bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Updated Study of Potential Targets for Ariel
Authors: Edwards Billy , Mugnai Lorenzo , Tinetti Giovanna , Pascale Enzo , Sarkar Subhajit
Published: May 2019

Ariel has been selected as ESA’s M4 mission for launch in 2028 and is designed for the characterization of a large and diverse population of exoplanetary atmospheres to provide insights into planetary formation and evolution within our Galaxy. Here we present a study of Ariel’s capability to observe currently known exoplanets and predicted Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discoveries. We use the Ariel radiometric model (ArielRad) to simulate the instrument performance and find that ∼2000 of these planets have atmospheric signals which could be characterized by Ariel. This list of potential planets contains a diverse range of planetary and stellar parameters. From these we select an example mission reference sample (MRS), comprised of 1000 diverse planets to be completed within the primary mission life, which is consistent with previous studies. We also explore the mission capability to perform an in-depth survey into the atmospheres of smaller planets, which may be enriched or secondary. Earth-sized planets and super-Earths with atmospheres heavier than H/He will be more challenging to observe spectroscopically. However, by studying the time required to observe ∼110 Earth-sized/super-Earths, we find that Ariel could have substantial capability for providing in-depth observations of smaller planets. Trade-offs between the number and type of planets observed will form a key part of the selection process and this list of planets will continually evolve with new exoplanet discoveries replacing predicted detections. The Ariel target list will be constantly updated and the MRS re-selected to ensure maximum diversity in the population of planets studied during the primary mission life.
A revision of the Morelloid Clade of Solanum L. (Solanaceae) in North and Central America and the Caribbean
Authors: Knapp Sandra , Barboza Gloria E. , Bohs Lynn , Särkinen Tiina
Published: May 2019

The Morelloid Clade, also known as the black nightshades or “Maurella” (Morella), is one of the 10 major clades within the mega-diverse genusSolanumL. The clade is most species rich in the central to southern Andes, but species occur around the tropics and subtropics, some extending well into the temperate zone. Plants of the group are herbaceous or short-lived perennials, with small white or purplish white flowers, and small juicy berries. Due to the complex morphological variation and weedy nature of these plants, coupled with the large number of published synonyms (especially for European taxa), our understanding of species limits and diversity in the Morelloid Clade has lagged behind that of other major groups inSolanum. Here we provide the second in a three-part series of revisions of the morelloid solanums treating the species occurring in North and Central America and the Caribbean (for the Old World see “PhytoKeys 106”, the third part will treat species of South America). Synonymy, morphological descriptions, distribution maps, and common names and uses are provided for all 18 species occurring in this region. We treat 10 of these species as native, and eight as putatively naturalised, introduced and/or invasive in the region. We provide complete descriptions with nomenclatural details, including lecto- and neotypifications, for all species. Keys to all species occurring in the whole region and for each area within it (i.e., North America, Central America and Mexico, and the islands of the Caribbean), illustrations to aid identification both in herbaria and in the field, and distribution maps are provided. Preliminary conservation assessments are provided for all species. Details of all specimens examined are provided in three Supplementary materials sections.
Survivre en prison
Authors: Marchand Philippe
Published: May 2019

Raymond Derain (1897-1918) était jusqu’à ce jour connu par un chapitre que Philippe Kah lui a consacré dans un livre L’adolescent couvert de gloire Léon Trulin , son camarade de résistance à l’occupant. Ce texte suscite de nombreuses réserves. Plusieurs lettres inédites de Raymond Derain à sa famille et à des proches, deux lettres de compagnons de captivité, datées de ses deux dernières années d’incarcération en Allemagne, permettent de revenir sur sa rencontre avec l’univers carcéral. Leur lecture révèle une personnalité complexe et attachante. Conscient que la prison est une impitoyable machine de destruction, traversant des périodes d’abattement, d’angoisse et de désespoir, Raymond Derain refuse de s’apitoyer sur son sort. Privé de liberté, mais guidé par l’amour des siens, par le refus de toute compromission, par l’amour indicible de la Patrie pour laquelle il sacrifie ses années de jeunesse, Raymond Derain survit dans l’espoir de retrouver la liberté.
Composition of the fish fauna in a tropical estuary: the ecological guild approach
Authors: Ferreira Valdimere , Le Loc’h François , Ménard Frédéric , Frédou Thierry , Frédou Flávia L.
Published: May 2019

Ecological guilds have been widely applied for understanding the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems. This study describes the composition and the spatio-temporal changes in the structure of the fish fauna and the movements between the estuary and the coast of a tropical estuary, the Itapissuma/Itamaracá Complex (IIC) in northeastern Brazil. Fish specimens were collected during the dry and rainy seasons in 2013 and 2014. A total of 141 species of 34 families were recorded. Almost half of the species (66 species, 47%) were exclusive to the estuary and 50 species (35%) to the coast; 25 (18%) were common to both environments. Marine species were dominant in both richness and biomass as they explore the environment during part of their life cycle, whereas estuarine species were dominant in abundance. Marine stragglers displayed a higher richness, abundance and biomass in the coastal waters. The estuarine environment was dominated by zoobenthivores in terms of richness, while detritivores prevailed in abundance and biomass. Zoobenthivores had the highest richness and abundance in coastal waters, while piscivores had the highest biomass. The IIC supports a rich fauna with a diverse trophic structure and is an important feeding and development area for migratory species.
Relative growth, sexual maturity and handedness in the ghost shrimp Callichirus major (Decapoda: Callianassidae) from the southwestern Atlantic
Authors: Piva Rio Juliana Priscila , Hernáez Patricio , Amaro Pinheiro Marcelo Antonio
Published: May 2019

Biometric studies provide valuable information about changes associated with the growth and sexual maturity of living organisms. We analysed sexual dimorphism, allometric growth, sexual maturity and handedness in the ghost shrimp Callichirus major at Gonzaga beach, Brazil, where the catches of this species have been prohibited since 1992. To this end, a total of 544 individuals of C. major were collected during 12 months of sampling. Males were significantly smaller than females, denoting sexual dimorphism with respect to body size. The analysis of allometric growth between chelar carpus length and carapace length (CL) revealed a positive allometric relationship in juveniles of both sexes and adult males, but a negative allometry in adult females. Overall, our results showed the existence of two main growth phases related to sexual maturity, with a similar transition point for males (15.0 mm CL) and females (16.0 mm CL). Heterochely and homochely were registered in shrimp from both sexes, but in males heterochely occurred to a higher degree and was predominant (86.9%), whereas in females homochely was slightly more frequent (59.3%). The consequences of sexual dimorphism in terms of body size and chelipeds in the mating system of C. major are discussed in this study.
Structural Equation Model of Acceptance Cloud Learning for Sustainability Usage in Higher Education Institutes
Authors: Ruangvanich Supparang , Piriyasurawong Pallop
Published: May 2019

The study is to propose the structural equation model for sustainability in higher education about the use of cloud learning based on the technology acceptance model. Also, this well-known implemented-model was developed by Davis et al.’s technology acceptance model (TAM). The researchers instituted the hypothesized internal hierarchy among content quality, cloud computing, and social cloud for sustainability usage. The informed hypothesis was obtained from a scientific method known as the systematic literature review. After that, the higher education institutes in Thailand has given attention to the burgeoning of cloud learning due to the additional demand in line with technology development for tertiary instruction in the country.

Nevertheless, the strength of its usage is not very outstanding, and there is a need to understand the student’s attitude on the sustainability usage of cloud learning from the perspectives of the technology acceptance model. This study indicated that sustainability usage was a significant predictor towards student to use cloud learning. As a result, it is seen that pupils' attitude plays a vital role in contributing to the sustainability to use cloud learning. The consequence of this study is expected to improve and upgraded cloud learning to be beneficial according to the needs of the students.
Scaffolded Block-based Instructional Tool for Linear Data Structures: A Constructivist Design to Ease Data Structures’ Understanding
Authors: Almanza-Cortés Daniel Felipe , Del Toro-Salazar Manuel Felipe , Urrego-Arias Ricardo Andrés , Feijóo-García Pedro Guillermo , De la Rosa-Rosero Fernando
Published: May 2019

Data Structures courses commonly introduce topics involving high levels of abstraction and complexity, requiring significant effort from instructors and apprentices to achieve positive outcomes from the teaching-learning process. Despite the multiple studies that have occurred within the Computer Science Education (CSE) community to understand the experiences novice programmers may have when learning how to program, there is still a lack of exploration and research on understanding these experiences in scenarios different from first-year Computer Science (CS) courses. Looking further from CS introductory courses, this paper presents the results of a pilot study that evaluated the interaction of a group of CS Colombian students with DStBlocks, which is a scaffolded block-based instructional technology, designed and developed to ease linear data structures understanding. The findings and results of this pilot study are favorable, corresponding to tests centered on user experience and learning impact.
Factors Influencing ICT Adoption in Some Selected Secondary Schools in Ogun State, Nigeria
Authors: Ogundile Opeyemi Paul , Bishop Sheila A. , Okagbue Hilary I. , Ogunniyi Peter O. , Olanrewaju Anuoluwapo M
Published: May 2019

This paper addressed the factors affecting ICT adoption in a survey of 300 public and private secondary school students in Ogun state, Nigeria. Likert Scale self- designed questionnaire was the instrument of data collection. Data collected were analysed using frequency, scores, percentage scores, total weighted values and factor analysis. The ungrouped factors obtained using the mean weighted values were grouped into five dimensions using the factor analysis. The research showed that five factors are responsible for ICT adoption as perceived by the students. The factors are: assistance or support factors, availability factors, infrastructure factors, learning tools factors and cognitive factors. These factors can be studied in details and addressed to improve the level of ICT adoption in Nigeria.
Learning Analytics: Issues on the Pupil-Teacher Ratio in Public Primary Schools in Nigeria
Authors: Opanuga Abiodun A , Okagbue Hilary I , Oguntunde Pelumi E , Bishop Sheila A , Ogundile Opeyemi P
Published: May 2019

Pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) is one of the key measurements of quality education. This article presents the pupil-teacher ratio for 133 public primary schools in a local government area (LGA) of Ogun State, Nigeria. The data were obtained from a complete enumeration of the records of each school. It was discovered that the average PTR obtained from the data analysis is higher than the national average. Using PTR equals 35 as a benchmark of Nigeria, only 25 (19%) schools out of the 133 schools considered have an acceptable PTR (below 35), 52 (39%) schools have a moderate PTR (between 35 and 50) and 56 (42%) schools have unacceptable and high PTR (above 50). This article shows that there is high pupil-teacher ratio in the country’s public primary schools. This research will be helpful in the following; educational evaluation and assessment, audit and quality assurance, decision makers in the Ministry of Education in gap analysis for recruitment purposes, assessing the level of implementation of policies on education and monitoring of the progress made in attaining development sustainable goals (SDG) as it relates to access to quality education.
Hybrid Learning by Using Brilian Applications as One of the Learning Alternatives to Improve Learning Outcomes in College
Authors: Hariadi Bambang , Sunarto Dewiyani , Sudarmaningtyas Pantjawati , Jatmiko Budi
Published: May 2019

Brilian is a hybrid learning application that combines face-to-face learning and online learning. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of hybrid learning of science management by using Brilian in college. This study was a pre-experiment with one group pre-test and post-test design. The sample of the study were 55 students of Information System study program, Institut Bisnis dan Informatika Stikom Surabaya, Indonesia who were divided into two groups. Before conducting hybrid learning by using Brilian, both groups of students were given a test of learning outcomes and after the learning was completed, students were given the same learning outcomes test again. The collected data was analyzed by using the Wilcoxon test; calculation of normalized gain (n-gain); and the Mann-Whitney U test. The results showed that hybrid learning of science management using Brilian is effective to improve students’ learning outcomes and is indicated by: (1) an increase in students’ learning outcomes which was that was statistically significant at α = 5%, (2) the n-gain mean was in high category, and (3) the n-gain mean was not different in the two students groups.
Design of Programming Experiment Course Platform Based on MOOCs
Authors: Zhao Yu , Guo Lifeng , Liu Hongxin , Zheng Wenbin
Published: May 2019

It is the flourishing development of MOOCs that brings new mode of educa-tion. The paper focuses on the improvement of the teaching methods of pro-gramming experiment course in the environment of MOOCs, the develop-ment of experimental platform for innovative teaching methods, and the as-sessment methods of student learning. The current research and use of MOOCs are discussed, and its application in the programming experiment course. According to the present research analysis, the online programming experiment course platform is built, and a kind of online assessment system for students' achievement evaluation methods is elaborated. The academic performance and interest in learning are improved when experiment course platform is applied through two years teaching comparison. It is feasible to adopt the online platform for programming experiment course.
Development and Launch of a Comprehensive Fish and Wildlife Reporting Mobile Application
Authors: Flamm Richard O.
Published: May 2019

This paper describes the conception, development, launch, marketing, and maintenance of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Reporter (FWC Reporter), a mobile application (app) that the public can use to report fish and wildlife and environmental concerns to appropriate state agency offices. The FWC Reporter, launched in February 2018, is the first comprehensive reporting app developed by a fish and wildlife agency in the United States that we are aware of. On the basis of a consumer concept test and library research, the app's design incorporates elements of fast and frugal heuristics and inductive decision theory. The FWC developed this version of the app in-house with an open-source development package, and involves primarily email and telephone to send reports and facilitate communication with agency staff. From February 2018 through December 31, 2018, the FWC recorded over 1,000 downloads on Android and 4,308 on Apple devices, and 258 emailed reports. Since fish and wildlife reporting apps do not provide clear benefit to the user (low value proposition), it is crucial that offices receiving reports are proactive in building and maintaining their own reporting constituency. Engagement with the public is not only through active recruitment of app users, but also following up after a report is made so that the users know their efforts are appreciated. Two FWC programs demonstrated successful engagement, horseshoe crabs Limulus polyphemus and fish kills, as they received the most email reports. Other topics for any conservation or fish and wildlife agency to consider when developing their own reporting mobile app include download intention, adoption, continuance, habit formation, public and organizational acceptance, and marketing.
Pathogens of Pacific Lamprey Detected Through Routine Fish Health Screenings
Authors: Jolley Jeffrey C. , Lujan Kenneth M.
Published: May 2019

Interest in conservation, management, and captive rearing of Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus in the Pacific Northwest has risen in recent years. General and specific information regarding the occurrence of fish pathogens and the risk of Pacific Lamprey as a vector for pathogens to other species is not well understood. Specific efforts to captively rear or artificially propagate Pacific Lamprey at facilities that are used for Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. have increased. We performed fish health surveys on wild-caught larval and adult Pacific Lamprey from locations that were used as lamprey sources for captive research to determine the occurrence of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that may be pathogens. A variety of potential pathogens was detected, most notably Aeromonas hydrophila and Vibrio vulnificus from larval Pacific Lamprey and A. salmonicida from adult lampreys. There was a general lack of pathogenic activity and absence of viral detections from all lampreys. The diversity of bacteria encountered from the larvae in our study could be indicative of the wide diversity of bacteria that is known to be associated with larval lamprey in general. Further efforts to understand pathogenic risk from Pacific Lamprey to salmonid propagation programs are warranted.
Availability of Cultural Heritage Structured Metadata in the World Wide Web
Authors: Freire Nuno , Calado Pável , Martins Bruno
Published: May 2019

In the World Wide Web, a very large number of resources is made available through digital libraries. The existence of many individual digital libraries, maintained by different organizations, brings challenges to the discoverability, sharing and reuse of the resources. A widely-used approach is metadata aggregation, where centralized efforts like Europeana facilitate the discoverability and use of the resources by collecting their associated metadata. The cultural heritage domain embraced the aggregation approach while, at the same time, the technological landscape kept evolving. Nowadays, cultural heritage institutions are increasingly applying technologies designed for the wider interoperability on the Web. This paper presents a study of the current application by cultural heritage data providers of technological solutions in use for making structured metadata available for re-use in the Internet. We investigated the use of both linked data and technologies related with indexing of resources by Internet search engines. We have conducted a harvesting experiment of the landing pages from websites of digital libraries that participate in Europeana and collected statistics about the usage of these technologies. These technologies allow for representing structured data within HTML, or for structured data to be referred to by links within HTML or through HTTP headers capabilities. We conclude with a discussion of future work for establishing a solution for cultural heritage aggregation based on the current situation and the available technologies.
Vertical Integration in Academic Publishing
Authors: Chen George , Posada Alejandro , Chan Leslie
Published: May 2019

This paper attempts to illustrate the implications of a simultaneous redirection of the big publishers’ business strategy towards open access business models and the acquisition of scholarly infrastructure utilizing the conceptual framework of rent-seeking theory. To document such a transformation, we utilized financial databases to analyze the mergers and acquisitions of the top publicly traded academic publishers. We then performed a service analysis to situate the acquisitions of publishers within the knowledge and education life-cycles, illustrating what we term to be their vertical integration within their respective expansion target life-cycles. The vertical integration is analyzed via a rent theory framework and described to be a form of rent-seeking complementary to the redirection of business strategies to open access. Finally, the vertical integration is noted to generate exclusionary effects upon researchers/institutions in the global south.
Whose Infrastructure? Towards Inclusive and Collaborative Knowledge Infrastructures in Open Science
Authors: Okune Angela , Hillyer Rebecca , Chan Leslie , Albornoz Denisse , Posada Alejandro
Published: May 2019

The current discourse around Open Science has tended to focus on the creation of new technological platforms and tools to facilitate sharing and reuse of a wide range of research outputs. There is an assumption that once these new tools are in place, researchers—and at times, members of the general public—will be able to participate in the creation of scientific knowledge in more accessible and efficient ways. While many of these new tools have indeed assisted in the ease of collaboration through online spaces and mechanisms, the narrowness of how infrastructure is imagined by open science practitioners tends to put the use of technology ahead of the issues that people are actually trying to solve, while failing to acknowledge the systemic constraints that exist within and between some communities. Drawing on an analytical framework grounded in Black feminist intersectionality (Noble, “A Future”), this paper highlights the need for more inclusive knowledge infrastructures, particularly in the context of fair and sustainable development. Three case studies from the Open and Collaborative Science in Development Network (OCSDNet), are outlined in order to illustrate the importance of moving beyond a definition of infrastructure as merely a technical or physical entity. These cases, arising from research conducted in South Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean, demonstrate how more sustainable and nuanced forms of collaboration and participation may be enabled through broader understandings of knowledge infrastructures. This paper further argues that leveraging the feminist concept of intersectionality when conceptualizing the development of knowledge infrastructures could be one way to move from narrow assumptions about standardized knowledge “users” towards more inclusive reimaginings of how a plurality of knowledge can be produced and shared via networked technologies.
Treatment of EGFR positive lung adenocarcinoma in a heart transplanted patient
Authors: Hecimovic Ana , Vukic Dugac Andrea , Jankovic Makek Mateja , Cikes Maja , Samarzija Miroslav , Jakopovic Marko
Published: May 2019

Lung cancer incidence in heart transplant patients is higher than in general population and correlates with smoking history. EGFR-mutations are more frequent in adenocarcinoma and among non-smoking women but incidence in solid organ transplanted patients is still not known. We present case of a 65-year-old ex-smoker male with history of heart transplantation and EGFR positive metastatic lung adenocarcinoma. At admission he was in a severe clinical condition and treatment with erlotinib was started. Initially he had good clinical and radiologic response to treatment with only grade 1 side effects.  Data about drug interactions between cyclosporine and erlotinib are insufficient but we have to take this interaction into consideration during treatment because both drugs are substrates and inhibitors of CYP34A. In our case erlotinib was safe and well tolerated drug, there were no relevant toxicity, but close monitoring and dose reduction of cyclosporine was needed.
Легкотестируемые схемы в базисе Жегалкина при константных неисправностях типа "1" на выходах элементов
Authors: Borodina Yulia Vladislavovna
Published: May 2019

Описываются все булевы функции, которые могут быть реализованы схемами в базисе Жегалкина, допускающими полный проверяющий тест длины 1 при константных неисправностях типа "1" на выходах элементов.
Feasibility of the Stroll Safe Outdoor Fall Prevention Program
Authors: Chippendale Tracy
Published: May 2019

OBJECTIVE. Although half of falls occur outdoors, existing prevention programs focus primarily on risk factors for indoor falls. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the Stroll Safe outdoor fall prevention program and to obtain feedback to refine the program and research methods to plan a larger scale study.

METHOD. A quasi-experimental design (N = 24) was used. A fidelity checklist, attendance records, a focus group, and a reflective log were used to conduct a process, resource, and project management assessment. Preliminary outcomes were examined using fall calendars and standardized measures of fall prevention strategy use.

RESULTS. Needed modifications were determined. Preliminary outcomes reveal increased use of fall prevention strategies and decreased stumbles, trips, slips, and falls outdoors among program participants.

CONCLUSION. The Stroll Safe program is an innovative new program that is feasible to implement among community-dwelling older adults. Further study is warranted.
Fashioning the Victorians
Authors: Mitchell Rebecca N.
Published: May 2019

Offering a unique anthology of primary texts, this sourcebook opens a window on the writing that shaped and mirrored Victorian fashion, taking us from corsets to crinolines, dandies to decadent ‘New Women’. A user-friendly collection that provides a solid grounding in the fashion history of the nineteenth century, it brings together for the first time sources that trace the evolution of dress and the social, cultural and political discourses that influenced it.

Featuring seminal writings by authors and commentators such as Oscar Wilde, Thorstein Veblen and Sarah Stickney Ellis, plus satirical cartoons, illustrations and fashion plates from key sources such as Punch magazine, it combines primary texts and illustrations with accessible explanatory notes to offer a wide-ranging overview of the period for both students and researchers.

Each section opens with an introduction that examines the major trends in Victorian clothing – and the material, economic, scientific and cultural forces driving those trends – situating the texts in the pressing social anxieties and pleasures of the time. Exploring both menswear and womenswear, and key topics such as corsetry, dress reform and mourning, Mitchell extends her analysis into interdisciplinary fields including gender studies and literature, and guides the reader with a timeline, glossary and further readings.
Survival and outcomes after laparoscopic versus open curative resection for colon cancer
Authors: Hakami Riyadh , Alsaffar Ali , AlKhayal Khayal A. , Arab Nahla , Alshammari Turki , Almotairi Eman D. , Alturki Neamat , Falah Salah Addin , Ali Albati Naif , Hussain Marwah , Abdullah Maha , Aljomah Nadia Abd , Homoud Samar Al , Ashari Luai , Abduljabbar Alaa , Badahdah Fatima Ahmed , Albalawi Saeed , Alobaid Omar , Zubaidi Ahmad , Traiki Thamer Bin , Alsanea Nasser , Abdulfattah Faroq Walid , Abduldaem Abdullah Mohammed , Alqahtani Saad , Alharbi Reem
Published: May 2019

BACKGROUND:

Many studies have shown that open and laparoscopicsurgery for resection of colonic cancers produce similar short- and long-term results, but no data have been reported from Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE:

Compare 3-year disease-free and overall survival after laparoscopic versus open curative resection for potentially curable colon cancer.

DESIGN:

Multicenter retrospective cohort study.

SETTING:

Tertiary academic hospital.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

We analyzed data of patients who underwent curative resection for potentially curable colon cancer using the laparoscopic or open approach at three tertiary care centers during the period 2000-2015.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

Overall and disease-free 3-year survival were the primary endpoints. Secondary endpoints included conversion rate, duration of surgery, length of hospital stay, rate of wound infection, resumption of bowel function, number of lymph nodes retrieved, adequacy of resection and rate of recurrence. Risk factors for recurrence, including complete mesocolic excision, were assessed.

SAMPLE SIZE:

721.

RESULTS:

Patient and tumor characteristics were similar in the two groups except for ASA class (
P
<.01), weight (
P
<.05) and tumor stage (
P
<.05). Over a median follow-up of 46 months, the 3-year overall survival was 76.7% for open resection and 90.3% for laparoscopic colon resection (
P
<.05). The 3-year disease-free survival was 55.3% for open colon resection and 64.9% for laparoscopic colon resection (
P
=.0714).

CONCLUSION:

Overall and disease-free survival after the laparoscopic approach for curative resection of colon cancer is comparable to the open approach.

LIMITATIONS:

Retrospective design and the possibility of selection bias.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

None.
INTRASEASONAL VARIABILITY OF GUANO STAINS IN A REMOTELY SENSED PENGUIN COLONY USING UAV AND SATELLITE
Authors: Firla M. , Mustafa O. , Pfeifer C. , Senf M. , Hese S.
Published: May 2019

Abstract. Remote sensing of penguins gives a unique opportunity to observe ecosystem changes in the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean at a continent-wide scale. The extent of guano is the best proxy to the size of penguin populations but frequent cloud cover limits the number of available images. This study focuses on the correlation between guano coverage visible in aerial and satellite images and breeding pair numbers in the course of the breeding seasons 2016/17 and 2017/18 in a colony of Pygocelid penguins on Ardley Island (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica). Multitemporal UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) orthomosaics and high-resolution satellite images were collected of Ardley Island as well as data on breeding phenology, weather conditions and snow coverage. “Fresh” guano stains were classified using different methods of Geographical Object-based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) and differentiated from weathered guano stains. Analysis of this data shows that guano stains in an Antarctic Pygoscelid penguin colony undergo significant intraseasonal changes in extent, texture and spectral signature. Hence, the timing of image acquisition and the advance of snow melt during Antarctic spring matter when determining penguin populations and should be considered during the analysis. Our results show changes of up to 25 % of the total guano covered surface due to individual weather events and changes up to 80 % in the time between the peak of egg laying and the occurrence of the first crèche.
DETECTING ANTARCTIC SEALS AND FLYING SEABIRDS BY UAV
Authors: Mustafa O. , Braun C. , Esefeld J. , Knetsch S. , Maercker J. , Pfeifer C. , Rümmler M.-C.
Published: May 2019

Abstract. In recent years Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) became a fast-developing technology with manifold fields of application. In the field of wildlife biology, it offers the opportunity to quantify populations, to map the spatial distribution of species and to observe the behavior of animals with no or low disturbance. Moreover, UAV based mapping allows to obtain data from sites which are hardly or not accessible and to cover much larger areas than by traditional ground based methods. The advantages of UAV based mapping are of particular relevance under the harsh conditions of Antarctic fieldwork. Whether certain species qualify for UAV based monitoring depends on their detectability from the distance and the distinctiveness of their characteristics in comparison to other species, which has not been studied for Antarctic species in detail so far. This study aims to evaluate how and under which conditions, particularly flight height, Antarctic flying seabird and seal species are detectable in aerial imagery. A trial was conducted comparing the detection rate of different observers for several Antarctic species in aerial images of different ground sample distances. Descriptions of individual appearance as well as body size dimensions are delivered for all species. For most of the investigated species, monitoring proves to be possible from practical flight heights, while others are still very hard to detect even in low altitudes. A concluding table is given aiming to provide a guide for future surveys on which flight altitudes to chose and how to identify focal study objects.
COMPARISON OF UAV IMAGERY-DERIVED POINT CLOUD TO TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNER POINT CLOUD
Authors: Peterson S. , Lopez J. , Munjy R.
Published: May 2019

Abstract. A small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with survey-grade GNSS positioning is used to produce a point cloud for topographic mapping and 3D reconstruction. The objective of this study is to assess the accuracy of a UAV imagery-derived point cloud by comparing a point cloud generated by terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). Imagery was collected over a 320 m by 320 m area with undulating terrain, containing 80 ground control points. A SenseFly eBee Plus fixed-wing platform with PPK positioning with a 10.6 mm focal length and a 20 MP digital camera was used to fly the area. Pix4Dmapper, a computer vision based commercial software, was used to process a photogrammetric block, constrained by 5 GCPs while obtaining cm-level RMSE based on the remaining 75 checkpoints. Based on results of automatic aerial triangulation, a point cloud and digital surface model (DSM) (2.5 cm/pixel) are generated and their accuracy assessed. A bias less than 1 pixel was observed in elevations from the UAV DSM at the checkpoints. 31 registered TLS scans made up a point cloud of the same area with an observed horizontal root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.006m, and negligible vertical RMSE. Comparisons were made between fitted planes of extracted roof features of 2 buildings and centreline profile comparison of a road in both UAV and TLS point clouds. Comparisons showed an average +8 cm bias with UAV point cloud computing too high in two features. No bias was observed in the roof features of the southernmost building.
VECTOR MAP GENERATION FROM AERIAL IMAGERY USING DEEP LEARNING
Authors: Sahu M. , Ohri A.
Published: May 2019

Abstract. We propose a simple yet efficient technique to leverage semantic segmentation model to extract and separate individual buildings in densely compacted areas using medium resolution satellite/UAV orthoimages. We adopted standard UNET architecture, additionally added batch normalization layer after every convolution, to label every pixel in the image. The result obtained is fed into proposed post-processing pipeline for separating connected binary blobs of buildings and converting it into GIS layer for further analysis as well as for generating 3D buildings. The proposed algorithm extracts building footprints from aerial images, transform semantic to instance map and convert it into GIS layers to generate 3D buildings. We integrated this method in Indshine’s cloud platform to speed up the process of digitization, generate automatic 3D models, and perform the geospatial analysis. Our network achieved ∼70% Dice coefficient for the segmentation process.
A LAND COVER CHANGE DETECTION METHOD BASED ON CHANGE DIFFERENCE MAP FUSION
Authors: Xing H. , Hou D. , Lu M. , Chen J.
Published: May 2019

Abstract. Direct radiometric comparison-based change detection methods have been widely used for detecting land cover change areas. However, the traditional methods are usually developed by using a single change index, which may cause omission or commission of land cover change. To address this challenge, we propose a change difference map fusion-based land cover change detection approach. First, operators of change vector analysis (CVA) and spectral gradient difference (SGD) are used for constructing change difference map, respectively. Second, image product weighted fusion method is introduced to construct a comprehensive change difference map. Finally, the expectation maximization algorithm and Bayesian rule with minimum error rate are applied to get the change/unchanged area. Experimental results of Landsat5 TM in 2010 and Landsat8 OLI in 2015 in two test areas are conducted. The experimental results show that accuracy of the proposed method is superior to the traditional change detection methods.
NAVIGATION IN INDOOR VOXEL MODELS
Authors: Gorte B. , Zlatanova S. , Fadli F.
Published: May 2019

Abstract. The paper proposes to use voxel models of building interiors to perform indoor navigation. The algorithms can be purely geometrical, not relying on semantic information about different building elements, such as floors, walls, stairways etc. Therefore, it is possible to use voxel models from different data sources, in addition to vector-to-raster conversions. The paper demonstrates this on the basis of tree different input types: hand measurements, point clouds and images of floorplans. On the basis of these models, the paper shows how to determine the navigable space in a voxel model for a pedestrian actor, and how to compute paths from arbitrary sources to specified destinations.
A FREQUENCY-DRIFT COMPENSATED CLOSED-FORM SOLUTION FOR STEREO RGB-D MAPPING
Authors: Tang S. J. , Zhu Q. , Chen W. , Wang W. X. , Li Y. , Darwish W. , Li W. B.
Published: May 2019

Abstract. In this work, we present a frequency-drift compensated (Fd-C) closed-form solution for stereo RGB-D SLAM. The intrinsic parameters for each sensor are first obtained with a standard camera calibration process and the extrinsic orientation parameters achieved through a coarse-to-fine scheme that solves the initial exterior orientation parameters (EoPs) from control markers and further refines the initial value by an iterative closest point (ICP) variant minimizing the distance between the RGB-D point clouds and the referenced laser point clouds. With the assumption of fix transformation between the frames with the same timestamp, we define one sensor as reference sensor and the other sensor as slave sensor and the slave frames can be mapped to the timeline of the references sensor. Rather than endow the camera pose of the nearest frame to the slave frames, we derive the accurate camera pose for slave frames in a spatially variant way. Therefore, the pose relations between the slave frame and the adjacent reference frame can be derived, which provided opportunity to use the more accuracy observations from multiple frames for better tracking and global optimization. We present the mathematical analysis of the iterative optimizations for pose tracking in multi-RGB-D camera cases. Finally, the experiments in complex indoor scenarios demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed multiple RGB-D slam algorithm.
SUBMANIFOLD SPARSE CONVOLUTIONAL NETWORKS FOR SEMANTIC SEGMENTATION OF LARGE-SCALE ALS POINT CLOUDS
Authors: Schmohl S. , Sörgel U.
Published: May 2019

Abstract. Semantic segmentation of point clouds is one of the main steps in automated processing of data from Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS). Established methods usually require expensive calculation of handcrafted, point-wise features. In contrast, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have been established as powerful classifiers, which at the same time also learn a set of features by themselves. However, their application to ALS data is not trivial. Pure 3D CNNs require a lot of memory and computing time, therefore most related approaches project ALS point clouds into two-dimensional images. Sparse Submanifold Convolutional Networks (SSCNs) address this issue by exploiting the sparsity often inherent in 3D data. In this work, we propose the application of SSCNs for efficient semantic segmentation of voxelized ALS point clouds in an end-to-end encoder-decoder architecture. We evaluate this method on the ISPRS Vaihingen 3D Semantic Labeling benchmark and achieve state-of-the-art 85.0% overall accuracy. Furthermore, we demonstrate its capabilities regarding large-scale ALS data by classifying a 2.5 km2 subset containing 41 M points from the Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (AHN3) with 95% overall accuracy in just 48 s inference time or with 96% in 108 s.
DEVELOPMENT OF A GEODATABASE FOR EFFICIENT REMOTE SENSING DATA MANAGEMENT IN EMERGENCY SCENARIOS
Authors: Alamouri A. , Gerke M.
Published: May 2019

Abstract. Disasters such as floods, large fires, landslides, avalanches, or forest fires are often inevitable and cannot be fully prevented, but their impact can be minimized with sound disaster management strategies aided by the latest technological advancements. A key factor affecting these strategies is the time, because any delay can result in dramatic consequences and potentially human losses. Therefore, a quick geo-situation report of the disaster is highly demanded, but still not an easy task because – in most cases – a priori known spatial information like map data or geodatabases, are outdated, and anyway won’t provide an overview on the current situation. This paper provides an exploratory investigation to be smart in providing correct and timely geodata that can help in emergency cases; especially in support decision making in emergency and risk management. In particular, issues related to geodatabase design and visualization of a variety of geodata available play a key role when it comes to efficient data deployment and usability. To this end, a significant part of this research will be devoted to develop a concept for a geodatabase design and dataset management that helps assessing a disaster risk through a potential provision of data needed. Based on this consideration, the proposed concept is to create multi-disciplinary integrated geodatabases as well as an easy-to-use graphical user interface to access the obtained data. To address this concept, hard- and software solutions are being developed through the joint research project ANKommEn and its extension ANKommEn2. In those projects two automated unmanned systems, that is an aerial UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and a ground based UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle), are being developed to provide up-to-date information of rescue scenarios. Within this paper, highlights about the two project parts will be briefly presented, and then the current state of the art in geospatial database management, followed by focusing on Postgres-based database management connected with QGIS, and finally current results like a Web Map Service will be discussed.
Personality Traits and Excessive Computer and Internet Usage: A Robust Relation?
Authors: Tsigilis Nikolaos
Published: May 2019

Previous studies on the association between personality traits and computer and/or internet addiction reported mixed results. Moreover, whereas some authors claim that personality traits measures have adequate level of convergent validity (Hong et al., 2008; Paunonen, 2003), recent meta-analysis seems to seriously question it (Pace & Brannick, 2010). The aim of the present study was to examine whether personality traits can reliably predict excessive computer and internet usage in a consistent way and irrespectively of the personality traits measure used. Two hundred and thirty university students voluntarily participated in the study. They provided responses to various instruments including the Big Five Inventory, the International Personality Item Pool, the Computer Addiction Test and Internet usage. Canonical correlation analysis was used to examine the similarity between the two personality traits measures. Results showed that there is 50% of unexplained variance between the two personality measures. Multiple regression analyses (linear or ordinal depending on the nature of the criterion variable) showed that the pattern and strength of predictions seems to fluctuate in relation to the personality traits instrument used. In most cases conscientiousness and agreeableness were revealed as important personality traits to understand technological addictive behaviors. Researchers should be aware of the possible fluctuations in findings when they study the effect of personality traits on computer and excessive internet use.
Mortalidad por Influenza pA(H1N1) 2009 en el noreste de México
Authors: Taboada Aguirre Edgar , Davalos Torres Maria Mercedes , Rojas Martinez Maria Rosalba
Published: May 2019

Objetivo: Determinar los factores asociados a la mortalidad porinfluenza pandémica (AH1N1) en los hospitalizados por Infección Respiratoria Aguda Grave (IRAG) debida a influenza AH1N1 confirmada por Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa (PCR) en Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS).  Material y métodos: En el IMSS en la Delegación de Nuevo León del 1 de Junio de 2009 al 9 de Marzo de 2010 se realizó un estudio observacional retrospectivo de casos y controles,  utilizando la base de datos del Sistema de Información en Línea para la Vigilancia Epidemiológica de Influenza (SINOLAVE). Se incluyeron 278 IRAG hospitalizados (controles) y 50 IRAG que fallecieron (casos) debido a la influenza AH1N1. Resultados: Los factores asociados a la mortalidad en los pacientes hospitalizados por IRAG  debida a influenza AH1N1 fueron la edad (OR 1.03 IC95% 1.01-1.05) y la obesidad (OR 4.44 IC95% 1.85- 10.6) utilizando un modelo de regresión logística.Conclusiones: Se concluye que los factores asociados al riesgo de morir por influenza A H1N1 en los derechohabientes del IMSS de la Delegación de Nuevo León, fueron la presencia de obesidad y la edad del derechohabiente en los hospitalizados IRAG debida  influenza A H1N.
Prevalencia de retinopatía diabética y edema macular en población diabética del CESFAM Cordillera Andina de Los Andes
Authors: Abuauad Sergio , Guzmán Pablo , Urzúa Christian
Published: May 2019

Introducción: La retinopatía diabética(RD) es una microangiopatía progresiva a nivel retinal que aparece como complicación de la diabetes y es una de las principales causas de ceguera en el mundo. En los diabéticos la principal causa de pérdida visual es el edema macular diabético (EMD). Presentamos un trabajo cuyo objetivo es describir la prevalencia de RD y subtipos y EMD en una población de pacientes diabéticos en un centro de atención primaria del país. Materiales y métodos: Estudio transversal descriptivo realizado en un grupo de 468 pacientes diabéticos del CESFAM Cordillera Andina de Los Andes, sometidos a examen anual de fondo de ojo. Los parámetros analizados en este estudio fueron: sexo, edad, años de diagnóstico de diabetes mellitus(DM), presencia de RD y subtipos y EMD. Resultados: Se encontró una prevalencia de RD de 24,78%. El grupo etario entre los 50-70 años presentó la mayor prevalencia de RD mientras que el 51,7% de pacientes con RD tenía 10 o más años de diagnóstico de DM2. El subtipo más frecuente fue la RD no proliferativa (RDNP) leve(37,1%). La prevalencia de EMD fue 3,8%. Conclusiones: Se aportan nuevos datos a la escasa literatura nacional disponible, destacando la medición de prevalencia de EMD.