Scaling of echolocation call parameters in bats.

PubMed

Jones, G

1999-12-01

I investigated the scaling of echolocation call parameters (frequency, duration and repetition rate) in bats in a functional context. Low-duty-cycle bats operate with search phase cycles of usually less than 20 %. They process echoes in the time domain and are therefore intolerant of pulse-echo overlap. High-duty-cycle (>30 %) species use Doppler shift compensation, and they separate pulse and echo in the frequency domain. Call frequency scales negatively with body mass in at least five bat families. Pulse duration scales positively with mass in low-duty-cycle quasi-constant-frequency (QCF) species because the large aerial-hawking species that emit these signals fly fast in open habitats. They therefore detect distant targets and experience pulse-echo overlap later than do smaller bats. Pulse duration also scales positively with mass in the Hipposideridae, which show at least partial Doppler shift compensation. Pulse repetition rate corresponds closely with wingbeat frequency in QCF bat species that fly relatively slowly. Larger, fast-flying species often skip pulses when detecting distant targets. There is probably a trade-off between call intensity and repetition rate because 'whispering' bats (and hipposiderids) produce several calls per predicted wingbeat and because batches of calls are emitted per wingbeat during terminal buzzes. Severe atmospheric attenuation at high frequencies limits the range of high-frequency calls. Low-duty-cycle bats that call at high frequencies must therefore use short pulses to avoid pulse-echo overlap. Rhinolophids escape this constraint by Doppler shift compensation and, importantly, can exploit advantages associated with the emission of both high-frequency and long-duration calls. Low frequencies are unsuited for the detection of small prey, and low repetition rates may limit prey detection rates. Echolocation parameters may therefore constrain maximum body size in aerial-hawking bats.

Visual aids for aerial observers on forest insect surveys.

Treesearch

A.T. Larsen

1957-01-01

Aerial surveys are widely used to detect, appraise, and map damage caused to forest trees by insects. The success of these surveys largely depends upon the ability of observers to distinguish differences in foliage color and tree condition. The observers' ability is influenced by several factors.

The Ground Control Room as an Enabling Technology in the Unmanned Aerial System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gear, Gary; Mace, Thomas

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the development of the ground control room as an required technology for the use of an Unmanned Aerial system. The Unmanned Aerial system is a strategic component of the Global Observing System, which will serve global science needs. The unmanned aerial system will use the same airspace as manned aircraft, therefore there will be unique telemetry needs.

Monitoring Seabirds and Marine Mammals by Georeferenced Aerial Photography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemper, G.; Weidauer, A.; Coppack, T.

2016-06-01

The assessment of anthropogenic impacts on the marine environment is challenged by the accessibility, accuracy and validity of biogeographical information. Offshore wind farm projects require large-scale ecological surveys before, during and after construction, in order to assess potential effects on the distribution and abundance of protected species. The robustness of site-specific population estimates depends largely on the extent and design of spatial coverage and the accuracy of the applied census technique. Standard environmental assessment studies in Germany have so far included aerial visual surveys to evaluate potential impacts of offshore wind farms on seabirds and marine mammals. However, low flight altitudes, necessary for the visual classification of species, disturb sensitive bird species and also hold significant safety risks for the observers. Thus, aerial surveys based on high-resolution digital imagery, which can be carried out at higher (safer) flight altitudes (beyond the rotor-swept zone of the wind turbines) have become a mandatory requirement, technically solving the problem of distant-related observation bias. A purpose-assembled imagery system including medium-format cameras in conjunction with a dedicated geo-positioning platform delivers series of orthogonal digital images that meet the current technical requirements of authorities for surveying marine wildlife at a comparatively low cost. At a flight altitude of 425 m, a focal length of 110 mm, implemented forward motion compensation (FMC) and exposure times ranging between 1/1600 and 1/1000 s, the twin-camera system generates high quality 16 bit RGB images with a ground sampling distance (GSD) of 2 cm and an image footprint of 155 x 410 m. The image files are readily transferrable to a GIS environment for further editing, taking overlapping image areas and areas affected by glare into account. The imagery can be routinely screened by the human eye guided by purpose-programmed software to distinguish biological from non-biological signals. Each detected seabird or marine mammal signal is identified to species level or assigned to a species group and automatically saved into a geo-database for subsequent quality assurance, geo-statistical analyses and data export to third-party users. The relative size of a detected object can be accurately measured which provides key information for species-identification. During the development and testing of this system until 2015, more than 40 surveys have produced around 500.000 digital aerial images, of which some were taken in specially protected areas (SPA) of the Baltic Sea and thus include a wide range of relevant species. Here, we present the technical principles of this comparatively new survey approach and discuss the key methodological challenges related to optimizing survey design and workflow in view of the pending regulatory requirements for effective environmental impact assessments.

Aerial surveys adjusted by ground surveys to estimate area occupied by black-tailed prairie dog colonies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sidle, John G.; Augustine, David J.; Johnson, Douglas H.; Miller, Sterling D.; Cully, Jack F.; Reading, Richard P.

2012-01-01

Aerial surveys using line-intercept methods are one approach to estimate the extent of prairie dog colonies in a large geographic area. Although black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) construct conspicuous mounds at burrow openings, aerial observers have difficulty discriminating between areas with burrows occupied by prairie dogs (colonies) versus areas of uninhabited burrows (uninhabited colony sites). Consequently, aerial line-intercept surveys may overestimate prairie dog colony extent unless adjusted by an on-the-ground inspection of a sample of intercepts. We compared aerial line-intercept surveys conducted over 2 National Grasslands in Colorado, USA, with independent ground-mapping of known black-tailed prairie dog colonies. Aerial line-intercepts adjusted by ground surveys using a single activity category adjustment overestimated colonies by ≥94% on the Comanche National Grassland and ≥58% on the Pawnee National Grassland. We present a ground-survey technique that involves 1) visiting on the ground a subset of aerial intercepts classified as occupied colonies plus a subset of intercepts classified as uninhabited colony sites, and 2) based on these ground observations, recording the proportion of each aerial intercept that intersects a colony and the proportion that intersects an uninhabited colony site. Where line-intercept techniques are applied to aerial surveys or remotely sensed imagery, this method can provide more accurate estimates of black-tailed prairie dog abundance and trends

Overview of meteorological measurements for aerial spray modeling.

PubMed

Rafferty, J E; Biltoft, C A; Bowers, J F

1996-06-01

The routine meteorological observations made by the National Weather Service have a spatial resolution on the order of 1,000 km, whereas the resolution needed to conduct or model aerial spray applications is on the order of 1-10 km. Routinely available observations also do not include the detailed information on the turbulence and thermal structure of the boundary layer that is needed to predict the transport, dispersion, and deposition of aerial spray releases. This paper provides an overview of the information needed to develop the meteorological inputs for an aerial spray model such as the FSCBG and discusses the different types of instruments that are available to make the necessary measurements.

Measurements from an Aerial Vehicle: A New Tool for Planetary Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Henry S.; Levine, Joel S.; Croom, Mark A.; Edwards, William C.; Qualls, Garry D.; Gasbarre, Joseph F.

2004-01-01

Aerial vehicles fill a unique planetary science measurement gap, that of regional-scale, near-surface observation, while providing a fresh perspective for potential discovery. Aerial vehicles used in planetary exploration bridge the scale and resolution measurement gaps between orbiters (global perspective with limited spatial resolution) and landers (local perspective with high spatial resolution) thus complementing and extending orbital and landed measurements. Planetary aerial vehicles can also survey scientifically interesting terrain that is inaccessible or hazardous to landed missions. The use of aerial assets for performing observations on Mars, Titan, or Venus will enable direct measurements and direct follow-ons to recent discoveries. Aerial vehicles can be used for remote sensing of the interior, surface and atmosphere of Mars, Venus and Titan. Types of aerial vehicles considered are airplane "heavier than air" and airships and balloons "lighter than air". Interdependencies between the science measurements, science goals and objectives, and platform implementation illustrate how the proper balance of science, engineering, and cost, can be achieved to allow for a successful mission. Classification of measurement types along with how those measurements resolve science questions and how these instruments are accommodated within the mission context are discussed.

Initial Efforts toward Mission-Representative Imaging Surveys from Aerial Explorers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pisanich, Greg; Plice, Laura; Ippolito, Corey; Young, Larry A.; Lau, Benton; Lee, Pascal

2004-01-01

Numerous researchers have proposed the use of robotic aerial explorers to perform scientific investigation of planetary bodies in our solar system. One of the essential tasks for any aerial explorer is to be able to perform scientifically valuable imaging surveys. The focus of this paper is to discuss the challenges implicit in, and recent observations related to, acquiring mission-representative imaging data from a small fixed-wing UAV, acting as a surrogate planetary aerial explorer. This question of successfully performing aerial explorer surveys is also tied to other topics of technical investigation, including the development of unique bio-inspired technologies.

Applicability of New Approaches of Sensor Orientation to Micro Aerial Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rehak, M.; Skaloud, J.

2016-06-01

This study highlights the benefits of precise aerial position and attitude control in the context of mapping with Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs). Accurate mapping with MAVs is gaining importance in applications such as corridor mapping, road and pipeline inspections or mapping of large areas with homogeneous surface structure, e.g. forests or agricultural fields. There, accurate aerial control plays a major role in successful terrain reconstruction and artifact-free ortophoto generation. The presented experiments focus on new approaches of aerial control. We confirm practically that the relative aerial position and attitude control can improve accuracy in difficult mapping scenarios. Indeed, the relative orientation method represents an attractive alternative in the context of MAVs for two reasons. First, the procedure is somewhat simplified, e.g. the angular misalignment, so called boresight, between the camera and the inertial measurement unit (IMU) does not have to be determined and, second, the effect of possible systematic errors in satellite positioning (e.g. due to multipath and/or incorrect recovery of differential carrier-phase ambiguities) is mitigated. First, we present a typical mapping project over an agricultural field and second, we perform a corridor road mapping. We evaluate the proposed methods in scenarios with and without automated image observations. We investigate a recently proposed concept where adjustment is performed using image observations limited to ground control and check points, so called fast aerial triangulation (Fast AT). In this context we show that accurate aerial control (absolute or relative) together with a few image observations can deliver accurate results comparable to classical aerial triangulation with thousands of image measurements. This procedure in turns reduces the demands on processing time and the requirements on the existence of surface texture. Finally, we compare the above mentioned procedures with direct sensor orientation (DiSO) to show its potential for rapid mapping.

A hybrid double-observer sightability model for aerial surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Griffin, Paul C.; Lubow, Bruce C.; Jenkins, Kurt J.; Vales, David J.; Moeller, Barbara J.; Reid, Mason; Happe, Patricia J.; Mccorquodale, Scott M.; Tirhi, Michelle J.; Schaberi, Jim P.; Beirne, Katherine

2013-01-01

Raw counts from aerial surveys make no correction for undetected animals and provide no estimate of precision with which to judge the utility of the counts. Sightability modeling and double-observer (DO) modeling are 2 commonly used approaches to account for detection bias and to estimate precision in aerial surveys. We developed a hybrid DO sightability model (model MH) that uses the strength of each approach to overcome the weakness in the other, for aerial surveys of elk (Cervus elaphus). The hybrid approach uses detection patterns of 2 independent observer pairs in a helicopter and telemetry-based detections of collared elk groups. Candidate MH models reflected hypotheses about effects of recorded covariates and unmodeled heterogeneity on the separate front-seat observer pair and back-seat observer pair detection probabilities. Group size and concealing vegetation cover strongly influenced detection probabilities. The pilot's previous experience participating in aerial surveys influenced detection by the front pair of observers if the elk group was on the pilot's side of the helicopter flight path. In 9 surveys in Mount Rainier National Park, the raw number of elk counted was approximately 80–93% of the abundance estimated by model MH. Uncorrected ratios of bulls per 100 cows generally were low compared to estimates adjusted for detection bias, but ratios of calves per 100 cows were comparable whether based on raw survey counts or adjusted estimates. The hybrid method was an improvement over commonly used alternatives, with improved precision compared to sightability modeling and reduced bias compared to DO modeling.

Infrared film for aerial photography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, William H.

1979-01-01

Considerable interest has developed recently in the use of aerial photographs for agricultural management. Even the simplest hand-held aerial photographs, especially those taken with color infrared film, often provide information not ordinarily available through routine ground observation. When fields are viewed from above, patterns and variations become more apparent, often allowing problems to be spotted which otherwise may go undetected.

Biodiversity of air-borne microorganisms at Halley Station, Antarctica.

PubMed

Pearce, David A; Hughes, K A; Lachlan-Cope, T; Harangozo, S A; Jones, A E

2010-03-01

A study of air-borne microbial biodiversity over an isolated scientific research station on an ice-shelf in continental Antarctica was undertaken to establish the potential source of microbial colonists. The study aimed to assess: (1) whether microorganisms were likely to have a local (research station) or distant (marine or terrestrial) origin, (2) the effect of changes in sea ice extent on microbial biodiversity and (3) the potential human impact on the environment. Air samples were taken above Halley Research Station during the austral summer and austral winter over a 2-week period. Overall, a low microbial biodiversity was detected, which included many sequence replicates. No significant patterns were detected in the aerial biodiversity between the austral summer and the austral winter. In common with other environmental studies, particularly in the polar regions, many of the sequences obtained were from as yet uncultivated organisms. Very few marine sequences were detected irrespective of the distance to open water, and around one-third of sequences detected were similar to those identified in human studies, though both of these might reflect prevailing wind conditions. The detected aerial microorganisms were markedly different from those obtained in earlier studies over the Antarctic Peninsula in the maritime Antarctic.

Locating waterfowl observations on aerial surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Butler, W.I.; Hodges, J.I.; Stehn, R.A.

1995-01-01

We modified standard aerial survey data collection to obtain the geographic location for each waterfowl observation on surveys in Alaska during 1987-1993. Using transect navigation with CPS (global positioning system), data recording on continuously running tapes, and a computer data input program, we located observations with an average deviation along transects of 214 m. The method provided flexibility in survey design and data analysis. Although developed for geese nesting near the coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, the methods are widely applicable and were used on other waterfowl surveys in Alaska to map distribution and relative abundance of waterfowl. Accurate location data with GIS analysis and display may improve precision and usefulness of data from any aerial transect survey.

Aeronautic Instruments. Section VI : Aerial Navigation and Navigating Instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eaton, H N

1923-01-01

This report outlines briefly the methods of aerial navigation which have been developed during the past few years, with a description of the different instruments used. Dead reckoning, the most universal method of aerial navigation, is first discussed. Then follows an outline of the principles of navigation by astronomical observation; a discussion of the practical use of natural horizons, such as sea, land, and cloud, in making extant observations; the use of artificial horizons, including the bubble, pendulum, and gyroscopic types. A description is given of the recent development of the radio direction finder and its application to navigation.

Looking into the water with oblique head tilting: revision of the aerial binocular imaging of underwater objects.

PubMed

Horváth, Gábor; Buchta, Krisztián; Varjú, Dezsö

2003-06-01

It is a well-known phenomenon that when we look into the water with two aerial eyes, both the apparent position and the apparent shape of underwater objects are different from the real ones because of refraction at the water surface. Earlier studies of the refraction-distorted structure of the underwater binocular visual field of aerial observers were restricted to either vertically or horizontally oriented eyes. We investigate a generalized version of this problem: We calculate the position of the binocular image point of an underwater object point viewed by two arbitrarily positioned aerial eyes, including oblique orientations of the eyes relative to the flat water surface. Assuming that binocular image fusion is performed by appropriate vergent eye movements to bring the object's image onto the foveas, the structure of the underwater binocular visual field is computed and visualized in different ways as a function of the relative positions of the eyes. We show that a revision of certain earlier treatments of the aerial imaging of underwater objects is necessary. We analyze and correct some widespread erroneous or incomplete representations of this classical geometric optical problem that occur in different textbooks. Improving the theory of aerial binocular imaging of underwater objects, we demonstrate that the structure of the underwater binocular visual field of aerial observers distorted by refraction is more complex than has been thought previously.

Google Haul Out: Earth Observation Imagery and Digital Aerial Surveys in Coastal Wildlife Management and Abundance Estimation

PubMed Central

Moxley, Jerry H.; Bogomolni, Andrea; Hammill, Mike O.; Moore, Kathleen M. T.; Polito, Michael J.; Sette, Lisa; Sharp, W. Brian; Waring, Gordon T.; Gilbert, James R.; Halpin, Patrick N.; Johnston, David W.

2017-01-01

Abstract As the sampling frequency and resolution of Earth observation imagery increase, there are growing opportunities for novel applications in population monitoring. New methods are required to apply established analytical approaches to data collected from new observation platforms (e.g., satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles). Here, we present a method that estimates regional seasonal abundances for an understudied and growing population of gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) in southeastern Massachusetts, using opportunistic observations in Google Earth imagery. Abundance estimates are derived from digital aerial survey counts by adapting established correction-based analyses with telemetry behavioral observation to quantify survey biases. The result is a first regional understanding of gray seal abundance in the northeast US through opportunistic Earth observation imagery and repurposed animal telemetry data. As species observation data from Earth observation imagery become more ubiquitous, such methods provide a robust, adaptable, and cost-effective solution to monitoring animal colonies and understanding species abundances. PMID:29599542

Google Haul Out: Earth Observation Imagery and Digital Aerial Surveys in Coastal Wildlife Management and Abundance Estimation.

PubMed

Moxley, Jerry H; Bogomolni, Andrea; Hammill, Mike O; Moore, Kathleen M T; Polito, Michael J; Sette, Lisa; Sharp, W Brian; Waring, Gordon T; Gilbert, James R; Halpin, Patrick N; Johnston, David W

2017-08-01

As the sampling frequency and resolution of Earth observation imagery increase, there are growing opportunities for novel applications in population monitoring. New methods are required to apply established analytical approaches to data collected from new observation platforms (e.g., satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles). Here, we present a method that estimates regional seasonal abundances for an understudied and growing population of gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) in southeastern Massachusetts, using opportunistic observations in Google Earth imagery. Abundance estimates are derived from digital aerial survey counts by adapting established correction-based analyses with telemetry behavioral observation to quantify survey biases. The result is a first regional understanding of gray seal abundance in the northeast US through opportunistic Earth observation imagery and repurposed animal telemetry data. As species observation data from Earth observation imagery become more ubiquitous, such methods provide a robust, adaptable, and cost-effective solution to monitoring animal colonies and understanding species abundances.

Studies on Training Ground Observers to Estimate Range to Aerial Targets.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCluskey, Michael R.; And Others

Six pilot studies were conducted to determine the effects of training on range estimation performance for aerial targets, and to identify some of the relevant variables. Observers were trained to estimate ranges of 350, 400, 800, 1,500, or 2,500 meters. Several variations of range estimation training methods were used, including immediate…

Bundle adjustment with raw inertial observations in UAV applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cucci, Davide Antonio; Rehak, Martin; Skaloud, Jan

2017-08-01

It is well known that accurate aerial position and attitude control is beneficial for image orientation in airborne photogrammetry. The aerial control is traditionally obtained by Kalman filtering/smoothing inertial and GNSS observations prior to the bundle-adjustment. However, in Micro Aerial Vehicles this process may result in poor attitude determination due to the limited quality of the inertial sensors, large alignment uncertainty and residual correlations between sensor biases and initial attitude. We propose to include the raw inertial observations directly into the bundle-adjustment instead of as position and attitude weighted observations from a separate inertial/GNSS fusion step. The necessary observation models are derived in detail within the context of the so called "Dynamic Networks". We examine different real world cases and we show that the proposed approach is superior to the established processing pipeline in challenging scenarios such as mapping in corridors and in areas where the reception of GNSS signals is denied.

Application of ground penetrating radar for identification of washover deposits and other stratigraphic features: Assateague Island, MD

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zaremba, Nicholas; Smith, Christopher G.; Bernier, Julie C.; Forde, Arnell S.

2016-01-01

A combination of ground penetrating radar (GPR) data, core data, and aerial photographs were analyzed to better understand the evolution of two portions of Assateague Island, Maryland. The focus of the study was to investigate the applicability of using GPR data to image washover deposits in the stratigraphic record. High amplitude reflections observed in two shore-perpendicular GPR profiles were correlated to shallow (<1 m) lithologic contacts observed in sediment cores. At these contacts, deposits consisting primarily of quartz sand overlie sediments with organic matter that include degraded plant root or stem material. The underlying organic matter likely represents the vegetated portion of the barrier island that was buried by washover fans deposited during hurricanes Irene (2011) and Sandy (2012), as indicated in high-resolution aerial photographs. The GPR data were able to delineate the washover deposits from the underlying stratigraphic unit; however, the radar data did not resolve finer structures necessary to definitively differentiate washover facies from other sand-rich deposits (e.g., flood-tide deltas and dunes). Other GPR profiles contain reflections that likely correlate to geomorphic features like tidal channels and vegetated zones observed in historical aerial imagery. Burial of these features by overwash fluxes were observed in the aerial imagery and thus the resulting radar sequence is largely interpreted as washover deposits. Deeper, channel-like features that have been infilled were also observed in shore-parallel profiles and these features coincide with scour channels observed in the 1966 aerial photography. Additional sedimentological data are required to determine what role overwash played in the in-filling of these features.

The biocontrol endophytic bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7 induces systemic defense responses in aerial tissues upon colonization of olive roots.

PubMed

Gómez-Lama Cabanás, Carmen; Schilirò, Elisabetta; Valverde-Corredor, Antonio; Mercado-Blanco, Jesús

2014-01-01

Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7, a native olive root endophyte and effective biocontrol agent (BCA) against Verticillium wilt of olive, is able to trigger a broad range of defense responses in root tissues of this woody plant. In order to elucidate whether strain PICF7 also induces systemic defense responses in above-ground organs, aerial tissues of olive plants grown under non-gnotobiotic conditions were collected at different time points after root bacterization with this endophytic BCA. A suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library, enriched in up-regulated genes, was generated. This strategy enabled the identification of 376 ESTs (99 contigs and 277 singlets), many of them related to response to different stresses. Five ESTs, involved in defense responses, were selected to carry out time-course quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments aiming to: (1) validate the induction of these genes, and (2) shed light on their expression pattern along time (from 1 to 15 days). Induction of olive genes potentially coding for lipoxygenase 2, catalase, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase, and phenylananine ammonia-lyase was thus confirmed at some time points. Computational analysis also revealed that different transcription factors were up-regulated in olive aerial tissues (i.e., JERF, bHLH, WRKY), as previously reported for roots. Results confirmed that root colonization by this endophytic bacterium does not only trigger defense responses in this organ but also mounts a wide array of systemic defense responses in distant tissues (stems, leaves). This sheds light on how olive plants respond to the "non-hostile" colonization by a bacterial endophyte and how induced defense response can contribute to the biocontrol activity of strain PICF7.

The biocontrol endophytic bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7 induces systemic defense responses in aerial tissues upon colonization of olive roots

PubMed Central

Gómez-Lama Cabanás, Carmen; Schilirò, Elisabetta; Valverde-Corredor, Antonio; Mercado-Blanco, Jesús

2014-01-01

Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7, a native olive root endophyte and effective biocontrol agent (BCA) against Verticillium wilt of olive, is able to trigger a broad range of defense responses in root tissues of this woody plant. In order to elucidate whether strain PICF7 also induces systemic defense responses in above-ground organs, aerial tissues of olive plants grown under non-gnotobiotic conditions were collected at different time points after root bacterization with this endophytic BCA. A suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library, enriched in up-regulated genes, was generated. This strategy enabled the identification of 376 ESTs (99 contigs and 277 singlets), many of them related to response to different stresses. Five ESTs, involved in defense responses, were selected to carry out time-course quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments aiming to: (1) validate the induction of these genes, and (2) shed light on their expression pattern along time (from 1 to 15 days). Induction of olive genes potentially coding for lipoxygenase 2, catalase, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase, and phenylananine ammonia-lyase was thus confirmed at some time points. Computational analysis also revealed that different transcription factors were up-regulated in olive aerial tissues (i.e., JERF, bHLH, WRKY), as previously reported for roots. Results confirmed that root colonization by this endophytic bacterium does not only trigger defense responses in this organ but also mounts a wide array of systemic defense responses in distant tissues (stems, leaves). This sheds light on how olive plants respond to the “non-hostile” colonization by a bacterial endophyte and how induced defense response can contribute to the biocontrol activity of strain PICF7. PMID:25250017

Similar Running Economy With Different Running Patterns Along the Aerial-Terrestrial Continuum.

PubMed

Lussiana, Thibault; Gindre, Cyrille; Hébert-Losier, Kim; Sagawa, Yoshimasa; Gimenez, Philippe; Mourot, Laurent

2017-04-01

No unique or ideal running pattern is the most economical for all runners. Classifying the global running patterns of individuals into 2 categories (aerial and terrestrial) using the Volodalen method could permit a better understanding of the relationship between running economy (RE) and biomechanics. The main purpose was to compare the RE of aerial and terrestrial runners. Two coaches classified 58 runners into aerial (n = 29) or terrestrial (n = 29) running patterns on the basis of visual observations. RE, muscle activity, kinematics, and spatiotemporal parameters of both groups were measured during a 5-min run at 12 km/h on a treadmill. Maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O 2 max) and peak treadmill speed (PTS) were assessed during an incremental running test. No differences were observed between aerial and terrestrial patterns for RE, V̇O 2 max, and PTS. However, at 12 km/h, aerial runners exhibited earlier gastrocnemius lateralis activation in preparation for contact, less dorsiflexion at ground contact, higher coactivation indexes, and greater leg stiffness during stance phase than terrestrial runners. Terrestrial runners had more pronounced semitendinosus activation at the start and end of the running cycle, shorter flight time, greater leg compression, and a more rear-foot strike. Different running patterns were associated with similar RE. Aerial runners appear to rely more on elastic energy utilization with a rapid eccentric-concentric coupling time, whereas terrestrial runners appear to propel the body more forward rather than upward to limit work against gravity. Excluding runners with a mixed running pattern from analyses did not affect study interpretation.

Explorations in Aeolian Ecology: Radar and Visual Studies of the Aerofauna during the Convection and Precipitation/electrification (cape) Experiment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russell, Robert William

I studied the ecology of aerial insects and birds (the "aerofauna") during the Convection and Precipitation/Electrification (CaPE) Experiment in Florida during the summer of 1991. Visual observations were coordinated with simultaneous measurements of atmospheric motions, permitting novel explorations of: (1) patterns and processes in the distribution of "aerial plankton" (i.e., small, weakly flying insects that drift with boundary-layer winds); (2) the feeding ecology of "aerial planktivores" (i.e., predators that feed on aerial plankton); and (3) the flight tactics of soaring birds. Sensitive Doppler radars regularly detected fine lines of enhanced reflectivity in boundary-layer convergence zones. These "fine lines" were attributable to dense concentrations of aerial plankton entrained by the convergent airflow. Insect densities were inferred to be about an order of magnitude higher inside convergence zones then elsewhere. Anecdotal observations suggested that large quantities of aerial plankton entrained in convergence zones were sometimes "scrubbed" from the boundary layer by precipitation. Radar images clearly depicted the rapid aeolian transport of aerial plankton across the landscape, but also showed that densities of aerial plankton became concentrated along coastlines when winds blew toward the sea. In contrast, airspace over the adjacent ocean remained largely free of radar echoes under all wind conditions. The coastal concentrations, together with the absence of overwater echoes, indicate that the organisms comprising the aerial plankton respond behaviorally to coastlines to avoid being blown out to sea. Several species of aerial insectivorous predators commonly exploited boundary-layer fine lines as food resources. Chimney swifts (Chaetura pelagica), barn swallows (Hirundo rustica), and wandering gliders (Pantala flavescens) showed significant responses to fine lines. Details of these responses differed, but this variation clearly reflected species-specific behavioral constraints and life-history characteristics. Vertical airflows were predictably enhanced in convergence lines, and soaring birds, which require ascending air to employ their preferred mode of flight, appeared to use these lines as aerial corridors for cross-country travel. Theoretical analyses showed that convergence lines can be profitably exploited under a wide variety of circumstances. The results presented here indicate that sensitive Doppler radars capable of detecting clear-air motions offer tremendous potential as research platforms for future studies of the "aerofauna.".

Interactions between Streptomyces coelicolor and Bacillus subtilis: Role of surfactants in raising aerial structures.

PubMed

Straight, Paul D; Willey, Joanne M; Kolter, Roberto

2006-07-01

Using mixed-species cultures, we have undertaken a study of interactions between two common spore-forming soil bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Streptomyces coelicolor. Our experiments demonstrate that the development of aerial hyphae and spores by S. coelicolor is inhibited by surfactin, a lipopeptide surfactant produced by B. subtilis. Current models of aerial development by sporulating bacteria and fungi postulate a role for surfactants in reducing surface tension at air-liquid interfaces, thereby removing the major barrier to aerial growth. S. coelicolor produces SapB, an amphipathic peptide that is surface active and required for aerial growth on certain media. Loss of aerial hyphae in developmental mutants can be rescued by addition of purified SapB. While a surfactant from a fungus can substitute for SapB in a mutant that lacks aerial hyphae, not all surfactants have this effect. We show that surfactin is required for formation of aerial structures on the surface of B. subtilis colonies. However, in contrast to this positive role, our experiments reveal that surfactin acts antagonistically by arresting S. coelicolor aerial development and causing altered expression of developmental genes. Our observations support the idea that surfactants function specifically for a given organism regardless of their shared ability to reduce surface tension. Production of surfactants with antagonistic activity could provide a powerful competitive advantage during surface colonization and in competition for resources.

Double streams of protons in the distant geomagnetic tail

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Villante, U.; Lazarus, A. J.

1975-01-01

Two intermingled streams of protons have been observed in the distant geomagnetic tail. The number densities of the two streams are comparable, and their velocity difference tends to lie along the field direction. The lower-velocity stream is probably composed of magnetosheath protons which have diffused through the boundary of the distant tail. The higher-velocity stream appears to originate in the field reversal region.

The Distant Tail at 200 R(sub E): Comparison Between Geotail Observations and the Results from a Global Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berchem, J.; Raeder, J.; Ashour-Abdalla, M.; Frank, L. A.; Paterson, W. R.; Ackerson, K. L.; Kokubun, S.; Yamamoto, T.; Lepping, R. P.

1998-01-01

This paper reports a comparison between Geotail observations of plasmas and magnetic fields at 200 R(sub E) in the Earth's magnetotail with results from a time-dependent, global magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the interaction of the solar wind with the magnetosphere. The study focuses on observations from July 7, 1993, during which the Geotail spacecraft crossed the distant tail magnetospheric boundary several times while the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) was predominantly northward and was marked by slow rotations of its clock angle. Simultaneous IMP 8 observations of solar wind ions and the IMF were used as driving input for the MHD simulation, and the resulting time series were compared directly with those from the Geotail spacecraft. The very good agreement found provided the basis for an investigation of the response of the distant tail associated with the clock angle of the IMF. Results from the simulation show that the stresses imposed by the draping of magnetosheath field lines and the asymmetric removal of magnetic flux tailward of the cusps altered considerably the shape of the distant tail as the solar wind discontinuities convected downstream of Earth. As a result, the cross section of the distant tail was considerably flattened along the direction perpendicular to the IMF clock angle, the direction of the neutral sheet following that of the IMF. The simulation also revealed that the combined action of magnetic reconnection and the slow rotation of the IMF clock angle led to a braiding of the distant tail's magnetic field lines along the axis of the tail, with the plane of the braid lying in the direction of the IMF.

Flatness-Based Tracking Control and Nonlinear Observer for a Micro Aerial Quadcopter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivera, G.; Sawodny, O.

2010-09-01

This paper deals with the design of a nonlinear observer and a differential flat based path tracking controller for a mini aerial quadcopter. Taking into account that only the inertial coordinates and the yaw angle are available for measurements, it is shown, that the system is differentially flat, allowing a systematic design of a nonlinear tracking control in open and closed loop. A nonlinear observer is carried out to estimate the roll and pitch angle as well as all the linear and angular velocities. Finally the performance of the feedback controller and observer are illustrated in a computer simulation.

Development of sea ice monitoring with aerial remote sensing technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Xuhui; Han, Lei; Dong, Liang; Cui, Lulu; Bie, Jun; Fan, Xuewei

2014-11-01

In the north China Sea district, sea ice disaster is very serious every winter, which brings a lot of adverse effects to shipping transportation, offshore oil exploitation, and coastal engineering. In recent years, along with the changing of global climate, the sea ice situation becomes too critical. The monitoring of sea ice is playing a very important role in keeping human life and properties in safety, and undertaking of marine scientific research. The methods to monitor sea ice mainly include: first, shore observation; second, icebreaker monitoring; third, satellite remote sensing; and then aerial remote sensing monitoring. The marine station staffs use relevant equipments to monitor the sea ice in the shore observation. The icebreaker monitoring means: the workers complete the test of the properties of sea ice, such as density, salinity and mechanical properties. MODIS data and NOAA data are processed to get sea ice charts in the satellite remote sensing means. Besides, artificial visual monitoring method and some airborne remote sensors are adopted in the aerial remote sensing to monitor sea ice. Aerial remote sensing is an important means in sea ice monitoring because of its strong maneuverability, wide watching scale, and high resolution. In this paper, several methods in the sea ice monitoring using aerial remote sensing technology are discussed.

Distant galaxy formed stars only 250 million years after the Big Bang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouwens, Rychard

2018-05-01

Little is known about the star-birth activity of the earliest galaxies. Observations of a particularly distant galaxy provide evidence for such activity when the Universe was just 2% of its current age.

An aerial sightability model for estimating ferruginous hawk population size

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ayers, L.W.; Anderson, S.H.

1999-01-01

Most raptor aerial survey projects have focused on numeric description of visibility bias without identifying the contributing factors or developing predictive models to account for imperfect detection rates. Our goal was to develop a sightability model for nesting ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) that could account for nests missed during aerial surveys and provide more accurate population estimates. Eighteen observers, all unfamiliar with nest locations in a known population, searched for nests within 300 m of flight transects via a Maule fixed-wing aircraft. Flight variables tested for their influence on nest-detection rates included aircraft speed, height, direction of travel, time of day, light condition, distance to nest, and observer experience level. Nest variables included status (active vs. inactive), condition (i.e., excellent, good, fair, poor, bad), substrate type, topography, and tree density. A multiple logistic regression model identified nest substrate type, distance to nest, and observer experience level as significant predictors of detection rates (P < 0.05). The overall model was significant (??26 = 124.4, P < 0.001, n = 255 nest observations), and the correct classification rate was 78.4%. During 2 validation surveys, observers saw 23.7% (14/59) and 36.5% (23/63) of the actual population. Sightability model predictions, with 90% confidence intervals, captured the true population in both tests. Our results indicate standardized aerial surveys, when used in conjunction with the predictive sightability model, can provide unbiased population estimates for nesting ferruginous hawks.

Spatial Distribution of Coffee Wilt Disease Under Roguing and Replanting Conditions: A Case Study from Kaweri Estate in Uganda.

PubMed

Pinard, F; Makune, S E; Campagne, P; Mwangi, J

2016-11-01

Based on time and spatial dynamic considerations, this study evaluates the potential role of short- and long-distance dispersal in the spread of coffee wilt disease (CWD) in a large commercial Robusta coffee estate in Uganda (Kaweri, 1,755 ha) over a 4-year period (2008 to 2012). In monthly surveys, total disease incidence, expansion of infection foci, and the occurrence of isolated infected trees were recorded and submitted to spatial analysis. Incidence was higher and disease progression faster in old coffee plantings compared with young plantings, indicating a lack of efficiency of roguing for reducing disease development in old plantings. At large spatial scale (approximately 1 km), Moran indices (both global and local) revealed the existence of clusters characterized by contrasting disease incidences. This suggested that local environmental conditions were heterogeneous or there were spatial interactions among blocks. At finer spatial scale (approximately 200 m), O-ring statistics revealed positive correlation between distant infection sites across distances as great as 60 m. Although these observations indicate the role of short-distance dispersal in foci expansion, dispersal at greater distances (>20 m) appeared to also contribute to both initiation of new foci and disease progression at coarser spatial scales. Therefore, our results suggested the role of aerial dispersal in CWD progression.

Laser Doppler velocimeter aerial spray measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zalay, A. D.; Eberle, W. R.; Howle, R. E.; Shrider, K. R.

1978-01-01

An experimental research program for measuring the location, spatial extent, and relative concentration of airborne spray clouds generated by agricultural aircraft is described. The measurements were conducted with a ground-based laser Doppler velocimeter. The remote sensing instrumentation, experimental tests, and the results of the flight tests are discussed. The cross section of the aerial spray cloud and the observed location, extent, and relative concentration of the airborne particulates are presented. It is feasible to use a mobile laser Doppler velocimeter to track and monitor the transport and dispersion of aerial spray generated by an agricultural aircraft.

Advanced Image Processing of Aerial Imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodell, Glenn; Jobson, Daniel J.; Rahman, Zia-ur; Hines, Glenn

2006-01-01

Aerial imagery of the Earth is an invaluable tool for the assessment of ground features, especially during times of disaster. Researchers at the NASA Langley Research Center have developed techniques which have proven to be useful for such imagery. Aerial imagery from various sources, including Langley's Boeing 757 Aries aircraft, has been studied extensively. This paper discusses these studies and demonstrates that better-than-observer imagery can be obtained even when visibility is severely compromised. A real-time, multi-spectral experimental system will be described and numerous examples will be shown.

ASCA Observations of Distant Clusters of Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuru, T. G.

We present results from ASCA observation of distant clusters of galaxies. The observed clusters are as follows; CL0016+16, A370, A959, AC118, Zw3136, MS1305.4+2941, A1851, A963, A2163, MS0839.8+2938, A665, A1689, A2218, A586 and A1413. The covering range of the redshifts is 0.14-0.55 and their average red-shift is 0.245. The negative correlation between the metal abundance and the plasma temperature seen in near clusters is also detected in the distant clusters. No apparent difference between the two correlation. It suggests no strong metal evolution has been made from z = 0.2-0.3 to z = 0. Data of velocity dispersion is available for seven clusters among our samples. All the betaspec of them are above the average of near clusters. The average betaspec for the distant clusters obtained to be betaspec = 1.85 with an rms scatter of 0.62. The value is significantly higher than the near clusters' value of betaspec = 0.94 plus or minus 0.08 with an rms scatter of 0.46.

Development of a universal water signature for the LANDSAT-3 Multispectral Scanner, part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlosser, E. H.

1980-01-01

A generalized four channel hyperplane to discriminate water from nonwater was developed using LANDSAT-3 multispectral scaner (MSS) scenes and matching same/next day color infrared aerial photography. The MSS scenes varied in sun elevation angle from 40 to 58 deg. The 28 matching air photo frames contained over 1400 water bodies larger than one surface acre. A preliminary water discriminant, was used to screen the data and eliminate from further consideration all pixels distant from water in MSS spectral space. A linear discriminant was iteratively fitted to the labelled pixels. This discriminant correctly classified 98.7% of the water pixels and 98.6% of the nonwater pixels. The discriminant detected 91.3% of the 414 water bodies over 10 acres in surface area, and misclassified as water 36 groups of contiguous nonwater pixels.

CFD Simulation of Aerial Crop Spraying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omar, Zamri; Qiang, Kua Yong; Mohd, Sofian; Rosly, Nurhayati

2016-11-01

Aerial crop spraying, also known as crop dusting, is made for aerial application of pesticides or fertilizer. An agricultural aircraft which is converted from an aircraft has been built to combine with the aerial crop spraying for the purpose. In recent years, many studies on the aerial crop spraying were conducted because aerial application is the most economical, large and rapid treatment for the crops. The main objective of this research is to study the airflow of aerial crop spraying system using Computational Fluid Dynamics. This paper is focus on the effect of aircraft speed and nozzle orientation on the distribution of spray droplet at a certain height. Successful and accurate of CFD simulation will improve the quality of spray during the real situation and reduce the spray drift. The spray characteristics and efficiency are determined from the calculated results of CFD. Turbulence Model (k-ɛ Model) is used for the airflow in the fluid domain to achieve a more accurate simulation. Furthermore, spray simulation is done by setting the Flat-fan Atomizer Model of Discrete Phase Model (DPM) at the nozzle exit. The interaction of spray from each flat-fan atomizer can also be observed from the simulation. The evaluation of this study is validation and grid dependency study using field data from industry.

A system for simulating aerial or orbital TV observations of geographic patterns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Latham, J. P.

1972-01-01

A system which simulates observation of the earth surface by aerial or orbiting television devices has been developed. By projecting color slides of photographs taken by aircraft and orbiting sensors upon a rear screen system, and altering scale of projected image, screen position, or TV camera position, it is possible to simulate alternatives of altitude, or optical systems. By altering scan line patterns in COHU 3200 series camera from 525 to 945 scan lines, it is possible to study implications of scan line resolution upon the detection and analysis of geographic patterns observed by orbiting TV systems.

Solar wind-magnetosphere coupling and the distant magnetotail: ISEE-3 observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slavin, J. A.; Smith, E. J.; Sibeck, D. G.; Baker, D. N.; Zwickl, R. D.; Akasofu, S. I.; Lepping, R. P.

1985-01-01

ISEE-3 Geotail observations are used to investigate the relationship between the interplanetary magnetic field, substorm activity, and the distant magnetotail. Magnetic field and plasma observations are used to present evidence for the existence of a quasi-permanent, curved reconnection neutral line in the distant tail. The distance to the neutral line varies from absolute value of X = 120 to 140 R/sub e near the center of the tail to beyond absolute value of X = 200 R/sub e at the flanks. Downstream of the neutral line the plasma sheet magnetic field is shown to be negative and directly proportional to negative B/sub z in the solar wind as observed by IMP-8. V/sub x in the distant plasma sheet is also found to be proportional to IMF B/sub z with southward IMF producing the highest anti-solar flow velocities. A global dayside reconnection efficiency of 20 +- 5% is derived from the ISEE-3/IMP-8 magnetic field comparisons. Substorm activity, as measured by the AL index, produces enhanced negative B/sub z and tailward V/sub x in the distant plasma sheet in agreement with the basic predictions of the reconnection-based models of substorms. The rate of magnetic flux transfer out of the tail as a function of AL is found to be consistent with previous near-Earth studies. Similarly, the mass and energy fluxes carried by plasma sheet flow down the tail are consistent with theoretical mass and energy budgets for an open magnetosphere. In summary, the ISEE-3 Geotail observations appear to provide good support for reconnection models of solar wind-magnetosphere coupling and substorm energy rates.

USGS Releases New Digital Aerial Products

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2005-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) has initiated distribution of digital aerial photographic products produced by scanning or digitizing film from its historical aerial photography film archive. This archive, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, contains thousands of rolls of film that contain more than 8 million frames of historic aerial photographs. The largest portion of this archive consists of original film acquired by Federal agencies from the 1930s through the 1970s to produce 1:24,000-scale USGS topographic quadrangle maps. Most of this photography is reasonably large scale (USGS photography ranges from 1:8,000 to 1:80,000) to support the production of the maps. Two digital products are currently available for ordering: high-resolution scanned products and medium-resolution digitized products.

Floating aerial 3D display based on the freeform-mirror and the improved integral imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Xunbo; Sang, Xinzhu; Gao, Xin; Yang, Shenwu; Liu, Boyang; Chen, Duo; Yan, Binbin; Yu, Chongxiu

2018-09-01

A floating aerial three-dimensional (3D) display based on the freeform-mirror and the improved integral imaging system is demonstrated. In the traditional integral imaging (II), the distortion originating from lens aberration warps elemental images and degrades the visual effect severely. To correct the distortion of the observed pixels and to improve the image quality, a directional diffuser screen (DDS) is introduced. However, the improved integral imaging system can hardly present realistic images with the large off-screen depth, which limits floating aerial visual experience. To display the 3D image in the free space, the off-axis reflection system with the freeform-mirror is designed. By combining the improved II and the designed freeform optical element, the floating aerial 3D image is presented.

Testing the Accuracy of Aerial Surveys for Large Mammals: An Experiment with African Savanna Elephants (Loxodonta africana).

PubMed

Schlossberg, Scott; Chase, Michael J; Griffin, Curtice R

2016-01-01

Accurate counts of animals are critical for prioritizing conservation efforts. Past research, however, suggests that observers on aerial surveys may fail to detect all individuals of the target species present in the survey area. Such errors could bias population estimates low and confound trend estimation. We used two approaches to assess the accuracy of aerial surveys for African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) in northern Botswana. First, we used double-observer sampling, in which two observers make observations on the same herds, to estimate detectability of elephants and determine what variables affect it. Second, we compared total counts, a complete survey of the entire study area, against sample counts, in which only a portion of the study area is sampled. Total counts are often considered a complete census, so comparing total counts against sample counts can help to determine if sample counts are underestimating elephant numbers. We estimated that observers detected only 76% ± SE of 2% of elephant herds and 87 ± 1% of individual elephants present in survey strips. Detectability increased strongly with elephant herd size. Out of the four observers used in total, one observer had a lower detection probability than the other three, and detectability was higher in the rear row of seats than the front. The habitat immediately adjacent to animals also affected detectability, with detection more likely in more open habitats. Total counts were not statistically distinguishable from sample counts. Because, however, the double-observer samples revealed that observers missed 13% of elephants, we conclude that total counts may be undercounting elephants as well. These results suggest that elephant population estimates from both sample and total counts are biased low. Because factors such as observer and habitat affected detectability of elephants, comparisons of elephant populations across time or space may be confounded. We encourage survey teams to incorporate detectability analysis in all aerial surveys for mammals.

Testing the Accuracy of Aerial Surveys for Large Mammals: An Experiment with African Savanna Elephants (Loxodonta africana)

PubMed Central

Schlossberg, Scott; Chase, Michael J.; Griffin, Curtice R.

2016-01-01

Accurate counts of animals are critical for prioritizing conservation efforts. Past research, however, suggests that observers on aerial surveys may fail to detect all individuals of the target species present in the survey area. Such errors could bias population estimates low and confound trend estimation. We used two approaches to assess the accuracy of aerial surveys for African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) in northern Botswana. First, we used double-observer sampling, in which two observers make observations on the same herds, to estimate detectability of elephants and determine what variables affect it. Second, we compared total counts, a complete survey of the entire study area, against sample counts, in which only a portion of the study area is sampled. Total counts are often considered a complete census, so comparing total counts against sample counts can help to determine if sample counts are underestimating elephant numbers. We estimated that observers detected only 76% ± SE of 2% of elephant herds and 87 ± 1% of individual elephants present in survey strips. Detectability increased strongly with elephant herd size. Out of the four observers used in total, one observer had a lower detection probability than the other three, and detectability was higher in the rear row of seats than the front. The habitat immediately adjacent to animals also affected detectability, with detection more likely in more open habitats. Total counts were not statistically distinguishable from sample counts. Because, however, the double-observer samples revealed that observers missed 13% of elephants, we conclude that total counts may be undercounting elephants as well. These results suggest that elephant population estimates from both sample and total counts are biased low. Because factors such as observer and habitat affected detectability of elephants, comparisons of elephant populations across time or space may be confounded. We encourage survey teams to incorporate detectability analysis in all aerial surveys for mammals. PMID:27755570

Metrically preserving the USGS aerial film archive

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moe, Donald; Longhenry, Ryan

2013-01-01

Since 1972, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has provided fi lm-based products to the public. EROS is home to an archive of 12 million frames of analog photography ranging from 1937 to the present. The archive contains collections from both aerial and satellite platforms including programs such as the National High Altitude Program (NHAP), National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP), U.S. Antarctic Resource Center (USARC), Declass 1(CORONA, ARGON, and LANYARD), Declass 2 (KH-7 and KH-9), and Landsat (1972 – 1992, Landsat 1–5).

Statistical comparisons of AGDISP prediction with Mission III data

Treesearch

Baozhong Duan; Karl Mierzejewski; William G. Yendol

1991-01-01

Statistical comparison of AGDISP prediction were made against data obtained during aerial spray field trials ("Mission III") conducted in March 1987 at the APHIS Facility, Moore Air Base, Edinburg, Texas, by the NEFAAT group (Northeast Forest Aerial Application Technology). Seven out of twenty one runs were observed and predicted means (O and P), mean bias...

Vehicle detection in aerial surveillance using dynamic Bayesian networks.

PubMed

Cheng, Hsu-Yung; Weng, Chih-Chia; Chen, Yi-Ying

2012-04-01

We present an automatic vehicle detection system for aerial surveillance in this paper. In this system, we escape from the stereotype and existing frameworks of vehicle detection in aerial surveillance, which are either region based or sliding window based. We design a pixelwise classification method for vehicle detection. The novelty lies in the fact that, in spite of performing pixelwise classification, relations among neighboring pixels in a region are preserved in the feature extraction process. We consider features including vehicle colors and local features. For vehicle color extraction, we utilize a color transform to separate vehicle colors and nonvehicle colors effectively. For edge detection, we apply moment preserving to adjust the thresholds of the Canny edge detector automatically, which increases the adaptability and the accuracy for detection in various aerial images. Afterward, a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) is constructed for the classification purpose. We convert regional local features into quantitative observations that can be referenced when applying pixelwise classification via DBN. Experiments were conducted on a wide variety of aerial videos. The results demonstrate flexibility and good generalization abilities of the proposed method on a challenging data set with aerial surveillance images taken at different heights and under different camera angles.

Identification and extraction of the seaward edge of terrestrial vegetation using digital aerial photography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harris, Melanie; Brock, John C.; Nayegandhi, A.; Duffy, M.; Wright, C.W.

2006-01-01

This report is created as part of the Aerial Data Collection and Creation of Products for Park Vital Signs Monitoring within the Northeast Region Coastal and Barrier Network project, which is a joint project between the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program (NPS-IM), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Observational Sciences Branch, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies (CCWS). This report is one of a series that discusses methods for extracting topographic features from aerial survey data. It details step-by-step methods used to extract a spatially referenced digital line from aerial photography that represents the seaward edge of terrestrial vegetation along the coast of Assateague Island National Seashore (ASIS). One component of the NPS-IM/USGS/NASA project includes the collection of NASA aerial surveys over various NPS barrier islands and coastal parks throughout the National Park Service's Northeast Region. These aerial surveys consist of collecting optical remote sensing data from a variety of sensors, including the NASA Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), and down-looking digital mapping cameras.

ASCA observations of distant clusters of galaxies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuru, T.; Koyama, K.; Hughes, J. P.; Arimoto, N.; Kii, T.; Hattori, M.

It is important not only in studies of clusters of galaxies but also in cosmological aspects to investigate the evolution of X-ray properties of clusters of galaxies. ASCA enables detailed spectral studies on distant clusters and the evolution of temperature for the first time. The authors present here "preliminary" results of ASCA observation of 17 distant (z = 0.14 - 0.55) clusters of galaxies. The sample includes: Cl0016+16 Abell 370, Abell 1995, Abell 959, ACGG 118, Zw 3136, EMSS 1305.4+2941, Abell 1851, Abell 963, Abell 2163, EMSS 0839.8+2938, Abell 665, Abell 1689, Abell 2218, Abell 586, Abell 1413, Abell 1895. The cosmological constants of H0 = 50 km/s/Mpc and q0 = 0.5 are adopted in this paper.

Very-high-energy gamma rays from a distant quasar: how transparent is the universe?

PubMed

Albert, J; Aliu, E; Anderhub, H; Antonelli, L A; Antoranz, P; Backes, M; Baixeras, C; Barrio, J A; Bartko, H; Bastieri, D; Becker, J K; Bednarek, W; Berger, K; Bernardini, E; Bigongiari, C; Biland, A; Bock, R K; Bonnoli, G; Bordas, P; Bosch-Ramon, V; Bretz, T; Britvitch, I; Camara, M; Carmona, E; Chilingarian, A; Commichau, S; Contreras, J L; Cortina, J; Costado, M T; Covino, S; Curtef, V; Dazzi, F; De Angelis, A; De Cea Del Pozo, E; de Los Reyes, R; De Lotto, B; De Maria, M; De Sabata, F; Mendez, C Delgado; Dominguez, A; Dorner, D; Doro, M; Errando, M; Fagiolini, M; Ferenc, D; Fernández, E; Firpo, R; Fonseca, M V; Font, L; Galante, N; López, R J García; Garczarczyk, M; Gaug, M; Goebel, F; Hayashida, M; Herrero, A; Höhne, D; Hose, J; Hsu, C C; Huber, S; Jogler, T; Kneiske, T M; Kranich, D; La Barbera, A; Laille, A; Leonardo, E; Lindfors, E; Lombardi, S; Longo, F; López, M; Lorenz, E; Majumdar, P; Maneva, G; Mankuzhiyil, N; Mannheim, K; Maraschi, L; Mariotti, M; Martínez, M; Mazin, D; Meucci, M; Meyer, M; Miranda, J M; Mirzoyan, R; Mizobuchi, S; Moles, M; Moralejo, A; Nieto, D; Nilsson, K; Ninkovic, J; Otte, N; Oya, I; Panniello, M; Paoletti, R; Paredes, J M; Pasanen, M; Pascoli, D; Pauss, F; Pegna, R G; Perez-Torres, M A; Persic, M; Peruzzo, L; Piccioli, A; Prada, F; Prandini, E; Puchades, N; Raymers, A; Rhode, W; Ribó, M; Rico, J; Rissi, M; Robert, A; Rügamer, S; Saggion, A; Saito, T Y; Salvati, M; Sanchez-Conde, M; Sartori, P; Satalecka, K; Scalzotto, V; Scapin, V; Schmitt, R; Schweizer, T; Shayduk, M; Shinozaki, K; Shore, S N; Sidro, N; Sierpowska-Bartosik, A; Sillanpää, A; Sobczynska, D; Spanier, F; Stamerra, A; Stark, L S; Takalo, L; Tavecchio, F; Temnikov, P; Tescaro, D; Teshima, M; Tluczykont, M; Torres, D F; Turini, N; Vankov, H; Venturini, A; Vitale, V; Wagner, R M; Wittek, W; Zabalza, V; Zandanel, F; Zanin, R; Zapatero, J

2008-06-27

The atmospheric Cherenkov gamma-ray telescope MAGIC, designed for a low-energy threshold, has detected very-high-energy gamma rays from a giant flare of the distant Quasi-Stellar Radio Source (in short: radio quasar) 3C 279, at a distance of more than 5 billion light-years (a redshift of 0.536). No quasar has been observed previously in very-high-energy gamma radiation, and this is also the most distant object detected emitting gamma rays above 50 gigaelectron volts. Because high-energy gamma rays may be stopped by interacting with the diffuse background light in the universe, the observations by MAGIC imply a low amount for such light, consistent with that known from galaxy counts.

Feasibility of Turing-Style Tests for Autonomous Aerial Vehicle "Intelligence"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Larry A.

2007-01-01

A new approach is suggested to define and evaluate key metrics as to autonomous aerial vehicle performance. This approach entails the conceptual definition of a "Turing Test" for UAVs. Such a "UAV Turing test" would be conducted by means of mission simulations and/or tailored flight demonstrations of vehicles under the guidance of their autonomous system software. These autonomous vehicle mission simulations and flight demonstrations would also have to be benchmarked against missions "flown" with pilots/human-operators in the loop. In turn, scoring criteria for such testing could be based upon both quantitative mission success metrics (unique to each mission) and by turning to analog "handling quality" metrics similar to the well-known Cooper-Harper pilot ratings used for manned aircraft. Autonomous aerial vehicles would be considered to have successfully passed this "UAV Turing Test" if the aggregate mission success metrics and handling qualities for the autonomous aerial vehicle matched or exceeded the equivalent metrics for missions conducted with pilots/human-operators in the loop. Alternatively, an independent, knowledgeable observer could provide the "UAV Turing Test" ratings of whether a vehicle is autonomous or "piloted." This observer ideally would, in the more sophisticated mission simulations, also have the enhanced capability of being able to override the scripted mission scenario and instigate failure modes and change of flight profile/plans. If a majority of mission tasks are rated as "piloted" by the observer, when in reality the vehicle/simulation is fully- or semi- autonomously controlled, then the vehicle/simulation "passes" the "UAV Turing Test." In this regards, this second "UAV Turing Test" approach is more consistent with Turing s original "imitation game" proposal. The overall feasibility, and important considerations and limitations, of such an approach for judging/evaluating autonomous aerial vehicle "intelligence" will be discussed from a theoretical perspective.

TIMING AND INTERSTELLAR SCATTERING OF 35 DISTANT PULSARS DISCOVERED IN THE PALFA SURVEY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nice, D. J.; Altiere, E.; Farrington, D.

2013-07-20

We have made extensive observations of 35 distant slow (non-recycled) pulsars discovered in the ongoing Arecibo PALFA pulsar survey. Timing observations of these pulsars over several years at Arecibo Observatory and Jodrell Bank Observatory have yielded high-precision positions and measurements of rotation properties. Despite being a relatively distant population, these pulsars have properties that mirror those of the previously known pulsar population. Many of the sources exhibit timing noise, and one underwent a small glitch. We have used multifrequency data to measure the interstellar scattering properties of these pulsars. We find scattering to be higher than predicted along some linesmore » of sight, particularly in the Cygnus region. Finally, we present XMM-Newton and Chandra observations of the youngest and most energetic of the pulsars, J1856+0245, which has previously been associated with the GeV-TeV pulsar wind nebula HESS J1857+026.« less

Unmanned Aerial Systems and Spectroscopy for Remote Sensing Applications in Archaeology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Themistocleous, K.; Agapiou, A.; Cuca, B.; Hadjimitsis, D. G.

2015-04-01

Remote sensing has open up new dimensions in archaeological research. Although there has been significant progress in increasing the resolution of space/aerial sensors and image processing, the detection of the crop (and soil marks) formations, which relate to buried archaeological remains, are difficult to detect since these marks may not be visible in the images if observed over different period or at different spatial/spectral resolution. In order to support the improvement of earth observation remote sensing technologies specifically targeting archaeological research, a better understanding of the crop/soil marks formation needs to be studied in detail. In this paper the contribution of both Unmanned Aerial Systems as well ground spectroradiometers is discussed in a variety of examples applied in the eastern Mediterranean region (Cyprus and Greece) as well in Central Europe (Hungary). In- situ spectroradiometric campaigns can be applied for the removal of atmospheric impact to simultaneous satellite overpass images. In addition, as shown in this paper, the systematic collection of ground truth data prior to the satellite/aerial acquisition can be used to detect the optimum temporal and spectral resolution for the detection of stress vegetation related to buried archaeological remains. Moreover, phenological studies of the crops from the area of interest can be simulated to the potential sensors based on their Relative Response Filters and therefore prepare better the satellite-aerial campaigns. Ground data and the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) can provide an increased insight for studying the formation of crop and soil marks. New algorithms such as vegetation indices and linear orthogonal equations for the enhancement of crop marks can be developed based on the specific spectral characteristics of the area. As well, UAS can be used for remote sensing applications in order to document, survey and model cultural heritage and archaeological sites.

Post-hurricane Rita mosquito surveillance and the efficacy of Air Force aerial applications for mosquito control in east Texas.

PubMed

Breidenbaugh, Mark S; Haagsma, Karl A; Walker, Wes W; Sanders, David M

2008-06-01

Post-Hurricane Rita mosquito surveillance was carried out in 4 east Texas counties to determine mosquito abundance, species composition, and need for mosquito control. Subsequently, aerial applications of naled (Dibrom) for mosquito control were made by the Air Force Aerial Spray Flight, while continued surveillance documented the efficacy of the applications. Psorophora columbiae was the predominant species in landing counts. Twenty-two mosquito species were represented in light trap collections with Aedes atlanitcus/tormentor, Culex nigripalpus, Ae. vexans, and Ps. columbiae making up 91% of the total. A total of 102,001 ha (252,052 acres) were aerially treated based on high mosquito abundance, exposure of first responders and residents to nuisance biting, and local interruption of electric utilities. A significant 90% decline in mosquito abundance was observed posttreatment.

Influence of Mechanical Properties of Aerial Shells made from Biodegradable Plastics on Smaller Fragmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kudo, Makoto; Murata, Kenji; Kamata, Satoru; Hamada, Fumio

In this paper, a new aerial shell made of biodegradable plastics was developed and explosion tests were carried out using 2.5-10 gou-size firework aerial shells at a ground test site in order to observe the fragmentation. The dispersed fragments were then collected and their size and distribution measured. In order to monitor the fragmentation visually, a high-speed camera was used to film the ignition of the bursting charge and the scattering of the shell fragments. The shell fragments became much smaller, because mechanical properties of biodegradable plastics that were added improved polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chaff powder (CP). Fibrillation was seen in PBS/PVA/CP, and it seemed effective for mechanical properties. As a result, safer aerial shells which disperse into smaller fragments on explosion were successfully developed.

Physics of Galaxy Clusters and How it Affects Cosmological Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vikhlinin, Alexey; Oliversen, Ronald J. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We have worked on the analysis of the Chandra observations of the nearby and distant clusters of galaxies, and on the expansion of the sample of distant X-ray clusters based on the archival ROSAT PSPC data. Some of the scientific results are discussed.

A study of atmospheric mixing of trace gases by aerial sampling with a multi-rotor drone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Chih-Chung; Chang, Chih-Yuan; Wang, Jia-Lin; Lin, Ming-Ren; Ou-Yang, Chang-Feng; Pan, Hsiang-Hsu; Chen, Yen-Chen

2018-07-01

We exploited a novel sampling vehicle, a multi-rotor drone carrying a remote-controlled whole air sampling device, to collect aerial samples with high sample integrity and preservation conditions. An array of 106 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), CO, CH4, and CO2 were analyzed and compared between the aerial samples (300-m height) and the ground-level samples in pairs to inspect for vertical mixing of the trace gases at a coastal site under three different meteorological conditions of local circulation, frontal passage, and high-pressure peripheral circulation. A rather homogeneous composition was observed for the sample pairs immediately after the frontal passage, indicating a well-mixed condition below 300 m. In contrast, inhomogeneous mixing was observed for the sample pairs under the other two conditions (local circulation and high-pressure peripheral circulation), suggesting different layers of air masses. Furthermore, information of unique source markers, composition profiles, and lifetimes of compounds were used to differentiate the origins of the air masses aloft and at the surface to substantiate the observed inhomogeneity. The study demonstrates that, with the availability of the near-surface aerial sampling coupling with in-laboratory analysis, detailed compositions of trace gases can now be readily obtained with superior data quality. Based on the distinctive chemical compositions, the sources, transport, and atmospheric mixing of the airborne pollutants in the near-surface atmosphere can be better studied and understood.

Aerial ULV control of Aedes aegypti with naled (Dibrom) inside simulated rural village and urban cryptic habitats.

PubMed

Britch, Seth C; Linthicum, Kenneth J; Aldridge, Robert L; Breidenbaugh, Mark S; Latham, Mark D; Connelly, Peter H; Rush, Mattie J E; Remmers, Jennifer L; Kerce, Jerry D; Silcox, Charles A

2018-01-01

We conducted aerial fixed wing ultra low volume (ULV) spray trials with naled to investigate penetration of exposed and simulated cryptic habitat within opened buildings, partially sealed buildings, and outdoor locations targeting sentinel adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in north central Florida. Mortality was observed in open and closed buildings and outdoors, even in mosquitoes placed in cryptic habitats. Observations on the impact of building type, mosquito exposure method such as placement in cryptic habitat, and spray nozzle size on mosquito mortality are described and analyzed.

Adapting astronomical source detection software to help detect animals in thermal images obtained by unmanned aerial systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longmore, S. N.; Collins, R. P.; Pfeifer, S.; Fox, S. E.; Mulero-Pazmany, M.; Bezombes, F.; Goodwind, A.; de Juan Ovelar, M.; Knapen, J. H.; Wich, S. A.

2017-02-01

In this paper we describe an unmanned aerial system equipped with a thermal-infrared camera and software pipeline that we have developed to monitor animal populations for conservation purposes. Taking a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle this problem, we use freely available astronomical source detection software and the associated expertise of astronomers, to efficiently and reliably detect humans and animals in aerial thermal-infrared footage. Combining this astronomical detection software with existing machine learning algorithms into a single, automated, end-to-end pipeline, we test the software using aerial video footage taken in a controlled, field-like environment. We demonstrate that the pipeline works reliably and describe how it can be used to estimate the completeness of different observational datasets to objects of a given type as a function of height, observing conditions etc. - a crucial step in converting video footage to scientifically useful information such as the spatial distribution and density of different animal species. Finally, having demonstrated the potential utility of the system, we describe the steps we are taking to adapt the system for work in the field, in particular systematic monitoring of endangered species at National Parks around the world.

Sugars en route to the roots. Transport, metabolism and storage within plant roots and towards microorganisms of the rhizosphere.

PubMed

Hennion, Nils; Durand, Mickael; Vriet, Cécile; Doidy, Joan; Maurousset, Laurence; Lemoine, Rémi; Pourtau, Nathalie

2018-04-28

In plants, root is a typical sink organ that relies exclusively on the import of sugar from the aerial parts. Sucrose is delivered by the phloem to the most distant root tips and, en route to the tip, is used by the different root tissues for metabolism and storage. Besides, a certain portion of this carbon is exuded in the rhizosphere, supplied to beneficial microorganisms and diverted by parasitic microbes. The transport of sugars towards these numerous sinks either occurs symplastically through cell connections (plasmodesmata) or is apoplastically mediated through membrane transporters (MST, SUT/SUC and SWEET) that control monosaccharide and sucrose fluxes. Here, we review recent progresses on carbon partitioning within and outside roots, discussing membrane transporters involved in plant responses to biotic and abiotic factors. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Age at diagnosis and distant metastasis in breast cancer--a surprising inverse relationship.

PubMed

Purushotham, A; Shamil, E; Cariati, M; Agbaje, O; Muhidin, A; Gillett, C; Mera, A; Sivanadiyan, K; Harries, M; Sullivan, R; Pinder, S E; Garmo, H; Holmberg, L

2014-07-01

Predictors for site of distant metastasis and impact on survival in breast cancer are incompletely understood. Clinico-pathological risk factors for site of distant metastasis and survival were analysed in patients with invasive breast cancer treated between 1986 and 2006. Of 3553 patients, with median follow-up 6.32years, 825 (23%) developed distant metastasis. The site of metastasis was bone in 196/825 (24%), viscera in 540/825 (65%) and unknown in 89 (11%). Larger primary invasive tumour size, higher tumour grade and axillary nodal positivity increased risk of metastasis to all sites. Lobular carcinoma was more likely to first metastasise to bone compared to invasive ductal carcinoma (NST). Oestrogen receptor (ER) negative, progesterone receptor (PgR) negative and/or Human epidermal growth factor (HER2) positive tumours were more likely to metastasise to viscera. A striking relationship between increasing age at diagnosis and a reduction in risk of distant metastasis to bone and viscera was observed. Median time to death from onset of metastatic disease was 1.52 (Interquartile range (IQR) 0.7-2.9)years for patients with bone metastasis and 0.7 (IQR 0.2-1.5)years for visceral metastasis. On multivariate analysis, despite the decrease in risk of distant metastasis with increasing age, there was an elevated hazard for death in patients >50years at diagnosis of metastasis if they developed bone metastasis, with a similar trend observed in the >70years age group if they developed visceral metastasis. These findings indicate that there are biological mechanisms underlying the impact of age on the development of distant metastasis and subsequent death. This may have important implications in the treatment of breast cancer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of moisture and moisture related phenomena from Skylab. [infrared photography of Texas/New Mexico

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eagleman, J. R.; Pogge, E. C.; Moore, R. K. (Principal Investigator); Hardy, N.; Lin, W.; League, L.

1974-01-01

The author had identified the following significant results. Soil moisture and precipitation variations were not detectable as tonal variations on the S19OA IR B and W photography. Some light tonal areas contained high precipitation .83 inches and high moisture content 21.1% while other light tonal areas contained only .02 inches precipitation and as little as 0.7% moisture. Similar variations were observed in dark tonal areas. This inconsistency may be caused by a lapse of 3 to 4 days from the time precipitation occurred until the photographs were taken and the fact that in the first inch of soil the measured soil moisture was generally less than 5.0%. For overall tonal contrast, the aerial color, color IR and aerial B and W appear to be the best. Cities stand out from the landscape best in the aerial color and color IR, however, to see major street patterns a combination of the two aerial B and W bands and the two IR B and W bands may be desirable. For mapping roads it is best use all 6 bands. For lake detection, the IR B and W bands would be the best but for streams the aerial B and W band would be better. The aerial color, color IR, and the two IR B and W bands are best for distinguishing cultivated and non-cultivated areas, whereas the two aerial B and W bands are better for seeing local relief. Clouds may be best seen in the aerial color and color IR bands.

Constraints on Janus Cosmological model from recent observations of supernovae type Ia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Agostini, G.; Petit, J. P.

2018-07-01

From our exact solution of the Janus Cosmological equation we derive the relation of the predicted magnitude of distant sources versus their red shift. The comparison, through this one free parameter model, to the available data from 740 distant supernovae shows an excellent fit.

[Distant mental influence on living organisms].

PubMed

Bonilla, Ernesto

2013-12-01

This article reviews studies of distant mental influence on living organisms, including mental suggestions of sleeping and awakening, mental influence at long distances, mental interactions with remote biological systems, mental effects on physiological activity and the sense of being stared at. Significant effects of distant mental influence have been shown in several randomized controlled trials in humans, animals, plants, bacteria and cells in the laboratory. Although distant mental influence on living organisms appears to contradict our ordinary sense of reality and the laws defined by conventional science, several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the observed effects; they include skeptical, signal transfer, field, multidimensional space/time and quantum mechanics hypotheses. In conclusion, as the progress of physics continues to expand our comprehension of reality, a rational explanation for distant mind-matter interaction will emerge and, as history has shown repeatedly, the supernatural events will evolve into paranormal and then, into normal ones, as the scientific frontiers expand.

Methods for Evaluating the Temperature Structure-Function Parameter Using Unmanned Aerial Systems and Large-Eddy Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wainwright, Charlotte E.; Bonin, Timothy A.; Chilson, Phillip B.; Gibbs, Jeremy A.; Fedorovich, Evgeni; Palmer, Robert D.

2015-05-01

Small-scale turbulent fluctuations of temperature are known to affect the propagation of both electromagnetic and acoustic waves. Within the inertial-subrange scale, where the turbulence is locally homogeneous and isotropic, these temperature perturbations can be described, in a statistical sense, using the structure-function parameter for temperature, . Here we investigate different methods of evaluating , using data from a numerical large-eddy simulation together with atmospheric observations collected by an unmanned aerial system and a sodar. An example case using data from a late afternoon unmanned aerial system flight on April 24 2013 and corresponding large-eddy simulation data is presented and discussed.

UAV observation of newly formed volcanic island, Nishinoshima, Japan, from a ship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohminato, T.; Kaneko, T.; Takagi, A.

2016-12-01

We conducted an aerial observation at Nishinoshima island, south of Japan, from Jun 7 to Jun 9, 2016 by using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), a radio controlled small helicopter. Takeoff and landing of the UAV was conducted on a ship. Nishinoshima is a small island, 130km west of Chichijima in Ogasawara Islands, Japan. New eruption started in November 2013 in a shallow sea approximately 400 m southeast of the existing Nishinoshima Island. It started from a small islet and evolved with 1-5 × 105 m3/day discharge rate (Maeno et al, 2016). In late December 2013, the islet coalesced with the existing Nishinoshima. In 16 month, the lava field reached 2.6×106 m2and covered almost all of the existing Nishinoshima. Human landing upon the newly formed part of the island has still been prohibited due to the danger of sudden eruptions. Before our mission, some pumice or rock samples had been taken from the island but their amount was not enough to conduct detailed petrological analyses. The evolution of the lava field from the central cone has been well documented by using images taken from satellites and airplanes. However, due to the limited resolution of satellite images or photos taken from distant airplanes, there still be uncertainties in detailed morphological evolution of lava flows. The purpose of our observation includes, 1) sampling of pyroclasts near the central cone in order to investigate the condition of magma chamber and magma ascent process, and 2) taking high resolution 4K images in order to clarify the characteristic morphology of the lava flow covering the island. During the three days operation, we were successfully able to sample 250g of pyroclasts and to take 1.5TB of 4K movies. Conducting UAV's takeoff and landing on a ship was not an easy task. We used a marine research ship, Keifu-Maru, operated by Japan Meteorological Agency. The ship size is 1483 tons. On the ship deck, there are several structures which can interfere with the helicopter flights. During the UAV operation, the ship kept the lowest velocity but it was always pitching, yawing and rolling. Takeoff or landing on the ship were far more difficult than those on the ground at complete rest. In the presentation, we will show the difficulty in operating the UAV on the ship and how we overcame the difficulties.

[Distant healing and diabetes mellitus. A pilot study].

PubMed

Ebneter, M; Binder, M; Kristof, O; Walach, H; Saller, R

2002-02-01

The Institut für Grenzgebiete der Psychologie und Psychohygiene, Freiburg (IGPP) in cooperation with the Abteilung Naturheilkunde, University Hospital, Zürich investigated whether Distant Healing has a beneficial effect on patients with diabetes mellitus regarding the state of the disease and quality of life. The goal of the pilot study was to observe the progression of the disease with various medical and psychological measures and to explore which of them might be sensitive for measuring possible treatment effects. 14 diabetic patients were observed for a period of 16 weeks. Within this time they underwent a treatment of 4 consecutive weeks (weeks 9-12) by 5 experienced and trustworthy healers each. Patients were informed about the duration of the treatment but not about the time point of its beginning. Patients and healers never met and there was no contact between researchers and patients during the study period. With regard to medical parameters, reduction in fructosamine level was observed during the healing period, increasing fructosamine level after the end of the healing period. Sensitivity, measured only at the beginning and at the end of the study period, decreased significantly. The other parameters showed some significant changes but there was no correlation to the Distant Healing intervention. Regarding the psychological data, only improvements were observed. The results indicate the possibility that a Distant Healing intervention could have certain effects on patients with diabetes mellitus. Copyright 2002 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg

The Evolution of the Observed Hubble Sequence over the past 6Gyr

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado-Serrano, R.; Hammer, F.; Yang, Y. B.; Puech, M.; Flores, H.; Rodrigues, M.

2011-10-01

During the past years we have confronted serious problems of methodology concerning the morphological and kinematic classification of distant galaxies. This has forced us to create a new simple and effective morphological classification methodology, in order to guarantee a morpho-kinematic correlation, make the reproducibility easier and restrict the classification subjectivity. Giving the characteristic of our morphological classification, we have thus been able to apply the same methodology, using equivalent observations, to representative samples of local and distant galaxies. It has allowed us to derive, for the first time, the distant Hubble sequence (~6 Gyr ago), and determine a morphological evolution of galaxies over the past 6 Gyr. Our results strongly suggest that more than half of the present-day spirals had peculiar morphologies, 6 Gyr ago.

Discovery of the Most Distant Supernovae and the Quest for {Omega}

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Goldhaber, G.; Perlmutter, S.; Gabi, S.; Goobar, A.; Kim, A.; Kim, M.; Pain, R.; Pennypacker, C.; Small, I.; Boyle, B.

1994-05-01

A search for cosmological supernovae has discovered a number of a type Ia supernovae. In particular, one at z = 0.458 is the most distant supernovae yet observed. There is strong evidence from measurements of nearby type Ia supernovae that they can be considered as "standard candles". The authors plan to use these supernovae to measure the deceleration in the general expansion of the universe. The aim of their experiment is to try and observe and measure about 30 such distant supernovae in order to obtain a measurement of the deceleration parameter q{sub o} which is related to {Omega}. Here {Omega} is the ratio of the density of the universe to the critical density, and they expect a measurement with an accuracy of about 30%.

Applications systems verification and transfer project. Volume 2: Operational applications of satellite snow-cover observations and data-collection systems in the Arizona test site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schumann, H. H.

1981-01-01

Ground surveys and aerial observations were used to monitor rapidly changing moisture conditions in the Salt-Verde watershed. Repetitive satellite snow cover observations greatly reduce the necessity for routine aerial snow reconnaissance flights over the mountains. High resolution, multispectral imagery provided by LANDSAT satellite series enabled rapid and accurate mapping of snow-cover distributions for small- to medium-sized subwatersheds; however, the imagery provided only one observation every 9 days of about a third of the watershed. Low resolution imagery acquired by the ITOSa dn SMS/GOES meteorological satellite series provides the daily synoptic observation necessary to monitor the rapid changes in snow-covered area in the entire watershed. Short term runoff volumes can be predicted from daily sequential snow cover observations.

Deer population in the Central Superior National Forest, 1967-1985.

Treesearch

Michael E. Nelson; L. David Mech

1986-01-01

Deer were aerially censused each winter from 1976 through 1985 in a 400 sq. km. area near Isabella, Minnesota, in the central Superior National Forest; a correction factor based on aerial observability of radio-tagged deer in the same region was then applied to the census figures. Deer numbers, which had reached an estimated 3.6/sq. km., declined drastically in the...

Analysis of change in pinon-juniper woodlands based on aerial photography, 1930's-1980's

Treesearch

Alan R. Johnson; Bruce T. Milne; Peter Hraber

1999-01-01

We conducted an analysis of land cover change in selected piñon-juniper woodlands of New Mexico and Arizona, using aerial photographs from the 1930's through the 1980's. Both increases and decreases in woodland cover were observed. Fractal dimensions of woodland patches and cover-type changes were analyzed following the method of Krummel and others (1987)....

Eat Me If You Can: Cognitive Mechanisms Underlying the Distance Effect

PubMed Central

Junghans, Astrid F.; Evers, Catharine; De Ridder, Denise T. D.

2013-01-01

Proximal objects provide affordances that activate the motor information involved in interacting with the objects. This effect has previously been shown for artifacts but not for natural objects, such as food. This study examined whether the sight of proximal food, compared to distant food activates eating-related information. In two experiments reaction times to verbal labels following the sight of proximal and distant objects (food and toys) were measured. Verbal labels included function words that were compatible with one object category (eating and playing) and observation words compatible with both object categories. The sight of food was expected to activate eating-related information when presented at proximity but not at distance, as reflected by faster reaction times to proximal than distant compatible eating words and no difference between reaction times to proximal and distant food for observation words (Experiment 1). Experiment 2 additionally compared the reaction times to wrapped and unwrapped food. The distance effect was expected to occur only for unwrapped food because only unwrapped food is readily edible. As expected, Experiment 1 and 2 revealed faster responses to compatible eating words at proximity than at distance. In Experiment 2 this distance effect occurred only for readily edible, unwrapped food but not for wrapped food. For observation words no difference in response times between the distances was found. These findings suggest that the sight of proximal food activates eating-related information, which could explain people’s differential behavioral responses to reachable versus distant food. The activation of eating-related information upon sight of accessible food could provide a cognition-based explanation for mindless eating. PMID:24367684

Hot Ion Flows in the Distant Magnetotail: ARTEMIS Observations From Lunar Orbit to ˜-200 RE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artemyev, A. V.; Angelopoulos, V.; Runov, A.; Vasko, I. Y.

2017-10-01

Plasma energization in Earth's magnetotail is supported by acceleration processes in (and around) magnetic reconnection regions. Hot plasma flows and strong electromagnetic waves, generated by magnetic energy release during reconnection, transport energy necessary for current system intensification and particle acceleration in the inner magnetosphere. Earth's magnetotail configuration includes two main reconnection regions (X lines): the near-Earth X line, which has been well studied by several multispacecraft missions, and the distant X line, which has been much less investigated. In this paper, we utilize the unique data set gathered by two ARTEMIS spacecraft in 2010 at radial distances between lunar orbit and ˜200 RE (Earth radii). We identify an X line at around ˜80 RE and collect statistics on hot plasma flows observed around and beyond this distance. Ion spectra within these flows are well fitted by a power law with the exponential tail starting above an energy ɛ0˜ 2-5 keV. Assuming that these spectra are originated at the distant X line, we examine the characteristics of the acceleration at the distant tail reconnection region.

Aerial ULV control of Aedes aegypti with naled (Dibrom) inside simulated rural village and urban cryptic habitats

PubMed Central

Linthicum, Kenneth J.; Aldridge, Robert L.; Breidenbaugh, Mark S.; Latham, Mark D.; Connelly, Peter H.; Rush, Mattie J. E.; Remmers, Jennifer L.; Kerce, Jerry D.; Silcox, Charles A.

2018-01-01

We conducted aerial fixed wing ultra low volume (ULV) spray trials with naled to investigate penetration of exposed and simulated cryptic habitat within opened buildings, partially sealed buildings, and outdoor locations targeting sentinel adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in north central Florida. Mortality was observed in open and closed buildings and outdoors, even in mosquitoes placed in cryptic habitats. Observations on the impact of building type, mosquito exposure method such as placement in cryptic habitat, and spray nozzle size on mosquito mortality are described and analyzed. PMID:29352307

GloVis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Houska, Treva R.; Johnson, A.P.

2012-01-01

The Global Visualization Viewer (GloVis) trifold provides basic information for online access to a subset of satellite and aerial photography collections from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center archive. The GloVis (http://glovis.usgs.gov/) browser-based utility allows users to search and download National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP), National High Altitude Photography (NHAP), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Earth Observing-1 (EO-1), Global Land Survey, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and TerraLook data. Minimum computer system requirements and customer service contact information also are included in the brochure.

Observations of Cross-Surf-zone / Inner-shelf Dye Exchange from Aerial Hyperspectral and in Situ Data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimes, D. J.; Giddings, S. N.; Kumar, N.; Pawlak, G. R.; Feddersen, F.

2016-12-01

Understanding the cross-shelf exchange of nearshore sourced tracers across the surfzone and onto the stratified inner-shelf is critical to be able to predict the evolution of pollution events, HAB, and larval transport, which will enable policy and mitigation efforts. The CSIDE (Cross Surfzone / Inner-shelf Dye Exchange) experiment (Sept & Oct 2015) provides observations to quantify dye tracer exchange across the surfzone/inner-shelf region with 3 dye release experiments. Shoreline released dye and temperature is tracked for 48 hrs and 20 km using aerial hyperspectral and IR imagery, in situ near-shoreline fluorometers, moored wire-walkers, AUV, and boat based towed observations. Here, we focus on the 3rd release, where dye was pumped into the mouth of the Tijuana River / Estuary during an ebb tide with low river discharge. The dye field was transported alongshore in a large coherent patch extending 1 km from shore. The plume persisted overnight with weak dilution and its center of mass was observed to move 3+ km north over 18 hrs. Aerial hyperspectral and in situ observations are analyzed to examine the horizontal and vertical dye distribution. In particular, we will explore the extent to which the stratified inner-shelf is a "material barrier," whether an observed surfzone dye and temperature correlation is maintained on the stratified inner-shelf, at what time- and length-scales, and the processes influencing this relationship.

PeV neutrinos from intergalactic interactions of cosmic rays emitted by active galactic nuclei.

PubMed

Kalashev, Oleg E; Kusenko, Alexander; Essey, Warren

2013-07-26

The observed very high energy spectra of distant blazars are well described by secondary gamma rays produced in line-of-sight interactions of cosmic rays with background photons. In the absence of the cosmic-ray contribution, one would not expect to observe very hard spectra from distant sources, but the cosmic ray interactions generate very high energy gamma rays relatively close to the observer, and they are not attenuated significantly. The same interactions of cosmic rays are expected to produce a flux of neutrinos with energies peaked around 1 PeV. We show that the diffuse isotropic neutrino background from many distant sources can be consistent with the neutrino events recently detected by the IceCube experiment. We also find that the flux from any individual nearby source is insufficient to account for these events. The narrow spectrum around 1 PeV implies that some active galactic nuclei can accelerate protons to EeV energies.

ATLOG Modeling of Aerial Cable from the November 2016 HERMES Electromagnetic Pulse Experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

campione, salvatore; Warne, Larry K.; Yee, Benjamin Tong

2017-09-01

This report details the comparison of ATLOG modeling results for the response of a finite-length dissipative aerial conductor interacting with a conducting ground to a measurement taken November 2016 at the High-Energy Radiation Megavolt Electron Source (HERMES) facility. We use the ATLOG time-domain method based on transmission line theory. Good agreement is observed between simulations and experiments. Intentionally Left Blank

Environmental Concentrations, Fate, and Risk Assessment of Pyrethrins and Piperonyl Butoxide After Aerial Ultralow-Volume Applications for Adult Mosquito Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

aerially at a rate of 2.8 g/ha of pyrethrins and 28 g/ha of PBO using a fixed-wing Piper Aztec aircraft by ADAPCO Vector Control Services (Greenville, MS...0.213 g/L) were found in five of the eight subsamples. The demonstrated rapid decline of pyrethrins observed during the present study and the

Conducting a Southern Pine Beetle Survey Using Digital Aerial Sketchmapping (DASM) - An Overview

Treesearch

Chris A. Steiner

2011-01-01

This is an overview on conducting a southern pine beetle (SPB) survey using Digital Aerial Sketchmapping (DASM); for a detailed treatment of DASM visit the following Web site: http://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/ technology/dasm.shtml. Sketchmapping – “A remote sensing technique of observing forest change events from an aircraft and documenting them manually on a map” (...

Deep sequencing analysis of the transcriptomes of peanut aerial and subterranean young pods identifies candidate genes related to early embryo abortion.

PubMed

Chen, Xiaoping; Zhu, Wei; Azam, Sarwar; Li, Heying; Zhu, Fanghe; Li, Haifen; Hong, Yanbin; Liu, Haiyan; Zhang, Erhua; Wu, Hong; Yu, Shanlin; Zhou, Guiyuan; Li, Shaoxiong; Zhong, Ni; Wen, Shijie; Li, Xingyu; Knapp, Steve J; Ozias-Akins, Peggy; Varshney, Rajeev K; Liang, Xuanqiang

2013-01-01

The failure of peg penetration into the soil leads to seed abortion in peanut. Knowledge of genes involved in these processes is comparatively deficient. Here, we used RNA-seq to gain insights into transcriptomes of aerial and subterranean pods. More than 2 million transcript reads with an average length of 396 bp were generated from one aerial (AP) and two subterranean (SP1 and SP2) pod libraries using pyrosequencing technology. After assembly, sets of 49 632, 49 952 and 50 494 from a total of 74 974 transcript assembly contigs (TACs) were identified in AP, SP1 and SP2, respectively. A clear linear relationship in the gene expression level was observed between these data sets. In brief, 2194 differentially expressed TACs with a 99.0% true-positive rate were identified, among which 859 and 1068 TACs were up-regulated in aerial and subterranean pods, respectively. Functional analysis showed that putative function based on similarity with proteins catalogued in UniProt and gene ontology term classification could be determined for 59 342 (79.2%) and 42 955 (57.3%) TACs, respectively. A total of 2968 TACs were mapped to 174 KEGG pathways, of which 168 were shared by aerial and subterranean transcriptomes. TACs involved in photosynthesis were significantly up-regulated and enriched in the aerial pod. In addition, two senescence-associated genes were identified as significantly up-regulated in the aerial pod, which potentially contribute to embryo abortion in aerial pods, and in turn, to cessation of swelling. The data set generated in this study provides evidence for some functional genes as robust candidates underlying aerial and subterranean pod development and contributes to an elucidation of the evolutionary implications resulting from fruit development under light and dark conditions. © 2012 The Authors Plant Biotechnology Journal © 2012 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Muscle metastasis from non-small cell lung cancer: two cases and literature review.

PubMed

Tezcan, Y; Koc, M

2014-08-01

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) is the most commonly observed group among lung cancers. Adenocancers are histopathologically more common. Males are more affected than females, an effect which is directly related to smoking. They generally cause distant haematogenous and lymphatic metastasis. Distant haematogenous metastases are often seen in contralateral lung, brain, bone, adrenals, and liver. Muscle metastases from NSCLC are quite rare and male cases are more frequently affected compared to female cases. NSCLC cases with muscle metastasis are at the same time accompanied by distant organ metastases such as bone, brain, and liver. All treatment approaches are considered to be palliative in these cases, which are symptomatologically quite severe. In the present study, we presented the rarely observed cases of two male patients with muscle metastasis from NSCLC together with the related literature.

Evaluation of aerial survey methods for Dall's sheep

USGS Publications Warehouse

Udevitz, Mark S.; Shults, Brad S.; Adams, Layne G.; Kleckner, Christopher

2006-01-01

Most Dall's sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) population-monitoring efforts use intensive aerial surveys with no attempt to estimate variance or adjust for potential sightability bias. We used radiocollared sheep to assess factors that could affect sightability of Dall's sheep in standard fixed-wing and helicopter surveys and to evaluate feasibility of methods that might account for sightability bias. Work was conducted in conjunction with annual aerial surveys of Dall's sheep in the western Baird Mountains, Alaska, USA, in 2000–2003. Overall sightability was relatively high compared with other aerial wildlife surveys, with 88% of the available, marked sheep detected in our fixed-wing surveys. Total counts from helicopter surveys were not consistently larger than counts from fixed-wing surveys of the same units, and detection probabilities did not differ for the 2 aircraft types. Our results suggest that total counts from helicopter surveys cannot be used to obtain reliable estimates of detection probabilities for fixed-wing surveys. Groups containing radiocollared sheep often changed in size and composition before they could be observed by a second crew in units that were double-surveyed. Double-observer methods that require determination of which groups were detected by each observer will be infeasible unless survey procedures can be modified so that groups remain more stable between observations. Mean group sizes increased during our study period, and our logistic regression sightability model indicated that detection probabilities increased with group size. Mark–resight estimates of annual population sizes were similar to sightability-model estimates, and confidence intervals overlapped broadly. We recommend the sightability-model approach as the most effective and feasible of the alternatives we considered for monitoring Dall's sheep populations.

Mapping snow depth in complex alpine terrain with close range aerial imagery - estimating the spatial uncertainties of repeat autonomous aerial surveys over an active rock glacier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goetz, Jason; Marcer, Marco; Bodin, Xavier; Brenning, Alexander

2017-04-01

Snow depth mapping in open areas using close range aerial imagery is just one of the many cases where developments in structure-from-motion and multi-view-stereo (SfM-MVS) 3D reconstruction techniques have been applied for geosciences - and with good reason. Our ability to increase the spatial resolution and frequency of observations may allow us to improve our understanding of how snow depth distribution varies through space and time. However, to ensure accurate snow depth observations from close range sensing we must adequately characterize the uncertainty related to our measurement techniques. In this study, we explore the spatial uncertainties of snow elevation models for estimation of snow depth in a complex alpine terrain from close range aerial imagery. We accomplish this by conducting repeat autonomous aerial surveys over a snow-covered active-rock glacier located in the French Alps. The imagery obtained from each flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is used to create an individual digital elevation model (DEM) of the snow surface. As result, we obtain multiple DEMs of the snow surface for the same site. These DEMs are obtained from processing the imagery with the photogrammetry software Agisoft Photoscan. The elevation models are also georeferenced within Photoscan using the geotagged imagery from an onboard GNSS in combination with ground targets placed around the rock glacier, which have been surveyed with highly accurate RTK-GNSS equipment. The random error associated with multi-temporal DEMs of the snow surface is estimated from the repeat aerial survey data. The multiple flights are designed to follow the same flight path and altitude above the ground to simulate the optimal conditions of repeat survey of the site, and thus try to estimate the maximum precision associated with our snow-elevation measurement technique. The bias of the DEMs is assessed with RTK-GNSS survey observations of the snow surface elevation of the area on and surrounding the rock glacier. Additionally, one of the challenges with processing snow cover imagery with SfM-MVS is dealing with the general homogeneity of the surface, which makes is difficult for automated-feature detection algorithms to identify key features for point matching. This challenge depends on the snow cover surface conditions, such as scale, lighting conditions (high vs. low contrast), and availability of snow-free features within a scene, among others. We attempt to explore this aspect by spatial modelling the factors influencing the precision and bias of the DEMs from image, flight, and terrain attributes.

Astronomical Methods in Aerial Navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beij, K Hilding

1925-01-01

The astronomical method of determining position is universally used in marine navigation and may also be of service in aerial navigation. The practical application of the method, however, must be modified and adapted to conform to the requirements of aviation. Much of this work of adaptation has already been accomplished, but being scattered through various technical journals in a number of languages, is not readily available. This report is for the purpose of collecting under one cover such previous work as appears to be of value to the aerial navigator, comparing instruments and methods, indicating the best practice, and suggesting future developments. The various methods of determining position and their application and value are outlined, and a brief resume of the theory of the astronomical method is given. Observation instruments are described in detail. A complete discussion of the reduction of observations follows, including a rapid method of finding position from the altitudes of two stars. Maps and map cases are briefly considered. A bibliography of the subject is appended.

Actions, Observations, and Decision-Making: Biologically Inspired Strategies for Autonomous Aerial Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pisanich, Greg; Ippolito, Corey; Plice, Laura; Young, Larry A.; Lau, Benton

2003-01-01

This paper details the development and demonstration of an autonomous aerial vehicle embodying search and find mission planning and execution srrategies inspired by foraging behaviors found in biology. It begins by describing key characteristics required by an aeria! explorer to support science and planetary exploration goals, and illustrates these through a hypothetical mission profile. It next outlines a conceptual bio- inspired search and find autonomy architecture that implements observations, decisions, and actions through an "ecology" of producer, consumer, and decomposer agents. Moving from concepts to development activities, it then presents the results of mission representative UAV aerial surveys at a Mars analog site. It next describes hardware and software enhancements made to a commercial small fixed-wing UAV system, which inc!nde a ncw dpvelopnent architecture that also provides hardware in the loop simulation capability. After presenting the results of simulated and actual flights of bioinspired flight algorithms, it concludes with a discussion of future development to include an expansion of system capabilities and field science support.

Remote and In Situ Observations of Surfzone and Inner-Shelf Tracer Dispersion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hally-Rosendahl, K.; Feddersen, F.; Clark, D.; Guza, R. T.

2014-12-01

Surfzone and inner-shelf tracer dispersion was observed at the approximately alongshore-uniform Imperial Beach, California during the IB09 experiment. Rhodamine dye tracer, released continuously near the shoreline for several hours, was advected alongshore by breaking wave- and wind-driven currents, and ejected offshore from the surfzone to the inner-shelf by transient rips. Aerial multispectral imaging of inner-shelf dye concentration complemented in situ surfzone and inner-shelf measurements of dye, temperature, waves, and currents, providing tracer transport and dispersion observations spanning approximately 400 m cross-shore and 3 km alongshore. Combined in situ and aerial measurements approximately close a surfzone and inner-shelf dye budget. Mean alongshore dye dilution follows a power-law relationship, and both spatial and temporal dye variability decrease with distance from the release. Aerial images reveal coherent inner-shelf dye plume structures extending over 300 m offshore with alongshore length scales up to 400 m. Plume tracking among successive images yields inner-shelf alongshore advection rates consistent with in situ observations. Alongshore advection is faster within the surfzone than on the inner-shelf, and the leading alongshore edge of inner-shelf dye is due to local transient rip ejections from the surfzone. A combination of in situ and aerial surfzone and inner-shelf measurements are used to quantify cross- and alongshore dye tracer transports. This work is funded by NSF (including a Graduate Research Fellowship, Grant No. DGE1144086), ONR, and California Sea Grant. Figure: Aerial multispectral image of surface dye concentration (parts per billion, see colorbar) versus cross-shore coordinate x and alongshore coordinate y, approximately 5 hours after the start of a continuous dye release (green star). The mean shoreline is at x=0 m. Dark gray indicates the beach and a pier, and light gray indicates regions outside the imaged area. Black indicates unresolved regions due to foam from wave breaking. Vertical dashed line delimits the surfzone (SZ) and inner-shelf (IS). Yellow diamonds indicate locations of in situ measurements of dye, temperature, waves, and currents. Yellow circles indicate locations of in situ dye and temperature measurements.

Analysis of Rhizome Development in Oryza longistaminata, a Wild Rice Species.

PubMed

Yoshida, Akiko; Terada, Yasuhiko; Toriba, Taiyo; Kose, Katsumi; Ashikari, Motoyuki; Kyozuka, Junko

2016-10-01

Vegetative reproduction is a form of asexual propagation in plants. A wide range of plants develop rhizomes, modified stems that grow underground horizontally, as a means of vegetative reproduction. In rhizomatous species, despite their distinct developmental patterns, both rhizomes and aerial shoots derive from axillary buds. Therefore, it is of interest to understand the basis of rhizome initiation and development. Oryza longistaminata, a wild rice species, develops rhizomes. We analyzed bud initiation and growth of O. longistaminata rhizomes using various methods of morphological observation. We show that, unlike aerial shoot buds that contain a few leaves only, rhizome buds initiate several leaves and bend to grow at right angles to the original rhizome. Rhizomes are maintained in the juvenile phase irrespective of the developmental phase of the aerial shoot. Stem elongation and reproductive transition are tightly linked in the aerial shoots, but are uncoupled in the rhizome. Our findings indicate that developmental programs operate independently in the rhizomes and aerial shoots. Temporal modification of the developmental pathways that are common to rhizomes and aerial shoots may be the source of developmental plasticity. Furthermore, the creation of new developmental systems appears to be necessary for rhizome development. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Physalis angulata. L.

PubMed

Osho, A; Adetunji, T; Fayemi, S O; Moronkola, D O

2010-01-01

The need for a reduction in drug resistance led to the investigation of Argemone Mexicana L. as an agent against Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Candida stellatoidea and Candida torulopsis, using well diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentrations methods. The sensitivity of Bacillus Subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus to the essential oils of both the aerial and root parts were determined. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was resistant to the essential oil from both the aerial and root part of the plant. C. torulopsis, C. stellatoidea and C. albicans were susceptible to the essential oils from the aerial and root part of the plant. The minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging between 3.75 mg/ml and 4.0 mg/ml were recorded for Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae by the aerial and the root extracts, but P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were not susceptible to the aerial and root extracts. The observed inhibition of selected bacteria and fungi by oils of Physalis angulata makes it a promising antimicrobial agent. This study justifies its uses for treatment of sores, cuts, intestinal and digestive problems and some skin-diseases often reported in folkloric medicine.

Hepatic Radiofrequency Ablation–induced Stimulation of Distant Tumor Growth Is Suppressed by c-Met Inhibition

PubMed Central

Kumar, Gaurav; Moussa, Marwan; Wang, Yuanguo; Rozenblum, Nir; Galun, Eithan; Goldberg, S. Nahum

2016-01-01

Purpose To elucidate how hepatic radiofrequency (RF) ablation affects distant extrahepatic tumor growth by means of two key molecular pathways. Materials and Methods Rats were used in this institutional animal care and use committee–approved study. First, the effect of hepatic RF ablation on distant subcutaneous in situ R3230 and MATBIII breast tumors was evaluated. Animals were randomly assigned to standardized RF ablation, sham procedure, or no treatment. Tumor growth rate was measured for 3½ to 7 days. Then, tissue was harvested for Ki-67 proliferative indexes and CD34 microvascular density. Second, hepatic RF ablation was performed for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and c-Met receptor expression measurement in periablational rim, serum, and distant tumor 24 hours to 7 days after ablation. Third, hepatic RF ablation was combined with either a c-Met inhibitor (PHA-665752) or VEGF receptor inhibitor (semaxanib) and compared with sham or drug alone arms to assess distant tumor growth and growth factor levels. Finally, hepatic RF ablation was performed in rats with c-Met–negative R3230 tumors for comparison with the native c-Met–positive line. Tumor size and immunohistochemical quantification at day 0 and at sacrifice were compared with analysis of variance and the two-tailed Student t test. Tumor growth curves before and after treatment were analyzed with linear regression analysis to determine mean slopes of pre- and posttreatment growth curves on a per-tumor basis and were compared with analysis of variance and paired two-tailed t tests. Results After RF ablation of normal liver, distant R3230 tumors were substantially larger at 7 days compared with tumors treated with the sham procedure and untreated tumors, with higher growth rates and tumor cell proliferation. Similar findings were observed in MATBIII tumors. Hepatic RF ablation predominantly increased periablational and serum HGF and downstream distant tumor VEGF levels. Compared with RF ablation alone, RF ablation combined with adjuvant PHA-665752 or semaxanib reduced distant tumor growth, proliferation, and microvascular density. For c-Met–negative tumors, hepatic RF ablation did not increase distant tumor growth, proliferation, or microvascular density compared with sham treatment. Conclusion RF ablation of normal liver can stimulate distant subcutaneous tumor growth mediated by HGF/c-Met pathway and VEGF activation. This effect was not observed in c-Met–negative tumors and can be blocked with adjuvant c-Met and VEGF inhibitors. © RSNA, 2015 PMID:26418615

Aerial population estimates of wild horses (Equus caballus) in the adobe town and salt wells creek herd management areas using an integrated simultaneous double-count and sightability bias correction technique

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lubow, Bruce C.; Ransom, Jason I.

2007-01-01

An aerial survey technique combining simultaneous double-count and sightability bias correction methodologies was used to estimate the population of wild horses inhabiting Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Areas, Wyoming. Based on 5 surveys over 4 years, we conclude that the technique produced estimates consistent with the known number of horses removed between surveys and an annual population growth rate of 16.2 percent per year. Therefore, evidence from this series of surveys supports the validity of this survey method. Our results also indicate that the ability of aerial observers to see horse groups is very strongly dependent on skill of the individual observer, size of the horse group, and vegetation cover. It is also more modestly dependent on the ruggedness of the terrain and the position of the sun relative to the observer. We further conclude that censuses, or uncorrected raw counts, are inadequate estimates of population size for this herd. Such uncorrected counts were all undercounts in our trials, and varied in magnitude from year to year and observer to observer. As of April 2007, we estimate that the population of the Adobe Town /Salt Wells Creek complex is 906 horses with a 95 percent confidence interval ranging from 857 to 981 horses.

Human Systems Integration and Automation Issues in Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCauley, Michael E.; Matsangas, Panagiotis

2004-01-01

The goal of this report is to identify Human System Integration (HSI) and automation issues that contribute to improved effectiveness and efficiency in the operation of U.S. military Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (SUAVs). HSI issues relevant to SUAV operations are reviewed and observations from field trials are summarized. Short-term improvements are suggested research issues are identified and an overview is provided of automation technologies applicable to future SUAV design.

Use of Aerial Photography to Monitor Fall Chinook Salmon Spawning in the Columbia River

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Visser, Richard H.; Dauble, Dennis D.; Geist, David R.

2002-11-01

This paper compares two methods for enumerating salmon redds and their application to monitoring spawning activity. Aerial photographs of fall chinook salmon spawning areas in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River were digitized and mapped using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques in 1994 and 1995 as part of an annual assessment of the population. The number of visible redds from these photographs were compared to counts obtained from visual surveys with fixed wing aircraft. The proportion of the total redds within each of five general survey areas was similar for the two monitoring techniques. However, the total number ofmore » redds based on aerial photographs was 2.2 and 3.0 times higher than those observed during visual surveys for 1994 and 1995, respectively. The divergence in redd counts was most evident near peak spawning activity when the number of redds within individual spawning clusters exceeded 500. Aerial photography improved our ability to monitor numbers of visible salmon redds and to quantify habitat use.« less

Aerial vehicles collision avoidance using monocular vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balashov, Oleg; Muraviev, Vadim; Strotov, Valery

2016-10-01

In this paper image-based collision avoidance algorithm that provides detection of nearby aircraft and distance estimation is presented. The approach requires a vision system with a single moving camera and additional information about carrier's speed and orientation from onboard sensors. The main idea is to create a multi-step approach based on a preliminary detection, regions of interest (ROI) selection, contour segmentation, object matching and localization. The proposed algorithm is able to detect small targets but unlike many other approaches is designed to work with large-scale objects as well. To localize aerial vehicle position the system of equations relating object coordinates in space and observed image is solved. The system solution gives the current position and speed of the detected object in space. Using this information distance and time to collision can be estimated. Experimental research on real video sequences and modeled data is performed. Video database contained different types of aerial vehicles: aircrafts, helicopters, and UAVs. The presented algorithm is able to detect aerial vehicles from several kilometers under regular daylight conditions.

Knowledge-based understanding of aerial surveillance video

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Hui; Butler, Darren

2006-05-01

Aerial surveillance has long been used by the military to locate, monitor and track the enemy. Recently, its scope has expanded to include law enforcement activities, disaster management and commercial applications. With the ever-growing amount of aerial surveillance video acquired daily, there is an urgent need for extracting actionable intelligence in a timely manner. Furthermore, to support high-level video understanding, this analysis needs to go beyond current approaches and consider the relationships, motivations and intentions of the objects in the scene. In this paper we propose a system for interpreting aerial surveillance videos that automatically generates a succinct but meaningful description of the observed regions, objects and events. For a given video, the semantics of important regions and objects, and the relationships between them, are summarised into a semantic concept graph. From this, a textual description is derived that provides new search and indexing options for aerial video and enables the fusion of aerial video with other information modalities, such as human intelligence, reports and signal intelligence. Using a Mixture-of-Experts video segmentation algorithm an aerial video is first decomposed into regions and objects with predefined semantic meanings. The objects are then tracked and coerced into a semantic concept graph and the graph is summarized spatially, temporally and semantically using ontology guided sub-graph matching and re-writing. The system exploits domain specific knowledge and uses a reasoning engine to verify and correct the classes, identities and semantic relationships between the objects. This approach is advantageous because misclassifications lead to knowledge contradictions and hence they can be easily detected and intelligently corrected. In addition, the graph representation highlights events and anomalies that a low-level analysis would overlook.

Nearby Hot Stars May Change Our View of Distant Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-07-01

As if it werent enough that quasars distant and bright nuclei of galaxies twinkle of their own accord due to internal processes, nature also provides another complication: these distant radio sources can also appear to twinkle because of intervening material between them and us. A new study has identified a possible source for the material getting in the way.Unexplained VariabilityA Spitzer infrared view of the Helix nebula, which contains ionized streamers of gas extending radially outward from the central star. [NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Ariz.]Distant quasars occasionally display extreme scintillation, twinkling with variability timescales shorter than a day. This intra-day variability is much greater than we can account for with standard models of the interstellar medium lying between the quasar and us. So what could cause this extreme scattering instead?The first clue to this mystery came from the discovery of strong variability in the radio source PKS 1322110. In setting up follow-up observations of this object, Mark Walker (Manly Astrophysics, Australia) and collaborators noticed that, in the plane of the sky, PKS 1322110 lies very near the bright star Spica. Could this be coincidence, or might this bright foreground star have something to do with the extreme scattering observed?Diagram explaining the source of the intra-day radio source variability as intervening filaments surrounding a hot star. [M. Walker/CSIRO/Manly Astrophysics]Swarms of ClumpsWalker and collaborators put forward a hypothesis: perhaps the ultraviolet photons of nearby hot stars ionize plasma around them, which in turn causes the extreme scattering of the distant background sources.As a model, the authors consider the Helix Nebula, in which a hot, evolved star is surrounded by cool globules of molecular hydrogen gas. The radiation from the star hits these molecular clumps, dragging them into long radial streamers and ionizing their outer skins.Though the molecular clumps in the Helix Nebula were thought to have formed only as the star evolved late into its lifetime, Walker and collaborators are now suggesting that all stars regardless of spectral type or evolutionary stage may be surrounded by swarms of tiny molecular clumps. Aroundstars that are hot enough, these clumps become the ionized plasma streamers that can cause interference with the light traveling to us from distant sources.Significant MassTo test this theory, Walker and collaborators explore observations of two distant radio quasars that have both exhibited intra-day variability over many years of observations. The team identified a hot A-type star near each of these two sources: J1819+3845 has Vega nearby, and PKS 1257326 has Alhakim.Locations of stars along the line of site to two distant quasars, J1819+3845 (top panel) and PKS 1257326 (bottom panel). Both have a nearby, hot star (blue markers) radially within 2 pc: Vega (z = 7.7 pc) and Alhakim (z = 18 pc), respectively. [Walker et al. 2017]By modeling the systems of the sources and stars, the authors show that the size, location, orientation, and numbers of plasma concentrations necessary to explain observations are all consistent with an environment similar to that of the Helix Nebula. Walker and collaborators find that the total mass in the molecular clumps surrounding the two stars would need to be comparable to the mass of the stars themselves.If this picture is correct, and if all stars are indeed surrounded by molecular clumps like these, then a substantial fraction of the mass of ourgalaxy could be contained in these clumps. Besides explaining distant quasar scintillation, this idea would therefore have a significant impact on our overall understanding of how mass in galaxies is distributed. More observations of twinkling quasars are the next step toward confirming this picture.CitationMark A. Walker et al 2017 ApJ 843 15. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa705c

A review of the genus Kanakia Distant, 1892 (Insecta: Hemiptera, Cicadoidea, Cicadidae) from New Caledonia.

PubMed

Delorme, Quentin; Mille, Christian; Jourdan, Hervé

2016-03-16

Among New Caledonian cicada taxa, the endemic genus Kanakia Distant, 1892 appears as the most spectacular one, especially because of the large size of its species (length up to 50 mm for males). Recent new specimen collections helped to clarify the taxonomy of this spectacular genus. According to morphological characteristics, we were able to redefine and to split the present genus into three distinct genera: Kanakia Distant, 1892, Pseudokanakia Delorme gen. nov. and Panialna Delorme gen. nov. These two new genera are monotypic and have been respectively established from revision of Kanakia flavoannulata (Distant 1920) and Kanakia parva Boulard 1991. Also, the type species, Kanakia typica Distant, 1892, appears to be a complex of cryptic species. New acoustic and morphological observations allowed us to redefine K. typica and to describe four new species in this complex: Kanakia paniensis Delorme sp. nov., Kanakia rana Delorme sp. nov., Kanakia salesnii Delorme sp. nov. and Kanakia fuscocosta Delorme sp. nov. Kanakia gigas Boulard 1988 is also briefly discussed and the female is described. An identification key of the Kanakia species and allied genera is also provided.

Development of a universal water signature for the LANDSAT-3 Multispectral Scanner, part 2 of 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlosser, E. H.

1980-01-01

A generalized four-channel hyperplane to discriminate water from non-water was developed using LANDSAT-3 multispectral scanner (MSS) scences and matching same/next-day color infrared aerial photography. The MSS scenes over upstate New York, eastern Washington, Montana and Louisiana taken between May and October 1978 varied in Sun elevation angle from 40 to 58 degrees. The 28 matching air photo frames selected for analysis contained over 1400 water bodies larger than one surface acre. A preliminary water discriminant was used to screen the data and eliminate from further consideration all pixels distant from water in MSS spectral space. Approximately 1300 pixels, half of them non-edge water pixels and half non-water pixels spectrally close to water, were labelled. A linear discriminant was iteratively fitted to the labelled pixels, giving more weight to those pixels that were difficult to discriminate. This discriminant correctly classified 98.7 percent of the water pixels and 98.6 percent of the non-water pixels.

[Limitations of landscape pattern analysis based on landscape indices: a case study of Lize-jian wetland in Yilan of Taiwan Province, China].

PubMed

Lin, Meng-lung; Cao, Yu; Wang, Shin

2008-01-01

In this paper, the Lizejian wetland landscape patterns in northeastern Taiwan of China were established by landscape indices and aerial photo interpretation, and a parallel analysis was made on them. The results showed that landscape indices could only indicate the landscape geometric characteristics of the wetland at patch and landscape levels, but could not present its spatial and functional characteristics observed from aerial photos. Combining aerial photo interpretation with landscape indices could be helpful to the holistic understanding of Lizejian wetland' s landscape structure and function, and improve the landscape pattern analysis. The new method for assessing landscape structure from a holistic point of view would play an important role in future landscape ecology research.

Spatial Scale Gap Filling Using an Unmanned Aerial System: A Statistical Downscaling Method for Applications in Precision Agriculture.

PubMed

Hassan-Esfahani, Leila; Ebtehaj, Ardeshir M; Torres-Rua, Alfonso; McKee, Mac

2017-09-14

Applications of satellite-borne observations in precision agriculture (PA) are often limited due to the coarse spatial resolution of satellite imagery. This paper uses high-resolution airborne observations to increase the spatial resolution of satellite data for related applications in PA. A new variational downscaling scheme is presented that uses coincident aerial imagery products from "AggieAir", an unmanned aerial system, to increase the spatial resolution of Landsat satellite data. This approach is primarily tested for downscaling individual band Landsat images that can be used to derive normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and surface soil moisture (SSM). Quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate promising capabilities of the downscaling approach enabling effective increase of the spatial resolution of Landsat imageries by orders of 2 to 4. Specifically, the downscaling scheme retrieved the missing high-resolution feature of the imageries and reduced the root mean squared error by 15, 11, and 10 percent in visual, near infrared, and thermal infrared bands, respectively. This metric is reduced by 9% in the derived NDVI and remains negligibly for the soil moisture products.

Spatial Scale Gap Filling Using an Unmanned Aerial System: A Statistical Downscaling Method for Applications in Precision Agriculture

PubMed Central

Hassan-Esfahani, Leila; Ebtehaj, Ardeshir M.; McKee, Mac

2017-01-01

Applications of satellite-borne observations in precision agriculture (PA) are often limited due to the coarse spatial resolution of satellite imagery. This paper uses high-resolution airborne observations to increase the spatial resolution of satellite data for related applications in PA. A new variational downscaling scheme is presented that uses coincident aerial imagery products from “AggieAir”, an unmanned aerial system, to increase the spatial resolution of Landsat satellite data. This approach is primarily tested for downscaling individual band Landsat images that can be used to derive normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and surface soil moisture (SSM). Quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate promising capabilities of the downscaling approach enabling effective increase of the spatial resolution of Landsat imageries by orders of 2 to 4. Specifically, the downscaling scheme retrieved the missing high-resolution feature of the imageries and reduced the root mean squared error by 15, 11, and 10 percent in visual, near infrared, and thermal infrared bands, respectively. This metric is reduced by 9% in the derived NDVI and remains negligibly for the soil moisture products. PMID:28906428

Quantitative analysis of drainage obtained from aerial photographs and RBV/LANDSAT images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dejesusparada, N. (Principal Investigator); Formaggio, A. R.; Epiphanio, J. C. N.; Filho, M. V.

1981-01-01

Data obtained from aerial photographs (1:60,000) and LANDSAT return beam vidicon imagery (1:100,000) concerning drainage density, drainage texture, hydrography density, and the average length of channels were compared. Statistical analysis shows that significant differences exist in data from the two sources. The highly drained area lost more information than the less drained area. In addition, it was observed that the loss of information about the number of rivers was higher than that about the length of the channels.

Chaotic Dynamics of Trans-Neptunian Objects Perturbed by Planet Nine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadden, Sam; Li, Gongjie; Payne, Matthew J.; Holman, Matthew J.

2018-06-01

Observations of clustering among the orbits of the most distant trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) has inspired interest in the possibility of an undiscovered ninth planet lurking in the outskirts of the solar system. Numerical simulations by a number of authors have demonstrated that, with appropriate choices of planet mass and orbit, such a planet can maintain clustering in the orbital elements of the population of distant TNOs, similar to the observed sample. However, many aspects of the rich underlying dynamical processes induced by such a distant eccentric perturber have not been fully explored. We report the results of our investigation of the dynamics of coplanar test-particles that interact with a massive body on an circular orbit (Neptune) and a massive body on a more distant, highly eccentric orbit (the putative Planet Nine). We find that a detailed examination of our idealized simulations affords tremendous insight into the rich test-particle dynamics that are possible. In particular, we find that chaos and resonance overlap plays an important role in particles’ dynamical evolution. We develop a simple mapping model that allows us to understand, in detail, the web of overlapped mean-motion resonances explored by chaotically evolving particles. We also demonstrate that gravitational interactions with Neptune can have profound effects on the orbital evolution of particles. Our results serve as a starting point for a better understanding of the dynamical behavior observed in more complicated simulations that can be used to constrain the mass and orbit of Planet Nine.

A Noninvasive Test for MicroRNA Expression in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PubMed

Gissi, Davide B; Morandi, Luca; Gabusi, Andrea; Tarsitano, Achille; Marchetti, Claudio; Cura, Francesca; Palmieri, Annalisa; Montebugnoli, Lucio; Asioli, Sofia; Foschini, Maria P; Scapoli, Luca

2018-06-16

MicroRNAs have recently been proposed as non-invasive biomarkers in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of a panel of miRNAs in epithelial cells collected by oral brushing from OSCCs from regenerative areas after OSCC surgical resection and from their respective normal distant mucosa. Oral brushing specimens were collected from 24 healthy donors, 14 OSCC patients with specimens from tumour and normal distant mucosa, and from 13 patients who had OSCC resection, with samples from regenerative areas after OSCC resection and normal distant mucosa. Expression levels of eight targets (miR-21, miR-375, miR-345, miR-181b, miR-146a, miR-649, miR-518b, and miR-191) were evaluated by real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). A highly significant between-group difference was found for miR-21 (F = 6.58, p < 0.001), miR-146a (F = 6.974, p < 0.001), and miR-191 (F = 17.07, p < 0.001). The major difference was observed between samples from healthy donors and from OSCC brushing, whereas no significant differences were observed between areas infiltrated by OSCC and their respective normal distant mucosa. Furthermore, altered expression of miR-146a and miR-191 was also observed in regenerative areas after OSCC resection. Oral brushing could be proposed as a noninvasive method to study microRNA expression in oral mucosa in OSCC patients.

African penguins follow the gaze direction of conspecifics

PubMed Central

Trincas, Egle

2017-01-01

Gaze following is widespread among animals. However, the corresponding ultimate functions may vary substantially. Thus, it is important to study previously understudied (or less studied) species to develop a better understanding of the ecological contexts that foster certain cognitive traits. Penguins (Family Spheniscidae), despite their wide interspecies ecological variation, have previously not been considered for cross-species comparisons. Penguin behaviour and communication have been investigated over the last decades, but less is known on how groups are structured, social hierarchies are established, and coordination for hunting and predator avoidance may occur. In this article, we investigated how African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) respond to gaze cues of conspecifics using a naturalistic setup in a zoo environment. Our results provide evidence that members of the family Spheniscidae follow gaze of conspecifics into distant space. However, further tests are necessary to examine if the observed behaviour serves solely one specific function (e.g. predator detection) or is displayed in a broader context (e.g. eavesdropping on relevant stimuli in the environment). In addition, our findings can serve as a starting point for future cross-species comparisons with other members of the penguin family, to further explore the role of aerial predation and social structure on gaze following in social species. Overall, we also suggest that zoo-housed animals represent an ideal opportunity to extend species range and to test phylogenetic families that have not been in the focus of animal cognitive research. PMID:28626619

A sightability model for mountain goats

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rice, C.G.; Jenkins, K.J.; Chang, W.-Y.

2009-01-01

Unbiased estimates of mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) populations are key to meeting diverse harvest management and conservation objectives. We developed logistic regression models of factors influencing sightability of mountain goat groups during helicopter surveys throughout the Cascades and Olympic Ranges in western Washington during summers, 20042007. We conducted 205 trials of the ability of aerial survey crews to detect groups of mountain goats whose presence was known based on simultaneous direct observation from the ground (n 84), Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry (n 115), or both (n 6). Aerial survey crews detected 77 and 79 of all groups known to be present based on ground observers and GPS collars, respectively. The best models indicated that sightability of mountain goat groups was a function of the number of mountain goats in a group, presence of terrain obstruction, and extent of overstory vegetation. Aerial counts of mountain goats within groups did not differ greatly from known group sizes, indicating that under-counting bias within detected groups of mountain goats was small. We applied HorvitzThompson-like sightability adjustments to 1,139 groups of mountain goats observed in the Cascade and Olympic ranges, Washington, USA, from 2004 to 2007. Estimated mean sightability of individual animals was 85 but ranged 0.750.91 in areas with low and high sightability, respectively. Simulations of mountain goat surveys indicated that precision of population estimates adjusted for sightability biases increased with population size and number of replicate surveys, providing general guidance for the design of future surveys. Because survey conditions, group sizes, and habitat occupied by goats vary among surveys, we recommend using sightability correction methods to decrease bias in population estimates from aerial surveys of mountain goats.

Comparison and assessment of aerial and ground estimates of waterbird colonies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Green, M.C.; Luent, M.C.; Michot, T.C.; Jeske, C.W.; Leberg, P.L.

2008-01-01

Aerial surveys are often used to quantify sizes of waterbird colonies; however, these surveys would benefit from a better understanding of associated biases. We compared estimates of breeding pairs of waterbirds, in colonies across southern Louisiana, USA, made from the ground, fixed-wing aircraft, and a helicopter. We used a marked-subsample method for ground-counting colonies to obtain estimates of error and visibility bias. We made comparisons over 2 sampling periods: 1) surveys conducted on the same colonies using all 3 methods during 3-11 May 2005 and 2) an expanded fixed-wing and ground-survey comparison conducted over 4 periods (May and Jun, 2004-2005). Estimates from fixed-wing aircraft were approximately 65% higher than those from ground counts for overall estimated number of breeding pairs and for both dark and white-plumaged species. The coefficient of determination between estimates based on ground and fixed-wing aircraft was ???0.40 for most species, and based on the assumption that estimates from the ground were closer to the true count, fixed-wing aerial surveys appeared to overestimate numbers of nesting birds of some species; this bias often increased with the size of the colony. Unlike estimates from fixed-wing aircraft, numbers of nesting pairs made from ground and helicopter surveys were very similar for all species we observed. Ground counts by one observer resulted in underestimated number of breeding pairs by 20% on average. The marked-subsample method provided an estimate of the number of missed nests as well as an estimate of precision. These estimates represent a major advantage of marked-subsample ground counts over aerial methods; however, ground counts are difficult in large or remote colonies. Helicopter surveys and ground counts provide less biased, more precise estimates of breeding pairs than do surveys made from fixed-wing aircraft. We recommend managers employ ground counts using double observers for surveying waterbird colonies when feasible. Fixed-wing aerial surveys may be suitable to determine colony activity and composition of common waterbird species. The most appropriate combination of survey approaches will be based on the need for precise and unbiased estimates, balanced with financial and logistical constraints.

Discovery of a Supernova Explosion at Half the Age of the Universe and its Cosmological Implications

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Perlmutter, S.; Aldering, G.; Della Valle, M.; Deustua, S.; Ellis, R. S.; Fabbro, S.; Fruchter, A.; Goldhaber, G.; Goobar, A.; Groom, D. E.; Hook, I. M.; Kim, A. G.; Kim, M. Y.; Knop, R. A.; Lidman, C.; McMahon, R. G.; Nugent, P.; Pain, R.; Panagia, N.; Pennypacker, C. R.; Ruiz-Lapuente, P.; Schaefer, B.; Walton, N.

1997-12-16

The ultimate fate of the universe, infinite expansion or a big crunch, can be determined by measuring the redshifts, apparent brightnesses, and intrinsic luminosities of very distant supernovae. Recent developments have provided tools that make such a program practicable: (1) Studies of relatively nearby Type la supernovae (SNe la) have shown that their intrinsic luminosities can be accurately determined; (2) New research techniques have made it possible to schedule the discovery and follow-up observations of distant supernovae, producing well over 50 very distant (z = 0.3-0.7) SNe Ia to date. These distant supernovae provide a record of changes in the expansion rate over the past several billion years. By making precise measurements of supernovae at still greater distances, and thus extending this expansion history back far enough in time, we can even distinguish the slowing caused by the gravitational attraction of the universe's mass density {Omega}{sub M} from the effect of a possibly inflationary pressure caused by a cosmological constant {Lambda}. We report here the first such measurements, with our discovery of a Type Ia supernova (SN 1997ap) at z = 0.83. Measurements at the Keck II 10-m telescope make this the most distant spectroscopically confirmed supernova. Over two months of photometry of SN 1997ap with the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based telescopes, when combined with previous measurements of nearer SNe la, suggests that we may live in a low mass-density universe. Further supernovae at comparable distances are currently scheduled for ground and space-based observations.

Psychological distance reduces literal imitation: Evidence from an imitation-learning paradigm.

PubMed

Hansen, Jochim; Alves, Hans; Trope, Yaacov

2016-03-01

The present experiments tested the hypothesis that observers engage in more literal imitation of a model when the model is psychologically near to (vs. distant from) the observer. Participants learned to fold a dog out of towels by watching a model performing this task. Temporal (Experiment 1) and spatial (Experiment 2) distance from the model were manipulated. As predicted, participants copied more of the model's specific movements when the model was near (vs. distant). Experiment 3 replicated this finding with a paper-folding task, suggesting that distance from a model also affects imitation of less complex tasks. Perceived task difficulty, motivation, and the quality of the end product were not affected by distance. We interpret the findings as reflecting different levels of construal of the model's performance: When the model is psychologically distant, social learners focus more on the model's goal and devise their own means for achieving the goal, and as a result show less literal imitation of the model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

A young source of optical emission from distant radio galaxies.

PubMed

Hammer, F; Fèvre, O Le; Angonin, M C

1993-03-25

DISTANT radio galaxies provide valuable insights into the properties of the young Universe-they are the only known extended optical sources at high redshift and might represent an early stage in the formation and evolution of galaxies in general. This extended optical emission often has very complex morphologies, but the origin of the light is still unclear. Here we report spectroscopic observations for several distant radio galaxies (0.75≤ z ≤ 1.1) in which the rest-frame spectra exhibit featureless continua between 2,500 Å and 5,000 Å. We see no evidence for the break in the spectrum at 4,000 Å expected for an old stellar population 1-3 , and suggest that young stars or scattered emissions from the active nuclei are responsible for most of the observed light. In either case, this implies that the source of the optical emission is com-parable in age to the associated radio source, namely 10 7 years or less.

MreB of Streptomyces coelicolor is not essential for vegetative growth but is required for the integrity of aerial hyphae and spores.

PubMed

Mazza, Paola; Noens, Elke E; Schirner, Kathrin; Grantcharova, Nina; Mommaas, A Mieke; Koerten, Henk K; Muth, Günther; Flärdh, Klas; van Wezel, Gilles P; Wohlleben, Wolfgang

2006-05-01

MreB forms a cytoskeleton in many rod-shaped bacteria which is involved in cell shape determination and chromosome segregation. PCR-based and Southern analysis of various actinomycetes, supported by analysis of genome sequences, revealed mreB homologues only in genera that form an aerial mycelium and sporulate. We analysed MreB in one such organism, Streptomyces coelicolor. Ectopic overexpression of mreB impaired growth, and caused swellings and lysis of hyphae. A null mutant with apparently normal vegetative growth was generated. However, aerial hyphae of this mutant were swelling and lysing; spores doubled their volume and lost their characteristic resistance to stress conditions. Loss of cell wall consistency was observed in MreB-depleted spores by transmission electron microscopy. An MreB-EGFP fusion was constructed to localize MreB in the mycelium. No clearly localized signal was seen in vegetative mycelium. However, strong fluorescence was observed at the septa of sporulating aerial hyphae, then as bipolar foci in young spores, and finally in a ring- or shell-like pattern inside the spores. Immunogold electron microscopy using MreB-specific antibodies revealed that MreB is located immediately underneath the internal spore wall. Thus, MreB is not essential for vegetative growth of S. coelicolor, but exerts its function in the formation of environmentally stable spores, and appears to primarily influence the assembly of the spore cell wall.

Epidemiology of Feature-Specific Injuries Sustained by Skiers in a Snow Park.

PubMed

Carús, Luis; Escorihuela, María

2016-09-01

The objective of the present case series study was to analyze injury types and injured anatomic locations resulting from skiing in snow park (SP) features and to determine potential risk factors for ski injuries in an SP. The study was conducted during the 2013-2014 winter season in the SP of a major winter resort located in the Spanish Pyrenees. Cases involved skiers who experienced feature-related injuries in the SP. A total of 113 cases met the inclusion criteria. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds of injury types and injury to anatomic locations on aerial versus nonaerial features. The overall injury rate was 0.9 per 1000 skier runs. The proportion of injuries was higher for aerials (1.18% of uses) than for nonaerials (0.66% of uses). Results revealed that the upper extremities were the most commonly injured body region, and sprains/strains/dislocations and fractures were the most common injury type. The most commonly injured anatomic location on nonaerial features was the face, while on aerial features it was the head. A higher proportion of fractures was observed on aerial features, while a higher proportion of sprains/strains/dislocations was observed on nonaerial features. Prevention strategies to reduce injury risk include SP redesign, safety and communication policies, instruction on technical skills, and promotion of the use of protective equipment. Copyright © 2016 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Retrieval of microphysical characteristics of particles in atmospheres of distant comets from ground-based polarimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dlugach, Janna M.; Ivanova, Oleksandra V.; Mishchenko, Michael I.; Afanasiev, Viktor L.

2018-01-01

We summarize unique aperture data on the degree of linear polarization observed for distant comets C/2010 S1, C/2010 R1, C/2011 KP36, C/2012 J1, C/2013 V4, and C/2014 A4 with heliocentric distances exceeding 3 AU. Observations have been carried out at the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Nizhnij Arkhyz, Russia) during the period from 2011 to 2016. The measured negative polarization proves to be significantly larger in absolute value than what is typically observed for comets close to the Sun. We compare the new observational data with the results of numerical modeling performed with the T-matrix and superposition T-matrix methods. In our computer simulations, we assume the cometary coma to be an optically thin cloud containing particles in the form of spheroids, fractal aggregates composed of spherical monomers, and mixtures of spheroids and aggregate particles. We obtain a good semi-quantitative agreement between all polarimetric data for the observed distant comets and the results of numerical modeling for the following models of the cometary dust: (i) a mixture of submicrometer water-ice oblate spheroids with aggregates composed of submicrometer silicate monomers; and (ii) a mixture of submicrometer water-ice oblate spheroids and aggregates consisting of both silicate and organic monomers. The microphysical parameters of these models are presented and discussed.

Aerial image databases for pipeline rights-of-way management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jadkowski, Mark A.

1996-03-01

Pipeline companies that own and manage extensive rights-of-way corridors are faced with ever-increasing regulatory pressures, operating issues, and the need to remain competitive in today's marketplace. Automation has long been an answer to the problem of having to do more work with less people, and Automated Mapping/Facilities Management/Geographic Information Systems (AM/FM/GIS) solutions have been implemented at several pipeline companies. Until recently, the ability to cost-effectively acquire and incorporate up-to-date aerial imagery into these computerized systems has been out of the reach of most users. NASA's Earth Observations Commercial Applications Program (EOCAP) is providing a means by which pipeline companies can bridge this gap. The EOCAP project described in this paper includes a unique partnership with NASA and James W. Sewall Company to develop an aircraft-mounted digital camera system and a ground-based computer system to geometrically correct and efficiently store and handle the digital aerial images in an AM/FM/GIS environment. This paper provides a synopsis of the project, including details on (1) the need for aerial imagery, (2) NASA's interest and role in the project, (3) the design of a Digital Aerial Rights-of-Way Monitoring System, (4) image georeferencing strategies for pipeline applications, and (5) commercialization of the EOCAP technology through a prototype project at Algonquin Gas Transmission Company which operates major gas pipelines in New England, New York, and New Jersey.

Automated aerial image based CD metrology initiated by pattern marking with photomask layout data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Grant; Choi, Sun Young; Jung, Eui Hee; Seyfarth, Arne; van Doornmalen, Hans; Poortinga, Eric

2007-05-01

The photomask is a critical element in the lithographic image transfer process from the drawn layout to the final structures on the wafer. The non-linearity of the imaging process and the related MEEF impose a tight control requirement on the photomask critical dimensions. Critical dimensions can be measured in aerial images with hardware emulation. This is a more recent complement to the standard scanning electron microscope measurement of wafers and photomasks. Aerial image measurement includes non-linear, 3-dimensional, and materials effects on imaging that cannot be observed directly by SEM measurement of the mask. Aerial image measurement excludes the processing effects of printing and etching on the wafer. This presents a unique contribution to the difficult process control and modeling tasks in mask making. In the past, aerial image measurements have been used mainly to characterize the printability of mask repair sites. Development of photomask CD characterization with the AIMS TM tool was motivated by the benefit of MEEF sensitivity and the shorter feedback loop compared to wafer exposures. This paper describes a new application that includes: an improved interface for the selection of meaningful locations using the photomask and design layout data with the Calibre TM Metrology Interface, an automated recipe generation process, an automated measurement process, and automated analysis and result reporting on a Carl Zeiss AIMS TM system.

Performance Analysis of the SIFT Operator for Automatic Feature Extraction and Matching in Photogrammetric Applications.

PubMed

Lingua, Andrea; Marenchino, Davide; Nex, Francesco

2009-01-01

In the photogrammetry field, interest in region detectors, which are widely used in Computer Vision, is quickly increasing due to the availability of new techniques. Images acquired by Mobile Mapping Technology, Oblique Photogrammetric Cameras or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles do not observe normal acquisition conditions. Feature extraction and matching techniques, which are traditionally used in photogrammetry, are usually inefficient for these applications as they are unable to provide reliable results under extreme geometrical conditions (convergent taking geometry, strong affine transformations, etc.) and for bad-textured images. A performance analysis of the SIFT technique in aerial and close-range photogrammetric applications is presented in this paper. The goal is to establish the suitability of the SIFT technique for automatic tie point extraction and approximate DSM (Digital Surface Model) generation. First, the performances of the SIFT operator have been compared with those provided by feature extraction and matching techniques used in photogrammetry. All these techniques have been implemented by the authors and validated on aerial and terrestrial images. Moreover, an auto-adaptive version of the SIFT operator has been developed, in order to improve the performances of the SIFT detector in relation to the texture of the images. The Auto-Adaptive SIFT operator (A(2) SIFT) has been validated on several aerial images, with particular attention to large scale aerial images acquired using mini-UAV systems.

A search for X-ray bright distant clusters of galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nichol, R. C.; Ulmer, M. P.; Kron, R. G.; Wirth, G. D.; Koo, D. C.

1994-01-01

We present the results of a search for X-ray luminous distant clusters of galaxies. We found extended X-ray emission characteristic of a cluster toward two of our candidate clusters of galaxies. They both have a luminosity in the ROSAT bandpass of approximately equals 10(exp 44) ergs/s and a redshift greater than 0.5; thus making them two of the most distant X-ray clusters ever observed. Furthermore, we show that both clusters are optically rich and have a known radio source associated with them. We compare our result with other recent searches for distant X-ray luminous clusters and present a lower limit of 1.2 x 10(exp -7)/cu Mpc for the number density of such high-redshift clusters. This limit is consistent with the expected abundance of such clusters in a standard (b = 2) cold dark matter universe. Finally, our clusters provide important high-redshift targets for further study into the origin and evolution of massive clusters of galaxies.

Battery Weymouth Combined Observation Station ruin, view to north with ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Battery Weymouth Combined Observation Station ruin, view to north with masonry structure distant - Fort McKinley, Battery Weymouth Combined Observation Station, West side of East Side Drive, approximately 125 feet south of Weymouth Way, Great Diamond Island, Portland, Cumberland County, ME

WSR-88D doppler radar detection of corn earworm moth migration.

PubMed

Westbrook, J K; Eyster, R S; Wolf, W W

2014-07-01

Corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) (CEW) populations infesting one crop production area may rapidly migrate and infest distant crop production areas. Although entomological radars have detected corn earworm moth migrations, the spatial extent of the radar coverage has been limited to a small horizontal view above crop production areas. The Weather Service Radar (version 88D) (WSR-88D) continuously monitors the radar-transmitted energy reflected by, and radial speed of, biota as well as by precipitation over areas that may encompass crop production areas. We analyzed data from the WSR-88D radar (S-band) at Brownsville, Texas, and related these data to aerial concentrations of CEW estimated by a scanning entomological radar (X-band) and wind velocity measurements from rawinsonde and pilot balloon ascents. The WSR-88D radar reflectivity was positively correlated (r2=0.21) with the aerial concentration of corn earworm-size insects measured by a scanning X-band radar. WSR-88D radar constant altitude plan position indicator estimates of wind velocity were positively correlated with wind speed (r2=0.56) and wind direction (r2=0.63) measured by pilot balloons and rawinsondes. The results reveal that WSR-88D radar measurements of insect concentration and displacement speed and direction can be used to estimate the migratory flux of corn earworms and other nocturnal insects, information that could benefit areawide pest management programs. In turn, identification of the effects of spatiotemporal patterns of migratory flights of corn earworm-size insects on WSR-88D radar measurements may lead to the development of algorithms that increase the accuracy of WSR-88D radar measurements of reflectivity and wind velocity for operational meteorology.

WSR-88D doppler radar detection of corn earworm moth migration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westbrook, J. K.; Eyster, R. S.; Wolf, W. W.

2014-07-01

Corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) (CEW) populations infesting one crop production area may rapidly migrate and infest distant crop production areas. Although entomological radars have detected corn earworm moth migrations, the spatial extent of the radar coverage has been limited to a small horizontal view above crop production areas. The Weather Service Radar (version 88D) (WSR-88D) continuously monitors the radar-transmitted energy reflected by, and radial speed of, biota as well as by precipitation over areas that may encompass crop production areas. We analyzed data from the WSR-88D radar (S-band) at Brownsville, Texas, and related these data to aerial concentrations of CEW estimated by a scanning entomological radar (X-band) and wind velocity measurements from rawinsonde and pilot balloon ascents. The WSR-88D radar reflectivity was positively correlated ( r 2 = 0.21) with the aerial concentration of corn earworm-size insects measured by a scanning X-band radar. WSR-88D radar constant altitude plan position indicator estimates of wind velocity were positively correlated with wind speed ( r 2 = 0.56) and wind direction ( r 2 = 0.63) measured by pilot balloons and rawinsondes. The results reveal that WSR-88D radar measurements of insect concentration and displacement speed and direction can be used to estimate the migratory flux of corn earworms and other nocturnal insects, information that could benefit areawide pest management programs. In turn, identification of the effects of spatiotemporal patterns of migratory flights of corn earworm-size insects on WSR-88D radar measurements may lead to the development of algorithms that increase the accuracy of WSR-88D radar measurements of reflectivity and wind velocity for operational meteorology.

Cooperative Monocular-Based SLAM for Multi-UAV Systems in GPS-Denied Environments †

PubMed Central

Guerra, Edmundo

2018-01-01

This work presents a cooperative monocular-based SLAM approach for multi-UAV systems that can operate in GPS-denied environments. The main contribution of the work is to show that, using visual information obtained from monocular cameras mounted onboard aerial vehicles flying in formation, the observability properties of the whole system are improved. This fact is especially notorious when compared with other related visual SLAM configurations. In order to improve the observability properties, some measurements of the relative distance between the UAVs are included in the system. These relative distances are also obtained from visual information. The proposed approach is theoretically validated by means of a nonlinear observability analysis. Furthermore, an extensive set of computer simulations is presented in order to validate the proposed approach. The numerical simulation results show that the proposed system is able to provide a good position and orientation estimation of the aerial vehicles flying in formation. PMID:29701722

Cooperative Monocular-Based SLAM for Multi-UAV Systems in GPS-Denied Environments.

PubMed

Trujillo, Juan-Carlos; Munguia, Rodrigo; Guerra, Edmundo; Grau, Antoni

2018-04-26

This work presents a cooperative monocular-based SLAM approach for multi-UAV systems that can operate in GPS-denied environments. The main contribution of the work is to show that, using visual information obtained from monocular cameras mounted onboard aerial vehicles flying in formation, the observability properties of the whole system are improved. This fact is especially notorious when compared with other related visual SLAM configurations. In order to improve the observability properties, some measurements of the relative distance between the UAVs are included in the system. These relative distances are also obtained from visual information. The proposed approach is theoretically validated by means of a nonlinear observability analysis. Furthermore, an extensive set of computer simulations is presented in order to validate the proposed approach. The numerical simulation results show that the proposed system is able to provide a good position and orientation estimation of the aerial vehicles flying in formation.

36 CFR 1237.24 - What are special considerations for storage and maintenance of aerial photographic records?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... maintenance of aerial photographic records? (a) Mark each aerial film container with a unique identification code to facilitate identification and filing. (b) Mark aerial film indexes with the unique aerial film identification codes or container codes for the aerial film that they index. Also, file and mark the aerial...

36 CFR § 1237.24 - What are special considerations for storage and maintenance of aerial photographic records?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... maintenance of aerial photographic records? (a) Mark each aerial film container with a unique identification code to facilitate identification and filing. (b) Mark aerial film indexes with the unique aerial film identification codes or container codes for the aerial film that they index. Also, file and mark the aerial...

36 CFR 1237.24 - What are special considerations for storage and maintenance of aerial photographic records?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... maintenance of aerial photographic records? (a) Mark each aerial film container with a unique identification code to facilitate identification and filing. (b) Mark aerial film indexes with the unique aerial film identification codes or container codes for the aerial film that they index. Also, file and mark the aerial...

36 CFR 1237.24 - What are special considerations for storage and maintenance of aerial photographic records?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... maintenance of aerial photographic records? (a) Mark each aerial film container with a unique identification code to facilitate identification and filing. (b) Mark aerial film indexes with the unique aerial film identification codes or container codes for the aerial film that they index. Also, file and mark the aerial...

36 CFR 1237.24 - What are special considerations for storage and maintenance of aerial photographic records?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... maintenance of aerial photographic records? (a) Mark each aerial film container with a unique identification code to facilitate identification and filing. (b) Mark aerial film indexes with the unique aerial film identification codes or container codes for the aerial film that they index. Also, file and mark the aerial...

Core-needle biopsy of breast cancer is associated with a higher rate of distant metastases 5 to 15 years after diagnosis than FNA biopsy.

PubMed

Sennerstam, Roland B; Franzén, Bo S H; Wiksell, Hans O T; Auer, Gert U

2017-10-01

The literature offers discordant results regarding whether diagnostic biopsy is associated with the dissemination of cancer cells, resulting in local and/or distant metastasis. The long-term outcomes of patients with breast cancer were compared between those who were diagnosed using either fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) or core-needle biopsy (CNB) during 2 decades: the 1970s and 1990s. In the 1970s, the only diagnostic needle biopsy method used for breast cancer in Sweden was FNAB. CNB was introduced 1989 and became established in Stockholm Gotland County in the early 1990s. The authors compared the clinical outcomes of patients diagnosed using FNAB from 1971 to 1976 (n = 354) versus those of patients diagnosed using CNB from 1991 to 1995 (n = 1729). Adjusting for differences in various treatment modalities, mammography screening, tumor size, DNA ploidy, and patient age between the 2 decades, 2 strictly matched samples representing FNAB (n = 181) and CNB (n = 203) were selected for a 15-year follow-up study. In a comparison of the rates of distant metastasis in the strictly matched patient groups from the FNAB and CNB cohorts, significantly higher rates of late-appearing (5-15 years after diagnosis) distant metastasis were observed among the patients who were diagnosed on CNB compared with those who were diagnosed on FNAB. No significant difference in local metastasis was observed between the 2 groups. At 5 to 15 years after diagnosis of the primary tumor, CNB-diagnosed patients had significantly higher rates of distant metastases than FNAB-diagnosed patients. Cancer Cytopathol 2017;125:748-56. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Aerial sampling using drones for measuring trace gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Chih-Chung; Wang, Jia-Lin; Chang, Chih-Yuan; Lin, Ming-Ren; Ou-Yang, Chang-Feng; Pan, Xiang-Xu; Lin, Neng-Huei

2017-04-01

Aerial and ground-level samples were simultaneously collected at the northern tip of Taiwan, Cape Fuguei, which is commonly served as a receptor site to receive air parcels from East Asia, Asian continent, the northwest Pacific Ocean and the island of Taiwan itself. Both aerial and surface samples were analyzed for 106 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and divided into three categories as follows: 1. the total concentrations of 106 VOC (T-VOC) at 300-m height that are lower than the T-VOC level at the surface (Category A), 2. T-VOC concentrations at 300-m that are higher than those at the surface (Category B), and 3. comparable concentrations (Category C). Ten VOCs were exploited as tracers for a variety of emission sources linking to possible sources and transport routes of airborne pollutants. The first two categories A and B showed significant differences in the observed composition and concentrations of tracers between aerial and ground-level samples, implying that the pollutants at different heights may have resulted from different sources and poor air mixing, despite only a 300-m difference in vertical height. In contrast, Category C showed good vertical mixing, as indicated by the comparable concentrations between the aerial and surface measurements. Since the three categories occurred in specific meteorological conditions (between, prior to, and after cold fronts), respectively, it suggests that varied prevailing meteorology controlled the distribution and transport of airborne pollutants. Unlike sampling commonly performed at the surface, this study uses aerial sampling to demonstrate that layered structures under different meteorological conditions. Sampling aloft in lower boundary layer avoids samples being over-influenced by the close-by surface sources such as traffic to reveal signatures of a broader region.

Study of wave runup using numerical models and low-altitude aerial photogrammetry: A tool for coastal management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casella, Elisa; Rovere, Alessio; Pedroncini, Andrea; Mucerino, Luigi; Casella, Marco; Cusati, Luis Alberto; Vacchi, Matteo; Ferrari, Marco; Firpo, Marco

2014-08-01

Monitoring the impact of sea storms on coastal areas is fundamental to study beach evolution and the vulnerability of low-lying coasts to erosion and flooding. Modelling wave runup on a beach is possible, but it requires accurate topographic data and model tuning, that can be done comparing observed and modeled runup. In this study we collected aerial photos using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle after two different swells on the same study area. We merged the point cloud obtained with photogrammetry with multibeam data, in order to obtain a complete beach topography. Then, on each set of rectified and georeferenced UAV orthophotos, we identified the maximum wave runup for both events recognizing the wet area left by the waves. We then used our topography and numerical models to simulate the wave runup and compare the model results to observed values during the two events. Our results highlight the potential of the methodology presented, which integrates UAV platforms, photogrammetry and Geographic Information Systems to provide faster and cheaper information on beach topography and geomorphology compared with traditional techniques without losing in accuracy. We use the results obtained from this technique as a topographic base for a model that calculates runup for the two swells. The observed and modeled runups are consistent, and open new directions for future research.

Focus expansion and stability of the spread parameter estimate of the power law model for dispersal gradients

PubMed Central

Gent, David H.; Mehra, Lucky K.; Christie, David; Magarey, Roger

2017-01-01

Empirical and mechanistic modeling indicate that pathogens transmitted via aerially dispersed inoculum follow a power law, resulting in dispersive epidemic waves. The spread parameter (b) of the power law model, which is an indicator of the distance of the epidemic wave front from an initial focus per unit time, has been found to be approximately 2 for several animal and plant diseases over a wide range of spatial scales under conditions favorable for disease spread. Although disease spread and epidemic expansion can be influenced by several factors, the stability of the parameter b over multiple epidemic years has not been determined. Additionally, the size of the initial epidemic area is expected to be strongly related to the final epidemic extent for epidemics, but the stability of this relationship is also not well established. Here, empirical data of cucurbit downy mildew epidemics collected from 2008 to 2014 were analyzed using a spatio-temporal model of disease spread that incorporates logistic growth in time with a power law function for dispersal. Final epidemic extent ranged from 4.16 ×108 km2 in 2012 to 6.44 ×108 km2 in 2009. Current epidemic extent became significantly associated (P < 0.0332; 0.56 < R2 < 0.99) with final epidemic area beginning near the end of April, with the association increasing monotonically to 1.0 by the end of the epidemic season in July. The position of the epidemic wave-front became exponentially more distant with time, and epidemic velocity increased linearly with distance. Slopes from the temporal and spatial regression models varied with about a 2.5-fold range across epidemic years. Estimates of b varied substantially ranging from 1.51 to 4.16 across epidemic years. We observed a significant b ×time (or distance) interaction (P < 0.05) for epidemic years where data were well described by the power law model. These results suggest that the spread parameter b may not be stable over multiple epidemic years. However, b ≈ 2 may be considered the lower limit of the distance traveled by epidemic wave-fronts for aerially transmitted pathogens that follow a power law dispersal function. PMID:28649473

An aerial radiological survey of the Durango, Colorado uranium mill tailings site and surrounding area

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hilton, L.K.

1981-06-01

An aerial radiological survey of Durango, Colorado, including the inactive uranium mill tailings piles located southwest of the town, was conducted during August 25--29, 1980, for the Department of Energy's Environmental and Safety Engineering Division. Areas of radiation exposure rates higher than the local background, which was about 15 microrentgens per hour ({mu}R/h), were observed directly over and to the south of the mill tailings piles, over a cemetery, and at two spots near the fairgrounds. The rapidly changing radiation exposure rates at the boundaries of the piles preclude accurate extrapolation of aerial radiological data to ground level exposure ratesmore » in their immediate vicinity. Estimated radiation exposure rates close to the piles, however, approached 30 times background, or about 450 {mu}R/h. Radiation exposure rates in a long area extending south from the tailings piles were about 25 {mu}R/h.« less

From Vegetable Waste to New Agents for Potential Health Applications: Antioxidant Properties and Effects of Extracts, Fractions and Pinocembrin from Glycyrrhiza glabra L. Aerial Parts on Viability of Five Human Cancer Cell Lines.

PubMed

Aiello, Francesca; Armentano, Biagio; Polerà, Nicoletta; Carullo, Gabriele; Loizzo, Monica Rosa; Bonesi, Marco; Cappello, Maria Stella; Capobianco, Loredana; Tundis, Rosa

2017-09-13

Glycyrrhiza glabra cultivation and harvesting produces substantial quantities of aerial parts as waste. With the aim to prospect an innovative valorization of these byproducts, the aerial parts were harvested in May and October and analyzed for their chemical profile, antioxidant properties, and effects on viability of five cancer cell lines. Pinocembrin was the main constituent. A significant protection of lipid peroxidation was observed with the May total extract (IC 50 of 4.2 ± 0.4 μg/mL at 30 min of incubation). The effects on viability of HeLa, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, Caco-2, and PC3 human cancer cells were investigated. All samples shown a remarkable activity with IC 50 values below 25 μg/mL. Samples from plants harvested in May exhibited greater activity than those harvested in October. MCF-7 and HeLa were the most sensitive cells with IC 50 in the range 2.73-3.01 and 3.28-5.53 μg/mL, respectively. G. glabra aerial parts represent a good source of valuable products.

Aerial Vehicles to Detect Maximum Volume of Plume Material Associated with Habitable Areas in Extreme Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gunasekara, Onalli; Wong, Uland Y.; Furlong, Michael P.; Dille, Michael

2017-01-01

Current technologies of exploring habitable areas of icy moons are limited to flybys of space probes. This research project addresses long-term navigation of icy moons by developing a MATLAB adjustable trajectory based on the volume of plume material observed. Plumes expose materials from the sub-surface without accessing the subsurface. Aerial vehicles capable of scouting vapor plumes and detecting maximum plume material volumes, which are considered potentially habitable in inhospitable environments, would enable future deep-space missions to search for extraterrestrial organisms on the surface of icy moons. Although this platform is still a prototype, it demonstrates the potential aerial vehicles can have in improving the capabilities of long-term space navigation and enabling technology for detecting life in extreme environments. Additionally, this work is developing the capabilities that could be utilized as a platform for space biology research. For example, aerial vehicles that are sent to map extreme environments of icy moons or the planet Mars, could also carry small payloads with automated cell-biology experiments, designed to probe the biological response of low-gravity and high-radiation planetary environments, serving as a pathfinder for future human missions.

Environmental geophysics and sequential aerial photo study at Sunfish and Marsden Lakes, Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Padar, C.A.; McGinnis, L.D.; Thompson, M.D.

1995-08-01

Geophysical studies at Site H of Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant have delineated specific areas of dumping and waste disposal. Anomalous areas noted in the geophysical data sets have been correlated with features visible in a chronological sequence of aerial photos. The photos aid in dating the anthropogenic changes and in interpreting the geophysical anomalies observed at Site H and across Sunfish Lake. Specifically, two burn cages and what has been interpreted as their surrounding debris have been delineated. The areal extent of another waste site has been defined in the southwest corner of Area H-1. Depth estimates to themore » top of the Area H-1 anomalies show that the anomalies lie below lake level, indicative of dumping directly into Sunfish Lake. Except for these areas along the northwestern shore, there is no evidence of waste disposal along the shoreline or within the present-day lake margins. Magnetic, electromagnetic, and ground-penetrating-radar data have pinpointed the locations of mounds, observable in aerial photos, around the first burn cage. The second burn cage and its surrounding area have also been clearly defined from aerial photos, with support from further geophysical data. Additional analysis of the data has yielded volumetric estimates of the amount of material that would need removal in the event of excavation of the anomalous areas. Magnetic and electromagnetic profiles were also run across Marsden Lake. On the basis of these data, it has been concluded that no large-scale dumping has occurred in or around Marsden Lake.« less

Ancient fossil specimens of extinct species are genetically more distant to an outgroup than extant sister species are

PubMed Central

Huang, Shi

2009-01-01

There exists a remarkable correlation between genetic distance as measured by protein or DNA dissimilarity and time of species divergence as inferred from fossil records. This observation has provoked the molecular clock hypothesis. However, data inconsistent with the hypothesis have steadily accumulated in recent years from studies of extant organisms. Here the published DNA and protein sequences from ancient fossil specimens were examined to see if they would support the molecular clock hypothesis. The hypothesis predicts that ancient specimens cannot be genetically more distant to an outgroup than extant sister species are. Also, two distinct ancient specimens cannot be genetically more distant than their extant sister species are. The findings here do not conform to these predictions. Neanderthals are more distant to chimpanzees and gorillas than modern humans are. Dinosaurs are more distant to frogs than extant birds are. Mastodons are more distant to opossums than other placental mammals are. The genetic distance between dinosaurs and mastodons is greater than that between extant birds and mammals. Therefore, while the molecular clock hypothesis is consistent with some data from extant organisms, it has yet to find support from ancient fossils. Far more damaging to the hypothesis than data from extant organisms, which merely question the constancy of mutation rate, the study of ancient fossil organisms here challenges for the first time the fundamental premise of modern evolution theory that genetic distances had always increased with time in the past history of life on Earth. PMID:18600632

Adaptive Neural Network Control of a Flapping Wing Micro Aerial Vehicle With Disturbance Observer.

PubMed

He, Wei; Yan, Zichen; Sun, Changyin; Chen, Yunan

2017-10-01

The research of this paper works out the attitude and position control of the flapping wing micro aerial vehicle (FWMAV). Neural network control with full state and output feedback are designed to deal with uncertainties in this complex nonlinear FWMAV dynamic system and enhance the system robustness. Meanwhile, we design disturbance observers which are exerted into the FWMAV system via feedforward loops to counteract the bad influence of disturbances. Then, a Lyapunov function is proposed to prove the closed-loop system stability and the semi-global uniform ultimate boundedness of all state variables. Finally, a series of simulation results indicate that proposed controllers can track desired trajectories well via selecting appropriate control gains. And the designed controllers possess potential applications in FWMAVs.

A hard X-ray view on two distant TeV-blazars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reimer, A.; Costamante, L.; Reimer, O.

2008-12-24

We present a data set derived from {approx}50 ksec continuous Suzaku observations and covered with quasi-simultaneous TeV-observations (HESS, MAGIC) of two of the more distant TeV-blazars detected to date: 1ES 1101-232 and 1ES 1553+113. Both sources are found in a non-variable state with combined XIS-PIN spectra indicating downward curvature up to several tens of keV. 1ES 101-232 was found in a quiet state with the lowest X-ray flux ever measured. We discuss the contemporaneous broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) of both sources and implications from absorption in the EBL for the redshift of 1ES 1553+113.

Distant asteroids and Chiron

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

French, Linda M.; Vilas, Faith; Hartmann, William K.; Tholen, David J.

1989-01-01

Knowledge of the physical properties of distant asteroids (a greater than 3.3 AU) has grown dramatically over the past five years, due to systematic compositional and lighcurve studies. Most of these objects have red, dark surfaces, and their spectra show a reddening in spectral slope with heliocentric distance, implying a change in surface composition. Trojans for which near-opposition phase curve information is available appear to show little or no opposition effect, unlike any other dark solar system objects. The lightcurve amplitudes of Trojan and Hilda asteroids imply significantly more elongated shapes for these groups than for main-belt asteroids of comparable size. These recent observations are reviewed in the context of their implications for the formationan and subsequent evolution of the distant asteroids, and their interrelations with the main belt, Chiron, and comets.

Existence of ``free will'' as a problem of physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peres, Asher

1986-06-01

The proof of Bell's inequality is based on the assumption that distant observers can freely and independently choose their experiments. As Bell's inequality is experimentally violated, it appears that distant physical systems may behave as a single, nonlocal, indivisible entity. This apparent contradiction is resolved. It is shown that the “free will” assumption is, under usual circumstances, an excellent approximation. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life.... — Deuteronomy XXX, 19

Launch Method for Kites in Low-Wind or No-Wind Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bland, Geoffrey; Miles, Ted

2012-01-01

Airborne observations using lightweight camera systems are desirable for a variety of applications. This system was contemplated as a method to provide a simple remote sensing aerial platform. Kites have been successfully employed for aerial observations, but have historically required natural wind or towing to become airborne. This new method negates this requirement, and widens the applicability of kites for carrying instrumentation. Applicability is primarily limited by the space available on the ground for launching. The innovation is a method for launching kites in low-wind or no-wind conditions. This method will enable instrumentation to be carried aloft using simple (or complex) kite-based systems, to obtain observations from an aerial perspective. This technique will provide access to altitudes of 100 meters or more over any area normally suited for kite flying. The duration of any observation is dependent on wind strength; however, the initial altitude is relatively independent. The system does not require any electrical or combustion-based elements. This technology was developed to augment local-scale airborne measurement capabilities suitable for Earth science research, agricultural productivity, and environmental observations. The method represents an extension of techniques often used in aeronautical applications for launching fixed-wing aircraft, such as sailplanes, using mechanical means not incorporated in the aircraft itself. The innovation consists of an elastic cord (for propulsive force), a tether extension (optional, for additional height), and the kite (instrumentation optional). Operation of the system is accomplished by fixing the elastic cord to ground (or equivalent), attaching the cord with/or without a tether extension to the kite, tensioning the system to store energy, and releasing the kite. The kite will climb until energy is dissipated.

"Churyumov Unified Network": New, Important Tasks for Astronomical Observatories to Protect Society in the Era of Modern Hybrid Wars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churyumov, K. I.; Vidmachenko, A. P.; Steklov, A. F.; Dashkiev, N. G.; Romanyuk, Ya. O.; Stepakhno, I. V.

2016-12-01

Authors created and provided the operation of the first version of the "Bolide Network of Churyumov" for continuous recording of twilight and daytime traces of aerial and aerospace intrusions over Kiev and Kiev district during 2013-2016. A total of more than 36000 copyright photos was obtained, their classification was carried out and the first database was created. The authors recorded typical space invading meteoroids, comets nucleus fragments and traces of aerial intrusions, signs of which, as a rule, are observed at lower altitudes comparing with typical space invasions.

Planning and Execution for an Autonomous Aerobot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaines, Daniel M.; Estlin, Tara A.; Schaffer, Steven R.; Chouinard, Caroline M.

2010-01-01

The Aerial Onboard Autonomous Science Investigation System (AerOASIS) system provides autonomous planning and execution capabilities for aerial vehicles (see figure). The system is capable of generating high-quality operations plans that integrate observation requests from ground planning teams, as well as opportunistic science events detected onboard the vehicle while respecting mission and resource constraints. AerOASIS allows an airborne planetary exploration vehicle to summarize and prioritize the most scientifically relevant data; identify and select high-value science sites for additional investigation; and dynamically plan, schedule, and monitor the various science activities being performed, even during extended communications blackout periods with Earth.

Daytime activity of wolves during winter in northeastern Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mech, L.D.

1992-01-01

Intermittent aerial observations of 405 radiocollared wolves from November 1968 through March 1989 showed the following percentage of activity: sleeping, 34%; resting, 31%; traveling, 18%, feeding 6%; other, 2%.

Concept of a digital aerial platform for conducting observation flights under the open skies treaty. (Polish Title: Koncepcja cyfrowej platformy lotniczej do realizacji misji obserwacyjnych w ramach traktatu o otwartych przestworzach)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walczykowski, P.; Orych, A.

2013-12-01

The Treaty on Open Skies, to which Poland is a signatory from the very beginning, was signed in 1992 in Helsinki. The main principle of the Treaty is increasing the openness of military activities conducted by the States-Parties and control over respecting disarmament agreements. Responsibilities given by the Treaty are fulfilled by conducting and receiving a given number of observation flights over the territories of the Treaty signatories. Among the 34 countries currently actively taking part in this Treaty only some own certified airplanes and observation sensors. Poland is within the group of countries who do not own their own platform and therefore fulfills Treaty requirements using the Ukrainian An-30b. Primarily, the Treaty only enabled the use of analogue sensors for the acquisition of imagery data. Together with the development of digital techniques, a rise in the need for digital imagery products had been noted. Currently digital photography is being used in almost ass fields of studies and everyday life. This has lead to very rapid developments in digital sensor technologies, employing the newest and most innovative solutions. Digital imagery products have many advantages and have now almost fully replaced traditional film sensors. Digital technologies have given rise to a new era in Open Skies. The Open Skies Consultative Commission, having conducted many series of tests, signed a new Decision to the Treaty, which allows for digital aerial sensors to be used during observation flights. The main aim of this article is to design a concept of choosing digital sensors and selecting an airplane, therefore a digital aerial platform, which could be used by Poland for Open Skies purposes. A thorough analysis of airplanes currently used by the Polish Air force was conducted in terms of their specifications and the possibility of their employment for Open Skies Treaty missions. Next, an analysis was conducted of the latest aerial digital sensors offered by leading commercial manufacturers. The sensors were analyzed in terms of the accordance of their specifications with the technical requirements of the Treaty.

ISTP observations of plasmoid ejection: IMP 8 and Geotail

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Slavin, J.A.; Fairfield, D.H.; Kuznetsova, M.M.

1998-01-01

IMP 8 and Geotail observations of traveling compression regions (TCRs) and plasmoids, respectively, are used to investigate plasmoid formation and ejection. One year of IMP 8 magnetometer measurements taken during the distant tail phase of the Geotail mission were searched for TCRs, which signal the release of plasmoids down the tail. A total of 10 such intervals were identified. Examination of the Geotail measurements showed that this spacecraft was in the magnetotail for only three of the events. However, in all three cases, clear plasmoid signatures were observed at Geotail. These plasmoids were observed at distances of X={minus}170 to {minus}197more » R{sub E}. The in situ plasma velocities in these plasmoids are found to exceed the time-of-flight speeds between IMP 8 and Geotail suggesting that some further acceleration may have taken place following release. The inferred lengths of these plasmoids, {approximately}27{endash}40 R{sub E}, are comparable to the downtail distance of IMP 8. This indicates that TCR at IMP 8 can be caused by plasmoids forming not only earthward but also adjacent to or just tailward of the spacecraft. The closeness of IMP 8 to the point of plasmoid formation is confirmed by the small, {approximately}0{endash}3min, time delays between the TCR perturbation and substorm onset. In two of the plasmoid events, high-speed earthward plasma flows and streaming energetic particles were measured in the plasma sheet boundary layer surrounding the plasmoid along with large positive B{sub z} at the leading edge of the plasmoid suggesting that the core of the plasmoid was {open_quotes}snow plowing{close_quotes} into flux tubes recently closed at an active distant neutral line. In summary, these unique two-point measurements clearly show plasmoid ejection near substorm onset, their rapid movement to the distant tail and their further evolution as they encounter preexisting X lines in the distant tail. {copyright} 1998 American Geophysical Union« less

Development of orange rust of sugarcane in Louisiana

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Orange rust of sugarcane was observed for the first time in the Americas in 2007 in Florida. Urediniospores of Puccinia kuehnii, the causal agent of orange rust, were collected in aerial traps located in Louisiana in 2010; however, the first observation of disease symptoms in the state was not made ...

Thunderstorms observed by radio astronomy Explorer 1 over regions of low man made noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caruso, J. A.; Herman, J. R.

1974-01-01

Radio Astronomy Explorer (RAE) I observations of thunderstorms over regions of low man-made noise levels are analyzed to assess the satellite's capability for noise source differentiation. The investigation of storms over Australia indicates that RAE can resolve noise generation due to thunderstorms from the general noise background over areas of low man-made noise activity. Noise temperatures observed by RAE over stormy regions are on the average 10DB higher than noise temperatures over the same regions in the absence of thunderstorms. In order to determine the extent of noise contamination due to distant transmitters comprehensive three dimensional computer ray tracings were generated. The results indicate that generally, distant transmitters contribute negligibly to the total noise power, being 30DB or more below contributions arriving from an area immediately below the satellite.

Distant Massive Clusters and Cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donahue, Megan

1999-01-01

We present a status report of our X-ray study and analysis of a complete sample of distant (z=0.5-0.8), X-ray luminous clusters of galaxies. We have obtained ASCA and ROSAT observations of the five brightest Extended Medium Sensitivity (EMSS) clusters with z > 0.5. We have constructed an observed temperature function for these clusters, and measured iron abundances for all of these clusters. We have developed an analytic expression for the behavior of the mass-temperature relation in a low-density universe. We use this mass-temperature relation together with a Press-Schechter-based model to derive the expected temperature function for different values of Omega-M. We combine this analysis with the observed temperature functions at redshifts from 0 - 0.8 to derive maximum likelihood estimates for the value of Omega-M. We report preliminary results of this analysis.

A Deep Chandra Observation of the Distant Galaxy Cluster MS 1137.5+6625

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grego, Laura; Vrtilek, J. M.; Van Speybroeck, Leon; David, Laurence P.; Forman, William; Carlstrom, John E.; Reese, Erik D.; Joy, Marshall K.

2004-06-01

We present results from a deep Chandra observation of MS 1137.5+66, a distant (z=0.783) and massive cluster of galaxies. Only a few similarly massive clusters are currently known at such high redshifts; accordingly, this observation provides much needed information on the dynamical state of these rare systems. The cluster appears both regular and symmetric in the X-ray image. However, our analysis of the spectral and spatial X-ray data in conjunction with interferometric Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect data and published deep optical imaging suggests that the cluster has a fairly complex structure. The angular diameter distance we calculate from the Chandra and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect data assuming an isothermal, spherically symmetric cluster implies a low value for the Hubble constant for which we explore possible explanations.

Floating aerial LED signage based on aerial imaging by retro-reflection (AIRR).

PubMed

Yamamoto, Hirotsugu; Tomiyama, Yuka; Suyama, Shiro

2014-11-03

We propose a floating aerial LED signage technique by utilizing retro-reflection. The proposed display is composed of LEDs, a half mirror, and retro-reflective sheeting. Directivity of the aerial image formation and size of the aerial image have been investigated. Furthermore, a floating aerial LED sign has been successfully formed in free space.

Phytochemical Study of the Genus Salpichroa (Solanaceae), Chemotaxonomic Considerations, and Biological Evaluation in Prostate and Breast Cancer Cells.

PubMed

Basso, Ana Valentina; Leiva González, Segundo; Barboza, Gloria Estela; Careaga, Valeria Pilar; Calvo, Juan Carlos; Sacca, Paula A; Nicotra, Viviana Estela

2017-08-01

Twelve Salpichroa taxa have been phytochemically analyzed. From the aerial parts of S. scandens, four known salpichrolides A, C, I, S, and an unreported withanolide named salpichrolide V (1), were isolated. In S. dependens, S. gayi, S. glandulosa subsp. glandulosa, S. glandulosa subps. weddellii, S. leucantha, S. micrantha, S. microloba, S. proboscidea, S. ramosissima, S. tristis var. tristis, and S. weberbauerii, no withanolides were found. The chemical content of ca. 85% of the Salpichroa taxa is in agreement with molecular studies, which suggest that Salpichroa and Jaborosa, a genus considered morphologically close to Salpichroa, are distant in the systematic of the Solanoideae subfamily. Moreover, the in vitro cytotoxic activity of a set of natural salpichrolides and derivatives was examined against two prostate carcinoma cell lines (PC3 and LNCaP) and two human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and T47D). Several compounds showed moderate activity (IC 50  = 64.91 - 29.97 μm). © 2017 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.

Review of the leafhopper genus Penthimia Germar (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from the Indian subcontinent with description of seven new species.

PubMed

Shobharani, M; Viraktamath, C A; Webb, M D

2018-01-02

Species of the leafhopper genus Penthimia Germar known from the Indian subcontinent are reviewed based on the examination of type specimens. Seven new species of the genus, Penthimia curvata sp. nov. (Karnataka: Bandipur), P. meghalayensis sp. nov. (Meghalaya: Nangpoh), P. neoattenuata sp. nov. (India: Tamil Nadu), P. ribhoi sp. nov. (India: Meghalaya), P. sahyadrica sp. nov. (Karnataka: Dharmasthala, Agumbe; Kerala: Thekkady), P. spiculata sp. nov. (Karnataka: Nagarahole) and P. tumida sp. nov. (Tamil Nadu: Ootacamund; Kerala: Munnar) are described. The following nomenclatorial changes are proposed: Penthimia alba Zahniser, McKamey Dmitriev, 2012 (replacement name for P. thoracica Distant, 1918, nec Panzer, 1799), syn. nov. of P. quadrinotata Distant, 1918; Neodartus scutellatus Distant, 1908 syn. nov. of Penthimia ereba Distant 1908; P. nilgiriensis Distant, 1918 syn. nov. of P. montana Distant, 1918; P. scutellata (Distant) comb. nov. (from genus Neodartus); a lectotype is designated for P. maculosa Distant, stat. revived, thereby removing its synonymy with P. scapularis Distant. The following other lectotypes are designated: P. attenuata Distant, P. subniger Distant, P. scapularis Distant, P. distanti Baker, P. ereba Distant, N. scutellatus Distant, P. fraterna Distant, P. funebris Distant, P. juno Distant, P. maculosa Distant, P. montana Distant, P. noctua Distant, P. quadrinotata Distant, P. alba Zahniser, McKamey Dmitriev. Examination of types of Penthimia rufopunctata Motschulsky revealed that it belongs to Penthimia and hence it is transferred back to that genus from Neodartus, revised placement. The following species previously included in the genus Penthimia are transferred to the genera Tambila Distant and Vulturnus Kirkaldy: Tambila badia (Distant) comb. nov., T. majuscula (Distant) comb. nov., T. vittatifrons (Distant) comb. nov., T. variabilis (Distant) comb. nov. and Vulturnus flavocapitata (Distant) comb. nov. Three species are treated in a new Penthimia compacta Walker complex, i.e., Penthimia compacta Walker 1851, Penthimia subniger Distant 1908 and Penthimia scapularis Distant 1908. All taxa are described and a key to Penthimiini genera found in the subcontinent and also a key to species of Penthimia are included.

Integrated solution for the complete remote sensing process - Earth Observation Mission Control Centre (EOMC2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czapski, Paweł

2016-07-01

We are going to show the latest achievements of the Remote Sensing Division of the Institute of Aviation in the area of remote sensing, i.e. the project of the integrated solution for the whole remote sensing process ranging from acquiring to providing the end user with required information. Currently, these tasks are partially performed by several centers in Poland, however there is no leader providing an integrated solution. Motivated by this fact, the Earth Observation Mission Control Centre (EOMC2) was established in the Remote Sensing Division of the Institute of Aviation that will provide such a comprehensive approach. Establishing of EOMC2 can be compared with creating Data Center Aerial and Satellite Data Centre (OPOLIS) in the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography in the mid-70s in Poland. OPOLIS was responsible for broadly defined data processing, it was a breakthrough innovation that initiated the use of aerial image analysis in Poland. Operation center is a part of the project that will be created, which in comparison with the competitors will provide better solutions, i.e.: • Centralization of the acquiring, processing, publishing and archiving of data, • Implementing elements of the INSPIRE directive recommendations on spatial data management, • Providing the end-user with information in the near real-time, • Ability of supplying the system with images of various origin (aerial, satellite, e.g. EUMETCast, Sentinel, Landsat) and diversity of telemetry data, data aggregation and using the same algorithms to images obtained from different sources, • System reconfiguration and batch processing of large data sets at any time, • A wide range of potential applications: precision agriculture, environmental protection, crisis management and national security, aerial, small satellite and sounding rocket missions monitoring.

Parabolic dune reactivation and migration at Napeague, NY, USA: Insights from aerial and GPR imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girardi, James D.; Davis, Dan M.

2010-02-01

Observations from mapping since the 19th century and aerial imagery since 1930 have been used to study changes in the aeolian geomorphology of coastal parabolic dunes over the last ~ 170 years in the Walking Dune Field, Napeague, NY. The five large parabolic dunes of the Walking Dune Field have all migrated across, or are presently interacting with, a variably forested area that has affected their migration, stabilization and morphology. This study has concentrated on a dune with a particularly complex history of stabilization, reactivation and migration. We have correlated that dune's surface evolution, as revealed by aerial imagery, with its internal structures imaged using 200 MHz and 500 MHz Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys. Both 2D (transect) and high-resolution 3D GPR imagery image downwind dipping bedding planes which can be grouped by apparent dip angle into several discrete packages of beds that reflect distinct decadal-scale episodes of dune reactivation and growth. From aerial and high resolution GPR imagery, we document a unique mode of reactivation and migration linked to upwind dune formation and parabolic dune interactions with forest trees. This study documents how dune-dune and dune-vegetation interactions have influenced a unique mode of blowout deposition that has alternated on a decadal scale between opposite sides of a parabolic dune during reactivation and migration. The pattern of recent parabolic dune reactivation and migration in the Walking Dune Field appears to be somewhat more complex, and perhaps more sensitive to subtle environmental pressures, than an idealized growth model with uniform deposition and purely on-axis migration. This pattern, believed to be prevalent among other parabolic dunes in the Walking Dune Field, may occur also in many other places where similar observational constraints are unavailable.

Outskirts of Distant Galaxies in Absorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hsiao-Wen

QSO absorption spectroscopy provides a sensitive probe of both the neutral medium and diffuse ionized gas in the distant Universe. It extends 21 cm maps of gaseous structures around low-redshift galaxies both to lower gas column densities and to higher redshifts. Combining galaxy surveys with absorption-line observations of gas around galaxies enables comprehensive studies of baryon cycles in galaxy outskirts over cosmic time. This chapter presents a review of the empirical understanding of the cosmic neutral gas reservoir from studies of damped Lyα absorbers (DLAs). It describes the constraints on the star formation relation and chemical enrichment history in the outskirts of distant galaxies from DLA studies. A brief discussion of available constraints on the ionized circumgalactic gas from studies of lower column density Lyα absorbers and associated ionic absorption transitions is presented at the end.

Photogrammetry and photo interpretation applied to analyses of cloud cover, cloud type, and cloud motion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larsen, P. A.

1972-01-01

A determination was made of the areal extent of terrain obscured by clouds and cloud shadows on a portion of an Apollo 9 photograph at the instant of exposure. This photogrammetrically determined area was then compared to the cloud coverage reported by surface weather observers at approximately the same time and location, as a check on result quality. Stereograms prepared from Apollo 9 vertical photographs, illustrating various percentages of cloud coverage, are presented to help provide a quantitative appreciation of the degradation of terrain photography by clouds and their attendant shadows. A scheme, developed for the U.S. Navy, utilizing pattern recognition techniques for determining cloud motion from sequences of satellite photographs, is summarized. Clouds, turbulence, haze, and solar altitude, four elements of our natural environment which affect aerial photographic missions, are each discussed in terms of their effects on imagery obtained by aerial photography. Data of a type useful to aerial photographic mission planners, expressing photographic ground coverage in terms of flying height above terrain and camera focal length, for a standard aerial photograph format, are provided. Two oblique orbital photographs taken during the Apollo 9 flight are shown, and photo-interpretations, discussing the cloud types imaged and certain visible geographical features, are provided.

Wildlife Multispecies Remote Sensing Using Visible and Thermal Infrared Imagery Acquired from AN Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (uav)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chrétien, L.-P.; Théau, J.; Ménard, P.

2015-08-01

Wildlife aerial surveys require time and significant resources. Multispecies detection could reduce costs to a single census for species that coexist spatially. Traditional methods are demanding for observers in terms of concentration and are not adapted to multispecies censuses. The processing of multispectral aerial imagery acquired from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) represents a potential solution for multispecies detection. The method used in this study is based on a multicriteria object-based image analysis applied on visible and thermal infrared imagery acquired from a UAV. This project aimed to detect American bison, fallow deer, gray wolves, and elks located in separate enclosures with a known number of individuals. Results showed that all bison and elks were detected without errors, while for deer and wolves, 0-2 individuals per flight line were mistaken with ground elements or undetected. This approach also detected simultaneously and separately the four targeted species even in the presence of other untargeted ones. These results confirm the potential of multispectral imagery acquired from UAV for wildlife census. Its operational application remains limited to small areas related to the current regulations and available technology. Standardization of the workflow will help to reduce time and expertise requirements for such technology.

Observations on the use of GYPCHEK

Treesearch

F. B. Lewis; R. C. Reardon; A. S. Munson; H. B. Hubbard; N. F. Schneeberger; W. B. White

1979-01-01

This paper reports the results of the 1978 aerial test with the gypsy moth NPV product, GYPCHEK. Although a general population collapse was observed, conclusions could be made on the efficacy of three formulations and two aircraft nozzling systems. The molasses formulation was more effective when applied with Beecomist® nozzles, but Pro-tee®...

Allelopathic agents from Cyrtocymura cincta.

PubMed

Alvarez Valdés, D; Elías, A; Bardón, A

2001-01-01

The sesquiterpenoid fractions from the chloroform extracts of roots and aerial parts of the weed Cyrtocymura cincta (Griseb.) H. Robinson (Compositae) were tested to observe the effects on seed germination and growth of three dicot and four monocot species. Promotion and inhibition effects were observed according to the examined compound, specific seed or cultivar, and concentration.

Application of Unmanned Aerial Systems in Spatial Downscaling of Landsat VIR imageries of Agricultural Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres, A.; Hassan Esfahani, L.; Ebtehaj, A.; McKee, M.

2016-12-01

While coarse space-time resolution of satellite observations in visible to near infrared (VIR) is a serious limiting factor for applications in precision agriculture, high resolution remotes sensing observation by the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) systems are also site-specific and still practically restrictive for widespread applications in precision agriculture. We present a modern spatial downscaling approach that relies on new sparse approximation techniques. The downscaling approach learns from a large set of coincident low- and high-resolution satellite and UAS observations to effectively downscale the satellite imageries in VIR bands. We focus on field experiments using the AggieAirTM platform and Landsat 7 ETM+ and Landsat 8 OLI observations obtained in an intensive field campaign in 2013 over an agriculture field in Scipio, Utah. The results show that the downscaling methods can effectively increase the resolution of Landsat VIR imageries by the order of 2 to 4 from 30 m to 15 and 7.5 m, respectively. Specifically, on average, the downscaling method reduces the root mean squared errors up to 26%, considering bias corrected AggieAir imageries as the reference.

Infrared Surveys of Hawaiian Volcanoes: Aerial surveys with infrared imaging radiometer depict volcanic thermal patterns and structural features.

PubMed

Fisher, W A; Moxham, R M; Polcyn, F; Landis, G H

1964-11-06

Aerial infrared-sensor surveys of Kilauea volcano have depicted the areal extent and the relative intensity of abnormal thermal features in the caldera area of the volcano and along its associated rift zones. Many of these anomalies show correlation with visible steaming and reflect convective transfer of heat to the surface from subterranean sources. Structural details of the volcano, some not evident from surface observation, are also delineated by their thermal abnormalities. Several changes were observed in the patterns of infrared emission during the period of study; two such changes show correlation in location with subsequent eruptions, but the cause-and-effect relationship is uncertain. Thermal anomalies were also observed on the southwest flank of Mauna Loa; images of other volcanoes on the island of Hawaii, and of Haleakala on the island of Maui, revealed no thermal abnormalities. Approximately 25 large springs issuing into the ocean around the periphery of Hawaii have been detected. Infrared emission varies widely with surface texture and composition, suggesting that similar observations may have value for estimating surface conditions on the moon or planets.

Nonlinear automatic landing control of unmanned aerial vehicles on moving platforms via a 3D laser radar

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hervas, Jaime Rubio; Tang, Hui; Reyhanoglu, Mahmut

2014-12-10

This paper presents a motion tracking and control system for automatically landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) on an oscillating platform using Laser Radar (LADAR) observations. The system itself is assumed to be mounted on a ship deck. A full nonlinear mathematical model is first introduced for the UAV. The ship motion is characterized by a Fourier transform based method which includes a realistic characterization of the sea waves. LADAR observation models are introduced and an algorithm to process those observations for yielding the relative state between the vessel and the UAV is presented, from which the UAV's state relative tomore » an inertial frame can be obtained and used for feedback purposes. A sliding mode control algorithm is derived for tracking a landing trajectory defined by a set of desired waypoints. An extended Kalman filter (EKF) is proposed to account for process and observation noises in the design of a state estimator. The effectiveness of the control algorithm is illustrated through a simulation example.« less

First Results from the ISO-IRAS Faint Galaxy Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolstencroft, R. D.; Wehrle, A. E.; Levine, D. A.

1997-01-01

We present the first result from the ISO-IRAS Faint Galaxy Survey (IIFGS), a program designed to obtain ISO observations of the most distant and luminous galaxies in the IRAS Faint Source Survey by filling short gaps in the ISO observing schedule with pairs of 12um ISOCAM AND 90um ISOPHOT observation.

ςBldN, an Extracytoplasmic Function RNA Polymerase Sigma Factor Required for Aerial Mycelium Formation in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)

PubMed Central

Bibb, Maureen J.; Molle, Virginie; Buttner, Mark J.

2000-01-01

Sporulation mutants of Streptomyces coelicolor appear white because they are defective in the synthesis of the gray polyketide spore pigment, and such white (whi) mutants have been used to define 13 sporulation loci. whiN, one of five new whi loci identified in a recent screen of NTG (N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine)-induced whi strains (N. J. Ryding et al., J. Bacteriol. 181:5419–5425, 1999), was defined by two mutants, R112 and R650. R650 produced frequent spores that were longer than those of the wild type. In contrast, R112 produced long, straight, undifferentiated hyphae, although rare spore chains were observed, sometimes showing highly irregular septum placement. Subcloning and sequencing showed that whiN encodes a member of the extracytoplasmic function subfamily of RNA polymerase sigma factors and that the sigma factor has an unusual N-terminal extension of approximately 86 residues that is not present in other sigma factors. A constructed whiN null mutant failed to form aerial mycelium (the “bald” phenotype) and, as a consequence, whiN was renamed bldN. This observation was not totally unexpected because, on some media, the R112 point mutant produced substantially less aerial mycelium than its parent, M145. The bldN null mutant did not fit simply into the extracellular signaling cascade proposed for S. coelicolor bld mutants. Expression of bldN was analyzed during colony development in wild-type and aerial mycelium-deficient bld strains. bldN was transcribed from a single promoter, bldNp. bldN transcription was developmentally regulated, commencing approximately at the time of aerial mycelium formation, and depended on bldG and bldH, but not on bldA, bldB, bldC, bldF, bldK, or bldJ or on bldN itself. Transcription from the p1 promoter of the response-regulator gene bldM depended on bldN in vivo, and the bldMp1 promoter was shown to be a direct biochemical target for ςBldN holoenzyme in vitro. PMID:10913095

[Influence of embient air pollution by automobile transport on malignancies development in population of Kemerovo city].

PubMed

Larin, S A; Bykov, A A

2015-01-01

To reveal relationship between automobile transport emissions and oncologic morbidity among Kemerovo population, the authors selected crossroads and parts of highways with intense traffic. Two groups were observed among the residents of houses near the main crossroads and along highways. As a reference group, residents of houses distant from highways were selected. The study proved that oncologic morbidity is statistically reliably higher among the residents of houses near the crossroads and highways, if compared to that among the residents in houses distant from highways.

Propagation and Detection of Neutrinos from Distant Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bottino, A.; Kim, C. W.; Kim, Jewan; Lam, W. P.

We discuss how an initial composition of wave packets representing the neutrinos, emitted by distant objects such as supernovae, is modified as the neutrinos travel a long distance to the earth and how these modifications affect the detection of such neutrinos. In particular, observed neutrino masses are shown to depend on the mass square difference of the i-th and j-th flavors i.e., mi2 - mj2, L (the distance traveled), and a resolution time of the detector as well as on how neutrinos emerge from the star.

Phytochemical screening and chemical variability in volatile oils of aerial parts of Morinda morindoides.

PubMed

Kiazolu, J Boima; Intisar, Azeem; Zhang, Lingyi; Wang, Yun; Zhang, Runsheng; Wu, Zhongping; Zhang, Weibing

2016-10-01

Morinda morindoides is an important Liberian traditional medicine for the treatment of malaria, fever, worms etc. The plant was subjected to integrated approaches including phytochemical screening and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. Phytochemical investigation of the powdered plant revealed the presence of phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, terpenes, steroidal compounds and volatile oil. Steam distillation followed by GC-MS resulted in the identification of 47 volatiles in its aerial parts: 28 were in common including various bioactive volatiles. Major constituents of leaves were phytol (43.63%), palmitic acid (8.55%) and geranyl linalool (6.95%) and stem were palmitic acid (14.95%), eicosane (9.67%) and phytol (9.31%), and hence, a significant difference in the percentage composition of aerial parts was observed. To study seasonal changes, similarity analysis was carried out by calculating correlation coefficient (r) and vector angle cosine (z) that were more than 0.91 for stem-to-stem and leaf-to-leaf batches indicating considerable consistency.

Neural-network-based navigation and control of unmanned aerial vehicles for detecting unintended emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zargarzadeh, H.; Nodland, David; Thotla, V.; Jagannathan, S.; Agarwal, S.

2012-06-01

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are versatile aircraft with many applications, including the potential for use to detect unintended electromagnetic emissions from electronic devices. A particular area of recent interest has been helicopter unmanned aerial vehicles. Because of the nature of these helicopters' dynamics, high-performance controller design for them presents a challenge. This paper introduces an optimal controller design via output feedback control for trajectory tracking of a helicopter UAV using a neural network (NN). The output-feedback control system utilizes the backstepping methodology, employing kinematic, virtual, and dynamic controllers and an observer. Optimal tracking is accomplished with a single NN utilized for cost function approximation. The controller positions the helicopter, which is equipped with an antenna, such that the antenna can detect unintended emissions. The overall closed-loop system stability with the proposed controller is demonstrated by using Lyapunov analysis. Finally, results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control design for positioning the helicopter for unintended emissions detection.

An aerial radiological survey of the Durango, Colorado uranium mill tailings site and surrounding area. Date of survey: August 1980

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hilton, L.K.

1981-06-01

An aerial radiological survey of Durango, Colorado, including the inactive uranium mill tailings piles located southwest of the town, was conducted during August 25--29, 1980, for the Department of Energy`s Environmental and Safety Engineering Division. Areas of radiation exposure rates higher than the local background, which was about 15 microrentgens per hour ({mu}R/h), were observed directly over and to the south of the mill tailings piles, over a cemetery, and at two spots near the fairgrounds. The rapidly changing radiation exposure rates at the boundaries of the piles preclude accurate extrapolation of aerial radiological data to ground level exposure ratesmore » in their immediate vicinity. Estimated radiation exposure rates close to the piles, however, approached 30 times background, or about 450 {mu}R/h. Radiation exposure rates in a long area extending south from the tailings piles were about 25 {mu}R/h.« less

Observation of coral reefs on Ishigaki Island, Japan, using Landsat TM images and aerial photographs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matsunaga, Tsuneo; Kayanne, Hajime

1997-06-01

Ishigaki Island is located at the southwestern end of Japanese Islands and famous for its fringing coral reefs. More than twenty LANDSAT TM images in twelve years and aerial photographs taken on 1977 and 1994 were used to survey two shallow reefs on this island, Shiraho and Kabira. Intensive field surveys were also conducted in 1995. All satellite images of Shiraho were geometrically corrected and overlaid to construct a multi-date satellite data set. The effects of solar elevation and tide on satellite imagery were studied with this data set. The comparison of aerial and satellite images indicated that significant changesmore » occurred between 1977 and 1984 in Kabira: rapid formation in the western part and decrease in the eastern part of dark patches. The field surveys revealed that newly formed dark patches in the west contain young corals. These results suggest that remote sensing is useful for not only mapping but also monitoring of shallow coral reefs.« less

Biological screening of some Turkish medicinal plant extracts for antimicrobial and toxicity activities.

PubMed

Turker, A U; Usta, C

2008-01-20

Screening of antibacterial activity and toxicity of 22 aqueous plant extracts from 17 Turkish plants was conducted. Antibacterial activity was performed with six bacteria including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Extracts of Tussilago farfara leaves, Helichyrsum plicatum flowers, Solanum dulcamara aerial parts and Urtica dioica leaves gave the best inhibitory activity against S. pyogenes, S. aureus and S. epidermidis. Of the 22 plant extracts, 20 extracts displayed toxicity (LC50 was <1000 mg L(-1)) in the brine shrimp bioassay. For radish seed bioassay, two different determinations (root length and seed germination) were performed with a comparison between two concentrations (50,000 mg L(-1) and 10,000 mg L(-1)). At low concentration (10,000 mg L(-1)), S. dulcamara aerial parts and Primula vulgaris leaf extracts were observed to inhibit the root length more than the other plant extracts. Also, the most inhibitive plant extract for seed germination was obtained with S. dulcamara aerial parts.

U.S. Department of Defense - Pearl Harbor Special

Science.gov Websites

FORCE BASE, Hawaii - Airmen of the base honor guard here prepare to place memorial wreaths during the , 1941 Related Links * USS Arizona Memorial * Earth Observing 1Satellite - Aerial View * Naval Historical

Hydrology with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Hydrologic remote sensing currently depends on expensive and infrequent aircraft observations for validation of operational satellite products, typically conducted during field campaigns that also include ground-based measurements. With the advent of new, hydrologically-relevant satellite missions, ...

7 CFR 1755.506 - Aerial wire services

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Aerial wire services 1755.506 Section 1755.506... § 1755.506 Aerial wire services (a) Aerial services of one through six pairs shall consist of Service...), Specifications and Drawings for Service Installations at Customer Access Locations. The wire used for aerial...

Aerial Photography Summary Record System

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1998-01-01

The Aerial Photography Summary Record System (APSRS) describes aerial photography projects that meet specified criteria over a given geographic area of the United States and its territories. Aerial photographs are an important tool in cartography and a number of other professions. Land use planners, real estate developers, lawyers, environmental specialists, and many other professionals rely on detailed and timely aerial photographs. Until 1975, there was no systematic approach to locate an aerial photograph, or series of photographs, quickly and easily. In that year, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) inaugurated the APSRS, which has become a standard reference for users of aerial photographs.

Coastal Ecosystem Assessment, Development and Creation of a Policy Tool using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for: A Case Study of Western Puerto Rico Coastal Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munoz Barreto, J.; Pillich, J.; Aponte Bermúdez, L. D.; Torres Pagan, G.

2017-12-01

This project utilizes low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) based systems for different applications, such as low-altitude (high resolution) aerial photogrammetry for aerial analysis of vegetation, reconstruction of beach topography and mapping coastal erosion to understand, and estimated ecosystem values. As part of this work, five testbeds coastal sites, designated as the Caribbean Littoral Aerial Surveillance System (CLASS), were established. The sites are distributed along western Puerto Rico coastline where population and industry (tourism) are very much clustered and dense along the coast. Over the past year, rapid post-storm deployment of UAV surveying has been successfully integrated into the CLASS sites, specifically at Rincon (Puerto Rico), where coastal erosion has raised the public and government concern over the past decades. A case study is presented here where we collected aerial photos before and after the swells caused by Hurricane Mathew (October 2016). We merged the point cloud obtained from the UAV photogrammetric assessment with topo-bathymetric data, to get a complete beach topography. Using the rectified and georeferenced UAV orthophotos, we identified the maximum wave runup for the pre-swell and post-swell events. Also, we used numerical modeling (X-Beach) to simulate the rate-of-change dynamics of the coastal zones and compare the model results to observed values (including multiple historic shoreline positions). In summary, our project has accomplished the first milestone which is the Development and Implementation of an Effective Shoreline Monitoring Program using UAVs. The activities of the monitoring program have enabled the collection of crucial data for coastal mapping along Puerto Rico's shorelines with emphasis on coastal erosion hot spots zones and ecosystem values. Our results highlight the potential of the synergy between UAVs, photogrammetry, and Geographic Information Systems to provide faster and low-cost reliable information on littoral zone changes compared with traditional techniques without losing in accuracy.

Visual Impairment Screening at the Geriatric Frailty Clinic for Assessment of Frailty and Prevention of Disability at the Gérontopôle.

PubMed

Soler, V; Sourdet, S; Balardy, L; Abellan van Kan, G; Brechemier, D; Rougé-Bugat, M E; Tavassoli, N; Cassagne, M; Malecaze, F; Nourhashémi, F; Vellas, B

2016-01-01

To evaluate visual performance and factors associated with abnormal vision in patients screened for frailty at the Geriatric Frailty Clinic (GFC) for Assessment of Frailty and Prevention of Disability at Toulouse University Hospital. Retrospective, observational cross-sectional, single-centre study. Institutional practice. Patients were screened for frailty during a single-day hospital stay between October 2011 and October 2014 (n = 1648). Collected medical records included sociodemographic data (including living environment and educational level), anthropometric data, and clinical data. The general evaluation included the patient's functional status using the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale and the Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) scale, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for cognition testing, and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) for physical performance. We also examined Body Mass Index (BMI), the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly Screening (HHIE-S) tool. The ophthalmologic evaluation included assessing visual acuity using the Snellen decimal chart for distant vision, and the Parinaud chart for near vision. Patients were divided into groups based on normal distant/near vision (NDV and NNV groups) and abnormal distant/near vision (ADV and ANV groups). Abnormal distant or near vision was defined as visual acuity inferior to 20/40 or superior to a Parinaud score of 2, in at least one eye. Associations with frailty-associated factors were evaluated in both groups. The mean age of the population was 82.6 ± 6.2 years. The gender distribution was 1,061 females (64.4%) and 587 males (35.6%). According to the Fried criteria, 619 patients (41.1%) were pre-frail and 771 (51.1%) were frail. Distant and near vision data were available for 1425 and 1426 patients, respectively. Distant vision was abnormal for 437 patients (30.7%). Near vision was abnormal for 199 patients (14%). Multiple regression analysis showed that abnormal distant vision as well as abnormal near vision were independently associated with greater age (P < 0.01), lower educational level (P < 0.05), lower performance on the MMSE (P < 0.001), and lower autonomy (P < 0.02), after controlling for age, gender, educational level, Fried criteria, and MMSE score. The high prevalence of visual disorders observed in the study population and their association with lower autonomy and cognitive impairment emphasises the need for systematic screening of visual impairments in the elderly. Frailty was not found to be independently associated with abnormal vision.

Salvage Radiation Therapy Dose Response for Biochemical Failure of Prostate Cancer After Prostatectomy—A Multi-Institutional Observational Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pisansky, Thomas M., E-mail: pisansky.thomas@mayo.edu; Agrawal, Shree; Hamstra, Daniel A.

Purpose: To determine whether a dose-response relationship exists for salvage radiation therapy (RT) of biochemical failure after prostatectomy for prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: Individual data from 1108 patients who underwent salvage RT at 10 academic centers were pooled. The cohort was enriched for selection criteria more likely associated with tumor recurrence in the prostate bed (margin positive and pre-RT prostate-specific antigen [PSA] level of ≤2.0 ng/mL) and without the confounding of planned androgen suppression. The cumulative incidence of biochemical failure and distant metastasis over time was computed, and competing risks hazard regression models were used to investigate the association betweenmore » potential predictors and these outcomes. The association of radiation dose with outcomes was the primary focus. Results: With a 65.2-month follow-up duration, the 5- and 10-year estimates of freedom from post-RT biochemical failure (PSA level >0.2 ng/mL and rising) was 63.5% and 49.8%, respectively, and the cumulative incidence of distant metastasis was 12.4% by 10 years. A Gleason score of ≥7, higher pre-RT PSA level, extraprostatic tumor extension, and seminal vesicle invasion were associated with worse biochemical failure and distant metastasis outcomes. A salvage radiation dose of ≥66.0 Gy was associated with a reduced cumulative incidence of biochemical failure, but not of distant metastasis. Conclusions: The use of salvage radiation doses of ≥66.0 Gy are supported by evidence presented in the present multicenter pooled analysis of individual patient data. The observational reporting method, limited sample size, few distant metastasis events, modest follow-up duration, and elective use of salvage therapy might have diminished the opportunity to identify an association between the radiation dose and this endpoint.« less

Breast Carcinoma with Oncotype DX Recurrence Score Lower Than 18: Rate of Distant Metastases in a Large Series with Clinical Follow-Up

PubMed Central

Wen, Hannah Y; Krystel-Whittemore, Melissa; Patil, Sujata; Pareja, Fresia; Bowser, Zenica L; Dickler, Maura N.; Norton, Larry; Morrow, Monica; Hudis, Clifford A.; Brogi, Edi

2016-01-01

Backgrounds A 21-gene expression assay (Oncotype DX™ Recurrence Score (“RS”)) that utilizes RT-PCR is used clinically in early-stage estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast carcinoma (ER+/HER2− BC) to determine both prognosis with tamoxifen therapy and the utility of adding adjuvant chemotherapy. Use of the assay is associated with reductions in overall chemotherapy usage. This study examined the treatments and outcomes in patients with low recurrence scores. Methods We reviewed the institutional database to identify patients with node-negative, ER+/HER2− BC and the 21-gene recurrence score results treated at our center between September 2008 and August 2013. Results We identified 1406 consecutive patients with node-negative ER+/HER2− BC and low RS [RS 0–10: n=510; RS 11–17: n=896]. The median age at BC diagnosis was 56 years; 63 (4%) patients were younger than 40 years. Overall, 1361 (97%) of patients received endocrine therapy and 170 (12%) received chemotherapy. The median follow-up time was 46 months. Six patients (0.4%) developed distant metastases (one patient with RS = 5, and five with RS of 11–17). In the RS 11–17 cohort, the absolute rate of distant metastasis among patients <40 years old was 7.1% (3/42), versus 0.2% (2/854) among patients ≥40 years. Conclusions Our data document a 0.4% rate of distant metastasis within 5 years of BC diagnosis among patients with node-negative ER+/HER2− BC of RS<18. Patients younger than 40 years at BC diagnosis were observed to have a higher rate of distant metastases. Analysis of data from other studies is necessary to further validate this observation. PMID:27526056

LANDSAT (MSS): Image demographic estimations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dejesusparada, N. (Principal Investigator); Foresti, C.

1977-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Two sets of urban test sites, one with 35 cities and one with 70 cities, were selected in the State, Sao Paulo. A high degree of colinearity (0.96) was found between urban and areal measurements taken from aerial photographs and LANDSAT MSS imagery. High coefficients were observed when census data were regressed against aerial information (0.95) and LANDSAT data (0.92). The validity of population estimations was tested by regressing three urban variables, against three classes of cities. Results supported the effectiveness of LANDSAT to estimate large city populations with diminishing effectiveness as urban areas decrease in size.

Distant Galactic Halo Substructures Observed by the Palomar Transient Factory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sesar, Branimir

2013-01-01

Characterization of Galactic halo substructures is important as their kinematic and chemical properties help constrain the properties of the Galactic dark matter halo, the formation history of the Milky Way, and the galaxy formation process in general. The best practical choice for finding distant halo substructures are pulsating RR Lyrae stars, due to their intrinsic brightness (M_V = 0.6 mag) and distinct light curves. I will present kinematic and chemical properties of two distant halo substructures that were traced using RR Lyrae stars observed by the Palomar Transient Factory. One of these substructures, located at 90 kpc from the Sun in the Cancer constellation, consists of two groups of RR Lyrae stars moving away from the Galaxy at ~80 and ~20 km/s, respectively. The second substructure is located at ~65 kpc from the Sun in the Hercules constellation. The kinematics of RR Lyrae stars tracing this substructure suggest a presence of 2 or 3 stellar streams extending in the similar direction on the sky. Due to their spatial extent, both of these substructures are clearly disrupted and would be very difficult to detect using tradiitonal techniques such as the color-magnitude diagram filtering.

Toward An Understanding of Cluster Evolution: A Deep X-Ray Selected Cluster Catalog from ROSAT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Christine; Oliversen, Ronald (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

In the past year, we have focussed on studying individual clusters found in this sample with Chandra, as well as using Chandra to measure the luminosity-temperature relation for a sample of distant clusters identified through the ROSAT study, and finally we are continuing our study of fossil groups. For the luminosity-temperature study, we compared a sample of nearby clusters with a sample of distant clusters and, for the first time, measured a significant change in the relation as a function of redshift (Vikhlinin et al. in final preparation for submission to Cape). We also used our ROSAT analysis to select and propose for Chandra observations of individual clusters. We are now analyzing the Chandra observations of the distant cluster A520, which appears to have undergone a recent merger. Finally, we have completed the analysis of the fossil groups identified in ROM observations. In the past few months, we have derived X-ray fluxes and luminosities as well as X-ray extents for an initial sample of 89 objects. Based on the X-ray extents and the lack of bright galaxies, we have identified 16 fossil groups. We are comparing their X-ray and optical properties with those of optically rich groups. A paper is being readied for submission (Jones, Forman, and Vikhlinin in preparation).

A detailed examination of a X-line region in the distant tail: ISEE-3 observations of jet flow and B(sub z) reversals and a pair of slow shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ho, C. M.; Tsurutani, B. T.; Smith, E. J.; Feldman, W. C.

1994-01-01

We report an observation of Petschek-type magnetic reconnection at a distant neutral line (X = -230 R(sub e)) with a full set of signatures of the magnetic merging process. These features include a reversal of plasma flows from earthward to tailward, a pair of slow shocks and the magnetic field X-type line. These two slow shocks are shown to satisfy the shock criteria used by Feldman et al. (1987). The spacecraft first crosses a slow shock to enter the earthward flowing plasmasheet with velocity of about 440 km/s. The embedded magnetic field has a positive B(sub z) component. The spacecraft next enters a region of tailward plasma flow with speed approximately 670 km/s and an embedded negative B(sub z), indicating entry into the plasmasheet tailward of the X-line. These observed velocities are comparable to calculated velocities based on Rankine-Hugoniot conservation relationships. The spacecraft subsequently returns into the south tail lobe by crossing another slow shock. Coplanarity analyses shows that the two slow shocks have orientations consistent with that predicted by the Petschek reconnection model. We note that this event occurs during northward interplanetary magnetic fields. Thus, a magnetic stress built-up in the distant tail may be responsible for this reconnection process.

Aerial Observation; A Bibliography of Periodical Articles.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-01

99,90, Jan 1944. ’If not an Air OP why not locatinc7," 2CRA, ?0:115-123, Apr 1953. Jackson , I-ian E. "FDC an- the Artillery Air Observer," FM, 34...194, 1886. Thom.pson, Percy N;. "Organization and ’aneuver of Ficld Artillery Observation," .*IL RVW, 25:53-60, Apr 1945. "To See or not to see," JORA

Touching Ghosts: Observing Free Fall from an Infalling Frame of Reference into a Schwarzschild Black Hole

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Augousti, A. T.; Gawelczyk, M.; Siwek, A.; Radosz, A.

2012-01-01

The problem of communication between observers in the vicinity of a black hole in a Schwarzschild metric is considered. The classic example of an infalling observer Alice and a static distant mother station (MS) is extended to include a second infalling observer Bob, who follows Alice in falling towards the event horizon. Kruskal coordinates are…

Detection probability in aerial surveys of feral horses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ransom, Jason I.

2011-01-01

Observation bias pervades data collected during aerial surveys of large animals, and although some sources can be mitigated with informed planning, others must be addressed using valid sampling techniques that carefully model detection probability. Nonetheless, aerial surveys are frequently employed to count large mammals without applying such methods to account for heterogeneity in visibility of animal groups on the landscape. This often leaves managers and interest groups at odds over decisions that are not adequately informed. I analyzed detection of feral horse (Equus caballus) groups by dual independent observers from 24 fixed-wing and 16 helicopter flights using mixed-effect logistic regression models to investigate potential sources of observation bias. I accounted for observer skill, population location, and aircraft type in the model structure and analyzed the effects of group size, sun effect (position related to observer), vegetation type, topography, cloud cover, percent snow cover, and observer fatigue on detection of horse groups. The most important model-averaged effects for both fixed-wing and helicopter surveys included group size (fixed-wing: odds ratio = 0.891, 95% CI = 0.850–0.935; helicopter: odds ratio = 0.640, 95% CI = 0.587–0.698) and sun effect (fixed-wing: odds ratio = 0.632, 95% CI = 0.350–1.141; helicopter: odds ratio = 0.194, 95% CI = 0.080–0.470). Observer fatigue was also an important effect in the best model for helicopter surveys, with detection probability declining after 3 hr of survey time (odds ratio = 0.278, 95% CI = 0.144–0.537). Biases arising from sun effect and observer fatigue can be mitigated by pre-flight survey design. Other sources of bias, such as those arising from group size, topography, and vegetation can only be addressed by employing valid sampling techniques such as double sampling, mark–resight (batch-marked animals), mark–recapture (uniquely marked and identifiable animals), sightability bias correction models, and line transect distance sampling; however, some of these techniques may still only partially correct for negative observation biases.

A Unimodal Model for Double Observer Distance Sampling Surveys.

PubMed

Becker, Earl F; Christ, Aaron M

2015-01-01

Distance sampling is a widely used method to estimate animal population size. Most distance sampling models utilize a monotonically decreasing detection function such as a half-normal. Recent advances in distance sampling modeling allow for the incorporation of covariates into the distance model, and the elimination of the assumption of perfect detection at some fixed distance (usually the transect line) with the use of double-observer models. The assumption of full observer independence in the double-observer model is problematic, but can be addressed by using the point independence assumption which assumes there is one distance, the apex of the detection function, where the 2 observers are assumed independent. Aerially collected distance sampling data can have a unimodal shape and have been successfully modeled with a gamma detection function. Covariates in gamma detection models cause the apex of detection to shift depending upon covariate levels, making this model incompatible with the point independence assumption when using double-observer data. This paper reports a unimodal detection model based on a two-piece normal distribution that allows covariates, has only one apex, and is consistent with the point independence assumption when double-observer data are utilized. An aerial line-transect survey of black bears in Alaska illustrate how this method can be applied.

Offshore Observations of Eastern Red Bats (Lasiurus borealis) in the Mid-Atlantic United States Using Multiple Survey Methods

PubMed Central

Hatch, Shaylyn K.; Connelly, Emily E.; Divoll, Timothy J.; Stenhouse, Iain J.; Williams, Kathryn A.

2013-01-01

Little is known about the migration and movements of migratory tree-roosting bat species in North America, though anecdotal observations of migrating bats over the Atlantic Ocean have been reported since at least the 1890s. Aerial surveys and boat-based surveys of wildlife off the Atlantic Seaboard detected a possible diurnal migration event of eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) in September 2012. One bat was sighted approximately 44 km east of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware during a boat-based survey. Eleven additional bats were observed between 16.9 and 41.8 km east of New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia in high definition video footage collected during digital aerial surveys. Observations were collected incidentally as part of a large baseline study of seabird, marine mammal, and sea turtle distributions and movements in the offshore environment. Digital survey methods also allowed for altitude estimation for several of these bats at >100 m above sea level. These observations provide new evidence of bat movements offshore, and offer insight into their flight heights above sea level and the times of day at which such migrations may occur. PMID:24367614

50 CFR 217.175 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... direct field experience on a marine mammal observation vessel and/or aerial surveys in the Atlantic Ocean..., regardless of whether the injury or death is caused by project activities. If the injury or death was caused...

50 CFR 217.175 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... direct field experience on a marine mammal observation vessel and/or aerial surveys in the Atlantic Ocean..., regardless of whether the injury or death is caused by project activities. If the injury or death was caused...

50 CFR 217.175 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... direct field experience on a marine mammal observation vessel and/or aerial surveys in the Atlantic Ocean..., regardless of whether the injury or death is caused by project activities. If the injury or death was caused...

50 CFR 217.175 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... direct field experience on a marine mammal observation vessel and/or aerial surveys in the Atlantic Ocean..., regardless of whether the injury or death is caused by project activities. If the injury or death was caused...

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Evaluation of Routine Atmospheric Sounding Measurements using Unmanned Systems (ERASMUS)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

De Boer, Gijs

Data were collected to improve understanding of the Arctic troposphere, and to provide researchers with a focused case-study period for future observational and modeling studies pertaining to Arctic atmospheric processes.

Plasma regimes in the deep geomagnetic tail - ISEE 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bame, S. J.; Anderson, R. C.; Asbridge, J. R.; Baker, D. N.; Feldman, W. C.; Gosling, J. T.; Hones, E. W., Jr.; McComas, D. J.; Zwickl, R. D.

1983-09-01

The spacecraft remained close to or within a previously unexplored part of the distant (60-220 earth radii) geomagnetic tail nearly continuously from January 1 to March 30, 1983. Analysis of the data reveals that all of the plasma regimes identified previously with near-earth measurements (plasma sheet, low-latitude boundary layer, plasma mantle, lobe, and magnetosheath) remain recognizable in the distant tail. These regimes, however, are found to be intermingled in a more chaotic fashion than near the earth. Within the plasma sheet at approximately 200 earth radii, typical flow velocities are about 500 km/s tailward, considerably higher than in the near-earth plasma sheet. Earthward flow within the plasma sheet is observed occasionally, indicating the temporary presence of a neutral line beyond 220 earth radii. Also found are strong bidirectional electron anisotropies throughout much of the distant plasma sheet, boundary layer, and magnetosheath.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, Paul A.

Nonlinear dynamics induced by seismic sources and seismic waves are common in Earth. Observations range from seismic strong ground motion (the most damaging aspect of earthquakes), intense near-source effects, and distant nonlinear effects from the source that have important consequences. The distant effects include dynamic earthquake triggering-one of the most fascinating topics in seismology today-which may be elastically nonlinearly driven. Dynamic earthquake triggering is the phenomenon whereby seismic waves generated from one earthquake trigger slip events on a nearby or distant fault. Dynamic triggering may take place at distances thousands of kilometers from the triggering earthquake, and includes triggering ofmore » the entire spectrum of slip behaviors currently identified. These include triggered earthquakes and triggered slow, silent-slip during which little seismic energy is radiated. It appears that the elasticity of the fault gouge-the granular material located between the fault blocks-is key to the triggering phenomenon.« less

Opposite Effects of Coinjection and Distant Injection of Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Breast Tumor Cell Growth.

PubMed

Zheng, Huilin; Zou, Weibin; Shen, Jiaying; Xu, Liang; Wang, Shu; Fu, Yang-Xin; Fan, Weimin

2016-09-01

: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) usually promote tumor growth and metastasis. By using a breast tumor 4T1 cell-based animal model, this study determined that coinjection and distant injection of allogeneic bone marrow-derived MSCs with tumor cells could exert different effects on tumor growth. Whereas the coinjection of MSCs with 4T1 cells promoted tumor growth, surprisingly, the injection of MSCs at a site distant from the 4T1 cell inoculation site suppressed tumor growth. We further observed that, in the distant injection model, MSCs decreased the accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and regulatory T cells in tumor tissues by enhancing proinflammatory factors such as interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, Toll-like receptor (TLR)-3, and TLR-4, promoting host antitumor immunity and inhibiting tumor growth. Unlike previous reports, this is the first study reporting that MSCs may exert opposite roles on tumor growth in the same animal model by modulating the host immune system, which may shed light on the potential application of MSCs as vehicles for tumor therapy and other clinical applications. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely investigated for their potential roles in tissue engineering, autoimmune diseases, and tumor therapeutics. This study explored the impact of coinjection and distant injection of allogeneic bone marrow-derived MSCs on mouse 4T1 breast cancer cells. The results showed that the coinjection of MSCs and 4T1 cells promoted tumor growth. MSCs might act as the tumor stromal precursors and cause immunosuppression to protect tumor cells from immunosurveillance, which subsequently facilitated tumor metastasis. Interestingly, the distant injection of MSCs and 4T1 cells suppressed tumor growth. Together, the results of this study revealed the dual functions of MSCs in immunoregulation. ©AlphaMed Press.

Patterns of failure and survival in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy in Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Maklad, Ahmed Marzouk; Bayoumi, Yasser; Senosy Hassan, Mohamed Abdalazez; Elawadi, AbuSaleh A; AlHussain, Hussain; Elyamany, Ashraf; Aldhahri, Saleh F; Al-Qahtani, Khalid Hussain; AlQahtani, Mubarak; Tunio, Mutahir A

2016-01-01

We aimed to investigate the patterns of failure (locoregional and distant metastasis), associated factors, and treatment outcomes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) combined with chemotherapy. From April 2006 to December 2011, 68 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients were treated with IMRT and chemotherapy at our hospital. Median radiation doses delivered to gross tumor volume and positive neck nodes were 66-70 Gy, 63 Gy to clinical target volume, and 50.4-56 Gy to clinically negative neck. The clinical toxicities, patterns of failures, locoregional control, distant metastasis control, disease-free survival, and overall survival were observed. The median follow-up time was 52.2 months (range: 11-87 months). Epstein-Barr virus infection was positive in 63.2% of patients. Overall disease failure developed in 21 patients, of whom 85.8% belonged to stage III/IV disease. Among these, there were seven locoregional recurrences, three regional recurrences with distant metastases, and eleven distant metastases. The median interval from the date of diagnosis to failure was 26.5 months (range: 16-50 months). Six of ten (60%) locoregional recurrences were treated with reirradiation ± concurrent chemotherapy. The 5-year locoregional control, distant metastasis control, disease-free survival, and overall survival rates of whole cohort were 81.1%, 74.3%, 60.1%, and 73.4%, respectively. Cox regression analyses revealed that neoadjuvant chemotherapy, age, and Epstein-Barr virus were independent predictors for disease-free survival. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by IMRT with or without chemotherapy improves the long-term survival of Saudi patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Distant metastasis was the main pattern of treatment failure. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, age, and Epstein-Barr virus status before IMRT were important independent prognostic factors.

Regional lymph node metastases are a strong risk factor for venous thromboembolism: results from the Vienna Cancer and Thrombosis Study

PubMed Central

Dickmann, Boris; Ahlbrecht, Jonas; Ay, Cihan; Dunkler, Daniela; Thaler, Johannes; Scheithauer, Werner; Quehenberger, Peter; Zielinski, Christoph; Pabinger, Ingrid

2013-01-01

Advanced cancer is a risk factor for venous thromboembolism. However, lymph node metastases are usually not considered an established risk factor. In the framework of the prospective, observational Vienna Cancer and Thrombosis Study we investigated the association between local (N0), regional (N1–3), and distant (M1) cancer stages and the occurrence of venous thromboembolism. Furthermore, we were specifically interested in the relationship between stage and biomarkers that have been reported to be associated with venous thromboembolism. We followed 832 patients with solid tumors for a median of 527 days. The study end-point was symptomatic venous thromboembolism. At study inclusion, 241 patients had local, 138 regional, and 453 distant stage cancer. The cumulative probability of venous thromboembolism after 6 months in patients with local, regional and distant stage cancer was 2.1%, 6.5% and 6.0%, respectively (P=0.002). Compared to patients with local stage disease, patients with regional and distant stage disease had a significantly higher risk of venous thromboembolism in multivariable Cox-regression analysis including age, newly diagnosed cancer (versus progression of disease), surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy (regional: HR=3.7, 95% CI: 1.5–9.6; distant: HR=5.4, 95% CI: 2.3–12.9). Furthermore, patients with regional or distant stage disease had significantly higher levels of D-dimer, factor VIII, and platelets, and lower hemoglobin levels than those with local stage disease. These results demonstrate an increased risk of venous thromboembolism in patients with regional disease. Elevated levels of predictive biomarkers in patients with regional disease underpin the results and are in line with the activation of the hemostatic system in the early phase of metastatic dissemination. PMID:23585523

Elderly postmenopausal patients with breast cancer are at increased risk for distant recurrence: a tamoxifen exemestane adjuvant multinational study analysis.

PubMed

van de Water, Willemien; Seynaeve, Caroline; Bastiaannet, Esther; Markopoulos, Christos; Jones, Steve E; Rea, Daniel; Hasenburg, Annette; Putter, Hein; Hille, Elysée T M; Paridaens, Robert; de Craen, Anton J M; Westendorp, Rudi G J; van de Velde, Cornelis J H; Liefers, Gerrit-Jan

2013-01-01

For postmenopausal patients with hormone-sensitive breast cancer, outcome is worse with increasing age at diagnosis. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of breast cancer recurrence (locoregional and distant), and contralateral breast cancer by age at diagnosis. Patients enrolled in the Tamoxifen Exemestane Adjuvant Multinational (TEAM) trial were included. Primary endpoints were locoregional recurrence, distant recurrence, and contralateral breast cancer. Age at diagnosis was categorized as younger than 65 years, 65-74 years, and 75 years or older. Overall, 9,766 patients were included, of which 5,349 were younger than 65 years (reference group), 3,060 were 65-74 years, and 1,357 were 75 years or older. With increasing age, a decreased administration of radiotherapy after breast conserving surgery (94%, 92%, and 88%, respectively) and adjuvant chemotherapy (51%, 23%, and 5%, respectively) was observed. Risk of distant recurrence increased with age at diagnosis; multivariable hazard ratio for patients aged 65-74 years was 1.20 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00-1.44), hazard ratio for patients aged 75 years or older was 1.39 (95% CI: 1.08-1.79). Risks of locoregional recurrence and contralateral breast cancer were not significantly different across age groups. Elderly patients with breast cancer were at increased risk for distant recurrence. Other studies have shown that the risk of distant recurrence is mainly affected by adjuvant systemic therapy. All TEAM patients received adjuvant endocrine treatment; however, chemotherapy was administered less often in elderly patients. These findings are suggestive for consideration of chemotherapy in relatively fit elderly breast cancer patients with hormone-sensitive disease.

Elderly Postmenopausal Patients With Breast Cancer Are at Increased Risk for Distant Recurrence: A Tamoxifen Exemestane Adjuvant Multinational Study Analysis

PubMed Central

van de Water, Willemien; Seynaeve, Caroline; Bastiaannet, Esther; Markopoulos, Christos; Jones, Steve E.; Rea, Daniel; Hasenburg, Annette; Putter, Hein; Hille, Elysée T.M.; Paridaens, Robert; de Craen, Anton J.M.; Westendorp, Rudi G.J.; Liefers, Gerrit-Jan

2013-01-01

Introduction. For postmenopausal patients with hormone-sensitive breast cancer, outcome is worse with increasing age at diagnosis. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of breast cancer recurrence (locoregional and distant), and contralateral breast cancer by age at diagnosis. Methods. Patients enrolled in the Tamoxifen Exemestane Adjuvant Multinational (TEAM) trial were included. Primary endpoints were locoregional recurrence, distant recurrence, and contralateral breast cancer. Age at diagnosis was categorized as younger than 65 years, 65–74 years, and 75 years or older. Results. Overall, 9,766 patients were included, of which 5,349 were younger than 65 years (reference group), 3,060 were 65–74 years, and 1,357 were 75 years or older. With increasing age, a decreased administration of radiotherapy after breast conserving surgery (94%, 92%, and 88%, respectively) and adjuvant chemotherapy (51%, 23%, and 5%, respectively) was observed. Risk of distant recurrence increased with age at diagnosis; multivariable hazard ratio for patients aged 65–74 years was 1.20 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00–1.44), hazard ratio for patients aged 75 years or older was 1.39 (95% CI: 1.08–1.79). Risks of locoregional recurrence and contralateral breast cancer were not significantly different across age groups. Conclusion. Elderly patients with breast cancer were at increased risk for distant recurrence. Other studies have shown that the risk of distant recurrence is mainly affected by adjuvant systemic therapy. All TEAM patients received adjuvant endocrine treatment; however, chemotherapy was administered less often in elderly patients. These findings are suggestive for consideration of chemotherapy in relatively fit elderly breast cancer patients with hormone-sensitive disease. PMID:23263290

Observations of the interstellar medium with IUE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jenkins, E. B.

1981-01-01

Limitations of the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) are discussed, as well as improved powers of research in these areas: (1) Si and C IV doublet absorptions in the high dispersion stellar spectra of distant stars; (2) observation of spectra outside the galactic plans; (3) high velocity gas.

High spatial resolution three-dimensional mapping of vegetation spectral dynamics using computer vision and hobbyist unmanned aerial vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dandois, J. P.; Ellis, E. C.

2013-12-01

High spatial resolution three-dimensional (3D) measurements of vegetation by remote sensing are advancing ecological research and environmental management. However, substantial economic and logistical costs limit this application, especially for observing phenological dynamics in ecosystem structure and spectral traits. Here we demonstrate a new aerial remote sensing system enabling routine and inexpensive aerial 3D measurements of canopy structure and spectral attributes, with properties similar to those of LIDAR, but with RGB (red-green-blue) spectral attributes for each point, enabling high frequency observations within a single growing season. This 'Ecosynth' methodology applies photogrammetric ''Structure from Motion'' computer vision algorithms to large sets of highly overlapping low altitude (< 130 m) aerial photographs acquired using off-the-shelf digital cameras mounted on an inexpensive (< USD$4000), lightweight (< 2 kg), hobbyist-grade unmanned aerial system (UAS). Ecosynth 3D point clouds with densities of 30 - 67 points m-2 were produced using commercial computer vision software from digital photographs acquired repeatedly by UAS over three 6.25 ha (250 m x 250 m) Temperate Deciduous forest sites in Maryland USA. Ecosynth canopy height maps (CHMs) were strong predictors of field-measured tree heights (R2 0.63 to 0.84) and were highly correlated with a LIDAR CHM (R 0.87) acquired 4 days earlier, though Ecosynth-based estimates of aboveground biomass densities included significant errors (31 - 36% of field-based estimates). Repeated scanning of a 0.25 ha forested area at six different times across a 16 month period revealed ecologically significant dynamics in canopy color at different heights and a structural shift upward in canopy density, as demonstrated by changes in vertical height profiles of point density and relative RGB brightness. Changes in canopy relative greenness were highly correlated (R2 = 0.88) with MODIS NDVI time series for the same area and vertical differences in canopy color revealed the early green up of the dominant canopy species, Liriodendron tulipifera, strong evidence that Ecosynth time series measurements capture vegetation structural and spectral dynamics at the spatial scale of individual trees. Observing canopy phenology in 3D at high temporal resolutions represents a breakthrough in forest ecology. Inexpensive user-deployed technologies for multispectral 3D scanning of vegetation at landscape scales (< 1 km2) heralds a new era of participatory remote sensing by field ecologists, community foresters and the interested public.

Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey (MaDCoWS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brodwin, Mark; MaDCoWS Collaboration

2018-06-01

The Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey (MaDCoWS) is a comprehensive program to detect and characterize the most massive galaxy clusters in the Universe at z ~ 1, and is the only all-sky survey sensitive to galaxy clusters at this epoch. The foundation for this program is data from the NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The primary goal is to study the evolution of massive galaxies in the most overdense environments at z > 1 when star formation and AGN activity may be peaking in these structures. Spitzer follow-up imaging of 2000 MaDCoWS clusters has allowed us to select the richest and/or most distant clusters for detailed study. To date we have spectroscopically confirmed over 35 MaDCoWS clusters, spanning a wide range of masses (2-11 x 10^14 Msun), out to z = 1.5. This includes the discovery of the most massive z > 1.15 cluster found to date, as well as a cluster at z = 1.23 that is lensing a z = 2.22 supernova Ia. Multiwavelength follow-up observations of these distant clusters, currently underway, will permit several novel studies of galaxy evolution in rich cluster environments at z > 1.

Correlated responses of root growth and sugar concentrations to various defoliation treatments and rhythmic shoot growth in oak tree seedlings (Quercus pubescens)

PubMed Central

Willaume, Magali; Pagès, Loïc

2011-01-01

Background and Aims To understand whether root responses to aerial rhythmic growth and contrasted defoliation treatments can be interpreted under the common frame of carbohydrate availability; root growth was studied in parallel with carbohydrate concentrations in different parts of the root system on oak tree seedlings. Methods Quercus pubescens seedlings were submitted to selective defoliation (removal of mature leaves, cotyledons or young developing leaves) at appearance of the second flush and collected 1, 5 or 10 d later for morphological and biochemical measurements. Soluble sugar and starch concentrations were measured in cotyledons and apical and basal root parts. Key Results Soluble sugar concentration in the root apices diminished during the expansion of the second aerial flush and increased after the end of aerial growth in control seedlings. Starch concentration in cotyledons regularly decreased. Continuous removal of young leaves did not alter either root growth or apical sugar concentration. Starch storage in basal root segments was increased. After removal of mature leaves (and cotyledons), root growth strongly decreased. Soluble sugar concentration in the root apices drastically decreased and starch reserves in the root basal segments were emptied 5 d after defoliation, illustrating a considerable shortage in carbohydrates. Soluble sugar concentrations recovered 10 d after defoliation, after the end of aerial growth, suggesting a recirculation of sugar. No supplementary recourse to starch in cotyledons was observed. Conclusions The parallel between apical sugar concentration and root growth patterns, and the correlations between hexose concentration in root apices and their growth rate, support the hypothesis that the response of root growth to aerial periodic growth and defoliation treatments is largely controlled by carbohydrate availability. PMID:21239407

Report to the National Park Service for Permit LAKE-2014-SCI-002

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burnley, Pamela C.

The overall purpose of the study is to determine how to use existing geologic data to predict gamma-ray background levels as measured during aerial radiological surveys. Aerial radiological surveys have typically been for resource exploration purposes but are now also used for homeland security purposes and nuclear disaster assessment as well as determining the depth of snowpack. Foreknowledge of the background measured during aerial radiological survey will be valuable for all the above applications. The gamma-ray background comes from the rocks and soil within the first 30 cm of the earth’s surface in the area where the survey is beingmore » made. The background should therefore be predictable based on an understanding of the distribution and geochemistry of the rocks on the surface. We are using a combination of geologic maps, remote sensing imagery and geochemical data from existing databases and the scientific literature to develop a method for predicting gamma-ray backgrounds. As part of this project we have an opportunity to ground truth our technique along a survey calibration line near Lake Mojave that is used by the Remote Sensing Lab (RSL) of National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec). RSL makes aerial measurements along this line on a regular basis, so the aerial background in the area is well known. By making ground-based measurements of the gamma-ray background and detailed observations of the geology of the ground surface as well as local topography we will have the data we need to make corrections to the models we build based on the remote sensing and geologic data. Our project involves collaborators from the Airborne Geophysics Section of the Geological Survey of Canada as well as from NSTec’s RSL. Findings« less

Scoring analysis of the men's 2014, 2015 and 2016 world championship tour of surfing: the importance of aerial manoeuvres in competitive surfing.

PubMed

Ferrier, Brendon; Sheppard, Jeremy; Farley, Oliver R L; Secomb, Josh L; Parsonage, Joanna; Newton, Robert U; Nimphius, Sophia

2018-02-22

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of aerial manoeuvres on scoring in professional surfing. 23,631 waves were analysed for the number and types of aerial manoeuvres performed from the 2014, 2015 and 2016 Men's World Championship Tour. Additionally, the awarded score, timing and order of the aerial was also analysed. Descriptive statistics and Two Way ANOVA's were performed with Sidak Multiple Comparisons Post Hoc analysis. Results were a significantly higher score being awarded (P ≤ 0.0001) when including an aerial in competition across all three seasons. In 2015 surfers were awarded a significantly larger score when performing an air reverse, compared to 2014 (P = 0.0002) and 2016 (P = 0.0057). Surfers were also awarded a higher score for the full rotation aerial in 2015 compared to 2014 (P = 0.0177). In 2015 surfers performing forehand aerials were awarded a greater score than in 2016 (P = 0.0113). The timing of the aerial and score awarded was significantly greater in 2015 as opposed to 2014 when the aerial was their final manoeuvre (P < 0.0001) and when surfers timed the aerial performance early within the heat (P = 0.0027). If a surfer incorporates an aerial manoeuvre during competition, generally speaking, they will be awarded a significantly higher score.

75 FR 20481 - Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-19

...; Aerial reconnaissance--provided by specially deployed fixed wing or rotary wing aircraft for confirmation... helicopter activity and little response to fixed-wing aircraft was observed. Most reactions occurred when the...

Geovisualisation of relief in a virtual reality system on the basis of low-level aerial imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halik, Łukasz; Smaczyński, Maciej

2017-12-01

The aim of the following paper was to present the geomatic process of transforming low-level aerial imagery obtained with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) into a digital terrain model (DTM) and implementing the model into a virtual reality system (VR). The object of the study was a natural aggretage heap of an irregular shape and denivelations up to 11 m. Based on the obtained photos, three point clouds (varying in the level of detail) were generated for the 20,000-m2-area. For further analyses, the researchers selected the point cloud with the best ratio of accuracy to output file size. This choice was made based on seven control points of the heap surveyed in the field and the corresponding points in the generated 3D model. The obtained several-centimetre differences between the control points in the field and the ones from the model might testify to the usefulness of the described algorithm for creating large-scale DTMs for engineering purposes. Finally, the chosen model was implemented into the VR system, which enables the most lifelike exploration of 3D terrain plasticity in real time, thanks to the first person view mode (FPV). In this mode, the user observes an object with the aid of a Head- mounted display (HMD), experiencing the geovisualisation from the inside, and virtually analysing the terrain as a direct animator of the observations.

In with the new, out with the old? Auto-extraction for remote sensing archaeology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cowley, David C.

2012-09-01

This paper explores aspects of the inter-relationships between traditional archaeological interpretation of remote sensed data (principally visual examination of aerial photographs/satellite) and those drawing on automated feature extraction and processing. Established approaches to archaeological interpretation of aerial photographs are heavily reliant on individual observation (eye/brain) in an experience and knowledge-based process. Increasingly, however, much more complex and extensive datasets are becoming available to archaeology and these require critical reflection on analytical and interpretative processes. Archaeological applications of Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) are becoming increasingly routine, and as the spatial resolution of hyper-spectral data improves, its potentially massive implications for archaeological site detection may prove to be a sea-change. These complex datasets demand new approaches, as traditional methods based on direct observation by an archaeological interpreter will never do more than scratch the surface, and will fail to fully extend the boundaries of knowledge. Inevitably, changing analytical and interpretative processes can create tensions, especially, as has been the case in archaeology, when the innovations in data and analysis come from outside the discipline. These tensions often centre on the character of the information produced, and a lack of clarity on the place of archaeological interpretation in the workflow. This is especially true for ALS data and autoextraction techniques, and carries implications for all forms of remote sensed archaeological datasets, including hyperspectral data and aerial photographs.

Unmanned aerial vehicles for surveying marine fauna: assessing detection probability.

PubMed

Hodgson, Amanda; Peel, David; Kelly, Natalie

2017-06-01

Aerial surveys are conducted for various fauna to assess abundance, distribution, and habitat use over large spatial scales. They are traditionally conducted using light aircraft with observers recording sightings in real time. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer an alternative with many potential advantages, including eliminating human risk. To be effective, this emerging platform needs to provide detection rates of animals comparable to traditional methods. UAVs can also acquire new types of information, and this new data requires a reevaluation of traditional analyses used in aerial surveys; including estimating the probability of detecting animals. We conducted 17 replicate UAV surveys of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) while simultaneously obtaining a 'census' of the population from land-based observations, to assess UAV detection probability. The ScanEagle UAV, carrying a digital SLR camera, continuously captured images (with 75% overlap) along transects covering the visual range of land-based observers. We also used ScanEagle to conduct focal follows of whale pods (n = 12, mean duration = 40 min), to assess a new method of estimating availability. A comparison of the whale detections from the UAV to the land-based census provided an estimated UAV detection probability of 0.33 (CV = 0.25; incorporating both availability and perception biases), which was not affected by environmental covariates (Beaufort sea state, glare, and cloud cover). According to our focal follows, the mean availability was 0.63 (CV = 0.37), with pods including mother/calf pairs having a higher availability (0.86, CV = 0.20) than those without (0.59, CV = 0.38). The follows also revealed (and provided a potential correction for) a downward bias in group size estimates from the UAV surveys, which resulted from asynchronous diving within whale pods, and a relatively short observation window of 9 s. We have shown that UAVs are an effective alternative to traditional methods, providing a detection probability that is within the range of previous studies for our target species. We also describe a method of assessing availability bias that represents spatial and temporal characteristics of a survey, from the same perspective as the survey platform, is benign, and provides additional data on animal behavior. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

A Proposed Astronomy Learning Progression for Remote Telescope Observation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slater, Timothy F.; Burrows, Andrea C.; French, Debbie A.; Sanchez, Richard A.; Tatge, Coty B.

2014-01-01

Providing meaningful telescope observing experiences for students who are deeply urban or distantly rural place-bound--or even daylight time-bound--has consistently presented a formidable challenge for astronomy educators. For nearly 2 decades, the Internet has promised unfettered access for large numbers of students to conduct remote telescope…

Chandra Finds Most Distant X-ray Galaxy Cluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2001-02-01

The most distant X-ray cluster of galaxies yet has been found by astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Approximately 10 billion light years from Earth, the cluster 3C294 is 40 percent farther than the next most distant X-ray galaxy cluster. The existence of such a distant galaxy cluster is important for understanding how the universe evolved. "Distant objects like 3C294 provide snapshots to how these galaxy clusters looked billions of years ago," said Andrew Fabian of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, England and lead author of the paper accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of Britain’s Royal Astronomical Society. "These latest results help us better understand what the universe was like when it was only 20 percent of its current age." Chandra’s image reveals an hourglass-shaped region of X-ray emission centered on the previously known central radio source. This X-ray emission extends outward from the central galaxy for at least 300,000 light years and shows that the known radio source is in the central galaxy of a massive cluster. Scientists have long suspected that distant radio-emitting galaxies like 3C294 are part of larger groups of galaxies known as "clusters." However, radio data provides astronomers with only a partial picture of these distant objects. Confirmation of the existence of clusters at great distances - and, hence, at early stages of the universe - requires information from other wavelengths. Optical observations can be used to pinpoint individual galaxies, but X-ray data are needed to detect the hot gas that fills the space within the cluster. "Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitationally bound structures in the universe," said Fabian. "We do not expect to find many massive objects, such as the 3C294 cluster, in early times because structure is thought to grow from small scales to large scales." The vast clouds of hot gas that envelope galaxies in clusters are thought to be heated by collapse toward the center of the cluster. Until Chandra, X-ray telescopes have not had the needed sensitivity to identify and measure hot gas clouds in distant clusters. Carolin Crawford, Stefano Ettori and Jeremy Sanders of the Institute of Astronomy were also members of the team that observed 3C294 for 5.4 hours on October 29, 2000 with the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS). The ACIS X-ray camera was developed for NASA by Pennsylvania State University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, manages the Chandra program for the Office of Space Science in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian's Chandra X-ray Center controls science and flight operations from Cambridge, MA. Images associated with this release are available on the World Wide Web at: http://chandra.harvard.edu AND http://chandra.nasa.gov

Siblicide, splayed-toes-flight display, and grappling in the Saker Falcon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ellis, D.H.; Whitlock, P.L.; Tsengeg, Pu; Nelson, R.W.

1999-01-01

We observed two incidents of novel social behavior in the saker falcon (Falco cherrug) in Mongolia. First, we provide an account of a two-week-old saker falcon chick killing its nest mate, the first direct observation of siblicide in the genus Falco. We also report aerial combat between three adult saker falcons including observations of talon grappling, whirling, and Splayed-toes-flight, a previously undescribed social display.

Multi-Mode Estimation for Small Fixed Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Localization Based on a Linear Matrix Inequality Approach

PubMed Central

Elzoghby, Mostafa; Li, Fu; Arafa, Ibrahim. I.; Arif, Usman

2017-01-01

Information fusion from multiple sensors ensures the accuracy and robustness of a navigation system, especially in the absence of global positioning system (GPS) data which gets degraded in many cases. A way to deal with multi-mode estimation for a small fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) localization framework is proposed, which depends on utilizing a Luenberger observer-based linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach. The proposed estimation technique relies on the interaction between multiple measurement modes and a continuous observer. The state estimation is performed in a switching environment between multiple active sensors to exploit the available information as much as possible, especially in GPS-denied environments. Luenberger observer-based projection is implemented as a continuous observer to optimize the estimation performance. The observer gain might be chosen by solving a Lyapunov equation by means of a LMI algorithm. Convergence is achieved by utilizing the linear matrix inequality (LMI), based on Lyapunov stability which keeps the dynamic estimation error bounded by selecting the observer gain matrix (L). Simulation results are presented for a small UAV fixed wing localization problem. The results obtained using the proposed approach are compared with a single mode Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the viability of the proposed strategy. PMID:28420214

Synthesis of the unmanned aerial vehicle remote control augmentation system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tomczyk, Andrzej, E-mail: A.Tomczyk@prz.edu.pl

Medium size Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) usually flies as an autonomous aircraft including automatic take-off and landing phases. However in the case of the on-board control system failure, the remote steering is using as an emergency procedure. In this reason, remote manual control of unmanned aerial vehicle is used more often during take-of and landing phases. Depends on UAV take-off mass and speed (total energy) the potential crash can be very danger for airplane and environment. So, handling qualities of UAV is important from pilot-operator point of view. In many cases the dynamic properties of remote controlling UAV are notmore » suitable for obtaining the desired properties of the handling qualities. In this case the control augmentation system (CAS) should be applied. Because the potential failure of the on-board control system, the better solution is that the CAS algorithms are placed on the ground station computers. The method of UAV handling qualities shaping in the case of basic control system failure is presented in this paper. The main idea of this method is that UAV reaction on the operator steering signals should be similar - almost the same - as reaction of the 'ideal' remote control aircraft. The model following method was used for controller parameters calculations. The numerical example concerns the medium size MP-02A UAV applied as an aerial observer system.« less

Estimation of carbon storage based on individual tree detection in Pinus densiflora stands using a fusion of aerial photography and LiDAR data.

PubMed

Kim, So-Ra; Kwak, Doo-Ahn; Lee, Woo-Kyun; oLee, Woo-Kyun; Son, Yowhan; Bae, Sang-Won; Kim, Choonsig; Yoo, Seongjin

2010-07-01

The objective of this study was to estimate the carbon storage capacity of Pinus densiflora stands using remotely sensed data by combining digital aerial photography with light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. A digital canopy model (DCM), generated from the LiDAR data, was combined with aerial photography for segmenting crowns of individual trees. To eliminate errors in over and under-segmentation, the combined image was smoothed using a Gaussian filtering method. The processed image was then segmented into individual trees using a marker-controlled watershed segmentation method. After measuring the crown area from the segmented individual trees, the individual tree diameter at breast height (DBH) was estimated using a regression function developed from the relationship observed between the field-measured DBH and crown area. The above ground biomass of individual trees could be calculated by an image-derived DBH using a regression function developed by the Korea Forest Research Institute. The carbon storage, based on individual trees, was estimated by simple multiplication using the carbon conversion index (0.5), as suggested in guidelines from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The mean carbon storage per individual tree was estimated and then compared with the field-measured value. This study suggested that the biomass and carbon storage in a large forest area can be effectively estimated using aerial photographs and LiDAR data.

Aerial Explorers and Robotic Ecosystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Larry A.; Pisanich, Greg

2004-01-01

A unique bio-inspired approach to autonomous aerial vehicle, a.k.a. aerial explorer technology is discussed. The work is focused on defining and studying aerial explorer mission concepts, both as an individual robotic system and as a member of a small robotic "ecosystem." Members of this robotic ecosystem include the aerial explorer, air-deployed sensors and robotic symbiotes, and other assets such as rovers, landers, and orbiters.

47 CFR 32.6431 - Aerial wire expense.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Aerial wire expense. 32.6431 Section 32.6431... FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES Instructions for Expense Accounts § 32.6431 Aerial wire expense. This account shall include expenses associated with aerial wire. ...

47 CFR 32.6431 - Aerial wire expense.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Aerial wire expense. 32.6431 Section 32.6431... FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES Instructions for Expense Accounts § 32.6431 Aerial wire expense. This account shall include expenses associated with aerial wire. ...

Distant Healing Intention Therapies: An Overview of the Scientific Evidence

PubMed Central

Schlitz, Marilyn; Baur, Christopher

2015-01-01

This article provides a broad overview of “distant healing intention” (DHI) therapies, ie, intentional healing modalities claimed to transcend the usual constraints of distance through space or time. We provide a summary of previous reviews and meta-analyses that have explored a diverse array of DHI modalities, outcome measures, and experimental protocols. While some significant experimental effects have been observed, the evidence to date does not yet provide confidence in its clinical efficacy. The purported “nonlocal” nature of DHI raises significant methodological and theoretical challenges. We recommend several avenues for improving future research. PMID:26665044

Geospatial Education: Working with the NASA Airborne Science Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lockwood, C. M.; Handley, L.; Handley, N.

2010-12-01

WETMAAP (Wetland Education Through Maps and Aerial Photography) , a program of CNL World, supports the NASA Strategic Goals and Objectives for Education by providing classroom teachers and formal and informal educators with professional development. WETMAAP promotes science by inquiry through the use of a building-block process, comparative analysis, and analytical observations. Through the WETMAAP workshops and website, educators receive the concepts necessary to provide students with a basic understanding of maps, aerial photography, and satellite and airborne imagery that focus on the study of wetlands and wetland change. The program targets educators, Grades 5 - 12, in earth science, environmental science, biology, geography, and mathematics, and emphasizes a comprehensive curriculum approach.

EROS main image file - A picture perfect database for Landsat imagery and aerial photography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jack, R. F.

1984-01-01

The Earth Resources Observation System (EROS) Program was established by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1966 under the administration of the Geological Survey. It is primarily concerned with the application of remote sensing techniques for the management of natural resources. The retrieval system employed to search the EROS database is called INORAC (Inquiry, Ordering, and Accounting). A description is given of the types of images identified in EROS, taking into account Landsat imagery, Skylab images, Gemini/Apollo photography, and NASA aerial photography. Attention is given to retrieval commands, geographic coordinate searching, refinement techniques, various online functions, and questions regarding the access to the EROS Main Image File.

Seismicity rate surge on faults after shut-in: poroelastic response to fluid injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, K. W.; Yoon, H.; Martinez, M. J.

2017-12-01

Subsurface energy activities such as geological CO2 storage and wastewater injection require injecting large amounts of fluid into the subsurface, which will alter the states of pore pressure and stress in the storage formation. One of the main issues for injection-induced seismicity is the post shut-in increases in the seismicity rate, often observed in the fluid-injection operation sites. The rate surge can be driven by the following mechanisms: (1) pore-pressure propagation into distant faults after shut-in and (2) poroelastic stressing caused by well operations, depending on fault geometry, hydraulic and mechanical properties of the formation, and injection history. We simulate the aerial view of the target reservoir intersected by strike-slip faults, in which injection-induced pressure buildup encounters the faults directly. We examine the poroelastic response of the faults to fluid injection and perform a series of sensitivity tests considering: (1) permeability of the fault zone, (2) locations and the number of faults with respect to the injection point, and (3) well operations with varying the injection rate. Our analysis of the Coulomb stress change suggests that the sealing fault confines pressure diffusion which stabilizes or weakens the nearby conductive fault depending on the injection location. We perform the sensitivity test by changing injection scenarios (time-dependent rates), while keeping the total amount of injected fluids. Sensitivity analysis shows that gradual reduction of the injection rate minimizes the Coulomb stress change and the least seismicity rates are predicted. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA-0003525.

Present-day palynomorph deposits in an estuarine context: The case of the Loire Estuary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganne, A.; Leroyer, C.; Penaud, A.; Mojtahid, M.

2016-12-01

Estuaries are dynamic systems that collect terrestrial, aerial, fluvial, and marine inputs, including organic microfossils, which, when fossilized and observed on palynological slides, are also referred to as palynomorphs (pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs including dinoflagellate cysts or dinocysts). To understand these organic microfossil deposit arrangements across the Loire estuary, palynomorph counts were undertaken in 31 surface sediments collected across longitudinal and perpendicular transects of the Loire active riverbed, from the upper inner estuary to the river mouth. Main results suggest a large homogeneity of the pollen content throughout the entire upstream-downstream transect, with a dominance of arboreal taxa (Pinus, Quercus, Alnus) and Poaceae. Also, perpendicular transects across the channel show a great similarity between the muddy surface layers and the underlying consolidated clay layers. This is probably due to: i) homogeneity of the landscape at a regional scale (large catchment area of the Loire River), and ii) complex hydrodynamic processes involving strong mixing of the palynological signal. Furthermore, despite scarce woodlands in the regional landscape, arboreal pollen (especially Pinus and Quercus) represents > 60% of the total pollen percentages. This could be explained by several factors: i) generally higher arboreal pollen production and dispersion as compared to herbaceous taxa, ii) distant inputs from marine areas downstream and/or forested regions far upstream, and iii) differential selection or inheritance from underlying sediments. Differentiation between the outer and inner estuarine environments was furthermore possible using a ratio of terrestrial versus marine palynological indicators. Among the dinocyst assemblages (marine realm), the euryhaline species Lingulodinium machaerophorum predominates; this taxon being very sensitive to strong water column stratification. Also, total dinocyst concentration increased upstream, which may result from the tidal forcing pushing salinity upriver beneath outflowing river water, and thus signing the estuarine turbidity maximum influence within the Loire River.

Clinical and immunologic evaluation of Cedrus deodara pollen: a new allergen from India.

PubMed

Rawat, A; Singh, A; Singh, A B; Gaur, S N; Kumar, L; Roy, I; Ravindrun, P

2000-07-01

Allergy to pollen from gymnosperms is well documented in the West. However, many allergenic species are native to the Himalayan region of India, and Cedrus deodara (Pinaceae) was selected for allergologic investigation. The objective was to define the allergologic and immunochemical aspects of C. deodara pollen. Pollen antigen from C. deodara (CD) was prepared and characterized by biochemical and biologic assays. Specific IgE binding was determined by means of ELISA and immunoblotting. CD pollen antigen caused marked skin sensitivity in 7.5% of an atopic population. A significantly elevated level of CD-specific IgE antibodies was observed in 65.8% of the skin-positive patients. Immunoblotting showed protein fractions of 37, 44, 58, and 78 kDa with 100% binding with the patients' sera suspected to be due to carbohydrate moieties. Patients from the Himalayan region, where CD occurs naturally, were sensitized more than patients from distant places. The immunochemical characterization revealed multiple protein fractions from low to very high molecular mass (14-126 kDa) mostly in the acidic pI range. CD pollen has been recognized as a new allergen from India for the first time. The role of pollen as a causative agent of respiratory allergic disorders is very well established, as is evident from the recent increase of reports from across the world (1-4). India is blessed with the richest flora on the earth, from alpine tundra to Rajasthan desert. Consequently, it provides considerable variation in the quality and quantity of airborne pollen in different ecogeographic regions of the country (5-8). Although studies on the allergenic properties of airborne pollen from various species have been carried out by several workers in India (9-12), information on allergy to aerial pollen from Himalayan tree species has been completely

Sea State and Boundary Layer Physics of the Emerging Arctic Ocean

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

meteorological stations; weather observations; upper-air (rawinsondes, balloons and tethered kit); turbulent fluxes; radiation; surface temperature...remote sensing, in-field remote sensing will be employed, using small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), balloons , and manned aircraft (funded by other

Trial aerial survey of sea otters in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1993. Restoration project 93043-2. Exxon Valdez oil spill restoration project final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bodkin, J.L.; Udevitz, M.S.

1996-05-01

We developed an aerial survey method for sea otters, using a strip transect design where otters observed in a strip along one side of the aircraft are counted. Two strata are sampled, one lies close to shore and/or in shallow. The other strata lies offshore and over deeper water. We estimate the proportion of otters not seen by the observer by conducting intensive searches of units (ISU`s) within strips when otters are observed. The first study found no significant differences in sea otter detection probabilities between ISU`s initiated by the sighting of an otter group compared to systematically located ISU`s.more » The second study consisted of a trial survey of all of Prince William Sound, excluding Orca Inlet. The survey area consisted of 5,017 sq km of water between the shore line and an offshore boundary based on shoreline physiography, the 100 m depth contour or a distance of 2 km from the shore. From 5-13 August 1993, two observers surveyed 1,023 linear km of high density sea otter habitat and 355 linear km of low density habitat.« less

Hyperparameter Classification of Arctic Sea Ice and Snow Based on Aerial Laser Data, Passive Microwave Data and Field Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herzfeld, U. C.; Maslanik, J.; Williams, S.; Sturm, M.; Cavalieri, D.

2006-12-01

In the past year, the Arctic sea-ice cover has been shrinking at an alarming rate. Remote-sensing technologies provide opportunities for observations of the sea ice at unprecedented repetition rates and spatial resolutions. The advance of new observational technologies is not only fascinating, it also brings with it the challenge and necessity to derive adequate new geoinformatical and geomathematical methods as a basis for analysis and geophysical interpretation of new data types. Our research includes validation and analysis of NASA EOS data, development of observational instrumentation and advanced geoinformatics. In this talk we emphasize the close linkage between technological development and geoinformatics along case studies of sea-ice near Point Barrow, Alaska, based on the following data types: AMSR-E and PSR passive microwave data, RADARSAT and ERS SAR data, manually-collected snow-depth data and laser-elevation data from unmanned aerial vehicles. The hyperparameter concept is introduced to facilitate characterization and classification of the same sea-ice properties and spatial structures from these data sets, which differ with respect to spatial resolution, measured parameters and observed geophysical variables. Mathematically, this requires parameter identification in undersampled, oversampled or overprinted situations.

Experimental Study of Multispectral Characteristics of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle at Different Observation Angles

PubMed Central

Zheng, Haijing; Bai, Tingzhu; Wang, Quanxi; Cao, Fengmei; Shao, Long; Sun, Zhaotian

2018-01-01

This study investigates multispectral characteristics of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at different observation angles by experiment. The UAV and its engine are tested on the ground in the cruise state. Spectral radiation intensities at different observation angles are obtained in the infrared band of 0.9–15 μm by a spectral radiometer. Meanwhile, infrared images are captured separately by long-wavelength infrared (LWIR), mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR), and short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) cameras. Additionally, orientation maps of the radiation area and radiance are obtained. The results suggest that the spectral radiation intensity of the UAV is determined by its exhaust plume and that the main infrared emission bands occur at 2.7 μm and 4.3 μm. At observation angles in the range of 0°–90°, the radiation area of the UAV in MWIR band is greatest; however, at angles greater than 90°, the radiation area in the SWIR band is greatest. In addition, the radiance of the UAV at an angle of 0° is strongest. These conclusions can guide IR stealth technique development for UAVs. PMID:29389880

Recent Structural Evolution of Early-Type Galaxies: Size Growth from z = 1 to z = 0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Wel, Arjen; Holden, Bradford P.; Zirm, Andrew W.; Franx, Marijn; Rettura, Alessandro; Illingworth, Garth D.; Ford, Holland C.

2008-11-01

Strong size and internal density evolution of early-type galaxies between z ~ 2 and the present has been reported by several authors. Here we analyze samples of nearby and distant (z ~ 1) galaxies with dynamically measured masses in order to confirm the previous, model-dependent results and constrain the uncertainties that may play a role. Velocity dispersion (σ) measurements are taken from the literature for 50 morphologically selected 0.8 < z < 1.2 field and cluster early-type galaxies with typical masses Mdyn = 2 × 1011 M⊙. Sizes (Reff) are determined with Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging. We compare the distant sample with a large sample of nearby (0.04 < z < 0.08) early-type galaxies extracted from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey for which we determine sizes, masses, and densities in a consistent manner, using simulations to quantify systematic differences between the size measurements of nearby and distant galaxies. We find a highly significant difference between the σ - Reff distributions of the nearby and distant samples, regardless of sample selection effects. The implied evolution in Reff at fixed mass between z = 1 and the present is a factor of 1.97 +/- 0.15. This is in qualitative agreement with semianalytic models; however, the observed evolution is much faster than the predicted evolution. Our results reinforce and are quantitatively consistent with previous, photometric studies that found size evolution of up to a factor of 5 since z ~ 2. A combination of structural evolution of individual galaxies through the accretion of companions and the continuous formation of early-type galaxies through increasingly gas-poor mergers is one plausible explanation of the observations. Based on observations with the Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by AURA, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555, and observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under NASA contract 1407. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, Chile (169.A-0458). Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation.

Using occupancy models to accommodate uncertainty in the interpretation of aerial photograph data: status of beaver in Central Oregon, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearl, Christopher A.; Adams, Michael J.; Haggerty, Patricia K.; Urban, Leslie

2015-01-01

Beavers (Castor canadensis) influence habitat for many species and pose challenges in developed landscapes. They are increasingly viewed as a cost-efficient means of riparian habitat restoration and water storage. Still, information on their status is rare, particularly in western North America. We used aerial photography to evaluate changes in beaver occupancy between 1942–1968 and 2009 in upper portions of 2 large watersheds in Oregon, USA. We used multiple observers and occupancy modeling to account for bias related to photo quality, observers, and imperfect detection of beaver impoundments. Our analysis suggested a slightly higher rate of beaver occupancy in the upper Deschutes than the upper Klamath basin. We found weak evidence for beaver increases in the west and declines in eastern parts of the study area. Our study presents a method for dealing with observer variation in photo interpretation and provides the first assessment of the extent of beaver influence in 2 basins with major water-use challenges. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

An aerial survey method to estimate sea otter abundance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bodkin, James L.; Udevitz, Mark S.; Garner, Gerald W.; Amstrup, Steven C.; Laake, Jeffrey L.; Manly, Bryan F.J.; McDonald, Lyman L.; Robertson, Donna G.

1999-01-01

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) occur in shallow coastal habitats and can be highly visible on the sea surface. They generally rest in groups and their detection depends on factors that include sea conditions, viewing platform, observer technique and skill, distance, habitat and group size. While visible on the surface, they are difficult to see while diving and may dive in response to an approaching survey platform. We developed and tested an aerial survey method that uses intensive searches within portions of strip transects to adjust for availability and sightability biases. Correction factors are estimated independently for each survey and observer. In tests of our method using shore-based observers, we estimated detection probabilities of 0.52-0.72 in standard strip-transects and 0.96 in intensive searches. We used the survey method in Prince William Sound, Alaska to estimate a sea otter population size of 9,092 (SE = 1422). The new method represents an improvement over various aspects of previous methods, but additional development and testing will be required prior to its broad application.

Observations of Near-Surface Relative Humidity in a Wind Turbine Array Boundary Layer Using an Instrumented Unmanned Aerial System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adkins, K. A.; Sescu, A.

2016-12-01

Simulation and modeling have shown that wind farms have an impact on the near-surface atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) as turbulent wakes generated by the turbines enhance vertical mixing. These changes alter downstream atmospheric properties. With a large portion of wind farms hosted within an agricultural context, changes to the environment can potentially have secondary impacts such as to the productivity of crops. With the exception of a few observational data sets that focus on the impact to near-surface temperature, little to no observational evidence exists. These few studies also lack high spatial resolution due to their use of a limited number of meteorological towers or remote sensing techniques. This study utilizes an instrumented small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) to gather in-situ field measurements from two Midwest wind farms, focusing on the impact that large utility-scale wind turbines have on relative humidity. Wind turbines are found to differentially alter the relative humidity in the downstream, spanwise and vertical directions under a variety of atmospheric stability conditions.

Laboratory evaluation of Artemisia annua L. extract and artemisinin activity against Epilachna paenulata and Spodoptera eridania.

PubMed

Maggi, María E; Mangeaud, Arnaldo; Carpinella, María C; Ferrayoli, Carlos G; Valladares, Graciela R; Palacios, Sara M

2005-07-01

Ethanolic extract of aerial parts of Artemisia annua L. and artemisinin were evaluated as anti-insect products. In a feeding deterrence assay on Epilachna paenulata Germ (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) larvae, complete feeding rejection was observed at an extract concentration of 1.5 mg/cm2 on pumpkin leaf tissue. The same concentration produced a feeding inhibition of 87% in Spodoptera eridania (Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). In a no-choice assay, both species ate less and gained less weight when fed on leaves treated with the extract. Complete mortality in E. paenulata and 50% mortality in S. eridania were observed with extract at 1.5 mg/cm2. Artemisinin exhibited a moderate antifeedant effect on E. paenulata and S. eridania at 0.03-0.375 mg/cm2. However, a strong effect on survival and body weight was observed when E. paenulata larvae were forced to feed on leaves treated at 0.03 and 0.075 mg/cm2. Artemisia annua ethanolic extract of aerial parts at 1.5 mg/cm2 showed no phytotoxic effect on pumpkin seedlings.

Cosmic strings in the real sky

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hogan, Craig J.

1987-01-01

Observational strategies for finding effects associated with the gravitational lensing of distant objects by strings are discussed. In particular, a proposed search program at Steward Observatory to find chains of Galaxy image pairs is described.

A mechanism for sustained groundwater pressure changes induced by distant earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brodsky, E.E.; Roeloffs, E.; Woodcock, D.; Gall, I.; Manga, M.

2003-01-01

Large sustained well water level changes (>10 cm) in response to distant (more than hundreds of kilometers) earthquakes have proven enigmatic for over 30 years. Here we use high sampling rates at a well near Grants Pass, Oregon, to perform the first simultaneous analysis of both the dynamic response of water level and sustained changes, or steps. We observe a factor of 40 increase in the ratio of water level amplitude to seismic wave ground velocity during a sudden coseismic step. On the basis of this observation we propose a new model for coseismic pore pressure steps in which a temporary barrier deposited by groundwater flow is entrained and removed by the more rapid flow induced by the seismic waves. In hydrothermal areas, this mechanism could lead to 4 ?? 10-2 MPa pressure changes and triggered seismicity.

Archaeological Feature Detection from Archive Aerial Photography with a Sfm-Mvs and Image Enhancement Pipeline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peppa, M. V.; Mills, J. P.; Fieber, K. D.; Haynes, I.; Turner, S.; Turner, A.; Douglas, M.; Bryan, P. G.

2018-05-01

Understanding and protecting cultural heritage involves the detection and long-term documentation of archaeological remains alongside the spatio-temporal analysis of their landscape evolution. Archive aerial photography can illuminate traces of ancient features which typically appear with different brightness values from their surrounding environment, but are not always well defined. This research investigates the implementation of the Structure-from-Motion - Multi-View Stereo image matching approach with an image enhancement algorithm to derive three epochs of orthomosaics and digital surface models from visible and near infrared historic aerial photography. The enhancement algorithm uses decorrelation stretching to improve the contrast of the orthomosaics so as archaeological features are better detected. Results include 2D / 3D locations of detected archaeological traces stored into a geodatabase for further archaeological interpretation and correlation with benchmark observations. The study also discusses the merits and difficulties of the process involved. This research is based on a European-wide project, entitled "Cultural Heritage Through Time", and the case study research was carried out as a component of the project in the UK.

Evidence from aerial photography of structural loss of coral reefs at Barbados, West Indies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, J.

2002-04-01

In response to concerns about widespread degradation of coral reefs at Barbados, West Indies, over the past two decades, maps and planimetric areas of 20 fringing coral reefs were estimated from enlargements of aerial photographs of the island, using geographic information system analysis. There were statistically significant reductions in reef areas over a 40-year period from 1950 to 1991. Areal losses exceeding measurement and boundary interpretation errors of 10% were detected on eight of the 20 reefs. Ground validation carried out by divers on six of the reefs confirmed physical losses of reef structures and accumulation of rubble and sand substrata at sites where substantial planimetric area loss was detected on aerial photographs. Structural losses occurred along the "spur and groove" system of the reef-seaward edge, within deep channels or breaches in the reef front, and along the flanks or ends of reefs. The location and nature of the observed losses suggest that storm damage and seasonal alterations in beach morphology are the two most important factors contributing to geomorphological structural loss of the reefs.

An aerial netting study of insects migrating at high altitude over England.

PubMed

Chapman, J W; Reynolds, D R; Smith, A D; Smith, E T; Woiwod, I P

2004-04-01

Day and night sampling of windborne arthropods at a height of 200 m above ground was undertaken at Cardington, Bedfordshire, UK, during July 1999, 2000 and 2002, using a net supported by a tethered balloon. The results from this study are compared with those from the classic aerial sampling programmes carried out by Hardy, Freeman and colleagues over the UK and North Sea in the 1930s. In the present study, aerial netting was undertaken at night as well as daytime, and so the diel periodicity of migration could be investigated, and comparisons made with the results from Lewis and Taylor's extensive survey of flight periodicity near ground level. In some taxa with day-time emigration, quite large populations could continue in high-altitude flight after dark, perhaps to a previously underrated extent, and this would greatly increase their potential migratory range. Any trend towards increases in night temperatures, associated with global warming, would facilitate movements of this type in the UK. Observations on the windborne migration of a variety of species, particularly those of economic significance or of radar-detectable size, are briefly discussed.

Approach to Assessing the Effects of Aerial Deposition on Water Quality in the Alberta Oil Sands Region.

PubMed

Dayyani, Shadi; Daly, Gillian; Vandenberg, Jerry

2016-02-01

Snow cover forms a porous medium that acts as a receptor for aerially deposited polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals. The snowpack, acting as a temporary storage reservoir, releases contaminants accumulating over the winter during a relatively short melt period. This process could result in elevated concentrations of contaminants in melt water. Recent studies in the Alberta oil sands region have documented increases in snowpack and lake sediment concentrations; however, no studies have addressed the fate and transport of contaminants during the snowmelt period. This study describes modelling approaches that were developed to assess potential effects of aerially deposited PAHs and metals to snowpack and snowmelt water concentrations. The contribution of snowmelt to freshwater PAH concentrations is assessed using a dynamic, multi-compartmental fate model, and the contribution to metal concentrations is estimated using a mass-balance approach. The modelling approaches described herein were applied to two watersheds in the Alberta oil sands region for two planned oil sands developments. Accumulation of PAHs in a lake within the deposition zone was also modelled for comparison to observed concentrations.

Sleeping distance in wild wolf packs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knick, S.T.; Mech, L.D.

1980-01-01

Sleeping distances were observed among members of 13 wild wolf (Canis lupus) packs and 11 pairs in northeastern Minnesota to determine if the distances correlated with pack size and composition. The study utilized aerial radio-tracking and observation during winter. Pack size and number of adults per pack were inversely related to pack average sleeping distance and variability. No correlation between sleeping distance and microclimate was observed. Possible relationships between social bonding and our results are discussed.

Selections from 2017: Hubble Survey Explores Distant Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-12-01

Editors note:In these last two weeks of 2017, well be looking at a few selections that we havent yet discussed on AAS Nova from among the most-downloaded paperspublished in AAS journals this year. The usual posting schedule will resume in January.CANDELS Multi-Wavelength Catalogs: Source Identification and Photometry in the CANDELS COSMOSSurvey FieldPublished January2017Main takeaway:A publication led byHooshang Nayyeri(UC Irvine and UC Riverside) early this year details acatalog of sources built using the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey(CANDELS), a survey carried out by cameras on board the Hubble Space Telescope. The catalogliststhe properties of 38,000 distant galaxies visiblewithin the COSMOS field, a two-square-degree equatorial field explored in depthto answer cosmological questions.Why its interesting:Illustration showing the three-dimensional map of the dark matter distribution in theCOSMOS field. [Adapted from NASA/ESA/R. Massey(California Institute of Technology)]The depth and resolution of the CANDELS observations areuseful for addressingseveral major science goals, including the following:Studying the most distant objects in the universe at the epoch of reionization in the cosmic dawn.Understanding galaxy formation and evolution during the peak epoch of star formation in the cosmic high noon.Studying star formation from deep ultravioletobservations and studying cosmology from supernova observations.Why CANDELS is a major endeavor:CANDELS isthe largest multi-cycle treasury program ever approved on the Hubble Space Telescope using over 900 orbits between 2010 and 2013 withtwo cameras on board the spacecraftto study galaxy formation and evolution throughout cosmic time. The CANDELS images are all publicly available, and the new catalogrepresents an enormous source of information about distant objectsin our universe.CitationH. Nayyeri et al 2017 ApJS 228 7. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/228/1/7

Probing Signatures of a Distant Planet around the Young T-Tauri Star CI Tau Hosting a Possible Hot Jupiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konishi, Mihoko; Hashimoto, Jun; Hori, Yasunori

2018-06-01

We search for signatures of a distant planet around the two million-year-old classical T-Tauri star CI Tau hosting a hot-Jupiter candidate ({M}{{p}}\\sin i∼ 8.1 {M}Jupiter}) in an eccentric orbit (e ∼ 0.3). To probe the existence of an outer perturber, we reanalyzed 1.3 mm dust continuum observations of the protoplanetary disk around CI Tau obtained by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). We found a gap structure at ∼0.″8 in CI Tau’s disk. Our visibility fitting assuming an axisymmetric surface brightness profile suggested that the gap is located at a deprojected radius of 104.5 ± 1.6 au and has a width of 36.9 ± 2.9 au. The brightness temperature around the gap was calculated to be ∼2.3 K lower than that of the ambient disk. Gap-opening mechanisms such as secular gravitational instability (GI) and dust trapping can explain the gap morphology in the CI Tau disk. The scenario that an unseen planet created the observed gap structure cannot be ruled out, although the coexistence of an eccentric hot Jupiter and a distant planet around the young CI Tau would be challenging for gravitational scattering scenarios. The mass of the planet was estimated to be between ∼0.25 M Jupiter and ∼0.8 M Jupiter from the gap width and depth ({0.41}-0.06+0.04) in the modeled surface brightness image, which is lower than the current detection limits of high-contrast direct imaging. The young classical T-Tauri CI Tau may be a unique system for exploring the existence of a potential distant planet as well as the origin of an eccentric hot Jupiter.

Differences in mechanical and structural properties of surface and aerial petioles of the aquatic plant Nymphaea odorata subsp. tuberosa (Nymphaeaceae).

PubMed

Etnier, Shelley A; Villani, Philip J

2007-07-01

Lily pads (Nymphaea odorata) exhibit heterophylly where a single plant may have leaves that are submerged, floating, or above (aerial) the surface of the water. Lily pads are placed in a unique situation because each leaf form is exposed to a distinctly different set of mechanical demands. While surface petioles may be loaded in tension under conditions of wind or waves, aerial petioles are loaded in compression because they must support the weight of the lamina. Using standard techniques, we compared the mechanical and morphological properties of both surface and aerial leaf petioles. Structural stiffness (EI) and the second moment of area (I) were higher in aerial petioles, although we detected no differences in other mechanical values (elastic modulus [E], extension ratio, and breaking strength). Morphologically, aerial petioles had a thicker rind, with increased collenchyma tissue and sclereid cell frequency. Aerial petioles also had a larger cross-sectional area and were more elliptical. Thus, subtle changes in the distribution of materials, rather than differences in their makeup, differentiate petiole forms. We suggest that the growth of aerial petioles may be an adaptive response to shading, allowing aerial leaves to rise above a crowded water surface.

Evidence for Secondary Emission as the Origin of Hard Spectra in TeV Blazars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Y. G.; Kang, T.

2013-02-01

We develop a model for the possible origin of hard, very high energy (VHE) spectra from a distant blazar. In the model, both the primary photons produced in the source and secondary photons produced outside it contribute to the observed high-energy γ-ray emission. That is, the primary photons are produced through the synchrotron self-Compton process, and the secondary photons are produced through high-energy proton interactions with background photons along the line of sight. We apply the model to a characteristic case of VHE γ-ray emission in the distant blazar 1ES 1101-232. Assuming suitable electron and proton spectra, we obtain excellent fits to the observed spectra of this blazar. This indicated that the surprisingly low attenuation of the high-energy γ-rays, especially the shape of the VHE γ-ray tail of the observed spectra, can be explained by secondary γ-rays produced in interactions of cosmic-ray protons with background photons in intergalactic space.

Magnetospheric access of solar particles and the configuration of the distant geomagnetic field, volume 1. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, L. C.

1972-01-01

The access of 1.2 to 40 MeV protons and 0.4 to 1.0 MeV electrons from interplanetary space to the polar cap regions was investigated with an experiment on board a low altitude, polar-orbiting satellite (0G0 4). A total of 333 quiet time observations of the electron polar cap boundary give a mapping of the boundary between open and closed geomagnetic field lines. Observations of events associated with co-rotating regions of enhanced proton flux in interplanetary space were used to establish the characteristics of the 1.2 to 40 MeV proton access windows. The results were compared to particle access predictions of the distant geomagnetic tail configurations. The role played by interplanetary anisotropies in the observation of persistent polar cap features is discussed. Special emphasis is given to the problem of nonadiabatic particle entry through regions where the magnetic field is changing direction.

The effect of emotional distance on psychophysiologic concordance and perceived empathy between patient and interviewer.

PubMed

Marci, Carl D; Orr, Scott P

2006-06-01

This preliminary study investigated the effect of emotional distance on psychophysiologic concordance and perceived empathy in a clinical population. Participants included 20 adult outpatients from a mental health clinic that underwent a brief semi-structured interview with a trained psychiatrist in either an emotionally neutral or an emotionally distant condition. Simultaneous skin conductance (SC) levels of the patient and interviewer were recorded and used to calculate a measure of psychophysiologic concordance. Interviewer gaze was rated by an independent observer and used as a proxy indicator of emotional distance. Observer ratings of interviewer gaze, SC concordance, and patient ratings of perceived interviewer empathy were significantly lower in the emotionally distant condition compared with the emotionally neutral condition (p < 0.05). Results suggest that increased emotional distance is associated with decreased psychophysiologic concordance and reduced subjective ratings of perceived empathy. The observed differences in psychophysiologic concordance support the use of this measure as a potential marker of empathy in a clinical population in an interview setting.

GreenHouse Observations of the Stratosphere and Troposphere (GHOST): a novel shortwave infrared spectrometer developed for the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humpage, Neil; Bösch, Hartmut; Palmer, Paul I.; Parr-Burman, Phil M.; Vick, Andrew J. A.; Bezawada, Naidu N.; Black, Martin; Born, Andrew J.; Pearson, David; Strachan, Jonathan; Wells, Martyn

2014-10-01

The tropospheric distribution of greenhouse gases (GHGs) depends on surface flux variations, atmospheric chemistry and transport processes over a range of spatial and temporal scales. Accurate and precise atmospheric concentration observations of GHGs can be used to infer surface flux estimates, though their interpretation relies on unbiased atmospheric transport models. GHOST is a novel, compact shortwave infrared spectrometer which will observe tropospheric columns of CO2, CO, CH4 and H2O (along with the HDO/H2O ratio) during deployment on board the NASA Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle. The primary science objectives of GHOST are to: 1) test atmospheric transport models; 2) evaluate satellite observations of GHG column observations over oceans; and 3) complement in-situ tropopause transition layer observations from other Global Hawk instruments. GHOST comprises a target acquisition module (TAM), a fibre slicer and feed system, and a multiple order spectrograph. The TAM is programmed to direct solar radiation reflected by the ocean surface into a fibre optic bundle. Incoming light is then split into four spectral bands, selected to optimise remote observations of GHGs. The design uses a single grating and detector for all four spectral bands. We summarise the GHOST concept and its objectives, and describe the instrument design and proposed deployment aboard the Global Hawk platform.

Aerial photo SBVC1962". Photo no. 360. Low oblique aerial view ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Aerial photo -SBVC-1962". Photo no. 360. Low oblique aerial view of the campus, looking southeast. Stamped on the rear: "Ron Wilhite, Sun-Telegram photo, file, 10/22/62/ - San Bernardino Valley College, 701 South Mount Vernon Avenue, San Bernardino, San Bernardino County, CA

United States Air Force in Southeast Asia 1965-1973. Aces and Aerial Victories

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-01-01

UNITED STATES IN SOUTHEAST ACES and AERIAL VICTORIES The United States Air Force in SoutheastAsia 1965*19?3 by R Frank Fuirefl William H...TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-1976 to 00-00-1976 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE United States Air Force in Southeast Asia 1965-1973. Aces and Aerial... aces and aerial victories, 1965-1973. Includes index and glossary. 1. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975-Aerial operations, American. 2. Viet- namese

Transport properties of the mung bean (Vigna radiata) non-aerial hypocotyl membrane: permselectivity to hydrophilic compounds.

PubMed

Aponte, John; Baur, Peter

2014-01-01

Aerial plant surfaces are covered by a lipophilic cuticular membrane (CM) that restricts the transport of water and small solutes. Non-aerial tissues do not exhibit such a barrier. Recent data have shown that large relative to CM hydrophilic agrochemicals were able to pass at high rates through the non-aerial coleoptile. A moderately large hydrophilic solute like PEG 1000 with a mean molar volume of 782 cm(3) mol(-1) was rejected by the non-aerial hypocotyl. Uptake of smaller solutes like urea (46.5 cm(3) mol(-1) ) was fast and with 99% after 1 day. Cut-off size estimations suggest a pore size diameter below 1.5 nm. Aerial and non-aerial CM differ largely in their absolute barrier properties. This difference is related to the absence of embedded cuticular waxes in the non-aerial hypocotyl membrane, which make the CM physically dense and cause low solubility of hydrophilic solutes. The free volume for diffusion at the interface of the non-aerial hypocotyl cuticle to the environment is much larger resulting in higher penetration rates. It is suggested that diffusion through the non-aerial hypocotyl does not proceed in a real channel system with continuous aqueous phase but is more like transport through a filter with restricted diffusion in the pore openings. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Road networks as collections of minimum cost paths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegner, Jan Dirk; Montoya-Zegarra, Javier Alexander; Schindler, Konrad

2015-10-01

We present a probabilistic representation of network structures in images. Our target application is the extraction of urban roads from aerial images. Roads appear as thin, elongated, partially curved structures forming a loopy graph, and this complex layout requires a prior that goes beyond standard smoothness and co-occurrence assumptions. In the proposed model the network is represented as a union of 1D paths connecting distant (super-)pixels. A large set of putative candidate paths is constructed in such a way that they include the true network as much as possible, by searching for minimum cost paths in the foreground (road) likelihood. Selecting the optimal subset of candidate paths is posed as MAP inference in a higher-order conditional random field. Each path forms a higher-order clique with a type of clique potential, which attracts the member nodes of cliques with high cumulative road evidence to the foreground label. That formulation induces a robust PN -Potts model, for which a global MAP solution can be found efficiently with graph cuts. Experiments with two road data sets show that the proposed model significantly improves per-pixel accuracies as well as the overall topological network quality with respect to several baselines.

Practical Bias Correction in Aerial Surveys of Large Mammals: Validation of Hybrid Double-Observer with Sightability Method against Known Abundance of Feral Horse (Equus caballus) Populations

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Reliably estimating wildlife abundance is fundamental to effective management. Aerial surveys are one of the only spatially robust tools for estimating large mammal populations, but statistical sampling methods are required to address detection biases that affect accuracy and precision of the estimates. Although various methods for correcting aerial survey bias are employed on large mammal species around the world, these have rarely been rigorously validated. Several populations of feral horses (Equus caballus) in the western United States have been intensively studied, resulting in identification of all unique individuals. This provided a rare opportunity to test aerial survey bias correction on populations of known abundance. We hypothesized that a hybrid method combining simultaneous double-observer and sightability bias correction techniques would accurately estimate abundance. We validated this integrated technique on populations of known size and also on a pair of surveys before and after a known number was removed. Our analysis identified several covariates across the surveys that explained and corrected biases in the estimates. All six tests on known populations produced estimates with deviations from the known value ranging from -8.5% to +13.7% and <0.7 standard errors. Precision varied widely, from 6.1% CV to 25.0% CV. In contrast, the pair of surveys conducted around a known management removal produced an estimated change in population between the surveys that was significantly larger than the known reduction. Although the deviation between was only 9.1%, the precision estimate (CV = 1.6%) may have been artificially low. It was apparent that use of a helicopter in those surveys perturbed the horses, introducing detection error and heterogeneity in a manner that could not be corrected by our statistical models. Our results validate the hybrid method, highlight its potentially broad applicability, identify some limitations, and provide insight and guidance for improving survey designs. PMID:27139732

D City Transformations by Time Series of Aerial Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adami, A.

2015-02-01

Recent photogrammetric applications, based on dense image matching algorithms, allow to use not only images acquired by digital cameras, amateur or not, but also to recover the vast heritage of analogue photographs. This possibility opens up many possibilities in the use and enhancement of existing photos heritage. The research of the original figuration of old buildings, the virtual reconstruction of disappeared architectures and the study of urban development are some of the application areas that exploit the great cultural heritage of photography. Nevertheless there are some restrictions in the use of historical images for automatic reconstruction of buildings such as image quality, availability of camera parameters and ineffective geometry of image acquisition. These constrains are very hard to solve and it is difficult to discover good dataset in the case of terrestrial close range photogrammetry for the above reasons. Even the photographic archives of museums and superintendence, while retaining a wealth of documentation, have no dataset for a dense image matching approach. Compared to the vast collection of historical photos, the class of aerial photos meets both criteria stated above. In this paper historical aerial photographs are used with dense image matching algorithms to realize 3d models of a city in different years. The models can be used to study the urban development of the city and its changes through time. The application relates to the city centre of Verona, for which some time series of aerial photographs have been retrieved. The models obtained in this way allowed, right away, to observe the urban development of the city, the places of expansion and new urban areas. But a more interesting aspect emerged from the analytical comparison between models. The difference, as the Euclidean distance, between two models gives information about new buildings or demolitions. As considering accuracy it is necessary point out that the quality of final observations from model comparison depends on several aspects such as image quality, image scale and marker accuracy from cartography.

Practical Bias Correction in Aerial Surveys of Large Mammals: Validation of Hybrid Double-Observer with Sightability Method against Known Abundance of Feral Horse (Equus caballus) Populations.

PubMed

Lubow, Bruce C; Ransom, Jason I

2016-01-01

Reliably estimating wildlife abundance is fundamental to effective management. Aerial surveys are one of the only spatially robust tools for estimating large mammal populations, but statistical sampling methods are required to address detection biases that affect accuracy and precision of the estimates. Although various methods for correcting aerial survey bias are employed on large mammal species around the world, these have rarely been rigorously validated. Several populations of feral horses (Equus caballus) in the western United States have been intensively studied, resulting in identification of all unique individuals. This provided a rare opportunity to test aerial survey bias correction on populations of known abundance. We hypothesized that a hybrid method combining simultaneous double-observer and sightability bias correction techniques would accurately estimate abundance. We validated this integrated technique on populations of known size and also on a pair of surveys before and after a known number was removed. Our analysis identified several covariates across the surveys that explained and corrected biases in the estimates. All six tests on known populations produced estimates with deviations from the known value ranging from -8.5% to +13.7% and <0.7 standard errors. Precision varied widely, from 6.1% CV to 25.0% CV. In contrast, the pair of surveys conducted around a known management removal produced an estimated change in population between the surveys that was significantly larger than the known reduction. Although the deviation between was only 9.1%, the precision estimate (CV = 1.6%) may have been artificially low. It was apparent that use of a helicopter in those surveys perturbed the horses, introducing detection error and heterogeneity in a manner that could not be corrected by our statistical models. Our results validate the hybrid method, highlight its potentially broad applicability, identify some limitations, and provide insight and guidance for improving survey designs.

2. AERIAL VIEW OF MINUTEMAN SILOS. Low oblique aerial view ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. AERIAL VIEW OF MINUTEMAN SILOS. Low oblique aerial view (original in color) of the two launch silos, covered. - Edwards Air Force Base, Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, Missile Silo Type, Test Area 1-100, northeast end of Test Area 1-100 Road, Boron, Kern County, CA

7 CFR 1755.703 - Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire... MATERIALS, AND STANDARD CONTRACT FORMS § 1755.703 Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire. (a... resistance of each conductor in a completed NMR aerial service wire shall comply with the requirement...

7 CFR 1755.703 - Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire... MATERIALS, AND STANDARD CONTRACT FORMS § 1755.703 Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire. (a... resistance of each conductor in a completed NMR aerial service wire shall comply with the requirement...

7 CFR 1755.703 - Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire... MATERIALS, AND STANDARD CONTRACT FORMS § 1755.703 Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire. (a... resistance of each conductor in a completed NMR aerial service wire shall comply with the requirement...

Integration of aerial imaging and variable-rate technology for site-specific aerial herbicide application

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

As remote sensing and variable rate technology are becoming more available for aerial applicators, practical methodologies on effective integration of these technologies are needed for site-specific aerial applications of crop production and protection materials. The objectives of this study were to...

Current status and future directions of precision agriculture for aerial application in the USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Precision aerial application in the USA is less than a decade old since the development of the first variable-rate aerial application system. Many areas of the United States rely on readily available agricultural airplanes or helicopters for pest management. Variable-rate aerial application provides...

Off-the-Wall Project Brings Aerial Mapping down to Earth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davidhazy, Andrew

2008-01-01

The technology of aerial photography, photogrametry, has widespread applications in mapping and aerial surveying. A multi-billion-dollar industry, aerial surveying and mapping is "big business" in both civilian and military sectors. While the industry has grown increasingly automated, employment opportunities still exist for people with a basic…

Outcomes of surgery for gastric cancer with distant metastases: a retrospective study from the SEER database

PubMed Central

Weng, Shanshan; Dong, Caixia; Zhu, Lizhen; Yang, Ziru; Zhong, Jing; Yuan, Ying

2017-01-01

Background The role of surgical therapy in gastric cancer patients with distant metastases remains controversial. This retrospective analysis was performed to identify whether gastric cancer patients with distant metastases might benefit from surgery. Patients and methods A total of 5185 patients from the SEER database who were initially diagnosed with histologically confirmed gastric cancer with distant metastases from 2004 to 2009 were included. Patients were divided into the following three groups: patients who underwent resection of both the primary tumor and distant metastatic tumors (‘PMTR’ group), patients who only underwent resection of the primary tumor (‘PTR’ group) and patients who did not undergo any surgery (‘No surgery’ group). We employed the Kaplan-Meier analysis, the log-rank test and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate the survival time of the different groups. Results A total of 5185 patients had a median survival time (MST) of 9.0 months. The improvement in survival of the ‘PMTR’ and ‘PTR’ groups was significantly different compared with that of the ‘No surgery’ group (MST, 12.0 vs 12.0 vs 9.0 months, respectively, P<0.001; 1-year survival rate, 49.6% vs 49.1% vs 30.1%, respectively, P<0.001; 3-year survival rate, 12.5% vs 15.1% vs 5.8%, respectively, P<0.001), whereas no significant difference was found between the ‘PMTR’ group and ‘PTR’ group (P=0.642). Multivariate Cox proportional analysis showed that surgery was an independent prognostic factor (‘PMTR’, hazard ratio (HR) =0.648, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.574-0.733, P<0.001; ‘PTR’, HR=0.631, 95% CI 0.583-0.684, P<0.001). Conclusions This retrospective analysis demonstrated that combined PTR and metastasectomy or PTR alone were independent prognostic factors for survival improvement in gastric cancer patients with distant metastases. Because no statistically significant difference in survival was observed between the ‘PMTR’ group and ‘PTR’ group, PTR, which is a more minor surgery, might be more appropriate than PMTR in clinical practice for gastric cancer patients with distant metastases. PMID:28008147

My Changing Perception of Mars: A Whipple Award Lecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malin, M. C.

2017-12-01

I have been studying Mars for 46+ years. My initial studies of the planet were mentored by Bruce Murray (my Ph.D. advisor) and Bob Sharp. My 4 years as Bruce's student were the most productive and exciting of my early career, during which I wrote or participated in a dozen published works. My early efforts on Mars, based on Mariner 9 images, culminated in my Ph.D. dissertation, the last paragraph of which, written in 1975, read: "In summary, Mars appears to have had a complex early history, complete with significant atmospheric and some fluid erosion. Just as the polar layered deposits are believed to record the recent history of Mars, so may the ancient layered deposits — the intercrater plains — record the most primitive history of Mars. Detailed studies of Martian stratigraphy in the distant future may be as intellectually rewarding as the studies of terrestrial stratigraphy are today."Welcome to the distant future! During my student years with Murray and Sharp, I concluded that images of significantly higher spatial resolution were needed to unravel the geologic story hinted at in the Mariner 9 data. For 10 years I made the case for aerial photo-like high resolution imaging, to highly skeptical science and engineering communities. With Ed Danielson (of JPL and then Caltech) and a group of young engineers he recruited, we succeeded in convincing advisory groups and a NASA selection board to fly the Mars Observer Camera, that included early 1980's innovations such as a 32-bit microprocessor, a 100 MB solid state memory, gate arrays for instrument control, and a 35 cm aperture telescope with an f/2 primary and a secondary mirror with 8-fold magnification to achieve 3.7 µrad/pixel scale (1.4 m/pxl from 378 km altitude). Although MO failed, the MOC was reflown on MGS and my colleague Ken Edgett and I found evidence for: widespread water-lain sedimentary rock, persistent surficial water flow and ponding in bodies of standing water, gullies that may indicate the presence of liquid water in the recent past, rapid change in polar solid CO2 landforms, perhaps related to climate change, and evidence for ancient rainfall in the form of inverted hillslope rills and first-order streams, and evidence for contemporary impact cratering. It is gratifying to be exploring, with cameras we designed for MSL, an area in Gale Crater Ken and I described in 2000.

Learning-based Wind Estimation using Distant Soundings for Unguided Aerial Delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plyler, M.; Cahoy, K.; Angermueller, K.; Chen, D.; Markuzon, N.

2016-12-01

Delivering unguided, parachuted payloads from aircraft requires accurate knowledge of the wind field inside an operational zone. Usually, a dropsonde released from the aircraft over the drop zone gives a more accurate wind estimate than a forecast. Mission objectives occasionally demand releasing the dropsonde away from the drop zone, but still require accuracy and precision. Barnes interpolation and many other assimilation methods do poorly when the forecast error is inconsistent in a forecast grid. A machine learning approach can better leverage non-linear relations between different weather patterns and thus provide a better wind estimate at the target drop zone when using data collected up to 100 km away. This study uses the 13 km resolution Rapid Refresh (RAP) dataset available through NOAA and subsamples to an area around Yuma, AZ and up to approximately 10km AMSL. RAP forecast grids are updated with simulated dropsondes taken from analysis (historical weather maps). We train models using different data mining and machine learning techniques, most notably boosted regression trees, that can accurately assimilate the distant dropsonde. The model takes a forecast grid and simulated remote dropsonde data as input and produces an estimate of the wind stick over the drop zone. Using ballistic winds as a defining metric, we show our data driven approach does better than Barnes interpolation under some conditions, most notably when the forecast error is different between the two locations, on test data previously unseen by the model. We study and evaluate the model's performance depending on the size, the time lag, the drop altitude, and the geographic location of the training set, and identify parameters most contributing to the accuracy of the wind estimation. This study demonstrates a new approach for assimilating remotely released dropsondes, based on boosted regression trees, and shows improvement in wind estimation over currently used methods.

Comparative analyses of quaternary arrangements in homo-oligomeric proteins in superfamilies: Functional implications.

PubMed

Sudha, Govindarajan; Srinivasan, Narayanaswamy

2016-09-01

A comprehensive analysis of the quaternary features of distantly related homo-oligomeric proteins is the focus of the current study. This study has been performed at the levels of quaternary state, symmetry, and quaternary structure. Quaternary state and quaternary structure refers to the number of subunits and spatial arrangements of subunits, respectively. Using a large dataset of available 3D structures of biologically relevant assemblies, we show that only 53% of the distantly related homo-oligomeric proteins have the same quaternary state. Considering these homologous homo-oligomers with the same quaternary state, conservation of quaternary structures is observed only in 38% of the pairs. In 36% of the pairs of distantly related homo-oligomers with different quaternary states the larger assembly in a pair shows high structural similarity with the entire quaternary structure of the related protein with lower quaternary state and it is referred as "Russian doll effect." The differences in quaternary state and structure have been suggested to contribute to the functional diversity. Detailed investigations show that even though the gross functions of many distantly related homo-oligomers are the same, finer level differences in molecular functions are manifested by differences in quaternary states and structures. Comparison of structures of biological assemblies in distantly and closely related homo-oligomeric proteins throughout the study differentiates the effects of sequence divergence on the quaternary structures and function. Knowledge inferred from this study can provide insights for improved protein structure classification and function prediction of homo-oligomers. Proteins 2016; 84:1190-1202. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

OBSERVATIONAL SIGNATURES OF A MASSIVE DISTANT PLANET ON THE SCATTERING DISK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawler, S. M.; Kavelaars, J. J.; Shankman, C.

The orbital element distribution of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) with large pericenters has been suggested to be influenced by the presence of an undetected, large planet at >200 au from the Sun. To find additional observables caused by this scenario, we present here the first detailed emplacement simulation in the presence of a massive ninth planet on the distant Kuiper Belt. We perform 4 Gyr N -body simulations with the currently known solar system planetary architecture, plus a 10  M {sub ⊕} planet with similar orbital parameters to those suggested by Trujillo and Sheppard or Batygin and Brown, and 10{sup 5} testmore » particles in an initial planetesimal disk. We find that including a distant super-Earth-mass planet produces a substantially different orbital distribution for the scattering and detached TNOs, raising the pericenters and inclinations of moderate semimajor axis (50 <  a  < 500 au) objects. We test whether this signature is detectable via a simulator with the observational characteristics of four precisely characterized TNO surveys. We find that the qualitatively very distinct solar system models that include a ninth planet are essentially observationally indistinguishable from an outer solar system produced solely by the four giant planets. We also find that the mass of the Kuiper Belt’s current scattering and detached populations is required to be 3–10 times larger in the presence of an additional planet. We do not find any evidence for clustering of orbital angles in our simulated TNO population. Wide-field, deep surveys targeting inclined high-pericenter objects will be required to distinguish between these different scenarios.« less

Preliminary Design of Aerial Spraying System for Microlight Aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omar, Zamri; Idris, Nurfazliawati; Rahim, M. Zulafif

2017-10-01

Undoubtedly agricultural is an important sector because it provides essential nutrients for human, and consequently is among the biggest sector for economic growth worldwide. It is crucial to ensure crops production is protected from any plant diseases and pests. Thus aerial spraying system on crops is developed to facilitate farmers to for crops pests control and it is very effective spraying method especially for large and hilly crop areas. However, the use of large aircraft for aerial spaying has a relatively high operational cost. Therefore, microlight aircraft is proposed to be used for crops aerial spraying works for several good reasons. In this paper, a preliminary design of aerial spraying system for microlight aircraft is proposed. Engineering design methodology is adopted in the development of the aerial sprayer and steps involved design are discussed thoroughly. A preliminary design for the microlight to be attached with an aerial spraying system is proposed.

Aerial Explorers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Larry A.; Pisanich, Greg; Ippolito, Corey

2005-01-01

This paper presents recent results from a mission architecture study of planetary aerial explorers. In this study, several mission scenarios were developed in simulation and evaluated on success in meeting mission goals. This aerial explorer mission architecture study is unique in comparison with previous Mars airplane research activities. The study examines how aerial vehicles can find and gain access to otherwise inaccessible terrain features of interest. The aerial explorer also engages in a high-level of (indirect) surface interaction, despite not typically being able to takeoff and land or to engage in multiple flights/sorties. To achieve this goal, a new mission paradigm is proposed: aerial explorers should be considered as an additional element in the overall Entry, Descent, Landing System (EDLS) process. Further, aerial vehicles should be considered primarily as carrier/utility platforms whose purpose is to deliver air-deployed sensors and robotic devices, or symbiotes, to those high-value terrain features of interest.

7 CFR 1755.703 - Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire... MATERIALS, AND STANDARD CONTRACT FORMS § 1755.703 Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire. (a..., paragraphs 2.2 and 2.2.1. The ANSI/ICEA S-89-648-1993 Standard For Telecommunications Aerial Service Wire...

7 CFR 1755.703 - Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire... MATERIALS, AND STANDARD CONTRACT FORMS § 1755.703 Nonmetallic reinforced (NMR) aerial service wire. (a..., paragraphs 2.2 and 2.2.1. The ANSI/ICEA S-89-648-1993 Standard For Telecommunications Aerial Service Wire...

7 CFR 1755.700 - RUS specification for aerial service wires.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false RUS specification for aerial service wires. 1755.700..., AND STANDARD CONTRACT FORMS § 1755.700 RUS specification for aerial service wires. §§ 1755.701 through 1755.704 cover the requirements for aerial service wires. [61 FR 26074, May 24, 1996] ...

7 CFR 1755.700 - RUS specification for aerial service wires.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false RUS specification for aerial service wires. 1755.700..., AND STANDARD CONTRACT FORMS § 1755.700 RUS specification for aerial service wires. §§ 1755.701 through 1755.704 cover the requirements for aerial service wires. [61 FR 26074, May 24, 1996] ...

29 CFR 1926.952 - Mechanical equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) Aerial lifts. (1) The provisions of § 1926.556, subpart N of this part, shall apply to the utilization of aerial lifts. (2) When working near energized lines or equipment, aerial lift trucks shall be grounded or barricaded and considered as energized equipment, or the aerial lift truck shall be insulated for the work...

76 FR 61750 - Vehicle-Mounted Elevating and Rotating Work Platforms (Aerial Lifts); Extension of the Office of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-05

...] Vehicle-Mounted Elevating and Rotating Work Platforms (Aerial Lifts); Extension of the Office of... requirement contained in the Standard on Vehicle-Mounted Elevating and Rotating Work Platforms (Aerial Lifts... by ensuring that aerial lifts are in safe operating condition. DATES: Comments must be submitted...

29 CFR 1926.952 - Mechanical equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) Aerial lifts. (1) The provisions of § 1926.556, subpart N of this part, shall apply to the utilization of aerial lifts. (2) When working near energized lines or equipment, aerial lift trucks shall be grounded or barricaded and considered as energized equipment, or the aerial lift truck shall be insulated for the work...

Geography via Aerial Field Trips: Do It This Way, 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richason, Benjamin F., Jr.; Guell, Carl E.

To provide guidance for geography teachers, this booklet presents information on how to plan and execute aerial field trips. The aerial field trip can be employed as an effective visual aid technique in the teaching of geography, especially for presenting earth generalizations and interrelationships. The benefits of an aerial field trip are…

Radiance Research Particle Soot/Absorption Photometer Instrument Handbook

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Springston, S. R.

2016-03-01

Radiance Research PSAPs as described in this Handbook are deployed in the second ARM Mobile Facility (AMF2) Aerosol Observing System (AOS), the third ARM Mobile Facility (AMF3) AOS, ENA AOS and Mobile Aerosol Observing System (MAOS)-A. An earlier version of the PSAP is currently operated in the ARM Aerial Facility and at SGP. The older SGP instrument is covered in a separate Handbook.

The US Air Force Aerial Spray Unit: a history of large area disease vector control operations, WWII through Katrina.

PubMed

Breidenbaugh, Mark; Haagsma, Karl

2008-01-01

The US Air Force has had a long history of aerial applications of pesticides to fulfill a variety of missions, the most important being the protection of troops through the minimization of arthropod vectors capable of disease transmission. Beginning in World War II, aerial application of pesticides by the military has effectively controlled vector and nuisance pest populations in a variety of environments. Currently, the military aerial spray capability resides in the US Air Force Reserve (USAFR), which operates and maintains C-130 airplanes capable of a variety of missions, including ultra low volume applications for vector and nuisance pests, as well as higher volume aerial applications of herbicides and oil-spill dispersants. The USAFR aerial spray assets are the only such fixed-wing aerial spray assets within the Department of Defense. In addition to troop protection, the USAFR Aerial Spray Unit has participated in a number of humanitarian/relief missions, most recently in the response to the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which heavily damaged the Gulf Coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. This article provides historical background on the Air Force Aerial Spray Unit and describes the operations in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The prediction, observation and study of long-distant undamped thermal waves generated in pulse radiative processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vysotskii, V. I.; Kornilova, A. A.; Vasilenko, A. O.; Krit, T. B.; Vysotskyy, M. V.

2017-07-01

The problems of the existence, generation, propagation and registration of long-distant undamped thermal waves formed in pulse radiative processes have been theoretically analyzed and confirmed experimentally. These waves may be used for the analysis of short-time processes of interaction of particles or electromagnetic fields with different targets. Such undamped waves can only exist in environments with a finite (nonzero) time of local thermal relaxation and their frequencies are determined by this time. The results of successful experiments on the generation and registration of undamped thermal waves at a large distance (up to 2 m) are also presented.

Galaxy Clusters, Near and Far, Have a Lot in Common

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2005-04-01

Using two orbiting X-ray telescopes, a team of international astronomers has examined distant galaxy clusters in order to compare them with their counterparts that are relatively close by. Speaking today at the RAS National Astronomy Meeting in Birmingham, Dr. Ben Maughan (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), presented the results of this new analysis. The observations indicate that, despite the great expansion that the Universe has undergone since the Big Bang, galaxy clusters both local and distant have a great deal in common. This discovery could eventually lead to a better understanding of how to "weigh" these enormous structures, and, in so doing, answer important questions about the nature and structure of the Universe. Clusters of galaxies, the largest known gravitationally-bound objects, are the knots in the cosmic web of structure that permeates the Universe. Theoretical models make predictions about the number, distribution and properties of these clusters. Scientists can test and improve models of the Universe by comparing these predictions with observations. The most powerful way of doing this is to measure the masses of galaxy clusters, particularly those in the distant Universe. However, weighing galaxy clusters is extremely difficult. One relatively easy way to weigh a galaxy cluster is to use simple laws ("scaling relations") to estimate its weight from properties that are easy to observe, like its luminosity (brightness) or temperature. This is like estimating someone's weight from their height if you didn't have any scales. Over the last 3 years, a team of researchers, led by Ben Maughan, has observed 11 distant galaxy clusters with ESA's XMM-Newton and NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The clusters have redshifts of z = 0.6-1.0, which corresponds to distances of 6 to 8 billion light years. This means that we see them as they were when the Universe was half its present age. The survey included two unusual systems, one in which two massive clusters are merging and another extremely massive cluster which appears very "relaxed" and undisturbed. The X-ray data allowed the scientists to measure the temperatures and luminosities of the gas in the clusters. They were then able to infer their total masses, which varied between 200 and 1,100 times the mass of our Milky Way galaxy. These measurements were then used to test whether galaxy clusters of different sizes and located at different distances from us are simply scaled versions of each other -- a condition known as being "self-similar." This is an important characteristic for astronomers to identify if they hope to get the true weights of galaxy clusters. "For example, chocolate bars are strongly self-similar," said Maughan. "If you shrank a king-size bar to a fun-size bar, they would be identical versions of each other but just different sizes." "However, if you shrank a castle to the size of a bungalow, they would be very different structures, despite being the same size. This means that they are not strongly self-similar objects." Another possible type of relationship between clusters is what scientists call "weakly self-similar." In this case, galaxy clusters in the distant universe and those nearby are almost identical to each other, but not exactly the same. (The only differences between them can be accounted for by the expansion of the Universe since the Big Bang.) Although astronomers have known for some time that galaxy clusters are not strongly self-similar, the question of whether or not they are weakly self-similar has remained open. The new results show that as long as astronomers take into account the continuous expansion of the Universe, then galaxy clusters are, in fact, weakly self-similar. This means that the same scaling relations used to weigh nearby galaxy clusters hold true for these very distant clusters. "Our results mean that weighing distant galaxy clusters could become as easy as converting from Fahrenheit to Celsius," said Maughan. "This will help to answer important questions about the nature and structure of the Universe." The other members of the team were: Laurence Jones (University of Birmingham, UK) Harald Ebeling (Institute for Astronomy, HI, USA), and Caleb Scharf (Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, NY, USA). The observations were made with the European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC) on XMM and the Advanced Camera for Imaging and Spectroscopy (ACIS) on Chandra. They were part of the WARPS survey of distant galaxy clusters detected by chance in observations made with the UK-US-Dutch ROSAT X-ray satellite. Additional information and images are available at: http://www.sr.bham.ac.uk/~habib/nampr/

Canopy Density Mapping on Ultracam-D Aerial Imagery in Zagros Woodlands, Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erfanifard, Y.; Khodaee, Z.

2013-09-01

Canopy density maps express different characteristics of forest stands, especially in woodlands. Obtaining such maps by field measurements is so expensive and time-consuming. It seems necessary to find suitable techniques to produce these maps to be used in sustainable management of woodland ecosystems. In this research, a robust procedure was suggested to obtain these maps by very high spatial resolution aerial imagery. It was aimed to produce canopy density maps by UltraCam-D aerial imagery, newly taken in Zagros woodlands by Iran National Geographic Organization (NGO), in this study. A 30 ha plot of Persian oak (Quercus persica) coppice trees was selected in Zagros woodlands, Iran. The very high spatial resolution aerial imagery of the plot purchased from NGO, was classified by kNN technique and the tree crowns were extracted precisely. The canopy density was determined in each cell of different meshes with different sizes overlaid on the study area map. The accuracy of the final maps was investigated by the ground truth obtained by complete field measurements. The results showed that the proposed method of obtaining canopy density maps was efficient enough in the study area. The final canopy density map obtained by a mesh with 30 Ar (3000 m2) cell size had 80% overall accuracy and 0.61 KHAT coefficient of agreement which shows a great agreement with the observed samples. This method can also be tested in other case studies to reveal its capability in canopy density map production in woodlands.

Hybrid display of static image and aerial image by use of transparent acrylic cubes and retro-reflectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morita, Shogo; Ito, Shusei; Yamamoto, Hirotsugu

2017-02-01

Aerial display can form transparent floating screen in the mid-air and expected to provide aerial floating signage. We have proposed aerial imaging by retro-reflection (AIRR) to form a large aerial LED screen. However, luminance of aerial image is not sufficiently high so as to be used for signage under broad daylight. The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel aerial display scheme that features hybrid display of two different types of images. Under daylight, signs made of cubes are visible. At night, or under dark lighting situation, aerial LED signs become visible. Our proposed hybrid display is composed of an LED sign, a beam splitter, retro-reflectors, and transparent acrylic cubes. Aerial LED sign is formed with AIRR. Furthermore, we place transparent acrylic cubes on the beam splitter. Light from the LED sign enters transparent acrylic cubes, reflects twice in the transparent acrylic cubes, exit and converge to planesymmetrical position with light source regarding the cube array. Thus, transparent acrylic cubes also form the real image of the source LED sign. Now, we form a sign with the transparent acrylic cubes so that this cube-based sign is apparent under daylight. We have developed a proto-type display by use of 1-cm transparent cubes and retro-reflective sheeting and successfully confirmed aerial image forming with AIRR and transparent cubes as well as cube-based sign under daylight.

Research of aerial imaging spectrometer data acquisition technology based on USB 3.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Junze; Wang, Yueming; He, Daogang; Yu, Yanan

2016-11-01

With the emergence of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) platform for aerial imaging spectrometer, research of aerial imaging spectrometer DAS(data acquisition system) faces new challenges. Due to the limitation of platform and other factors, the aerial imaging spectrometer DAS requires small-light, low-cost and universal. Traditional aerial imaging spectrometer DAS system is expensive, bulky, non-universal and unsupported plug-and-play based on PCIe. So that has been unable to meet promotion and application of the aerial imaging spectrometer. In order to solve these problems, the new data acquisition scheme bases on USB3.0 interface.USB3.0 can provide guarantee of small-light, low-cost and universal relying on the forward-looking technology advantage. USB3.0 transmission theory is up to 5Gbps.And the GPIF programming interface achieves 3.2Gbps of the effective theoretical data bandwidth.USB3.0 can fully meet the needs of the aerial imaging spectrometer data transmission rate. The scheme uses the slave FIFO asynchronous data transmission mode between FPGA and USB3014 interface chip. Firstly system collects spectral data from TLK2711 of high-speed serial interface chip. Then FPGA receives data in DDR2 cache after ping-pong data processing. Finally USB3014 interface chip transmits data via automatic-dma approach and uploads to PC by USB3.0 cable. During the manufacture of aerial imaging spectrometer, the DAS can achieve image acquisition, transmission, storage and display. All functions can provide the necessary test detection for aerial imaging spectrometer. The test shows that system performs stable and no data lose. Average transmission speed and storage speed of writing SSD can stabilize at 1.28Gbps. Consequently ,this data acquisition system can meet application requirements for aerial imaging spectrometer.

Aerial 3D display by use of a 3D-shaped screen with aerial imaging by retro-reflection (AIRR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurokawa, Nao; Ito, Shusei; Yamamoto, Hirotsugu

2017-06-01

The purpose of this paper is to realize an aerial 3D display. We design optical system that employs a projector below a retro-reflector and a 3D-shaped screen. A floating 3D image is formed with aerial imaging by retro-reflection (AIRR). Our proposed system is composed of a 3D-shaped screen, a projector, a quarter-wave retarder, a retro-reflector, and a reflective polarizer. Because AIRR forms aerial images that are plane-symmetric of the light sources regarding the reflective polarizer, the shape of the 3D screen is inverted from a desired aerial 3D image. In order to expand viewing angle, the 3D-shaped screen is surrounded by a retro-reflector. In order to separate the aerial image from reflected lights on the retro- reflector surface, the retro-reflector is tilted by 30 degrees. A projector is located below the retro-reflector at the same height of the 3D-shaped screen. The optical axis of the projector is orthogonal to the 3D-shaped screen. Scattered light on the 3D-shaped screen forms the aerial 3D image. In order to demonstrate the proposed optical design, a corner-cube-shaped screen is used for the 3D-shaped screen. Thus, the aerial 3D image is a cube that is floating above the reflective polarizer. For example, an aerial green cube is formed by projecting a calculated image on the 3D-shaped screen. The green cube image is digitally inverted in depth by our developed software. Thus, we have succeeded in forming aerial 3D image with our designed optical system.

Low aerial imagery - an assessment of georeferencing errors and the potential for use in environmental inventory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smaczyński, Maciej; Medyńska-Gulij, Beata

2017-06-01

Unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly being used in close range photogrammetry. Real-time observation of the Earth's surface and the photogrammetric images obtained are used as material for surveying and environmental inventory. The following study was conducted on a small area (approximately 1 ha). In such cases, the classical method of topographic mapping is not accurate enough. The geodetic method of topographic surveying, on the other hand, is an overly precise measurement technique for the purpose of inventorying the natural environment components. The author of the following study has proposed using the unmanned aerial vehicle technology and tying in the obtained images to the control point network established with the aid of GNSS technology. Georeferencing the acquired images and using them to create a photogrammetric model of the studied area enabled the researcher to perform calculations, which yielded a total root mean square error below 9 cm. The performed comparison of the real lengths of the vectors connecting the control points and their lengths calculated on the basis of the photogrammetric model made it possible to fully confirm the RMSE calculated and prove the usefulness of the UAV technology in observing terrain components for the purpose of environmental inventory. Such environmental components include, among others, elements of road infrastructure, green areas, but also changes in the location of moving pedestrians and vehicles, as well as other changes in the natural environment that are not registered on classical base maps or topographic maps.

Mathematical model of unmanned aerial vehicle used for endurance autonomous monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chelaru, Teodor-Viorel; Chelaru, Adrian

2014-12-01

The paper purpose is to present some aspects regarding the control system of unmanned aerial vehicle - UAV, used to local observations, surveillance and monitoring interest area. The calculus methodology allows a numerical simulation of UAV evolution in bad atmospheric conditions by using nonlinear model, as well as a linear one for obtaining guidance command. The UAV model which will be presented has six DOF (degrees of freedom), and autonomous control system. This theoretical development allows us to build stability matrix, command matrix and control matrix and finally to analyse the stability of autonomous UAV flight. A robust guidance system, based on uncoupled state will be evaluated for different fly conditions and the results will be presented. The flight parameters and guidance will be analysed.

Assimilating Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR) Observations and the Relative Value of Other Observation Types

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-01

Using real-time weather data from an unmanned aircraft system to support the advanced research version of the weather research and forecast model... system that is used to transmit some MDCRS observations, the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS). A new network of aircraft ...Technical Analysis and Applications Center, and AirDat LLC developed a modified TAMDAR sensor referred to as TAMDAR- Unmanned Aerial System (TAMDAR-U) for

Patterns of failure and survival in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy in Saudi Arabia

PubMed Central

Maklad, Ahmed Marzouk; Bayoumi, Yasser; Senosy Hassan, Mohamed Abdalazez; Elawadi, AbuSaleh A; AlHussain, Hussain; Elyamany, Ashraf; Aldhahri, Saleh F; Al-Qahtani, Khalid Hussain; AlQahtani, Mubarak; Tunio, Mutahir A

2016-01-01

Background We aimed to investigate the patterns of failure (locoregional and distant metastasis), associated factors, and treatment outcomes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) combined with chemotherapy. Patients and methods From April 2006 to December 2011, 68 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients were treated with IMRT and chemotherapy at our hospital. Median radiation doses delivered to gross tumor volume and positive neck nodes were 66–70 Gy, 63 Gy to clinical target volume, and 50.4–56 Gy to clinically negative neck. The clinical toxicities, patterns of failures, locoregional control, distant metastasis control, disease-free survival, and overall survival were observed. Results The median follow-up time was 52.2 months (range: 11–87 months). Epstein–Barr virus infection was positive in 63.2% of patients. Overall disease failure developed in 21 patients, of whom 85.8% belonged to stage III/IV disease. Among these, there were seven locoregional recurrences, three regional recurrences with distant metastases, and eleven distant metastases. The median interval from the date of diagnosis to failure was 26.5 months (range: 16–50 months). Six of ten (60%) locoregional recurrences were treated with reirradiation ± concurrent chemotherapy. The 5-year locoregional control, distant metastasis control, disease-free survival, and overall survival rates of whole cohort were 81.1%, 74.3%, 60.1%, and 73.4%, respectively. Cox regression analyses revealed that neoadjuvant chemotherapy, age, and Epstein–Barr virus were independent predictors for disease-free survival. Conclusion Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by IMRT with or without chemotherapy improves the long-term survival of Saudi patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Distant metastasis was the main pattern of treatment failure. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, age, and Epstein–Barr virus status before IMRT were important independent prognostic factors. PMID:27822060

Spatial Vertical Directionality and Correlation of Low-Frequency Ambient Noise in Deep Ocean Direct-Arrival Zones.

PubMed

Yang, Qiulong; Yang, Kunde; Cao, Ran; Duan, Shunli

2018-01-23

Wind-driven and distant shipping noise sources contribute to the total noise field in the deep ocean direct-arrival zones. Wind-driven and distant shipping noise sources may significantly and simultaneously affect the spatial characteristics of the total noise field to some extent. In this work, a ray approach and parabolic equation solution method were jointly utilized to model the low-frequency ambient noise field in a range-dependent deep ocean environment by considering their calculation accuracy and efficiency in near-field wind-driven and far-field distant shipping noise fields. The reanalysis databases of National Center of Environment Prediction (NCEP) and Volunteer Observation System (VOS) were used to model the ambient noise source intensity and distribution. Spatial vertical directionality and correlation were analyzed in three scenarios that correspond to three wind speed conditions. The noise field was dominated by distant shipping noise sources when the wind speed was less than 3 m/s, and then the spatial vertical directionality and vertical correlation of the total noise field were nearly consistent with those of distant shipping noise field. The total noise field was completely dominated by near field wind generated noise sources when the wind speed was greater than 12 m/s at 150 Hz, and then the spatial vertical correlation coefficient and directionality pattern of the total noise field was approximately consistent with that of the wind-driven noise field. The spatial characteristics of the total noise field for wind speeds between 3 m/s and 12 m/s were the weighted results of wind-driven and distant shipping noise fields. Furthermore, the spatial characteristics of low-frequency ambient noise field were compared with the classical Cron/Sherman deep water noise field coherence function. Simulation results with the described modeling method showed good agreement with the experimental measurement results based on the vertical line array deployed near the bottom in deep ocean direct-arrival zones.

Spatial Vertical Directionality and Correlation of Low-Frequency Ambient Noise in Deep Ocean Direct-Arrival Zones

PubMed Central

Yang, Qiulong; Yang, Kunde; Cao, Ran; Duan, Shunli

2018-01-01

Wind-driven and distant shipping noise sources contribute to the total noise field in the deep ocean direct-arrival zones. Wind-driven and distant shipping noise sources may significantly and simultaneously affect the spatial characteristics of the total noise field to some extent. In this work, a ray approach and parabolic equation solution method were jointly utilized to model the low-frequency ambient noise field in a range-dependent deep ocean environment by considering their calculation accuracy and efficiency in near-field wind-driven and far-field distant shipping noise fields. The reanalysis databases of National Center of Environment Prediction (NCEP) and Volunteer Observation System (VOS) were used to model the ambient noise source intensity and distribution. Spatial vertical directionality and correlation were analyzed in three scenarios that correspond to three wind speed conditions. The noise field was dominated by distant shipping noise sources when the wind speed was less than 3 m/s, and then the spatial vertical directionality and vertical correlation of the total noise field were nearly consistent with those of distant shipping noise field. The total noise field was completely dominated by near field wind generated noise sources when the wind speed was greater than 12 m/s at 150 Hz, and then the spatial vertical correlation coefficient and directionality pattern of the total noise field was approximately consistent with that of the wind-driven noise field. The spatial characteristics of the total noise field for wind speeds between 3 m/s and 12 m/s were the weighted results of wind-driven and distant shipping noise fields. Furthermore, the spatial characteristics of low-frequency ambient noise field were compared with the classical Cron/Sherman deep water noise field coherence function. Simulation results with the described modeling method showed good agreement with the experimental measurement results based on the vertical line array deployed near the bottom in deep ocean direct-arrival zones. PMID:29360793

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Tong Len Meditation Practice in Cancer Patients: Evaluation of a Distant Psychological Healing Effect.

PubMed

Pagliaro, Gioacchino; Pandolfi, Paolo; Collina, Natalina; Frezza, Giovanni; Brandes, Alba; Galli, Margherita; Avventuroso, Federica Marzocchi; De Lisio, Sara; Musti, Muriel Assunta; Franceschi, Enrico; Esposti, Roberta Degli; Lombardo, Laura; Cavallo, Giovanna; Di Battista, Monica; Rimondini, Simonetta; Poggi, Rosalba; Susini, Cinzia; Renzi, Rina; Marconi, Linda

2016-01-01

Tong Len meditation is an important therapeutic tool in the Tibetan medicine, and it can be used for self-healing and/or to heal others. Currently, in the West, there is no scientific study concerning the efficacy of a Tong Len distant healing effect on psychological disorders in cancer patients. To evaluate a distant healing effect of Tong Len meditation on stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and self-perceived quality of life in cancer patients. These psychological objectives were chosen as a consequence of the limited scientific literature of present day. We performed a double-blind randomized controlled trial on 103 cancer patients with tumors. Overall, 12 meditators used Tong Len in aid of 52 patients randomly selected as experimental group, while the remaining 51 patients constituted the control group. Patients and meditators did not know each other. All patients completed profile of mood states (POMS) and European Quality of Life-5 dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaires before treatment (T0), after two (T1) and three months of treatment (T2), and one month after treatment cessation (T3). With regard to the parameters related to depression, a statistically significant improvement (P = .003) was observed in the treatment group compared to controls. On the other hand, the vigor/activity parameter saw significant improvements in the control group (P = .009). Both groups exhibited significant improvements in the other factors assessed in the POMS and EQ-5D questionnaires. This study did not provide sufficient evidence supporting an efficacy of Tong Len meditation in distant psychological healing as compared to a control condition. The research highlighted some psychological improvements through Tong Len distant meditation in a group of patients unknown to meditators. Therefore, the enhancement detected in most parameters in both treatment and control groups raises interest on in-depth analysis and evaluation of distant meditation on cancer patients to mitigate psychological problems caused by the disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ages of Extragalactic Intermediate-Age Star Clusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flower, P. J.

1983-01-01

A dating technique for faint, distant star clusters observable in the local group of galaxies with the space telescope is discussed. Color-magnitude diagrams of Magellanic Cloud clusters are mentioned along with the metallicity of star clusters.

Seeing the invisible

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heymans, Catherine

2014-07-01

Light from distant galaxies is distorted on its journey to us via a vast network of dark matter. By observing this phenomenon, known as gravitational lensing, physicists are able to map the structure of this dark cosmic web, as Catherine Heymans explains.

Red Shifts with Obliquely Approaching Light Sources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Head, C. E.; Moore-Head, M. E.

1988-01-01

Refutes the Doppler effect as the explanation of large red shifts in the spectra of distant galaxies and explains the relativistic effects in which the light sources approach the observer obliquely. Provides several diagrams and graphs. (YP)

Violations of the equivalence principle by a nonlocally reconstructed vacuum at the black hole horizon.

PubMed

Bousso, Raphael

2014-01-31

If information escapes from an evaporating black hole, then field modes just outside the horizon must be thermally entangled with distant Hawking radiation. But for an infalling observer to find empty space at the horizon, the same modes would have to be entangled with the black hole interior. Thus, unitarity appears to require a "firewall" at the horizon. Identifying the interior with the distant radiation promises to resolve the entanglement conflict and restore the vacuum. But the map must adjust for any interactions, or else the firewall will reappear if the Hawking radiation scatters off the cosmic microwave background. Such a map produces a "frozen vacuum," a phenomenon that is arguably worse than a firewall. An infalling observer is unable to excite the vacuum near the horizon. This allows the horizon to be locally detected and so violates the equivalence principle.

Black holes are neither particle accelerators nor dark matter probes.

PubMed

McWilliams, Sean T

2013-01-04

It has been suggested that maximally spinning black holes can serve as particle accelerators, reaching arbitrarily high center-of-mass energies. Despite several objections regarding the practical achievability of such high energies, and demonstrations past and present that such large energies could never reach a distant observer, interest in this problem has remained substantial. We show that, unfortunately, a maximally spinning black hole can never serve as a probe of high energy collisions, even in principle and despite the correctness of the original diverging energy calculation. Black holes can indeed facilitate dark matter annihilation, but the most energetic photons can carry little more than the rest energy of the dark matter particles to a distant observer, and those photons are actually generated relatively far from the black hole where relativistic effects are negligible. Therefore, any strong gravitational potential could probe dark matter equally well, and an appeal to black holes for facilitating such collisions is unnecessary.

Toying with the moon illusion.

PubMed

Lockhead, G R; Wolbarsht, M L

1991-08-20

We propose that the correct interpretation of the moon illusion is that the zenith moon appears small, not that the horizon moon appears large. This illusion is caused by the visual gap between the observer and the overhead moon. Because of the gap, the observer has no or little optical information about the distance of the moon. This results in empty field myopia where the moon is neurally, although not necessarily cognitively, processed as being at about arm's length. When the moon is seen on the horizon, there usually is optical information about distance. That results in reduced accommodation, and so the moon is processed as at a greater distance. Consistent with the size-distance-invariance hypothesis, the moon is then judged as large. This is a specific example of the more general fact that all distant objects appear small in the absence of a stimulus for accommodation to be distant. This outcome produces the toy illusion.

Unmanned Aerial Systems, Moored Balloons, and the U.S. Department of Energy ARM Facilities in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivey, Mark; Verlinde, Johannes

2014-05-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its scientific user facility, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility, provides scientific infrastructure and data to the international Arctic research community via its research sites located on the North Slope of Alaska. Facilities and infrastructure to support operations of unmanned aerial systems for science missions in the Arctic and North Slope of Alaska were established at Oliktok Point Alaska in 2013. Tethered instrumented balloons will be used in the near future to make measurements of clouds in the boundary layer including mixed-phase clouds. The DOE ARM Program has operated an atmospheric measurement facility in Barrow, Alaska, since 1998. Major upgrades to this facility, including scanning radars, were added in 2010. Arctic Observing Networks are essential to meet growing policy, social, commercial, and scientific needs. Calibrated, high-quality arctic geophysical datasets that span ten years or longer are especially important for climate studies, climate model initializations and validations, and for related climate policy activities. For example, atmospheric data and derived atmospheric forcing estimates are critical for sea-ice simulations. International requirements for well-coordinated, long-term, and sustained Arctic Observing Networks and easily-accessible data sets collected by those networks have been recognized by many high-level workshops and reports (Arctic Council Meetings and workshops, National Research Council reports, NSF workshops and others). The recent Sustaining Arctic Observation Network (SAON) initiative sponsored a series of workshops to "develop a set of recommendations on how to achieve long-term Arctic-wide observing activities that provide free, open, and timely access to high-quality data that will realize pan-Arctic and global value-added services and provide societal benefits." This poster will present information on opportunities for members of the arctic research community to make atmospheric measurements using unmanned aerial systems or tethered balloons.

29 CFR 1910.67 - Vehicle-mounted elevating and rotating work platforms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... (b) General requirements. (1) Unless otherwise provided in this section, aerial devices (aerial lifts.... Aerial lifts acquired for use before July 1, 1975 which do not meet the requirements of ANSI A92.2—1969... lifts whether or not they are capable of rotating about a substantially vertical axis. (2) Aerial lifts...

29 CFR 1910.67 - Vehicle-mounted elevating and rotating work platforms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.... (b) General requirements. (1) Unless otherwise provided in this section, aerial devices (aerial lifts.... Aerial lifts acquired for use before July 1, 1975 which do not meet the requirements of ANSI A92.2—1969... lifts whether or not they are capable of rotating about a substantially vertical axis. (2) Aerial lifts...

75 FR 8406 - Aerial Lifts; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of an Information...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-24

...] Aerial Lifts; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of an Information... extend OMB approval of the information collection requirement contained in the Aerial Lift Standard. Employers who modify an aerial lift for uses other than those provided by the manufacturer must obtain a...

78 FR 64982 - Aerial Lifts Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-30

...] Aerial Lifts Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information... extend OMB approval of the information collection requirement contained in the Aerial Lifts Standard in Construction (29 CFR 1926.453). Employers who modify an aerial lift for uses other than those provided by the...

Integrated remote sensing and visualization (IRSV) system for transportation infrastructure operations and management, phase two, volume 5 : aerial bridge deck imaging data collection and software revision.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-02-01

For rapid deployment of bridge scan missions, sub-inch aerial imaging using small format aerial photography : is suggested. Under-belly photography is used to generate high resolution aerial images that can be geo-referenced and : used for quantifyin...

Aerial spray technology: possibilities and limitations for control of pear thrips

Treesearch

Karl Mierzejewski

1991-01-01

The feasibility of using aerial application as a means of managing a pear thrips infestation in maple forest stands is examined, based on existing knowledge of forest aerial application acquired from theoretical and empirical studies. Specific strategies by which aerial application should be performed and potential problem areas are discussed. Two new tools, aircraft...

The nature of radio emission from distant galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richards, Eric A.

I describe an observational program aimed at understanding the radio emission from distant, rapidly evolving galaxy populations. These observations were carried out at 1.4 and 8.5 GHz with the VLA centered on the Hubble Deep Field. Further MERLIN observations of the HDF region at 1.4 GHz provided an angular resolution of 0.2'' and when combined with the VLA data produced an image with an unprecedented rms noise of 4 μJy. All radio sources detected in the VLA complete sample are resolved with a median angular size of 1-2''. The differential count of the radio sources is marginally sub-Euclidean (γ = -2.4 +/- 0.1) and fluctuation analysis suggests nearly 60 sources per armin2 are present at the 1 μJy level. A correlation analysis indicates spatial clustering among the 371 radio sources on angular scales of 1-40 arcmin. Optical identifications are made primarily with bright (I = 22) disk systems composed of irregulars, peculiars, interacting/merging galaxies, and a few isolated field spirals. Available redshifts span the range 0.2-3. These clues coupled with the steep spectral index of the 1.4 GHz selected sample are indicative of diffuse synchrotron radiation in distant galactic disks. Thus the evolution in the microjansky radio population is driven principally by star-formation. I have isolated a number of optically faint radio sources (about 25% of the overall sample) which remain unidentified to I = 26-28 in the HDF and flanking optical fields. Several of these objects have extremely red counterparts and constitute a new class of radio sources which are candidate high redshift dusty protogalaxies.

Dynamical Evolution Induced by Planet Nine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batygin, Konstantin; Morbidelli, Alessandro

2017-12-01

The observational census of trans-Neptunian objects with semimajor axes greater than ˜ 250 {au} exhibits unexpected orbital structure that is most readily attributed to gravitational perturbations induced by a yet-undetected, massive planet. Although the capacity of this planet to (I) reproduce the observed clustering of distant orbits in physical space, (II) facilitate the dynamical detachment of their perihelia from Neptune, and (III) excite a population of long-period centaurs to extreme inclinations is well-established through numerical experiments, a coherent theoretical description of the dynamical mechanisms responsible for these effects remains elusive. In this work, we characterize the dynamical processes at play from semi-analytic grounds. We begin by considering a purely secular model of orbital evolution induced by Planet Nine and show that it is at odds with the ensuing stability of distant objects. Instead, the long-term survival of the clustered population of long-period Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) is enabled by a web of mean-motion resonances driven by Planet Nine. Then, by taking a compact-form approach to perturbation theory, we show that it is the secular dynamics embedded within these resonances that regulate the orbital confinement and perihelion detachment of distant KBOs. Finally, we demonstrate that the onset of large-amplitude oscillations of the orbital inclinations is accomplished through the capture of low-inclination objects into a high-order secular resonance, and we identify the specific harmonic that drives the evolution. In light of the developed qualitative understanding of the governing dynamics, we offer an updated interpretation of the current observational data set within the broader theoretical framework of the Planet Nine hypothesis.

The Development and Flight Testing of an Aerially Deployed Unmanned Aerial System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Andrew

An investigation into the feasibility of aerial deployed unmanned aerial vehicles was completed. The investigation included the development and flight testing of multiple unmanned aerial systems to investigate the different components of potential aerial deployment missions. The project consisted of two main objectives; the first objective dealt with the development of an airframe capable of surviving aerial deployment from a rocket and then self assembling from its stowed configuration into its flight configuration. The second objective focused on the development of an autopilot capable of performing basic guidance, navigation, and control following aerial deployment. To accomplish these two objectives multiple airframes were developed to verify their completion experimentally. The first portion of the project, investigating the feasibility of surviving an aerial deployment, was completed using a fixed wing glider that following a successful deployment had 52 seconds of controlled flight. Before developing the autopilot in the second phase of the project, the glider was significantly upgraded to fix faults discovered in the glider flight testing and to enhance the system capabilities. Unfortunately to conform to outdoor flight restrictions imposed by the university and the Federal Aviation Administration it was required to switch airframes before flight testing of the new fixed wing platform could begin. As a result, an autopilot was developed for a quadrotor and verified experimentally completely indoors to remain within the limits of governing policies.

Reducing environmental damage through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles as the best available technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedulova, E. A.; Akulov, A. O.; Rada, A. O.; Alabina, T. A.; Savina, Ju Ju

2018-01-01

The article examines the possibilities of using unmanned aerial vehicles as the best available technologies in the field of agriculture and mining. The object of the study is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles as the best available technology. The main areas of application of this technology are identified: agro technical operations, aerial photography of mining operations. The technology of unmanned aerial vehicles is compared with the technologies of ground agricultural machinery. The research methodology includes an expert evaluation of the unmanned aerial vehicle technology belonging to the class of the best available technologies by the criteria: the level of environmental impact, resource saving, the use of low-waste, non-waste processes, the existence of at least two objects, economic efficiency. Expert evaluations were processed using the apparatus of fuzzy sets, which make it possible to construct membership functions. This allowed us to prove that the technology of unmanned aerial vehicles belongs to a fuzzy set of the best available technologies. The results of the research show that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles provides a saving of resources, especially non-renewable combustible minerals, reduces emissions and discharges of pollutants into the atmosphere, and also reduces soil erosion. Unmanned aerial vehicles should be included in the national directories of the best available technologies for the mining industry and agriculture.

Laboratory and field investigations of marsh edge erosion

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This chapter presents the laboratory experiments and field observations of marsh edge erosion. The marsh retreat rate in a field study site in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana, was measured using GPS systems and aerial photographs. The wave environment was also measured in order to correlate the marsh edge...

Civilian Morale under Aerial Bombardment 1914-1939. Part 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1948-12-01

effects of the raids with the following observations. Those in Germany . . . who expected that air attacks on cities would cow the population of...Japanese when they attacked the Popular Grove Farms, an American enterprise near the city where choice Guernsey and Holstein milch cattle were raised

Starburst Cluster Shows Celestial Fireworks

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA image release June 6, 2010 Like a July 4 fireworks display a young, glittering collection of stars looks like an aerial burst. The cluster is surrounded by clouds of interstellar gas and dust - the raw material for new star formation. The nebula, located 20,000 light-years away in the constellation Carina, contains a central cluster of huge, hot stars, called NGC 3603. This environment is not as peaceful as it looks. Ultraviolet radiation and violent stellar winds have blown out an enormous cavity in the gas and dust enveloping the cluster, providing an unobstructed view of the cluster. Most of the stars in the cluster were born around the same time but differ in size, mass, temperature, and color. The course of a star's life is determined by its mass, so a cluster of a given age will contain stars in various stages of their lives, giving an opportunity for detailed analyses of stellar life cycles. NGC 3603 also contains some of the most massive stars known. These huge stars live fast and die young, burning through their hydrogen fuel quickly and ultimately ending their lives in supernova explosions. Star clusters like NGC 3603 provide important clues to understanding the origin of massive star formation in the early, distant universe. Astronomers also use massive clusters to study distant starbursts that occur when galaxies collide, igniting a flurry of star formation. The proximity of NGC 3603 makes it an excellent lab for studying such distant and momentous events. This Hubble Space Telescope image was captured in August 2009 and December 2009 with the Wide Field Camera 3 in both visible and infrared light, which trace the glow of sulfur, hydrogen, and iron. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. in Washington, D.C. Credit: NASA, ESA, R. O'Connell (University of Virginia), F. Paresce (National Institute for Astrophysics, Bologna, Italy), E. Young (Universities Space Research Association/Ames Research Center), the WFC3 Science Oversight Committee, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.

Airborne remote sensing assessment of the damage to cotton caused by spray drift from aerially applied glyphosate through spray deposition measurements

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Off-target drift of aerially applied glyphosate can cause plant injury, which is of great concern to farmers and aerial applicators. To determine the extent of crop injury due to near-field drift, an experiment was conducted with a single aerial application of glyphosate. For identification of the d...

The use of color infrared aerial photography in determining salt marsh vegetation and delimiting man-made structures of Lynnhaven Bay, Virginia. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, R. E., III

1974-01-01

Color infrared aerial photography was found to be superior to color aerial photography in an ecological study of Lynnhaven Bay, Virginia. The research was divided into three phases: (1) Determination of the feasibility of correlating color infrared aerial photography with saline wetland species composition and zonation patterns, (2) determination of the accuracy of the aerial interpretation and problems related to the aerial method used; and (3) comparison of developed with undeveloped areas along Lynnhaven Bay's shoreline. Wetland species composition and plant community zonation bands were compared with aerial infrared photography and resulted in a high degree of correlation. Problems existed with changing physical conditions; time of day, aircraft angle and sun angle, making it necessary to use several different characteristics in wetland species identification. The main characteristics used were known zonation patterns, textural signatures and color tones. Lynnhaven Bay's shoreline was 61.5 percent developed.

Sibling Incest: A Study of the Dynamics of 25 Cases.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Holly; Israel, Edie

1987-01-01

Common family patterns observed in 25 cases of sibling incest were: (1) distant, inaccessible parents; (2) parental stimulation of sexual climate in the home; and (3) family secrets, especially with regard to extramarital affairs. (Author/DB)

Study on Practical Technologies of Aerial Triangulation for Real Scene 3d Moeling with Oblique Photography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Z.; Liu, W.; Luo, G.; Xiang, Z.

2018-04-01

The key technologies in the real scene 3D modeling of oblique photography mainly include the data acquisition of oblique photography, layout and surveying of photo control points, oblique camera calibration, aerial triangulation, dense matching of multi-angle image, building of triangulation irregular network (TIN) and TIN simplification and automatic texture mapping, among which aerial triangulation is the core and the results of aerial triangulation directly affect the later model effect and the corresponding data accuracy. Starting from this point of view, this paper aims to study the practical technologies of aerial triangulation for real scene 3D modeling with oblique photography and finally proposes a technical method of aerial triangulation with oblique photography which can be put into practice.

Helium Energetic Neutral Atoms from the Heliosphere: Perspectives for Future Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swaczyna, Paweł; Grzedzielski, Stan; Bzowski, Maciej

2017-05-01

Observations of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) allow for remote sensing of plasma properties in distant regions of the heliosphere. So far, most of the observations have concerned only hydrogen atoms. In this paper, we present perspectives for observations of helium energetic neutral atoms (He ENAs). We calculated the expected intensities of He ENAs created by the neutralization of helium ions in the inner heliosheath and through the secondary ENA mechanism in the outer heliosheath. We found that the dominant source region for He ENAs is the inner heliosheath. The obtained magnitudes of intensity spectra suggest that He ENAs can be observed with future ENA detectors, as those planned on Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe. Observing He ENAs is most likely for energies from a few to a few tens of keV/nuc. Estimates of the expected count rates show that the ratio of helium to hydrogen atoms registered in the detectors can be as low as 1:104. Consequently, the detectors need to be equipped with an appropriate mass spectrometer capability, allowing for recognition of chemical elements. Due to the long mean free paths of helium ions in the inner heliosheath, He ENAs are produced also in the distant heliospheric tail. This implies that observations of He ENAs can resolve its structure, which seems challenging from observations of hydrogen ENAs since energetic protons are neutralized before they progress deeper in the heliospheric tail.

Use of aerial photographs for assessment of soil organic carbon and delineation of agricultural management zones.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartholomeus, H.; Kooistra, L.

2012-04-01

For quantitative estimation of soil properties by means of remote sensing, often hyperspectral data are used. But these data are scarce and expensive, which prohibits wider implementation of the developed techniques in agricultural management. For precision agriculture, observations at a high spatial resolution are required. Colour aerial photographs at this scale are widely available, and can be acquired at no of very low costs. Therefore, we investigated whether publically available aerial photographs can be used to a) automatically delineate management zones and b) estimate levels of organic carbon spatially. We selected three study areas within the Netherlands that cover a large variance in soil type (peat, sand, and clay). For the fields of interest, RGB aerial photographs with a spatial resolution of 50 cm were extracted from a publically available data provider. Further pre-processing exists of geo-referencing only. Since the images originate from different sources and are potentially acquired under unknown illumination conditions, the exact radiometric properties of the data are unknown. Therefore, we used spectral indices to emphasize the differences in reflectance and normalize for differences in radiometry. To delineate management zones we used image segmentation techniques, using the derived indices as input. Comparison with management zone maps as used by the farmers shows that there is good correspondence. Regression analysis between a number of soil properties and the derived indices shows that organic carbon is the major explanatory variable for differences in index values within the fields. However, relations do not hold for large regions, indicating that local models will have to be used, which is a problem that is also still relevant for hyperspectral remote sensing data. With this research, we show that low-cost aerial photographs can be a valuable tool for quantitative analysis of organic carbon and automatic delineation of management zones. Since a lot of data are publically available this offers great possibilities for implementing remote sensing techniques in agricultural management.

Hyperprogression during anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Saâda-Bouzid, E; Defaucheux, C; Karabajakian, A; Coloma, V P; Servois, V; Paoletti, X; Even, C; Fayette, J; Guigay, J; Loirat, D; Peyrade, F; Alt, M; Gal, J; Le Tourneau, C

2017-07-01

Pembrolizumab and nivolumab are immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1 that have recently been approved in pretreated recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) patients. In the clinic, some patients seem not only not to benefit from anti-PD-L1/PD-1 agents but rather to experience an acceleration of tumor growth kinetics (TGK). We retrospectively compared TGK on immunotherapy and TGK on last treatment in patients with R/M HNSCC treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in four French centers. The TGK ratio (TGKR, ratio of the slope of tumor growth before treatment and the slope of tumor growth on treatment) was calculated. Hyperprogression was defined as a TGKR ≥ 2. From September 2012 to September 2015, 34 patients were identified. Patterns of recurrence included exclusive loco-regional recurrence in 14 patients, exclusive distant metastases in 11 patients, and both in 9 patients. No pseudo-progression was observed. Hyperprogression was observed in 10 patients (29%), including 9 patients with at least a locoregional recurrence, and only 1 patient with exclusively distant metastases. Hyperprogression significantly correlated with a regional recurrence (TGKR ≥ 2: 90% versus TGKR < 2: 37%, P = 0.008), but not with local or distant recurrence. Hyperprogression was associated with a shorter progression-free survival (PFS) according to RECIST (P = 0.003) and irRECIST (P = 0.02), but not with overall survival (P = 0.77). Hyperprogression was observed in 29% of patients with R/M HNSCC treated with anti-PD-L1/PD-1 agents and correlated with a shorter PFS. It occurred in 39% of patients with at least a locoregional recurrence and 9% of patients with exclusively distant metastases. No pseudo-progressions were reported. Mechanisms and causality of hyperprogression should further be assessed through prospective controlled studies. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A NASA F/A-18, participating in the Automated Aerial Refueling (AAR) project, flies over the Dryden

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

A NASA F/A-18 is participating in the Automated Aerial Refueling (AAR) project. The 300-gallon aerial refueling store seen on the belly of the aircraft carries fuel and a refueling drogue. This aircraft acts as a tanker in the study to develop an aerodynamic model for future automated aerial refueling, especially of unmanned vehicles.

33 CFR 334.200 - Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River... Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, danger zones. (a) Aerial firing range—(1) The danger zone. The waters...

33 CFR 334.200 - Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River... Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, danger zones. (a) Aerial firing range—(1) The danger zone. The waters...

33 CFR 334.200 - Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River... Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, danger zones. (a) Aerial firing range—(1) The danger zone. The waters...

Calculated Drag of an Aerial Refueling Assembly Through Airplane Performance Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vachon, Jake; Ray, Ronald; Calianno, Carl

2004-01-01

This viewgraph document reviews NASA Dryden's work on Aerial refueling, with specific interest in calculating the drag of the refueling system. The aerodynamic drag of an aerial refueling assembly was calculated during the Automated Aerial Refueling project at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. An F/A-18A airplane was specially instrumented to obtain accurate fuel flow measurements and to determine engine thrust

Combining Human Computing and Machine Learning to Make Sense of Big (Aerial) Data for Disaster Response.

PubMed

Ofli, Ferda; Meier, Patrick; Imran, Muhammad; Castillo, Carlos; Tuia, Devis; Rey, Nicolas; Briant, Julien; Millet, Pauline; Reinhard, Friedrich; Parkan, Matthew; Joost, Stéphane

2016-03-01

Aerial imagery captured via unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is playing an increasingly important role in disaster response. Unlike satellite imagery, aerial imagery can be captured and processed within hours rather than days. In addition, the spatial resolution of aerial imagery is an order of magnitude higher than the imagery produced by the most sophisticated commercial satellites today. Both the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC) have noted that aerial imagery will inevitably present a big data challenge. The purpose of this article is to get ahead of this future challenge by proposing a hybrid crowdsourcing and real-time machine learning solution to rapidly process large volumes of aerial data for disaster response in a time-sensitive manner. Crowdsourcing can be used to annotate features of interest in aerial images (such as damaged shelters and roads blocked by debris). These human-annotated features can then be used to train a supervised machine learning system to learn to recognize such features in new unseen images. In this article, we describe how this hybrid solution for image analysis can be implemented as a module (i.e., Aerial Clicker) to extend an existing platform called Artificial Intelligence for Disaster Response (AIDR), which has already been deployed to classify microblog messages during disasters using its Text Clicker module and in response to Cyclone Pam, a category 5 cyclone that devastated Vanuatu in March 2015. The hybrid solution we present can be applied to both aerial and satellite imagery and has applications beyond disaster response such as wildlife protection, human rights, and archeological exploration. As a proof of concept, we recently piloted this solution using very high-resolution aerial photographs of a wildlife reserve in Namibia to support rangers with their wildlife conservation efforts (SAVMAP project, http://lasig.epfl.ch/savmap ). The results suggest that the platform we have developed to combine crowdsourcing and machine learning to make sense of large volumes of aerial images can be used for disaster response.

Influences of light on growth, reproduction and hypocrellin production by Shiraia sp. SUPER-H168.

PubMed

Gao, Ruijie; Xu, Zhecun; Deng, Huaxiang; Guan, Zhengbing; Liao, Xiangru; Zhao, Ye; Zheng, Xiaohui; Cai, Yujie

2018-06-11

Light is a very important signal for fungi since it influences many different physiological responses. The effects of dark or light at different wavelengths on growth, reproduction and hypocrellins of Shiraia sp. SUPER-H168 were studied: dark, white, red, yellow, green, blue and purple. All incubations under different light conditions had significant stimulating effects on aerial hyphae and suppressing effects on hypocrellin biosynthesis compared with dark incubation. Under blue and purple light especially blue light, the colonies with profuse growth of aerial mycelium were formed. Hypocrellin production reached 13.73 mg per dish under dark condition, and decreased to 4.01 mg and 2.83 mg per dish under white and blue light, respectively. Light condition not only influenced hypocrellin production but also influenced the composition of hypocrellins. Four types of hyphae, namely surface, aerial, biofilm and penetrative hyphae, were observed by light microscopy and SEM. This study found that biofilm hyphae was so closely connected with production of secondary metabolites, and hypocrellins were only produced by biofilm hyphae. Light promoted sexual development and inhibited asexual reproduction, especially blue light strongly inhibited asexual development.

Arsenic uptake and speciation in vegetables grown under greenhouse conditions.

PubMed

Smith, E; Juhasz, A L; Weber, J

2009-04-01

The accumulation of arsenic (As) by vegetables is a potential human exposure pathway. The speciation of As in vegetables is an important consideration due to the varying toxicity of different As species. In this study, common Australian garden vegetables were hydroponically grown with As-contaminated irrigation water to determine the uptake and species of As present in vegetable tissue. The highest concentrations of total As were observed in the roots of all vegetables and declined in the aerial portions of the plants. Total As accumulation in the edible portions of the vegetables decreased in the order radish > mung bean > lettuce = chard. Arsenic was present in the roots of radish, chard, and lettuce as arsenate (As(V)) and comprised between 77 and 92% of the total As present, whereas in mung beans, arsenite (As(III)) comprised 90% of the total As present. In aerial portions of the vegetables, As was distributed equally between both As(V) and As(III) in radish and chard but was present mainly as As(V) in lettuce. The presence of elevated As in vegetable roots suggests that As species may be complexed by phytochelatins, which limits As translocation to aerial portions of the plant.

Identification of the Spawning, Rearing, and Migratory Requirements of Fall Chinook Salmon in the Columbia River Basin, Annual Report 1994.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rondorf, Dennis W.; Tiffan, Kenneth F.

1996-08-01

Spawning ground surveys were conducted in 1994 as part of a five year study of Snake River chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawyacha begun in 1991. Observations of fall chinook salmon spawning in the Snake River were limited to infrequent aerial red counts in the years prior to 1987. From 1987-1990, red counts were made on a limited basis by an interagency team and reported by the Washington Department of Fisheries. Starting in 1991, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and other cooperating agencies and organizations, expanded the scope of spawning ground surveys to include: (1) additional aerial surveys to improvemore » red counts and provide data on the timing of spawning; (2) the validation (ground truthing) of red counts from aerial surveys to improve count accuracy; (3) underwater searches to locate reds in water too deep to allow detection from the air; and (4) bathymetric mapping of spawning sites for characterizing spawning habitat. This document is the 1994 annual progress report for selected studies of fall chinook salmon. The studies were undertaken because of the growing concern about the declining salmon population in the Snake River basin.« less

Structure, histochemistry and phytochemical profile of the bark of the sobol and aerial stem of Tontelea micrantha (Celastraceae - Hippocrateoideae).

PubMed

Mercadante-Simões, Maria Olívia; Mazzottini-Dos-Santos, Hellen C; Nery, Lays A; Ferreira, Peracio R B; Ribeiro, Leonardo M; Royo, Vanessa A; de Oliveira, Dario A

2014-09-01

The bark of the underground stem of Tontelea micrantha (Mart. ex. Schult.) A. C. Sm., a native Brazilian Cerrado species, is used in folk medicine for treating kidney ailments. The structures of the underground and the aerial stems were examined and their barks were analyzed for the presence of secondary metabolites. Bark fragments were processed according to conventional techniques in plant anatomy and their chemical compositions examined using histochemical and phytochemical tests, thin layer chromatography, and high-efficiency liquid chromatography. The underground stem is a sobol with unusual cambial activity. Laticifers that secrete terpenoids were present in the cortex and phloem of both organs and can contribute to the identification of the species in field. Druses were present in both barks, but mono-crystals were only observed in the sobol. Tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids occurred in both types of bark, but carotenoids were only detected in the sobol. The similarities between these two organs indicate that the aerial stem bark has potential medicinal use and represents a plausible alternative to harvesting the sobol, which could contribute to the preservation of natural populations of this species.

Profiling of the Major Phenolic Compounds and Their Biosynthesis Genes in Sophora flavescens Aiton.

PubMed

Lee, Jeongyeo; Jung, Jaeeun; Son, Seung-Hyun; Kim, Hyun-Bi; Noh, Young-Hee; Min, Sung Ran; Park, Kun-Hyang; Kim, Dae-Soo; Park, Sang Un; Lee, Haeng-Soon; Kim, Cha Young; Kim, Hyun-Soon; Lee, Hyeong-Kyu; Kim, HyeRan

2018-01-01

Sophorae Radix ( Sophora flavescens Aiton) has long been used in traditional medicine in East Asia due to the various biological activities of its secondary metabolites. Endogenous contents of phenolic compounds (phenolic acid, flavonol, and isoflavone) and the main bioactive compounds of Sophorae Radix were analyzed based on the qualitative HPLC analysis and evaluated in different organs and at different developmental stages. In total, 11 compounds were detected, and the composition of the roots and aerial parts (leaves, stems, and flowers) was significantly different. trans-Cinnamic acid and p -coumaric acid were observed only in the aerial parts. Large amounts of rutin and maackiain were detected in the roots. Four phenolic acid compounds (benzoic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and chlorogenic acid) and four flavonol compounds (kaempferol, catechin hydrate, epicatechin, and rutin) were higher in aerial parts than in roots. To identify putative genes involved in phenolic compounds biosynthesis, a total of 41 transcripts were investigated. Expression patterns of these selected genes, as well as the multiple isoforms for the genes, varied by organ and developmental stage, implying that they are involved in the biosynthesis of various phenolic compounds both spatially and temporally.

Profiling of the Major Phenolic Compounds and Their Biosynthesis Genes in Sophora flavescens Aiton

PubMed Central

Son, Seung-Hyun; Kim, Hyun-Bi; Noh, Young-Hee; Min, Sung Ran; Park, Kun-Hyang; Kim, Dae-Soo; Lee, Haeng-Soon; Kim, Cha Young; Lee, Hyeong-Kyu

2018-01-01

Sophorae Radix (Sophora flavescens Aiton) has long been used in traditional medicine in East Asia due to the various biological activities of its secondary metabolites. Endogenous contents of phenolic compounds (phenolic acid, flavonol, and isoflavone) and the main bioactive compounds of Sophorae Radix were analyzed based on the qualitative HPLC analysis and evaluated in different organs and at different developmental stages. In total, 11 compounds were detected, and the composition of the roots and aerial parts (leaves, stems, and flowers) was significantly different. trans-Cinnamic acid and p-coumaric acid were observed only in the aerial parts. Large amounts of rutin and maackiain were detected in the roots. Four phenolic acid compounds (benzoic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and chlorogenic acid) and four flavonol compounds (kaempferol, catechin hydrate, epicatechin, and rutin) were higher in aerial parts than in roots. To identify putative genes involved in phenolic compounds biosynthesis, a total of 41 transcripts were investigated. Expression patterns of these selected genes, as well as the multiple isoforms for the genes, varied by organ and developmental stage, implying that they are involved in the biosynthesis of various phenolic compounds both spatially and temporally. PMID:29686587

Presence of amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in rainwater suggests aerial dispersal is possible

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kolby, Jonathan E.; Sara D. Ramirez,; Lee Berger,; Griffin, Dale W.; Merlijn Jocque,; Lee F. Skerratt,

2015-01-01

Abstract Global spread of the pathogenic amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) may involve dispersal mechanisms not previously explored. Weather systems accompanied by strong wind and rainfall have been known to assist the dispersal of microbes pathogenic to plants and animals, and we considered a similar phenomenon might occur with Bd. We investigated this concept by sampling rainwater from 20 precipitation events for the presence of Bd in Cusuco National Park, Honduras: a site where high Bd prevalence was previously detected in stream-associated amphibians. Quantitative PCR analysis confirmed the presence of Bd in rainwater in one (5 %) of the weather events sampled, although viability cannot be ascertained from molecular presence alone. The source of the Bd and distance that the contaminated rainwater traveled could not be determined; however, this collection site was located approximately 600 m from the nearest observed perennial river by straight-line aerial distance. Although our results suggest atmospheric Bd dispersal is uncommon and unpredictable, even occasional short-distance aerial transport could considerably expand the taxonomic diversity of amphibians vulnerable to exposure and at risk of decline, including terrestrial and arboreal species that are not associated with permanent water bodies.

Clonal evolution and heterogeneity in metastatic head and neck cancer-An analysis of the Austrian Study Group of Medical Tumour Therapy study group.

PubMed

Melchardt, Thomas; Magnes, Teresa; Hufnagl, Clemens; Thorner, Aaron R; Ducar, Matthew; Neureiter, Daniel; Tränkenschuh, Wolfgang; Klieser, Eckhard; Gaggl, Alexander; Rösch, Sebastian; Rasp, Gerd; Hartmann, Tanja N; Pleyer, Lisa; Rinnerthaler, Gabriel; Weiss, Lukas; Greil, Richard; Egle, Alexander

2018-04-01

Tumour heterogeneity and clonal evolution within a cancer patient are deemed responsible for relapse in malignancies and present challenges to the principles of targeted therapy, for which treatment modality is often decided based on the molecular pathology of the primary tumour. Nevertheless, the clonal architecture in distant relapse of head and neck cancer is fairly unknown. For this project, we analysed a cohort of 386 patients within the Austrian Registry of head and neck cancer. We identified 26 patients with material from the primary tumour, the distant metastasis after curative first-line treatment and a germline sample for analysis of clonal evolution. After pathological analyses, these samples were analysed using a targeted massively parallel sequencing (MPS) panel of 257 genes known to be recurrently mutated in head and neck cancer plus a genome-wide SNP-set. Despite histological diagnosis of distant metastasis, no corresponding mutation in the supposed metastases was found in two of 23 (8.6%) evaluable patients suggesting a primary tumour of the lung instead of a distant metastasis of head and neck cancer. We observed a branched pattern of evolution in 31.6% of the analysed patients. This pattern was associated with a shorter time to distant metastasis, compared with a pattern of punctuated evolution. Structural genomic changes over time were also present in 7 of 12 (60%) evaluable patients with metachronous metastases. Targeted MPS demonstrated substantial heterogeneity at the time of diagnosis and a complex pattern of evolution during disease progression in head and neck cancer. Copy number analyses revealed additional changes that were not detected by mutational analyses. Mutational and structural changes contribute to tumour heterogeneity at diagnosis and progression. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced global propagation of transient phase resetting associated with directional information flow.

PubMed

Kawasaki, Masahiro; Uno, Yutaka; Mori, Jumpei; Kobata, Kenji; Kitajo, Keiichi

2014-01-01

Electroencephalogram (EEG) phase synchronization analyses can reveal large-scale communication between distant brain areas. However, it is not possible to identify the directional information flow between distant areas using conventional phase synchronization analyses. In the present study, we applied transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the occipital area in subjects who were resting with their eyes closed, and analyzed the spatial propagation of transient TMS-induced phase resetting by using the transfer entropy (TE), to quantify the causal and directional flow of information. The time-frequency EEG analysis indicated that the theta (5 Hz) phase locking factor (PLF) reached its highest value at the distant area (the motor area in this study), with a time lag that followed the peak of the transient PLF enhancements of the TMS-targeted area at the TMS onset. Phase-preservation index (PPI) analyses demonstrated significant phase resetting at the TMS-targeted area and distant area. Moreover, the TE from the TMS-targeted area to the distant area increased clearly during the delay that followed TMS onset. Interestingly, the time lags were almost coincident between the PLF and TE results (152 vs. 165 ms), which provides strong evidence that the emergence of the delayed PLF reflects the causal information flow. Such tendencies were observed only in the higher-intensity TMS condition, and not in the lower-intensity or sham TMS conditions. Thus, TMS may manipulate large-scale causal relationships between brain areas in an intensity-dependent manner. We demonstrated that single-pulse TMS modulated global phase dynamics and directional information flow among synchronized brain networks. Therefore, our results suggest that single-pulse TMS can manipulate both incoming and outgoing information in the TMS-targeted area associated with functional changes.

Assessing the performance of aerial image point cloud and spectral metrics in predicting boreal forest canopy cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melin, M.; Korhonen, L.; Kukkonen, M.; Packalen, P.

2017-07-01

Canopy cover (CC) is a variable used to describe the status of forests and forested habitats, but also the variable used primarily to define what counts as a forest. The estimation of CC has relied heavily on remote sensing with past studies focusing on satellite imagery as well as Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) using light detection and ranging (lidar). Of these, ALS has been proven highly accurate, because the fraction of pulses penetrating the canopy represents a direct measurement of canopy gap percentage. However, the methods of photogrammetry can be applied to produce point clouds fairly similar to airborne lidar data from aerial images. Currently there is little information about how well such point clouds measure canopy density and gaps. The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of aerial image point clouds for CC estimation and compare the results with those obtained using spectral data from aerial images and Landsat 5. First, we modeled CC for n = 1149 lidar plots using field-measured CCs and lidar data. Next, this data was split into five subsets in north-south direction (y-coordinate). Finally, four CC models (AerialSpectral, AerialPointcloud, AerialCombi (spectral + pointcloud) and Landsat) were created and they were used to predict new CC values to the lidar plots, subset by subset, using five-fold cross validation. The Landsat and AerialSpectral models performed with RMSEs of 13.8% and 12.4%, respectively. AerialPointcloud model reached an RMSE of 10.3%, which was further improved by the inclusion of spectral data; RMSE of the AerialCombi model was 9.3%. We noticed that the aerial image point clouds managed to describe only the outermost layer of the canopy and missed the details in lower canopy, which was resulted in weak characterization of the total CC variation, especially in the tails of the data.

Radical redo surgery for local rectal cancer recurrence improves overall survival: a single center experience.

PubMed

Schurr, Paulus; Lentz, Edda; Block, Suzette; Kaifi, Jussuf; Kleinhans, Helge; Cataldegirmen, Guellue; Kutup, Asad; Schneider, Claus; Strate, Tim; Yekebas, Emre; Izbicki, Jakob

2008-07-01

To date, the survival benefit of redo surgery in locally recurrent rectal adenocarcinoma remains unclear. In an institutional study, operations for recurrence were retrospectively analyzed. Survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier plot and Cox regression analysis. A total of 72 patients with local recurrence were explored or resected. In 38 patients, there was synchronous distant organ recurrence. Forty-five of 72 were re-resected and in 37 of 45 cases, R0 situations were achieved. In 11 of 38 metastasized patients, both local and distant organ recurrence were successfully removed. For obtaining tumor control, resections of inner genitals, bladder, and sacral bone were necessary in 10, 4, and 11 patients, respectively. Survival was better for patients re-resected with a median overall survival of 54.9 months, as compared with 31.1 months among non-resected patients (p = 0.0047, log-rank test). Subgroup analysis revealed that a benefit of re-resection was observed to a lesser extent in synchronous local and in distant disease. Cox analysis showed that initial Dukes stage and complete resections of local recurrences were independently determining prognosis (relative risk 1.762 and 0.689, p = 0.008 and p = 0.002, respectively). Radical surgery for local recurrence can improve survival if complete tumor clearance is achieved, and concomitant distant tumor load should not principally preclude re-resection.

Young breast cancer patients who develop distant metastasis after surgery have better survival outcomes compared with elderly counterparts.

PubMed

Wang, Jingjing; Wang, Jiayu; Li, Qing; Zhang, Pin; Yuan, Peng; Ma, Fei; Luo, Yang; Cai, Ruigang; Fan, Ying; Chen, Shanshan; Li, Qiao; Xu, Binghe

2017-07-04

To investigate the recurrence pattern and subsequent survival outcomes in young breast cancer population, 483 young patients (≤ 35) and 739 elderly patients (≥ 65), who received mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery from 2008 to 2012, were included in this study. The young population presented with a higher rate of pathologic tumor stage (P < 0.001), positive pathologic lymph node (P < 0.001), grade III tumors (P < 0.001), and lymphovascular invasion (P < 0.001). With a median follow-up of 56.5 months, young patients had a significantly lower 5-year disease-free survival (73.7% vs 83.4%, P = 0.001), while no difference in 5-year overall survival was observed (91.7% vs 91.7%, P = 0.721). The 5-year cumulative incidences of locoregional relapse (8.9% vs 4.3%, P = 0.009) and distant metastasis (18.8% vs 9.5%, P < 0.001) were significantly higher in the young population. However, for patients with distant metastasis, the survival outcomes were significantly better in the young patients (5-year overall survival since diagnosis: 60.0% vs 47.3%, P = 0.025; 5-year overall survival after recurrence: 31.0% vs 24.3%, P = 0.001). Young breast cancer patients present with more aggressive clinicopathological features and have poor prognosis compared with elderly. But young patients with distant metastasis might have better survival outcomes.

Oceanic gamefish/Skylab project field operating plan for operations 4, 5 August. [in Gulf of Mexico

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The operation plans are presented for the oceanic Gamefish/Skylab Experiment 240, which was conducted to obtain fish catch data for the northeast area of the Gulf of Mexico. The plans for surface measurements, aerial observations, and communications are included.

FE Fyodor Yurchikhin works on the Uragan Experiment in the SM

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-07-08

ISS024-E-007525 (8 July 2010) --- In the International Space Station’s Zvezda Service Module, Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, Expedition 24 flight engineer, conducts a session for Russia's Environmental Safety Agency (EKON), making observations and taking KPT-3 aerial photography of environmental conditions on Earth.

FE Fyodor Yurchikhin works on the Uragan Experiment in the SM

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-07-08

ISS024-E-007526 (8 July 2010) --- In the International Space Station’s Zvezda Service Module, Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, Expedition 24 flight engineer, conducts a session for Russia's Environmental Safety Agency (EKON), making observations and taking KPT-3 aerial photography of environmental conditions on Earth.

FE Fyodor Yurchikhin works on the Uragan Experiment in the SM

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-07-08

ISS024-E-007527 (8 July 2010) --- In the International Space Station’s Zvezda Service Module, Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, Expedition 24 flight engineer, conducts a session for Russia's Environmental Safety Agency (EKON), making observations and taking KPT-3 aerial photography of environmental conditions on Earth.

FE Fyodor Yurchikhin works on the Uragan Experiment in the SM

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-07-08

ISS024-E-007521 (8 July 2010) --- In the International Space Station’s Zvezda Service Module, Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, Expedition 24 flight engineer, prepares to conduct a session for Russia's Environmental Safety Agency (EKON), making observations and taking KPT-3 aerial photography of environmental conditions on Earth.

Ecological studies of the timber wolf in Northeastern Minnesota.

Treesearch

L. David Mech; L.D. Jr. Frenzel

1971-01-01

Aerial observations and radio tracking showed that wolves had ranges of 43 to 1,000 square miles. Kill rate during usual winters was one deer per wolf per 18 days, but harsher winters allowed increased kill. Wolf-killed deer generally were older and had more abnormalities than hunter-killed deer.

Ethanol accumulation in drought-stressed conifer seedlings

Treesearch

Daniel K. Manter; Rick G. Kelsey

2008-01-01

In this study, we investigated the effect of drought stress on ethanol production and accumulation in tissues from seedlings of three conifers (Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, and ponderosa pine) with increasing degrees of tolerance to drought stress. Significant ethanol accumulation was only observed in their aerial tissues when severely stressed (water potential

The impact of spray adjuvants on solution physical properties and spray droplet size

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Over the past several years, numerous anecdotes from aerial applicators have surfaced indicating observations of increased numbers of fine droplets seen in the applied spray clouds, usually associated with tank mixtures containing of crop oil concentrates and foliar fertilizers. Efforts were made to...

EROS Main Image File: A Picture Perfect Database for Landsat Imagery and Aerial Photography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jack, Robert F.

1984-01-01

Describes Earth Resources Observation System online database, which provides access to computerized images of Earth obtained via satellite. Highlights include retrieval system and commands, types of images, search strategies, other online functions, and interpretation of accessions. Satellite information, sources and samples of accessions, and…

Ground-Cover Measurements: Assessing Correlation Among Aerial and Ground-Based Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Booth, D. Terrance; Cox, Samuel E.; Meikle, Tim; Zuuring, Hans R.

2008-12-01

Wyoming’s Green Mountain Common Allotment is public land providing livestock forage, wildlife habitat, and unfenced solitude, amid other ecological services. It is also the center of ongoing debate over USDI Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) adjudication of land uses. Monitoring resource use is a BLM responsibility, but conventional monitoring is inadequate for the vast areas encompassed in this and other public-land units. New monitoring methods are needed that will reduce monitoring costs. An understanding of data-set relationships among old and new methods is also needed. This study compared two conventional methods with two remote sensing methods using images captured from two meters and 100 meters above ground level from a camera stand (a ground, image-based method) and a light airplane (an aerial, image-based method). Image analysis used SamplePoint or VegMeasure software. Aerial methods allowed for increased sampling intensity at low cost relative to the time and travel required by ground methods. Costs to acquire the aerial imagery and measure ground cover on 162 aerial samples representing 9000 ha were less than 3000. The four highest correlations among data sets for bare ground—the ground-cover characteristic yielding the highest correlations (r)—ranged from 0.76 to 0.85 and included ground with ground, ground with aerial, and aerial with aerial data-set associations. We conclude that our aerial surveys are a cost-effective monitoring method, that ground with aerial data-set correlations can be equal to, or greater than those among ground-based data sets, and that bare ground should continue to be investigated and tested for use as a key indicator of rangeland health.

Estimating occupancy and abundance using aerial images with imperfect detection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Perry J.; Hooten, Mevin B.; Womble, Jamie N.; Bower, Michael R.

2017-01-01

Species distribution and abundance are critical population characteristics for efficient management, conservation, and ecological insight. Point process models are a powerful tool for modelling distribution and abundance, and can incorporate many data types, including count data, presence-absence data, and presence-only data. Aerial photographic images are a natural tool for collecting data to fit point process models, but aerial images do not always capture all animals that are present at a site. Methods for estimating detection probability for aerial surveys usually include collecting auxiliary data to estimate the proportion of time animals are available to be detected.We developed an approach for fitting point process models using an N-mixture model framework to estimate detection probability for aerial occupancy and abundance surveys. Our method uses multiple aerial images taken of animals at the same spatial location to provide temporal replication of sample sites. The intersection of the images provide multiple counts of individuals at different times. We examined this approach using both simulated and real data of sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in Glacier Bay National Park, southeastern Alaska.Using our proposed methods, we estimated detection probability of sea otters to be 0.76, the same as visual aerial surveys that have been used in the past. Further, simulations demonstrated that our approach is a promising tool for estimating occupancy, abundance, and detection probability from aerial photographic surveys.Our methods can be readily extended to data collected using unmanned aerial vehicles, as technology and regulations permit. The generality of our methods for other aerial surveys depends on how well surveys can be designed to meet the assumptions of N-mixture models.

Distant stereoacuity in children with anisometropic amblyopia.

PubMed

Chung, Yeon Woong; Park, Shin Hae; Shin, Sun Young

2017-09-01

To characterize changes in distant stereoacuity using Frisby-Davis Distance test (FD2) and Distant Randot test (DR) during treatment for anisometropic amblyopia, to determine factors that influence posttreatment stereoacuity and to compare the two distant stereotests. Fifty-eight anisometropic amblyopic patients with an interocular difference of ≥1.00 diopter who achieved the visual acuity 20/20 following amblyopia treatment were retrospectively included. Stereoacuity using FD2 and DR for distant and Titmus test for near measurement were assessed and compared at the initial, intermediate, and final visit. Multivariate regression models were used to identify factors associated with initial and final stereoacuity. The two distant stereotests revealed a significant improvement in distant stereoacuity after successful amblyopia treatment. Distant stereoacuity using FD2 showed the greatest improvement during the follow up period. The number of nil scores was higher in DR than FD2 at each period. In multivariate analysis, better final stereoacuity was associated with better initial amblyopic eye acuity in both distant stereotests, but not in the Titmus test. Comparing the two distant stereotests, final stereoacuity using FD2 was associated with initial stereoacuity and was moderately related with the Titmus test at each period, but final stereoacuity using DR was not. Distant stereoacuity measured with both FD2 and DR showed significant improvement when the visual acuity of the amblyopic eye achieved 20/20. Changes in distant stereoacuity by FD2 and DR during the amblyopia treatment were somewhat different.

HST Observations of the Luminous IRAS Source FSC10214+4724: A gravitationally Lensed Infrared Quasar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eisenhardt, P. R.; Armus, L.; Hogg, D. W.; Soifer, B. T.; Neugebauer, G.; Werner, M. W.

1995-01-01

Observations of a distant object in space with the data being taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Planetary Camera. Scientific examination and hypothesis related to this object which appears to be either an extremely luminous dust embedded quasar, or a representative of a new class of astronomical objects (a primeval galaxy).

Searching for Dark Energy with the Whole World's Supernova Dataset |

Science.gov Websites

room at the top for dynamical theories. One of the six new distant supernovae included in the Supernova ) with follow-up observations by the Hubble Space Telescope (bottom). Two views of one of the six new refinements compares ground-based infrared observations (in this case by Japan's Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea

Phytotoxic activity and chemical composition of Cassia absus seeds and aerial parts.

PubMed

Zribi, I; Sbai, H; Ghezal, N; Richard, G; Trisman, D; Fauconnier, M L; Haouala, R

2017-12-01

The present study was conducted to assess the phytotoxic potential and the phytochemical composition of Cassia absus. Aqueous extracts caused significant reduction in root growth of Lactuca sativa. Seed extract was more effective than aerial part extract. Successive extractions of this plant were performed using solvents with increasing polarities. The methanolic seed extract exerted strong phytotoxic effect on seedling growth, followed by petroleum ether extract of the aerial part. The phytochemical investigation showed that among the organic extracts, methanol extracts of seeds and aerial parts contained the highest amounts of total phenolics and proanthocyanidins. Seeds were rich in linoleic acid followed by palmitic acids. Palmitic, stearic and arachidic acids were the major fatty acids in aerial parts. HPLC-DAD analysis of the methanolic extracts revealed the presence of luteolin in C. absus aerial parts.

The Seyfert 2 Galaxy NGC 2110: Hard X-Ray Emission Observed by NuStar and Variability of the Iron K-Alpha Line

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marinucci, A.; Matt, G.; Bianchi, S.; Lu, T. N.; Arevalo, P.; Balokovic, M.; Ballantyne, D.; Bauer, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Stern, D.;

ALMA Examines a Distant Quasar Host

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-04-01

The dust continuum (top) and the [CII] emission (bottom) maps for the region around J1120+0641. [Adapted from Venemans et al. 2017]A team of scientists has used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to explore the host galaxy of the most distant quasar known. Their observations may help us to build a picture of how the first supermassive black holes in the universe formed and evolved.Faraway Monsters and Their GalaxiesWe know that quasars the incredibly luminous and active centers of some distant galaxies are powered by accreting, supermassive black holes. These monstrous powerhouses have been detected out to redshifts of z 7, when the universe was younger than a billion years old.Though weve observed over a hundred quasars at high redshift, we still dont understand how these early supermassive black holes formed, or whether the black holes and the galaxies that host them co-evolved. In order to answer questions like these, however, we first need to gather information about the properties and behavior of various supermassive black holes and their host galaxies.A team of scientists led by Bram Venemans (Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany) recently used the unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution of ALMA as well as the Very Large Array and the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer to examine the most distant quasar currently known, J1120+0641, located at a redshift of z = 7.1.A High-Resolution LookThe teams observations of the dust and gas emission from the quasars host galaxy revealed a number of intriguing things:The red and blue sides of the [CII] emission line are shown here as contours, demonstrating that theres no ordered rotational motion of the gas on kpc scales. [Adapted from Venemans et al. 2017]The majority of the galaxys emission is very compact. Around 80% of the observed flux came from a region of only 11.5 kpc in diameter.Despite the fact that the 2.4-billion-solar-mass black hole at the galaxys center is accreting at a high rate, the heating in the galaxy is dominated not by the black holes accretion, but by star formation.Theres no sign of the expected structure of a rotating disk on kpc scales.The authors estimate a dynamical mass of the host galaxy of 43 billion solar masses and the black hole at the galaxys center makes up 6% of that. This ratio is roughly 10x higher than the black-hole-to-bulge mass ratio in local early-type galaxies.In the very central region, the black hole accounts for around 20% of the galaxys dynamical mass, and gas and dust likely accounts for most of the remainder. This doesnt leave much room for massive stars in the center of the galaxy.ALMAs capabilities have enabled these first efforts to spatially resolve the host galaxy of the most distant quasar known, resulting new and unexpected information. The authors now look hopefully to the future, when even longer baselines of ALMA may allow us a still-higher-resolution look at this distant quasar, possibly providing answers to some of the questions it has raised.CitationBram P. Venemans et al 2017 ApJ 837 146. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa62ac

A search for N-type galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jefferies, J. T.

1971-01-01

A large number of distant clusters of galaxies was examined for the presence of a bright compact galaxy or blue stellar object. Nearly 600 square degrees of sky were searched using glass copies of the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey plates, and over 20 fields were selected for observation. The objects were examined for infrared and ultraviolet excesses, using wideband filter photography and spectroscopy. Initial findings include a faint, distant cluster of galaxies near the quasi-stellar radio source 4C 37.43 with a red shift of 0.370. One of these galaxies has an emission line at 6895 A, indicating a possible red shift of 0.377 of the 5007 A line of (0 III).

COSMOG: Cosmology Oriented Sub-mm Modeling of Galactic Foregrounds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kashlinsky, A.; Leisawitz, D.

2004-01-01

With upcoming missions in mid- and far-Infrared there is a need for software packages to reliably simulate the planned observations. This would help in both planning the observation and scanning strategy and in developing the concepts of the far-off missions. As this workshop demonstrated, many of the new missions are to be in the far-IR range of the electromagnetic spectrum and at the same time will map the sky with a sub-arcsec angular resolution. We present here a computer package for simulating foreground maps for the planned sub-mm and far-IR missions. such as SPECS. The package allows to study confusion limits and simulate cosmological observations for specified sky location interactively and in real time. Most of the emission at wavelengths long-ward of approximately 50 microns is dominated by Galactic cirrus and Zodiacal dust emission. Stellar emission at these wavelengths is weak and is for now neglected. Cosmological sources (distant and not-so-distant) galaxies for specified cosmologies will be added. Briefly, the steps that the algorithm goes through is described.

An operational application of satellite snow cover observations, northwest United States. [using LANDSAT 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dillard, J. P.

1975-01-01

LANDSAT-1 imagery showing extent of snow cover was collected and is examined for the 1973 and 1974 snowmelt seasons for three Columbia River Basins. Snowlines were mapped and the aerial snow cover was determined using satellite data. Satellite snow mapping products were compared products from conventional information sources (computer programming and aerial photography was used). Available satellite data were successfully analyzed by radiance thresholding to determine snowlines and the attendant snow-covered area. Basin outline masks, contour elevation masks, and grid overlays were utilized as satellite data interpretation aids. Verification of the LANDSAT-1 data was generally good although there were exceptions. A major problem was lack of adequate cloud-free satellite imagery of high resolution and determining snowlines in forested areas.

EUV phase-shifting masks and aberration monitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Yunfei; Neureuther, Andrew R.

2002-07-01

Rigorous electromagnetic simulation with TEMPEST is used to examine the use of phase-shifting masks in EUV lithography. The effects of oblique incident illumination and mask patterning by ion-mixing of multilayers are analyzed. Oblique incident illumination causes streamers at absorber edges and causes position shifting in aerial images. The diffraction waves between ion-mixed and pristine multilayers are observed. The phase-shifting caused by stepped substrates is simulated and images show that it succeeds in creation of phase-shifting effects. The diffraction process at the phase boundary is also analyzed. As an example of EUV phase-shifting masks, a coma pattern and probe based aberration monitor is simulated and aerial images are formed under different levels of coma aberration. The probe signal rises quickly as coma increases as designed.

AERIAL MEASURING SYSTEM IN JAPAN

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lyons, Craig; Colton, David

2012-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Agency’s Aerial Measuring System deployed personnel and equipment to partner with the U.S. Air Force in Japan to conduct multiple aerial radiological surveys. These were the first and most comprehensive sources of actionable information for U.S. interests in Japan and provided early confirmation to the government of Japan as to the extent of the release from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Generation Station. Many challenges were overcome quickly during the first 48 hours; including installation and operation of Aerial Measuring System equipment on multiple U.S. Air Force Japan aircraft, flying over difficultmore » terrain, and flying with talented pilots who were unfamiliar with the Aerial Measuring System flight patterns. These all combined to make for a dynamic and non-textbook situation. In addition, the data challenges of the multiple and on-going releases, and integration with the Japanese government to provide valid aerial radiological survey products that both military and civilian customers could use to make informed decisions, was extremely complicated. The Aerial Measuring System Fukushima response provided insight in addressing these challenges and gave way to an opportunity for the expansion of the Aerial Measuring System’s mission beyond the borders of the US.« less

Computing the Deflection of the Vertical for Improving Aerial Surveys: A Comparison between EGM2008 and ITALGEO05 Estimates.

PubMed

Barzaghi, Riccardo; Carrion, Daniela; Pepe, Massimiliano; Prezioso, Giuseppina

2016-07-26

Recent studies on the influence of the anomalous gravity field in GNSS/INS applications have shown that neglecting the impact of the deflection of vertical in aerial surveys induces horizontal and vertical errors in the measurement of an object that is part of the observed scene; these errors can vary from a few tens of centimetres to over one meter. The works reported in the literature refer to vertical deflection values based on global geopotential model estimates. In this paper we compared this approach with the one based on local gravity data and collocation methods. In particular, denoted by ξ and η, the two mutually-perpendicular components of the deflection of the vertical vector (in the north and east directions, respectively), their values were computed by collocation in the framework of the Remove-Compute-Restore technique, applied to the gravity database used for estimating the ITALGEO05 geoid. Following this approach, these values have been computed at different altitudes that are relevant in aerial surveys. The (ξ, η) values were then also estimated using the high degree EGM2008 global geopotential model and compared with those obtained in the previous computation. The analysis of the differences between the two estimates has shown that the (ξ, η) global geopotential model estimate can be reliably used in aerial navigation applications that require the use of sensors connected to a GNSS/INS system only above a given height (e.g., 3000 m in this paper) that must be defined by simulations.

Computing the Deflection of the Vertical for Improving Aerial Surveys: A Comparison between EGM2008 and ITALGEO05 Estimates

PubMed Central

Barzaghi, Riccardo; Carrion, Daniela; Pepe, Massimiliano; Prezioso, Giuseppina

2016-01-01

Recent studies on the influence of the anomalous gravity field in GNSS/INS applications have shown that neglecting the impact of the deflection of vertical in aerial surveys induces horizontal and vertical errors in the measurement of an object that is part of the observed scene; these errors can vary from a few tens of centimetres to over one meter. The works reported in the literature refer to vertical deflection values based on global geopotential model estimates. In this paper we compared this approach with the one based on local gravity data and collocation methods. In particular, denoted by ξ and η, the two mutually-perpendicular components of the deflection of the vertical vector (in the north and east directions, respectively), their values were computed by collocation in the framework of the Remove-Compute-Restore technique, applied to the gravity database used for estimating the ITALGEO05 geoid. Following this approach, these values have been computed at different altitudes that are relevant in aerial surveys. The (ξ, η) values were then also estimated using the high degree EGM2008 global geopotential model and compared with those obtained in the previous computation. The analysis of the differences between the two estimates has shown that the (ξ, η) global geopotential model estimate can be reliably used in aerial navigation applications that require the use of sensors connected to a GNSS/INS system only above a given height (e.g., 3000 m in this paper) that must be defined by simulations. PMID:27472333

One shot, one kill: the forces delivered by archer fish shots to distant targets.

PubMed

Burnette, Morgan F; Ashley-Ross, Miriam A

2015-10-01

Archer fishes are skillful hunters of terrestrial prey, firing jets of water that dislodge insects perched on overhead vegetation. In the current investigation, we sought an answer to the question: are distant targets impractical foraging choices? Targets far from the shooter might not be hit with sufficient force to cause them to fall. However, observations from other investigators show that archer fish fire streams of water that travel in a non-ballistic fashion, which is thought to keep on-target forces high, even to targets that are several body lengths distant from the fish. We presented targets at different distances and investigated three aspects of foraging behavior: (i) on-target forces, (ii) shot velocity, (iii) a two-target choice assay to determine if fish would show any preference for downing closer targets or more distant targets. In general, shots from our fish (Toxotes chatareus) showed a mild decrease (less than 15% on average) in on-target forces at our most distant target offered (5.8 body lengths) with respect to the closest target offered (2.3 body lengths). One individual in our investigation showed slightly, but significantly, greater on-target forces as target distance increased. Forces on the furthest targets offered were found to double that of attachment forces for 200mg insects, even for individuals whose on-target forces showed mild decreases with increases in target distance. High-speed video analysis of jet impact with the target revealed that the shot was traveling in a non-ballistic manner, even to our most distant target offered, corroborating previous suppositions that on-target forces should remain high. Fish were able to accomplish this without large changes to shot velocity, but we did find evidence that the water jets appeared to differ in the timing of their acceleration as target distance increased. Our two-target choice experiment revealed that fish show preference for downing the closer target first, even though impact forces on distant targets only showed mild decreases. Our overall findings (and the findings of others) suggest that archer fish modulate many aspects of their shooting behavior: from target selection to active control over the water jet that allows the fish to deliver reliably forceful impacts to prey over a wide range of distances. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The Art of Aerial Warfare

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

14 3 THE POLITICAL DIMENSIONS OF AERIAL WARFARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 How Political Effects in...Aerial Warfare . . . . . . Outweigh Military Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Political Targets Versus Military Targets . . . . . 22...34 4 MILITARY AND POLITICAL EFFECTS OF STRATEGIC ATTACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 The Premise of

A land cover change study in the Highlands of Northern Ethiopia using a flight of aerial photographs dating back to the 1930s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guyassa, Etefa; Frankl, Amaury; Zenebe, Amanuel; Lanckriet, Sil; Demissie, Biadgilgn; Zenebe, Gebreyohanis; Poesen, Jean; Nyssen, Jan

2016-04-01

In the Highlands of Northern Ethiopia, land degradation is claimed to have occurred over a long time mainly due agricultural practices and lack of land management. However, quantitative information on the long term land use, cover and management change is rare. The knowledge of such historical changes is essential for the present and future land management for sustainable development, especially in an agriculture-based economy. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the changes of land use, cover and management around Hagere Selam, Northern Ethiopia, over the last 80 years (1935 - 2014). We recovered a flight of ten aerial photographs at an approximate scale of 1:11,500, realized by the Italian Military Geographical Institute in 1935, along a mountain ridge between 13.6490°N, 39.1848°E and 13.6785°N, 39.2658°E. Jointly with Google Earth images (2014), the historical aerial photographs were used to compare changes over the long time. The point-count technique was used by overlaying a grid of 18 x 15 points (small squares) on 20 cm x 15 cm aerial photographs and on Google Earth images representing the same area. Occurrence of major land cover types (cropland, forest, grassland, shrubland, bare land, built-up areas and water body) was counted to compute their proportion in 1935 and 2014. In 1935, cropland, shrubland and built-up areas were predominant while other land cover types were not observed. On the Google Earth images, all categories were observed except forest. The results show that in both times cropland was the dominant land cover followed by shrubland. The proportion of cropland at present (70.5%) is approximately the same as in the 1930s (72%), but shrubland decreased and bare land, grassland and built-up areas have increased. Hence, the large share of cropland was maintained over the past long period without allowing for woody vegetation to expand its area, while some cropland was abandoned and converted to grassland and bare land. The increased proportion of built-up areas also explains the shrinking of shrubland. On the studied flight of aerial photographs, forests were not existing in 1935 and have not been restored until present. The increased area of open water, on the other hand, is related to the ongoing land rehabilitation activities carried out in the region. These results confirm previous studies that severe land degradation has occurred in the Highlands of Northern Ethiopia over a long time, due to early (pre-1935) cropland expansion and deforestation.

Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis Version 2.1: Construction, Observational Verification, and New Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eldridge, J. J.; Stanway, E. R.; Xiao, L.; McClelland, L. A. S.; Taylor, G.; Ng, M.; Greis, S. M. L.; Bray, J. C.

2017-11-01

The Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis suite of binary stellar evolution models and synthetic stellar populations provides a framework for the physically motivated analysis of both the integrated light from distant stellar populations and the detailed properties of those nearby. We present a new version 2.1 data release of these models, detailing the methodology by which Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis incorporates binary mass transfer and its effect on stellar evolution pathways, as well as the construction of simple stellar populations. We demonstrate key tests of the latest Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis model suite demonstrating its ability to reproduce the colours and derived properties of resolved stellar populations, including well-constrained eclipsing binaries. We consider observational constraints on the ratio of massive star types and the distribution of stellar remnant masses. We describe the identification of supernova progenitors in our models, and demonstrate a good agreement to the properties of observed progenitors. We also test our models against photometric and spectroscopic observations of unresolved stellar populations, both in the local and distant Universe, finding that binary models provide a self-consistent explanation for observed galaxy properties across a broad redshift range. Finally, we carefully describe the limitations of our models, and areas where we expect to see significant improvement in future versions.

Rockslides on the Terminus of "Jokulsargilsjokull", Southern Iceland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sigurðsson, Oddur; Williams, Richard S.

1991-01-01

On 10 November 1976, a 1.5 km × 0.5 km rockslide deposit on the surface of an unnamed outlet glacier of Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, southern Iceland, was observed from an aircraft. Deposits from two different rockslides, including the larger one observed on 10 November 1976, were visible on a 10 September 1978 aerial photograph of the unnamed outlet glacier. An analysis of vertical and oblique aerial photographs, Landsat images, and seismological records was used to establish the time of occurrence of the larger rockslide to a 30-day period between 9 September 1972 and 9 October 1972. The trigger mechanisms for the rockslide activity appear to have been heavy precipitation prior to the event and the decrease of buttressing mass at the base of the valley wall resulting from recession of the glacier (decrease in width and thickness). The recession led to instability of highly altered hyaloclastite bedrock, talus, and morainal materials on an oversteepened slope. An earthquake as a trigger mechanism was considered to be unlikely from a thorough review of seismic records. Measurements of the downglacier movement of the larger rockslide deposit give an average speed of the glacier as 30±3 m a-1 between September/October 1972 and 10 September 1978. From measurements of aerial photographs taken on 10 September 1978 and 4 September 1984, the average speed of the glacier increased to 45 m a-1 during this 6-year interval. Although the terminus of the unnamed outlet glacier had not yet begun to advance in 1986, it had undergone thickening since 1978.

Unmanned Aerial Survey of Elephants

PubMed Central

Vermeulen, Cédric; Lejeune, Philippe; Lisein, Jonathan; Sawadogo, Prosper; Bouché, Philippe

2013-01-01

The use of a UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) was tested to survey large mammals in the Nazinga Game Ranch in the south of Burkina Faso. The Gatewing ×100™ equipped with a Ricoh GR III camera was used to test animal reaction as the UAS passed, and visibility on the images. No reaction was recorded as the UAS passed at a height of 100 m. Observations, made on a set of more than 7000 images, revealed that only elephants (Loxodonta africana) were easily visible while medium and small sized mammals were not. The easy observation of elephants allows experts to enumerate them on images acquired at a height of 100 m. We, therefore, implemented an aerial strip sample count along transects used for the annual wildlife foot count. A total of 34 elephants were recorded on 4 transects, each overflown twice. The elephant density was estimated at 2.47 elephants/km2 with a coefficient of variation (CV%) of 36.10%. The main drawback of our UAS was its low autonomy (45 min). Increased endurance of small UAS is required to replace manned aircraft survey of large areas (about 1000 km of transect per day vs 40 km for our UAS). The monitoring strategy should be adapted according to the sampling plan. Also, the UAS is as expensive as a second-hand light aircraft. However the logistic and flight implementation are easier, the running costs are lower and its use is safer. Technological evolution will make civil UAS more efficient, allowing them to compete with light aircraft for aerial wildlife surveys. PMID:23405088

USGS QA Plan: Certification of digital airborne mapping products

USGS Publications Warehouse

Christopherson, J.

2007-01-01

To facilitate acceptance of new digital technologies in aerial imaging and mapping, the US Geological Survey (USGS) and its partners have launched a Quality Assurance (QA) Plan for Digital Aerial Imagery. This should provide a foundation for the quality of digital aerial imagery and products. It introduces broader considerations regarding processes employed by aerial flyers in collecting, processing and delivering data, and provides training and information for US producers and users alike.

Unplanned releases and injuries associated with aerial application of chemicals, 1995-2002.

PubMed

Rice, Nancy; Messing, Rita; Souther, Larry; Berkowitz, Zahava

2005-11-01

For this article, records of the Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) system were reviewed to identify and describe acute, unplanned releases of agricultural chemicals and associated injuries related to aerial application during 1995-2002. Records of aerial-application accidents from the National Transportation Safety Board were also reviewed. Of the 54,090 events in the HSEES system for 1995-2002, 91 were identified as aerial-application events. The most commonly released substance was malathion. There were 56 victims; 12 died, and 34 required treatment at a hospital. A higher percentage of HSEES aerial-applicator events involved injury and death than did other HSEES transportation events. The relatively high number of injuries and fatalities underscores the need for precautions such as monitoring and limiting pilot cumulative exposures to pesticides, and using appropriate personal protective equipment and decontamination equipment. Emergency responders should be educated about the hazards associated with chemicals at aerial-application crash sites.

Self-control and Task Timing Shift Self-efficacy and Influence Willingness to Engage in Effortful Tasks

PubMed Central

Ein-Gar, Danit; Steinhart, Yael

2017-01-01

Self-efficacy constitutes a key factor that influences people's inclination to engage in effortful tasks. In this study, we focus on an interesting interplay between two prominent factors known to influence engagement in effortful tasks: the timing of the task (i.e., whether the task is scheduled to take place in the near or distant future) and individuals' levels of self-control. Across three studies, we show that these two factors have an interacting effect on self-efficacy. Low self-control (LSC) individuals report higher self-efficacy for distant-future effortful tasks than for near-future tasks, whereas high self-control (HSC) individuals report higher self-efficacy for near-future tasks than for distant future tasks. We further demonstrate how self-efficacy then molds individuals' willingness to engage in those effortful tasks. Given that a particular task may comprise effortful aspects alongside more enjoyable aspects, we show that the effects we observe emerge with regard to a task whose effortful aspects are salient and that the effects are eliminated when the enjoyable aspects of that same task are highlighted. PMID:29075225

DISTANT GOAL ORIENTATION IN BIRDS.

DTIC Science & Technology

homing to a Bowling Green , Ohio loft. Pigeons with one eye surgically removed were able to home. Helicopter tracking is suitable and efficient for...the observation of pigeon navigation behavior. The homeward path varies considerably from the straight line path, sudden attitude changes occur, very

Gossypium accessions resistant to Rotylenchulus reniformis vary in sensitivity to the herbicide fluometuron

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis) resistance is being transferred to Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) from its distant relatives. Anecdotal observations of fluometuron damage to LONREN lines with resistance from G. longicalyx raised concerns about introducing herbicide sensitivity from ...

Evaluation of medicinal plants from Central Kalimantan for antimelanogenesis.

PubMed

Arung, Enos Tangke; Kusuma, Irawan Wijaya; Christy, Eva Oktoberiani; Shimizu, Kuniyoshi; Kondo, Ryuichiro

2009-10-01

In the course of searching for new materials to use as whitening agents, we screened 19 methanol extracts prepared from 14 medicinal plants from Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia. The screening methods used were the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay, a tyrosinase inhibition assay, and a melanin formation inhibition assay using B16 melanoma cells. The extracts of Willughbeia coriacea (bark part of aerial root), Phyllanthus urinaria (root), Eleutherine palmifolia (bulb), Eusideroxylon zwageri (seed), Dendrophthoe petandra (aerial root), Passiflora foetida (stem), and Vitex pinnata (root) showed DPPH radical-scavenging activity of more than 70% at 100 microg/ml. The extracts of W. coriacea (bark part of aerial root), P. urinaria (root), and D. petandra (aerial root) showed tyrosinase inhibitory activity of more than 40% using L-tyrosine as a substrate at 500 microg/ml. The extracts of W. coriacea (bark part of aerial root) and D. petandra (aerial root) showed tyrosinase inhibitory activity of more than 40% using L-DOPA as a substrate at 500 microg/ml. The extracts of W. coriacea (bark part of aerial root, 200 microg/ml), Glochidion philippcum (aerial root, 200 and 300 microg/ml), E. palmifolia (bulb, 50 microg/ml), E. zwageri (seed, 100 microg/ml), D. petandra (aerial root, 200 microg/ml), Lansium domesticum (bark, 25 microg/ml), P. foetida (stem, fruit, 300 microg/ml), and Solanum torvum (root, 300 microg/ml) strongly inhibited the melanin production of B16 melanoma cells without significant cytotoxicity. These findings indicate that some medicinal plants from Central Kalimantan are potential ingredients for skin-whitening cosmetics if their safety can be confirmed.

Action verbs are processed differently in metaphorical and literal sentences depending on the semantic match of visual primes

PubMed Central

Troyer, Melissa; Curley, Lauren B.; Miller, Luke E.; Saygin, Ayse P.; Bergen, Benjamin K.

2014-01-01

Language comprehension requires rapid and flexible access to information stored in long-term memory, likely influenced by activation of rich world knowledge and by brain systems that support the processing of sensorimotor content. We hypothesized that while literal language about biological motion might rely on neurocognitive representations of biological motion specific to the details of the actions described, metaphors rely on more generic representations of motion. In a priming and self-paced reading paradigm, participants saw video clips or images of (a) an intact point-light walker or (b) a scrambled control and read sentences containing literal or metaphoric uses of biological motion verbs either closely or distantly related to the depicted action (walking). We predicted that reading times for literal and metaphorical sentences would show differential sensitivity to the match between the verb and the visual prime. In Experiment 1, we observed interactions between the prime type (walker or scrambled video) and the verb type (close or distant match) for both literal and metaphorical sentences, but with strikingly different patterns. We found no difference in the verb region of literal sentences for Close-Match verbs after walker or scrambled motion primes, but Distant-Match verbs were read more quickly following walker primes. For metaphorical sentences, the results were roughly reversed, with Distant-Match verbs being read more slowly following a walker compared to scrambled motion. In Experiment 2, we observed a similar pattern following still image primes, though critical interactions emerged later in the sentence. We interpret these findings as evidence for shared recruitment of cognitive and neural mechanisms for processing visual and verbal biological motion information. Metaphoric language using biological motion verbs may recruit neurocognitive mechanisms similar to those used in processing literal language but be represented in a less-specific way. PMID:25538604

AERIAL OF SHUTTLE LANDING FACILITY [SLF] POURING OF CONCRETE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

AERIAL OF SHUTTLE LANDING FACILITY [SLF] POURING OF CONCRETE KSC-375C-10036.31 108-KSC-375C-10036.31, P-21426, ARCHIVE-04502 Aerial oblique of Shuttle runway facilities. Pouring concrete on runway. Direction north - altitude 100'.

Aeronautics Education, Research, and Industry Alliance (AERIAL) Year 2 Report and Year 3 Proposal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowen, Brent D.; Box, Richard C.; Fink, Mary M.; Gogos, Geroge; Lehrer, Henry R.; Narayanan, Ram M.; Nickerson, Jocelyn S.; Tarry, Scott E.; Vlasek, Karisa D.

2003-01-01

The Aeronautics Education, Research, and Industry Alliance (AERIAL): a comprehensive, multi-faceted NASA EPSCoR 2000 initiative, contributes to the strategic research and technology priorities of NASA while intensifying Nebraska s rapidly growing aeronautics research and development endeavors. AERIAL enables Nebraska researchers to: (a) continue strengthening their collaborative relationships with NASA Field Centers, Codes, and Enterprises; (b) increase the capacity of higher education throughout Nebraska to invigorate and expand aeronautics research; and (c) expedite the development of aeronautics-related research infrastructure and industry in the state. This report contains a summary of AERIAL's activities and accomplishments during the second year of implementation. The AERIAL Year 3 proposal is also included.

Distant Healing Of Surgical Wounds: An Exploratory Study

PubMed Central

Schlitz, Marilyn; Hopf, Harriet W.; Eskenazi, Loren; Vieten, Cassandra; Radin, Dean

2012-01-01

Distant healing intention (DHI) is one of the most common complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) healing modalities, but clinical trials to date have provided ambivalent support for its efficacy. One possible reason is that DHI effects may involve variables that are sensitive to unknown, uncontrolled, or uncontrollable factors. To examine two of those potential variables – expectation and belief – the effects of DHI were explored on objective and psychosocial measures associated with surgical wounds in 72 women undergoing plastic surgery. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: blinded and receiving DHI (DH), blinded and not receiving DHI (Control), and knowing that they were receiving DHI (Expectancy). Outcome measures included collagen deposition in a surrogate wound and several self-report measures. DHI was provided by experienced distant healers. No differences in the main measures were observed across the three groups. Participants’ prior belief in the efficacy of DHI was negatively correlated with the status of their mental health at the end of the study (p = 0.04, two-tailed), and healers’ perceptions of the quality of their subjective “contact” with the participants were negatively correlated both with change in mood (p = 0.001) and with collagen deposition (p = 0.04). A post-hoc analysis found that among participants assigned to receive DHI under blinded conditions, those undergoing reconstructive surgery after breast cancer treatment reported significantly better change in mood than those who were undergoing purely elective cosmetic surgery (p = 0.004). If future DHI experiments confirm the post-hoc observations, then some of the ambiguity observed in earlier DHI studies may be attributable to interactions among participants’ and healers’ beliefs, their expectations, and their motivations. PMID:22742672

Combination of cheminformatics and bioinformatics to explore the chemical basis of the rhizomes and aerial parts of Dioscorea nipponica Makino.

PubMed

Li, Xu-Zhao; Zhang, Shuai-Nan; Yang, Xu-Yan

2017-12-01

This study was aimed to explore the chemical basis of the rhizomes and aerial parts of Dioscorea nipponica Makino (DN). The pharmacokinetic profiles of the compounds from DN were calculated via ACD/I-Lab and PreADMET program. Their potential therapeutic and toxicity targets were screened through the DrugBank's or T3DB's ChemQuery structure search. Eleven of 48 compounds in the rhizomes and over half of the compounds in the aerial parts had moderate or good human oral bioavailability. Twenty-three of 48 compounds in the rhizomes and 40/43 compounds from the aerial parts had moderate or good permeability to intestinal cells. Forty-three of 48 compounds from the rhizomes and 18/43 compounds in the aerial parts bound weakly to the plasma proteins. Eleven of 48 compounds in the rhizomes and 36/43 compounds of the aerial parts might pass across the blood-brain barrier. Forty-three 48 compounds in the rhizomes and 18/43 compounds from the aerial parts showed low renal excretion ability. The compounds in the rhizomes possessed 391 potential therapeutic targets and 216 potential toxicity targets. Additionally, the compounds from the aerial parts possessed 101 potential therapeutic targets and 183 potential toxicity targets. These findings indicated that combination of cheminformatics and bioinformatics may facilitate achieving the objectives of this study. © 2017 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Clinical value of 18 FDG PET/CT in screening for distant metastases in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Deurvorst, S E; Hoekstra, O S; Castelijns, J A; Witte, B I; Leemans, C R; de Bree, R

2018-06-01

The detection of distant metastases is of major importance in management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients. All patients underwent 18 FDG PET/CT for the detection of distant metastases. Retrospective single-centre study. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients with high-risk factors for distant metastases. Accuracy of 18 FDG PET/CT for the detection of distant metastases using clinical development of distant metastases and a minimal follow-up of twelve months as reference standard. Comparison of overall survival between patients diagnosed with distant metastases during initial screening and patients diagnosed with distant metastases during follow-up. In 23 (12%) of the 190 patients, 18 FDG PET/CT detected distant metastases at screening. Sensitivity and negative predictive value were 46.2% (95% CI 32.6-59.7) and 82.6% (95% CI 76.8-88.5). No difference in median overall survival from the time of distant metastases detection was found between patients diagnosed with DM during work-up or during follow-up. In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients with high-risk factors, 18 FDG PET/CT has a high negative predictive value for the detection of distant metastases and should be used in daily clinical practice, although the sensitivity is limited when long-term follow-up is used as reference standard. © 2018 The Authors. Clinical Otolaryngology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Utilization of Local Law Enforcement Aerial Resources in Consequence Management (CM) Response

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wasiolek, Piotr T.; Malchow, Russell L.

2013-03-12

During the past decade the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was instrumental in enhancing the nation’s ability to detect and prevent a radiological or nuclear attack in the highest risk cities. Under the DHS Securing the Cities initiative, nearly 13,000 personnel in the New York City region have been trained in preventive radiological and nuclear detection operations, and nearly 8,500 pieces of radiological detection equipment have been funded. As part of the preventive radiological/nuclear detection (PRND) mission, several cities have received funding to purchase commercial aerial radiation detection systems. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Securitymore » Administration Aerial Measuring System (AMS) program started providing Mobile Aerial Radiological Surveillance (MARS) training to such assets, resulting in over 150 HAZMAT teams’ officers and pilots from 10 law enforcement organizations and fire departments being trained in the aerial radiation detection. From the beginning, the MARS training course covered both the PRND and consequence management (CM) missions. Even if the law enforcement main focus is PRND, their aerial assets can be utilized in the collection of initial radiation data for post-event radiological CM response. Based on over 50 years of AMS operational experience and information collected during MARS training, this presentation will focus on the concepts of CM response using aerial assets as well as utilizing law enforcement/fire department aerial assets in CM. Also discussed will be the need for establishing closer relationships between local jurisdictions’ aerial radiation detection capabilities and state and local radiation control program directors, radiological health department managers, etc. During radiological events these individuals may become primary experts/advisers to Incident Commanders for radiological emergency response, especially in the early stages of a response. The knowledge of the existence, specific capabilities, and use of local aerial radiation detection systems would be critical in planning the response, even before federal assets arrive on the scene. The relationship between local and federal aerial assets and the potential role for the further use of the MARS training and expanded AMS Reachback capabilities in facilitating such interactions will be discussed.« less

A Ninth Planet in Our Solar System?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-01-01

The recent discovery that the orbits of some Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) share properties has proved puzzling. A pair of scientists have now proposed a bold explanation: there may be a planet-sized object yet undetected in our solar system.Mysterious ClusteringKBOs, the population of mainly small objects beyond Neptune, have proven an especially interesting subject of study in the last decade as many small, distant bodies (such as Eris, the object that led to the demotion of Pluto to dwarf planet) have been discovered.Previous studies have recently discovered that some especially distant KBOs those that orbit with semimajor axes of a 150 AU, nearly four times that of Pluto all cross the ecliptic at a similar phase in their elliptical trajectories. This is unexpected, since gravitational tugs from the giant planets should have randomized this parameter over our solar systems multi-billion-year lifespan.Physical alignment of the orbits of Kuiper belt objects with a 250 AU (and two objects with a 150 AU that are dynamically stable). [Batygin Brown 2016]Two scientists at California Institute of Technology, Konstantin Batygin and Michael Brown (you might recognize Brown as the man who killed Pluto) have now increased the mystery. In a recently published a study, they demonstrate that for KBOs that have orbits with a 250 AU, the orbits are actually physically aligned.To explain this unexpected alignment which Batygin and Brown calculate has only a 0.007% probability of having occurred by chance the authors ask an exciting question: could this be caused by the presence of an unseen, large, perturbing body further out in the solar system?Simulating a Ninth PlanetThe authors test this hypothesis by carrying out both analytical calculations and numerical N-body simulations designed to determine if the gravitational influence of a distant, planetary-mass companion can explain the behavior we observe from the large-orbit KBOs.Simulation of the effect of a distant planet (M = 10 M, a = 700 AU, and e = 0.6) on KBOs; click for a better look! The perihelion position of KBOs with a 250 AU clusters around 180 from the perihelion position of the perturbing planet. More-transparent points are less observable. [Batygin Brown 2016]The result? It turns out that such a distant planet can cause the orbits of KBOs with a 250 AU to all align in the opposite direction of the orbit of the planet. Whats more, the gravitational pull of this planet can also explain other unresolved puzzles about the Kuiper belt, such as the presence of high-perihelion Sedna-like objects, as well as a population of KBOs weve observed that have misaligned orbits.Unfortunately, Batygin and Brown found it isnt possible to exactly determine the properties of the possible planet, since multiple combinations of its mass, eccentricity, and semimajor axis can create the same observational results. That said, they believe the distant perturbers orbit is highly eccentric, its orbital inclination is low, and its fairly massive (since anything less than an Earth-mass wont create the observed clustering of KBO orbits within the age of the solar system).As an example, one possible set of parameters that approximately reproduces the observed KBO orbits is the following:planet mass of 10 Earth-massessemi-major axis of a = 700 AUeccentricity of e = 0.6This would correspond to a perihelion distance of 280 AU and an aphelion distance of 1,120 AU.The authors speculate such a planet might have been formed closer in to the Sun, but it was ejected later on during our solar systems evolution. Interactions with the Suns birth cluster could have then caused the planet to be retained in a bound orbit.Future TestsOur solar system on a logarithmic scale (click for the full view). KBOs with a semimajor axis of a 250 AU may be being aligned by a planetary-mass body with an even more distant orbit. [NASA]How can we test this hypothesis of a ninth planet? Obviously, directly observing the planet would confirm its presence. But the authors model has an additional testable hypothesis: if its correct, there should be a population of high-perihelion Kuiper belt objects that dont exhibit the same alignment of their orbits as the KBOs we know about, but instead have opposite-aligned orbits. If we discover such a collection of objects, that would be an excellent confirmation of this model.The authors caution that their work is preliminary, and additional investigation will be required to better understand the possibilities presented here. But with any luck, future theoretical work, as well as observational tests of this models predictions, will help us determine whether there might be a distant ninth planet in our solar system!BonusCheck out this video (created with WWT!), which walks us first through a view of the six aligned KBO orbits, then shows a possible orbit for the hypothesized planet, and then shows an additional population of already-discovered objects (also predicted by the model) that have orbits perpendicular both to the plane of the solar system and to the planets orbit. [Caltech/Robert Hurt]http://aasnova.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Planet9_anim_720.m4vCitationKonstantin Batygin and Michael E. Brown 2016 AJ 151 22. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/22

AERIAL OF SHUTTLE LANDING FACILITY [SLF] POURING CONCRETE ON RUNWAY

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

AERIAL OF SHUTTLE LANDING FACILITY [SLF] POURING CONCRETE ON RUNWAY KSC-375C-10036.32 108-KSC-375C-10036.32, P-21425, ARCHIVE-04501 Aerial oblique of Shuttle Landing Facility. Pouring concrete on runway. Direction North - Altitude 100'.

47 CFR 32.2421 - Aerial cable.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Aerial cable. 32.2421 Section 32.2421 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES UNIFORM SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES Instructions for Balance Sheet Accounts § 32.2421 Aerial cable. (a...

AERIAL OF SHUTTLE LANDING FACILITY [SLF] SAFING AND PARKING AREA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

AERIAL OF SHUTTLE LANDING FACILITY [SLF] SAFING AND PARKING AREA KSC-375C-0654.18 108-KSC-375C-654.18, P-18812, ARCHIVE-04493 Aerial oblique - safing and parking area, Shuttle Orbiter Landing Facility. Altitude 800' direction- west.

High spatial resolution three-dimensional mapping of vegetation spectral dynamics using computer vision

Treesearch

Jonathan P. Dandois; Erle C. Ellis

2013-01-01

High spatial resolution three-dimensional (3D) measurements of vegetation by remote sensing are advancing ecological research and environmental management. However, substantial economic and logistical costs limit this application, especially for observing phenological dynamics in ecosystem structure and spectral traits. Here we demonstrate a new aerial remote sensing...

Urban vacant land typology: A tool for managing urban vacant land

Treesearch

Gunwoo Kim; Patrick A. Miller; David J. Nowak

2018-01-01

A typology of urban vacant land was developed, using Roanoke, Virginia, as the study area. A comprehensive literature review, field measurements and observations, including photographs, and quantitative based approach to assessing vacant land forest structure and values (i-Tree Eco sampling) were utilized, along with aerial photo interpretation, and ground-truthing...

Ongoing molecular studies of Eucalyptus powdery mildew in Brazil

Treesearch

N. R. Fonseca; L. M. S. Guimaraes; R. P. Pires; Ned Klopfenstein; M. -S. Kim; A. C. Alfenas

2016-01-01

Powdery mildew diseases are caused by biotrophic fungi in the Erysiphales. These fungal pathogens are easily observed by the whitish powdery appearance caused by their colonization of the aerial surfaces on living plants (Stadnik & Rivera, 2001) (Figure 1). In Brazil, powdery mildew of Eucalyptus spp is increasing under the current nursery production...

Investigating an Aerial Image First

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyrembeck, Edward P.; Elmer, Jeffrey S.

2006-01-01

Most introductory optics lab activities begin with students locating the real image formed by a converging lens. The method is simple and straightforward--students move a screen back and forth until the real image is in sharp focus on the screen. Students then draw a simple ray diagram to explain the observation using only two or three special…

Archaeological Investigations, Navigation Pool II, Upper Mississippi River Basin. Volume 2. Data File

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-01-01

correlated with the discontinuities observed on the CIR film . The aerial photographs were assembled into a mosaic of the New Seville archaeological area...usually) minor digging required to get to their base. _ 11 49 Use of Remote Sensing is somewhat misleadinq here since the air photo intepretation was also

Fire growth maps for the 1988 Greater Yellowstone Area Fires

Treesearch

Richard C. Rothermel; Roberta A Hartford; Carolyn H. Chase

1994-01-01

Daily fire growth maps display the growth of the 1988 fires in the Greater Yellowstone Area. Information and data sources included daily infrared photography flights, satellite imagery, ground and aerial reconnaissance, command center intelligence, and the personal recollections of fire behavior observers. Fire position was digitized from topographic maps using GRASS...

Estimating Paleoflood Magnitude From Tree-Ring Anatomy and the Height of Abrasion Scars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanosky, T. M.; Jarrett, R. D.

2003-12-01

Evidence of floods preserved in the growth rings of trees can be used to extend the historical record of flooding or to estimate the magnitude of extraordinary floods on ungaged streams. Floods that damage the aerial parts of trees during the growing season sometimes induce striking anatomical changes in subsequent growth of rings in the lower trunk. In ring-porous species, this growth most commonly produces concentric bands of atypically large vessels within the latewood. The number and diameter of anomalous vessels seem positively related to the amount of flood damage, and thus can be used to refine estimates of flood magnitude when also considering the position of the tree relative to the channel and its approximate height during the flood. Floods of long duration on low-gradient streams are less likely to damage trees directly, but prolonged root flooding often results in the formation of narrow rings with atypically small vessels; shorter-duration floods, sometimes inundating roots for as little as several days, are followed by the production of fibers (non-conducting cells) with large lumens and thin walls that appear as light-colored bands compared to earlier-formed tissue. In these instances, a series of trees increasingly distant from the channel can be used to estimate a minimum flood elevation. Abrasion scars from flood-borne debris often are the most easily observed evidence of flood damage and, like anatomical abnormalities, can be precisely dated. The relation between the heights of scars and maximum flood stages depends in part upon channel slope. Previous studies have indicated that scar heights along low-gradient streams are the same or slightly lower than maximum flood elevations. Along the high-gradient (6% maximum slope) Buffalo Creek, Colorado USA, scar heights measured in 102 trees following a flood in 1996 ranged from -0.6 to +1.5 m relative to the actual crest elevation. Scar elevations exceeding flood elevations by 3-4 m, however, were observed following a flood in 2002 along a small Colorado stream with slopes ranging from 6 to 15%.

Hubble’s cross-section of the cosmos

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-17

This new Hubble image showcases a remarkable variety of objects at different distances from us, extending back over halfway to the edge of the observable Universe. The galaxies in this image mostly lie about five billion light-years from Earth but the field also contains other objects, both significantly closer and far more distant. Studies of this region of the sky have shown that many of the objects that appear to lie close together may actually be billions of light-years apart. This is because several groups of galaxies lie along our line of sight, creating something of an optical illusion. Hubble’s cross-section of the Universe is completed by distorted images of galaxies in the very distant background. These objects are sometimes distorted due to a process called gravitational lensing, an extremely valuable technique in astronomy for studying very distant objects [1]. This lensing is caused by the bending of the space-time continuum by massive galaxies lying close to our line of sight to distant objects. One of the lens systems visible here is called CLASS B1608+656, which appears as a small loop in the centre of the image. It features two foreground galaxies distorting and amplifying the light of a distant quasar the known as QSO-160913+653228. The light from this bright disc of matter, which is currently falling into a black hole, has taken nine billion years to reach us — two thirds of the age of the Universe. As well as CLASS B1608+656, astronomers have identified two other gravitational lenses within this image. Two galaxies, dubbed Fred and Ginger by the researchers who studied them, contain enough mass to visibly distort the light from objects behind them. Fred, also known more prosaically as [FMK2006] ACS J160919+6532, lies near the lens galaxies in CLASS B1608+656, while Ginger ([FMK2006] ACS J160910+6532) is markedly closer to us. Despite their different distances from us, both can be seen near to CLASS B1608+656 in the central region of this Hubble image. To capture distant and dim objects like these, Hubble required a long exposure. The image is made up of visible and infrared observations with a total exposure time of 14 hours. More info: www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1408/ Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Small unmanned aerial vehicles (micro-UAVs, drones) in plant ecology.

PubMed

Cruzan, Mitchell B; Weinstein, Ben G; Grasty, Monica R; Kohrn, Brendan F; Hendrickson, Elizabeth C; Arredondo, Tina M; Thompson, Pamela G

2016-09-01

Low-elevation surveys with small aerial drones (micro-unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs]) may be used for a wide variety of applications in plant ecology, including mapping vegetation over small- to medium-sized regions. We provide an overview of methods and procedures for conducting surveys and illustrate some of these applications. Aerial images were obtained by flying a small drone along transects over the area of interest. Images were used to create a composite image (orthomosaic) and a digital surface model (DSM). Vegetation classification was conducted manually and using an automated routine. Coverage of an individual species was estimated from aerial images. We created a vegetation map for the entire region from the orthomosaic and DSM, and mapped the density of one species. Comparison of our manual and automated habitat classification confirmed that our mapping methods were accurate. A species with high contrast to the background matrix allowed adequate estimate of its coverage. The example surveys demonstrate that small aerial drones are capable of gathering large amounts of information on the distribution of vegetation and individual species with minimal impact to sensitive habitats. Low-elevation aerial surveys have potential for a wide range of applications in plant ecology.

Helium Energetic Neutral Atoms from the Heliosphere: Perspectives for Future Observations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Swaczyna, Paweł; Grzedzielski, Stan; Bzowski, Maciej, E-mail: pswaczyna@cbk.waw.pl

2017-05-10

Observations of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) allow for remote sensing of plasma properties in distant regions of the heliosphere. So far, most of the observations have concerned only hydrogen atoms. In this paper, we present perspectives for observations of helium energetic neutral atoms (He ENAs). We calculated the expected intensities of He ENAs created by the neutralization of helium ions in the inner heliosheath and through the secondary ENA mechanism in the outer heliosheath. We found that the dominant source region for He ENAs is the inner heliosheath. The obtained magnitudes of intensity spectra suggest that He ENAs can bemore » observed with future ENA detectors, as those planned on Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe . Observing He ENAs is most likely for energies from a few to a few tens of keV/nuc. Estimates of the expected count rates show that the ratio of helium to hydrogen atoms registered in the detectors can be as low as 1:10{sup 4}. Consequently, the detectors need to be equipped with an appropriate mass spectrometer capability, allowing for recognition of chemical elements. Due to the long mean free paths of helium ions in the inner heliosheath, He ENAs are produced also in the distant heliospheric tail. This implies that observations of He ENAs can resolve its structure, which seems challenging from observations of hydrogen ENAs since energetic protons are neutralized before they progress deeper in the heliospheric tail.« less

Determining fine-scale migratory connectivity and habitat selection for a migratory songbird by using new GPS technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fraser, Kevin C.; Shave, A.; Savage, A.

Migratory aerial insectivores are among the fastest declining avian group, but our understanding of these trends has been limited by poor knowledge of migratory connectivity and the identification of critical habitat across the vast distances they travel annually. Using new, archival GPS loggers, we tracked individual purple martins ( Progne subis) from breeding colonies across North America to determine precise (<10m) locations of migratory and overwintering roost locations in South America and to test hypotheses for fine-scale migratory connectivity and habitat use. We discovered weak migratory connectivity at the roost scale, and extensive, fine-scale mixing of birds in the Amazonmore » from distant (>2000 km) breeding sites, with some individuals sharing the same roosting trees. Despite vast tracts of contiguous forest in this region, birds occupied a much more limited habitat, with most (56%) roosts occurring on small habitat islands that were strongly associated with water. Only 17% of these roosts were in current protected areas. As a result, these data reflect a critical advance in our ability to remotely determine precise migratory connectivity and habitat selection across vast spatial scales, enhancing our understanding of population dynamics and enabling more effective conservation of species at risk.« less

Computer analysis of sound recordings from two Anasazi sites in northwestern New Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loose, Richard

2002-11-01

Sound recordings were made at a natural outdoor amphitheater in Chaco Canyon and in a reconstructed great kiva at Aztec Ruins. Recordings included computer-generated tones and swept sine waves, classical concert flute, Native American flute, conch shell trumpet, and prerecorded music. Recording equipment included analog tape deck, digital minidisk recorder, and direct digital recording to a laptop computer disk. Microphones and geophones were used as transducers. The natural amphitheater lies between the ruins of Pueblo Bonito and Chetro Ketl. It is a semicircular arc in a sandstone cliff measuring 500 ft. wide and 75 ft. high. The radius of the arc was verified with aerial photography, and an acoustic ray trace was generated using cad software. The arc is in an overhanging cliff face and brings distant sounds to a line focus. Along this line, there are unusual acoustic effects at conjugate foci. Time history analysis of recordings from both sites showed that a 60-dB reverb decay lasted from 1.8 to 2.0 s, nearly ideal for public performances of music. Echoes from the amphitheater were perceived to be upshifted in pitch, but this was not seen in FFT analysis. Geophones placed on the floor of the great kiva showed a resonance at 95 Hz.

Optimization of dynamic soaring maneuvers to enhance endurance of a versatile UAV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mir, Imran; Maqsood, Adnan; Akhtar, Suhail

2017-06-01

Dynamic soaring is a process of acquiring energy available in atmospheric wind shears and is commonly exhibited by soaring birds to perform long distance flights. This paper aims to demonstrate a viable algorithm which can be implemented in near real time environment to formulate optimal trajectories for dynamic soaring maneuvers for a small scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The objective is to harness maximum energy from atmosphere wind shear to improve loiter time for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Three-dimensional point-mass UAV equations of motion and linear wind gradient profile are used to model flight dynamics. Utilizing UAV states, controls, operational constraints, initial and terminal conditions that enforce a periodic flight, dynamic soaring problem is formulated as an optimal control problem. Optimized trajectories of the maneuver are subsequently generated employing pseudo spectral techniques against distant UAV performance parameters. The discussion also encompasses the requirement for generation of optimal trajectories for dynamic soaring in real time environment and the ability of the proposed algorithm for speedy solution generation. Coupled with the fact that dynamic soaring is all about immediately utilizing the available energy from the wind shear encountered, the proposed algorithm promises its viability for practical on board implementations requiring computation of trajectories in near real time.

Determining fine-scale migratory connectivity and habitat selection for a migratory songbird by using new GPS technology

DOE PAGES

Fraser, Kevin C.; Shave, A.; Savage, A.; ...

2016-07-27

Migratory aerial insectivores are among the fastest declining avian group, but our understanding of these trends has been limited by poor knowledge of migratory connectivity and the identification of critical habitat across the vast distances they travel annually. Using new, archival GPS loggers, we tracked individual purple martins ( Progne subis) from breeding colonies across North America to determine precise (<10m) locations of migratory and overwintering roost locations in South America and to test hypotheses for fine-scale migratory connectivity and habitat use. We discovered weak migratory connectivity at the roost scale, and extensive, fine-scale mixing of birds in the Amazonmore » from distant (>2000 km) breeding sites, with some individuals sharing the same roosting trees. Despite vast tracts of contiguous forest in this region, birds occupied a much more limited habitat, with most (56%) roosts occurring on small habitat islands that were strongly associated with water. Only 17% of these roosts were in current protected areas. As a result, these data reflect a critical advance in our ability to remotely determine precise migratory connectivity and habitat selection across vast spatial scales, enhancing our understanding of population dynamics and enabling more effective conservation of species at risk.« less

Extended Source/Galaxy All Sky 1

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-03-27

This panoramic view of the entire sky reveals the distribution of galaxies beyond our Milky Way galaxy, which astronomers call extended sources, as observed by Two Micron All-Sky Survey. The image is constructed from a database of over 1.6 million galaxies listed in the survey's Extended Source Catalog; more than half of the galaxies have never before been catalogued. The image is a representation of the relative brightnesses of these million-plus galaxies, all observed at a wavelength of 2.2 microns. The brightest and nearest galaxies are represented in blue, and the faintest, most distant ones are in red. This color scheme gives insights into the three dimensional large-scale structure of the nearby universe with the brightest, closest clusters and superclusters showing up as the blue and bluish-white features. The dark band in this image shows the area of the sky where our Milky Way galaxy blocks our view of distant objects, which, in this projection, lies predominantly along the edges of the image. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04252

New Horizons High-Phase Observations of Distant Kuiper Belt Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verbiscer, A.; Porter, S.; Spencer, J. R.; Buie, M. W.; Benecchi, S.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Buratti, B. J.; Ennico Smith, K.; Olkin, C.; Stern, S. A.; Young, L. A.; Cheng, A. F.

2017-12-01

From its unique vantage point far from the Sun, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has observed Kuiper Belt Objects at separations ranging from 0.1 to 70 AU, and at solar phase angles far larger than those attainable from Earth. We have constructed the first KBO solar phase curves with substantial phase angle coverage for targets including Haumea, Makemake, Quaoar, Arawn (Porter et al. 2016, Astrophys. J. Lett. 828, L15), and 2002 MS4. We compare the phase functions of these KBOs with those of objects in the Pluto system and other Solar System bodies such as comets, asteroids, and icy satellites. For KBOs with known geometric albedos, these measurements enable calculation of the phase integral, an important photometric property that characterizes the energy balance on a distant KBO surface. During its approach to 2014 MU69, and following its close encounter on 1 January 2019, New Horizons will continue to exploit its capabilities as NASA's only observatory within the Kuiper Belt itself.

Responses of a tall building in Los Angeles, California as inferred from local and distant earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Çelebi, Mehmet; Hasan Ulusoy,; Nori Nakata,

2016-01-01

Increasing inventory of tall buildings in the United States and elsewhere may be subjected to motions generated by near and far seismic sources that cause long-period effects. Multiple sets of records that exhibited such effects were retrieved from tall buildings in Tokyo and Osaka ~ 350 km and 770 km from the epicenter of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. In California, very few tall buildings have been instrumented. An instrumented 52-story building in downtown Los Angeles recorded seven local and distant earthquakes. Spectral and system identification methods exhibit significant low frequencies of interest (~0.17 Hz, 0.56 Hz and 1.05 Hz). These frequencies compare well with those computed by transfer functions; however, small variations are observed between the significant low frequencies for each of the seven earthquakes. The torsional and translational frequencies are very close and are coupled. Beating effect is observed in at least two of the seven earthquake data.

Observations of H-alpha and microwave brightening caused by a distant solar flare

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kundu, M. R.; Bobrowsky, M.; Rust, D. M.

1983-01-01

Synthesized maps with integration times of 10 and 30 sec, based on the observation of three subflares at 6 cm and H-alpha 6563 A, indicate that most of the 6 cm burst emission originated in 10-15 arcsec features coincident with, or adjacent to, H-alpha flare kernels. During the onset of one of the subflares, 6 cm emission was discovered in a loop stretching over 100,000 km from the primary flare site in association with H-alpha flare-like brightness at the remote footpoint of the loop. Assuming a primary flare site origin for the energy of the distant brightening, about 4 x 10 to the 24th ergs/sec propagated along the connecting magnetic loop at a velocity of more than 6000 km/sec. It is suggested that the energy may have been carried by electrons originating in the high energy tail of the electron thermal velocity distribution, escaping from the primary flare site.

77 FR 36250 - Information Collection Request; Request for Aerial Photography

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-18

... the responsibility for conducting and coordinating the FSA's aerial photography, remote sensing... FSA Aerial Photography Field Office (APFO) uses the information from this form to collect the customer... respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other...

7 CFR 1755.701 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...) This section covers the requirements for aerial service wires intended for aerial subscriber drops. (b) The aerial service wires can be either copper coated steel reinforced or nonmetallic reinforced...) The conductors are solid copper-covered steel wires. (2) The wire structure is completed by insulating...

7 CFR 1755.701 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) This section covers the requirements for aerial service wires intended for aerial subscriber drops. (b) The aerial service wires can be either copper coated steel reinforced or nonmetallic reinforced...) The conductors are solid copper-covered steel wires. (2) The wire structure is completed by insulating...

The Role of Unmanned Aerial Systems/Sensors in Air Quality Research

EPA Science Inventory

The use of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) for a variety of scientific and security purposes has rapidly increased. UASs include aerostats (tethered balloons) and remotely controlled, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) including lighter-than-air vessels, fixed wing airplanes, and he...

The Role of Unmanned Aerial Systems-Sensors in Air Quality Research

EPA Science Inventory

The use of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) and miniaturized sensors for a variety of scientific and security purposes has rapidly increased. UASs include aerostats (tethered balloons) and remotely controlled, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) including lighter-than-air vessels, fix...

Arctic Oil Spill Mapping and Response Using Unmanned Aerial Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunningham, K. W.

2011-12-01

The University of Alaska Fairbanks works extensively with unmanned aerial systems and various sensor payloads used in mapping. Recent projects with Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum have demonstrated that unmanned aerial systems, including fixed and rotary winged platforms, can provide quick response to oil spill mapping in a variety of flight conditions, including those not well suited for manned aerial systems. We describe this collaborative research between the University and oil companies exploring and developing oil resources in Alaska and the Arctic.

Aerial thermography for energy conservation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jack, J. R.

1978-01-01

Thermal infrared scanning from an aircraft is a convenient and commercially available means for determining relative rates of energy loss from building roofs. The need to conserve energy as fuel costs makes the mass survey capability of aerial thermography an attractive adjunct to community energy awareness programs. Background information on principles of aerial thermography is presented. Thermal infrared scanning systems, flight and environmental requirements for data acquisition, preparation of thermographs for display, major users and suppliers of thermography, and suggested specifications for obtaining aerial scanning services were reviewed.

Preliminary Upper Estimate of Peak Currents in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation at Distant Locations from a TMS Coil

PubMed Central

Makarov, Sergey N.; Yanamadala, Janakinadh; Piazza, Matthew W.; Helderman, Alex M.; Thang, Niang S.; Burnham, Edward H.; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro

2016-01-01

Goals Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is increasingly used as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool for numerous neuropsychiatric disorders. The use of TMS might cause whole-body exposure to undesired induced currents in patients and TMS operators. The aim of the present study is to test and justify a simple analytical model known previously, which may be helpful as an upper estimate of eddy current density at a particular distant observation point for any body composition and any coil setup. Methods We compare the analytical solution with comprehensive adaptive mesh refinement-based FEM simulations of a detailed full-body human model, two coil types, five coil positions, about 100,000 observation points, and two distinct pulse rise times, thus providing a representative number of different data sets for comparison, while also using other numerical data. Results Our simulations reveal that, after a certain modification, the analytical model provides an upper estimate for the eddy current density at any location within the body. In particular, it overestimates the peak eddy currents at distant locations from a TMS coil by a factor of 10 on average. Conclusion The simple analytical model tested in the present study may be valuable as a rapid method to safely estimate levels of TMS currents at different locations within a human body. Significance At present, safe limits of general exposure to TMS electric and magnetic fields are an open subject, including fetal exposure for pregnant women. PMID:26685221

The Generation of the Distant Kuiper Belt by Planet Nine from an Initially Broad Perihelion Distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khain, Tali; Batygin, Konstantin; Brown, Michael E.

2018-04-01

The observation that the orbits of long-period Kuiper Belt objects are anomalously clustered in physical space has recently prompted the Planet Nine hypothesis - the proposed existence of a distant and eccentric planetary member of our Solar System. Within the framework of this model, a Neptune-like perturber sculpts the orbital distribution of distant Kuiper Belt objects through a complex interplay of resonant and secular effects, such that the surviving orbits get organized into apsidally aligned and anti-aligned configurations with respect to Planet Nine's orbit. We present results on the role of Kuiper Belt initial conditions on the evolution of the outer Solar System using numerical simulations. Intriguingly, we find that the final perihelion distance distribution depends strongly on the primordial state of the system, and demonstrate that a bimodal structure corresponding to the existence of both aligned and anti-aligned clusters is only reproduced if the initial perihelion distribution is assumed to extend well beyond 36 AU. The bimodality in the final perihelion distance distribution is due to the permanently stable objects, with the lower perihelion peak corresponding to the anti-aligned orbits and the higher perihelion peak corresponding to the aligned orbits. We identify the mechanisms that enable the persistent stability of these objects and locate the regions of phase space in which they reside. The obtained results contextualize the Planet Nine hypothesis within the broader narrative of solar system formation, and offer further insight into the observational search for Planet Nine.

Stellar Populations and Physical Conditions at 100 pc Resolution in a Lensed Galaxy at z 4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berg, Danielle

2015-10-01

Large surveys of star-forming galaxies at high redshift (z > 1.5) have provided us with a broad understanding of how galaxies assemble and evolve, but the spatial and spectral limitations inherent in observing faint, distant objects mean that many of the physical processes regulating this dynamic evolution are poorly constrained. Much of our most detailed knowledge of the physical conditions in distant galaxies comes from careful studies of gravitationally lensed sources, few of which are at z>3.5. FOR J0332-3557 is a gravitationally lensed galaxy at z 4 for which we and other groups have obtained a total of 37.3 hours of VLT spectroscopy. The rest-frame UV spectrum is notable for its unusual combination of both strong emission lines in the rest-frame UV and strong Lya and interstellar absorption, and for the unusual spatial variation seen in the nebular emission lines, which are less extended than the underlying stellar continuum. We propose high spatial resolution imaging of FOR J0332-3557 with four broadband filters on WFC3, taking advantage of both the HST resolution and the lensing magnification to study star formation and extinction on 100 pc scales. Because the interpretation of our unusual rest-frame UV and optical spectra requires an accurate reddening estimate, combining these observations with ground-based spectroscopy will give the most complete picture to date of chemical evolution in a distant galaxy.

Stand-off molecular composition analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Gary B.; Lubin, Philip; Meinhold, Peter; O'Neill, Hugh; Brashears, Travis; Zhang, Qicheng; Griswold, Janelle; Riley, Jordan; Motta, Caio

2015-09-01

Molecular composition of distant stars is explored by observing absorption spectra. The star produces blackbody radiation that passes through the molecular cloud of vaporized material surrounding the star. Characteristic absorption lines are discernible with a spectrometer, and molecular composition is investigated by comparing spectral observations with known material profiles. Most objects in the solar system—asteroids, comets, planets, moons—are too cold to be interrogated in this manner. Molecular clouds around cold objects consist primarily of volatiles, so bulk composition cannot be probed. Additionally, low volatile density does not produce discernible absorption lines in the faint signal generated by low blackbody temperatures. This paper describes a system for probing the molecular composition of cold solar system targets from a distant vantage. The concept utilizes a directed energy beam to melt and vaporize a spot on a distant target, such as from a spacecraft orbiting the object. With sufficient flux (~10 MW/m2), the spot temperature rises rapidly (to ~2 500 K), and evaporation of all materials on the target surface occurs. The melted spot creates a high-temperature blackbody source, and ejected material creates a molecular plume in front of the spot. Bulk composition is investigated by using a spectrometer to view the heated spot through the ejected material. Spatial composition maps could be created by scanning the surface. Applying the beam to a single spot continuously produces a borehole, and shallow sub-surface composition profiling is also possible. Initial simulations of absorption profiles with laser heating show great promise for molecular composition analysis.

Survival and contralateral breast cancer in CHEK2 1100delC breast cancer patients: impact of adjuvant chemotherapy.

PubMed

Kriege, M; Hollestelle, A; Jager, A; Huijts, P E A; Berns, E M; Sieuwerts, A M; Meijer-van Gelder, M E; Collée, J M; Devilee, P; Hooning, M J; Martens, J W M; Seynaeve, C

2014-08-26

We assessed the sensitivity to adjuvant chemotherapy in cell cycle checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK2) vs non-CHEK2 breast cancer patients by comparing the contralateral breast cancer incidence and distant disease-free and breast cancer-specific survival between both groups, stratified for adjuvant chemotherapy. One Dutch hereditary non-BRCA1/2 breast cancer patient cohort (n=1220) and two Dutch cohorts unselected for family history (n=1014 and n=2488, respectively) were genotyped for CHEK2 1100delC. Hazard ratios for contralateral breast cancer, distant disease-free and breast cancer-specific death for mutation carriers vs noncarriers were calculated using the Cox proportional hazard method, stratified for adjuvant chemotherapy. The CHEK2 mutation carriers (n=193) had an increased incidence of contralateral breast cancer (multivariate hazard ratio 3.97, 95% confidence interval 2.59-6.07). Distant disease-free and breast cancer-specific survival were similar in the first 6 years in mutation carriers compared with noncarriers, but diverted as of 6 years after breast cancer diagnosis (multivariate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals 2.65 (1.79-3.93) and 2.05 (1.41-2.99), respectively). No significant interaction between CHEK2 and adjuvant chemotherapy was observed. The CHEK2 1100delC-associated breast cancer is associated with a higher contralateral breast cancer rate as well as worse survival measures beyond 6 years after diagnosis. No differential sensitivity to adjuvant chemotherapy was observed in CHEK2 patients.

Ecological Energetics of an Abundant Aerial Insectivore, the Purple Martin

PubMed Central

Kelly, Jeffrey F.; Bridge, Eli S.; Frick, Winifred F.; Chilson, Phillip B.

2013-01-01

The atmospheric boundary layer and lower free atmosphere, or aerosphere, is increasingly important for human transportation, communication, environmental monitoring, and energy production. The impacts of anthropogenic encroachment into aerial habitats are not well understood. Insectivorous birds and bats are inherently valuable components of biodiversity and play an integral role in aerial trophic dynamics. Many of these insectivores are experiencing range-wide population declines. As a first step toward gaging the potential impacts of these declines on the aerosphere’s trophic system, estimates of the biomass and energy consumed by aerial insectivores are needed. We developed a suite of energetics models for one of the largest and most common avian aerial insectivores in North America, the Purple Martin ( Progne subis ). The base model estimated that Purple Martins consumed 412 (± 104) billion insects*y-1 with a biomass of 115,860 (± 29,192) metric tonnes*y-1. During the breeding season Purple Martins consume 10.3 (+ 3.0) kg of prey biomass per km3 of aerial habitat, equal to about 36,000 individual insects*km-3. Based on these calculations, the cumulative seasonal consumption of insects*km-3 is greater in North America during the breeding season than during other phases of the annual cycle, however the maximum daily insect consumption*km-3 occurs during fall migration. This analysis provides the first range-wide quantitative estimate of the magnitude of the trophic impact of this large and common aerial insectivore. Future studies could use a similar modeling approach to estimate impacts of the entire guild of aerial insectivores at a variety of temporal and spatial scales. These analyses would inform our understanding of the impact of population declines among aerial insectivores on the aerosphere’s trophic dynamics. PMID:24086755

CONSTRAINING THE EMISSIVITY OF ULTRAHIGH ENERGY COSMIC RAYS IN THE DISTANT UNIVERSE WITH THE DIFFUSE GAMMA-RAY EMISSION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang Xiangyu; Liu Ruoyu; Aharonian, Felix

Ultrahigh cosmic rays (UHECRs) with energies {approx}> 10{sup 19} eV emitted at cosmological distances will be attenuated by cosmic microwave and infrared background radiation through photohadronic processes. Lower energy extragalactic cosmic rays ({approx}10{sup 18}-10{sup 19} eV) can only travel a linear distance smaller than {approx}Gpc in a Hubble time due to the diffusion if the extragalactic magnetic fields are as strong as nano-Gauss. These prevent us from directly observing most of the UHECRs in the universe, and thus the observed UHECR intensity reflects only the emissivity in the nearby universe within hundreds of Mpc. However, UHECRs in the distant universe,more » through interactions with the cosmic background photons, produce UHE electrons and gamma rays that in turn initiate electromagnetic cascades on cosmic background photons. This secondary cascade radiation forms part of the extragalactic diffuse GeV-TeV gamma-ray radiation and, unlike the original UHECRs, is observable. Motivated by new measurements of extragalactic diffuse gamma-ray background radiation by Fermi/Large Area Telescope, we obtained upper limit placed on the UHECR emissivity in the distant universe by requiring that the cascade radiation they produce not exceed the observed levels. By comparison with the gamma-ray emissivity of candidate UHECR sources (such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and active galactic nuclei) at high redshifts, we find that the obtained upper limit for a flat proton spectrum is {approx_equal} 10{sup 1.5} times larger than the gamma-ray emissivity in GRBs and {approx_equal} 10 times smaller than the gamma-ray emissivity in BL Lac objects. In the case of iron nuclei composition, the derived upper limit of UHECR emissivity is a factor of 3-5 times higher. Robust upper limit on the cosmogenic neutrino flux is further obtained, which is marginally reachable by the Icecube detector and the next-generation detector JEM-EUSO.« less

Limits on soft X-ray flux from distant emission regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burrows, D. N.; Mccammon, D.; Sanders, W. T.; Kraushaar, W. L.

1984-01-01

The all-sky soft X-ray data of McCammon et al. and the new N sub H survey (Stark et al. was used to place limits on the amount of the soft X-ray diffuse background that can originate beyond the neutral gas of the galactic disk. The X-ray data for two regions of the sky near the galactic poles are shown to be uncorrelated with 21 cm column densities. Most of the observed x-ray flux must therefore originate on the near side of the most distant neutral gas. The results from these regions are consistent with X-ray emission from a locally isotropic, unabsorbed source, but require large variations in the emission of the local region over large angular scales.

Biologically Inspired Micro-Flight Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raney, David L.; Waszak, Martin R.

2003-01-01

Natural fliers demonstrate a diverse array of flight capabilities, many of which are poorly understood. NASA has established a research project to explore and exploit flight technologies inspired by biological systems. One part of this project focuses on dynamic modeling and control of micro aerial vehicles that incorporate flexible wing structures inspired by natural fliers such as insects, hummingbirds and bats. With a vast number of potential civil and military applications, micro aerial vehicles represent an emerging sector of the aerospace market. This paper describes an ongoing research activity in which mechanization and control concepts for biologically inspired micro aerial vehicles are being explored. Research activities focusing on a flexible fixed- wing micro aerial vehicle design and a flapping-based micro aerial vehicle concept are presented.

Online Aerial Terrain Mapping for Ground Robot Navigation

PubMed Central

Peterson, John; Chaudhry, Haseeb; Abdelatty, Karim; Bird, John; Kochersberger, Kevin

2018-01-01

This work presents a collaborative unmanned aerial and ground vehicle system which utilizes the aerial vehicle’s overhead view to inform the ground vehicle’s path planning in real time. The aerial vehicle acquires imagery which is assembled into a orthomosaic and then classified. These terrain classes are used to estimate relative navigation costs for the ground vehicle so energy-efficient paths may be generated and then executed. The two vehicles are registered in a common coordinate frame using a real-time kinematic global positioning system (RTK GPS) and all image processing is performed onboard the unmanned aerial vehicle, which minimizes the data exchanged between the vehicles. This paper describes the architecture of the system and quantifies the registration errors between the vehicles. PMID:29461496

Online Aerial Terrain Mapping for Ground Robot Navigation.

PubMed

Peterson, John; Chaudhry, Haseeb; Abdelatty, Karim; Bird, John; Kochersberger, Kevin

2018-02-20

This work presents a collaborative unmanned aerial and ground vehicle system which utilizes the aerial vehicle's overhead view to inform the ground vehicle's path planning in real time. The aerial vehicle acquires imagery which is assembled into a orthomosaic and then classified. These terrain classes are used to estimate relative navigation costs for the ground vehicle so energy-efficient paths may be generated and then executed. The two vehicles are registered in a common coordinate frame using a real-time kinematic global positioning system (RTK GPS) and all image processing is performed onboard the unmanned aerial vehicle, which minimizes the data exchanged between the vehicles. This paper describes the architecture of the system and quantifies the registration errors between the vehicles.

An adaptive management approach to controlling suburban deer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nielson, C.K.; Porter, W.F.; Underwood, H.B.

1997-01-01

Distance sight-resight sampling has particular relevance to aerial surveys, in which height above ground and aircraft speed make the critical assumption of certain detection on the track-line unrealistic. Recent developments in distance sight-resight theory have left practical issues related to data collection as the major impediment to widespread use of distance sight-resight sampling in aerial surveys. We describe and evaluate a system to automatically log, store, and process data from distance sight-resight aerial surveys. The system has a primary digital system and a secondary audio system. The digital system comprises a sighting 'gun' and small keypad for each observer, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, and an altimeter interface, all linked to a central laptop computer. The gun is used to record time and angle of declination from the horizon of sighted groups of animals as they pass the aircraft. The keypad is used to record information on species and group size. The altimeter interface records altitude from the aircraft's radar altimeter, and the GPS receiver provides location data at user-definable intervals. We wrote software to import data into a database and convert it into a form appropriate for distance sight-resight analyses. Perpendicular distance of sighted groups of animals from the flight path is calculated from altitude and angle of declination. Time, angle of declination, species, and group size of sightings by independent observers on the same side of the aircraft are used as criteria to classify single and duplicate sightings, allowing testing of the critical distance sampling assumption (g(0)=1) and estimation of g(0) if that assumption fails. An audio system comprising headphones for each observer and a 4-track tape recorder allows recording of data that are difficult to accommodate in the digital system and provides a backup to the digital system. We evaluated the system by conducting experimental surveys and reviewing results from actual surveys.

A survey of hybrid Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saeed, Adnan S.; Younes, Ahmad Bani; Cai, Chenxiao; Cai, Guowei

2018-04-01

This article presents a comprehensive overview on the recent advances of miniature hybrid Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). For now, two conventional types, i.e., fixed-wing UAV and Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) UAV, dominate the miniature UAVs. Each type has its own inherent limitations on flexibility, payload, flight range, cruising speed, takeoff and landing requirements and endurance. Enhanced popularity and interest are recently gained by the newer type, named hybrid UAV, that integrates the beneficial features of both conventional ones. In this survey paper, a systematic categorization method for the hybrid UAV's platform designs is introduced, first presenting the technical features and representative examples. Next, the hybrid UAV's flight dynamics model and flight control strategies are explained addressing several representative modeling and control work. In addition, key observations, existing challenges and conclusive remarks based on the conducted review are discussed accordingly.

Control surface in aerial triangulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaw, Jen-Jer

With the increased availability of surface-related sensors, the collection of surface information becomes easier and more straightforward than ever before. In this study, the author proposes a model in which the surface information is integrated into the aerial triangulation workflow by hypothesizing plane observations in the object space, the estimated object points via photo measurements (or matching) together with the adjusted surface points would provide a better point group describing the surface. The algorithms require no special structure of surface points and involve no interpolation process. The suggested measuring strategy (pairwise measurements) results in a quite fluent and favorable working environment when taking measurements. Furthermore, the extension of the model employing the the surface plane finds itself useful in tying photo models. The proposed model has been proven working by the simulation and carried out in the photogrammetric laboratory.

Uav Photogrammetry: a Practical Solution for Challenging Mapping Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saadatseresht, M.; Hashempour, A. H.; Hasanlou, M.

2015-12-01

We have observed huge attentions to application of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in aerial mapping since a decade ago. Though, it has several advantages for handling time/cost/quality issues, there are a dozen of challenges in working with UAVs. In this paper, we; as the Robotic Photogrammetry Research Group (RPRG), will firstly review these challenges then show its advantages in three special practical projects. For each project, we will share our experiences through description of the UAV specifications, flight settings and processing steps. At the end, we will illustrate final result of each project and show how this technology could make unbelievable benefits to clients including 3D city realistic model in decimetre level, ultra high quality map production in several centimetre level, and accessing to a high risk and rough relief area for mapping aims.

Aerial surveys of endangered cetaceans and other marine mammals in the northwestern Gulf of Alaska and southeastern Bering Sea. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brueggeman, J.J.; Green, G.A.; Grotefendt, R.A.

1987-09-01

Aerial surveys were conducted in the Northwestern Gulf of Alaska and southeastern Bering Sea to determine the abundance, distribution, and habitat use patterns of endangered cetaceans and other marine mammals. Four species of cetaceans listed by the Federal Government as endangered were observed: gray, humpback, finback, and sperm whales. Sightings were also made to seven nonendangered species of cetaceans: minke, Cuvier's beaked, Baird's beaked, belukha, and killer whales, and Dall and harbor porpoises. Results show that the project area is an important feeding ground for relatively large numbers of humpback and finback whales and lower numbers of gray whale migrationmore » route between seasonal ranges. The project area also supports a variety of other marine mammals both seasonally and annually.« less

Multiple distant origins for green sea turtles aggregating off Gorgona Island in the Colombian eastern Pacific.

PubMed

Amorocho, Diego F; Abreu-Grobois, F Alberto; Dutton, Peter H; Reina, Richard D

2012-01-01

Mitochondrial DNA analyses have been useful for resolving maternal lineages and migratory behavior to foraging grounds (FG) in sea turtles. However, little is known about source rookeries and haplotype composition of foraging green turtle aggregations in the southeastern Pacific. We used mitochondrial DNA control region sequences to identify the haplotype composition of 55 green turtles, Chelonia mydas, captured in foraging grounds of Gorgona National Park in the Colombian Pacific. Amplified fragments of the control region (457 bp) revealed the presence of seven haplotypes, with haplotype (h) and nucleotide (π) diversities of h = 0.300±0.080 and π = 0.009±0.005 respectively. The most common haplotype was CMP4 observed in 83% of individuals, followed by CMP22 (5%). The genetic composition of the Gorgona foraging population primarily comprised haplotypes that have been found at eastern Pacific rookeries including Mexico and the Galapagos, as well as haplotypes of unknown stock origin that likely originated from more distant western Pacific rookeries. Mixed stock analysis suggests that the Gorgona FG population is comprised mostly of animals from the Galapagos rookery (80%). Lagrangian drifter data showed that movement of turtles along the eastern Pacific coast and eastward from distant western and central Pacific sites was possible through passive drift. Our results highlight the importance of this protected area for conservation management of green turtles recruited from distant sites along the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Multiple Distant Origins for Green Sea Turtles Aggregating off Gorgona Island in the Colombian Eastern Pacific

PubMed Central

Amorocho, Diego F.; Abreu-Grobois, F. Alberto; Dutton, Peter H.; Reina, Richard D.

2012-01-01

Mitochondrial DNA analyses have been useful for resolving maternal lineages and migratory behavior to foraging grounds (FG) in sea turtles. However, little is known about source rookeries and haplotype composition of foraging green turtle aggregations in the southeastern Pacific. We used mitochondrial DNA control region sequences to identify the haplotype composition of 55 green turtles, Chelonia mydas, captured in foraging grounds of Gorgona National Park in the Colombian Pacific. Amplified fragments of the control region (457 bp) revealed the presence of seven haplotypes, with haplotype (h) and nucleotide (π) diversities of h = 0.300±0.080 and π = 0.009±0.005 respectively. The most common haplotype was CMP4 observed in 83% of individuals, followed by CMP22 (5%). The genetic composition of the Gorgona foraging population primarily comprised haplotypes that have been found at eastern Pacific rookeries including Mexico and the Galapagos, as well as haplotypes of unknown stock origin that likely originated from more distant western Pacific rookeries. Mixed stock analysis suggests that the Gorgona FG population is comprised mostly of animals from the Galapagos rookery (80%). Lagrangian drifter data showed that movement of turtles along the eastern Pacific coast and eastward from distant western and central Pacific sites was possible through passive drift. Our results highlight the importance of this protected area for conservation management of green turtles recruited from distant sites along the eastern Pacific Ocean. PMID:22319635

Aviation's role in earth resources surveys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Syvertson, C. A.; Mulholland, D. R.

1972-01-01

The role of satellites designed to make a wide variety of earth observations is discussed along with the renewed interest in the use of aircraft as platforms for similar and complementary earth resources surveys. Surveys covering the areas of forestry, agriculture, hydrology, oceanography, geology, and geography are included. Aerials surveys equipped for nonphotographic remote sensing and aircraft flights synchronized with satellite observations to provide correlated data are discussed. Photographs are shown to illustrate preliminary results from several of the test sites.

Metastatic patterns and metastatic sites in mucosal melanoma: a retrospective study.

PubMed

Grözinger, Gerd; Mann, Steven; Mehra, Tarun; Klumpp, Bernhard; Grosse, Ulrich; Nikolaou, Konstantin; Garbe, Claus; Clasen, Stephan

2016-06-01

Melanomas arising from mucosa are rare and associated with a poor prognosis. This study aims to provide an analysis of metastatic pathways, time intervals, factors influencing metastatic spread and organs for distant metastases. A total of 116 patients with mucosal melanomas of different sites were included. The mean follow-up interval was 47 ± 52 months. Patients were assigned to two different metastatic pathways, either presenting loco-regional lymph node metastases as first spread or direct distant metastases. The distribution of distant metastases was assessed. Twenty-six patients presented with a pre-existing metastatic spread and were not assigned to pathways. Of the included patients, 44 developed metastases after treatment of the primary tumour; 25 patients directly developed distant metastases; 16 patients developed regional lymph node metastases prior to distant metastases. Location of the primary tumour in the upper airway or GI tract and advanced T stage were significant risk factors of direct distant metastases. Distant metastases are mainly located in the lung, the liver and non-regional lymph nodes. Mucosal melanomas show a high rate of direct distant metastases rather than regional lymph node metastases. Thus the follow-up should always include a whole-body cross-sectional imaging in high-risk tumours. • Mucosal melanomas show a high rate of direct distant metastases. • T stage and primary location are predictors for direct distant metastases. • Distant metastases were mainly found in lung, liver and lymph nodes. • Follow-up of a high-risk mucosal melanoma should include whole-body imaging.

Constraining the Sulfur Dioxide Degassing Flux from Turrialba Volcano, Costa Rica Using Unmanned Aerial System Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xi, Xin; Johnson, Matthew S.; Jeong, Seongeun; Fladeland, Matthew; Pieri, David; Diaz, Jorge Andres; Bland, Geoffrey L.

2016-01-01

Observed sulfur dioxide (SO2)mixing ratios onboard unmanned aerial systems (UAS) duringMarch 11-13, 2013 are used to constrain the three-day averaged SO2 degassing flux fromTurrialba volcanowithin a Bayesian inverse modeling framework. A mesoscale model coupled with Lagrangian stochastic particle backward trajectories is used to quantify the source-receptor relationships at very high spatial resolutions (i.e., b1 km). The model shows better performance in reproducing the near-surface meteorological properties and observed SO2 variations when using a first-order closure non-local planetary boundary layer (PBL) scheme. The optimized SO2 degassing fluxes vary from 0.59 +/- 0.37 to 0.83 +/- 0.33 kt d-1 depending on the PBL scheme used. These fluxes are in good agreement with ground-based gas flux measurements, and correspond to corrective scale factors of 8-12 to the posteruptive SO2 degassing rate in the AeroCom emission inventory. The maximum a posteriori solution for the SO2 flux is highly sensitive to the specification of prior and observational errors, and relatively insensitive to the SO2 loss term and temporal averaging of observations. Our results indicate relatively low degassing activity but sustained sulfur emissions from Turrialba volcano to the troposphere during March 2013. This study demonstrates the utility of low-cost small UAS platforms for volcanic gas composition and flux analysis.

An algorithm for approximate rectification of digital aerial images

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

High-resolution aerial photography is one of the most valuable tools available for managing extensive landscapes. With recent advances in digital camera technology, computer hardware, and software, aerial photography is easier to collect, store, and transfer than ever before. Images can be automa...

Effects of pesticides aerial applications on rice quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Aerial application of pesticides has become an important research topic in recent years. This research investigated the effects of two types of commercial pesticides on the rice quality under low volume aerial application. It could provide guidance for the pesticide application and choose the right ...

ESTIMATING DENSITIES OF ESTUARINE EELGRASS AND BENTHIC MACROALGAE VIA AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

EPA Science Inventory

The goal of this research was to distinguish meadows of native eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) from adjacent beds of benthic green macroalgae in the exposed intertidal zone of Pacific Northwest estuaries, using false-color near-infrared aerial photography. Aerial photographs of Yaq...

A model for growth of a single fungal hypha based on well-mixed tanks in series: simulation of nutrient and vesicle transport in aerial reproductive hyphae.

PubMed

Balmant, Wellington; Sugai-Guérios, Maura Harumi; Coradin, Juliana Hey; Krieger, Nadia; Furigo Junior, Agenor; Mitchell, David Alexander

2015-01-01

Current models that describe the extension of fungal hyphae and development of a mycelium either do not describe the role of vesicles in hyphal extension or do not correctly describe the experimentally observed profile for distribution of vesicles along the hypha. The present work uses the n-tanks-in-series approach to develop a model for hyphal extension that describes the intracellular transport of nutrient to a sub-apical zone where vesicles are formed and then transported to the tip, where tip extension occurs. The model was calibrated using experimental data from the literature for the extension of reproductive aerial hyphae of three different fungi, and was able to describe different profiles involving acceleration and deceleration of the extension rate. A sensitivity analysis showed that the supply of nutrient to the sub-apical vesicle-producing zone is a key factor influencing the rate of extension of the hypha. Although this model was used to describe the extension of a single reproductive aerial hypha, the use of the n-tanks-in-series approach to representing the hypha means that the model has the flexibility to be extended to describe the growth of other types of hyphae and the branching of hyphae to form a complete mycelium.

Application of airborne thermal imagery to surveys of Pacific walrus

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burn, D.M.; Webber, M.A.; Udevitz, M.S.

2006-01-01

We conducted tests of airborne thermal imagery of Pacific walrus to determine if this technology can be used to detect walrus groups on sea ice and estimate the number of walruses present in each group. In April 2002 we collected thermal imagery of 37 walrus groups in the Bering Sea at spatial resolutions ranging from 1-4 m. We also collected high-resolution digital aerial photographs of the same groups. Walruses were considerably warmer than the background environment of ice, snow, and seawater and were easily detected in thermal imagery. We found a significant linear relation between walrus group size and the amount of heat measured by the thermal sensor at all 4 spatial resolutions tested. This relation can be used in a double-sampling framework to estimate total walrus numbers from a thermal survey of a sample of units within an area and photographs from a subsample of the thermally detected groups. Previous methods used in visual aerial surveys of Pacific walrus have sampled only a small percentage of available habitat, resulting in population estimates with low precision. Results of this study indicate that an aerial survey using a thermal sensor can cover as much as 4 times the area per hour of flight time with greater reliability than visual observation.

Parametric Study for Increasing On-Station Duration via Unconventional Aircraft Launch Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuhl, Christopher A.; Moses, Robert W.; Croom, Mark A.; Sandford, Stephen P.

2004-01-01

The need for better atmospheric predictions is causing the atmospheric science community to look for new ways to obtain longer, higher-resolution measurements over several diurnal cycles. The high resolution, in-situ measurements required to study many atmospheric phenomena can be achieved by an Autonomous Aerial Observation System (AAOS); however, meeting the long on-station time requirements with an aerial platform poses many challenges. Inspired by the half-scale drop test of the deployable Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey (ARES) Mars airplane, a study was conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center to examine the possibility of increasing on-station time by launching an airplane directly at the desired altitude. The ARES Mars airplane concept was used as a baseline for Earth atmospheric flight, and parametric analyses of fundamental configuration elements were performed to study their impact on achieving desired on-station time with this class of airplane. The concept involved lifting the aircraft from the ground to the target altitude by means of an air balloon, thereby unburdening the airplane of ascent requirements. The parameters varied in the study were aircraft wingspan, payload, fuel quantity, and propulsion system. The results show promising trends for further research into aircraft-payload design using this unconventional balloon-based launch approach.

High-resolution sensing for precision agriculture: from Earth-observing satellites to unmanned aerial vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCabe, Matthew F.; Houborg, Rasmus; Lucieer, Arko

2016-10-01

With global population projected to approach 9 billion by 2050, it has been estimated that a 40% increase in cereal production will be required to satisfy the worlds growing nutritional demands. Any such increases in agricultural productivity are likely to occur within a system that has limited room for growth and in a world with a climate that is different from that of today. Fundamental to achieving food and water security, is the capacity to monitor the health and condition of agricultural systems. While space-agency based satellites have provided the backbone for earth observation over the last few decades, many developments in the field of high-resolution earth observation have been advanced by the commercial sector. These advances relate not just to technological developments in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but also the advent of nano-satellite constellations that offer a radical shift in the way earth observations are now being retrieved. Such technologies present opportunities for improving our description of the water, energy and carbon cycles. Efforts towards developing new observational techniques and interpretative frameworks are required to provide the tools and information needed to improve the management and security of agricultural and related sectors. These developments are one of the surest ways to better manage, protect and preserve national food and water resources. Here we review the capabilities of recently deployed satellite systems and UAVs and examine their potential for application in precision agriculture.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicle imagery in intertidal monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konar, Brenda; Iken, Katrin

2018-01-01

Intertidal monitoring projects are often limited in their practicality because traditional methods such as visual surveys or removal of biota are often limited in the spatial extent for which data can be collected. Here, we used imagery from a small unmanned aerial vehicle (sUAV) to test their potential use in rocky intertidal and intertidal seagrass surveys in the northern Gulf of Alaska. Images captured by the sUAV in the high, mid and low intertidal strata on a rocky beach and within a seagrass bed were compared to data derived concurrently from observer visual surveys and to images taken by observers on the ground. Observer visual data always resulted in the highest taxon richness, but when observer data were aggregated to the lower taxonomic resolution obtained by the sUAV images, overall community composition was mostly similar between the two methods. Ground camera images and sUAV images yielded mostly comparable community composition despite the typically higher taxonomic resolution obtained by the ground camera. We conclude that monitoring goals or research questions that can be answered on a relatively coarse taxonomic level can benefit from an sUAV-based approach because it allows much larger spatial coverage within the time constraints of a low tide interval than is possible by observers on the ground. We demonstrated this large-scale applicability by using sUAV images to develop maps that show the distribution patterns and patchiness of seagrass.

Ice-cored moraine degradation mapped and quantified using an unmanned aerial vehicle: A case study from a polythermal glacier in Svalbard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonkin, T. N.; Midgley, N. G.; Cook, S. J.; Graham, D. J.

2016-04-01

Ice-cored lateral-frontal moraines are common at the margins of receding high-Arctic valley glaciers, but the preservation potential of these features within the landform record is unclear. Recent climatic amelioration provides an opportunity to study the morphological evolution of these landforms as they de-ice. This is important because high-Arctic glacial landsystems have been used as analogues for formerly glaciated areas in the mid-latitudes. This study uses SfM (Structure-from-Motion) photogrammetry and a combination of archive aerial and UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) derived imagery to investigate the degradation of an ice-cored lateral-frontal moraine at Austre Lovénbreen, Svalbard. Across the study area as a whole, over an 11-year period, the average depth of surface lowering was - 1.75 ± 0.89 m. The frontal sections of the moraine showed low or undetectable rates of change. Spatially variable rates of surface lowering are associated with differences in the quantity of buried ice within the structure of the moraine. Morphological change was dominated by surface lowering, with limited field evidence of degradation via back-wastage. This permits the moraine a greater degree of stability than previously observed at other sites in Svalbard. It is unclear whether the end point will be a fully stabilised ice-cored moraine, in equilibrium with its environment, or an ice-free lateral-frontal moraine complex. Controls on geomorphological change (e.g. topography and climate) and the preservation potential of the lateral-frontal moraine are discussed. The methods used by this research also demonstrate the potential value of SfM photogrammetry and unmanned aerial vehicles for monitoring environmental change and are likely to have wider applications in other geoscientific sub-disciplines.

Effect of GF-120 (Spinosad) Aerial Sprays on Colonies of the Stingless Bee Scaptotrigona mexicana (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and the Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

PubMed

Gómez-Escobar, Enoc; Liedo, Pablo; Montoya, Pablo; Méndez-Villarreal, Agustín; Guzmán, Miguel; Vandame, Rémy; Sánchez, Daniel

2018-06-02

Despite their relevant contribution to the conservation of tropical ecosystems and crop productivity through pollination, the stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) can be considered a group of neglected species in the assessment of pesticides upon nontarget organisms. In this article, we evaluated the effect of aerial sprays of the spinosad-based fruit fly toxic bait GF-120 upon colonies of the stingless bee Scaptotrigona mexicana Guérin (Hymenoptera: Apidae), an economically important and abundant species in some landscapes of Mexico, located in mango orchards. Colonies of the honey bee Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) were used for comparison. Eight colonies (four of A. mellifera and four of S. mexicana) were moved into each of two mango orchards, one was used as a control, with no insecticide application, and other received five weekly aerial sprays of GF-120. Foraging activity and strength of colonies of both species were measured nine times over the fruiting season, previous, during and after insecticide application. We did not find a significant difference in foraging activity and strength between exposed and control colonies of A. mellifera during the observation period. However, colonies of S. mexicana seemed to be affected by the exposure, as revealed by a reduction in colony strength. However, 1 yr later, with no insecticide applications, the colonies of both species were evaluated and found to be in good conditions. Our results showed that weekly aerial sprays of GF-120 are unlikely to generate acute poisoning in both species, even if in acute toxicity tests this product has been found to be highly active.

Evaluation of pyrethrin aerial ultra-low volume applications for adult Culex tarsalis control in the desert environments of the Coachella Valley, Riverside County, California.

PubMed

Lothrop, Hugh; Lothrop, Branka; Palmer, Mark; Wheeler, Sarah; Gutierrez, Arturo; Miller, Patrick; Gomsi, Donald; Reisen, William K

2007-12-01

Eliminating infected female mosquitoes by aerial applications of ultra-low volume adulticides is the intervention strategy currently recommended to interrupt the epidemic transmission of encephalitis viruses, including West Nile. The current research optimized pyrethrin formulations and evaluated their efficacy in the desert environment of the Coachella Valley, Riverside County, California. After seven trials during 2004, a 1:2 by volume mixture of Pyrenone 25-5 in BVA oil optimized particle size, droplet descent to ground level, and kill of sentinel mosquitoes. Three subsequent experiments used 3 aerial applications of the 1:2 Pyrenone 25-5:BVA oil mixture on alternate nights to suppress Culex tarsalis Coquillett host-seeking abundance over a 1-square-mile target area. Mortality patterns among caged sentinel mosquitoes varied among sites and replicate sprays, indicating variable particle dispersion at ground level within the target area. In addition, mortality was observed for sentinels up to 1 mile downwind from the target area, indicating considerable particle drift. Geometric mean abundance of host-seeking Cx. tarsalis females collected at dry ice-baited traps within each of 3 sprayed and 2 unsprayed negative control strata varied similarly over time, indicating that our sprays minimally impacted the target population or that drift combined with other factors led to widespread area control. Experiments during March and June when recruitment rates were minimal showed general area-wide suppression of abundance following spray, whereas an experiment during September when recruitment rates were high from newly flooded marshes failed to prevent an area-wide increase in abundance. Clearly additional research is needed to standardize the efficacy of aerial applications of pyrethrins in hot dry desert environments.

Falling with Style: Bats Perform Complex Aerial Rotations by Adjusting Wing Inertia.

PubMed

Bergou, Attila J; Swartz, Sharon M; Vejdani, Hamid; Riskin, Daniel K; Reimnitz, Lauren; Taubin, Gabriel; Breuer, Kenneth S

2015-01-01

The remarkable maneuverability of flying animals results from precise movements of their highly specialized wings. Bats have evolved an impressive capacity to control their flight, in large part due to their ability to modulate wing shape, area, and angle of attack through many independently controlled joints. Bat wings, however, also contain many bones and relatively large muscles, and thus the ratio of bats' wing mass to their body mass is larger than it is for all other extant flyers. Although the inertia in bat wings would typically be associated with decreased aerial maneuverability, we show that bat maneuvers challenge this notion. We use a model-based tracking algorithm to measure the wing and body kinematics of bats performing complex aerial rotations. Using a minimal model of a bat with only six degrees of kinematic freedom, we show that bats can perform body rolls by selectively retracting one wing during the flapping cycle. We also show that this maneuver does not rely on aerodynamic forces, and furthermore that a fruit fly, with nearly massless wings, would not exhibit this effect. Similar results are shown for a pitching maneuver. Finally, we combine high-resolution kinematics of wing and body movements during landing and falling maneuvers with a 52-degree-of-freedom dynamical model of a bat to show that modulation of wing inertia plays the dominant role in reorienting the bat during landing and falling maneuvers, with minimal contribution from aerodynamic forces. Bats can, therefore, use their wings as multifunctional organs, capable of sophisticated aerodynamic and inertial dynamics not previously observed in other flying animals. This may also have implications for the control of aerial robotic vehicles.

Effect of moderate high temperature on the vegetative growth and potassium allocation in olive plants.

PubMed

Benlloch-González, María; Quintero, José Manuel; Suárez, María Paz; Sánchez-Lucas, Rosa; Fernández-Escobar, Ricardo; Benlloch, Manuel

2016-12-01

There is little information about the prolonged effect of a moderately high temperature on the growth of olive (Olea europaea L.). It has been suggested that when the temperature of the air rises above 35°C the shoot growth of olive is inhibited while there is any reference on how growth is affected when the soil is warmed. In order to examine these effects, mist-cuttings and young plants generated from seeds were grown under moderate high temperature (37°C) for 64 and 42days respectively. In our study, plant dry matter accumulation was reduced when the temperature of both the air and the root medium was moderately high. However, when the temperature of the root medium was 25°C, the inhibitory effect of air high temperature on plant growth was not observed. The exposure of both the aerial part and the root to moderate high temperature also reduced the accumulation of K + in the stem and the root, the water use efficiency and leaf relative water content. However, when only the aerial part was exposed to moderate high temperature, the accumulation of K + in the stem, the water use efficiency and leaf relative water content were not modified. The results from this study suggest that the olive is very efficient in regulating the water and potassium transport through the plant when only the atmosphere surrounding the aerial part is warmed up. However, an increase in the soil temperature decrease root K + uptake and its transport to the aerial parts resulting in a reduction in shoot water status and growth. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Monitoring tropical debris-covered glacier dynamics from high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry, Cordillera Blanca, Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wigmore, Oliver; Mark, Bryan

2017-11-01

The glaciers of the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, are rapidly retreating and thinning as a result of climate change, altering the timing, quantity and quality of water available to downstream users. Furthermore, increases in the number and size of proglacial lakes associated with these melting glaciers is increasing potential exposure to glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Understanding how these glaciers are changing and their connection to proglacial lake systems is thus of critical importance. Most satellite data are too coarse for studying small mountain glaciers and are often affected by cloud cover, while traditional airborne photogrammetry and lidar are costly. Recent developments have made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) a viable and potentially transformative method for studying glacier change at high spatial resolution, on demand and at relatively low cost.Using a custom designed hexacopter built for high-altitude (4000-6000 m a. s. l. ) operation, we completed repeat aerial surveys (2014 and 2015) of the debris-covered Llaca Glacier tongue and proglacial lake system. High-resolution orthomosaics (5 cm) and digital elevation models (DEMs) (10 cm) were produced and their accuracy assessed. Analysis of these datasets reveals highly heterogeneous patterns of glacier change. The most rapid areas of ice loss were associated with exposed ice cliffs and meltwater ponds on the glacier surface. Considerable subsidence and low surface velocities were also measured on the sediments within the pro-glacial lake, indicating the presence of extensive regions of buried ice and continued connection to the glacier tongue. Only limited horizontal retreat of the glacier tongue was observed, indicating that measurements of changes in aerial extent alone are inadequate for monitoring changes in glacier ice quantity.

Falling with Style: Bats Perform Complex Aerial Rotations by Adjusting Wing Inertia

PubMed Central

Bergou, Attila J.; Swartz, Sharon M.; Vejdani, Hamid; Riskin, Daniel K.; Reimnitz, Lauren; Taubin, Gabriel; Breuer, Kenneth S.

2015-01-01

The remarkable maneuverability of flying animals results from precise movements of their highly specialized wings. Bats have evolved an impressive capacity to control their flight, in large part due to their ability to modulate wing shape, area, and angle of attack through many independently controlled joints. Bat wings, however, also contain many bones and relatively large muscles, and thus the ratio of bats’ wing mass to their body mass is larger than it is for all other extant flyers. Although the inertia in bat wings would typically be associated with decreased aerial maneuverability, we show that bat maneuvers challenge this notion. We use a model-based tracking algorithm to measure the wing and body kinematics of bats performing complex aerial rotations. Using a minimal model of a bat with only six degrees of kinematic freedom, we show that bats can perform body rolls by selectively retracting one wing during the flapping cycle. We also show that this maneuver does not rely on aerodynamic forces, and furthermore that a fruit fly, with nearly massless wings, would not exhibit this effect. Similar results are shown for a pitching maneuver. Finally, we combine high-resolution kinematics of wing and body movements during landing and falling maneuvers with a 52-degree-of-freedom dynamical model of a bat to show that modulation of wing inertia plays the dominant role in reorienting the bat during landing and falling maneuvers, with minimal contribution from aerodynamic forces. Bats can, therefore, use their wings as multifunctional organs, capable of sophisticated aerodynamic and inertial dynamics not previously observed in other flying animals. This may also have implications for the control of aerial robotic vehicles. PMID:26569116

47 CFR 32.2431 - Aerial wire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Aerial wire. 32.2431 Section 32.2431... FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES Instructions for Balance Sheet Accounts § 32.2431 Aerial wire. (a) This account shall include the original cost of bare line wire and other material used in the...

47 CFR 32.2431 - Aerial wire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Aerial wire. 32.2431 Section 32.2431... FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES Instructions for Balance Sheet Accounts § 32.2431 Aerial wire. (a) This account shall include the original cost of bare line wire and other material used in the...

Collecting maple sap with unvented spouts, using aerial and ground lines

Treesearch

H. Clay Smith; Carter B. Gibbs

1971-01-01

Two methods of using plastic tubing to collect sugar maple sap were tried: aerial lines and ground lines. Unvented spouts were used in both. We found that the sap yields collected from the aerial and ground lines were not statistically different from each other.

Aerially released spray penetration of a tall coniferous canopy

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An aerial spray deposition project was designed to evaluate aerial application to an Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) canopy to combat Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae). This adelgid offers a difficult target residing in the forest canopy at the nodes of branchlets. The study collected 1680 ...

77 FR 35962 - Utilizing Rapidly Deployable Aerial Communications Architecture in Response to an Emergency

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-15

... Aerial Communications Architecture in Response to an Emergency AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission... deployable aerial communications architecture (DACA) in facilitating emergency response by rapidly restoring... copying during normal business hours in the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street...

Development and prospect of unmanned aerial vehicles for agricultural production management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Unmanned aerial vehicles have been developed and applied to support agricultural production management. Compared to piloted aircrafts, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) can focus on small crop fields in lower flight altitude than regular airplanes to perform site-specific management with high precisi...

Development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Site-Specific Crop Production Management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have been developed and applied to support the practice of precision agriculture. Compared to piloted aircrafts, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle can focus on much smaller crop fields with much lower flight altitude than regular airplanes to perform site-specific management ...

Wageningen UR Unmanned Aerial Remote Sensing Facility - Overview of activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartholomeus, Harm; Keesstra, Saskia; Kooistra, Lammert; Suomalainen, Juha; Mucher, Sander; Kramer, Henk; Franke, Jappe

2016-04-01

To support environmental management there is an increasing need for timely, accurate and detailed information on our land. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are increasingly used to monitor agricultural crop development, habitat quality or urban heat efficiency. An important reason is that UAS technology is maturing quickly while the flexible capabilities of UAS fill a gap between satellite based and ground based geo-sensing systems. In 2012, different groups within Wageningen University and Research Centre have established an Unmanned Airborne Remote Sensing Facility. The objective of this facility is threefold: a) To develop innovation in the field of remote sensing science by providing a platform for dedicated and high-quality experiments; b) To support high quality UAS services by providing calibration facilities and disseminating processing procedures to the UAS user community; and c) To promote and test the use of UAS in a broad range of application fields like habitat monitoring, precision agriculture and land degradation assessment. The facility is hosted by the Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing (GRS) and the Department of Soil Physics and Land Management (SLM) of Wageningen University together with the team Earth Informatics (EI) of Alterra. The added value of the Unmanned Aerial Remote Sensing Facility is that compared to for example satellite based remote sensing more dedicated science experiments can be prepared. This includes for example higher frequent observations in time (e.g., diurnal observations), observations of an object under different observation angles for characterization of BRDF and flexibility in use of camera's and sensors types. In this way, laboratory type of set ups can be tested in a field situation and effects of up-scaling can be tested. In the last years we developed and implemented different camera systems (e.g. a hyperspectral pushbroom system, and multispectral frame cameras) which we operated in projects all around the world, while new camera systems are being planned such as LiDAR and a full frame hyperspectral camera. In the presentation we will give an overview of our activities, ranging from erosion studies, decision support for precision agriculture, determining leaf biochemistry and canopy structure in tropical forests to the mapping of coastal zones.

Identification of two new phylogenetically distant phytoplasmas from Senna surattensis plants exhibiting stem fasciation and shoot proliferation symptoms

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sunshine trees (Senna surattensis Burm.) exhibiting unusual stem fasciation symptoms were observed in Yunnan, China. Morphological abnormalities of the affected plants included enlargement and flattening of stems and excessive proliferation of shoots. An electron microscopic investigation revealed...

An observational model for biomechanical assessment of sprint kayaking technique.

PubMed

McDonnell, Lisa K; Hume, Patria A; Nolte, Volker

2012-11-01

Sprint kayaking stroke phase descriptions for biomechanical analysis of technique vary among kayaking literature, with inconsistencies not conducive for the advancement of biomechanics applied service or research. We aimed to provide a consistent basis for the categorisation and analysis of sprint kayak technique by proposing a clear observational model. Electronic databases were searched using key words kayak, sprint, technique, and biomechanics, with 20 sources reviewed. Nine phase-defining positions were identified within the kayak literature and were divided into three distinct types based on how positions were defined: water-contact-defined positions, paddle-shaft-defined positions, and body-defined positions. Videos of elite paddlers from multiple camera views were reviewed to determine the visibility of positions used to define phases. The water-contact-defined positions of catch, immersion, extraction, and release were visible from multiple camera views, therefore were suitable for practical use by coaches and researchers. Using these positions, phases and sub-phases were created for a new observational model. We recommend that kayaking data should be reported using single strokes and described using two phases: water and aerial. For more detailed analysis without disrupting the basic two-phase model, a four-sub-phase model consisting of entry, pull, exit, and aerial sub-phases should be used.

An airborne robotic platform for mapping thermal structure in surface water bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, S. E.; Chung, M.; Detweiler, C.; Ore, J. P.

2015-12-01

The significance of thermal heterogeneities in small surface water bodies as drivers of mixing and for habitat provision is increasingly recognized, yet obtaining three-dimensionally resolved observations of the thermal structure of lakes and rivers remains challenging. For relatively shallow water bodies, observations of water temperature from aerial platforms are attractive: they do not require shoreline access, they can be quickly and easily deployed and redeployed, facilitating repeated sampling, and they can rapidly move between measurement locations, allowing multiple measurements to be made during single flights. However, they are also subject to well-known limitations including payload, flight duration and operability, and their effectiveness as a mobile platform for thermal sensing is still poorly characterized. In this talk, I will introduce an aerial thermal sensing platform that enables water temperature measurements to be made and spatially located throughout a water column, and present preliminary results from initial field experiments comparing in-situ temperature observations to those made from the UAS platform. The results highlight the potential scalability of the platform to provide high-resolution 3D thermal mapping of a ~1 ha lake in 2-3 flights (circa 1 hour), sufficient to resolve diurnal variations. Operability constraints and key needs for further development are also identified.

Evaluation of Distant Education Programs with Regards to Various Shareholder Opinions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tonbuloglu, Betül; Gürol, Aysun

2016-01-01

The strong demand and rapid increase in the number of programs concerning distant education programs has put the quality problem of distant education services into the agenda. It is crucial to determine the strengths and weaknesses of distant education programs, the problems encountered by these programs and making the required improvements. The…

Two visual observations of relevance to the search for optical counterparts of gamma-ray sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warner, B.

1986-05-01

The authors draw attention to a visual observation of a brief flash from ζ Lyrae, observed by Heis in 1850, which resembles the optical burst detected electronically by Wdowiak and Clifton (1985) from β Cam in 1969. Visual observation by the author of a second magnitude flash of very short duration is shown to originate from planar reflection from a very distant satellite. Such flashes will contribute to the "noise" in all-sky searches for optical counterparts of γ-ray bursters.

The remote characterization of vegetation using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle photography

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can fly in place of piloted aircraft to gather remote sensing information on vegetation characteristics. The type of sensors flown depends on the instrument payload capacity available, so that, depending on the specific UAV, it is possible to obtain video, aerial phot...

BOREAS Level-0 ER-2 Aerial Photography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newcomer, Jeffrey A.; Dominquez, Roseanne; Hall, Forrest G. (Editor)

2000-01-01

For BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS), the ER-2 and other aerial photography was collected to provide finely detailed and spatially extensive documentation of the condition of the primary study sites. The ER-2 aerial photography consists of color-IR transparencies collected during flights in 1994 and 1996 over the study areas.

Herbicidal drift control: aerial spray equipment, formulations, and supervision.

Treesearch

H. Gratkowski

1974-01-01

Public concern over environmental pollution requires increasingly sophisticated procedures when herbicides are used in silviculture. Many specialized aerial application systems and spray additives have been developed to reduce drift of herbicidal sprays. This publication provides forest-land managers with a brief description of these aerial spray systems and additives...

An Air Force Strategy for the Long Haul

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

neuver ( MVM ) that suggests a very heavy vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) plat- form. It is clear from a recent Defense Science Board (DSB...refueling tanker) KC-X Future aerial refueling tanker LEO Low earth orbit MQ-1 Predator (unmanned aerial vehicle) MQ-9 Reaper (unmanned aerial vehicle) MVM

Microencapsuling aerial conidia of Trichoderma harzianum through spray drying at elevated temperatures

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Trichoderma conidia are mostly produced by solid fermentation systems. Inoculum is produced by liquid culturing, and then transferred to solid substrate for aerial conidial production. Aerial conidia of T. harzianum are hydrophilic in nature, and it is difficult to separate them from the solid subst...

75 FR 74678 - Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland; Colorado and Wyoming...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-01

..., mechanical, biological, and ground and aerial herbicide control methods. ``Invasive species'' are defined as... and aerial application of herbicides, mechanical, biological, and cultural weed treatments. The MBRTB... include analysis of the effects of new herbicides, new invasive plant populations, or aerial application...

Estimating tree heights from shadows on vertical aerial photographs

Treesearch

Earl J. Rogers

1947-01-01

Aerial photographs are now being applied more and more to practical forestry - especially to forest survey. Many forest characteristics can be recognized on aerial photographs in greater detail than is possible through ground methods alone. The basic need is for tools and methods for interpreting the detail in quantitative terms.

Monitoring and Assuring the Quality of Digital Aerial Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christopherson, Jon

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation explains the USGS plan for monitoring and assuring the quality of digital aerial data. The contents include: 1) History of USGS Aerial Imaging Involvement; 2) USGS Research and Results; 3) Outline of USGS Quality Assurance Plan; 4) Other areas of Interest; and 5) Summary

Modelling and Closed-Loop System Identification of a Quadrotor-Based Aerial Manipulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dube, Chioniso; Pedro, Jimoh O.

2018-05-01

This paper presents the modelling and system identification of a quadrotor-based aerial manipulator. The aerial manipulator model is first derived analytically using the Newton-Euler formulation for the quadrotor and Recursive Newton-Euler formulation for the manipulator. The aerial manipulator is then simulated with the quadrotor under Proportional Derivative (PD) control, with the manipulator in motion. The simulation data is then used for system identification of the aerial manipulator. Auto Regressive with eXogenous inputs (ARX) models are obtained from the system identification for linear accelerations \\ddot{X} and \\ddot{Y} and yaw angular acceleration \\ddot{\\psi }. For linear acceleration \\ddot{Z}, and pitch and roll angular accelerations \\ddot{θ } and \\ddot{φ }, Auto Regressive Moving Average with eXogenous inputs (ARMAX) models are identified.

Identification, definition and mapping of terrestrial ecosystems in interior Alaska

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, J. H. (Principal Investigator)

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. A transect of the Tanana River Flats to Murphy Dome, Alaska was accomplished. The transect includes an experimental forest and information on the range of vegetation-land form types. Multispectral black and white prints of the Eagle Summit Research Area, Alaska, were studied in conjunction with aerial photography and field notes to determine the characteristics of the vegetation. Black and white MSS prints were compared with aerial photographs of the village of Wiseman, Alaska. No positive identifications could be made without reference to aerial photographs or ground truth data. Color coded density slice scenes of the Eagle Summit Research Area were produced from black and white NASA aerial photographs. Infestations of the spruce beetle in the Cook Inlet, Alaska, were studied using aerial photographs.

Evaluation of Deep Learning Based Stereo Matching Methods: from Ground to Aerial Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, J.; Ji, S.; Zhang, C.; Qin, Z.

2018-05-01

Dense stereo matching has been extensively studied in photogrammetry and computer vision. In this paper we evaluate the application of deep learning based stereo methods, which were raised from 2016 and rapidly spread, on aerial stereos other than ground images that are commonly used in computer vision community. Two popular methods are evaluated. One learns matching cost with a convolutional neural network (known as MC-CNN); the other produces a disparity map in an end-to-end manner by utilizing both geometry and context (known as GC-net). First, we evaluate the performance of the deep learning based methods for aerial stereo images by a direct model reuse. The models pre-trained on KITTI 2012, KITTI 2015 and Driving datasets separately, are directly applied to three aerial datasets. We also give the results of direct training on target aerial datasets. Second, the deep learning based methods are compared to the classic stereo matching method, Semi-Global Matching(SGM), and a photogrammetric software, SURE, on the same aerial datasets. Third, transfer learning strategy is introduced to aerial image matching based on the assumption of a few target samples available for model fine tuning. It experimentally proved that the conventional methods and the deep learning based methods performed similarly, and the latter had greater potential to be explored.

Enhancement of spectral quality of archival aerial photographs using satellite imagery for detection of land cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siok, Katarzyna; Jenerowicz, Agnieszka; Woroszkiewicz, Małgorzata

2017-07-01

Archival aerial photographs are often the only reliable source of information about the area. However, these data are single-band data that do not allow unambiguous detection of particular forms of land cover. Thus, the authors of this article seek to develop a method of coloring panchromatic aerial photographs, which enable increasing the spectral information of such images. The study used data integration algorithms based on pansharpening, implemented in commonly used remote sensing programs: ERDAS, ENVI, and PCI. Aerial photos and Landsat multispectral data recorded in 1987 and 2016 were chosen. This study proposes the use of modified intensity-hue-saturation and Brovey methods. The use of these methods enabled the addition of red-green-blue (RGB) components to monochrome images, thus enhancing their interpretability and spectral quality. The limitations of the proposed method relate to the availability of RGB satellite imagery, the accuracy of mutual orientation of the aerial and the satellite data, and the imperfection of archival aerial photographs. Therefore, it should be expected that the results of coloring will not be perfect compared to the results of the fusion of recent data with a similar ground sampling resolution, but still, they will allow a more accurate and efficient classification of land cover registered on archival aerial photographs.

Small unmanned aerial vehicles (micro-UAVs, drones) in plant ecology1

PubMed Central

Cruzan, Mitchell B.; Weinstein, Ben G.; Grasty, Monica R.; Kohrn, Brendan F.; Hendrickson, Elizabeth C.; Arredondo, Tina M.; Thompson, Pamela G.

2016-01-01

Premise of the study: Low-elevation surveys with small aerial drones (micro–unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs]) may be used for a wide variety of applications in plant ecology, including mapping vegetation over small- to medium-sized regions. We provide an overview of methods and procedures for conducting surveys and illustrate some of these applications. Methods: Aerial images were obtained by flying a small drone along transects over the area of interest. Images were used to create a composite image (orthomosaic) and a digital surface model (DSM). Vegetation classification was conducted manually and using an automated routine. Coverage of an individual species was estimated from aerial images. Results: We created a vegetation map for the entire region from the orthomosaic and DSM, and mapped the density of one species. Comparison of our manual and automated habitat classification confirmed that our mapping methods were accurate. A species with high contrast to the background matrix allowed adequate estimate of its coverage. Discussion: The example surveys demonstrate that small aerial drones are capable of gathering large amounts of information on the distribution of vegetation and individual species with minimal impact to sensitive habitats. Low-elevation aerial surveys have potential for a wide range of applications in plant ecology. PMID:27672518

Comparative Analysis of the Tour Jete and Aerial with Detailed Analysis of Aerial Takeoff Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierson, Mimi; Coplin, Kim

2006-10-01

Whether internally as muscle tension or from external sources, forces are necessary for all motion. This research focused on athletic rotations where conditions of flight are established during takeoff. By studying reaction forces that produce torques, moments of inertia, and linear and angular differences between distinct rotations around different principle axes of the body (tour jete in ballet - longitudinal axis; aerial in gymnastics - anteroposterior axis), and by looking at the values of angular momentum in the specific mechanics of aerial takeoff, we can gain insight into possible causes of injury, flaws in technique and limitations of athletes. Results showed significant differences in the horizontal and vertical components of takeoff between the tour jete and the aerial, and a realization that torque was produced in different biomechanical planes. Both rotations showed braking forces before takeoff to counteract forward momentum and increase vertical lift, but the angle of applied force varied, and the horizontal components of velocity and force and vertical velocity as well as moment of inertia throughout flight were consistently greater for the aerial. Breakdown of aerial takeoff highlighted the relative importance of the takeoff phases, showing that completion depends fundamentally upon the rotation of the rear foot and torso twisting during takeoff rather than the last foot in contact with the ground.

Looking for Off-Fault Deformation and Measuring Strain Accumulation During the Past 70 years on a Portion of the Locked San Andreas Fault

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vadman, M.; Bemis, S. P.

2017-12-01

Even at high tectonic rates, detection of possible off-fault plastic/aseismic deformation and variability in far-field strain accumulation requires high spatial resolution data and likely decades of measurements. Due to the influence that variability in interseismic deformation could have on the timing, size, and location of future earthquakes and the calculation of modern geodetic estimates of strain, we attempt to use historical aerial photographs to constrain deformation through time across a locked fault. Modern photo-based 3D reconstruction techniques facilitate the creation of dense point clouds from historical aerial photograph collections. We use these tools to generate a time series of high-resolution point clouds that span 10-20 km across the Carrizo Plain segment of the San Andreas fault. We chose this location due to the high tectonic rates along the San Andreas fault and lack of vegetation, which may obscure tectonic signals. We use ground control points collected with differential GPS to establish scale and georeference the aerial photograph-derived point clouds. With a locked fault assumption, point clouds can be co-registered (to one another and/or the 1.7 km wide B4 airborne lidar dataset) along the fault trace to calculate relative displacements away from the fault. We use CloudCompare to compute 3D surface displacements, which reflect the interseismic strain accumulation that occurred in the time interval between photo collections. As expected, we do not observe clear surface displacements along the primary fault trace in our comparisons of the B4 lidar data against the aerial photograph-derived point clouds. However, there may be small scale variations within the lidar swath area that represent near-fault plastic deformation. With large-scale historical photographs available for the Carrizo Plain extending back to at least the 1940s, we can potentially sample nearly half the interseismic period since the last major earthquake on this portion of this fault (1857). Where sufficient aerial photograph coverage is available, this approach has the potential to illuminate complex fault zone processes for this and other major strike-slip faults.

Active Tobacco Smoking and Distant Metastasis in Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McBride, Sean M.; Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Ali, Nawal N.

Purpose: Distant metastasis is the site of first relapse in approximately one-third of patients with locally advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma, irrespective of human papillomavirus status. Yet the risk factors associated with distant metastasis are not well characterized. We sought to characterize the relationship between smoking status and distant metastasis. Methods and Materials: We evaluated the association between tobacco smoking status and distant metastasis in a retrospective cohort study of 132 patients who underwent definitive radiation therapy and chemotherapy for Stage III-IVA/B oropharyngeal cancer. Information on tobacco smoking was prospectively collected by patient questionnaires and physician notes at the time of diagnosis.more » Thirty-three percent of the patients were nonsmokers, 51% were former smokers, 16% were active smokers. The cumulative lifetime tobacco smoking in pack-years was 20 (range, 0-150). Results: With a median follow-up time of 52 months, the overall rate of distant metastasis at 4 years was 8%. Distant metastasis was the most common first site of relapse, occurring in 56% of the patients with recurrences. Active smokers had higher rates of distant metastasis than non-active smokers (including never- and former smokers; 31% vs. 4%, p < 0.001) and former smokers (31% vs. 3%, p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the risk of distant metastasis for patients with lifetime cumulative pack-years >20 and {<=}20 (10% vs. 4%, p = 0.19). In univariate analysis, active smoking (p = 0.0004) and N category (p = 0.009) were predictive of increased risk of distant metastasis. In multivariate analysis, active smoking was the most significant predictive factor for increased risk of distant metastasis (hazard ratio, 12.7, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: This study identified a strong association between active smoking and distant metastasis in patients with oropharyngeal cancer.« less

Negative and positive life events are associated with small but lasting change in neuroticism.

PubMed

Jeronimus, B F; Ormel, J; Aleman, A; Penninx, B W J H; Riese, H

2013-11-01

High neuroticism is prospectively associated with psychopathology and physical health. However, within-subject changes in neuroticism due to life experiences (LEs) or state effects of current psychopathology are largely unexplored. In this 2-year follow-up study, four hypotheses were tested: (1) positive LEs (PLEs) decrease and negative LEs (NLEs) increase neuroticism; (2) LE-driven change in neuroticism is partly long-lasting; and (3) partly independent of LE-driven changes in anxiety/depression; and (4) childhood adversity (before age 16 years) moderates the influence of NLEs/PLEs on neuroticism scores in adult life. Data came from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety [NESDA, n = 2981, mean age 41.99 years (s.d. = 13.08), 66.6% women]. At follow-up (T₂) we assessed PLEs/NLEs with the List of Threatening Experiences (LTE) over the prior 24 months and categorized them over recent and distant PLE/NLE measures (1-3 and 4-24 months prior to T₂ respectively) to distinguish distant NLE/PLE-driven change in trait neuroticism (using the Dutch version of the Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness Five Factor Inventory, NEO-FFI) from state deviations due to changes in symptoms of depression (self-rated version of the 30-item Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, IDS-SR30) and anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAI). Distant NLEs were associated with higher and distant PLEs with lower neuroticism scores. The effects of distant LEs were weak but long-lasting, especially for distant PLEs. Distant NLE-driven change in neuroticism was associated with change in symptoms of anxiety/depression whereas the effect of distant PLEs on neuroticism was independent of any such changes. Childhood adversity weakened the impact of distant NLEs but enhanced the impact of distant PLEs on neuroticism. Distant PLEs are associated with small but long-lasting decreases in neuroticism regardless of changes in symptom levels of anxiety/depression. Long-lasting increases in neuroticism associated with distant NLEs are mediated by anxiety/depression.

Melt pond fraction and spectral sea ice albedo retrieval from MERIS data - Part 1: Validation against in situ, aerial, and ship cruise data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Istomina, L.; Heygster, G.; Huntemann, M.; Schwarz, P.; Birnbaum, G.; Scharien, R.; Polashenski, C.; Perovich, D.; Zege, E.; Malinka, A.; Prikhach, A.; Katsev, I.

2015-08-01

The presence of melt ponds on the Arctic sea ice strongly affects the energy balance of the Arctic Ocean in summer. It affects albedo as well as transmittance through the sea ice, which has consequences for the heat balance and mass balance of sea ice. An algorithm to retrieve melt pond fraction and sea ice albedo from Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) data is validated against aerial, shipborne and in situ campaign data. The results show the best correlation for landfast and multiyear ice of high ice concentrations. For broadband albedo, R2 is equal to 0.85, with the RMS (root mean square) being equal to 0.068; for the melt pond fraction, R2 is equal to 0.36, with the RMS being equal to 0.065. The correlation for lower ice concentrations, subpixel ice floes, blue ice and wet ice is lower due to ice drift and challenging for the retrieval surface conditions. Combining all aerial observations gives a mean albedo RMS of 0.089 and a mean melt pond fraction RMS of 0.22. The in situ melt pond fraction correlation is R2 = 0.52 with an RMS = 0.14. Ship cruise data might be affected by documentation of varying accuracy within the Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt) protocol, which may contribute to the discrepancy between the satellite value and the observed value: mean R2 = 0.044, mean RMS = 0.16. An additional dynamic spatial cloud filter for MERIS over snow and ice has been developed to assist with the validation on swath data.

Channel dynamics and geomorphic resilience in an ephemeral Mediterranean river affected by gravel mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calle, Mikel; Alho, Petteri; Benito, Gerardo

2017-05-01

Gravel mining has been a widespread activity in ephemeral rivers worldwide whose long-lasting hydrogeomorphological impacts preclude effective implementation of water and environmental policies. This paper presents a GIS-based method for temporal assessment of morphosedimentary changes in relation to in-channel gravel mining in a typical ephemeral Mediterranean stream, namely the Rambla de la Viuda (eastern Spain). The aims of this work were to identify morphosedimentary changes and responses to human activities and floods, quantify river degradations and analyze factors favoring fluvial recovery for further applications in other rivers. Aerial photographs and LiDAR topography data were studied to analyze geomorphic evolution over the past 70 years along a 7.5-km reach of an ephemeral gravel stream that has been mined intensively since the 1970s. To evaluate changes in the riverbed, we mapped comparable units applying morphological, hydraulic, and stability (based on vegetation density and elevation) criteria to 13 sets of aerial photographs taken from 1946 to 2012. A detailed spatiotemporal analysis of comparable units revealed a 50% reduction in the active section and a 20% increase in stable areas, compared to the conditions observed prior to gravel mining. Instream mining was first observed in 1976 aerial photograph covering already up to 50% of the 1956 riverbed area. River degradation since then was quantified by means of a LiDAR DTM and RTK-GPS measurements, which revealed a 3.5-m incision that had started simultaneously with gravel mining. Climate and land use changes were present but the effects were completely masked by changes produced by instream gravel mining. Therefore, river incision/degradation was triggered by scarcity of sediment and lack of longitudinal sedimentary connection, creating an unbalanced river system that is still adjusting to the present hydrosedimentary conditions.

Group 1 Type: Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) as a Force Multiplier to the Fire Support Team

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-03

2 History ........ : ............................................................. : ...................... 4 The...observer team will effectively put rounds on target with fewer adjustments and better accuracy for first round fire for effect in situations where the...Vision and Strategy 2025 publication,3 We will pursue developments with unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) to widen the force size multiplying

Species–specific contributions to moderate resolution vegetation indices derived from sub-decimeter aerial photography – Prospects for phenological monitoring

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

High spatial heterogeneity in ground cover, large amounts of exposed bare soil, and modest cover from shrubs and grasses in arid and semi-arid ecosystems challenge the integration of field observations of phenology and remotely sensed data to monitor changes in land surface phenology. This research ...