information about features than what could be obtained through single scan. The main goal of the registration process is to estimate the parameters which determine geometrical variation between the origins of datasets collected from different locations. Scale, shifts, and rotation parameters are usually used to describe such variation. This paper presents a framework for the registration of overlapping terrestrial laser scans by establishing an automatic matching strategy that uses 3D linear features. More specifically, invariant separation characteristics between 3D linear features extracted from laser scans will be used to establish hypothesized conjugate linear features between the laser scans. These candidate matches are then used to geo-reference scans relative to a common reference frame. The registration workflow simulates the well-known RANndom Sample Consensus method (RANSAC) for determining the registration parameters, whereas the iterative closest projected point (ICPP) is utilized to determine the most probable solution of the transformation parameters from several solutions. The experimental results prove that the proposed methodology can be used for the automatic registration of terrestrial laser scans using linear features.
High precision target center determination from a point cloud
Authors: Kregar K. , Grigillo D. , Kogoj D.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Many applications of terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) require the determination of a specific point from a point cloud. In this paper procedure of high precision planar target center acquisition from point cloud is presented. The process is based on an image matching algorithm but before we can deal with raster image to fit a target on it, we need to properly determine the best fitting plane and project points on it. The main emphasis of this paper is in the precision estimation and propagation through the whole procedure which allows us to obtain precision assessment of final results (target center coordinates). Theoretic precision estimations – obtained through the procedure were rather high so we compared them with the empiric precision estimations obtained as standard deviations of results of 60 independently scanned targets. An χ2-test confirmed that theoretic precisions are overestimated. The problem most probably lies in the overestimated precisions of the plane parameters due to vast redundancy of points. However, empirical precisions also confirmed that the proposed procedure can ensure a submillimeter precision level. The algorithm can automatically detect grossly erroneous results to some extent. It can operate when the incidence angles of a laser beam are as high as 80°, which is desirable property if one is going to use planar targets as tie points in scan registration. The proposed algorithm will also contribute to improve TLS calibration procedures.
Correction of Intensity Incidence Angle Effect in Terrestrial Laser Scanning
Authors: Krooks A. , Kaasalainen S. , Hakala T. , Nevalainen O.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. In this article, we have studied the incidence angle effect on Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) intensity. In previous tests, it has been found that the backscattered intensity of an object affects the incidence angle effect. We made additional experiments to investigate the potential mixing of distance and incidence angle effects and the role of surface parameters such as object grain size and scanning wavelength. The results indicate that distance and incidence angle effects do not mix and laboratory measured correction values can be used to correct intensity data from field-scanned point clouds. We also compared the laboratory measurements to real world surfaces to validate the correction procedures in practical TLS applications. The idea is also to make practical recommendations for TLS intensity correction in most common TLS applications.
A positioning free calibration method for mobile laser scanning applications
Authors: Le Scouarnec R. , Touzé T. , Lacambre J. B. , Seube N.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Mobile laser scanning are likely to find more and more applications for high density 3D environmental data. A mobile laser scanning system is composed by three subsystems: a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) that provides position information, an INS (Inertial Navigation System) for attitude determination, and a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). The accuracy of the geolocated LiDAR returns depends on the accuracy of each instrument but also on the bore-sighting parameters and the lever arms between the instruments. Indeed, an imperfect calibration may lead to systematic errors. Calibration may then become the limiting factor of Terrestrial Laser scanning if it is not tackled seriously. Moreover [Ø], it is important to have a reliable value of the calibration precision. This paper presents a new positioning free procedure for the estimation of the LiDAR bore-sighting parameters. Since this method is static, lever arms do not affect the boresight calibration and positioning is not required. That makes the methodology immune to GPS errors. Finally, since it is based on a rigorous mathematical model, it can provide a reliable boresight quality factor. First, the boresight determination problem is explained and existing calibration procedures are introduced. After having explained their drawbacks, a new procedure that tries to overcome these limitations is described. Tests from simulations and real datasets are also presented to illustrate our approach.
Green-wavelength terrestrial laser scanning of mountain channel
Authors: Miura N. , Asano Y.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. It is crucial to understand and predict how the water and sediment flow in mountain channels for better disaster risk management. Detailed and quantitative measurement of channel and stream-bed structure is in great demand. In this paper, the utility of greenwavelength TLS for measurement of submerged stream-bed is preliminary examined in a steep mountain channel. The ability of through water measurement is evaluated in terms of water depth and flow velocity. Automated extraction of submerged objects is also tested. The results of comparison of water depth derived by TLS and survey displayed significant correlation between them, presenting good performance of green-wavelength TLS for measurement of submerged stream-bed. The analysis using a Generalized Liner Model (GLM) indicated that each of water depth and flow velocity alone does not affect the accuracy of TLS measurement, however, the interaction between water depth and flow velocity may have an influence. The attempt to automatically extract the dimension of submerged objects was partially successful, achieving maximum error of +0.8 cm for two objects.
Approximate registration of point clouds with large scale differences
Authors: Novak D. , Schindler K.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. 3D reconstruction of objects is a basic task in many fields, including surveying, engineering, entertainment and cultural heritage. The task is nowadays often accomplished with a laser scanner, which produces dense point clouds, but lacks accurate colour information, and lacks per-point accuracy measures. An obvious solution is to combine laser scanning with photogrammetric recording. In that context, the problem arises to register the two datasets, which feature large scale, translation and rotation differences. The absence of approximate registration parameters (3D translation, 3D rotation and scale) precludes the use of fine-registration methods such as ICP. Here, we present a method to register realistic photogrammetric and laser point clouds in a fully automated fashion. The proposed method decomposes the registration into a sequence of simpler steps: first, two rotation angles are determined by finding dominant surface normal directions, then the remaining parameters are found with RANSAC followed by ICP and scale refinement. These two steps are carried out at low resolution, before computing a precise final registration at higher resolution.
Robust Locally Weighted Regression For Ground Surface Extraction In Mobile Laser Scanning 3D Data
Authors: Nurunnabi A. , West G. , Belton D.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. A new robust way for ground surface extraction from mobile laser scanning 3D point cloud data is proposed in this paper. Fitting polynomials along 2D/3D points is one of the well-known methods for filtering ground points, but it is evident that unorganized point clouds consist of multiple complex structures by nature so it is not suitable for fitting a parametric global model. The aim of this research is to develop and implement an algorithm to classify ground and non-ground points based on statistically robust locally weighted regression which fits a regression surface (line in 2D) by fitting without any predefined global functional relation among the variables of interest. Afterwards, the z (elevation)-values are robustly down weighted based on the residuals for the fitted points. The new set of down weighted z-values along with x (or y) values are used to get a new fit of the (lower) surface (line). The process of fitting and down-weighting continues until the difference between two consecutive fits is insignificant. Then the final fit represents the ground level of the given point cloud and the ground surface points can be extracted. The performance of the new method has been demonstrated through vehicle based mobile laser scanning 3D point cloud data from urban areas which include different problematic objects such as short walls, large buildings, electric poles, sign posts and cars. The method has potential in areas like building/construction footprint determination, 3D city modelling, corridor mapping and asset management.
Analysis of correlation between full-waveform metrics, scan geometry and land-cover: an application over forests
Authors: Pirotti F. , Guarnieri A. , Vettore A.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. For a correct use of metrics derived from processing of the full-waveform return signal from airborne laser scanner sensors any correlation which is not related to properties of the reflecting target must be known and, if possible, removed. In the following article we report on an analysis of correlation between several metrics extracted from the full-waveform return signal and scan characteristics (mainly range) and type of land-cover (urban, grasslands, forests). The metrics taken in consideration are the amplitude, normalized amplitude, width (full width at half maximum), asymmetry indicators, left and right energy content, and the cross-section calculated from width and normalized amplitude considering the range effect. The results show that scan geometry in this case does not have a significant impact scans over forest cover, except for range affecting amplitude and width distribution. Over complex targets such as vegetation canopy, other factors such as incidence angle have little meaning, therefore corrections of range effect are the most meaningful. A strong correlation with the type of land-cover is also shown by the distribution of the values of the metrics in the different areas taken in consideration.
Application of glas laser altimetry to detect elevation changes in East Antarctica
Authors: Scaioni M. , Tong X. , Li R.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. In this paper the use of ICESat/GLAS laser altimeter for estimating multi-temporal elevation changes on polar ice sheets is afforded. Due to non-overlapping laser spots during repeat passes, interpolation methods are required to make comparisons. After reviewing the main methods described in the literature (crossover point analysis, cross-track DEM projection, space-temporal regressions), the last one has been chosen for its capability of providing more elevation change rate measurements. The standard implementation of the space-temporal linear regression technique has been revisited and improved to better cope with outliers and to check the estimability of model’s parameters. GLAS data over the PANDA route in East Antarctica have been used for testing. Obtained results have been quite meaningful from a physical point of view, confirming the trend reported by the literature of a constant snow accumulation in the area during the two past decades, unlike the most part of the continent that has been losing mass.
Automatic registration of Iphone images to LASER point clouds of the urban structures using shape features
Authors: Sirmacek B. , Lindenbergh R. C. , Menenti M.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Fusion of 3D airborne laser (LIDAR) data and terrestrial optical imagery can be applied in 3D urban modeling and model up-dating. The most challenging aspect of the fusion procedure is registering the terrestrial optical images on the LIDAR point clouds. In this article, we propose an approach for registering these two different data from different sensor sources. As we use iPhone camera images which are taken in front of the interested urban structure by the application user and the high resolution LIDAR point clouds of the acquired by an airborne laser sensor. After finding the photo capturing position and orientation from the iPhone photograph metafile, we automatically select the area of interest in the point cloud and transform it into a range image which has only grayscale intensity levels according to the distance from the image acquisition position. We benefit from local features for registering the iPhone image to the generated range image. In this article, we have applied the registration process based on local feature extraction and graph matching. Finally, the registration result is used for facade texture mapping on the 3D building surface mesh which is generated from the LIDAR point cloud. Our experimental results indicate possible usage of the proposed algorithm framework for 3D urban map updating and enhancing purposes.
Mobile Laser Scanning for Indoor Modelling
Authors: Thomson C. , Apostolopoulos G. , Backes D. , Boehm J.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. The process of capturing and modelling buildings has gained increased focus in recent years with the rise of Building Information Modelling (BIM). At the heart of BIM is a process change for the construction and facilities management industries whereby a BIM aids more collaborative working through better information exchange, and as a part of the process Geomatic/Land Surveyors are not immune from the changes. Terrestrial laser scanning has been proscribed as the preferred method for rapidly capturing buildings for BIM geometry. This is a process change from a traditional measured building survey just with a total station and is aided by the increasing acceptance of point cloud data being integrated with parametric building models in BIM tools such as Autodesk Revit or Bentley Architecture. Pilot projects carried out previously by the authors to investigate the geometry capture and modelling of BIM confirmed the view of others that the process of data capture with static laser scan setups is slow and very involved requiring at least two people for efficiency. Indoor Mobile Mapping Systems (IMMS) present a possible solution to these issues especially in time saved. Therefore this paper investigates their application as a capture device for BIM geometry creation over traditional static methods through a fit-for-purpose test.
Precise plant height monitoring and biomass estimation with Terrestrial Laser Scanning in paddy rice
Authors: Tilly N. , Hoffmeister D. , Cao Q. , Lenz-Wiedemann V. , Miao Y. , Bareth G.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Optimizing crop management is a major topic in the field of precision agriculture as the growing world population puts pressure on the efficiency of field production. Accordingly, methods to measure plant parameters with the needed precision and within-field resolution are required. Studies show that Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) is a suitable method to capture small objects like crop plants. In this contribution, the results of multi-temporal surveys on paddy rice fields with the TLS system Riegl LMS-Z420i are presented. Three campaigns were carried out during the key vegetative stage of rice plants in the growing period 2012 to monitor the plant height. The TLS-derived point clouds are interpolated to visualize plant height above ground as crop surface models (CSMs) with a high resolution of 0.01 m. Spatio-temporal differences within the data of one campaign and between consecutive campaigns can be detected. The results were validated against manually measured plant heights with a high correlation (R2 = 0.71). Furthermore, the dependence of actual biomass from plant height was evaluated. To the present, no method for the non-destructive determination of biomass is found yet. Thus, plant parameters, like the height, have to be used for biomass estimations. The good correlation (R2 = 0.66) leads to the assumption that biomass can be estimated from plant height measurements. The results show that TLS can be considered as a very promising tool for precision agriculture.
Effects of Building Primitive Library and Automatic Correction of Roof Topology Graph
Authors: Xiong B. , Oude Elberink S. , Vosselman G.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. The reconstruction of 3D building models has been extensively researched in the last decade. The model driven methods, which fit building parts to predefined building primitives and glue them together into complete buildings, have been proved to be powerful. This paper solves two open questions left in prior works. Firstly, the primitive building libraries defined in literature are limited to few types of building structures. Therefore the undefined types of buildings could not be well represented by the primitive libraries. Secondly, the roof topology graphs used for interpreting the roof structures are assumed to be correct in previous works. In many cases, however, the roof topology graphs are inevitably wrong because of outliers in input data and errors in their construction steps. In this paper we solve the two problems and compare the improvements with prior woks. We introduce a complete building library, which can present planer buildings with arbitrary structures, and present an automatic method to correct the erroneous roof topology graph. Experiments show our method is robust to reconstruct buildings in both resident and commercial areas.
Temporal Analysis and Automatic Calibration of the Velodyne HDL-32E LiDAR System
Authors: Chan T. O. , Lichti D. D. , Belton D.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. At the end of the first quarter of 2012, more than 600 Velodyne LiDAR systems had been sold worldwide for various robotic and high-accuracy survey applications. The ultra-compact Velodyne HDL-32E LiDAR has become a predominant sensor for many applications that require lower sensor size/weight and cost. For high accuracy applications, cost-effective calibration methods with minimal manual intervention are always desired by users. However, the calibrations are complicated by the Velodyne LiDAR's narrow vertical field of view and the very highly time-variant nature of its measurements. In the paper, the temporal stability of the HDL-32E is first analysed as the motivation for developing a new, automated calibration method. This is followed by a detailed description of the calibration method that is driven by a novel segmentation method for extracting vertical cylindrical features from the Velodyne point clouds. The proposed segmentation method utilizes the Velodyne point cloud's slice-like nature and first decomposes the point clouds into 2D layers. Then the layers are treated as 2D images and are processed with the Generalized Hough Transform which extracts the points distributed in circular patterns from the point cloud layers. Subsequently, the vertical cylindrical features can be readily extracted from the whole point clouds based on the previously extracted points. The points are passed to the calibration that estimates the cylinder parameters and the LiDAR's additional parameters simultaneously by constraining the segmented points to fit to the cylindrical geometric model in such a way the weighted sum of the adjustment residuals are minimized. The proposed calibration is highly automatic and this allows end users to obtain the time-variant additional parameters instantly and frequently whenever there are vertical cylindrical features presenting in scenes. The methods were verified with two different real datasets, and the results suggest that up to 78.43% accuracy improvement for the HDL-32E can be achieved using the proposed calibration method.
Detecting and Updating Changes in Lidar Point Clouds for Automatic 3D Urban Cartography
Authors: Aijazi A. K. , Checchin P. , Trassoudaine L.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. This work presents a method that automatically detects, analyses and then updates changes in LiDAR point clouds for accurate 3D urban cartography. In the proposed method, the 3D point cloud obtained in each passage is first classified into 2 main object classes: Permanent and Temporary. The Temporary objects are then removed from the 3D point cloud to leave behind a perforated 3D point cloud of the urban scene. These perforated 3D point clouds obtained from different passages (in the same place) at different days and times are then matched together to complete the 3D urban landscape by incremental updating. Different natural or man-made changes occurring in the urban landscape over this period of time are detected and analyzed using cognitive functions of similarity and the resulting 3D cartography is progressively modified and updated accordingly. The results, evaluated on real data using different standard evaluation metrics, not only demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method but also shows that this method is easily applicable and well scalable, making it suitable for handling large urban scenes.
Conceptual and methodological frameworks for large scale and high resolution analysis of the physical flood susceptibility of buildings
Authors: Blanco-Vogt A. , Schanze J.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. There are some approaches available for assessing flood damage to buildings and critical infrastructure. However, these methods up to now can hardly be adapted to a large scale because of lacking high resolution classification and characterisation approaches for the built structures. To overcome this obstacle, the paper presents, first, a conceptual framework for understanding physical flood susceptibility of buildings; and second, a methodological framework for its analysis. The latter ranges from automatic extraction of buildings mainly from remote sensing with their subsequent classification and characterisation to a systematic physical flood susceptibility assessment. The work shows the results of implementation and testing a respective methodology in a district of the city of Magangué, Magdalena River Colombia.
Whose Etifeddiaeth? The National Library of Wales and its New Policy on Copyright and Digitized Collections
Authors: Tudur Dafydd
Published: October 2013

In April 2012, the National Library of Wales decided that it would cease to claim ownership of copyright in its digitized collections. The decision was based on an appraisal of the legal argument and its position in relation to its public mission. Also considered were the impact on revenue and concern that the policy would result in loss of control of the digitized collections. Data gathered in recent years suggests that the new policy will not have a significant impact on income generated from image licensing and should increase the efficiency of the Library's service. The new policy should also generate more social and economic value downstream, although these benefits will be difficult to quantify. Sharing collections online involves a degree of risk and libraries have applied copyright restrictions to their collections to prevent uses that may undermine their work. Some argue that a library should determine which uses are made of its collections, others see an open approach as leading to the library's demise, while many see copyright as an effective way of ensuring that a library is acknowledged wherever its collections are used. Rather than seeking to control the use of its collections, it is argued that the National Library of Wales should gain recognition for its work by proactively sharing digitized collections on third-party websites and applications, adopting a holistic view of its services, and participating in collaborative projects involving its collections. Underpinned by the new rights policy, these activities would demonstrate that the Library is more concerned with realizing the full potential of the collections rather than locking down content to safeguard its own interests.
Profile of currently employed European Food Scientists and Technologists: Education, experience and skills
Authors: Flynn Katherine , Ruiz Bejarano Barbara , Wahnstrom Erik , Echim Camelia , Quintas Mafalda A.C.
Published: October 2013

The food & drink (F&D) sector in Europe ranks low in innovation and the European F&D industry has been losing importance in the global market. The food professionals, i.e., food scientists and technologists (FSTs), may not be meeting the varied demands of the sector. Here, we identify education, experience and skills of current FSTs and compare  geographic regions and employment areas. Between 2009 and 2012, 287 questionnaires representing over 4000 FSTs were collected from employers in 16 countries. Analyses showed that more than 80% of FSTs have a university degree; but only in Industry in the Central European region are most degrees in food science/technology. More than half of FSTs, and almost 60% in the South, have less than 10 years’ experience. The most common FST job title is Quality Manager, but with several variations based on region and employment area. Among skills, the most common is Communicating; found in over 90% of FSTs in all regions and employment areas. Food Safety is the most common of the food sector-specific skills, present in more than 75% of FSTs, yet there are differences in food sector skills based on employment area. Overall, these data suggest similarities among currently employed food professionals throughout Europe; they are young and highly educated, but also differences, especially in their food sector-specific skills. An understanding of the current FST should contribute to the improvement of FST training and thus benefit the European food sector.
The AgroParisTech “Social Openings” mission
Authors: Baroiller Annie , Dumoulin Elisabeth
Published: October 2013

Underprivileged secondary school and college students tend to demonstrate limited ambitions with regards to further education and acquiring superior qualifications. In a partnership with higher education schools, such as AgroParisTech, encounters have been organised between high school students and higher education students acting as volunteering mentors.The aim is to present the high school students with the opportunity to explore new opportunities as well as to provide them with information about high profile careers and higher level training through various activities led by the higher education students, as well as through meetings, visits, weekends organised around a specific theme. Examples of such initiatives  show what benefits both the high school and higher education students can derive from them.
Mechanical properties of rough and dehulled rice during drying
Authors: Resende Osvaldo , Corrêa Paulo César , Oliveira Gabriel , Goneli André Luis Duarte , Jarén Carmen
Published: October 2013

This work aimed to determine the mechanical properties of rough and dehulled rice grains, for different moisture contents, by obtaining their rupture force, deformation, maximum compression force and proportional deformity modulus under a compression test. Rice grains, with moisture content varying from 0.12 to 0.30 (d.b.), were subject to an uniaxial compression in order to analyze these properties. On reducting moisture content the rupture force increased from 37.2 to 70.6 N for dehulled rice and 48.0 to 79.5 N for rough rice. The average compression force varied from 131 to 171 N for dehulled rice and 203 to 283 N for rough rice. The value range of proportional deformity modulus was from 5.5 x 109 to 7.4 x 109 Pa for dehulled rice and 9.5 x 109 to 12.3 x 109 Pa for rough rice. Rough rice presented more resistance to compression compared to dehulled rice.
Effect of structural modifications on the drying kinetics of foods: changes in volume, surface area and product shape
Authors: De Michelis Antonio , Márquez Carlos A. , Mabellini Alejandra , Ohaco Elizabeth , Giner Sergio A.
Published: October 2013

Macro and micro-structural changes take place during food dehydration. Macro-structural changes encompass modifications in shape, area and volume. Studies of such changes are important because dehydration kinetics (essential for calculating industrial dryers) may be highly influenced by changes in food shape and dimensions. The overall changes in volume, surface area (“shrinkage”) and shape (Heywood factor, with provides a close description of food shape) were determined experimentally, and the results were correlated with simple expressions. Hence, although dehydration kinetics can be modeled with simplified overall shrinkage expressions, the possibility of selecting a suitable geometry and predicting the characteristics dimensions will provide higher accuracy. An additional unresolved problem is the lack of a general model that predicts macro-structural changes for various foods and diverse geometries. In this work, based on experimental data of sweet and sour cherries, and rose hip fruits, a simplified general model to predict changes in volume and surface area are proposed. To estimate how the changes in characteristic dimensions affect the kinetic studies, experimental drying curves for the three fruits by means of a diffusional model considered the following variants for the characteristic dimensions: (i) The radius of the fresh food, assumed constant; (ii) The radius of the partially dehydrated product; (iii) The radius predicted by the correlation for structural changes, especially volume, obtained in this work and generalized for the three fruits, and (iv) to demonstrate the need to study the macro-structural changes for all dehydrated foods, also be present the case of a restructured food.
Use of response surface methodology to evaluate the reducing power in binary solutions of ascorbic acid with natural polyphenolic antioxidants
Authors: Aoun Marie , Makris Dimitris P
Published: October 2013

Natural polyphenols, ferulic acid (FA) and hesperetin (Hp) were tested for their Fe3+-reducing power, using the TPTZ methodology, as a first step to rank them according to their antioxidant potential. Ranking also included quercetin (Qt), a very well-studied natural, polyphenolic antioxidant, and ascorbic acid (AA). All phenolics considered were also tested in binary mixtures with AA, to illustrate possible mixture effects. By employing a simple linear regression approach, combinations of AA / Qt and AA / Hp were shown to result in antagonistic effects, whereas in mixtures of AA / FA, synergism was observed. To thoroughly investigate the role of the relative concentrations of the antioxidants, a 3×3 factorial design was implemented. This approach enabled the recording of the response (reducing power) upon simultaneous variation of concentrations of both antioxidants in the mixtures, and revealed only antagonism for every combination tested. It is proposed that in similar investigations factorial designs need to be implemented for reliable prediction of the antioxidant response(s) within appropriate limits. This is particularly crucial for antioxidants that are destined to be added in food matrices, where maximal antioxidant protection is always sought.
Quantifying the attenuation of structural uplift beneath large lunar craters
Authors: Potter Ross W. K. , Kring David A. , Collins Gareth S.
Published: October 2013

Terrestrial crater observations and laboratory experiments demonstrate that target material beneath complex impact craters is uplifted relative to its preimpact position. Current estimates suggest maximum uplift is one tenth of the final crater diameter for terrestrial complex craters and one tenth to one fifth for lunar central peak craters. These latter values are derived from an analytical model constrained by observations from small craters and may not be applicable to larger complex craters and basins. Here, using numerical modeling, we produce a set of relatively simple analytical equations that estimate the maximum amount of structural uplift and quantify the attenuation of uplift with depth beneath large lunar craters.
PM2.5 mass, chemical composition, and light extinction before and during the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Authors: Li Xinghua , He Kebin , Li Chengcai , Yang Fumo , Zhao Qing , Ma Yongliang , Cheng Yuan , Ouyang Wenjuan , Chen Gangcai
Published: October 2013

Distinct contrast of air quality and visibility before and during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games provides a rare opportunity to investigate the links between PM2.5 mass, chemical composition, and light extinction in this megacity. Twenty‐four hour integrated PM2.5 samples were collected, and light scattering coefficients and the concentrations of black carbon were measured at urban Beijing for this purpose during a measurement campaign from 1 July to 20 September 2008, which was classed into four stages according to the levels of emission control measures. Daily PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 15.9 to 156.7 µg m−3 with an average of 66.0 ± 35.1 µg m−3. The average PM2.5 mass during the Olympics decreased by 49% from the second stage (20 July to 7 August), mainly due to the reduction of secondary inorganic aerosols (i.e., sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium (SNA)). The counterintuitive increase of PM2.5 mass (by 27% on average) during the second stage with two most serious haze episodes, although more rigorous emission control measures were in place, compared to the first stage (1–19 July), was mainly explained by the unfavorable meteorology and input of sulfate aerosols. A daily PM2.5 mass threshold of 50 µg m−3 was extracted for frequent haze occurrence. The extinction fractions of SNA and organic material were each approximately 30% during the 20% best visibility days but changed to 81.7% and 8.4%, respectively, during the 20% worst visibility days. The results indicated that the role of SNA was magnified in haze formation during the 2008 summer in Beijing.