bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
L’erotisme dans Uwaoma et le beau monde d’Ifeoma Onyemelukwe
Authors: Chiagwah Kingsley , Ezeodili Scholastica
Published: June 2016

L’érotisme c’est tout ce qui, à partir d’une représentation liée à la sexualité, provoque une excitation aussi bien émotionnelle et sensuelle que physique et mentale. Cette étude se donne la tâche d’examiner l’érotisme selon que nous la présente la célèbre écrivaine nigériane Ifeoma Mabel Onyemelukwe dans Uwaoma et le beau monde, un roman féministe africain postcolonial. Pour ce faire, nous nous appuyons sur la méthode descriptive. Nous constatons qu’Ifeoma Onyemelukwe a largement dépeint des scènes érotiques dans Uwaoma et le beau monde dont se distinguent deux catégories, à savoir, l’érotisme précédé de la pornographie et l’érotisme sans pornographie. Nous concluons grosso modo qu’Onyemelukwe figure parmi les nouveaux romanciers africains. Pourtant, en créant les effets de la beauté esthétique, elle se sert de cette technique pour épargner sa créativité littéraire de la grossièreté, de l’érotisme. Elle dénonce l’accouplement bestial dans son roman, ceci pour enseigner aux lecteurs, surtout les jeunes, qu’il faut se méfier de tel comportement car c’est une chose odieuse, grossière et immorale.English AbstractEroticism is, from the view point of representations linked to sexuality, all that causes emotional, sensual as well as physical and mental excitement. This study sets out to examine  eroticism as presented by the famous Nigerian writer, Ifeoma Mabel Onyemelukwe in Uwaoma et le beau monde, a feminist African postcolonial novel. To achieve this, we rely on the descriptive method. We observe that the erotic scenes depicted by the author in Uwaoma et le beau monde are distinguished in two categories, namely, eroticism preceded by pornography and eroticism without pornography. We conclude roughly that Onyemelukwe figures among the new African novelists of our time. However, while creating the effects of cosmetic beauty, she uses this technique to save her literal creativity of vulgarity and eroticism. She denounces the beastly mating in the novel to educate her readers, especially the young people, of the need to be wary of such acts which she considers heinous, rude and immoral.
Coherentism in Rorty’s anti-foundationalist epistemology
Authors: Inusah Husein
Published: June 2016

The primary objective of this paper is to investigate whether Rorty endorses coherentism, the view that justification is a matter of a belief’s coherent relationship with other beliefs. Rorty in his anti-foundationalist epistemology shows a frequent inclination to express his view as coherentist. But does he actually subscribe to coherentism? I argue that he does not.
Validation of test performance and clinical time zero for an electronic health record embedded severe sepsis alert
Authors: Downing N. , Shepard John , Chu Weihan , Tam Julia , Wessels Alexander , Li Ron , Dietrich Brian , Rudy Michael , Castaneda Leon , Shieh Lisa , Rolnick Joshua
Published: June 2016

Increasing use of EHRs has generated interest in the potential of computerized clinical decision support to improve treatment of sepsis. Electronic sepsis alerts have had mixed results due to poor test characteristics, the inability to detect sepsis in a timely fashion and the use of outside software limiting widespread adoption. We describe the development, evaluation and validation of an accurate and timely severe sepsis alert with the potential to impact sepsis management.

To develop, evaluate, and validate an accurate and timely severe sepsis alert embedded in a commercial EHR.

he sepsis alert was developed by identifying the most common severe sepsis criteria among a cohort of patients with ICD 9 codes indicating a diagnosis of sepsis. This alert requires criteria in three categories: indicators of a systemic inflammatory response, evidence of suspected infection from physician orders, and markers of organ dysfunction. Chart review was used to evaluate test performance and the ability to detect clinical time zero, the point in time when a patient develops severe sepsis.

Two physicians reviewed 100 positive cases and 75 negative cases. Based on this review, sensitivity was 74.5%, specificity was 86.0%, the positive predictive value was 50.3%, and the negative predictive value was 94.7%. The most common source of end-organ dysfunction was MAP less than 70 mm/Hg (59%). The alert was triggered at clinical time zero in 41% of cases and within three hours in 53.6% of cases. 96% of alerts triggered before a manual nurse screen.

We are the first to report the time between a sepsis alert and physician chart-review clinical time zero. Incorporating physician orders in the alert criteria improves specificity while maintaining sensitivity, which is important to reduce alert fatigue. By leveraging standard EHR functionality, this alert could be implemented by other healthcare systems.
Brown carbon absorption in the red and near infrared spectral region
Authors: Hoffer A. , Tóth A. , Pósfai M. , Chung C. E. , Gelencsér A.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Black carbon aerosols have been conventionally assumed to be the only light-absorbing carbonaceous particles in the red and near-infrared spectral regions of solar radiation in the atmosphere. Here we report that contrary to the conventional belief tar balls (a specific type of organic aerosol particles from biomass burning) do absorb red and near infrared radiation significantly. Tar balls were produced in a laboratory experiment and their chemical and optical properties were measured. The absorption of these particles in the range between 470 and 950 nm was measured with an aethalometer, which is widely used to measure aerosol absorption in the field. We find that the absorption coefficient of tar balls at 880 nm exceeds 10 % of that at 470 nm. This substantial absorption of red and infrared light is also evident from a relatively low Ångström coefficient (and a significant mass absorption coefficient) of tar balls between 470 and 950 nm. Retrievals of aerosol column optical properties from a global network of surface stations over vast tropical areas dominated by biomass burning suggest that tar balls are the predominant light-absorbing species of organic aerosols over acetone/methanol-soluble BrC or HULIS. Our results also infer that the role of BC (including Diesel soot) in global climate forcing has likely been overestimated at the expense of brown carbon (BrC) from biomass burning.
Optical and Geometrical Properties of Cirrus Clouds in Amazonia Derived From 1-year of Ground-based Lidar Measurements
Authors: Gouveia Diego A. , Barja Boris , Barbosa Henrique M. J. , Pauliquevis Theotônio , Artaxo Paulo
Published: June 2016

Abstract. For one year, from July 2011 to June 2012, a ground-based raman lidar provided atmospheric observations north of Manaus, Brazil, at an experimental site (2.89° S and 59.97° W) for long-term aerosol and cloud measurements. Upper tropospheric cirrus clouds were observed more frequently than previous reports in tropical regions. The frequency of occurrence was found to be as high as 82 % during the wet season and not lower than 55 % during the dry season. The diurnal cycle shows a minimum around local noon and maximum during late afternoon, associated with the diurnal cycle precipitation. Optical and geometrical characteristics of these cirrus clouds were derived. The mean values were 14.4 ± 2.0 km (top), 12.7 ± 2.3 km (base), 1.7 ± 1.5 km (thickness), and 0.36 ± 1.20 (cloud optical depth). Cirrus clouds were found at temperatures down to –90 °C and 7 % were above the tropopause base. The vertical distribution was not uniform and two cloud types were identified: (1) cloud base > 14 km and optical depth ~0.02, and (2) cloud base < 14 km and optical depth ~0.2. A third type, not previously reported, was identified during the wet season, between 16 and 18 km with optical depth ~0.005. The mean lidar ratio was 20.2 ± 7.0 sr, indicating a mixture of thick plates and long columns. However, the clouds above 14 km have a bimodal distribution during the dry season with a secondary peak at about 40 sr suggesting that thin plates are a major habit. A dependence of the lidar ratio with cloud temperature (altitude) was not found, thus indicating they are well mixed in the vertical. Cirrus clouds classified as subvisible (τ < 0.03) were 40 %, whilst 37.7 % were thin cirrus (0.03 < τ < 0.3) and 22.3 % opaque cirrus (τ > 0.3). Hence, not only does the central Amazon have a high frequency of cirrus clouds, but a large fraction of subvisible cirrus clouds as well. This high frequency of subvisible cirrus clouds may contaminate aerosol optical depth measured by sun-photometers and satellite sensors to an unknown extent.
Lidar observations of atmospheric internal waves in the boundary layer of atmosphere on the coast of Lake Baikal
Authors: Banakh Viktor A. , Smalikho Igor N.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Atmospheric internal waves (AIWs) in the boundary layer of atmosphere have been studied experimentally with the use of Halo Photonics pulsed coherent Doppler wind lidar Stream Line. The measurements were carried out in August 14–28 of 2015 on the western coast of Lake Baikal (52º N, 105º E), Russia. The lidar placed at a distance of 340 m from Lake Baikal at a height of 180 m. Probing ranges covered heights from 280 to 1180 m above the level of Lake Baikal. A total of six AIW occurrences have been revealed. This always happened in the presence of one or two (in 5 of 6 cases) narrow jet streams at heights of approximately 200 and 700 m. The period of oscillations of the wave addend of the wind velocity components in four AIW events was 9 min, and in two other it was approximately 18 and 6.5 min. The amplitude of oscillations of the horizontal wind velocity component was about 1 m/s, while the amplitude of oscillations of the vertical velocity was three times less. In the most cases, internal waves were observed for 45 min (5 wave oscillations with a period of 9 min). Only one time the AIW lifetime was about four hours.
SOME ASPECTS OF SATELLITE IMAGERY INTEGRATION FROM EROS B AND LANDSAT 8
Authors: Fryskowska A. , Wojtkowska M. , Delis P. , Grochala A.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. The Landsat 8 satellite which was launched in 2013 is a next generation of the Landsat remote sensing satellites series. It is equipped with two new sensors: the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). What distinguishes this satellite from the previous is four new bands (coastal aerosol, cirrus and two thermal infrared TIRS bands). Similar to its antecedent, Landsat 8 records electromagnetic radiation in a panchromatic band at a range of 0.5‐0.9 μm with a spatial resolution equal to 15 m. In the paper, multispectral imagery integration capabilities of Landsat 8 with data from the new high resolution panchromatic EROS B satellite are analyzed. The range of panchromatic band for EROS B is 0.4‐0.9 μm and spatial resolution is 0.7 m. Research relied on improving the spatial resolution of natural color band combinations (bands: 4,3,2) and of desired false color band composition of Landsat 8 satellite imagery. For this purpose, six algorithms have been tested: Brovey’s, Mulitplicative, PCA, IHS, Ehler's, HPF. On the basis of the visual assessment, it was concluded that the best results of multispectral and panchromatic image integration, regardless land cover, are obtained for the multiplicative method. These conclusions were confirmed by statistical analysis using correlation coefficient, ERGAS and R-RMSE indicators.
PAN-SHARPENING APPROACHES BASED ON UNMIXING OF MULTISPECTRAL REMOTE SENSING IMAGERY
Authors: Palubinskas G.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Model based analysis or explicit definition/listing of all models/assumptions used in the derivation of a pan-sharpening method allows us to understand the rationale or properties of existing methods and shows a way for a proper usage or proposal/selection of new methods ‘better’ satisfying the needs of a particular application. Most existing pan-sharpening methods are based mainly on the two models/assumptions: spectral consistency for high resolution multispectral data (physical relationship between multispectral and panchromatic data in a high resolution scale) and spatial consistency for multispectral data (so-called Wald’s protocol first property or relationship between multispectral data in different resolution scales). Two methods, one based on a linear unmixing model and another one based on spatial unmixing, are described/proposed/modified which respect models assumed and thus can produce correct or physically justified fusion results. Earlier mentioned property ‘better’ should be measurable quantitatively, e.g. by means of so-called quality measures. The difficulty of a quality assessment task in multi-resolution image fusion or pan-sharpening is that a reference image is missing. Existing measures or so-called protocols are still not satisfactory because quite often the rationale or assumptions used are not valid or not fulfilled. From a model based view it follows naturally that a quality assessment measure can be defined as a combination of error model residuals using common or general models assumed in all fusion methods. Thus in this paper a comparison of the two earlier proposed/modified pan-sharpening methods is performed. Preliminary experiments based on visual analysis are carried out in the urban area of Munich city for optical remote sensing multispectral data and panchromatic imagery of the WorldView-2 satellite sensor.
ESTIMATION OF REGIONAL FOREST ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS COMBINING ICESAT-GLAS WAVEFORMS AND HJ-1A/HSI HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGERIES
Authors: Xing Yanqiu , Qiu Sai , Ding Jianhua , Tian Jing
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Estimation of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) is a critical challenge for understanding the global carbon cycle because it dominates the dynamics of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system has a unique capability for estimating accurately forest canopy height, which has a direct relationship and can provide better understanding to the forest AGB. The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) onboard the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) is the first polarorbiting LiDAR instrument for global observations of Earth, and it has been widely used for extracting forest AGB with footprints of nominally 70 m in diameter on the earth's surface. However, the GLAS footprints are discrete geographically, and thus it has been restricted to produce the regional full coverage of forest AGB. To overcome the limit of discontinuity, the Hyper Spectral Imager (HSI) of HJ-1A with 115 bands was combined with GLAS waveforms to predict the regional forest AGB in the study. Corresponding with the field investigation in Wangqing of Changbai Mountain, China, the GLAS waveform metrics were derived and employed to establish the AGB model, which was used further for estimating the AGB within GLAS footprints. For HSI imagery, the Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) method was used to decrease noise and reduce the dimensionality of spectral bands, and consequently the first three of MNF were able to offer almost 98% spectral information and qualified to regress with the GLAS estimated AGB. Afterwards, the support vector regression (SVR) method was employed in the study to establish the relationship between GLAS estimated AGB and three of HSI MNF (i.e. MNF1, MNF2 and MNF3), and accordingly the full covered regional forest AGB map was produced. The results showed that the adj.R2 and RMSE of SVR-AGB models were 0.75 and 4.68 t hm−2 for broadleaf forests, 0.73 and 5.39 t hm−2 for coniferous forests and 0.71 and 6.15 t hm−2 for mixed forests respectively. The full covered regional forest AGB map of the study area had 0.62 of accuracy and 11.11 t hm−2 of RMSE. The study demonstrated that it holds great potential to achieve the full covered regional forest AGB distribution with higher accuracy by combing LiDAR data and hyperspectral imageries.
POTENTIAL OF MULTITEMPORAL TANDEM-X DERIVED CROP SURFACE MODELS FOR MAIZE GROWTH MONITORING
Authors: Hütt C. , Tilly N. , Schiedung H. , Bareth G.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. In this study, first results of retrieving plant heights of maize fields from multitemporal TanDEM-X images are shown. Three TanDEM-X dual polarization spotlight acquisitions were taken over a rural area in Germany in the growing season 2014. By interferometric processing, digital terrain models (DTM) were derived for each date with 5m resolution. From the data of the first acquisition (June 1st) taken before planting, a DTM of the bare ground is generated. The data of the following acquisition dates (July 15th, July 26th) are used to establish crop surface models (CSM). A CSM represents the crop surface of a whole field in a high resolution. By subtracting the DTM of the ground from each CSM, the actual plant height is calculated. Within these data sets 30 maize fields in the area of interest could be detected and verified by external land use data. Besides the spaceborne measurements, one of the maize fields was intensively investigated using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), which was carried out at the same dates as the predicted TanDEM-X acquisitions. Visual inspection of the derived plant heights, and accordance of the individually processed polarisations over the maize fields, demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. Unfortunately, the infield variability of the intensively monitored field could not be successfully captured in the TanDEM-X derived plant heights and merely the general trend is visible. Nevertheless, the study shows the potential of the TanDEM-X constellation for maize height monitoring on field level.
OBJECTS GROUPING FOR SEGMENTATION OF ROADS NETWORK IN HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES OF URBAN AREAS
Authors: Maboudi M. , Amini J. , Hahn M.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Updated road databases are required for many purposes such as urban planning, disaster management, car navigation, route planning, traffic management and emergency handling. In the last decade, the improvement in spatial resolution of VHR civilian satellite sensors – as the main source of large scale mapping applications – was so considerable that GSD has become finer than size of common urban objects of interest such as building, trees and road parts. This technological advancement pushed the development of “Object-based Image Analysis (OBIA)” as an alternative to pixel-based image analysis methods. Segmentation as one of the main stages of OBIA provides the image objects on which most of the following processes will be applied. Therefore, the success of an OBIA approach is strongly affected by the segmentation quality. In this paper, we propose a purpose-dependent refinement strategy in order to group road segments in urban areas using maximal similarity based region merging. For investigations with the proposed method, we use high resolution images of some urban sites. The promising results suggest that the proposed approach is applicable in grouping of road segments in urban areas.
DOES THE DATA RESOLUTION/ORIGIN MATTER? SATELLITE, AIRBORNE AND UAV IMAGERY TO TACKLE PLANT INVASIONS
Authors: Müllerová Jana , Brůna Josef , Dvořák Petr , Bartaloš Tomáš , Vítková Michaela
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Invasive plant species represent a serious threat to biodiversity and landscape as well as human health and socio-economy. To successfully fight plant invasions, new methods enabling fast and efficient monitoring, such as remote sensing, are needed. In an ongoing project, optical remote sensing (RS) data of different origin (satellite, aerial and UAV), spectral (panchromatic, multispectral and color), spatial (very high to medium) and temporal resolution, and various technical approaches (object-, pixelbased and combined) are tested to choose the best strategies for monitoring of four invasive plant species (giant hogweed, black locust, tree of heaven and exotic knotweeds). In our study, we address trade-offs between spectral, spatial and temporal resolutions required for balance between the precision of detection and economic feasibility. For the best results, it is necessary to choose best combination of spatial and spectral resolution and phenological stage of the plant in focus. For species forming distinct inflorescences such as giant hogweed iterative semi-automated object-oriented approach was successfully applied even for low spectral resolution data (if pixel size was sufficient) whereas for lower spatial resolution satellite imagery or less distinct species with complicated architecture such as knotweed, combination of pixel and object based approaches was used. High accuracies achieved for very high resolution data indicate the possible application of described methodology for monitoring invasions and their long-term dynamics elsewhere, making management measures comparably precise, fast and efficient. This knowledge serves as a basis for prediction, monitoring and prioritization of management targets.
LAND USER AND LAND COVER MAPS OF EUROPE: A WEBGIS PLATFORM
Authors: Brovelli M. A. , Fahl F. C. , Minghini M. , Molinari M. E.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. This paper presents the methods and implementation processes of a WebGIS platform designed to publish the available land use and land cover maps of Europe at continental scale. The system is built completely on open source infrastructure and open standards. The proposed architecture is based on a server-client model having GeoServer as the map server, Leaflet as the client-side mapping library and the Bootstrap framework at the core of the front-end user interface. The web user interface is designed to have typical features of a desktop GIS (e.g. activate/deactivate layers and order layers by drag and drop actions) and to show specific information on the activated layers (e.g. legend and simplified metadata). Users have the possibility to change the base map from a given list of map providers (e.g. OpenStreetMap and Microsoft Bing) and to control the opacity of each layer to facilitate the comparison with both other land cover layers and the underlying base map. In addition, users can add to the platform any custom layer available through a Web Map Service (WMS) and activate the visualization of photos from popular photo sharing services. This last functionality is provided in order to have a visual assessment of the available land coverages based on other user-generated contents available on the Internet. It is supposed to be a first step towards a calibration/validation service that will be made available in the future.
HARVESTING, INTEGRATING AND DISTRIBUTING LARGE OPEN GEOSPATIAL DATASETS USING FREE AND OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE
Authors: Oliveira Ricardo , Moreno Rafael
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Federal, State and Local government agencies in the USA are investing heavily on the dissemination of Open Data sets produced by each of them. The main driver behind this thrust is to increase agencies’ transparency and accountability, as well as to improve citizens’ awareness. However, not all Open Data sets are easy to access and integrate with other Open Data sets available even from the same agency. The City and County of Denver Open Data Portal distributes several types of geospatial datasets, one of them is the city parcels information containing 224,256 records. Although this data layer contains many pieces of information it is incomplete for some custom purposes. Open-Source Software were used to first collect data from diverse City of Denver Open Data sets, then upload them to a repository in the Cloud where they were processed using a PostgreSQL installation on the Cloud and Python scripts. Our method was able to extract non-spatial information from a ‘not-ready-to-download’ source that could then be combined with the initial data set to enhance its potential use.
PROCESSING UAV AND LIDAR POINT CLOUDS IN GRASS GIS
Authors: Petras V. , Petrasova A. , Jeziorska J. , Mitasova H.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Today’s methods of acquiring Earth surface data, namely lidar and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery, non-selectively collect or generate large amounts of points. Point clouds from different sources vary in their properties such as number of returns, density, or quality. We present a set of tools with applications for different types of points clouds obtained by a lidar scanner, structure from motion technique (SfM), and a low-cost 3D scanner. To take advantage of the vertical structure of multiple return lidar point clouds, we demonstrate tools to process them using 3D raster techniques which allow, for example, the development of custom vegetation classification methods. Dense point clouds obtained from UAV imagery, often containing redundant points, can be decimated using various techniques before further processing. We implemented and compared several decimation techniques in regard to their performance and the final digital surface model (DSM). Finally, we will describe the processing of a point cloud from a low-cost 3D scanner, namely Microsoft Kinect, and its application for interaction with physical models. All the presented tools are open source and integrated in GRASS GIS, a multi-purpose open source GIS with remote sensing capabilities. The tools integrate with other open source projects, specifically Point Data Abstraction Library (PDAL), Point Cloud Library (PCL), and OpenKinect libfreenect2 library to benefit from the open source point cloud ecosystem. The implementation in GRASS GIS ensures long term maintenance and reproducibility by the scientific community but also by the original authors themselves.
OPEN SOURCE APPROACH TO URBAN GROWTH SIMULATION
Authors: Petrasova A. , Petras V. , Van Berkel D. , Harmon B. A. , Mitasova H. , Meentemeyer R. K.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Spatial patterns of land use change due to urbanization and its impact on the landscape are the subject of ongoing research. Urban growth scenario simulation is a powerful tool for exploring these impacts and empowering planners to make informed decisions. We present FUTURES (FUTure Urban – Regional Environment Simulation) – a patch-based, stochastic, multi-level land change modeling framework as a case showing how what was once a closed and inaccessible model benefited from integration with open source GIS.We will describe our motivation for releasing this project as open source and the advantages of integrating it with GRASS GIS, a free, libre and open source GIS and research platform for the geospatial domain. GRASS GIS provides efficient libraries for FUTURES model development as well as standard GIS tools and graphical user interface for model users. Releasing FUTURES as a GRASS GIS add-on simplifies the distribution of FUTURES across all main operating systems and ensures the maintainability of our project in the future. We will describe FUTURES integration into GRASS GIS and demonstrate its usage on a case study in Asheville, North Carolina. The developed dataset and tutorial for this case study enable researchers to experiment with the model, explore its potential or even modify the model for their applications.
LANDSLIDES IDENTIFICATION USING AIRBORNE LASER SCANNING DATA DERIVED TOPOGRAPHIC TERRAIN ATTRIBUTES AND SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINE CLASSIFICATION
Authors: Pawłuszek Kamila , Borkowski Andrzej
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Since the availability of high-resolution Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data, substantial progress in geomorphological research, especially in landslide analysis, has been carried out. First and second order derivatives of Digital Terrain Model (DTM) have become a popular and powerful tool in landslide inventory mapping. Nevertheless, an automatic landslide mapping based on sophisticated classifiers including Support Vector Machine (SVM), Artificial Neural Network or Random Forests is often computationally time consuming. The objective of this research is to deeply explore topographic information provided by ALS data and overcome computational time limitation. For this reason, an extended set of topographic features and the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used to reduce redundant information. The proposed novel approach was tested on a susceptible area affected by more than 50 landslides located on Rożnów Lake in Carpathian Mountains, Poland. The initial seven PCA components with 90% of the total variability in the original topographic attributes were used for SVM classification. Comparing results with landslide inventory map, the average user’s accuracy (UA), producer’s accuracy (PA), and overall accuracy (OA) were calculated for two models according to the classification results. Thereby, for the PCA-feature-reduced model UA, PA, and OA were found to be 72%, 76%, and 72%, respectively. Similarly, UA, PA, and OA in the non-reduced original topographic model, was 74%, 77% and 74%, respectively. Using the initial seven PCA components instead of the twenty original topographic attributes does not significantly change identification accuracy but reduce computational time.
DROUGHT FORECASTING BASED ON MACHINE LEARNING OF REMOTE SENSING AND LONG-RANGE FORECAST DATA
Authors: Rhee J. , Im J. , Park S.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. The reduction of drought impacts may be achieved through sustainable drought management and proactive measures against drought disaster. Accurate and timely provision of drought information is essential. In this study, drought forecasting models to provide high-resolution drought information based on drought indicators for ungauged areas were developed. The developed models predict drought indices of the 6-month Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI6) and the 6-month Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI6). An interpolation method based on multiquadric spline interpolation method as well as three machine learning models were tested. Three machine learning models of Decision Tree, Random Forest, and Extremely Randomized Trees were tested to enhance the provision of drought initial conditions based on remote sensing data, since initial conditions is one of the most important factors for drought forecasting. Machine learning-based methods performed better than interpolation methods for both classification and regression, and the methods using climatology data outperformed the methods using long-range forecast. The model based on climatological data and the machine learning method outperformed overall.
RADIOACTIVE POLLUTION ESTIMATE FOR FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT BY A PARTICLE MODEL
Authors: Saito Keisuke , Ogawa Susumu
Published: June 2016

Abstract. On Mar 12, 2011, very wide radioactive pollution occurred by a hydrogen explosion in Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. A large amount of radioisotopes started with four times of explosions. With traditional atmospheric diffusion models could not reconstruct radioactive pollution in Fukushima. Then, with a particle model, this accident was reconstructed from meteorological archive and Radar- AMeDAS. Calculations with the particle model were carried out for Mar 12, 15, 18 and 20 when east southeast winds blew for five hours continuously. Meteorological archive is expressed by wind speeds and directions in five-km grid every hour with eight classes of height till 3000 m. Radar- AMeDAS is precipitation data in one-km grid every thirty minutes. Particles are ten scales of 0.01 to 0.1 mm in diameter with specific weight of 2.65 and vertical speeds given by Stokes equation. But, on Mar 15, it rained from 16:30 and then the particles fell down at a moment as wet deposit in calculation. On the other hand, the altitudes on the ground were given by DEM with 1 km-grid. The spatial dose by emitted radioisotopes was referred to the observation data at monitoring posts of Tokyo Electric Power Company. The falling points of radioisotopes were expressed on the map using the particle model. As a result, the same distributions were obtained as the surface spatial dose of radioisotopes in aero-monitoring by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Especially, on Mar 15, the simulated pollution fitted to the observation, which extended to the northwest of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and caused mainly sever pollution. By the particle model, the falling positions on the ground were estimated each particle size. Particles with more than 0.05 mm of size were affected by the topography and blocked by the mountains with the altitudes of more than 700 m. The particle model does not include the atmospheric stability, the source height, and deposit speeds. The present assignment is how to express the difference of deposition each nucleus.
DYKE MONITORIN BY THE MEANS OF PERSISTENT SCATTERING INTERFEROMETRY AT THE COAST OF NORTHERN GERMANY
Authors: Seidel M. , Marzahn P. , Ludwig R.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. 40 percent of the world's population are presently living in coastal areas or along the main rivers. Taking into account that the vulnerability of these areas is increasing due to sea-level rise and coastal hazards such as storm surges or extreme rainfall events accompanied with floods, the importance of safety structures such as dykes is increasing as well. Hence, a spatial distributed dyke monitoring should be part of a sustainable adaptation strategy. Due to increasing amount of SAR-data from various satellites with high spatial and temporal coverage, the means of SAR-interferometry could be an essential tool to ensure this kind of required monitoring. Given this prospect, Persistent Scattering Interferometry (PSI) will be a very suitable monitoring technique for dyke structures to identify dyke movement with the accuracy of few millimetres. This procedure focuses on pixels that show a stable scattering behaviour in a sequence of multiple SAR-scenes. In opposition to ground-measurements, the spatial coverage of this technique provides comparable results for different parts of the dyke; furthermore weak segments with particular high movements could be identified in advance. This could prevent future dyke crevasses and help to reduce risks in high-populated areas. This paper attempts to describe the potential of the PSI technique for a spatial distributed dyke monitoring at the coast in northern Germany. 21 ERS-2 scenes and 16 Envisat ASAR scenes were analysed. Those Scenes cover an area of a sea shore dyke including a flood regulation barrage and results point out the potential for this technique to monitor dyke structures. Even though the observed dyke doesn't show any significant deformation rates, the two datasets show the same signal for the whole dyke.
ANALYSIS AND REMEDIATION OF THE 2013 LAC-MÉGANTIC TRAIN DERAILMENT
Authors: Brunke Suzanne , Aubé Guy , Legaré Serge , Auger Claude
Published: June 2016

Abstract. On July 6, 2013 a train owned by Montréal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) Company derailed in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, Canada triggering the explosion of the tankers carrying crude oil. Several buildings in the downtown core were destroyed. The Sûreté du Québec confirmed the death of 47 people in the disaster. Through the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Rapid Information Products and Services (RIPS) program, MDA developed value-added products that allowed stakeholders and all levels of government (municipal, provincial and federal) to get an accurate picture of the disaster. The goal of this RIPS Project was to identify the contribution that remote sensing technology can provide to disasters such as the train derailment and explosion at Lac-Mégantic through response and remediation monitoring. Through monitoring and analysis, the Lac-Mégantic train derailment response and remediation demonstrated how Earth observation data can be used for situational awareness in a disaster and in documenting the remediation process. Both high resolution optical and RADARSAT-2 SAR image products were acquired and analyzed over the disaster remediation period as each had a role in monitoring. High resolution optical imagery provided a very clear picture of the current state of remediation efforts, however it can be difficult to acquire due to cloud cover and weather conditions. The RADARSAT-2 SAR images can be acquired in all weather conditions at any time of day making it ideal for mission critical information gathering. MDA’s automated change detection processing enabled rapid delivery of advanced information products.
ESTIMATION OF INSULATOR CONTAMINATIONS BY MEANS OF REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUE
Authors: Han Ge , Gong Wei , Cui Xiaohui , Zhang Miao , Chen Jun
Published: June 2016

Abstract. The accurate estimation of deposits adhering on insulators is critical to prevent pollution flashovers which cause huge costs worldwide. The traditional evaluation method of insulator contaminations (IC) is based sparse manual in-situ measurements, resulting in insufficient spatial representativeness and poor timeliness. Filling that gap, we proposed a novel evaluation framework of IC based on remote sensing and data mining. Varieties of products derived from satellite data, such as aerosol optical depth (AOD), digital elevation model (DEM), land use and land cover and normalized difference vegetation index were obtained to estimate the severity of IC along with the necessary field investigation inventory (pollution sources, ambient atmosphere and meteorological data). Rough set theory was utilized to minimize input sets under the prerequisite that the resultant set is equivalent to the full sets in terms of the decision ability to distinguish severity levels of IC. We found that AOD, the strength of pollution source and the precipitation are the top 3 decisive factors to estimate insulator contaminations. On that basis, different classification algorithm such as mahalanobis minimum distance, support vector machine (SVM) and maximum likelihood method were utilized to estimate severity levels of IC. 10-fold cross-validation was carried out to evaluate the performances of different methods. SVM yielded the best overall accuracy among three algorithms. An overall accuracy of more than 70% was witnessed, suggesting a promising application of remote sensing in power maintenance. To our knowledge, this is the first trial to introduce remote sensing and relevant data analysis technique into the estimation of electrical insulator contaminations.
ANALYSIS OF DEBRIS FLOW BEHAVIOR USING AIRBORNE LIDAR AND IMAGE DATA
Authors: Kim G. , Yune C. Y. , Paik J. , Lee S. W.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. The frequency of debris flow events caused by severe rainstorms has increased in Korea. LiDAR provides high-resolution topographical data that can represent the land surface more effectively than other methods. This study describes the analysis of geomorphologic changes using digital surface models derived from airborne LiDAR and aerial image data acquired before and after a debris flow event in the southern part of Seoul, South Korea in July 2011. During this event, 30 houses were buried, 116 houses were damaged, and 22 human casualties were reported. Longitudinal and cross-sectional profiles of the debris flow path reconstructed from digital surface models were used to analyze debris flow behaviors such as landslide initiation, transport, erosion, and deposition. LiDAR technology integrated with GIS is a very useful tool for understanding debris flow behavior.
THE STUDY OF INSURANCE PREMIUM RATE GIS MAPPING CONSIDERING THE STORM AND FLOOD HAZARD RISKS
Authors: Lee J. S. , Lee I. S.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Recently, the number of natural disaster occurrence is increasing because of abnormal changes of weather in Korea. In Korea the storm and flood insurance system is in effect to prevent these natural disasters. The national storm and flood insurance Premium rate is very low and the risk of adverse selection resides because of choosing by who lives in high risk area. To solve these problems, the storm and flood insurance rate map are required. In this study, the prototype of storm and flood insurance premium rate map of the Ulsan, Korea was made and the method of GIS analysis for the insurance premium rate calculating and the procedure of the Ulsan storm and flood insurance rate map were researched.
Scale and space dependencies of soil Nitrogen variability
Authors: Tarquis Ana M. , Castellanos María Teresa , Cartagena Maria Carmen , Arce Augusto , Ribas Francisco , Cabello María José , López de Herrera Juan , Bird Nigel R. A.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. In this study we use the multifractal analysis, through generalized dimensions (Dq) and the relative entropy (E(δ)) to investigate residual effects on wheat and grain, biomass and nitrogen content, of fertigation treatments applied to a previous crop. The wheat crop covered nine subplots from a previous experiment on melon response to fertigation. Each subplot had previously received a different level of applied nitrogen and plants from the previous melon crop had already taken up part of it. Many factors affect these variables, causing it to vary at different scales creating a non uniform distribution. The Dq were used to study the relation between scales meanwhile E(δ), and their increments between scales, were used to identify the scale at which the variable had a maximum structure and compare with the scaling behavior of the nitrogen applied. The E(δ) is particularly appropriate for this because of does not require any prior assumptions to the structure of the data and it is easy to calculate. The four variables studied presented a weak multifractal character presenting a low variation in Dq values, around the unit, that wasn't relevant for the study. On the other hand, the E(δ) and the increments in E(δ) help us to detect changes in the scaling behavior of all the variables studied. To this respect, the results showed that the applied nitrogen through fertirrigation dominated the wheat and grain biomass response as well as nitrogen content of the whole plant; surprisingly grain nitrogen content didn't show the same structure than the applied nitrogen. At the same time, there was a noticeable structure variation in the biomass and nitrogen content at the smaller scales that correspond to the previous cropping root arrangement due to uptake of the applied nitrogen.
Parametrization of stochastic multiscale triads
Authors: Wouters Jeroen , Dolaptchiev Stamen I. , Lucarini Valerio , Achatz Ulrich
Published: June 2016

Abstract. We discuss applications of a recently developed method for model reduction based on linear response theory of weakly coupled dynamical systems. We apply the weak coupling method to simple stochastic differential equations with slow and fast degrees of freedom. The weak coupling model reduction method results in general in a non-Markovian system, we therefore discuss the Markovianization of the system to allow for straightforward numerical integration. We compare the applied method to the equations obtained through homogenization in the limit of large time scale separation between slow and fast degrees of freedom. We numerically compare the ensemble spread from a fixed initial condition, correlation functions and exit times from a domain. The weak coupling method gives more accurate results in all test cases, albeit with a higher numerical cost.
Marine mammal tracks from two-hydrophone acoustic recordings made with a glider
Authors: Küsel Elizabeth T. , Munoz Tessa , Siderius Martin , Mellinger David K. , Heimlich Sara
Published: June 2016

Abstract. A multinational oceanographic and acoustic sea experiment was carried out in the summer of 2014 off the western coast of the island of Sardinia, Mediterranean Sea. During this experiment, an underwater glider was evaluated as a potential tool for recording marine mammal sounds for population density estimation studies. To this end, an acoustic recording system was also tested, comprising two hydrophones connected to an off-the-shelf voice recorder installed inside the glider. Analysis of the recorded acoustic data by a human analyst indicated the presence of sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) regular clicks as well as dolphin clicks and whistles. Further analysis of the data consisted in cross-correlating clicks recorded on both data channels for the estimation of the direction (bearing) of clicks, and realization of animal tracks. Insights from this bearing tracking analysis is expected to aid in population density estimation studies by providing further information on animal movement and location.
Vitreoretinal Traction and Lamellar Macular Holes Associated with Cicatricial Toxoplasmic Retinochoroiditis: Case Series Report
Authors: Rodríguez Alvaro , Valencia Marcela , Gomez Flor E.
Published: June 2016

Purpose

Inflammation due to retinal neuroepithelial necrotic granulomas of toxoplasmosis can extend to neighbor areas and may develop focal adhesions of the posterior hyaloid, to the surface vessels, and the margins or adjoining areas of retinochoroiditis plaques. These adhesions may develop vitreoretinal traction and retinal tears. Vitreoretinal traction may be macular (VMT) or extramacular depending on the location of the toxoplasmic plaques. Vitreomacular traction may follow anomalous posterior vitreous detachment. We report 7 cases of vitreoretinal traction (macular or peripheral) and the development of 4 lamellar macular holes in cicatricial toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis.

Methods

This is a retrospective and observational study by revision of clinical records in a retinologist office, using diagnostic techniques, especially optical coherence tomography (OCT), current management, and an extended follow-up. The OCT observations on toxoplasmic extramacular plaques are more difficult.

Results

Seven cases in 5 patients, 2 of them bilateral, 3 male (66.6%) and 2 female, median age 46 years, were included. Anteroposterior VMT was found in 6 cases and another case was superotemporal midperipheral; 4 developed lamellar macular holes and 3 chronic macular epiretinal membranes. Best-corrected visual acuity was equal to or better than 20/30 in 3 cases, between 20/50 and 20/80 in 2 cases, and 20/160 to 20/200 in 2 cases. One small lamellar macular hole closed spontaneously during follow-up.

Conclusions

Inflammatory retinal granulomas of toxoplasmosis in cicatricial stages may present macular or peripheral focal vitreoretinal adhesions that can eventually lead to VMT and subsequent lamellar macular holes or peripheral retinal tears.
Specificity of in Vivo Confocal Cornea Microscopy in Acanthamoeba Keratitis
Authors: Füst Ágnes , Tóth Jeannette , Simon Gyula , Imre László , Nagy Zoltán Z.
Published: June 2016

Purpose

To report on the presence of 4 different structures visualized by confocal microscopy in patients whose clinical presentation suggested infection by Acanthamoeba.

Methods

Data and charts of 28 consecutive patients were analyzed in a retrospective study. Four types of structures were recognized by confocal microscopy performed with HRT II Rostock Cornea Module: trophozoites, double-walled cysts, signet rings, and bright spots. The 28 patients (mean age 30.8 years, range 17-61 years, 10 male, 18 female) were divided into 4 groups according to the diagnosis established later by microscopic examination of smear, culture, response to therapy, and the course of keratitis. The 4 groups were Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), Acanthamoeba suspect (AK-suspect), bacterial keratitis (BK), and fungal keratitis (FK).

Results

The rate of patients in AK, AK-suspect, FK, and BK groups where bright spots were found were 100%, 100%, 40%, and 55%, respectively. The sensitivity of presence of bright spots in the in vivo confocal microscopy in Acanthamoeba keratitis was 100% (95% confidence interval [CI] 73.5% to 100.00%) and specificity was 50% (CI 24.7% to 75.4%). When cases where the only signs of Acanthamoeba were bright spots were excluded, and only those cases were counted where any of cysts, trophozoites, or signet rings were also found, the sensitivity was 67% (95% CI 34. 9% to 90.1%) and the specificity was 94% (95% CI 69.8% to 99.8%).

Conclusions

The relatively high rate of bright spots in non- Acanthamoeba keratitis challenges the assumption that bright spots seen by confocal microscopy are a specific indication of Acanthamoeba keratitis.